Chapter 20 #2
“No, theeeeey’re nice to me.”
“Yeah, alright. I hope so. You seem like a nice monster. But they just seem like roided up dickheads. The shitty kind we had in high school that bullied people.”
I say nothing as we stop in front of the small smoothie stand, which is situated next to the coffee cart. Rosie waves her hand at me, and I wave back. She enjoys seeing me. I cannot wait to work with her again tomorrow.
“Everest said you work here now.”
“Yes.”
“You love lattes that much?”
“Yes.”
He huffs a small laugh and then steps up to order. Something very fruity with protein.
“He’s getting it for me,” Zane tells the worker, and I nod, taking the cash that Quilliyn gave me the last time I worked and handing over a bill.
“Shit, that’s too much,” Zane says. He reaches over and sorts through it, handing the worker something smaller.
It is hard to tell. The flimsy papers are all green, and they look alike.
We do not have this in Erethar. We have coins, mined from the singing mountains in the Outerlands.
But most of the time, we barter for what we need.
It is not in our nature to allow Vyastil to go without things they need, though those in the capital perhaps have different ideas about what is truly a need.
But what we do for each other is far more valuable than money.
“Thanks,” Zane says as we move to the other side of the counter to wait for the smoothie to be made. I glance around, meeting Rosie’s stare.
“You want another latte?” When I hesitate, she adds, “On me, baby girl.”
I find my ears fluttering as Zane scoffs next to me.
“Shit, seriously? She’s calling you baby girl?” He snorts, and I can’t help but pat him on the head. It seems like the right thing to do, and it is not a hug. He seems upset she has not called him baby girl. If only he were nicer to her, maybe she would.
He grunts at that and then reaches for the smoothie that is placed on the small pedestal. He stabs a straw into it and then takes a sip.
“You want some? Everest said you guys only eat like bark and shit.”
I scrunch up my nose and shake my head, just as Rosie calls out my name.
She sings it like a bird, and I swipe the cup from the counter and gulp it down.
“Good.”
“Yes, so good, right? See you tomorrow, babe.”
I nod and then turn back toward Zane. His eyes are once more on Quilliyn. I wonder if he desires the Vyastil. I have seen the two of them eyeing each other often.
“Do you wannnn him?” I ask and then wet my lips. “Quilliyn.”
Zane chokes on the smoothie a little. “What the fuck?”
“You wann him to suck you.”
His cheeks grow red, and his jaw tightens. I have angered him with this.
“Listen, Cielo. I know you’re a nice guy, okay? Everest adores you, but I’m not into guys, human or otherwise.” He turns his gaze and blinks wildly.
I pat his head again, unsure if he would accept a hug since he believes men do not need them.
He glowers up at me, his eyes slightly wet, and I tuck my hand behind my back to keep myself from doing that again.
Quilliyn is glancing over at us, and Zane seems to be growing anxious.
“You wannn go outside. Freeeeshhh eeer,” I offer.
He nods and chews on the straw of the smoothie as we make our way to the double doors leading outside. It is cool out here, and Zane shivers slightly.
“One day, I’m gonna move to somewhere hot. Like Arizona or Florida.”
I have heard of these places, but have never been. Everest has told me about Florida men. I desire to see their wild ways.
“You do not lyyyk here?”
“I mean, I was born and raised here, but it’s getting old, you know? Same old shit. It’s getting exhausting, trying to keep up…”
The way he says that has me leaning toward him. He seems about to reveal a secret, but then he shakes his head and shivers once more. I do not like when humans are cold. Their skin is far too thin. I shuck my coat off and offer it to him.
He stares at it.
“It’s pink.”
“Yes.”
He blinks once, twice, and then mutters something under his breath and places it on his shoulders. It dwarfs him, the hem hanging down to his knees, but he is no longer cold. And that, for me, is a success.
We stand there, looking out at the parking lot and stepping out of the way for customers who are coming into the gym. I say nothing else, just stand in silence while he consumes his drink. He does not offer up any other information about himself, and I lack the words to inquire more about him.
Though I do desire to know more. He seems to have many secrets.
The slurp of the straw in the cup has me glancing over and seeing that he has finished his smoothie.
“Thanks again for this. I feel better.”
He walks toward the trash can and then lets out a small scream.
I rush toward him, worried he hurt himself, but instead see Zane scurrying back as a very cute, fluffy animal hisses at him. It is small and gray, like the night. It has bright eyes and a hairless tail. It has sharp teeth just like the Vyastil. My hearts thud in adoration as I stare at it.
And then suddenly it falls onto its side.
I trill loudly as I kneel near it.
“I fucking hate these damn things. They are like little demons.”
I reach out to touch it. “Deeead?”
“No, opossums are, like, fucking resilient. We used to get these all the time on the compound. He’s just scared. Pretending to be dead.”
I poke it, and it does not move. I fear that Zane might be wrong. That this creature may actually be dead. So I lift it gently in my arms, and Zane makes a low, guttural sound in the back of his throat.
“God, don’t touch it. It’s a wild animal.”
“Pusssyums.”
“Oh god. Don’t say that either. It’s poss-um. Try that.”
“Pusssy-um.”
He lets out a high-pitched laugh and then steps next to me. We stare at the animal in my arms, and I tuck it even closer to my chest.
“Pet.”
“Oh fuck,” he says and lets out another laugh. “You want to keep this as a pet? I don’t even know if that’s legal.”
“Pehhhht.”
He hesitates, and when my eyes meet his, he shrugs. “Fuck it. Yeah, alright. Let me do an internet search and see what they say about taking care of these fuckers.”
I do not think it is a fucker. I think it is cute. Like a little kynum on Erethar with its naked tail and bright eyes. This pussy-um reminds me of home. I touch its wet nose, and one of its eyes opens.
I feel it shift in my arms, and I hold it tighter.
“You are safe, little one,” I say softly, my tongue loose in my language.
It blinks up at me, and I feel my hearts swell with love.
I hope Dante approves, for I do not want to give this up. I want to cherish and take care of it. Just like I cherish and take care of Dante.
My Dante.
“So, according to my internet search,” Zane says slowly, “this is definitely a baby. It looks like if the babies fall off the mom’s back while she’s walking, a lot of times they’ll just leave them on the ground to die.”
Die? I stare down into its little face—into those beady black eyes and open, hissing mouth which closes after a moment as it nuzzles into me. Its hair is soft but wiry, and I can feel its little ribs against my fingers.
The thing is probably starving. I have no idea how long it has been away from its birth giver, and I want to replace her. I want to nurture it and take care of it.
My hearts ache as I cradle it to me. It continues to play dead when I stand to follow Zane to his car, and then it wakes and hisses so hard it almost falls out of my grasp.
I adore it more with each passing moment.
Zane drives me to a pet store so we can get what we need to keep it alive and happy. He has a large black truck, one that is very tall and has chimneys on the top. But it easily fits me, so I do not complain.
I don’t love human transportation, but his is large enough to fit my body, and it drives smoothly enough that I do not fear for my little pussyum’s safety or my own.
“Okay,” he says as we pull into the parking lot. “Technically, keeping possums here isn’t illegal, but maybe you should wait in the car while I get everything it needs.”
I make a distressed trill, and he sighs, turning back to me.
“Trust me, it’ll be better this way. The pet shop sometimes has hyperactive dogs, and if it gets scared and runs off, we’ll never find it.”
I clutch the pussyum close to my body. “Staaaay.” I frantically reach into my pocket and shove the rest of the money Quilliyn paid me for my work at the coffee shop at Zane.
He takes it with a small sigh and sticks it into his pocket. “I have a list, and I’ll send you everything you need to do once I buy everything, okay?”
I nod and look down, stroking my little creature. It will eventually need a name, but perhaps Dante will select one with me. If Dante allows me to keep it.
The thought of him telling me to get rid of it has me shaking just a little, and I do everything I can to hide those big feelings so he doesn’t feel them if he slips into my head.
Luckily, Dante seems to be distracted, which allows me to sit back and do my best to relax.
Zane eventually returns with a huge pushcart filled with various items. Most of them are in blue plastic bags, but there are several items that look to be made of metal and wire. He loads them into the back of his truck, then gets in and leans over, stroking a single finger over the pussyum’s head.
“You good?” Zane asks.
I do not know if he means me or the animal, but I nod anyway.
Alright, you didn’t have nearly enough money for all this shit. Quilliyn is not paying you enough, but yeah, I covered it.”
I stare at him and then nod. “Thank you.”
“Yeah, it’s fine. Anyway, the guy inside told me that possums are really bad about eating what they should. They’ll go for sweets and refuse other stuff, so you have to make sure it eats a balanced diet. Also, they need exercise, supplements…”
“Suupppment?”
“Yeah, like vitamins and other shit.” Zane shrugs. “I got everything. I’ll text you a list. Wait, you have a phone, right?”
“Yes.” I nod firmly, and it makes me feel oddly human saying that.