Randall awoke rather suddenly. He jerked upwards, but instantly regretted the sudden movement, and lay back on the bed. He looked around the room. It was light outside, but Randall couldn't tell what time of day it was because the curtains were drawn. Those aren't my curtains. Then he remembered with an inner groan that he was in the custody of the human. He still didn't like it any better now than he had before. Damn, we did come to a truce, didn't we. If it behaves, then I guess I will too. He looked at where Shadow had been sitting.

His eyesight was better than it usually was when he woke up. He could tell that the thing sitting on the chair was the bolt of fabric and he could make out the two sticks that he had noticed her put on the table last night. What are those? He wondered. And why can I see them so clearly? And why do I feel like this? Randall had noticed that he felt very restless, like he was filled with energy that could not be released. It dawned on him that it was the heat. He was still wrapped in the blankets Shadow had given him, and the heating pad was on underneath them. He had been kept warm long enough that his body was telling him to release some of his energy.

He decided to go find Shadow and ask where he could find some food. He slowly began to rise from the bed. He was surprised to find that his core temperature remained the same when he got out of the blankets. I must be getting better. At full health, it was no problem for Randall to maintain his core temperature once it had reached a certain point. That was how he still managed to get around Monstropolis and do his job even when it was cooler out. As long as he kept moving, his temperature would stay the same. Nevertheless, it was still cold, Randall was still in poor condition. He took the bottom blanket and wrapped it around himself for comfort. Didn't she say that it was 65 degrees in here? If that feels this cold to me, I must not be as healed as I had hoped. I should be comfortable right now. He sighed to himself. Don't worry about it Randall. Just focus on food for now.

Randall slowly left the room that he had slept in, and found himself in a short hallway. He could hear soft, pulsing music. He decided to follow it. The next door down from the one he came from was open, and Randall could see into a modest living room. What Randall saw next, surprised him. Shadow was standing on a mat on the floor, on only one foot. She remained this way for several seconds before lowering her foot to the ground away from her, and leaning into it, shifting her weight gradually while making a graceful, sweeping gesture with her arms. She was now standing with one foot behind her, the front knee bent, both arms stretched out, both in the direction of the leg they corresponded to.

She continued moving like this, very deliberately. Randall had never guessed that humans were capable of such graceful movements. She seemed to move to the music and there was an energy of calm around her. The beauty of it surprised him, but what surprised him more was how familiar it looked. Is she doing what I think she's doing? It looked familiar, like an Asian art form that he had studied years ago, but the movements were different. No way, human's couldn't know how to do that. They would have had to have learned it from monsters, wouldn't they?

"What are you doing?" He asked the question softly. For some reason, he seemed to care about not startling her. Go figure that one out.

"It's called Tai Chi. I'll be done in a minute." She replied without missing a beat. That's definitely not the name of what I was thinking of, but it does sound Asian inspired. Hmm. Randall, watched fascinated as she finished her forms. How do they balance without a tail? He had practiced a long time before he could balance on one foot with ease, but he had his tail and lengthy body to counterbalance the awkward position. This creature was so simply built, and yet she was balancing and moving with such grace. She looked like she could have been a serpentine monster. But she's not, so quit thinking like that. He was surprised at himself.

Shadow eventually stopped the ritual and stood up straight. She turned to look at Randall, but she was too far away for him to see her expression very clearly.

"You're up earlier than I thought you would be. Should you be moving so soon?" She sounded both concerned, and almost chastising. Her tone annoyed Randall. She was being too familiar with him, and she sounded like a parent.

Who does this human think she is? I'll show her what her place is if she doesn't cut that out! I'll bite her head off... Wait Randall. Remember your temper. If you scare her too much, she might hurt you or worse. You have to keep remembering that. Diplomacy has been working. Just keep it up a while longer.

"I am perfectly capable of determining my own fitness, thank you." He allowed some curtness enter his voice, just to get the message across. Her shoulders lowered in response, and the heat increased on the surface of her face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." She sounded flustered. "I was just concerned, that's all. Please don't be angry?"

Was I too harsh anyway? I didn't think so. She must be extra sensitive to tone or something like that. I don't know well I can control it if that's the case. Damn this ridiculous creature... It's okay, just try to be patient.

"It's fine." Randall tried to speak evenly. "I'm just frustrated, and still don't feel well. Thanks for the concern." His lame excuse seemed to work, and Shadow straightened again and took a step forward.

"Would you like some breakfast since you're well enough to move?"

"Yes." Randall felt his eye widen and head lift involuntarily. As hesitant as he was about eating human food, he had to admit that he felt hungry. His stomach was telling him that breakfast was a wonderful idea, and he couldn't bring himself to argue.

He followed the human into the next room and watched as she opened a cabinet and looked through it. This must be a human kitchen. Weird, it looks a lot like my kitchen back home. That sound though... the appliances don't make the same noise. Come to think of it, nothing does. All the things that would be scream powered have a different sound to them, even the lights. It's almost a whine. I wonder what that means. Maybe I can ask her about it. Randall became curious enough about a scientific question that for a moment, he forgot that he didn't want to care about anything in this new world.

"So, I just realized, I have no idea what you eat. Are you omnivorous, carnivorous, an insectivore? I know there's meat of some kind in there somewhere because your teeth are so sharp." The human was looking at him while rummaging in what he had to assume was a refrigerator. It registered as room temperature to him from the outside, but cold air could be sensed flowing from the open door.

"Well, you're right about the teeth." Randall chuckled. It seemed such a silly observation, however true. "I'm technically omnivorous. In my world, I know I can eat just about anything in a pinch. But I prefer meat, cooked on the rare side." Randall didn't mention the fact that the best thing for him was fresh, raw meat. It was very rare for reptiles living in the city to have access to hunting space, and the concept was pretty sickening to most monsters. It was a social rule that Randall and other reptiles didn't talk about it much. "Out of curiosity, what do humans eat?"

"Humans are totally omnivorous." She continued looking in the refrigerator as she spoke. "We need protein to live, but plant proteins work just as well as animal ones. Our diets are mostly based on taste and preference, some are more meat heavy, some are strictly vegetarian, some are just really lazy." She hummed a laugh.

"You sound like a textbook. Is that normal?" Randall was curious.

"Oh," heat flared in Shadow's cheeks. "No, I just get talkative when I'm nervous. If I get really long winded, let me know." She continued to rummage. "I've got some eggs. I can cook them if you want or you can just have them."

"Eggs? What kinds of eggs?"

"Chicken eggs?" She spoke as if the answer were a question, then continued. "Culturally, if someone says 'eggs', chicken eggs are what they mean. It's really rare to be eating any other kind. Wait, do you have chicken's where you come from, the monster world? I didn't even think of that." She closed the fridge door and carried a narrow, cold box over to the counter in the center of the room. "You can sit here if you want." She gestured to the stool that sat next to the counter.

Randall spoke as he approached the stool. Hearing her talk about the monster world so casually unnerved him. "Yes, we have chickens, but we also have other stuff. It sounds strange, hearing you ask about it casually like that." Come to think of it, it kinda sounds weird just talking with a human in general. "You said that you were nervous though, so how do you sound so nonchalant?" Randall immediately regretted his question, afraid that he would offend her or make her think he was offended. He thought about taking it back, but she spoke before he could explain himself better.

"I guess I'm more comfortable with the concept of two worlds than I thought." She sounded surprised. "Sorry, like I said, I know I talk to much." She didn't stand still to talk. She walked around the kitchen, taking things off shelves and out of cabinets and putting them on the counter. "I mean, yeah, it still feels weird to think there's a monster in my house, but after sleeping on it, I feel like I can talk about it and ask questions without too much hesitation. I can tread a bit more carefully if you're still that uncomfortable though." She paused to look at him.

"No, it's..." Randall tried to come up with an answer that didn't make him sound weak. "Talk how you want. I was just surprised, that's all. Is it normal for humans to accept new concepts so easily?" He thought about if the roles were reversed and a human were trapped in the monster world. No monster would be comfortable talking to it, not any time soon.

Shadow actually slumped her shoulders at his question, and began moving again, more quickly. What did I say? "That's the second time you've asked about what was normal. I should tell you, I'm not a very good judge of what's considered normal and what isn't. I guess, generally, if it's me your asking about, the answer is probably no. Keep asking though, it you really want to understand something. I'll tell you to the best of my knowledge, okay?" She put a skillet on what must have been a stove and continued working. "As for accepting concepts, I think it's one of those things that gets easier the more you do it. So, it depends."

She seems so agitated. Just how different from other humans is she. He thought of her reaction to seeing the clique of girls at the mall. Maybe I wasn't that far off when I thought she had been rejected by them. "Shadow?" He said her nickname tentatively. It still felt strange to address her like he might address a monster, wrong somehow. "Yeah, Scales?" Randall paused at the mention of his nickname. He had almost forgotten it. He shrugged it off. "Do you not get along with other humans? You seemed to like that other one, at the zoo."

Shadow stopped moving. She looked up from the skillet, which was now making a sizzling noise. "That's right, you followed me the other day. I didn't ask you about it before, but now seems as good a time as any." She sounded upset. It made Randall nervous.

What will she do if she gets too angry? Will she throw me out? Should I try to change the subject? Damn, this thing is so frustrating. She needs to quit stressing me out like this. I have to get back home. Damn Sullivan, I'll kill him for putting me in this fucked up place with these... He couldn't think of the word he was looking for and the pause gave him a moment to try and calm down. Just wait Randall, she hasn't done anything to break the truce. Try to be patient, just until you're strong enough to leave. Listen, and answer her questions. Humor the thing until you find a way home. You can do this.

"So, here's what I want to know. One, why did you follow me? What were you planning to do? I know it wasn't your plan to jump in front of a car for a human, since you've made it clear how little you like them. For that matter, why did you save me?" She sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I sound so agitated. I'm sure you think I'm unpredictable, and I'd be nervous if it was you talking like this. I'm not upset with you, I don't think. I'm just stressed, and I can't stop thinking about this question. It's been nagging at me. I'll give you your answer first, okay?

The truth is, I don't usually get along well with other people. I talk differently and I don't know how to fit in. I say things that other people wouldn't think of, and for some reason, they don't like it. I've been told I'm a know-it-all, or that I'm awkward, or confusing. The girl at the zoo was Carol, and she has been one of my few friends since we were in high school. She wasn't popular either, but she was way more outgoing then me. She helped me communicate with the people I didn't understand, and introduced me to most of my other friends that I had at the time. On my end, I'm far less impulsive than she is, and I helped reign her in when she wanted to do something reckless. She might have gotten in a few really bad scrapes if she hadn't listened to reason." She paused to smile.

"We were good foils for each other. But that doesn't happen much. Carol is different, but most people don't seem to like me very much, and I'm not particularly fond of other people. I'd rather just make my art and let that do my talking for me, and stay in my studio where I don't have to deal with people that don't get it." She looked up and walked over to the counter where Randall was sitting. He realized that she was carrying two plates with fried eggs and some sort of brown, square objects on them. He hadn't even noticed that she was done cooking. "Oh, I just went on a bit of a rant didn't I? Now you know, I'm not always as even tempered as I was when you woke up the first time."

Randall was surprised to hear himself chuckle. "Actually, I've heard you rant one other time. Your temper flared up when that other human ambushed you, leaving the mall. I can't predict what will start a rant, but I'm beginning to think that that's all you do when you're angry. I've seen other humans do much worse." A sickening feeling welled in his stomach. "Me on the other hand, I'm dangerous if I loose my temper." He paused to gauge her reaction. He continued when he saw just enough fear to be satisfied. "But we still have a truce, so you shouldn't worry too much about that, and I'll do the same, right?" She nodded. He picked up the fork that she had placed next to the plate, and eyed the eggs. "These look really different from the ones in my world. You're sure they're from chickens?"

"Ha ha, yes, I'm sure. Try them, and if you don't like them, I can make something else." She looked at him expectantly. Randall picked up a bite looked at it nervously before hunger took over and he actually put human food into his mouth. What? His eyes widened. They tasted like the eggs back home, if prepared differently than he was used to. But they were good! He promptly devoured the remaining eggs on his plate and the brown squares, which he found to be toast. He looked up at the human. She was smiling. "I hate to ask, but..."

"Sure there are more of them, how many do you think you can eat?"

Randall ignored the fact that she interrupted him again, too focused on the prospect of more food. "I could probably handle at least four, but you only ate one, so I'm guessing those are supposed to last you a while?"

Shadow shrugged. "Don't worry about it. You want to have the whole box, you can have them. You need them more than I do. So how do you want them, same way or something different?"

Randall contemplated the generous offer. He decided he didn't need to be polite and refuse, he needed to heal as quickly as he could. He made up his mind. "Actually, if you really don't mind, I'd like to just eat them the way they are."

"You mean, raw?" She looked confused.

"Is that a problem?" He sounded angrier than he meant to. He wouldn't admit that he felt so defensive about it, but mammalian monsters had always given him a rough time when it came to raw food. He remembered that Shadow's casual speech with him was just a facade. She was still afraid of him. He watched her shrink back, then steal herself again.

"There's no problem, Scales. I was just surprised, that's all. You eat whatever you need to so you can heal, anything but me or my pets." She grimaced at the last sentence. "Okay?" She handed him the egg carton.

Randall was taken aback. "I wouldn't eat you. You're a human, and humans are..." he paused to search for a word that wouldn't upset her.

"Toxic?" Her expression was unreadable.

"Well, not really, that's a myth, but... Wait, how did you know that?" Randall didn't remember mentioning anything about the belief that humans were toxic. Will she be offended? He wondered.

"That's what you said when I was bringing you home. You probably don't remember. I'll tell you about it when you're done eating, but right now I'm going to get the med kit out. Meet me in the bathroom when you're done. Okay?"

Randall nodded, at a loss for words. He looked at the eggs when she left, relieved that she wasn't going to watch him eat. Huh, they taste like chicken eggs, but why are they white, and so smooth? I wonder if all the food here looks so different. Oh well, here goes nothing. And with that, Randall proceeded to pop eggs into his wide mouth and swallow them whole. He considered leaving one left, but decided that since the human had offered, it wouldn't be wrong to take all of them. Besides, it's not like she's a monster, it's not the same. Randall felt comforted when he reminded himself that he didn't have to think of Shadow like he would a monster.

He turned from the kitchen to look for Shadow in the bathroom. A wave of dread came over him as he thought about getting patched up again. He had been successfully ignoring the pain he was in until now, but thinking about it made everything come back into focus. His vision blurred, more so than it already was normally, and he did his best not to grimace as he came into the room where Shadow was.

"There you are. Now, I know it's going to hurt, but I need to clean your cuts again, change the bandages, and I think the one over your eye might need stitches. I wanted to do it before, but I didn't want to try without your say so, since I didn't know how it would affect your scales."

Randall sat down, growling. "Just get it over with hu... err... Shadow." He stumbled over his own words when he remembered what she had said about calling her human. Remember your temper, Randall. Try to be patient with her. "Sorry, just do what you need to do, if it needs stitches, then that's what it needs." He braced himself for the inevitable pain to come.

Faye picked up something from the counter, two somethings, and held one over the other. Then Randall sensed an intense heat signature coming from above one of her hands.

"What are you doing?"

"Sterilizing the needle."

"How? Where is that heat coming from?"

Faye turned to look at him and the heat disappeared. "You mean you can't see what I'm holding? You really do have bad eyesight. I wonder if it's the same for Adrian." She said the last part as if talking to herself.

"Who's Adrian? And my eyesight is none of your business." He felt like yelling the second statement. Maybe he did, he wasn't sure.

"I'm sorry, Scales, no offense meant. Lot's of reptiles have poor eyesight. I'm guessing that's where your heat sense comes into play. You do have heat sense, right? That's how you knew about the lighter?" She held up the object that had created the heat source. "Oh, and Adrian is my pet snake. I keep her in a spot where the cat can't get to her."

"You're right about the heat sense. I might tell you more about it later. So the lighter, that's what you called it, its makes a flame right?" She keeps a reptile as a pet? I'm not sure how I feel about that.

"Yeah, that's what I'm using to sterilize the metal needle. Just give me a second."

She turned the lighter back on and Randall looked away from the dreaded needle. The bathroom was small, and most of the items were cold, the kind of cold that ceramic or metal items held even in normal temperatures. There was one heat source, a vent on the floor, blowing warm air into the room. The air smelled like soap and sandalwood. The last thing that he noticed was a mirror on the wall next to him. He wanted to get up and look into it, but he would wait until the human was gone. He didn't want her to see him when he saw himself. Then he heard a rustling like a plastic wrapper being opened.

"What are you doing now?"

"I'm opening a pack of swabs. I'm going to dip them in alcohol and use them to get into that cut over your eye. It's pretty deep, so I need something long and slender to get in there and make sure its totally clean before I sew it up."

"You sure seem to know what you're doing. Are you a nurse or something?" Randall was actually curious. Then he saw heat rise in Faye's face. I saw that before. What does it mean?

"Um, no, actually... I'm not a nurse or anything. I make art for a living. The first aid stuff is... well, medical care is expensive and... well some humans are more accident prone than others." There was a certain strain to her voice that Randall hadn't heard before. Then he realized why she was stumbling with her words a had lost her usual eloquence.

"You're embarrassed!" He almost laughed at his realization.

"Oh... just sit still so I can clean this okay?" Now she sounded annoyed. Randall was about to yell at her when she jerked back. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to snap at you. Don't get mad, please? I'm just... um...

Right, she has a temper to control too. She must actually be trying. I wonder if it's because she's still scared of me.

"Easy, Shadow," he threw up both sets of hands, "I'm not mad." Anymore. "And I didn't mean to laugh at you. It had just never occurred to me that humans got embarrassed. I'm still learning how to interpret your speech patterns, so I got got excited when I realized what it was. By the way, is that what it means when your face gets hotter?"

Her face went hot again, brighter than before. "Um... yes. It's called blushing. Hot face can mean other things too, anger or physical strain, physical attraction, a couple of other things. It just means that the blood vessels in the outer layer of skin have dilated and the blood moved closer to the surface."

She's text-booking again. That means she's nervous. She must not like admitting that she's clumsy, or that she get's embarrassed. This could be ammo for later. He silently chuckled at the thought. Then he watched Shadow dip the long swab in the alcohol to Randall and put her hand on his head.

"Hold still please, this will hurt worse if you move. I have to get all the way down in there."

Randall braced himself. He felt the swab graze near the surface of the wound, then gasped when a white hot pain exploded like a firecracker over his eye. Any sense of vision he had was gone. The momentarily blind monster went rigid, his mind blank.

"Easy there Scales. It's okay. I'll be done here in just a minute."

Randall felt the pain reside a little when he noticed that she was massaging the top of his head with her other hand. The pressure was a welcome distraction. Then it was over. The cut over his eye still hurt horribly, but at least the human wasn't poking in it anymore. He noticed that the side of his face seemed to be wet. Am I bleeding again? Oh well, what does it matter. She done cleaning it at least. No. Don't think it's over Randall. He told himself. You can't relax yet. You still need stitches, so don't be a hatchling about it. You can't let this thing think that your weak. She won't be scared of you anymore if she see's you whining over this. With that, he steeled himself for the next onslaught.

"I think that's as clean as it's going to get. I flushed it out with a squirt bottle..." That's why my face is wet. "and nothing came out. Did you know there was rust in there? If you were a human I'd tell you to get a tetanus shot. Anyway, I think it's safe to close it up now."

Randall was silent for a moment while she prepared the thread. Rust? Really?! Those animals beat me with a fucking rusty shovel! Damn them! Damn them and damn Sullivan! I'll kill that big blue lout if it's the last thing I do. It's his fault I'm stuck with these stinking, barbaric, humans. They might have killed me, and they had never even seen me before. What the fuck is wrong with these things? They might not be toxic, but I understand why we're not supposed to touch them. No one should have to go anywhere near these things. He reminded himself that Shadow was trying to help, but then he laughed at his own folly. Who knows why she's being helpful to me. There's no way one human is somehow different from every other human out there. She has to be bad somehow. Don't you ever let your guard down again, Randall, not while you're in this world.

"...to start sowing. Are you okay?"

Randall snapped out of his hate-filled monologue to see Shadow looking at him with her head cocked to the side. "What? I didn't catch that." Randall shook his head, trying to look normal.

"I asked are you okay? You looked like you were a million miles away."

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm right here. And I'm fine. You said something about sowing."

"Oh, I'm ready to start when you are." There was concern in her voice.

"Go ahead." He steeled himself again.

"So about what I asked before, abut you following me, and the car..." She didn't finish her question as she started the first stitch.

"Right. Well, I think I told you before that I was, ahhh..." He winced at the pull of the needle. It doesn't matter how much it hurts. If you keep talking, you can ignore it. "Basking in the same spot that the lizard was when you helped it. I moved to the roof of the building after you said it was a loading area. When you came out of the store, I figured you have already helped me once, maybe you could help me find shelter too. So I followed you. I think I was going to hide in your house if I didn't find anywhere else to stay."

"How long have you been in the human world?"

"The day that I followed you was my second day here. How long ago was that?" I can't tell what she thinks of why I followed her. Damn. At least she doesn't look mad.

"Two days ago. You were knocked unconscious when the car hit you. And you stayed that way until last night, so all of yesterday."

"Damn, really." He winced again as the needle kept moving. Ignore it you hatching.

"Yeah. I'm sure you want to know how you got here, but I'll tell you that story later. Right now, I really want to know, what made you jump in front of that car?"

This was a hard one. Randall didn't even know the answer himself. Might as well be honest. He sighed.

"I don't know, Shadow. Really, I don't. It was a split second. One minute I hear a screech, then I felt myself move, then I woke up in your room. I don't know what happened or why." He waited to gauge her reaction.

"Hmm..." She paused slightly, then continued with the final stitch. "I guess I'll just have to accept that. Maybe you're not all hate after all."

She tied of the last stitch and began cleaning up. Randall said nothing. The pain of tending to his wounds had exhausted him. On top of that, he had food to digest. He had only been awake for about an hour. Oh well, remember, you're still hurt.

"Shadow?"

"Yes, Scales?"

"I'm going to rest now." He got up, and immediately wobbled.

"Whoa, there big guy!" She braced him with her body before finding places to put her arms. His head ended up on her shoulder, or the part of his head that fit on her shoulder. He tried to struggle away, but his strength was failing him, and she felt so warm. She began walking with him, leaning into him for support. No! Not again. I can't! The thought of being so vulnerable near her pained him worse than his eye. He jerked free of her and landed with all of his limbs on the ground.

"I'm fine!" He looked up and bared his teeth. The human jumped back. "I'll slither there if I have to, but I don't need help." He moved away, getting weaker with every step, but he didn't look back. He only wanted to think about getting into bed. He heard a calm, and melodic voice behind him.

"I'll plug in the electric blanket for you."

Randall heard her walking past him, but ignored her. The blanket was heating when he crawled into the bed. He curled up under it and put his head on the pillow. It was so small that he barely fit on it. He heard the human speak again.

"I still need to change the bandages on your legs. Do you mind if I do that now? I know you're about to go to sleep."

"Fine." He said curtly. Then he remembered how warm she felt when she braced him, and how quick she was to help. He tried to dismissed the sentimental thought, but not before he heard himself mutter a feeble "thank you." He would have chastised himself for it, but he was already asleep.