AAAANNNNDD she updates! Much to the surprise of her readers. They'd begun to lose hope. So had she.
For the sake of this chapter Son of Sobek HAS HAPPENED! Also, TLH is about to happen (for those of you who asked).
Cleo hadn't really been thinking about it when she'd walked into the Subway, but the girl at the counter triggered the memory.
This was where she'd met the strange Stoll brothers, and this was where they'd stained her book with mustard. This was also, she recalled, where she'd met Katie, who'd said they went to camp together.
"Hi. Welcome to subway, what can I get you?" Katie asked. It was doubtful she remembered Cleo, but Cleo thought maybe she just didn't warrant a personal greeting.
Cleo placed her order. As her sandwich was being made, she said, "Hey, you know Connor and Travis Stoll, right?"
Katie looked up. "Yes. Do you?"
So Katie really didn't remember her. "Um, well, yes. Sort of." Cleo shrugged. "I'm wondering how to get in touch with them. Do you have their number?"
"They don't have cell phones," Katie said, "and I don't know their home phone number. Why would you want to get in touch with them?" She said it like Cleo was crazy.
And maybe she was.
"Well, um…" Cleo had no good answer for that. "We just have some things to talk about. What about an email?"
Katie shrugged. "I know them, but I make it a thing not to inflict them upon myself any more than necessary."
"Oh," Cleo deflated.
The idea of there being other things out there, other realities, was frightening. It was such a huge concept that it made Cleo dizzy sometimes. Maybe it was best that she not make contact, that she leave things alone. All the same, a part of her—a very small part—wished it was possible.
"Sorry," Katie said as she rang up Cleo's order.
"It's okay." Cleo said. "No good would've come of it, anyway."
"You can say that again."
Cleo paid and left, taking a bite out of her sandwich.
The day passed slowly, and Cleo managed to keep thoughts of the Stolls safely tucked away in her subconscious until dinner.
"Are you okay? You've been pretty quiet." Carter said, dishing himself a second round of mashed potatoes. "Well, you're always quiet, but you have this look on your face…"
Cleo considered letting him in on her thoughts, but she was hesitant. She didn't want a repeat of the conversation she'd had with Sadie. She observed the rambunctious bunch around them and sighed.
"Do you ever think…" Her will to talk faltered again.
"Do I ever think what?" Carter prompted. She had his full attention now.
"Well, I mean, maybe…" Cleo took a breath. "…we might not be as… alone…" She started playing with her food. "There might not just be us, you know what I mean?"
Carter frowned. "Could you rephrase the question?"
Cleo's chest felt tight, and something seized her. She didn't want to talk about this, she knew how unreasonable it sounded. She spit it out, prepared for a gentle letdown. "Do you think there might be others out there? People not like us? Different?"
She was desperate for confirmation, so desperate and so convinced she wouldn't get it, and she started up again before Carter could say anything, "I'm not crazy. So, there were these boys looking for their dog, right? No, the dog didn't belong to them, it belonged to some guy named Perry, or Percy, or something, and then Felix and I saw it. But it wasn't really a dog. I mean, there was this giant hell hound in the middle of the street. I screamed and the Stolls came running—"
"Percy." Carter said.
"Umm… maybe that's what they said. I was paying more attention to the giant—"
"I believe you." Carter nodded his head. "I know… I know there are other things out there. Well, I suspected."
"You did?" Cleo said, as relieved as she was surprised. "How?"
"Percy. I met him once." Carter said.
"You've met Percy?" Sadie butted into our conversation. "You don't even go to school, how did you meet him? And Cleo, I didn't know you knew him. You should've said."
"What? No, I don't—" Cleo started.
"You know him?" Carter interrupted. "You go to school with him?"
"Yeah." Sadie said. "We have the same study hall. He snubbed Drew once and we've been cool ever since."
"Percy's nice." Walt put in. "He sneaks cookies into our English class. A life saver that boy is."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Carter demanded.
"Well, sorry, brother," Sadie rolled her eyes. "What, do you have to approve of all my friends?"
Carter shook his head.
"If you'd lay off the pharoh duties, and actually make time for outings, you might've known."
"I might have to." Carter said—more to himself than anyone else.
Sadie stabbed a piece of meat. "Why does it mean so much to you, anyway? Did you two not hit it off?"
Carter shook his head. "We… we got along alright. For the most part. Sort of."
Sadie snorted. "Sounds interesting. Mind sharing?"
Carter set his fork back on the table and recalled his old resolve to tell her the story. It had faded after the crocodile fight—he'd found himself just wanting to forget it all—and so he'd remained silent. He should've told her. "It's a long story, and I'm tired." He stood up. To Cleo he said, "We'll talk more in the morning. Think real hard about what you saw. Everything."
