Back with another chapter. So, there is a more to the story here. Below is a list of characters and who'd they'd be voiced by. These characters are part of the supporting cast, so they'll be in later chapters of the story.
Characters Introduced:
Rusty- (Voiced by: LaVan Davis)
Slick- (Voiced by: Anthony Anderson)
Adella- (Tiffany Haddish)
Check for some additional info and commentary at the end of the chapter. Anyhow… back to the story!
Monday Morning…
"C'mon Drix, we were supposed to leave twenty minutes ago!" Ozzy shouted.
"I'll be right there," Drix called.
Ozzy sighed as he leaned against the wall by the front door. He looked at his watch, it was currently 10:30am. Ozzy had been up since 7am, in that time he had showered, brushed his teeth and just went on about his morning routine.
"All right let's go." said Drix, who restocked his medical supplies and fed Dander.
"Took you long enough," Ozzy said as he grabbed the car keys off his desk.
"So, we're on our way to meet up with Maria?" Drix asked as he headed out the door.
"Not yet, there's a part for the car I need to pick up first. It's located in the right big toe, so we got a bit of a drive." Ozzy explained as he locked the apartment.
"Oh," was all Drix could say before he got in the car.
After almost twenty minutes of silence, with the exception of traffic and weather reports on the radio, Drix spoke once Ozzy got on the freeway.
"Leah and Doug seem to be settling in nicely."
"Yeah, they are." Said Ozzy.
"I didn't see Doug this morning." Drix confessed.
"He left early to catch the bus. Had an interview at the fire station on the Upper East-Shoulder." Ozzy explained.
"Oh…and Leah?" Drix asked, looking puzzled.
"Job interview at Ellen's law firm, her assistant retired a week ago." Ozzy answered before he changed lanes.
"Huh, Leah and Doug just got here and already they're busy." Said Drix.
"Yep, still, it's great we're together again." Ozzy pointed out.
"Agreed," Drix said with a smile.
"You certainly look happy,"
"I am. Trust me, Drix nothin' can bring me down. Not a thing." Said Ozzy.
It was true, over the weekend, he and Drix had a chance to catch up with their old friends and help them get settled into their new home. For the most part, things went well but half an hour later, it had gone downhill.
The car stopped in what looked like rural area, apart from a truck stop, two gas stations, an old diner and a hotel, the place was deserted.
"Well, here it is. Rusty's garage and auto repair." Ozzy announced before getting out of the car and closing the door behind him.
"I see why they call it rusty." Said Drix as he got out of the car.
"Hey, don't judge. It's just an old school Mom-and-Pop place," Ozzy insisted.
"So, I've noticed," Drix said in a dull tone.
The building in front of them was a small mechanic shop, the dark blue paint and metal sign outside had faded due to time and old age. Several old cars, vans and trucks were parked along the property. There was what looked like an old mint green pick-up truck on the right-hand side of the building. Judging by the fact it had 'Rusty's Garage' painted on the side in white, it was clearly the company truck. Overall, the place looked like it had seen better days.
"Hey Rusty," Ozzy greeted the shop owner as he and Drix entered the building.
Rusty's garage was a rather decent size, not including the mechanic area outside. The interior was pretty standard, white walls with a dark gray stained wood like floor with matching chairs and a couch. A TV was mounted on a wall on the right side of the room. On the left side was a coffee maker, vending machine plus a mini fridge with bottled water for customers. The place might've been somewhat old, but it was good shape.
"Jones, I was wondering when you'd get here," said a male Red Blood cell with a slight southern accent.
"Eh, you know how long of a drive it is to get to the toes," Ozzy replied as he walked up to the front desk with Drix not far behind.
"Yeah, I get it. I commute here every day from the West-Shoulder, it is what it is." said Rusty.
The red blood cell was slightly taller than Ozzy but not much with an average build. In human years, he'd be considered forty. Rusty wore a light green and blue plaid shirt, some jeans and cream-colored shoes. It was a sharp contrast to his light red complexion, but it wasn't tacky either. His translucent hair-like membrane was short and scruffy.
"You ever thought of moving this place closer to home? There's a bunch of new properties going up on the Upper East-shoulder." Ozzy pointed out as he looked around the room.
"Unless you got Upper East-shoulder money, forget it. Have you seen what those places are going for?" Rusty asked. He was currently wiping the countertop down with a dark blue rag and some multipurpose cleaning spray.
"Yeah, why?" Ozzy replied, turning to face Rusty.
"Look Jones, I appreciate the thought, but this place is paid for and the only income I get besides auto repair are the properties I rent on the West-Shoulder." The older blood cell explained.
"I understand," said Ozzy who sounded somewhat disappointed, he was hoping Rusty would consider his suggestion.
"So, how do you two know each other?" Drix asked, after being quiet until now.
"We met at the DMV of all places." Ozzy answered.
"Yeah, last place anyone would expect to cross paths with the owner of an auto repair garage is the DMV," Rusty said in a sarcastic tone as he put the rag and spray back into a nearby utility closet.
Drix chuckled at the story.
"That's funny," he said.
Rusty smiled.
"It is, ain't it?"
"So, you got the part?" Ozzy asked.
"Sure do, just got it today. I apologize for the wait, one of my suppliers has been slow lately. Got a bunch of back orders," Rusty explained as he went and grabbed a small box off a shelf behind the counter.
"It's all good," Ozzy assured him.
Just then, he was alerted by a loud bark. The blood cell looked down and smiled.
"Hey big guy,"
He reached down to pet the large dog sitting in front of him who had been previously sleeping in the corner.
"You have a dog?" Drix asked.
Rusty nodded.
"I see you met Slick. Found him under my truck as a pup. Guy was covered in oil,"
Sitting in front of Drix and Ozzy was a slim dog with floppy ears and copper brown eyes. Although he was mostly black and white, there were small dark tan markings on his front legs and face. A royal blue collar with silver tags hung around his neck. He looked similar to a beagle but taller.
"And he's a hound, correct?" Drix asked as he patted the dog whose tail was wagging rapidly.
"Blood cell hound, Blue blood to be exact." Rusty answered.
"Drix loves dogs," said Ozzy.
"So do I. I take Slick over to Collarbone park on the weekends, it's the only place on the Westside where dogs can run off leash." Rusty explained.
"I'll have to take Dander over there sometime," said Drix.
"Dander?" Rusty asked, frowning at the name.
"My dog, he's a mixed breed." Drix explained.
"Yeah, part Spitz. He drools like a mad dog!" said Ozzy.
"Not all the time," Drix pointed out, sounding somewhat embarrassed.
"Then explain why my newspaper looks like it was left out in the rain." Ozzy snapped.
"Face it, Jones, that's part of owning a dog. Slick chewed up three pairs of my slippers the first six months I had him. Did I get mad? Sure, but I didn't put him back out on the street either." Rusty explained.
"I'll keep that in mind." said Ozzy.
"So, how much to I owe you?"
"Normally fifty, but since you waited so long, I'll take ten off." Rusty offered.
It was true, Ozzy had been waiting for almost two weeks to the part he ordered, a set of brake pads for the car.
"Seriously?!" the white Blood cell said in shock.
"Yeah, just don't tell anybody." Rusty told him.
"Noted," Ozzy said with a nod.
Just then, the phone rang.
"Hold that thought," said Rusty before he picked up the cordless phone on the left side of the counter.
"Hello? Rusty's, how can I help you?"
Ozzy and Drix couldn't make out much of the conversation other than Rusty talking.
"Uh-huh, no I'm currently out of motor oil. There's a shipment coming in next Tuesday. Can I put you on hold?"
Rusty pressed the mute button on the phone before he spoke.
"Sorry Jones, I gotta take this. Let me see if I can get somebody out here to handle this."
Rusty walked towards the door behind the counter, it had a large window with the words 'Staff Only' etched into the frosted glass. He opened it and stuck his head in.
"Yo T! I got a customer out front picking up an order. Finish it up for me, would you?" Rusty called.
Ozzy and Drix looked at each other, both of them were obviously confused.
"Who's T?" Drix wondered as Rusty left the front room and went to his office in the back of the building.
"I don't know, unless he's talking about Tiny. That's who called me this morning about the part." Said Ozzy.
He and Drix paused when they heard the sound of footsteps followed by the door opening. A tall figure stepped out, holding up a piece of paper that covered the face. The person spoke in a deep masculine voice.
"Ok, one box of brake pads with a discount that's…" the person stopped and lowered the paper, revealing his face.
Ozzy and Drix froze when they saw who it was; likewise, the person behind the counter did the same. Feeling uneasy, Slick got up and headed out the dog door near the entrance of the building. No way was he going to stick around.
"Hey! What are you doing here?" Ozzy said after a brief silence.
"Me?! what are you guys doing here?" the other person asked.
"I asked you first," Ozzy replied as he pointed at the tall figure standing there.
"I work here," was the response.
Ozzy and Drix couldn't believe it, standing there in front of them was none other than Thrax, the virus they had chased around the city of Frank over a year ago. When Rusty referred to him as T, Ozzy assumed he meant Tiny, a White blood cell who worked in the shop but apparently that wasn't the case.
"You what?!" Ozzy exclaimed, still in shock.
"I don't believe it," said Drix.
"I'm just as shocked to see both of you here," Thrax admitted.
"But…how?" was all Ozzy could say.
Thrax sighed as he tried to calm down.
"It's a long story, look Jones… I haven't got time to talk so are you gonna pay for that or what?"
Ozzy narrowed his eyes and pulled two twenty dollar bills out of his wallet.
"Here," he said putting the money on the counter.
"So, how long have you been working here?" he asked.
"Three months," Thrax answered as he took the money.
"Three months?!" Ozzy and Drix said at the same time.
"But…we've never seen you around town." Said Drix.
"That's because I don't get around much. Hector isn't a big city like Frank and when a virus like me is seen in a blood cell neighborhood, it sets off a few alarms." Thrax explained, not looking up from the cash register as he entered the code and placed the money in the drawer then closed it.
"Gee, I wonder why," Ozzy said in a sarcastic tone, regarding Thrax's explanation.
At that, the virus narrowed his eyes and tried to keep his cool. The last thing he wanted to do was lose his job over a snarky comment. Still, it wasn't far-fetched. In neighborhoods where the demographic was mostly cells, it wasn't unusual for viruses and germs to be stared at or for cells to avoid them. It was no different than profiling in the human world.
"Here, just go," said Thrax.
He pushed the small box and receipt across the counter, towards Ozzy.
"Whatever," the blood cell muttered.
He looked at the box, then at Thrax.
"You're not gonna do anything crazy are you?" he asked as he tucked the receipt into his pocket.
"Like what? Slash your tires? I don't want to get fired, all right? Now are you done? I've got work to do." Said Thrax. It was clear Ozzy was trying his patience and all he wanted was for the blood cell and his cold pill sidekick to leave.
Ozzy scoffed. He couldn't believe a virus was working at this place.
"I'm goin'," he said as he picked up the box of brake pads.
"C'mon Drix,"
He and the red and yellow pill then started to leave. Thrax watched from behind the counter, he glanced over his shoulder at the door behind him. Rusty was in his office, still on the phone. It didn't take long for Thrax to make up his mind about what to do next.
"Hold up," he said loud enough for Ozzy and Drix to hear.
The two of them stopped in their tracks.
"You really wanna know how I got here?" Thrax asked.
Ozzy turned around to speak.
"I thought you said had work to do."
"I got a few minutes," said Thrax.
At that, Ozzy put down the box of brake pads and took a seat. Drix tried to sit as best he could in one of the chairs, but it was clearly difficult.
Grabbing the step stool ladder that was propped up against the wall, Thrax unfolded it and sat down. It wasn't comfortable but it would do for now.
Letting out a loud sigh, he collected his thoughts.
"As crazy as it sounds, I managed to survive that fall. I don't remember much before I blacked out…" he explained.
(Flashback Begins)
"When I came to, I crossed paths with some flu viruses."
Thrax woke up to find four Influenza A viruses, two males and two females staring at him in shock. They were currently on a tray with syringes, a pair of scissors and a jar of cotton.
"Apparently, I had been unconscious for a week…. Took another two for me to recover."
For the most part, Thrax ate and slept, he didn't say much to the other viruses, he was unsure of them, so he kept his distance. Eventually, he was well enough to go back out on his own.
"After that, I tried to figure out what to do next,"
One night, Thrax sat near a fire pit the flu viruses had put together. The supply closet in they were in was cold that night. He spoke to an olive-green male virus, one of the leaders of the small group, asking him questions about where to go.
"So… I started looking for a place to live,"
The next day, Thrax left the supply closet and later managed to get out via an open window.
A strong breeze picked him up and a short time later he landed on the windowsill of another building. For months, he ventured from place to place. First stop was a phone booth outside a nearby convenience store. The next one was a greyhound bus station and the last place was the patio table in the backyard of a house a few blocks away. All three places were inhabited by germs, bacteria and other viruses. None of them stayed long, just a few days until they relocated somewhere else.
"I was still looking when I wound up in the nurse's office at some school."
It was a cold winter morning in January and the wind was blowing heavily, an indication that a snowstorm was coming. Although he had tried to find shelter, the ice on the patio table caused Thrax to slip. Losing his footing, he slid across the table before the wind once again, picked him up. He then crashed into the window of the nurse's office at a school.
After a few minutes, Thrax got up and shook himself before he slipped in through a gap in the window screen. Unlike the medical supply closet, the nurse's office wasn't nearly as cold and didn't have a stale smell. He found a spot behind a bottle of Tylenol in a cabinet and stopped to rest. Even after recovering from his ordeal, Thrax spent the rest of the month in the cabinet. His search could wait until the weather cleared up.
(Flashback Ends)
"And it just happened to be the school that Hector goes to." Ozzy concluded.
"Right, I got caught up in some pollen that Hector inhaled, and the rest is history." Thrax explained.
"And then you met Rusty," said Drix.
Thrax shifted slightly, the sore spot in his lower back reminding him just how uncomfortable the step stool ladder actually was.
"Not right away, first two days I tried to avoid people, then I went downtown to unemployment. They couldn't do anything so…"
(Flashback Begins)
"I tried looking for a job the old-fashioned way."
As he walked along a semi-crowded street in downtown Hector, Thrax stopped in front of a music store, taped to the window was a 'Help wanted' sign. In the store, three white blood cells, two of them customers and other a store employee frowned when they saw Thrax. Deciding not to go in, he kept on walking.
"I came across a newspaper ad for Rusty's garage."
Thrax sat on a bench at a park, looking through the classifieds in the newspaper when he saw a help wanted ad for Rusty's.
"Anyway…I went over to his place and told him my situation."
Thrax sat in a chair across from Rusty's desk, the two of them talking back and forth before Rusty looks at him, clearly skeptical; then hands Thrax a clipboard with an application form and a pen.
"And well, here I am…."
(Flashback ends)
"So, that's it?" Ozzy answered in disbelief.
"Pretty much, you sound surprised." Said Thrax, who had been rather calm during the conversation.
"I don't think either of us expected to…" Drix was cut off.
"See the likes of me again? Truth be told, I didn't think I'd ever run into you guys either. Anyway, I'm here Monday through Thursday." Said Thrax.
"And what do you do on your days off?" Ozzy asked.
"Sleep in, play checkers with some of the guys at Collarbone park…that kind of thing. Now if you're done prying, I need to get back to work." Said Thrax as he stood and folded up the step ladder and put it back where it belonged. It was obvious he was now getting tired of Ozzy.
"Mm-hmm," the blood cell muttered at Thrax's statement.
"You don't believe a thing I've said. Do you, Jones?" the red virus asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.
"And why should I?" Ozzy snapped.
"I think I know, it's because I'm a virus, isn't it?" Thrax replied.
Ozzy looked off to the side, unsure of how to answer.
"Well…"
At that, Thrax held his left hand up signaling the cell to stop.
"I can take a hint, it's cool. Rusty wasn't sure of me either when I first started workin' here and… maybe it's better if I show you,"
Grabbing a small plank of what looked like wood from under the counter, Thrax put it down. Moments later, the claw on his left index finger lit up, he then ran it across the plank.
Ozzy's jaw dropped at what he saw, he could smell something burning but the plank was still intact.
"It's not burning up! What the…?"
"I don't get it." Said Drix.
"That's what I was going to tell you. I'm not contagious anymore, I can't infect people or animals." Thrax explained. His claw had now returned to its normal cranberry red color.
"Meaning?" Ozzy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Since I've been here, Hector's become immune." Thrax answered before he removed the plank.
"Oh," was all Ozzy and Drix could say.
"So, where are you staying?" Drix asked.
"I got a place on the West-Shoulder, Rusty owns some property over there. It's furnished, all I do is pay for my rent and utilities." Thrax answered.
He brushed one of his dreads out of his face before he continued.
"Ok, I told you my story, now what's yours?"
Ozzy shrugged his shoulders.
"Not much, a mosquito bit Frank, next thing I know, me and Drix wound up here."
"So you stayed," Thrax concluded.
"At first, I wanted to find a way back to Frank but…" Ozzy stopped short.
"We changed our minds," Drix finished.
"It's taken some getting used to but…" Ozzy once again trailed off.
"We like it here," said Drix.
At that Thrax blinked, looking somewhat bored.
"I'm sure," he said as he glanced at his claws.
Before anyone could say anything else, the door to the back room opened and Rusty walked out.
"You boys are still here?" the Red blood cell asked, a puzzled look in his brown eyes.
"Yeah, we are." Ozzy replied sheepishly.
"Uh-huh," Rusty replied with a deadpan look on his face. As much as he loved chatting with customers, he was still a businessman.
Not having anything more to say, Thrax headed to the back room. Prior to being called up front, he was in the process of sorting through online orders and decided to finish where he left off.
Rusty raised an eyebrow, something happened while he was on the phone, but he had no idea what.
"Look, fellas, I got other customers coming in so if you don't mind…"
"We'll show ourselves out, Rusty." Drix offered, picking up the box of brake pads.
"Ye-yeah," Ozzy stuttered, realizing he and Drix had overstayed their welcome.
"Listen, I'll be at third Friday this month. We'll talk then." Said Rusty.
"All right, later Rusty," Ozzy replied with a wave, and with that he and Drix were out the door.
"And I thought my sister-in-law was a talker," Rusty said to himself as he pinched the space between his eyes.
"Well, that was weird." Said Ozzy as he opened the car door and got in.
"I'll say," Drix agreed as he took a seat in his usual spot on the passenger side upfront.
No sooner did he finish his statement, Ozzy's cellphone rang.
"Hello?" said Ozzy as he answered the phone.
"Hey Leah…how'd the interview go? You got the job?! Great. Listen, I'll see you on my lunch break today… I got something to tell you and Doug; you ain't gonna believe this! Talk to you later, bye."
"So, how do you plan to tell them?" Drix asked once his friend was off the phone.
"When I think of something, I'll let you know." Said Ozzy before he started the car and drove off. He wasn't exactly sure how he would explain what happened to him and Drix this morning. For now, he decided to cross that bridge when he got to it.
That Afternoon…
"Ok, wait a minute… you went to Rusty's to pick up some brake pads you ordered and found out what?" Maria asked.
"Thrax was there," Ozzy answered.
Maria frowned, obviously confused.
"Who is that?"
"Just a virus I thought I'd never see again," said Ozzy, who still couldn't believe what happened earlier that day.
"Is this the guy you and Drix chased all over the city of Frank?" Maria asked, trying to put it all together.
"One and the same," Drix answered.
The trio were currently sitting at an outdoor table at the boardwalk on the other end of the stomach. During the week, it wasn't nearly as crowded, just the usual blood cells and such. The lunch rush was starting to slow down, but the various smells from some of the food trucks and stands was still strong.
"But he seemed kind of…different." said Ozzy.
Maria raised an eyebrow, viruses were different by nature; that was no surprise, but she wasn't sure how to react to this.
"Different? Like How?"
"He just seemed…I don't know…" Ozzy sputtered.
"Off?" Drix finished.
"Hey, all I know is something is different about him." said Ozzy.
"You think it's cause of what happened a few months ago?" Maria asked.
"Maybe so," Ozzy answered.
Maria shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, I don't know what to say…how long has he been here?"
"Three months," said Ozzy.
Maria nearly dropped one of her street tacos at hearing this.
"And you've never seen him until now?!" she exclaimed.
"That's right, he seems to lay low. Said he lives on the West-Shoulder." Drix replied.
"I know that neighborhood, it has several working-class cells but there's germs and viruses too. It's located in the left shoulder." Maria explained.
"You seem to know a lot about the West-Shoulder," said Drix.
"Not exactly, it's just one of the more well-known neighborhoods in the city. There's hardly anybody who hasn't heard of it." Maria pointed out.
"I see," Drix said with a nod.
Maria then turned to Ozzy, who seemed to be in deep thought.
"You're kind of quiet,"
"Just thinking…that's all. I honestly thought Thrax was long gone." Said Ozzy.
"So did I," Drix admitted.
"And he was shocked to see us too." Ozzy added.
"Huh…sounds like the guy's a trip." Maria concluded.
"Oh, he is." Said Ozzy.
"Who is?" a voice asked.
Ozzy nearly jumped out of his seat, clearly startled by the question.
"Wha?!"
He then turned around and relaxed once he saw who it was.
"Oh, hey Leah,"
"What's going on?" the female cell asked.
Doug walked over; he was just as confused as she was. The two of them had received a text to meet up with Ozzy, Drix and Maria during their lunch break about half an hour ago. Getting a bus to the boardwalk turned out to be easier than they thought.
"Yeah, who are you talking about?"
Ozzy sighed and looked at them, unsure of what to say.
"You might want to sit down,"
"O…k," said Leah.
She and Doug both sat down in some nearby chairs. What was all this about?
"You guys remember the name Thrax, right?" Ozzy asked.
"Yeah," Leah answered.
"Why?" Doug asked.
Both of them seemed puzzled by this.
"You aren't going to believe this but…he's here." Said Ozzy.
Doug and Leah's mouths were hanging open, did they just hear what they thought they heard?
"What?!" they both said at the time.
"No way!" Doug exclaimed.
"Yes, way," Ozzy and Drix said in unison.
Leah groaned and pinched the space between her eyes.
"You gotta be kidding me!"
"I wish I was," said Ozzy before taking a sip of his soda.
"Ozzy and Drix said he's been here for three months," Maria explained.
"Doing what?" Leah asked, looking suspicious.
"He works at an auto shop in the right big toe. The guy who owns it is a red blood cell," Ozzy explained.
"Are you serious?" Doug asked as he scratched his head.
"Yes," Drix answered.
"But he's not contagious anymore," Ozzy pointed out.
"Really?" Leah said in surprise.
Doug frowned, first he and Leah found out Thrax had been living in the city of Hector for three months, now this.
"How'd that happen?"
"It's kind of a long story, but he seems to stay on West-Shoulder when he's not at work." Ozzy answered.
"West-Shoulder?" Doug and Leah asked at the same time.
"It's a neighborhood in the left shoulder, mostly germs and viruses but cells live there too. It's a working-class residence" Maria explained.
"Ohh," was all Leah could say.
"So, what are you gonna do?" Doug asked.
"Don't know," Ozzy replied.
"Neither do I," said Drix.
Both of them knew from living in a city like Frank that germs and viruses weren't unheard of. They coexisted and lived alongside cells which resulted in their human building up an immunity to certain ailments.
"I can't believe that guy is here," Doug said in disbelief.
"Same here, Doug." Leah confessed.
Maria blinked a couple of times; it was clear she was done with this particular conversation.
"So, are we gonna talk about this virus during our whole lunch break or what?"
Doug and Leah exchanged odd looks with Ozzy and Drix, neither of them saying a word.
"Not really," said Ozzy.
"No," Drix added.
"Ok, subject change. I start working at Ellen's law firm tomorrow." Leah announced.
"And my first day at the fire department is tomorrow too." Doug added.
"That's great," Maria said with a smile.
"A whole lot better than my day," Ozzy sighed.
"So, Doug…I take it you'll still be staying with us?" Drix asked.
"Yeah, why? You trying to kick me out, Drix?" Doug replied, half joking.
"No, not at all." said Drix.
"It's been nice having you stay with us, kinda feels like the old days when we used to work together, back in Frank." Ozzy admitted.
Drix nodded.
"Agreed,"
"Sure does," Doug said with a smile.
For the rest of their lunch break, the conversation shifted to more pleasant topics.
"Explain to me again, what is third Friday?" Leah asked before finishing off the last of her salad.
"It's a networking event. Small business owners use it as an opportunity to advertise. For non-profits and charities, it's a chance for them to get sponsorship and funding." Maria explained.
"Sounds nice," said Leah.
Just then, there was awkward silence amongst the group, save for what sounded like a cricket chirping nearby.
"Did I say something wrong?" Leah asked, frowning slightly.
"No, third Friday has helped a lot of people, it's the small talk that's boring." Maria answered.
Leah flinched, she was all too familiar with how small talk scenarios went and understood Maria's dislike for such things.
"Yeesh!"
"Oh yeah, it's a real good time, if you got nothin' better to do… besides listening to someone talk so long the paint peels off the walls." said Ozzy.
Drix and Doug suddenly started laughing.
Maria and Leah both snickered, even they had to admit it was hilarious.
"Seriously though, it could be worse." Leah pointed out, regarding third Fridays.
However, the five of them were in for a long night later that week.
"How long is this thing?" Doug asked as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror straightening the collar of his light grey dress shirt.
"Six to Eight, why?" Ozzy asked, sticking his head in the doorway.
"I never felt comfortable at these things, even the formal charity dinner we had for the fire department back in Frank was nerve wracking." Doug admitted as he stepped out of the bathroom.
"Can't say I'm keen on going to this either, but small businesses need all the help they can get." Said Ozzy.
"I understand," Doug replied.
He then heard Drix approaching.
"Are we ready yet?" the cold pill asked.
He then noticed Ozzy and Doug didn't say anything, instead the two cells were staring at him.
"What is it?" Drix asked.
"What's up with the bow tie?" Ozzy said, pointing to the object around Drix's neck.
Drix sighed, he knew it was only a matter of time before they noticed. The bowtie was red with yellow dots. While the dress code was casual-formal at Third Friday, Drix's bowtie looked like it belonged at the circus or carnival.
"I order it last week, it's the only one that would fit me." he explained.
"Did you have to get the polka dots?" Doug groaned, face-palming at the bowtie.
"All the solid colors were sold out," Drix answered.
"Uh-huh," Ozzy replied in a dull tone.
"Sure," said Doug.
The two of them were trying to keep from laughing but were skeptical of Drix's explanation.
"C'mon fellas, we haven't got all day. We gotta make a couple stops before we get to the Upper East-Shoulder," said Ozzy before he grabbed his car keys.
"Isn't that a mostly high-class blood cell neighborhood?" Doug asked.
"Yeah, it is. Third Fridays are at the Parker Lane hotel." Ozzy explained.
"So, it's a country club sort of thing." Doug concluded.
"Right," Ozzy replied.
"Well, that doesn't sound too bad," said Drix.
"Actually Drix, you'll fit right in," Ozzy confessed.
Drix seemed somewhat confused.
"What about you two?"
"It's not our kind of place," said Ozzy.
"Yeah, Ozzy's right. High class crowds aren't for us," Doug agreed.
"Why not?" Drix asked.
Both Ozzy and Doug exchanged looks, unsure of what to say.
"I'll explain later, we need to get going." said Ozzy as he headed for the door with Doug and Drix not far behind.
A short time later, all three of them had got in the car and were heading down towards the freeway. Once they reached the corner of Main and 27th Street, Ozzy stopped in the parking lot of what looked like a coffee shop. The building was small and square shaped with a light beige exterior. Above the entrance was the name of the shop, Chorda Coffeehouse in bold dark brown letters.
"If we're gonna be at this event for three hours, we'll need something to keep us awake. Be right back," he said before getting out of the car.
He walked up to a window on the side of the building, spotting a female employee looking at the shift schedule on a clipboard.
"Hey Adella," Ozzy greeted her.
At hearing her name, Adella looked up, yelping in surprise but allowed herself to relax when she recognized who it was.
"Sorry, didn't see you. So, the usual?"
"Yeah, that'll do it." said Ozzy.
"Got it, hold on." Adella said before she turned around. Her voice rang out in the coffeeshop.
"I need one espresso, a house blend and a vanilla macchiato."
Adella then turned back to face Ozzy.
"Should be about fifteen minutes, that ok?" she asked.
"It's fine," Ozzy answered, he took a twenty out of his wallet and handed it to her.
"Keep the change,"
Adella nodded.
Unlike some of the other employees working in the shop, Adella wasn't a cell, she was a virus. Adella's complexion was snow white with concord grape colored spots. Her markings resembled those of a Savannah cat. Unlike other measles viruses, Adella had a form of vitiligo, making her spot pattern uneven. Over her left eye was a grape colored patch as well as two on both her hands and wrists. Her fingers, however, were white. It looked as if she was wearing fingerless gloves. Adella was on the slim side and somewhat tall for a female virus. Because her onyx black claws were retractable, hardly anyone had seen them. Age-wise she'd be in her 20s in human years.
Adella then noticed Ozzy's outfit, a white dress shirt, olive green jacket, dark khaki pants, and shoes. It was a far cry from his normal clothes.
"What are you dressed up for? A movie premiere?" Adella asked.
"Third Fridays," Ozzy replied.
Around this time of the day, the coffeeshop was relatively quiet, with very few customers.
Adella's ocean blue eyes widened.
"That networking event on the Upper East-Shoulder?"
"You know about it?" Ozzy asked.
Adella sighed and brushed her dark bangs out of her face.
"Yeah, my boss has gone a couple of times; but I've never been…just isn't my kind of place," she explained.
"It's not mine either," Ozzy confessed.
"Then why you goin'?" Adella asked, tilting her head slightly.
"To support Ellen, she's the one who gave Leah a job at the law firm," Ozzy explained.
"I understand," said Adella.
Ozzy and Drix had been regular customers at the coffee shop, as a result Adella got to know them. Even though she and her family came to the city of Hector via vaccine, that didn't stop the strange looks she received on a semi daily basis. Adella paused when she heard a noise behind her.
"Wait here,"
She walked away then returned a couple minutes later, holding a drink carrier with three to-go cups of coffee.
" Here's your order,"
"Thanks," said Ozzy as he grabbed the carrier.
"No problem, at least now I can clock out," Adella announced.
"Your shift's over?" Ozzy asked.
"Sure is," Adella answered, sounding relieved that she could finally call it a day.
"That reminds me, I need to get going, later!" said Ozzy, and with that he was gone.
Once back in the car, neither Doug nor Drix turned down the coffee, the caffeine would definitely be helpful for the next couple of hours.
"So, where's our next stop?" Drix asked.
"Over on the West-shoulder, Rusty asked me to pick up one of his employees…" Ozzy answered.
"Which one?" Doug asked.
"Don't know, my cellphone battery was low and shut off before I got a reply. Only thing I had time to do was write down the address." Ozzy explained.
"Well, I suppose we'll find out when we get there." Drix concluded.
"I guess so," Ozzy sighed, he then pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the freeway.
Meanwhile, on the West-Shoulder…
Ozzy, Drix and Doug weren't the only ones going to third Friday. Thrax groaned as he looked at the alarm clock by his bed. The bus he took from Rusty's garage back to his brownstone had been delayed. As a result, the ride took longer and left him with only half an hour to take a quick shower and change clothes.
"Now, what am I going to wear?" he wondered.
Looking through his closet, he stumbled across an outfit he hadn't worn. It was a white jacket with matching pants. He stared at it for a moment before making up his mind.
"Guess I finally have an excuse to put this on," he sighed and grabbed the hanger off the rack. It only took a few minutes for Thrax to get dressed. A few moments later, he slipped on his shoes, grabbed his keys and cellphone and was out the door. After locking up, he was walking down the steps of his brownstone when he noticed someone walking up to the building next door.
"Hey Adella, just getting off work?" he asked.
Adella yawned, showing a mouth full of pearly white feline like teeth and a blue-black tongue.
"Yeah," she said before removing the scrunchy that held her long dark ponytail. Adella then shook herself, careful not to drop her light teal apron from work that had previously covered her midnight blue shirt and jeans. Adella often took the subway to and from work. The station was two blocks up the street, so she usually walked the rest of the way.
She then noticed what Thrax was wearing, a black long sleeve shirt, white jacket with matching pants and black shoes. It was a sharp contrast to what he usually wore.
"Going somewhere?" she asked before sitting down on the steps of her brownstone.
"As a matter of fact, yes." Thrax answered, he too had taken a seat but on the steps of his place, careful not to get any dirt or dust on his outfit.
"Lemme guess, Third Friday?" said Adella.
"You've heard of it?" Thrax asked, looking surprised.
"Mm-hmm…don't get why anybody would go the Upper East-Shoulder for three hours just to be around a bunch of folks they don't know in a class act place like that." Adella replied.
"It's not somethin' I would do on my own, but all of Rusty's employees have gone to this thing. Except me, I've never been the kind who hangs around those kind of people." Thrax admitted.
"I doubt anybody livin' in this neighborhood would feel comfortable walking around the Upper East-shoulder, unless they work there." said Adella.
She looked around at some of the other brownstones and a few residents who were also returning home from work. The West-Shoulder had a mixed demographic consisting of cells, viruses and germs. The neighborhood was working class with housing being mostly brownstones. It was relatively decent looking, resembling parts of Brooklyn, New York. Like most urban areas, besides residential spaces, there were small businesses, restaurants, schools and parks. Currently, it was dusk, and the streetlights would be coming on soon.
"I mean, I work in a coffeeshop and people still give me odd looks…but that hasn't stopped customers from coming in." Adella said as she scratched her neck.
"The only difference is you can cover up those spots and retract your claws." Thrax pointed out.
"I stopped that years ago, only cause…" Adella paused when she heard a bell like noise and looked at her cellphone. It was a text from one of her friends.
"I gotta go," she said before getting up.
"See you, Della." Thrax said as the female measles virus headed up the steps and unlocked the door. A moment later, she closed it behind her.
Shortly after Adella left, a car could be heard coming down the street. The sound alerted Thrax who turned around to get a look at the vehicle which slowly came to a stop near his stoop.
The windows on both the driver's side and front seat were rolled down.
"Ok, this is the place now where's…?" Ozzy froze when he looked to the right.
"No…Way…" he sputtered as he lifted up his sunglasses.
"You again?!"
"Jones?! You're my ride?" Thrax exclaimed, nearly falling over.
"What are you talking about?" Ozzy asked, scratching his head.
"I got a text that someone was supposed to pick me up, what are you doing here?" Thrax replied.
"Wait a minute, this can't be 3400 Warner Boulevard," said Ozzy.
After hearing the address, the blood cell mentioned, Thrax glanced at a nearby street sign then looked back at Ozzy.
"Yes, it is."
Ozzy groaned, pressing his forehead on the steering wheel, he couldn't believe it. First, he and Drix ran into Thrax last week, now this.
"You gotta be kidding me," the white blood cell groaned.
"This is the address Rusty gave you," said Drix as he looked at the piece of paper with Ozzy's handwriting on it.
Ozzy let out a loud sigh, still in shock.
"I don't believe this," he said.
Ozzy had been so distracted at the moment that he didn't even notice Thrax had walked over to the car. He then heard a door open in the back, followed by a 'slam'.
"Hey, watch it!"
Doug simply looked at the virus now sitting next to him in the backseat. This was extremely awkward.
"O…K."
"So, are we going or what?" Drix asked.
"Yeah," Ozzy sighed; he then drove off.
For the next fifteen minutes, nobody talked. The car was silent save for the sound of the engine and traffic reports on the radio.
After looking out the window for a while, Thrax turned to Doug, who had been clearly uncomfortable when he got in the car not too long ago.
"Don't think I've seen you before," said Thrax.
"Probably not, name's Doug," the blood cell replied.
Thrax paused for a second, before he spoke.
"Can't say I recognize the name and I never forget a face."
"Neither do we," said Ozzy who had been watching Thrax via the rear-view mirror.
The virus scoffed at Jones' comment and rolled his eyes.
Drix cleared his throat, which alerted Ozzy and Thrax.
"So, you three are going to this thing too, huh?" Thrax asked, he had noticed Ozzy, Drix and Doug were also dressed up.
"What gave us away?" Ozzy replied in a dull tone.
"Look Jones, if this is gonna be a problem, I can walk back." Thrax offered, sounding somewhat annoyed.
"Go ahead," said Ozzy.
"Forget it… to be honest, I wouldn't be going to this place if it were up to me." Thrax admitted.
"I'm not looking forward to it," said Doug.
"Not a fan of high-class crowds?" Thrax asked, looking surprised.
"None of us are, except Drix, he fits right in." Doug answered.
"And y'all are going, why?" Thrax continued.
"Me and Drix are supporting a friend of ours, Ella Patella; she helped Leah get a job at the law firm." Ozzy explained.
Tilting his head, the red virus seemed somewhat confused.
"Why are you tellin' me this? I hardly know anything about these people."
"You asked," Ozzy pointed out.
At that Thrax blinked twice, Ozzy brought up a valid point.
"Point taken,"
He then glanced at Doug.
"How do you and Jones know each other?"
"We've been friends for ages. We both grew up in the city of Frank," Doug explained.
"So, you're not from here," Thrax concluded.
"No, how Leah and I got to this city is a long story," said Doug.
"Mm-hmm," Thrax muttered.
Seeing that Doug and nobody else wanted to talk, he went back to looking out the window.
Ozzy looked through his rearview mirror once more, it was clear as day the awkwardness wasn't going away anytime soon.
Drix gave his friend a concerned look, he had tried to stay out of it but decided to say something.
"Something wrong, Ozzy?"
"It's…you-know-who," the white blood answered quietly.
"Oh," was all Drix could say.
"It's gonna be a long night," Ozzy muttered as he drove along the freeway heading for the right shoulder.
Later…
"Well, this is it. Parker Lane Hotel." Ozzy announced as the car pulled up to a circular driveway in front of a tall white building. It was now nightfall and the hotel and surrounding areas were lit up.
"'Bout time we got here," said Thrax who was glad to get out and stretch his legs.
"Traffic was heavy, it always is on Fridays." Doug pointed out.
"Yeah, I've noticed." Thrax replied before shutting the door.
All four of them had gotten out of the car and Ozzy handed the keys off to one of the valets.
It was then that they all took notice of their surroundings. The Parker Lane Hotel fit the five-star hotel profile to a T. It was a square shaped white building with an art deco exterior. It was a form of architecture that was not uncommon in metropolitan cities. Overall, the place looked like something from old Hollywood in the human world.
"Sheesh! I knew this neighborhood was upper class, but this is another story." Said Doug as he looked at the entrance of the hotel.
"Got that right," Ozzy agreed.
He then walked inside followed by Doug, Drix and Thrax. The interior of the hotel was even more upscale. Black and white checkered floor with a light fixture on the ceiling resembling a Swarovski crystal chandelier. There was also black and dark gray lounge furniture in places marked off as sitting areas. On the wall by the elevators, was a large fish tank. To say it was classic act, would've been an understatement.
Ozzy walked up to the front desk to ask for directions to where the event was being held. Behind the front desk was a female red blood cell, wearing a black and white houndstooth outfit.
"Can I help you?" she asked in an Irish accent.
"We're here for the Third Friday networking event." Ozzy answered.
"Fourth floor, look for the Skyline lounge, you can't miss it." The red blood replied.
"Thanks," said Ozzy.
He then turned to Drix, Doug and Thrax who were sitting in some nearby chairs.
"C'mon,"
Without needing to be told twice, the three of them got up and followed Ozzy. The receptionist watched them as they walked by, an odd look on her face. She wasn't the only one, as Ozzy and the others headed towards the elevators, someone else was also watching. A short forest green germ in a white janitor's uniform was mopping the floor. He blinked his lemon-yellow eyes at what he saw, looking just as puzzled as the receptionist at the front desk.
Ozzy then pushed a button on the wall and waited for the elevator.
"Nice hotel,"
"Yeah, they sure do keep it clean." said Doug who noticed the floor was spotless.
He flinched slightly when someone behind him sneezed.
"Maybe too clean," Thrax pointed out.
He sniffled, the strong vanilla scent in the lobby was somewhat overwhelming.
"Seems fine to me," said Drix, who didn't seem bothered at all.
"Probably because you're used to smells like this, cough drop." Thrax told him.
Before Drix could say anything there was bell like sound coming from a nearby elevator. Without a word, all four of them got on. After the doors closed behind them, there was a brief silence.
"Any of you notice something about that receptionist?" Thrax asked.
Ozzy raised an eyebrow.
"Like what?"
"She seemed surprised to see us walk into this place." Thrax replied.
"Now that's weird," said Ozzy.
"I'm not surprised," Doug told them.
"Why is that?" Drix asked, frowning.
"'Cause two blood cells, a cold pill and a virus walkin' into a hotel like this ain't exactly something you see every day." Ozzy answered.
"True," Drix agreed.
Ozzy brought up a point, now that he thought about it, the four of them were a strange looking group. The bell rang once again, snapping Drix out of his thoughts.
"Oh! We're here."
The doors to the elevators opened shortly after, Drix was the first one out followed by Ozzy, Thrax and Doug. The hallway was long and there wasn't much to see apart from the purple carpet with a floral print and doors with room numbers on them. It was quiet, save for the footsteps coming from two blood cells and a virus.
"Are you sure we're on the right floor?" Drix asked after they had been walking for a while.
Before Ozzy could reply, Drix bumped into a large sign held up by an easel.
"Oof!"
Ozzy read the sign which had 'Third Friday' and a red arrow on it, pointing to a door on the left side of the hallway.
"Way to go, Drix, you found it." Said Ozzy as he patted the cold pill on the back.
Both Doug and Thrax bit their lips, trying not to laugh, Drix having a head on collision with the sign looked too much like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon.
After getting the door open, the four of them stood there in shock at the scene in front of them. The Skyline lounge was a medium sized room. Unlike downstairs, the interior colors of the room were cream and chocolate brown. There was pleasant panoramic view of the city from some large windows on the far side of the room. The crowd was mix of various groups, cells, germs and a few viruses. The dress code was casual but with a slight formal look. Some people were sitting and talking, others were walking around or stood against the walls. What caught Ozzy off-guard besides the crowded room was the music playing in the background. It sounded like smooth jazz, but the twist was the violin that was mixed in. The music sounded like an unusual choice for this type of setting, but it seemed nobody had any complaints.
("Night Drive" by Damien Escobar plays in background)
"Wow!" was all Ozzy could say.
"This place is packed," said Doug.
"Yeah, no kidding," Thrax agreed, not feeling too comfortable about the large number of people.
"Might as well get this over with," Ozzy sighed.
Doug, Thrax and Drix all got the hint and went their separate ways as soon as they entered the lounge. Talking to other people was one way to pass the time and for the next three hours, they were pretty much stuck here.
"You finally got here," said a female voice.
Ozzy looked to the left and spotted who was speaking to him.
"Hey Ellen," he greeted her.
"Have you seen Leah?"
"She's around," Ellen replied.
She was wearing a darker version of the blue dress shirt and skirt she normally wore at work. There were some noticeable additions, a small string of pearls around her neck and matching earrings. Ellen then looked over Ozzy's shoulder noticing someone else standing not far away.
"Who's that?" she asked.
Ozzy glanced in the direction where Ellen was looking.
"That's Thrax," he said, pointing out the virus talking to Rusty.
"So, he's the virus Leah told me about," Ellen concluded.
"One and the same," said Ozzy.
"What's he doing here?" Ellen asked.
"He works at Rusty's garage." Ozzy answered.
"Oh, well…he's not the only virus here," Ellen pointed out.
Ozzy then spotted a couple of flu viruses pass by.
"I noticed," he said in a dull tone.
Deciding to change the subject, Ellen thought of something to get Ozzy's mind off of it.
"Listen, some of my associates from the firm are here. How about I introduce you?" Ellen offered.
"Uh…" Ozzy paused and looked out of the corner of his eye at Thrax then turned back to Ellen.
"All right," he said.
Ellen smiled.
"Good, let's go."
A few hors d'oeuvres and conversations later, the night thus far had been pleasant for some but for others…not so much.
"This place is duller than dish water," said Doug, he was sitting in a chair, watching the people around him.
"Ya think? We've been here for…what, an hour?" Thrax asked as he leaned against the wall.
"I think so," Doug said with a sigh, before taking a sip of his ginger ale.
"There are some nice people here," he admitted.
"Yeah, depends on who you're talkin' to." said Thrax, before he put a cracker with some cheese in his mouth. This was his fourth one. If there was one thing that was true about networking events like this, is that it seemed as if they didn't serve a lot of food to amount to anything.
Although the small talk had been boring, the music and surroundings were pleasant.
"What's up?" Ozzy asked as he walked up.
"Not much," said Doug.
"Where's Drix?"
"Talkin' to some brain cells from the city library," Ozzy answered as he sat down in a nearby chair.
"That sounds like something he'd do," said Doug.
"I just got through chatting with some of Ellen's lawyer friends." Ozzy announced.
"How'd that go?" Doug asked.
"I lost track after one guy kept going on and on about his summer internship." Ozzy answered.
Both Doug and Thrax flinched.
"Oy," Doug sighed, doing a face palm.
"Better you than me," Thrax said to Ozzy.
"I'm just glad I got away when I could." The blood cell confessed.
Although he knew Ellen had meant well, her fellow lawyers weren't exactly the sort of people Ozzy was used to being around. He was surprised to learn not all of them were cells, two of them were viruses and another was a germ. Unlike Frank, the city of Hector was more diverse. Granted, there were still neighborhoods where certain demographics were the majority but that was standard for most cities.
"Anyway…." Ozzy then noticed Doug and Thrax seemed to be staring at something.
"Uh…what are you looking at?"
"Jones, who is that?" Thrax asked pointing at someone.
Ozzy looked in the same direction as Doug and Thrax.
"Who? Her? that's Maria Amino, she's one of the people Drix and I first met in this city." He explained.
"Is that right?" said Thrax.
"Why do you ask?" Ozzy continued, looking puzzled.
"I've just never seen her before, that's all." Thrax answered.
"Noted," said Ozzy.
Currently, Maria was talking to another cell across the room from Ozzy, Doug and Thrax. A few seconds later, she turned around. It was then that the three of them noticed a few things about her outfit. Maria had on a white and purple striped shirt with a plum colored jacket, dark jeans and black open toe shoes. Around her neck was a silver-like necklace with a tear drop shaped amethyst pendant and matching earrings. Her normally high ponytail was relaxed and went past her shoulders. This was one of the few times Ozzy had ever seen Maria wearing something besides her everyday clothes and hair style.
A saxophone solo could be heard playing background.
"Dang!" was all Ozzy, Thrax and Doug could say.
"I'll catch up with you two later…excuse me," said Thrax who quickly walked away.
Both Ozzy and Doug sat there looking dumbfounded.
"What was that all about?" Ozzy wondered.
"I have no idea," said Doug, who shrugged his shoulders.
"Was that Thrax?" Drix asked as he approached Ozzy and Doug.
"If you mean the blur that just went by two seconds ago, then yeah…that was him." said Ozzy.
"Kind of ran off in a hurry, didn't he?" said Drix, who had spotted the virus as he rushed past him a moment ago.
No sooner did he finish his sentence, Leah walked up.
"Did you guys see…?"
"We all saw it." Ozzy, Drix and Doug replied at the same time.
"Oh…never mind." Said Leah, Thrax had nearly bumped into her while trying to exit stage right, however he seemed more focused on getting away than anything else. Then again, was the orchid colored dress she chose to wear really that different?
Meanwhile…
"Well, thus far this night has been…" Naurine stopped short.
"Boring?" Maria asked her friend.
"Sort of, but I've seen worse." Naurine answered.
"Yeah, me too." said Maria.
The outfit Naurine wore was somewhat similar to Maria's though instead of a striped shirt, hers was a zebra print with black pants and shoes.
Naurine looked down at her glass, noticing her iced tea was gone.
"I'm gonna go get a refill,"
"All right, I think I'll step outside for a minute." said Maria.
The two then went their separate ways.
Maria walked out to the nearby balcony. Aside from some patio furniture, some plants, a couple of outdoor heat lamps and a string of lights hanging over head, there wasn't much out here. It was definitely quieter, save for the sound of traffic. Overall, the balcony was deserted, or so it seemed.
"Phew!" Maria sighed as she leaned over the balcony railing.
"Taking a break?" someone asked.
Maria froze when she heard the voice and looked to the right, at the same time someone else had turned to face her.
She and the other person both yelped in surprise.
"What the…?! I didn't realize someone was out here," Maria confessed.
"And I thought I was talking to somebody else…oh well." said the person across from her.
"So…you are?" Maria started to say.
"The name is Thrax, and you're Maria, right?" the virus replied.
"How'd you know?" Maria asked, taken aback that he knew her name.
"In a small place like this, word gets around quick." Thrax answered.
Maria just gave him a suspicious look.
"Uh-huh…"
It was then that she was able to get a better look at him; he was a virus all right. Neon yellow wolf-like eyes and long sharp claws like those of a honey badger. He was noticeably taller and pretty much towered over Maria in height. He had a thin build and long torso, then there were the semi-long royal purple dreads, a feature that was hard to miss. Although Maria was familiar with viruses of various sorts, she hadn't seen anyone like this before. She couldn't believe the same virus Ozzy and Drix had talked about was standing there. Maria kept her distance, even though she could easily defend herself and had a small can of pepper spray on hand. Though judging by Thrax's body language, he seemed somewhat relaxed, if he was uncomfortable in any way, he kept it hidden.
"A little bird told me about you," Maria said after a short pause.
"Jones? That doesn't surprise me, guess it really is a small world." said Thrax.
He too made sure there was some space between him and Maria. Unbeknownst to anyone else, from the time he was young; Thrax had always felt awkward around females, including Adella. He studied Maria's features; she had a slim yet athletic frame, long ponytail, and periwinkle complexion. The mascara she wore made her long lashes and dark hazel eyes stand out. The lapis blue nail polish on her fingers and toes were easily noticed. No doubt she had put some thought into her outfit and appearance, making an effort to look nice.
Like animals, both cells and viruses could smell fear, and it was clear as day Maria felt uneasy around Thrax, who likewise, was just as nervous as she was. Fear wasn't the only thing that was obvious. Although neither of them had been standing there that long, it was just enough for them to pick up each other's scents. While Thrax was obviously wearing some type of cologne, there was still the underlying smell of oil mixed in. Maria's scent was the total opposite. The fragrance smelled like pineapple, only it was actually from herb in the mint family. The scent came from a plant native to Mexico called Salvia elegans, also known as Pineapple sage due to the smell from its leaves. Besides the scent, pineapple sage had one other trademark, its bright red flowers that attracted hummingbirds.
"Anyway… Ozzy said you work at Rusty's garage," said Maria.
"That's correct, nine to five, Mondays through Thursdays. Now, if you're going to ask twenty questions, I'll leave." Thrax replied, not wanting to do a Q and A session.
"Fine, I only came out here to get away from that country club crowd in there." Maria snapped.
"So did I, and excuse me for being short but in a neighborhood like this, it's hard not to feel out of place." Thrax said angrily.
"You think I don't know? I'm a Latina blood cell. Believe me, I'm aware…on my way up here some guy thought I worked for housekeeping." Maria explained.
At that, Thrax's eyes widened, with the way Maria was dressed, how could someone mistake her for a housekeeper? she didn't look the part at all.
"That's messed up," was all Thrax could say.
"It's a stereotype," said Maria.
"That was a lot of nerve considering your human, Hector is Cuban." Thrax pointed out.
"Cuban-American, actually." Maria corrected him.
"I was close," said Thrax.
Maria simply rolled her eyes and looked the opposite way.
"You're not like other cells, are you? Thrax asked, tilting his head in curiosity.
"You noticed?" Maria answered, turning around.
"Yeah, I noticed." said Thrax.
"'Kay, like how?" Maria asked.
"For starters, I've never spoken to a blood cell longer than fifteen minutes. 'Cept for Jones." Thrax replied.
Maria raised an eyebrow.
"Why is that?"
"Do I really need to explain? 'cause I think it's quite obvious." Thrax snapped.
"Never mind, Outbreak." said Maria.
It was true, most blood cells Thrax ran into either freaked out or stared at him. Even if Maria's facial expressions and tone of voice didn't show she was nervous, her body language and scent gave it away.
The two of them stood there in silence. He didn't know how to react to her remark. Outbreak? He wasn't sure if it was a joke or an insult. Thrax leaned over the balcony looking down at the street, hands folded under his chin with his claws resting on the railing in a canine like pose. After a few minutes of staring at traffic, Maria spoke.
"So, where you from?"
"Augusta, Georgia," Thrax replied.
"The south? That's pretty far from here." Maria pointed out.
"952 miles…and that's by car. It's the second largest city in Georgia aside from Atlanta." Thrax explained.
"Oh wow…so, why'd you stay here anyway? It gets pretty cold in New England." Said Maria regarding the winter months along the Eastern seaboard.
Once again, Thrax was unsure of what to say. Though most respiratory viruses survived longer in cold weather, there was such a thing as summer colds and viruses that have been found in warmer climates. Pausing for a minute, Thrax tried to think of a response which didn't take long.
"Started looking for a place to live and wound up here…long story short, I stayed."
"Well, Hector is a nice city, we get a lot of transplants here," said Maria.
"So I've heard," Thrax replied in a dull tone.
It didn't take much for Maria to notice Thrax was more focused on looking at the city skyline than anything else.
"I take it this isn't your kind of crowd," Maria concluded.
"Not at all, but I had to come here 'cause of work." Thrax explained.
The two of them were now facing one of the glass sliding doors, looking at the people who were indoors.
"If it were up to me, I wouldn't be here either; but Ellen Patella isn't exactly the kind of friend you say no to. Plus, I don't turn down free food." Maria admitted.
"I heard that," Thrax said with a smile. He picked up the glass of cider he had forgotten about on a small side table and took a sip. The sweetness from the apples mixed with the tart cranberries made for an interesting mix. The cider resembled the rose gold color commonly seen in sparkling rosé wine.
Grabbing her cellphone from her jacket pocket, she checked the time. It was only 7:30pm, which meant she would still be here for a while.
"Only an hour and a half left to go…great," she said in a sarcastic tone.
Back inside, Ozzy was trying to make the best of the situation by doing one of the things he did best…telling jokes.
"No, no, Yo' Mama's so ugly she…" he paused halfway and looked outside.
"What the…? Is that Maria?" he asked himself.
"Everything ok, Ozzy?" Leah asked, unaware she was blocking Ozzy's view.
"Yeah, I'm fine," the blood cell replied.
"Are you sure?" Drix asked, looking concerned.
"I'm all right, just thought I saw something." Ozzy answered.
Both Leah and Drix seemed dumbfounded, what was he talking about?
Ozzy wasn't sure of what he saw…had Maria and Thrax been standing outside talking this whole time? Deciding not to dwell on it, Ozzy returned to telling some more jokes, he and everyone else needed a good laugh.
Meanwhile, outside, there was a slight chill in the night air.
Maria shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself.
"It's getting cold out here,"
"Yeah," Thrax agreed.
Even with the outdoor heat lamps, it was cooler than it had been earlier that night. Although viruses typically had a higher body temperature than cells, that didn't mean they weren't affected by the cold.
Maria decided not to stick around after feeling another chill.
"I'm going inside,"
As she walked back into the lounge, Thrax watched her. The light from the heat lamp made his candy apple red complexion look a couple shades lighter. He looked at Maria then at the street below.
'Sheesh! I need to get out more,' Thrax thought to himself.
He quickly shook his head, snapping out of it.
Later that night…
"I'll see you good folks later…if I'm gonna beat the traffic, I should get a head start." Said Naurine
"Nice meeting you, Leah."
"You too, Naurine," the female cell replied.
"Bye everyone," said Naurine as she walked out.
After an exchange of goodbyes, the crowd started to get smaller and there was less noise.
"I'm heading home too." Ellen announced.
"And Drix, you'll keep Ozzy out of trouble?"
"Of course," the cold pill answered with a smile.
"I'll help," Leah offered.
"Very funny," said Ozzy, who knew they were joking.
"Night all," Ellen said before heading out the door.
"Guess we better head out too," Ozzy suggested.
"Sounds good to me, I'm tired." said Doug.
"Wait, are we missing someone?" Drix asked.
Ozzy groaned, remembering there was a fourth person that had carpooled with them.
"Dang! I forgot all about that,"
He looked around the room, there was only a handful of cells, viruses and germs left, some of which were part of the hotel staff who came to clean up.
It didn't take long for Ozzy to spot a certain red virus sitting in a corner.
"Yo! Thrax, we're leaving." He called.
"Finally," said Thrax as he stood up, if he stayed in that chair much longer, he would've most likely dozed off.
Ozzy let out a small yawn, it had been a long night and right now, all he wanted to do was get home and sleep. He walked to the elevator and pushed the button.
"So, what'd you think of this?" he asked Drix, Thrax and Doug once they caught up.
"It was all right," said Doug, who rubbed the back of his neck.
"Really? I actually enjoyed myself." Drix admitted.
"There were some nice people here, I'll say that much and none of you seemed to complain about the free food and drinks." said Ozzy.
Neither of the trio said anything, all of them looked at each other or something else.
"Am I right?" Ozzy asked.
Once again, there was a moment of silence, save for a cricket chirping somewhere in the hallway.
"I thought so," said Ozzy.
The elevator bell rang behind him and the doors opened. Ozzy got on first, then Drix and Doug with Thrax being last.
"Are you two coming or what?" Ozzy asked, seeing Maria and Leah had caught up with them.
"We'll wait," said Leah.
"Yeah, it's crowded enough." Maria added.
"All right see you downstairs." said Ozzy before the elevator doors closed.
"So…Thrax…none of us really saw you after you took off. Where were you?" Drix asked after a couple of minutes.
"I was around," was Thrax's reply.
"Like where?" Doug asked.
"Eh, just…talkin' to people." Thrax answered.
Ozzy gave him a suspicious look.
"Like Maria?"
"How did you…?" Thrax sputtered.
"So that was you on the balcony." Ozzy concluded, he now had confirmation of what he had seen earlier.
"I stepped out to get some air and she happened to walk up after I did. What was I supposed to do?" Thrax explained.
"You could 'a left," said Ozzy.
"I was already gettin' odd looks when we got here, no way was I gonna act rude to somebody…she knows you and probably would've said something." Thrax replied, trying to keep his cool.
"O…k," was all Ozzy could say.
A moment later, the elevator reached the first floor, and everyone got off. As they walked past the front desk, Thrax quickly turned away.
"What is it?" Ozzy asked.
"That receptionist was looking at us." Thrax said quietly.
"Again?" Ozzy sputtered, he glanced over his shoulder and sure enough, it was the same female red blood cell from before. She looked down at her keyboard, refusing to make eye contact with Ozzy and whoever else was in the lobby.
"It's all right, Jones. I'm used to it," said Thrax.
Ozzy was taken aback, he half expected Thrax to get angry and say something but instead, he was surprisingly calm about it.
It was plain as day that Thrax kept his distance when he was around other people. Even though nobody in Hector knew him, that didn't stop the profiling that viruses and germs experienced on a regular basis. Cells weren't exactly exempt from stereotypes and profiling either. Apparently, it was frowned upon by some if a red blood cell had white blood cell for a mate and vice versa. There were also the cases of viruses who chose a cell as their mate rather than another virus. Both situations were no different than discrimination towards interracial marriage among humans.
The small band then walked outside and sat down on a nearby bench waiting for valet service to bring the car around. Leah and Maria were sitting on the bench next to them.
"Phew! This was some night. At least tomorrow's Saturday." said Ozzy.
Everyone else had the same thought, it had been a long week for all of them. Right now, sleeping in on a weekend morning sounded like a good idea.
"I'll be glad to get out of these shoes," said Leah.
"I hear ya," Maria agreed.
Although her shoes didn't have high heels like Leah's, the soles of her feet were still sore from walking and standing for the past three hours. She then looked over at Ozzy and the guys on the other bench.
"You guys got any plans for tomorrow?" Maria asked.
"Just one…sleeping in," Ozzy answered.
"Same here," said Maria.
Leah then looked down the driveway, the line of cars being picked up from valet parking was much shorter now.
"Looks like the car's almost here,"
"Mine too," said Ozzy as he grabbed his validated ticket out of his pocket.
Looking to the left, Leah noticed Thrax sitting on the end of the bench next to her.
"Well…" she started to say.
"This is awkward," Thrax finished.
"No kidding…you ran off earlier." Leah pointed out.
"Yeah, so what? I was taking a break." Thrax told her.
"By talking to Maria?" Leah asked.
Thrax's eyes widened at the question.
"She told you, huh?"
Leah nodded.
"Eh, whatever." said Thrax, who didn't seem phased, it wasn't like Leah wouldn't have found out later on.
"As aloof as you've been lately, I'm surprised you talked to anybody at all." Leah admitted.
"I'm not much of a social butterfly like your friends here, but in all honesty… this night wasn't too bad." Thrax confessed.
"It was ok," said Leah.
She looked at Maria who currently preoccupied with her cellphone then glanced at Thrax. Leah made sure she was out of earshot range before she spoke.
"So, you think she's pretty?"
Looking like a deer caught in some headlights, Thrax's eyes bucked as he froze.
"Uh…no comment," he sputtered, feeling uneasy.
Leah nearly fell off the bench laughing, Ozzy, Drix and Doug who overheard the whole thing, snickered.
After getting over it and realizing Leah was joking, Thrax went from shocked to serious.
"Y'all didn't hear that!" he yelled.
"What's so funny?" Maria asked, she had been texting her brother Ricky and hadn't paid any mind to the others and just now heard their laughter.
"Nothing!" all five of them replied.
"Oh, look the car's here!" Ozzy announced in an attempt to change the subject. He got up from the bench along with everyone else.
After a quick goodbye, they parted ways.
The ride back to the West-Shoulder was quiet for the most part, around this time of the night hardly anyone was out.
"At least traffic's light," said Ozzy who noticed there were less cars on the freeway than earlier. He glanced at Drix who seemed to be half asleep. Every once in a while, he looked at the backseat via the rearview mirror. Both Thrax and Doug were looking out the window.
"What?" Thrax asked, noticing Ozzy watching him.
"Never mind," the blood cell replied, looking away.
"Jones, you've been eyeballing me for a while…what is it?" Thrax snapped.
"It's…well…last week at Rusty's, you seemed different; same with tonight, it's like you've changed." said Ozzy.
At hearing this, Thrax paused, Ozzy had a point…even though his anger flared up once in a while; lately, his temperament had been rather mild. He thought about it and now seemed like a good time to explain.
"About that, Jones…." Thrax started, nervously rubbing the back of his head.
"After that fall, while I was recovering, I had a lot of time to think…and I realized I didn't have a life….and…well…you know the rest. I came here, got a job and a place to live. Thus far, I have no complaints."
"Huh," was all Ozzy could say.
"Also, I'm the first virus to work at Rusty's in months and Sundays." Thrax added.
"Since when?" Drix asked, who had been half listening.
"Two years," said Thrax.
"What happened to the other one?" Doug asked, scratching his head.
"He moved; the guy doesn't even live in this city anymore." Thrax answered.
"Why would anyone want to leave a place like this?" Ozzy wondered.
"Might not have worked out for him; that's the thing about blood cells, you all usually stay in one place. Viruses and germs don't always do that," Thrax explained.
"I think we knew that already," Ozzy said in a dull tone.
"Anyhow… that girl, Maria…." Thrax started to say.
"What about her?" Ozzy asked, looking puzzled.
"When we were talking, she…she called me something." said Thrax who looked embarrassed.
Ozzy frowned as traffic slowed down.
"What was it?"
"Outbreak," Thrax said as he looked at the floor.
No sooner did he finish his sentence, Ozzy, Drix and Doug snickered which switched to full fledged laughter in less than five seconds.
"You finished?" Thrax asked, an annoyed look on his face as he folded his arms in front of his chest.
After a minute or so, the two blood cells and cold pill stopped laughing.
"Ok, ok I'm done." said Ozzy.
For the rest of the ride, everyone was quiet until Drix spotted a sign for one of the exits.
"Wasn't that where you were supposed to get off?" he asked.
Ozzy looked to the right and noticed he missed the exit. The blood cell groaned, putting his forehead against the steering wheel.
"Swell,"
30 minutes later…
They reached the West-Shoulder, which by now was quiet and deserted around this time of the night. Aside from a couple of lights that were on in a few brownstones, most of the neighborhood's residents were either asleep or those who worked at night had gone out.
Looking in the backseat, Ozzy noticed Thrax had fallen asleep with the side of his head pressed against the window. He raised an eyebrow at the site, the guy must've been exhausted if he dozed off like that.
"Hey Thrax," said Ozzy but there was no reaction.
"Wake up!"
Once again, nothing; until Doug poked the virus' upper arm, startling him.
"Wha?" Thrax sputtered.
He looked out the window and recognized where he was.
"Oh, never mind…"
He paused for a moment and looked at Ozzy.
"Uh…thanks,"
"Eh, it's…" Ozzy stopped short when the door slammed.
"O…k."
After getting over the brief awkward moment, he drove off. Once the car was no longer in sight, Thrax unlocked the front door, the block was rather dark save for some nearby streetlights. After going inside and shutting the door, Thrax turned on the light and leaned against the wall, it had been a long night.
"Phew! Home at last."
Meanwhile, Elsewhere…
It had taken a while, but Ozzy and the others finally got back to the apartment.
"Well, we made it." said Doug.
"Good, I almost fell asleep at that last traffic light." Ozzy said before he got out of the car.
"C'mon,"
A few minutes later, Ozzy opened the door and switched on the light. So far, the apartment was silent.
"Dander, we're home," Drix called.
The sound of barking was heard as a small dog ran into the room, tail wagging. The joyful moment was short lived when Ozzy noticed some ripped up newspaper and an empty box of peanut butter flavored dog biscuits.
"What the…?! Who made this mess?" he asked.
Dander suddenly lowered his head and tail before slowly walking out of the room. Ozzy gave the dog an odd look.
"Really? You don't want to talk about it?"
Drix looked rather stunned, Dander was usually well behaved but by the same token, he wasn't used to being left alone for this long.
Doug snickered; the guilty dog moment was priceless.
"I'll get it,"
And with that, he went off to grab some trash bags.
After a long night like this, the weekend couldn't come soon enough.
MORE TO COME…
So, that's a wrap for chapter two. This one took longer to finish, already got chapter three mapped out. It'll introduce some additional characters and deal with some other topics that have been brought up in this chapter.
Now onto some additional trivia:
The title of this chapter, You Again?! Is from a 2010 comedy film of the same name.
Some of the quotes and such are from the following; Daddy Daycare, Krypto the Superdog, Pound Puppies(the 2010 remake), Everybody Hates Chris, Hey Arnold, Little Rascals, Three's Company, Beethoven's 3rd, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Parkers and Sister, Sister.
The Upper East-Shoulder neighborhood is loosely based on Park Avenue and Upper Eastside in New York City. The West-Shoulder has similarities to Brooklyn, NY.
27th Street is a reference to an actual street in Queens, NY. The Long Island Expressway and La Guardia airport are in the same area.
Augusta, GA is a reference to Laurence Fishburne's hometown, it's also where singer and musician, James Brown lived during part of his childhood.
952 miles is the actual mileage by car between Augusta, GA and Providence, RI.
3400 Warner Boulevard is reference to the address for Warner Bros Studios in California.
Parker Lane Hotel is based on a mix of hotels such as the Park Lane hotel and Ritz Carlton in New York and two Hiltons in Long Beach and Beverly Hills, California.
The name for Chorda Coffeehouse is a reference to Chorda Tympani. The Chorda Tympani is a branch in the facial nerve that runs from the taste buds in the front of the tongue to the middle ear. It's one of three cranial nerves that involves the sense of taste.
As for the voices of my characters, LaVan Davis is best known as Curtis Payne from the sitcom, Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
Anthony Anderson is known for various TV shows and movies including: The Bernie Mac Show, Live in Front of a Studio Audience and was a guest on Who Wants to Be A Millionaire and co-hosted the 2016 BET Awards.
Tiffany Haddish has also starred in various movies and did some TV appearances, two of which include Daisy the Shih-Tzu in The Secret Life of Pets 2 and hosting the remake of Kids Say the Darnedest Things on ABC.
Adella's name is German and translated in English means: "Noble". There is a strain of measles called German measles but Adella isn't part of that strain. Her colors and markings are based on microscope slides of Measles and her spot pattern is inspired by a breed of cat called the Savannah which is a mix between an African Serval and Domestic short hair cat.
Slick's breed name is reference to the Bloodhound and Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog. His appearance is based on the Tennessee Treeing Coonhound, a member of the Foxhound and Beagle family.
As for part of the storyline behind stigma and stereotypes between cells, viruses and such, it's loosely based on Zootopia where part of the movie involved how predatory animals such as tigers, wolves and foxes are treated differently by other animals, much like profiling in the real world. Being Black, I'm very familiar with various stereotypes about people of color and this is a subject I do write about in my stories to a certain degree.
Collarbone Park is loosely based on Central Park in New York City.
The guilty dog scene with Dander is a reference to the following dog videos on YouTube: "Who Tore My Pants Up?!" posted by ViralTube and "Which Is the Guilty Dog?" by America's Funniest Home Videos.
Anyway, there'll be more characters in chapter three and few more twists in the plot.
The music track featured in this chapter, "Night-Drive" by Damien Escobar can be found on YouTube. There's also another called "When You Smile" by Jackiem Joyner which is the track for chapter 1. I recommend listening to both.
Anyway…reviews are appreciated.
Stay tuned!
