Size-Weight Illusion

Bobby spotted her out of the corner of his eye. From Bobby's position on the docks, he found Chloe standing near the boathouse. She paced from side to side, appearing to examine the roof. He couldn't see her expression, not with the orange plating on her helmet, but if he was a betting boy, then he believed she was looking at something that caught her interest.

As he pondered, Benny belted out a peal of laughter. He grimaced, his lip curling. The noise speared through his ear. Bobby dropped his hands and lost his telekinetic grip on the fish they had been tormenting. It floundered with wet slaps on the rickety wooden boards, and Benny cackled, slapping his knees, claiming Bobby had the best ideas.

Bobby rolled his eyes. With Chloe in eyesight, he kept his fists down. She would have been annoyed if she witnessed him striking his lackey, even if Benny deserved it for grating Bobby's nerves.

Chloe looked his way. A grin reflexively fixed itself to his face. He raised his hand in a slight wave. Bobby's gesture was more sheepish than he intended, but to his surprise, Chloe pulled her hand inward. She flicked her fingers to her chest, the notion not lost on Bobby, who let his surprise shine freely.

He cut his losses. Trudging forward, he ignored Benny squealing to know why he was leaving. When Bobby heard footsteps thudding behind him, he whipped his fist upward. Benny stumbled to a stop, then fell flat on his face, and a smirk curved on Bobby's mug when he whined.

Chloe noticed his approach, her expression perfectly neutral. "Greetings, Bobby," she said. "I trust that you aren't busy at this time?"

Bobby snaked his hand around his neck and rubbed. "Aw, yeah, I'm done with those stupid fish. What're you doing over here?"

As Benny stomped away from the docks, Bobby made a mental note to slug him later for glaring at Chloe. She pointed at the boathouse. "A scavenger hunt item is located in an alcove above us. Before she departed for the Motherlobe, Lili was kind enough to brief me on the whereabouts of these items."

Bobby's nose wrinkled at Lili's name. Even if Lili and her stupid goggles-wearing boyfriend hadn't returned for the second summer session, mentioning her still hit a nerve. He pushed back the memory of searching for scavenger hunt items with her when they were younger, choosing to give Chloe a slight nod for her to continue.

With a sigh, she said, "However, try as I might, I'm unable to levitate to the necessary height to reach it." Chloe demonstrated by summoning her violet levitation ball. She bounced once on it, but as soon as she did, it popped, fizzling out in muted sparks. Her feet hit the sand, and she threw her arms out to steady herself.

Bobby caught on to her unspoken request. Delight spread across his features. Any opportunity to prove himself to her was one he snatched with both hands. He puffed out his chest and banged his fist on his clavicle. Suppressing a wince, he said, "Oh, no problem, Chloe. If you want me to get up there and snag it, I'm your guy."

She shook her head, and his ego deflated. "Negative. I'd prefer to accompany you. Would you be able to carry me?"

And all at once, his arrogance returned. He barked out a laugh and grabbed his hips, one corner of his mouth rising higher than the other. "Hell yeah! How do you wanna go about it?"

"Your back is fine," she said, walking behind him without providing the accolade he sought. "Did you shower today? Or have you at least applied deodorant? I don't want to be in close quarters with your Fathian stench if you haven't maintained proper hygiene."

Bobby bent his knees, scoffing. His cheeks darkened as he mumbled, "Yeah, I did. Don't need to rub in those reminders."

"They are necessary," she stated without any inclination of mockery or malice.

Chloe grabbed his shoulders and hoisted herself onto him. Bobby pushed her sneakers up until she dug in her heels by his exposed ribs. He felt her helmet pressing against his wild hair, surprised she had been able to move the matted mess. She sniffed the air and did not comment, evidently pleased with how he smelled. Bobby grumbled internally, not wanting to lose her favor by voicing his annoyance.

She locked her arms around his gangly neck. He kept her in place, smiling to himself. It wasn't the first time he had carried her. He recalled how he had held her like a football when she twisted her ankle on one of their walks, but with Chloe on his back, her pleasant chill soothed Bobby's warm skin.

Bobby directed his delight toward the ground. He rose instantly, his bare feet rocking on a scarlet levitation ball, a color he had previously selected using his PSI Energy Colorizer. It was a far better hue over his natural pink. He rocked in place, kicking up sand and seagull feathers Crouching low and squishing the ball, he pressed his calloused palm on the edge of it before lurching upward toward the roof.

Chloe tightened her grip around him. He almost lost his balance at her contact, but he remained focused. Falling now would have left her disappointed. He clipped the edge of the roof and rushed forward, gaining speed across the terracotta panels. Bouncing again, he reached the path, and in two quick hops, they arrived at the cave's entrance.

Bobby let his levitation ball vanish. When he hit the ground, he heard Chloe gasp so sharply that he yelped. He raised his fingers to his temple, anticipating a mutated animal to come charging at them from the dark, rocky interior, but Chloe dove off his back. Arching a thick eyebrow, Bobby went to question her when she threw her finger out.

"Oh, Bobby! Do you know what that is?" she exclaimed, sizzling with excitement.

Bobby looked ahead. Floating in place was the diver's helmet. He had seen it plenty of times on the scavenger hunt list the old coot shoved in his hands every summer he returned to camp. "Uh, a diver's helmet?"

She shook her head. "Close, but no cigar as the earthlings say. It's an understandable guess, but that's what this planet's human government wants you to think."

Bobby drew back. He checked over his shoulder as if someone was eavesdropping. Chloe was usually right in her observations, and he trusted her over the words of any psychic counselor. "Oh, yeah? I mean, Whispering Rock is owned by feds," he replied, peering off the ledge. He noticed something metallic in the crook of a tree, but Chloe's voice brought his attention back to her.

"This, Bobby, is a Quaoarian breathing apparatus," she said, skipping over to the helmet. She hopped around it, eagerly inspecting the rusted contraption. It was roughly around Chloe's size, suggesting the alien was rather large. "They were an incredibly primitive race, which is why this looks so, so, so bad! They hunted each other to extinction and polluted their planet to such an extreme that they all died two centuries ago! This breathing apparatus was the only device keeping them alive until the last of them perished from natural causes. A few brave Quaoarians must have fled their world, and one of them died here," Chloe informed, and she sucked in a deep breath. Bobby noticed her cheeks had taken on a slightly red hue from her intense explanation. She sighed, resting her hand on the side of her helmet. "Such a sad fate. If only they listened to the Greater Galactic Community's warnings, but even carnage is a natural way of life, I suppose."

Bobby blinked. That certainly had not been in the history books back home. "Wow. That's rad as hell."

"Indeed it is," she said, and she gripped the rounded extensions from the apparatus' sides. As soon as she held them, it fell into her. She wobbled in place, her arms wrapping haphazardly around the base of the instrument. Her legs kicked outwards, and she stumbled in a circle, her surprise coming out as a strangled yelp.

Bobby hurried forward. He snatched the apparatus, its heaviness evident as he pried it away from her. His body sank instantly, crushing his bony fingers when the device hit the ground. His few upper teeth stabbed into his lower lip, stifling a pained cry. With a grunt, he managed to heave it up with his telekinesis, his hands burning from the strain, but he forced his fingers to his temple, his other arm outstretched.

"Bobby," Chloe breathed out, and she grabbed his wrist. Her touch elicited a slight yelp from him. He still wasn't used to her holding him. She examined his fingers, and he noticed the raw, red markings that would leave nasty bruises across his knuckles. Her brow furrowed, her shock swapping for concern. "Oh, no. I'm sorry, Bobby. I was too careless in how to properly handle the device."

Although sweat beaded his brow, he smiled. "Oh, d-don't - don't worry 'bout it. I've been through worse. Ain't like my bones are broken."

He'd have to check if anything was fractured later. He was more concerned with how they were going to leave the alcove. But Chloe insisted that she help him, and she gently cupped his hand. Bobby's breath was choked, unsure of what she would do next. Chloe always left him guessing, her thoughts a mystery, but her motivations were as clear as day. That was only one of the many reasons why he liked her.

Taking a deep breath, Chloe summoned her levitation ball. She carefully swayed from side to side, testing its durability. She seemed satisfied, and she nodded for Bobby to come closer.

"Wh-? Me? I can't fit on that with you on it," he sputtered, but she did not let him have his way.

She pulled on his hand, remarking on his wobbly telekinesis. She hopped off the levitation ball and ordered for him to stand on it. He complied instantly.

"I'm going to guide you down. Then, I will follow you," she stated, and she did exactly that.

Bobby felt her smaller hands push on his back, and the ball raced forward. Down he went toward Lake Oblongata, and he snapped his eyes shut. The wind hit him, and his mind throbbed, his fists pulsing in pain. He tightened his grip on the apparatus, the levitation ball fluctuating underneath him, and just as he felt himself slip through it, he thrust his arm toward the shore, throwing the apparatus.

It sunk into the wet sand. Bobby hit the ground and fell to his knees. The levitation ball was gone as soon as he opened his eyes. He heard a few bounces coming closer, ricocheting off the roof along with a few faint gasps. Chloe landed soundlessly next to him, the ball fizzling out just as it had done earlier. She tumbled to her knees as well, locking eyes with Bobby before seizing his hands, scrutinizing his new wounds, her hands remarkably soft on his rough skin.

He wasn't sure whether to speak or wait for her. He uttered some kind of strangled noise that prompted her to look at him. Bobby wished he kept his mouth shut.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, tilting her head. Up close, he saw the bright green of her eyes normally shielded by the orange faceplate.

He bobbed his head up and down. "Y-yeah, yeah, I'm good. Uh, you?"

"Affirmative," she said, pulling herself to stand with him. She glanced at the apparatus. "Thank you, Bobby. You're always obliging me, aren't you?"

He was about to laugh it off only to stop. Something was off with her voice. It sounded heavier, tinged with melancholy. Thinking over their time together at camp, he knew Milka and Lili occasionally assisted Chloe with her outlandish space endeavors. Anyone else either humored or mocked her.

He never doubted her. She was always right, always smarter than everyone. And although he tried proving himself worthy to be on her spaceship, he was just glad to be a small part of her journey.

"Allow me to return the favor," she said, holding his hands. "I know there is a first aid kit in the lodge. I'd like to treat your injuries as repayment for your kindness."

Her hands were warmer. Her tense fingers rubbed his knuckles, feeling the split skin. Bobby worked his jaw, unable to form a coherent sentence. He tried but only managed a weary hum from the back of his throat.

"I, uh, I'm not doin' this 'cause I feel like I hafta," he said, avoiding her gaze. "Y'know, it's like, um, I wanna help ya. It's cool, uh, we're cool, Chloe."

Chloe stared at him with those eyes that seemed to understand the secrets of the galaxy. And then, a bright smile split across her round face, pushing up her cherub cheeks. "Thank you again. You are one fascinating Fathian, Bobby," she said, and she tugged him across the sand, offering to carry the apparatus with him.

Even if Chloe still thought of him as an alien ambassador, Bobby was more than happy to indulge that fantasy. It wasn't true, but it could have been if he believed along with her. Together, their telekinetic hands raised the diver's helmet, and as Chloe remarked on what kind of bandages would fit around Bobby's palms, they walked hand-in-hand to the lodge.