Hourglass
Chapter 4. Hurrah. I hate this chapter, with a vengeance. It's horribly written and you can tell I'm obviously BSing my way through the whole thing. If you get sick of reading it, skip to the bottom, that's where the important stuff is and the plot finally emerges. If you can't tell by now I'm obviously basing this story in a warped version of my own city. Bleh.
As you can see, now is the chapter to show the characters' OOCness. Why? Because technically, they could all grow up to be normal people, except something happens to each of them to make them more like their past selves. Rheas is obvious. Yes, I made Toby and Rheas gamers. La di friggin da. I copy a lot of what they say or do off my own friends' acts. I'm also worried I may have to up the rating to an 'R' because of a certain mage's mouth, though I really don't want to.
Important Note: I'm ignoring all fifth age stuff. Why? Because I haven't read any of it yet and I pretty much already have the basic ending of this story written out. So basically all reference stops at Dragons of Summer Flame when the gods leave and magic dies and la la la lalala. "Then why is Fizban in this chapter?" you ask? All will be explained! Keep reading! Enjoy this crappy chapter.
Toby flung himself out the front door into the cold morning air. Dashing down the steps and nearly slipping on a slushy puddle, he ran across the wet lawn to where the thin figure sat on a mountain bike, shouting his name.
"Hurry up!" snarled Rheas angrily.
"We're late!" cried Toby as he swung onto the back of the bike, his weight pushing it forward. Rheas leaned onto the pedals, picking up speed until they sped back onto the main road.
"What took you so long?!" Rheas snapped over his shoulder as they turned downhill and out of their neighborhood.
"I slept through my alarm…I was tired!" Toby replied defensively, his back to Rheas as he watched the scenery pass them and grow smaller before him. With a jolt that had used to always catch Toby off guard and throw him off the bike, and they were on the highway. Tall evergreens sprung up on both sides of the busy street, dew shining as the sun began to rise. "We're gonna be late…But gee, look at the traffic! I wonder why all the cars are backed up? An accident? Broken light? Maybe we won't be the only ones!"
"We won't be late. I'm cutting through the fields."
"I hate going through the fields! I always fall off."
"Then hang on tighter." Rheas said as he jerked the bike up onto an unpaved drive. The trees closed in around them as they swerved off onto a trail that was just wide enough for them to squeeze through. The ground dropped from below them and they sped through trees and ferns, unsteady ground bumping and jarring the bike violently. Toby bounced in his seat on the rack.
"The jump's coming, hang on!" Rheas shouted back to his companion. Toby shifted his small torso and wrapped his arms around Rheas' waist in a death grip. "Not to me!" Rheas shrieked.
The trees began to break away, allowing sunlight to pass through. A mid-sized rock protruded from the earth directly on the trail, after that, the ground dropped away to the trail a little below. The bike took the small jump easily, the landing however, was always another story. Though Toby loved the trail and the little jumps here and there, on the bicycle, with its constant bouncing, it got quite tiresome rather quickly.
With a jerk that nearly sent Rheas over the handlebars, they landed heavily and continued down the hill onto the field. There was no trail and the thistles brushed their legs, so when they finally reached the woods again they each had a collection of seeds and stickers on their pants.
"I'm thistly again. These are so annoying to get out! Look kinda cool though…" Toby prattled on, plucking a thistle pod off his shoelace.
"A minor annoyance in the scheme of Life my young friend."
"I'm older than you!" Toby retorted angrily.
"Only by a few months." Rheas said dismissingly.
"A few months enough! That reminds me, when we get our licenses, let's go on a road trip! We can go and see all the sights and…"
Rheas let Toby babble on, he had to focus. They were approaching the real reason Rheas hated the field trail. The trees broke away again, revealing a lavishing garden of all kinds of flowers, coming into bud. He pulled the bike directly onto a thin trail of trampled flowers and pedaled through, praying the old man who owned this grand estate wasn't awake yet.
No such luck. The two boys heard an angry shout and then a loud explosion by their ears.
"Shit! The old man spotted us!" Rheas hissed. Leaning forward, he put all his energy into pedaling, to get the bike past the property line as quick as he could. When he and Toby had first seen that sign that read "trespassers will be shot", they hadn't taken it seriously. Several run-throughs later, they knew the seriousness of that sign all too well. Another gunshot echoed in the air, as well as more cursing.
"What is wrong with people around here!?" Toby cried. Though a part of him was screaming that he could be shot, he could die, another, larger part was ignoring that possibility and finding the whole situation downright exciting!
"Reminds me of my neighbor…" Rheas muttered.
When they reached the sanctuary of the trees, Rheas didn't slow down. They sped through the woods and Toby could hear the sound of the highway. They past through a break in a barbed fence and, ignoring the cries of workers, shot through the auto-parts yard without a second glance.
Out the gate, down and over the grassy knoll, and they hit the sidewalk. Swerving the bike onto the road, they crossed. A car slammed on its brakes, its horn blazing as they rode in front of it.
"The light's fucking green you fuckin' asshole!" Rheas screamed, flipping off the driver. Toby smiled apologetically to the driver as they passed. He wondered what Rheas' road rage would be like when he had a car.
"Hey look! There's Cam, Thom and Sam!" Toby declared, and he began to wave his arms wildly, "Hey guys! Hiiiiiiiii!!!!!"
Thomas, wedged between Sam and Cameron in the trashy truck, lifted his hand in a slight wave. The fifteen-year-old beamed as the bike pulled off the road and onto a grassy knoll before vanishing over the other side.
"Great," Sam sighed heavily, leaning on the door, "at the rate the traffic's going, your brother is going to beat us to school."
"Nah," Cameron smiled, "they take the trail up over the hill. It's pretty steep so it takes 'em a while."
"Why the hill trail? The highway's faster."
"Rheas hates riding along the freeway entrance. He's got a road rage problem. Woe to those on the streets when he drives..."
Thomas smirked. "Yeah, well, is he all right now?"
"What d'ya mean?" Cameron inquired.
"Heard he got sick, that's all. Is he better?"
"Well enough to fight me for the microwave this morning. He's like a viscous chihuahua or something. Why?"
"Nothing, I just heard there was this weird illness spreading around. People getting really high fevers that won't go down, they become weak all of the sudden, waste away in delirium until they die. There haven't been too many cases, especially around here, but no one has survived it yet."
"Creepy."
"What causes it?" Sam questioned, shifting once again, trying to get comfortable.
"They don't know. They haven't found any fucked up virus or something like that so," Thomas shrugged, "who knows."
"Huh, weird…Hey!" Cameron hit the horn. "Light's green! Move it!" he shouted as though the car in front of them could hear. The red station wagon hesitated and then lurched forward. Too late, the light turned red.
"At this rate, we may make it in time for lunch." Thomas grumbled.
Swerving off the road, the bike hit a wide dirt path that suddenly rose up a steep hill. Their speed decreased immensely, despite Rheas' best efforts and will.
"Come on Rheas! 'I think I can, I think I can'!" Toby chanted from his seat.
"Gravity, however," Rheas grunted as he strained against the pedals, "has other ideas. Help me." The two jumped off the old bike and began to run it up the hill.
"This path takes too long…Do you think we'll make it?" the shorter boy questioned.
"I'm not the one with the watch." Rheas snapped irritably.
"You have a point…" Toby said slowly. Rheas sighed and turned his attention to placing one foot in front of the other. It was easy for one to lose his footing with all the loose stones scattered on the trail, and falling onto his face would only add to his "shit that has happened to me today" list. So far, he had woken up late, literally fought Cameron for the microwave, and had been shot at. Something told him that the rest of the day would not be any better.
Toby used to claim that the hill was a mountain, mainly because, running up it, it sure felt like one. The trail was commonly used, as it was the only way through the wood that surrounded them on all sides. When they reached the top, there would be about several dozen yards of flat ground before it dropped and one was heading back down. That was Toby's favorite part.
Panting, the two teens finally reached the top. Toby hopped onto his seat, Rheas following with less enthusiasm. The wind picked up and the evergreens began to whisper, sending small showers of pine needles on the passerbys and the cedars seemed to wave. Toby waved back.
The ground tilted beneath them and Rheas gave a sigh of relief. "Ah, blessed downhill…" It was easy riding from then on. Gaining speed from the descent, they would cross the plank over the creek, down the road a couple yards, and be in the school's side parking lot without having to pedal at all.
Toby, kneeling on the rack with his hands on Rheas' unwelcoming shoulders, smiled as the wind whipped through his topknot. It took all his effort not to shout "wheeeeeeeee!!" in his companion's ear, but he had learned, through experience, that that would only get him thrown off the bike.
"Hey Toby," Rheas began, his eyes squinting, "does something look weird down at the creek? I can't see…"
Toby leaned forward, straining his eyes. "Hmm…It seems someone removed the plank."
"What!?" Rheas, now seeing the creek below clearly, rushing up to meet them, pressed the brakes as hard as he could.
"Jump it! Jump it jump it jump it!" Toby cried with delight.
"Are you kidding!?" Rheas shouted as he slid the bike on its side. Next thing Rheas knew, the bike was gone, and he was rolling on the ground. There was air, and then cold darkness. He opened his mouth to shout, but the coldness swept down his throat, silencing him. Pressing his hands against the muddy earth, he sat up with a gasp of air and pushed back towards the bank. The icy creek water gently swirled around him, clearing his head.
"And now I'm wet." he muttered angrily as he reached through the water, took hold of the bike and began to pull it out of the mud. It was oddly quiet he thought randomly. Oh.
"Toby?" he called, glancing around.
With a splash, the shorter boy's head popped up, gasping for his denied air. "Whooha!"
Rheas glared at Toby fiercely, his eyes burning like embers. "'Jump it' he said." he mocked, fury dripping like venom. He then sneezed.
"Now that was fun!" Toby beamed.
Rheas threw a mud ball in his face.
"Turned out some car down by the freeway entranced died or something. Once we got past that it was smooth sailing." Thomas explained, leaning back on the flagpole lazily.
"Well," Gary shrugged, "you got here, and you have plenty of time to spare."
"I was still hoping to make it in time to get a bagel but…"
"You already had breakfast." Sam interjected quickly.
"Yeah, Rheas' too…"
"You're gonna regret it when all that muscle of yours turns to fat." Gary smirked.
Cameron shrugged. "By then, I'll probably be like my old man and be eating little more than celery or whatever…"
Squish, squish, squish.
Cameron looked up, eyebrows raised as Toby and Rheas, both resembling drowned rats, walked by. Toby's plaid jacket was slung over his shoulder, mud on his face, and his topknot spiked in all directions. Rheas had his sweatshirt around his waist, making him look more out of place than usual. Both their boots sloshed with water.
"What happened to you two?" Gary inquired, trying hard not to laugh.
"Somebody moved the plank on the creek." Toby replied, a little too casually for comfort.
"Why don't you guys just take the bus?" Thomas suggested, "The stop is honestly not that far."
"How can the bus possibly be as interesting as riding with Rheas?"
"Interesting?" Cameron grinned, gazing down at his soggy brother with amusement, "Not the word I'd use, but whatever works."
Rheas sniffed in reply.
"The love of siblings and the charm it holds." Thomas sighed, shaking his head.
"Don't get me wrong," Cameron explained, draping his arm around Rheas' shoulders.
"Remove your arm."
Cameron continued, "I think my brother is quite a fascinating little guy. He can…uh…" the big man looked down at the smaller, attempting to conjure some form of interest to his mind, "well, he can uh, moonwalk pretty good…"
"Thanks, Brother!" Rheas snarled, pulling away from his elder brother's grip, face flushed in embarrassment.
"Really? Let's see." Sam suggested smugly. Rheas narrowed his eyes in the junior's direction.
"Come on Rheas, I've told them worse, about both of us." Cameron piped, clapping his brother on the back and nearly knocking him over.
"Oh?" Rheas inquired, his voice cold. He turned to the others, his hands outspread, "Well, surely then has he told you all about the time when he came home drunker than anything and told me I was beautiful, and wanted to--"
Cameron slapped his large hand over Rheas' mouth swiftly. "Finish that statement and I will kill you." his throaty voice rumbled. Rheas nodded, but his eyes clearly read: I have power over you, hahahaha!
"And wanted to what!? Huh, huh? C'mon Cameron! What did you want to do? Play cards, brother bonding? What?" Toby cried, bouncing up and down with anticipation.
Rheas stepped away from the big man and said quietly, "Sleep, I suppose, he passed out right after. Now if you'll excuse me, the bell is going to ring right about…now."
The bell rang.
Rheas gave a mock bow and walked towards the gym, Toby following directly, babbling about getting dog piled on. Gary shook his head in amazement.
"Well," he said, slinging his pack over his shoulder, "I'll see you at lunch." and hurried towards the portables.
Thomas smirked, watching the two younger teens vanish around the corner. "Ah, children. What will they come up with next?"
"Silencers, preferably." Sam smiled solemnly, stretching. "Thanks for the ride, Cameron, my mother took mine for this morning."
"No prob. Do you need one this afternoon?"
"No, I'm good. See you at lunch."
"Well Thom," Cameron shrugged, bringing his voice up to falsetto, "shall we journey forth to class?"
"Let's." Thomas gestured dramatically with his hand as he brushed his reddish hair out of his face with the other.
"You don't look too good. A little pale…"
"Nah, I just got up late. Let's go."
"…and so you gotta wonder, if it's Final Fantasy, why doesn't it just end?" Toby concluded, pulling free his small red boots with a sucking sound. Tilting the boots, water poured out.
"Where's the money-making opportunity in that? Besides, I'm sure it's called such for another reason." Pulling off his wet t-shirt, Rheas spun it around itself until he had a rattail, and then struck Toby with it.
"Ayee! What was that for!?" the shorter boy cried, rubbing his rear.
"I suppose for my enjoyment of watching human suffering. Ha ha." Rheas replied in monotone, throwing the shirt into the small basket and locking it. Ignoring the other boys, who were filing out of the locker room noisily, Rheas strode toward one of the showers and cranked it on.
"Uh, Rheas, you're already wet enough…" Toby began, pulling his shorts up.
"And muddy as well. If I must drip through gym class, I'll not drip filthy water." Rheas murmured. Bending over, he flipped his hair forward and let the cold water splash down his neck.
Toby reached up and ran his fingers through his muddy topknot; that was a good idea! Bouncing over, he tilted his head into the running water.
Once satisfied, Rheas turned off the shower and stepped back, letting the nozzle drip. Still bent forward, he shook his head like a dog, spraying water in all directions, and then snapped his head up. His auburn hair fell over his eyes messily, but he seemed not to notice. Hurrying back to his basket, he quickly pulled on his dry gym shirt. "Toby, come on!" Rheas snapped, tossing his companion his shirt. Toby caught it, pulled it on, and followed Rheas out the door, still wringing out his topknot.
Entering the smaller gym beside the common, both boys' stomachs fell to their feet. The enormous mats, usually rolled up against the opposite wall, were unrolled across the floor. That could only mean one thing…
"Wrestling!" Toby gasped in horror. Rheas placed a hand over his heart.
"'The two young lads fought their bravest, but in the end, both were crushed under the weight of many sweaty jocks'," he whispered sadly, then shook his head, "what a way for us to go."
"You're not helping."
"Alright everyone," the gym teacher boomed, "I want you to partner up with someone of similar weight and go sit down. And stay off the mat!"
Toby blinked and crept off the mat. "How much do you weigh Rheas?" he whispered rather loudly to his companion.
"Very little."
"Close enough! I'm with you!" he declared crossing his arms over his small chest. They were about to sit when the gym teacher eyed the two dubiously. One stood about 5'4, the other, less than 4'5. He obviously didn't agree with that.
"Madison, go pair with Pierce. Bender, you're with Miss Signett."
"Pierce, sir?" Rheas questioned, "I believe you said equal weight, not height. He'll kill me before you can say 'go'."
"Don't argue with me Madison. Go on."
"I don't wanna wrestle with a girl, sir. My friend Sam says that's not very--"
"Shut up Bender."
Rheas sighed and strode over to where Nick Pierce stood. Though the senior wasn't very tall for his age, he made up for it in bulk. He regarded Rheas a second and then groaned. "Oh come on. This is over before it even starts."
"I'm just as displeased about it as you are, okay?" Rheas hissed, sitting on the hard floor stiffly. Apparently the teacher reveled in watching his students pound on the smaller members. They were his sportsmen for the big games, afterall, and feeding them helpless freshman kept them happy. Toby was paired with Emily Signett, a small girl who had yet to hit a growth spurt, so he was all right for now. However, once it became a free-for-all, he would be a goner. His height made him an even better target than Rheas, and dog piling was his worst enemy.
"Okay, I want you all to find some space on the mat with your partners, we're going to try…"
Rheas rose and followed Nick over to the far side of the gym. They stood there, a thick line of mutual distrust between them. Rheas glared at the senior angrily, he knew what he was saying in those doe eyes. I'm a warm-up, he thought bitterly, a slight exercise before you go and have your fun. How enlightening.
Rheas barely heard 'go' before he found himself slammed onto the mat, pain shooting through him, and then it was gone.
It was going to be a long two hours.
Toby stared at Emily, who stared back. She was a shy girl who would rarely speak, much less throw a person to the floor. Toby just had no interest in pushing her around.
"So, how you doin'?" he began, smiling hopefully. She blinked once and shrugged.
Meanwhile, Rheas found himself yet again pinned to the floor without trouble.
"Come on Madison! You're not even trying."
"The sad thing is, I am."
The senior roughly pulled him back onto his feet. "Okay, I won't do anything this time. Just pull me to the floor."
"I can't even lift half my own weight and you expect me to just throw you over my shoulder? Suuuure…"
"Bender! Signett! This isn't social time!"
"We're not even socializing!"
Wham! "I'm seeing stars…that's bad…"
"You're dodging!"
"…and so then my old man said, 'if the shoe fits' which really makes no sense to me, since they actually didn't, and they were sandals anyway, and so…"
"Madison! Get off the floor!"
"…so then it really turns out it was a crab, a big one too, and so we had a rompin' old time catching it and trying to get it to let go of my shorts…"
"Madison! Did you hear me!?"
"He's not getting up Coach…"
"…and since birds can't burp or fart, it exploded! Can you believe that!? I felt bad for the poor thing, and it was awful messy, but it was one of the funniest things…"
"I think he's dead…!"
"Aw, fuck man, you killed him!"
"Back up! Give him some air!"
"…then I picked up the hammer and made like Thor and was like, 'prepare to die!' but of course I wouldn't kill anybody and…What's going on?"
"Nick killed Rheas." Emily replied simply, gesturing. Toby whirled and ran over to the forming crowd, fighting to get through.
The gym teacher knelt beside Rheas' still form, shaking him slightly. "Madison? Someone go get the nurse!" he barked, startling back the ring of students who continued to stare. Rheas stirred, groaning slightly, and his golden eyes fluttered open. He looked around as though dazed.
"What happened?" he asked weakly, slowly sitting up.
"You just blacked out there for a moment," the teacher replied, "perhaps you should go to the nurse's office for a while."
Hand to his head, Rheas nodded as the teacher helped him up. He swayed slightly as he stood, his eyes not quite focussing on anything.
"Is there anyone who will go…"
"I will! I will! I'll go with him!" cried Toby, bouncing up and down to be seen. The teacher nodded and Toby bounded up, allowing Rheas to steady himself on his shoulder. The ring of students parted as the two passed them and slowly filtered back to what they were doing. Toby helped Rheas out the door as best he could, Rheas leaning on his shoulder slightly. When they rounded the corner to leave the gym, Rheas looked over his shoulder and nodded. He straightened and walked briskly towards the locker rooms.
"Hey! You were playing possum!" Toby accused, chasing after him.
"A few more minutes of that and I wouldn't have been." Rheas snapped irritably, "Enough is enough Toby."
"So we're not going to the nurse then?"
"No, we're not."
"Darn, I was hoping for a lollipop."
Rheas rolled his eyes and yanked open his basket. His clothes were still wet, but it was a good day and the sun was up. He should be fine. Throwing off the sweaty gym shirt, he erased all worries of gym class; he was done for the day.
"So what should we do for the next hour 'n a half?" Toby inquired, fighting to get his red boots back on.
"Who cares, as long as it's not here."
"Fair enough. Let's meander a bit, see what comes up?"
Rheas retied the bandana about his neck and nodded. "Let's go."
Mr. Salton had been in schools practically his whole life. When he had been in highschool, he had found it tiresome and stupid. He often wondered how he had ended up in this job in the first place. Once a teacher in Chicago, then a principal in Denver, the idea of taking the offered job farther west felt suitable. Just a few hours in a car and he could be anywhere, the ocean, lush forests, the mountains, or open miles of great plateaus, and a large city crawling with computer nerds.
Ah yes, a school overflowing with intelligent young men and women intent on learning and moving on into the big businesses.
Yeah, right.
When a bottle of vodka wasn't being passed around, or the students running off to smoke and buy a quick burger in their damn cars that were nicer than his, they were busy being their usual obnoxious selves. Mainly from a nice area of town, most of the students were well off in their cash, and the bratty attitude that came with it. They outweighed those hopeful nerds ten to one.
He was thankful for that. Drugs, drinks and common school violence were expected things afterall. Not sudden system crashes caused by only the craftiest of student minds, losing only what information was no longer necessary to their needs, and gathering all the precious secrets the school could hold. These weren't mere nerds; they had tired of the abuse from junior high long ago and had found their own way of protection.
Not all gamers were nerds, but all nerds were gamers. It was a simple tactic, combine strength, intelligence, creativity, a bit of stupid belief and crazy fashions, sprinkle a bit of charisma from the occasional little people, and you had an unstoppable force that would protect one another for the simple sake of spiting everyone else. They were hell.
Proving teachers wrong, freaking out the other students by discussing their theories on death, hiding in the back room playing video games during assemblies and singing Irish drink songs was only the beginning. At least, most of the time, they were well behaved. Oh well, today was a good day. The sun was shining, the students were quiet, and his lunch was delicious.
Which was why, when he looked out his window, he didn't expect to see two students wandering around on the roof.
"See Rheas?" Toby laughed, plopping down to a sitting position, careful not to slip and tumble down off the roof, "It's not that bad. Look! We can see town from here!"
Rheas, his face calm but his hands shaking slightly, settled beside his companion. "I didn't say I wouldn't like it, it was getting up here that was unpreferable. Getting down will be even worse…And of course we can see town you dolt."
"Do you think, if we walked along the walkways, we could get on top of the gym?"
"Of course not, it's a separate building." Rheas retorted, leaning back with his hands folded behind his head. Toby shrugged and fell back, mimicking Rheas. Puffy clouds dotting the endless blue strolled by casually, Toby following their movement with his large brown eyes.
"Look at the clouds, Rheas," he smiled, almost hypnotically, "They look like mashed potatoes. Like Mom's potatoes, soft, fluffy, creamy, delicious buttered mashed potatoes…"
"Not my mother's." Rheas smirked, shutting his eyes. Toby giggled and rolled over, yawning. The sun had heated up the charcoal colored roof, making him feel very comfortable and relaxed. His eyelids began to droop and he heard Rheas sigh. The warm darkness of sleep began to creep over him. But in the distance, it sounded like someone was calling him.
The warm ground below, the gentle sun above, winds whipping over him, blue sky all around. For a moment, he was back in California, sleeping on a sandy beach, he could even smell the sea air. His sisters were calling him. But he was so warm, he didn't want to get up. The crashing of waves not too far away, the sound of seagulls crying out. His sisters, coming closer. Their calling became urgent, something about their littlest sister…
Toby opened his eyes and rolled back over. Someone was calling them, but not by name, and boy were they angry!
"I think we've been discovered." Toby smiled impishly.
"Mm…" Rheas replied groggily, his arm slung over his eyes.
"What should we do?"
"We have several options. We can attempt to run for it, we can ignore them until they come up and get us, or we can get down right now."
"Even if we got away, we'd have to come back anyway, and they'd get us then," the shorter boy pondered, "we might as well go now, they'll be really pissed if they have to come up and get us."
"Agreed." Rheas sighed, sitting up. "Let's see if I can get down without trouble."
"You? I doubt it." Toby giggled, skipping back to the walkway where the upturned garbage can they had used to climb up awaited.
"Tobias Ferdinand Bender and Rheas Beauregard Madison. I should have known." Salton sighed, pushing Rheas' reclining feet off his desk.
Toby snickered, "Your middle name's Beauregard?"
"Yours is Ferdinand?" Rheas shot back.
"Touché."
"I don't need to remind you two that you're not supposed to be up wandering on the roof, 'cause I know you are perfectly aware of that. So let's start with why you were on the roof." Salton began, leaning forward and resting his hands on his desk.
"Oh, well," Toby piped up, "it's such a lovely day, so Rheas and I thought we could go and relax a bit, you know? Looking at the clouds and all, and the view is so nice, and…"
"And you are supposed to be in class right now, aren't you?" the principal continued, irritation lining his voice.
"I felt ill sir, another moment of getting tossed around and I would have fainted." Rheas explained calmly.
"According to what I heard, you did."
"Precisely."
"So you felt taking a detour on the roof was a good option?" The sarcasm in the principal's voice was beginning to equal that of Rheas'.
"I was feeling a bit better. Fresh air is quite a cure you know." Rheas rose to Salton's challenge. Toby gulped, this was going to get ugly.
Salton narrowed his eyes at the freshman, who stared right back with a smug uncaring air about him. His eerie eyes showed nothing, gave nothing. "This act is too far over the line for you two, though," he gazed back at the golden eyes, "quite a step from pretty much hacking through the whole network."
"I believe sir, that you have no proof that it was I who did that and your accusation is rather offensive." Rheas replied coolly, resting his hands together.
"Perhaps not, but I know it was you. Either way, we shall have to do things the old fashioned way, and inform your parents." the principal said, reaching for the phone beside him. Toby groaned and sunk in his chair, Rheas only gazed out the window.
"No one is home. And leaving a message is pointless, the machine broke a month ago and I'm assuming by now it's my job to fix it. We don't have e-mail because our computer is an old eighties piece of crap that can barely read the games over a megabyte. Pretty much, it's useless. If I choose to climb onto that roof, then I will do so and the consequences that go with it. So suspend me or expel me, but let's just get it over with and quit this pussyfooting shit."
"The point is, Madison, had you slipped and injured yourself, it would have been our responsibility and your parents…"
"My parents don't give a fuck whether I'm off playing saint or being chased around by my neighbor with a knife! They'd probably prefer me in the hospital where I'd at least be quiet. It makes no difference really, I'm always so pumped full of drugs at home I can barely even fuckin' speak anyway…" Rheas snarled, eventually sliding back in his seat and into silence.
Toby smiled half-heartedly in apology to the principal, sunk back in his chair until he nearly fell out, and twiddled his thumbs in boredom. The day had barely begun; they were in for a long ride.
"You've been quiet today."
"Huh?" Sam lifted his head from his paper to the voice beside him. "Just getting work done, that's all."
"You've been working too hard, you mean."
"Are you implying that my performance in this sad class is naturally lacking…"
"Not at all! Jeez, you jump to conclusions awfully fast. No, I don't mean class." the tall junior, whispered.
"What do you mean then?"
"I don't know, but ever since your dad left you've been putting all responsibilities on yourself. I can see it wearing on you."
"I live my life as I choose. I'm glad my so-called father left and I am perfectly happy to help my mother in any way I can!"
"I know, I know," he hissed, trying to get Sam to lower his voice as the teacher glanced up warningly, "I just think that you should…"
"Pssst!" a second voice whispered from behind the two young men.
"What?" they both inquired, turning to the girl behind them.
"Your name's River, right?"
"Yes…" the tall junior said slowly, knowing exactly where this conversation was going.
"And that's your real name? Really?"
"Yes! I don't know why! Maybe my parents liked River Phoenix, or maybe they're both just hippies and I don't know it, who cares!" River snapped angrily; his patience had worn very thin this year.
Sam chuckled slightly and tried to quiet his friend as the teacher glared at them once more.
"Well, if that wasn't a good chunk of my precious life taken away…Wouldn't you say Rheas?" Toby sighed, gazing at his companion, "And now that you're dark streak has been set off, the rest of today is going to suck, huh?"
Rheas muttered something unintelligible in response. Toby took that as a yes and slumped against a pillar. He should have just slept in today.
"You guys look like you just got chewed out by the principal."
"We did." Rheas growled, looking up slightly.
"Hi Crysta, and Erica too! As a matter of fact, we just did get outta the office, and boy did Rheas ever piss off Mr. Salton! You should have seen it! I was sure he was gonna slap Rheas a good one across the face any second!"
"He knows better. Though I do see more psychiatric help in my future…"
"One would think," Crysta half-smiled, "What did you say this time?"
"The truth." Rheas hissed sharply.
"I believe that. Teachers are funny that way. Oh, here." Crysta advanced on the startled freshman swiftly, reaching her arms around his neck slowly.
"What are you doing!?" he demanded, jerking away.
"Hold still will ya? Just let me…There!" She drew back and smiled. Rheas looked down, around his neck hung his pewter claw necklace.
"How did you…?"
"Those assholes are friends of my brother. I saw they had it so I took it back. Really, I can't believe you still wear that thing, I gave it to you when you were what, seven?"
With a quiet smirk, Rheas lifted an eyebrow. "Yes, and you told me it was magical."
"And you laughed in my face!"
Rheas shrugged. "It's my good luck, if there is such a thing."
There was a pause, and Crysta's face turned a slightly redder shade. Rheas noticed Toby off to the side mouthing "kiss her!" and making obscene gestures with his hands. He immediately gave the shorter boy a long middle finger.
"So," Erica, almost about to laugh, inquired, "what are you two going to do over break?"
"Not much. Toby and I will actually be leaving this Wednesday on a short camping trip across the Puget and over to the rainforest."
"Why so early?"
"We hope to be back in time for the festival in the city."
"Rheas and I go there every year! It's so much fun! Have you guys been to the folk festival? No? You're missing out! Music, dancing, art, and Rheas does this little show that occasionally makes quite a bit of money, which of course we go and blow on all the cool stuff they have there, and the concerts…"
"They get it, Toby." Rheas snapped. A headache was working its way upward from behind his eyes, and the shorter boy's shrill voice was not helping. Simple solution: kill Toby. No, though a tempting offer, there were less pro's than there were con's to that alternative. Duck tape was always a good solution…
"Rheas!" a new voice cried out. Rheas was almost knocked off his feet as a thin auburn haired junior tackled him and caught him in a weak headlock.
"Imare'! Let go of me!" the freshman shrieked, ripping free from his captor's grasp.
"Sure, sure." Imare' laughed, grinning like a fool and stepping back.
"Erica," Crysta laughed, "this is Imare'. He's an idiot, but you get used to him."
"Hey now…" Imare' glared at her humorously, his steel-gray eyes glittering.
"Are you two brothers? You look alike." Erica questioned.
"Brothers?!" the two nearly cried, looking at each other in horror.
"I'm not that ugly!"
"One idiotic brother is enough, thank you very much."
"Sorry, you just look similar."
"Nah, Rheas here is just my little freshman buddy!" Imare' declared, catching Rheas in another headlock and mercilessly mussing up his hair with his knuckles.
"Let go!!"
"So," Imare' asked Toby, releasing Rheas from his torment, "You guys coming to the meet this week?"
"No, we're leaving for the ferry docks immediately after school Wednesday, which is kinda a shame but…"
"You're not coming?"
"No." Rheas replied firmly, turning and beginning to stride away, Toby bounding after him. "It was a small turnout last week anyway…"
"Not this week," the junior called after him, "Jack's bringing his PC, we're gonna watch Army of Darkness!"
The two companions halted in their tracks. "Rheas…" Toby began, his voice straining.
"Be strong Toby, we need to leave Wednesday. We'll be too late otherwise."
"But…it's a classic…"
"We can rent it."
"Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail too!"
"We need to go…"
"Special Edition!"
"Oh hell, we'll leave after the festival."
"Yay!"
"It says here that if we are attacked by a cougar, to make ourselves as large as possible and try to frighten it off." Toby announced, flipping through a heavy book. The two regarded each other a moment, and then, smirking, decided that they were pretty much dead if they met a hungry mountain lion.
"Well," Rheas said, tossing the plastic from his small lunch into a waste bin, "I'm more worried about our human problems than of the local wildlife."
"True, here, let me look into that."
Rheas rolled his eyes. Toby tossed aside the book lightly and fished through his pockets absent-mindedly.
"I took your advice and brought my own lunch."
"Good for you…" Rheas replied, uncaring.
Toby smiled and pulled out a white box of Seattle Fudge. Rheas stared at him, and then, shaking his head sadly, pushed the shorter boy off the table they sat on.
"Hey!" Toby cried, clambering back up, "I have good metabolism, and I'm gonna use it before it turns against me!"
"Ah yes, I'm sure women find that most attractive." Rheas snapped sarcastically.
"Really? Like how?"
"All I know is that they are usually unimpressed with pigs, though my brother seems to be an exception…"
"Is that why you're wrists are thinner than mine?"
"Leave me alone."
"It's okay Rheas," Toby assured, patting his companion's shoulder, who drew away at the touch, "Plenty of people like you, really. Why, you know Dave Brunster? I heard he thinks you're hott."
"Then he has bad taste--wait…what?!"
"Oh, no no, he thought you were a girl."
"That's even worse! What part of me looks female!?"
"Well, you are skinny, and with your long hair…"
Rheas turned from Toby, lapsing into his one of his silences.
"Well," Toby began absently, picking at his fudge, "if you were a girl, I'd dig you."
Rheas turned toward Toby slowly, his golden eyes suddenly filled with terror.
"So I apologized for saying those things to her. She was a little hesitant, but forgave me, I guess."
"You guess?" Cameron stressed.
"Yes, I can never be too sure with that girl, I guess it's better than being on her shit list and having her bitch patrol on the march against me." Thomas explained to his friends as they wandered toward the cafeteria lazily.
"Well, Laura does seem a bit high strung as of late. Can't blame the girl." Sam said calmly.
"I'm flattered and all, but really, back off woman!"
"Oh yes, poor Thom, the school's prettiest girl wants in your pants and…" Cameron began sarcastically, a broad smile on his face.
"Cameron!" Sam snapped warningly. Cameron shrugged simply.
Chuckling, Thom flicked away the toothpick he had been chewing on. Thoughts of Laura danced through his head. She liked him, more than a friend, and he knew it had been for some time now. A childhood love, as innocent as new blossoms on a spring tree. He felt that way as well, he knew he did. Sweet and beautiful, yet still so young. But she still had growing to do.
Yet, that was not the reasons of his hesitation. Every time he thought of her, another would come to his mind. Creeping in the background of his thoughts, never leaving. Those wild eyes, that crooked smile…Don't think of her…don't…
"Hey Cam," he asked, against of his better judgement, "have you heard from your sister recently?"
Shaking his head, Cameron smiled sadly, "Nah, she's made no contact. Left like she always vowed to."
Thomas nodded, trying to hide his disappointment. Sam caught his look, but said nothing. There was a soft padding of feet coming closer.
"Well, break's coming, so I was thinkin' that we could all go--"
"Outta the way!!"
The group had time to turn as Rheas dashed through them. A look of sheer terror on his face, he sprinted down the walkway and up the stairs with speed an agility he never had.
"Gee," Thomas said slowly, amazed, "what could scare your brother that badly?"
"Who knows…" Cam whispered, when Toby suddenly burst through them, hot on Rheas' trail, shouting.
"C'mon Rheas! I was joking! I don't find you in any way attractive!"
"Um…" Thomas began, then stopped. Some things were best left unsaid.
"I learned to just stop asking." Sam sighed, resting his head in his hand.
"Smart man."
"What were you saying, Thom?"
"Nothin important. C'mon, I'm hungry." With that, the three strolled casually into the cafeteria.
The two girls descended the stone steps and pushed open the heavy door. Erica had felt like talking to Rheas, and so Crysta was leading her on. The dark haired girl always seemed to be able to find out wherever he was, if she didn't know already.
Inside was dark and cold. The hallway stretched either left or right, blackness waiting no matter which way you turned. The door slid shut behind them, and they were locked in darkness. Crysta pulled Erica's sleeve and led her down the hall.
"You sure they're going to be in there?" Erica whispered in the dark.
"Oh yeah. They avoid class like you wouldn't believe."
Finally a small light appeared. A sliver into the black, the light came from under a door where the sound of heavy metal could be heard. Crysta pushed the door open to the drama room. The room, painted dark, was bare except for a few tables and chairs against the wall and a large radio. The radio was on, spewing forth loud music from its speakers.
"This is the funniest thing you will ever see," whispered Crysta as the two slipped inside.
Rheas stood near the radio. His feet planted apart, he was apparently strumming on an air guitar with the music. He tossed his head in rhythm with his hands, his long hair flaying about wildly. Several feet away, Toby was a flurry of movement. Jumping, sliding, spinning, dancing in his own uncoordinated way. In one hand he held a small wooden dole that he was seemingly singing into, though with his shrill voice, it reminded the girls of a keening banshee.
"What the heck are they doing?" Erica questioned, trying not to laugh.
"Practicing."
"For what?"
"That's the funny part." Crysta replied as they sat against the wall. Toby continued bounding around like a timed ferret on speed, shrieking with the music.
"Climbing from the depths I hear the
Promises I made, why can't I
Run from the shadows, why can't I
Why….!"
Rheas stopped his strumming and joined in with Toby, their steps suddenly very coordinated and instep. One soft and one shrill, it made an odd combination.
"In my nightmares, I saw darkness
In that darkness, I found no one
I was destined to walk that path
A path that has been traveled alone!"
"Take it Rheas!" Toby cried dramatically.
"Spewing from my mind
Lies I could not hide
Tears wept at great length
Hatred, give me strength!"
Stepping back, Rheas resumed his pointless play on the non-existent guitar as Toby continued on alone.
"Climbing from the depths I hear the
Promises I made, why can't I
Run from the shadows, haunts me
Why….eeeeAAAAAH!" Toby plopped down where he stood and stared at the two girls, wide eyed. "Crysta! Erica! Don't do that! How long have you been there!?"
Rheas marched over to the radio and turned down the music angrily. He turned and stared at the girls sourly.
Crysta was clapping slowly, a smug smile on her marble face. Erica shrugged nervously. "Long enough to say, nice performance?"
"Really?" Toby inquired, brightening.
"Get out!" Rheas snarled.
Crysta stood to face him, hands on hips. "I've seen you guys many times before and you never cared! What crawled up your butt!?"
"Apparently your words of ridiculous religious fiascoes, Reverend's Daughter!"
"I haven't said a word to you about that in over a year!"
"Don't mind him, Crysta," Toby interjected before it got ugly, "he's in a bad mood. He found out that Dave Brunster thought he was a girl."
"Yeah, well Dave wasn't the only one…" Crysta muttered.
"I heard that." growled Rheas, dropping back into one of the many vacant chairs, "And I'm not upset. It could be worse. People think Toby's a ten-year-old girl. At least I look my age."
"Hey…" Toby murmured, as though hurt.
Erica shook her head and leaned against the wall. "If you guys are that worried about it, why don't you just cut your hair? Undoubtedly that would help."
"Never!" cried Toby, grabbing hold of his precious topknot of hair.
"No, thanks, I prefer mine long for three very good reasons." Rheas explained calmly.
"I'm almost too afraid to ask what those reasons are." Crysta said snidely.
Raising an eyebrow, Rheas smiled darkly and held up a long finger. "One; it gets cold around here, it keeps my neck warm. Two; when it does get hot, it keeps the sun off my neck."
"All of which are solved by that hooded sweatshirt you wear every damn day."
"Ah, but then we come to number three, which no hood can replace."
"Okay, fine, enlighten me."
Toby sniggered and yanked out his topknot. Rheas leaned over and cranked the volume back up on the radio. They leapt to their feet and proceeded to dance around, head banging, their long hair flying in all directions.
"Tragic truth now as a crystal
It's become as clear as day
The corrosion of my essence
Falling, crumbling, withering within!"
"I'm sorry I asked." grumbled Crysta, waving her arm towards the boys dismayingly as she walked out the door.
The song ended abruptly. Toby struck an odd pose as Rheas dropped to his knees, pulled up his hood and hissed in Jedi fashion, "Your hate has made you powerful."
Erica stared at them a moment, resisting not to laugh. "Now that," she said to Rheas, "was freaky." Hurrying out of the room, the two boys heard her give out and finally burst into laughter in the hall.
Pulling his hair back into a topknot, Toby sighed heavily.
"Girls are so weird."
The bell rang and students rushed from class. The parking lots were immediately filled with cars as teenagers and teachers alike desperately tried to get off school grounds. Standing by the gym, above the chaos, Cameron and Thomas stood in wait until most of the traffic was gone.
"My jeep should be fixed by Wednesday, so until then I'll need to bum rides off everybody." Thomas shrugged, leaning on the railing, its green paint peeling, lazily.
"I don't mind. It's good to have company," Cameron sighed, gazing up at the sky. What remained of the retreating clouds moved slowly across the sky towards the east. "You're really beginning to look like crap Thom, you sure you're not coming down with something?"
"Yes, I'm sure. It's just the heat, it's been really warm lately…"
Cameron regarded Thomas a moment before he said slowly, "No it hasn't…"
"Really? Seemed awful warm to me today."
Cameron shook his head and leaned back against the brick wall. Weird. Gazing across the parking lot, he could see his brother and Toby walking the old bike down the street and to the stream. Lifting it, with quite some difficulty, the two hefted it across to the opposite bank, Toby jumping after it and landing with his usual odd grace. Rheas took a step back and then leapt after, managing to only get one foot wet. They picked the bike up and vanished into the trees. Cameron felt his lips twist in an odd half-smile.
"Do you ever get the feeling that you're missing something in life, even though you know it's right in front of you? I mean, your mind knows it's there, but…but your heart doesn't, like something's still not right?" he fumbled over the words, suddenly feeling very stupid.
Thomas was silent, as though pondering then said, "All the time."
"Good, then I'm not the only one."
"Tight."
"Actually," Rheas mused as the two freshmen walked the heavy bike up the steep hill, "leaving after the festival is probably the better option. We'll already be in Seattle, so that'll knock a couple miles off our trip. That, and, everybody knows we stay late, so by the time they notice we're missing, we'll already be gone, with a pretty good head start, then we'll have the rest of the week off to take our time looking for this structure."
"Great! But how will we lug all our gear along without anyone noticing?"
"We'll be taking the bus. No one of concern will even know we have it."
"But we'll still have to get to the bus, what then?"
"Leave that to me."
"Okay!" Toby beamed as the reached the top of the hill. Whenever Rheas said leave it to me, it meant something exciting was going to happen! They didn't get on the bike straight away, but kept walking it until they reached where the ground dropped away. A small clearing opened up just enough for one to look over the treetops and down onto the town below, and the mountain range in the distance behind it. In the distance, faded from view, like a worn painting, one mountain rose up from the earth above all the other mountain peaks. Rheas stopped and stared out at it for a moment.
"Hey Toby," he said softly, almost wearily.
"Yeah?"
"This summer, want to cross those mountains, to the world beyond? You said you wanted an adventure."
"Nothing beyond except the Plateau…" Toby caught himself, what was he saying? Toby Bender, turning down possible adventure? He slapped himself, attempting to readjust his brains. "That would be great fun! Go off and party like it's 1999!"
"It is 1999 you idiot!"
"Even better! And just think, we could stop in all the neat little places too! Like Leavenworth, for soup! Have you ever had the soup there? It's the greatest I ever had…"
"I've been there Toby, stop acting like a tourist pamphlet." Rheas hissed as he hopped back onto the bike, dropping down the hill as Toby barely had time to grab on.
No longer in a hurry, the two rode home by way through the town. The streets were busy and lively as people rushed home or off to work. Despite how many times they had passed through, Toby stared at all the shops and restaurants in wide-eyes wonder. So many wonderful things shining in the windows, calling out to him, begging him to pick them up and examine them. He squirmed in his seat, the temptation to hop off the bike was too great, afterall, he could find his own way home, he was almost sixteen-years-old! Though, "almost" was a relative word.
He turned his eyes from the store windows, swiveling in his seat until he knelt facing forward, his hands on Rheas' shoulders, trying to focus on the street in front of them. His passions, however, would not be so easily swayed, and his eyes roamed back to the little shops and their treasures. Auto-parts, coffee, ice cream, books, coffee, taboo movies, candy, coffee, food market, plants, Target, coffee…again. Lots of coffee…
Naming the stores as they passed, Toby squirmed again. His so-called seat got rather uncomfortable pretty fast. He focussed back on the shops, and his eyes caught something in particular.
Lurching forward and pointing crazily, Toby nearly shouted in Rheas' ear, "Sale! Sale!"
"Who's the woman!?" Rheas snarled back at him.
"No! At Fizban's!"
"So?"
"It's a small shop!" Toby cried dramatically, "They usually do that when they're closing up for good!"
Rheas was silent a moment, and then swerved off and halted the bike. With a cry of excitement, Toby hopped off and bounded toward the small shop as Rheas tossed the bike aside.
"Aren't you gonna chain that? It might get stolen."
Rheas looked back at the old bike and shrugged. "It's Cameron's." Pushing past Toby, he and the shorter boy strode into the old place, the welcoming smell of spices and antiques hitting their noses, their eyes slowly becoming adjusted to the dim, yet somehow appropriate, lighting.
Fizban's was a small curiosity shop, cluttered with an endless supply of odds and ends that had fascinated the boys since they were little. Very few went into the shop, and even fewer actually bought things, yet the place had always been there as far as Rheas could remember. The two were regular customers, and knew the crazy old man who ran the place rather well. Though Rheas only stopped in to buy, Toby had made it a habit to come and just visit with the old Fizban.
However, Fizban didn't seem to be in sight at the moment. Rheas immediately began to scan the bookshelves, his thin fingers trailing over the dusty bindings, while Toby became fascinated with a small box of glass animals, some of which found their way into his pockets.
"These volumes are priceless! I wonder what he's thinking when he sells these old books for so cheap."
"Not much," Toby murmured, peering through glass longingly at a set of pewter fantasy creatures, "you're the only one who buys them."
Rheas shrugged and pulled down a few books, coughing in the dust that fell onto him.
"Ah, Toby and Rheas, always nice to see familiar faces." a weary, and yet strangely lively, old voice said from the other side of the room.
"Fizban!" Toby cried, forgetting the pewter animals, picked free of their glass prison and now strewn about on the floor. He bounded over and gazed over the counter at the old man with warm eyes. Rheas followed, albeit far more reserved, and picked up a few unicorns that were busy picking on griffins.
"Do you have any new extracts, Old One?" he asked, standing.
"Sure do," the old man smiled, "they're in the back, beside the wind chimes." Rheas nodded and vanished momentarily. Toby turned his attention back to Fizban and was about to ask about the sale but then paused. Beard quivering, the old man was rooting through boxes and shelves behind the counter, muttering to himself.
"Something wrong?"
"Glasses have up and disappeared, probably stolen by some rabid squirrel or something."
"You mean the glasses on your face?"
Fizban paused, looking cross-eyed down his nose. "Why, yes! Those very glasses! Now if only my hat were so easily found…"
Toby giggled, not sure if he should point out that the old man was holding his hat or not. Leaning forward onto the counter like a small child, Toby said, "Fizban, you're not closing up, are you?"
"Closing? What? No one told me!"
"No no, are you closing?" Toby repeated patiently.
"No! Whoever thinks otherwise, I'll give 'em what for!" he said firmly, shaking his fist in an amusing gesture.
"Then what's with the sudden sale?" Rheas inquired, reappearing with his treasures.
Fizban smiled, "Thing's are a little too cluttered around here,"
Rheas gazed at the old man with slight distrust, then lay his things, two books, a few small pouches of herbs, and about five vials of different colored liquid, onto the counter. "This cleans me out of my allowance."
"I'm hoping to clean up a bit in here," Fizban continued as he took Rheas' money absent-mindedly, "which reminds me! I have a gift for you two."
"A gift!?" Toby bounced about with excitement. Rheas shifted his feet, his eyes flashing.
Reaching down behind the counter, Fizban began rooting through his endless supply of junk. With a sudden "Aha!" he stood up and held his gift out to Toby, who took it happily, grinning from ear to ear.
Four feet long, it appeared to be walking stick of some sort, though oddly done. The top forked like a slingshot, a stretch of leather between the two prongs. It was the perfect size for Toby.
"Wow," the teen beamed, spinning it slowly, "it's…it's…what is it?"
"Looks like an oversized slingshot to me." Rheas replied.
"Mini catapult!" Toby laughed evilly, testing the leather thong, "Thanks Fizban! This is great, whatever it is. Hey Rheas! We could use this on our journey! New age walking stick thing, you know?"
Rheas nodded, gathering his things. "Well, that was very kind of you, Fizban. I'll be back when I have money again for the rest of this set…"
"Wait just a minute young man, I have something for you as well." Fizban winked.
"No thank you," Rheas sighed, "I have no need for a gift."
Too late, the old man was already digging through his piles, searching, "Nonsense, it's for being a faithful shopper, or something." He stood suddenly, frustrated, "Now where did I put that thing?" He vanished through an old curtain into the back before either of the boys could ask what he was looking for.
"Here it is!" they heard him cry, and he reappeared carrying a very long box. Laying it on the counter, he began slicing it open with a random sharp object that was just lying there. Once opened, a few foam peanuts popped out. Muttering to himself, Fizban reached in and pulled out a long shaft of wood, which he then held out to Rheas.
The staff was plain polished wood, topped by a disembodied dragon's claw clutching a faceted crystal. Rheas stared at it a minute, which suddenly turned into hours. He felt disconnected with his body; he was somewhere else...but where? He shook out of his thoughts.
"I…I can't accept that…not for free." he stated lamely.
"Oh come now. I wouldn't be offering it to you if I weren't sure. It's just going to sit in storage gathering dust anyway. I have no use for it. It's yours." Fizban insisted, taking Rheas resistant hand and placing it onto the staff.
The moment his fingers touched the wood, a warm feeling spread through them, into his body, and then it was almost electrifying. He was no longer hesitant. He needed that staff, and he would get it any way he could, free or not. He took the staff and looked it over carefully. A headache suddenly began to set in, right behind his eyes, traveling up his skull until for a moment he squeezed his eyes shut against the pain, and then it was gone.
"Now that is neat!" Toby crowed happily, "Think how neat that will look with your other things!"
"They're not to look at," Fizban stated suddenly, "they're to use!"
"How?" Toby asked plainly.
The old man winked at them. "You'll know, in time."
The hairs on the back of Rheas' neck stood up straight. Something wasn't right. "Well," he began quickly, "thank you very much sir, they are beautiful gifts. However, my comrade and I need to return home. Good day." With the staff in one hand and a bag with his things in another, he nodded and then exited. Toby shrugged and began to follow.
"Thanks a lot Fizban! I'll see you later and…"
"Toby, your pockets."
Blinking, the teen dug through his pockets and produced a family of glass lions, a pewter hydra, and a few wooden knick-knacks. "Goodness! How'd those get there? Must have jumped in when I wasn't looking!" he exclaimed, placing the items onto the counter and then hurrying out the door.
"Gee, that was awfully nice of him!" Toby declared as the two walked the bike down the street, spinning his new-age-mini-mobile-catapult-thingy through the air, producing a strange whine.
"Hmm…" Rheas replied, ignoring his companion. He didn't like this situation. The old man was a nutcase, sure, but why give such an obviously expensive relic to a passing kid for free just because he shopped there often? It made little sense. And what had he meant by "in time"? He gazed up at the dragon's claw. There was something about this staff…something he couldn't place…
"Hey, do you think that maybe he heard about or little ambush last week or something? Maybe he gave these to us for like, self defense or something!" Spinning his mobile-catapult-thingy through the air again with a flourish, he bashed an invisible enemy on the head.
"Sure Toby, believe what you want. I still think there's more to this than we know."
"What do you mean?"
"Just that, I don't know. Oh well, I'll worry about it some other time. We have an escape to plan."
The house was quiet. Too quiet, Cameron thought as he did his daily crunches on his bedroom floor. His parents were home, for once, doing who knows what, and Rheas had locked himself in his room again with a pile of books and maps. The room down the hall remained empty. He paused in his activity and lay back gazing at the ceiling, the light shining in his eyes. He wasn't much of a thinker, he had always let his fists solve his problems, but even he could feel the odd tension in the air lately, and he didn't know how to deal with that. There was a light knock at his door.
"What is it?" he growled in annoyance. The door slid open and Rheas poked his head in before opening the door the rest of the way.
"Evenin'." he said flatly as he leaned against the doorframe.
"What do you want Rheas?" Cameron asked with a sigh, placing his hands behind his head lazily.
"I have a favor to ask."
Cameron's eyes opened wide. "Wow, is that a choir of angels singing, I hear?"
"Shut up, I've asked you for things before."
"True. What can I do for you?"
"Friday is the first day of the festival, Toby and I will be taking the bus down to the city. However, we have no way to get to the bus. Do you think you could fit it in your oh-so-busy schedule and drop us off at the park and ride?"
Ignoring his brother's sarcasm, Cameron sat up and shrugged. "How about I save you some time and money and take you straight to Seattle myself? You can take the bus home, right? There's a party at Jacob's that night I'm not gonna miss."
"Yes. I would appreciate that." That was the closest Cameron ever got to a 'thank you'.
"No problem." Cameron waved Rheas away. Closing the door, the two heard their father shout up the stairs.
"Rheas! Come down here right now! I want to have a talk with you!"
"Gee, he sounds pissed." Cameron commented absently.
"Yes, it seems Salton carried out his threat afterall."
"Principal Salton? What'd you do this time?"
"I'm in the middle of some important studies right now, Father. Can we discuss this later!" Rheas called, more of a statement than a question.
"Now, Rheas!"
Cameron kicked his door shut before it got ugly.
Rheas slammed his door shut and threw himself onto his bed angrily. He was exhausted from arguing and in a foul mood. Rolling onto his back, he gazed out the window into the darkness beyond. He could barely see the street lamp a ways away through the heavy mist that had rolled in. So he had walked around on the roof, big deal.
"One would think," he muttered bitterly, "that for me, that would be quite an accomplishment…" He was about to roll again, when his eyes fell upon the staff, leaning against the wall. He stared at it, his golden eyes taking in every detail. He had seen this staff before…but where? Minutes passed as he lay there, trying to muster up from the depths of his mind where he had seen such a staff, but nothing came but a mist like that which shifted outside his window. Time passed unknown, until his heavy eyelids began to close themselves. Rubbing them, he sat up and reached into the drawer where the candles were kept. Pulling one out, he glowered at it, feeling childish.
"Foolish!" he snarled throwing the candle across the room. It hit the light-switch and the room plunged into darkness. He buried himself within his sheets and shut his eyes, twisting and turning until sleep finally claimed him.
He opened his eyes. He was surrounded by an endless darkness, standing on a solid yet unseen ground. This was not a dream; he could feel, see, think too clearly. There was nothing in the endless black, nothing but…wait.
He turned, having heard something behind him. Not too far away were others, his brother, Thomas, Toby, Frank, Laura and the rest. He could see their distant forms clearly, as though an unseen light source glowed not to far away, yet its light not touching anything else in the dark. We are standing on nothingness, Rheas mused detachedly. He began to go to them.
"Cameron, everyone, why are you--" Suddenly his throat closed up, choking off his air. He gasped and coughed, fighting for breath to no avail. He dropped to hands and knees, bright lights flashing before his eyes. He looked up slowly, white hair hanging in his eyes. White? His brother, having apparently seen him, was coming to his aid, and then stopped, a look of disgusted confusion on his face.
"Rheas…?" he whispered hoarsely.
"Cam!" Rheas gasped, reaching out for the blurred image of his brother, "What is it?!" He gasped at the sight of his own hand. The skin was slightly metallic, golden in color, and even as he watched, it withered and crumbled before him. Pulling it back, he looked up toward his elder brother and watched, in horror, as he hunched and aged, wearing away and dying to nothing but dust.
"Oh God…" he choked, trying to scoot away from the dying Cameron.
Cameron opened his eyes to nothing but darkness. Looking about, he absently brushed his curly hair out of his eyes. Wait…he had his hair cut last month…He looked down and was startled to discover he was wearing armor! An assortment of weapons and a shield were on his person, most noticeably a sword that clanked against his side as he walked.
"Cameron, what are you doing here?"
The big man whirled to see Thomas and Frank standing behind them. Or at least, he assumed it was them.
"Thomas? Frank? What in the…"
"Could say the same for you, lad." Frank grumbled. He had shrunk to an even shorter height, his beard grown even larger and bushier. He too was dressed in an odd medieval way, Thomas as well. The taller man looked relatively the same, yet there was something different that Cameron couldn't place.
Tilting slightly to the side to see around the big man, Thomas said in surprise, "Hey, Laura and Gary too!"
If Laura had been beautiful before, she was outstanding now. Both she and her brother sported long pointed ears, as well as a mien of pride and grace.
"We're not the only ones." Gary stated, gesturing to River and Goldie, who followed behind.
"Don't forget us!" cried a shrill voice as Sam, Tina, and Toby appeared from behind Thomas and Frank. Sam wore impressive armor and an antique sword at his belt. Tina also donned armor, though hers was mismatched. Toby had shrunk some and his ears were also pointed. He seemed to be the only one having a good time.
"Does anyone have any clue what's going on?" Thomas declared loudly, trying to get his voice above the others.
Cameron turned. He thought he had heard someone calling his name. Not to far off he saw a figure clothed in black robes coming towards him, and then fall, shuddering. "Rheas!" he cried with sudden realization.
Dashing toward his brother, Cameron immediately saw something was wrong. As he neared, he saw too clearly. Stopping abruptly, he stared at the figure before him.
"Rheas…?" he said hesitantly.
"Cam!" his brother cried weakly, extending a skeletal hand, "What is it?!" His auburn hair had turned white, his skin a strange metallic gold. His eyes widened suddenly and he drew back. His eyes! Still golden in color, the pupils themselves had changed to the shape of hourglasses. "Oh God…" he gasped, almost scooting away.
Cameron shook off his bewilderment; Rheas was insane, why wouldn't he look strange? Rheas had apparently collected himself as well. Looking to the non-existent floor, he held out his hand again.
"Here Cameron, help me stand…" he hissed. The elder brother knelt and pulled him to his feet gently, slowly helping him walk back to where the others were. "I hope you all realize this is no dream."
"I still think I'm going to wake up any minute…" Thomas sighed, shaking his head.
"That you will, I assure you." Rheas, no longer a boy Cameron suddenly noticed, whispered mockingly, "Though not a dream, it is simply another state of consciousness. Why we are all here, I don't know. Or maybe I'm dying and shall awaken in the hospital with a tube down my throat. What does it matter?"
"Stop it Rheas."
"Did you hear that?" Toby cried suddenly, tilting his head as though it would allow him to hear better.
Everyone stood silent, listening, and then they heard it as well. It was a voice, speaking slowly. Neither man nor woman, the voice was haunting and soothing at the same time. It was speaking softly, rising in volume with each passing moment, in a language they didn't understand, except Rheas, who seemed to be listening intently.
"Rheas? What is it?" Thomas whispered.
"Gothic, it seems. Yet…a bit of Latin, perhaps?"
"What does it mean?" Tina asked softly.
"How should I know?" Rheas snarled, "I only recognize the words by sound and form, I can't speak it. Cameron, I am fine now, leave me be! Uns aitheir…jah hinima…It makes no sense. Gibberish."
All together, the odd chanting stopped, leaving only silence. And then…
I have sent out the call and you have all answered. I have found you then!
The companions looked at one another nervously. Then Thomas, seeing all eyes on him, announced loudly, "I-I'm not sure I understand what's happening. What is…"
What has happened is that you have been chosen once again to save this world from destruction. A light has suddenly appeared on the horizon, and Death rides on a Pale Horse, as they say. What some may view as salvation shall instead bring only death for most. I believe a few of you have already felt the brush of this light.
Life cannot dwindle away, this rising light must be stopped. All of you have been chosen for this task, it is what you are here for. Your pasts hold your answers, take my hand, and you shall receive them, and in doing so, save this world. Do you accept my offer?
"I'm sorry," Thomas said softly, almost feeling his friends nodding in agreement, "but whatever this is, whether it's true or not, you've got the wrong people. We can't help, we've got school and work, graduation is coming, and we can't botch everything up. I'm sorry, we're uninterested."
"On the contrary!" Rheas announced suddenly, his hourglass eyes glittering, "I am quite interested."
"Rheas!" Cameron almost yelped, "Shut up!"
"No Cameron, I think…that this is what I have been searching for…" Rheas whispered. Turning away from the others, he walked into the darkness, his robes whispering about him. "I accept!"
"Rheas!" Cameron cried out in anguish as his brother suddenly vanished into the darkness. "Rheast!…Raist!" He plunged into the darkness, his voice echoing in the endless black.
"Camaron, you fool!" Sam shouted, dashing after his friend, sword drawn.
"I am not going in there!" huffed Frank, "Nothing you can say or do will…Thom! What are you doing!?"
"C'mon! We gotta get them outta there!"
"No way!"
Toby suddenly began to skip by Thomas, a look of wonder on his face. "You know guys," he grinned, "this could be one of the greatest offers I've ever heard! Saving the world, gosh! Can you think of any greater adventure!?" With that, he vanished into the dark.
"Toby!" Thomas cried, and dove in after him. Frank stood there, feet planted firmly as both Laura and Gary ran after Thomas, Tina close behind.
"Come on Frank," River cried, grabbing hold of the older man and dragging him along, "Let's go!" And the remaining three pursued the others into the darkness.
Rheas hurried through the dark, towards the voice in his mind that beckoned him. He heard his brother crying out for him, but then it faded completely. They would deal with their own trials separately. Part of him whispered that he was being foolish, following nothing to a deal that really made no sense. Then there was a shouting from his soul, that all would be explained if he did this. He had to know.
Through the black, he finally saw something, or thought he did. A figure stood before him, clothed in heavy black robes, slightly different from his own. He could not see the cloaked figure's face, only a pair of steel gray eyes that seemed to glow with their own light.
Take my hand. End your inner torment, and begin new ones! Or should I say, old?
Rheas stepped forward, his golden hand reaching for the thin white one, when the ground below him seemed to give way. He stretched out his hands, but only the tips of his fingers brushed the strange figure's own. He was falling back into the dark.
He suddenly felt something rip away from him, and pain tore through his body.
Reaching out a slender hand, he noticed the pale skin, the auburn hair. And in the darkness, the hourglass eyes shone like lone candles. A golden hand stretched out to him, reaching.
His head tilted back, and in a voice he did not realize was his own, said, "I am not ready…" The hand drew back, and the eyes shut back into darkness.
He was falling. Falling…falling into the endlessness, where he would never hit bottom.
Wake up!
He sat up in a cold sweat, shivering in the night cold.
Brushing his damp hair out of his eyes, Rheas gazed out his window. The mist had gone, and the cold white moon shone brightly. "A dream…?"
Pain still lingered in his chest. Reaching up, his fingers grazed his lips and came away bloody. "No…too real…"
He heard the muffled sound of Cameron's door opening, and the familiar sound of his heavy footsteps walking down the hall. Ah, his brother had just awoken and was now heading to the kitchen to calm himself.
Rheas hunched forward a bit, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. He then laughed aloud, a cruel, high-pitched laugh of mockery and triumph. He fell back onto the pillows, still laughing. Exhausted, he lapsed into silence and gazed at the moon.
"At last…I'll know…"
Yawning, he rolled onto his side, watching the moon as it crept across the sky. "Yes Morpheus, I choose the red pill…"
He shut his eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep, a dark smile twisted on his lips.
Holy cow, in HTML form this thing is 50 pages…Okay, no more long chapters, everything is going to get choppy and plotty now. Ha. Well, that was bad…
The song that Toby and Rheas sing ever so uncharacteristically is "Void" by Divinity Destroyed (it's at mp3.com if you care).
Disclaimer: I own nuthin', got that?
Reviews: For the hell this chapter gave me, yes please.
Buh-bye, see ya'll later. Next chapter comin' who knows when.