AJ hasn’t finished but this is the mock of position and the existing Everlight book cover with some tweaks to color.
We love it. Even if there is no magic in it. AJ’s got each character cut out and will apply the magical effects to their cut outs and then place them in other docs for a wall paper for her computer, her phone and for the book cover in Dabble (and other places) We absolutely love this design. And most of the face overlays work, and what doesn’t AJ hopes to hide with effects and other things.
I know there is a controversial useage of AI generation for images, but I’m not selling anything, and if anyone knows of an artist work it ripped off I will most definitely make a credit where credit is due type post. But AJ can’t draw worth a shit and we wanted peoples to show off. Only mine is edited the rest are straight up AI.
And just because we made it. This one is also edited. This is Zephyr a Chaos Phoenix.
This is my fault. We were going well. AJ was writing, and then I got icky. The world isn’t making me happy. So AJ is creating a world where I can be my Venatori self but with in a home brewed world that is hidden from the world except for a small part of our little Island.
I’m going to college!
AJ’s got six characters we are going to be using as ‘heroes’ but we’ll probably not write from all of them. Though we’ll see. We are each getting a before the story starts before AJ starts writing the rest.
So we’ll see where it all goes. We are once again starting with a Book. We have a prophecy to fulfill. And the Venatori are bad guys not allowed in our new little island world. At least not without some looks. New backgrounds. A little less traumatic in some cases. It should be interesting. We can’t wait to start writing it.
Dazzle offered me a drink which I greedily took. “Whiskey.” I said.
She seemed impressed and waited with her fingers steepled in front of her while my drink was poured and I was sipping at the amber liquid enjoying the burn as it went down.
“We need a particular skill set of you and your companion.” She leaned forward. “You see, the two of you are non-magical by nature. And magic is everywhere here. Magic and science, but magic none-the-less and very few here have no-magic. Your world is unique. We need that uniqueness to retrieve an item. We will pay handsomely for this service.”
“This is going to be dangerous isn’t it.” I said. It wasn’t a question. “I’m going to have to say no.”
Dazzle laughed. “My dear, this was not a question. You either do this of your own free will, or we’ll just keep you indefinitely and you and your friend can remain separated. And then whatever will you do about those feelings you have? Perhaps a night alone in a cell might let you see things my way.”
“Fine.” I said. “I’ll do it. But I can’t speak for Nox. I need to find him.”
“You have all the tools you need to find your boy. In the bag you’ll find an Etheric Compass. It will point you in the direction of whatever you think about. It’s a handy little tool. Though make sure it’s attuned to you, otherwise it just won’t work.” She said with a laugh. “I’ll have a room set up for you here until you find your friend. And then the two of you will retrieve my artifact.”
“I’m free to go?”
“No. We’ll have Shade stick with you to make sure you come back.”
I growled as the tiny dragon person hopped from her chair and walked away like she owned the place. I suppose she did.
It was only then that I noticed a tall thin man standing in the corner of the room. He looked like he was there and then wasn’t. What the…
He stepped closer and I knew I’d seen him this time. He looked rail thin, almost translucent draped in a dark cloak that all but hid him from the world. He couldn’t be real.
“I’m real.” The voice slithered across his skin.
“What are you?”
The smirk that played across his lips made my skin crawl. “Nothing you know of. But I won’t hurt you. I’m just here to watch you. You’ll not even know I’m there.” He said as he moved slightly and he vanished from my eyes.
“The brain is easy to trick.” His voice sounded from the location he’d been in prior, he hadn’t moved.
“So you are just going to follow me?”
Shade shifted back into view with a wider smirk. “That is the plan. Shall we?” He waved a slender hand in front of him and it shimmered and shifted as he moved, like my brain was trying to interpret some dance it only saw snippets of.
“Yeah I guess.” I said picking up the bag and glancing in one. There were several things in side. “I don’t see a compass.” I looked up at the man who towered above me, I still sat, but his dark hair was brushing the ceiling. He’d tower above me even if I were standing up.
He rolled his eyes and looked in the bag and pulled out a rectangular looking box. A voice started to speak, “Oh do shut up.” He croaked and touched the device and it sprang to life and he flicked his long fingers across the screen and handed it to me. “You call them smartphones. This is a Gnome G2. A helpful device. Your welcome center should have instructed you.”
I chuckled. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
He rolled his eyes again.
“Keep doing that and you’ll get stuck that way.”
Shade rolled his eyes again but this time with purpose. “Think about what you want to find and it will guide you.”
I took the device in my hand and thought it looked like a smart phone but it didn’t have any visible screen or cameras or anything that was familiar to me so I just shrugged and trusted that it did what Shade said it did.
I thought about the pretty boy whom I wanted to kiss — no I wanted more than that, but those thoughts made the compass needle spin wildly out of control.
“Concentrate.” Shade said from the shadows.
I sighed and took a deep breath. I thought of Nox. His big brown eyes his long lashes. The compass continued to spin out of control.
“I don’t think it works.”
“You have to concentrate.” Shade popped out in front of me and I took a step back with a startled guffaw. He took my hands in his and held the device in between the two of us. “Stop thinking with your flibber.”
“What?” I laughed. “A flibber. What the fuck is a flibber?”
Shade lifted a knee right into my groin and I doubled over in pain but knew fully well what he meant. “Flibber — got it.” I still couldn’t help chuckling even though I was in pain.
We jumped into the next available cab. It was a tight fit. You’d think when there were pachydermous sized persons in the world you’d have pachydermous sized vehicles. But maybe that’s just me. We could have waited but Pachy didn’t seemed to mind. I sure as fuck would. I often complained about seats not fitting my long legs. But that was human nature, maybe that didn’t exist here. Or it did in the humans, maybe elephant men were different?
We didn’t go far. Literally a few blocks away. What the fuck? We could have walked.
The pachydermous fella paid for the cab with a wave of his hand and we were scooting out of the cramped ride.
I looked around and found a nice condo standing in front of us. It looked like someone took good care of it. But there were flashing lights across the street and I was sure this was still a noisy place to live. Not that I had lived in much better of a place.
“Come on in.” Pachy said.
I followed him through the larger than average sized door. See this is what I meant.
I was greeted with the smell of books and a soft lingering smell of home cooked food. It was absolutely amazing. I felt immediately at home.
A strange looking creature slithered around my legs. It’s body covered in fur, but it moved on a belly of scales. I would have jumped at the site of a snake but this particular creature was purring as soon as it touched my ankles. I reached down and scratched it’s back and it coiled around my hand.
“Seems Barnabas likes you.” The pachyderm said as he led me through book lined halls to the stairs which I half expected to be stacked to the brim with more books but it was free and clear and elegant looking, it spiraled up into a second floor and possibly a third, but I lost track of it as my host made the floor creek as he started up the stairs. “Don’t worry, they haven’t broken yet.” He chuckled.
The snake cat thing curled up my arm and wrapped itself around my neck, it’s head pushing against my cheek and I had no choice to but to pet it’s furry body to settle it down. “What is Barnabas?” I asked.
“Barnabas is a purrsnek. Don’t you have them where you are from?”
“Not exactly.” I said. “We have cats that purr and we have snakes which are long and scaley and definitely don’t purr. But no purrsneks.”
Pachy nodded. “It’s always so fasinating learning about new worlds. I don’t know as if I’ve ever met one like you.”
“A human? I’ve seen lots that look like me here.” I said.
“Ah, yes. But not one from your dimension. You are rare. Magic doesn’t exist in your world right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, how’d you know.”
He smiled. “IREC doesn’t pull from magical worlds. The like making you need them here.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Who knows anymore. They are as corrupt as any other corporation in New Everlight. So you know about this?” I tapped the scroll at my side.
“Not exactly. There are contracts like that floating around the city. Usually very dangerous people. And I’m afraid you are looking just as dangerous.”
“You mean the entity that holds the contract is dangerous.”
“No, Chaos magic is dangerous. You are dangerous.”
“Like I’ll blow up in people’s faces.”
Pachy nodded. “Exactly.”
“How can I control it?” I asked.
“Not any way I know of. It’s Chaos after all. It’s not meant to be controlled.” Pachy opened a door just past the stairs we’d climbed. “You can stay here. Wash up and join us for dinner. Barnabas doesn’t like the water.”
“Please don’t tell me if he gets wet he spews out evil versions of himself.”
Pachy laughed. “No. Nothing of the sort. But his bite might make you a little sick. And for a hooman it might kill you.”
I nodded looking at the snake like cat thing wrapped around me and nodded. “I will make sure Barnabas does not bite me then.” I scratched the cute little head and it purred in my ear. “How can I find my friend?”
“If you have your compass you can find anything.”
“Uh… I’m assuming that was in the bag with that got stolen. As I have no compass.” I would have pulled out the pockets in my jeans or hoodie but that wasn’t really easy to do as the movies thought they were.
Pachy looked at me. “Hmmm. Let me think on it. You shower, clean up and we’ll figure it out. Until then you can stay here.”
“Thanks.” I said and the elephant man left the room closing the door behind him. I looked in the mirror surrounded by books and sighed. “What am I going to do?” I said to my reflection and that of the purrsnek wrapped around me.
It wasn’t for several more blocks that looked behind me to see if Nox had followed me. But he was no where to be seen. And those creatures were getting away with shit we didn’t even know was ours. Did I really care?
I did. No one stole from me. And then a memory flooded my mind and I stopped cold in my tracks. A mugging had been the very thing that ended my life.
The vibe around me had changed. Where before the hum of magic was present on my skin, now I felt a different feeling — shadows and darkness seemed daker. And the kids had disappeared. “Fuck!”
I looked around and didn’t really see much of anything other than houses. One stood out more than others. It was larger than most of the townhouses and condos. This place reminded of some of the shadier nooks of The City where I’d grown up. Wasn’t too far from where I had lived before either.
Despite the darker feel of the neighborhood people were outside watering their yards, gardening, walking their dogs. One kid was even delivering newspapers on some fancy hover craft on a skate board. It was magic and tech and holy fucking shit that’s cool going on here.
I walked looking around. I didn’t expect to find the kids I’d been chasing. But they were looking around a bush in the other direction. I stalked up to them and grabbed them both by the nap of their neck.
Their rough scales pierced my skin and I held on to them as the squirmed and shouted. “Letz us go!”
They dropped the bags they were holding and I dropped them. “Now get!”
One of them looked up at me abashed, while the other one hung his head. “Wez can’t. Youz come.”
“Go where?” I asked. “I need to find my friend.” Was he just a friend? I thought about what I could be doing instead and growled. I was so not happy about this detour.
“Toz our boss.” The abashed one said with what I thought was a shy grin across his reptilian face. He almost looked like a dragon. But weren’t dragon’s bigger?
“Hez help you.” The other said.
“Fine.” I agreed.
The two kids. I wanted to say they were both male by the way they were dressed but how the fuck could I tell. They didn’t look human so I was at a complete loss of gender — so kids it was.
The two kids handed my the bags and started down street towards the towering building that I’d spied earlier. The one with the dark facade. As we got closer the ivy grew up and wrapped it in an eerie snake like texture. It felt like we were walking into the belly of the snake when we walked through the dark jutting stone walls that surrounded the place.
All the places seemed to have the same sort of walls. These were thicker and more sinister looking. I wasn’t exactly sure this was going to go well. I almost turned around and ran, but the gates behind me closed and I was utterly trapped.
I felt like I was walking into a haunted house — it was that creepy.
The kids ran through the door like it was nothing — again that haunted house feeling. I expected something to jump out me. Or like Lurch to answer the door or something. But the house looked normal. No floating shit. No cobwebs. It was clean and well lit. I was surprised but not surprised. My mind was notorious for playing tricks on me — usually I was stoned, but hey I could be. Fucking magic and flying cars!
Once I was inside the doors closed behind me as if by magic. I looked around and saw no one. But moments later a female dragon like creature of the same small stature as the kids came out. Her black scales shimmered in the lamp light. Rings and other jewelry proclaimed her wealth and I assumed her position as head of the house. The kids boss.
“What do you want with me?” I asked rudely.
The creature chuckled, it sounded more like a growl and I wasn’t sure it was humor I heard in the undertones or not.
“Why just your cooperation.” She said and waved a bejeweled claw for me to follow her.
I did only because I had no other real choice. She walked into a room full of books and a comfortable seating arrangement around a fire pit. “This isn’t a book safe environment.” I said as I sat down.
She laughed. “It’s Alex, right? The dark haired one with the flaming guitar.” She said but it really wasn’t to me, or to anyone else in the room. Was more like she was talking to herself.
“That is my name. Why?”
“Are you always so distrusting?”
“I am.” I said flatly.
“Well then. My name is Dazzle Quickspark, and I work for the Crimson Scale Cartel.” She paused to let the word cartel sink in. This was the house of the nefarious underworld — every city had one or more. And I was now sitting in the house of one.
“My bosses always try to recruit newcomers. Easier to mold.”
“I’m not moldable.” I smirked.
“But you do need a job, a purpose. yes? We all do. Or did you plan on navigating this world with nothing but what the IREC people gave you?”
“I have no idea who these people are. If I work for them, or work for you what does it matter?” I was confused. And sorta wishing I had paid attention when the woman had been talking. But then again I liked what I was doing then. And wished I was doing it now.
“We have a proposition for you and your friend.” She said and steepled her fingers in a very imposing way.
We were seriously looking for a room. When we had those convenient portals to use. But could we use the same one, if they lead to our little place? That was an experiment we’d have to figure out, but Alex had obviously not been listening to Ms. Starbright when she told us all about our stay in New Everlight.
I didn’t mind. Not that I’d mind finding a room quickly either, but I was almost nervous. It had been a very long time since I’d been with someone. And there was always that simple worry about my heart giving out. It was strange knowing I didn’t have to worry about it.
But our attention was diverted when two dragon looking creatures on two legs pulled our bags from Alex’s hand and took off down the street. Alex shouted and immediately took up chase and I sighed, but followed none-the-less. I wasn’t about to have to find Alex in this huge city that I knew nothing about.
We dashed through the crowd, the creatures dipping and darting through legs where we had to zip around people and avoid collisions.
I followed behind Alex and watched as he zigged and zagged after the creatures. I must have been paying too close attention to him that I didn’t see the ginormous elephant stepping into my path from a nearby doorway.
I crashed into the thick skin of the man and bounced backwards to my ass on the side walk. I looked up and the disheveled Tweed suit of the man with a trunk for a nose and his ears flicked in annoyance like I was a fly to be batted at. His glasses perched upon his trunk glared down at me with dark beady eyes. “What is the meaning of this?” The elephant spoke in a manor I might have seen from a British TV show featuring the rich and powerful royals or the like. He looked down upon me in more ways than one.
“Sorry.” I said as I tried to get up and look around the large frame of a man I’d literally ran into. “I was just trying to keep up with my friend.”
I pointed in the direction Alex had fled. The man looked the direction I was pointing and he saw that there was no one running that way — they’d turned and now I had no fucking idea where they had gone. The exact thing I was worried about happening was happening.
I felt a surge of energy and a wave of fire radiated from my body. Everyone with in about ten feet of me yelped as the burst ignited and they at the small flames that caught with the burst. “Fuck!” I looked around and everyone looked at me. Most shrugged and continued on walking. My heart was pounding in my chest and I couldn’t catch my breath. I clutched my heart and collapsed back to the ground.
The man had been grumpy when I ran into him. All rights to him, but when I fell to the ground clutching my chest his demeanor changed. He went from grumpy to concerned as he knelt down beside me and scooped me up in his arms and carried me off at a break neck speed I didn’t expect from a man his size.
He pounded through the crowd shouting. “Medic!” People scampered out of his way as he hurled himself forward. Each footfall sounded like a herd of elephants, but it was just one sole carrying me to save me.
At the corner he was greeted by a robotic voice. “How can I be of service?”
I shook my head. “Panic attack.” I managed to get out for the first time since the pachyderm picked me up and rushed me off. “I’m sorry. I’m okay.”
I tried to squirm out of the man’s grasp but he held firm looking down his trunk at me and shaking his head. “Check him out anyway!” He looked down at the scroll attached to my hip and nodded. “He’s new.”
He set me down feet first on the ground and the metallic medic, made of gears and glowing crystals etched with runes began running things over my body. I watched as it passed a device over my knee, and another hand waved a mist filled orb around leaving behind a wake of purple smoke and black sparks.
“A-O-K”, the robotic voice purred and then went happily on it’s way.
“You shouldn’t be alone out here.” The big elephant man said.
“I wasn’t. I was with my friend. He’s chasing some kids who stole our bags.”
“I didn’t see anyone.”
I sighed. “They ran around the corner before you turned.” I was getting slightly annoyed at it all.
The man held out a large gray hand, “I’m Pachy Greytus. Let me take you home, we’ll find this friend of yours.”
I shook my head, “Not to be rude or anything, but I don’t go home with strangers. Kinda a thing I have.”
“If you introduce yourself we aren’t strangers anymore. And I promise, I’m not going to kill you in your sleep. New Everlight is a large place, you can easily get lost here.”
I looked around. I didn’t really have any idea where I was at. Much less where Alex had gone. I nodded with a sign. “I’m Nox.”
“Just Nox?”
I grinned. “Doesn’t matter what my last name is here. Nox is all you need to know.”
The man nodded. “Reinventing yourself?” He chuckled. “I can understand that.” I took his hand and we shook. His grip was powerful but he didn’t try to be overtly manly with me.
He let my hand go and waved his hand in the air, “Taxi!” he shouted. And we waited on the curb like we might back home — waiting for a cab and me wondering how the fuck I was going to find Alex.
I pulled my lips in and just watched him squirm as he confessed his desire to kiss me. I had to admit since seeing the video of him dancing I wanted to more than kiss him. In the video he’d been wearing clothes that left little to the imagination. Every line his muscles made as he moved were clearly visible.
I had stalked the other videos on his feed that day. I dreamt about that body for many nights afterwards. I fantasized in the shower and in the moments of just before sleep about his mouth on the hardest parts of my body. Fuck!
He stared at his plate and we ate in silence. It wasn’t awkward, more like energized. He seemed to hum with energy, a crackling along my skin. “You think, maybe that crazy shit you’ve been doing could be happening right now?”
Nox looked up at me and blinked. “You mean making the sexual tension higher?”
I laughed. “No, Well… No. That was there before we met I think. This is different. I feel like there is energy dancing over my skin.”
“You mean like magic?” Nox said. He held out the palm of his hand and small puff of flames erupted in his hand. And the ground below us rumbled. We both looked around and when the rumbling stopped Nox had a wry grin on his face, but the purple flame sat shifting in the indoor light casting an eerie glow to the table.
“How did you know you could do that?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I dunno. A whisper in my ear maybe.”
“I don’t know if I like that. I want to be the one whispering in your ear.” I said. It had sorta just fallen out of my lips before I could stop it.
He bit his bottom lip and grinned at me. “Your place or mine?” He asked.
I was left blinking back at him astounded by the question.
Nox was standing, offering me his hand. His long fingers with nails tipped in short black paint. His arm outstretched inviting me to look at him, the rest of him as my eyes followed the arm to greet his eyes.
How much of this afterlife was I going to regret? How much of it would plague me for eternity? I took his hand and grabbed the bags and Nox took the trays after neatly stacking them and we deposited them in the bin. I didn’t really have time to marvel over the magic I just saw.
A tingle of magic fluttered under my fingers and Nox looked at me. “I don’t know what that just did.”
“It did something though?” I inquired but pulled him out of the venue and into the chaotic lobby. And out through the large exit I saw a sprawling city skyline just outside. I wanted to see where we were going. And we had to find a place to stay.
Nothing in the vicinity looked like a hotel. We stood waiting at a cross walk and Nox kept looking at me like he wanted to say something but he kept biting his lip and squeezing my hand like he was trying to decide if I was real.
I headed to the left. I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t really care. The city around us was skyscrappers and towering buildings built with steel and glass and covered in gears and runes and the mingling of science and magic was astounding. I wanted to take time to stare up at the marvels but my little brain was focused on finding a bed.
We walked across another street and the entire atmosphere seemed to change. It had gone from magical and mystical to stale and boring with an added extra tingle of magic. It was different than before. Like the area radiated some sort of energy and a light from no where beamed down on us.
Nox sighed. “This is going to be so fucking annoying!”
“What did you do?”
He looked at me and frowned. “I didn’t do anything, we crossed a line and the magic rippled through me again. There has to be a fucking way to fix control this.”
A tug at my free hand drew my attention to two reptilian like kids snatching the bags from my hand and scampering off. “Hey!” I shouted and dashed after them.
Weird shit kept happening. I had no control. But when that machine did it’s thing I felt a tingle across my skin and a flare of purple magic from my side. Fuck! I rushed off to find a table and there was a man following behind me.
He was rumpled and frustrated looking. He glared at me as I took an empty seat in the open air of the lobby that we’d come into. The building jutted skyward and it looked like it went on forever. I wondered if it did. If this world was just one verticle building.
The man growled at me. “What the fuck was that?” He said. His voice came out different than the words I actually understood. The magic of translators? Emulators? Where the fuck were we actually? Was living worth all this strange shit.
I looked the way I had come while the man berated me. I wasn’t really listening to his words as I saw those piercing blue eyes find me in the crowd. Maybe it was all worth it to see him smile at me like that. He was releived to see me. I bet he thought I escaped. Why would anyone want to get away from him? But we all had our issues.
I looked back at the man griping at me. He stood there with his hands on his hips waiting. “Look, man, I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I’m new here.” I lifted my welcome bag and hoped he understood.
The man looked at it and then back at me and grumbled but he left to do whatever he was tasked with doing.
“What was that about?” Alex said sitting down.
“I apparently caused the fire.”
Alex blinked at me. “How? Why?” he asked cutting into his pancakes and strawberry ice-cream with his fork. He was already chowing down while he waited for me to answer the questions he so simple asked.
I shrugged and sat down with my meal. It was simple chicken with asparagus drizzled and a green salad all drizzled with a lemon garlic sauce that smelled wonderful and tasted even better. A glass of white wine sat in front of me and we didn’t look at all like we were eating at the same type of place. Alex was diner fare, and mine looked like a fancy restaurante. “Is that what you think of when you think of anything you want to eat?” Alex asked me. “Anything at all and you come up with that?”
“This is what I eat normally. Minus the wine. I don’t drink.”
Alex reached across the table and took the wine glass by the stem and sipped at the white. “Not bad. I bet it goes well with the sauce. You should try it.”
“I’m sure it does. But I don’t drink.”
Alex chuckled. “Not even a little?”
“Not even a little.”
“So this healthy eating thing is more than just the food?” Alex looked at me like he was admiring what he saw.
“Yes. I work hard to stay healthy so I can stay out of the hospital. I don’t need my liver to fail anymore than my heart. As if that helped at all.” I sighed. “But this isn’t what I’d eat normally exactly. Not this fancy. More like a floppy tough piece of chicken with canned asparagus and browning lettuce as that was the last thing in my fridge. This is gourmet. I’d never be able to afford anything at all like this.”
Alex grinned. “Ah. That makes more sense. What did you do for a living back in the City?”
“Choreographer in New York, pays well, but not enough. Do some dance Tutoring on the side to make a few extra bucks, and if I’m down between projects for a good time I’ll teach dance and yoga at the local YMCA.”
“All sorts of fun little flexible I guess then.” He winked and I couldn’t help but blush and look down at my food while I cut into the chicken again. It was tender and tasted wonderful and I couldn’t stop thinking about his lips. The kiss…
“So why do you think they chose us?” Alex asked.
I shrugged. “We were dying. I dunno.”
“But why us. There are 8 billion people on Earth, and a handful of them had to be dying so why us?”
“Why not us?” I asked in return and Alex grinned. “I mean, they are giving me a chance at a life without defect. I’m happy to play whatever game they have going on.”
Alex frowned. “You think they are toying with us?”
I shook my head. “Not exactly. But they gave us things, they are going to expect something in return even if we don’t know what it is. We made a choice with these things. I’m assuming you don’t normally walk around with flaming guitars strapped to your back.”
Alex chuckled. “No, not normally. How does it look?”
“I don’t think you could make anything look bad.”
“And now who’s flirting.”
“I would never. I mean I would also never just randomly kiss some guy because he was the first man I saw. And I made a promise…”
“You made a promise to kiss the first guy you saw?” Alex sounded a little hurt.
“It was part of the deal I made so I didn’t die when we stepped out of that portal.”
“The whole point of taking an object was so we didn’t die.”
“I wasn’t being hit by a car, or some other random event. I was dying because my heart failed. It stopped working. How is a flute or a sword going to stop that from happening. The contract promised me life without defect. A second chance. And in return for every day I live I preform a favor. And if kissing a guy is along the lines of favors I’m okay with that.”
“I don’t know if I would. But I took a flaming guitar with little to no knowledge of what was asked in return. At least you know.”
“I’m sure I still have other things I don’t know.” I said. “But I’m glad I got it. And I’m glad it was you I kissed. I kinda wanted to do that from the moment I first heard the song and saw you.”
As if my day wasn’t going horribly wrong already, but the gut wrenching shift from one place to another was starting to make me feel nauseous. But it was over almost as soon as it started. A soft pop of my ears and the light around was blinding despite being softly lit room. The sound of voices overshadowed the noise and I barely noticed the woman standing and talking with the man who had taken my song and made it go viral.
He was as tall as I was if slighter frame. His big brown eyes with thick eye liner and long lashes drew me immediately. And those lips, I couldn’t decide what to look at more, his eyes or his lips. How the fuck did this happen?
Whatever they had been saying was completely lost, even the bag thrust in my hand was just noise in comparison to what was running through my head. And then his lips were on mine. I stared at him but the gentle touch drew me deeper and I relaxed into the sensation, the soft spark that ignited between us. It was like magic. I put my hand at the back of his neck and deepened the kiss. He moaned softly. And what I wouldn’t do for a nice bed right then.
He broke the kiss but he didn’t pull away, his forehead rested against mine and his eyes were closed. He whispered, “Why does it feel like we’ve done that before?”
I laughed. “I don’t know.” But he was right. It did feel like we’d done that before, that we shared some deeper connection.
He whispered. “I’m Nox by the way.”
“Alex. And I’m starving.” I grabbed his hand with my free one and we left the room and headed out into whatever lay beyond. I didn’t give a fuck what was going on right then. I had a pretty boy and I was hungry. I needed to find food.
The singular door lead into an extravagant lobby filled with people of all shapes and sizes. People like I had never seen before. And the sights — I wouldn’t even know where to begin, it was like we got transported to the future where magic and technology mixed. Floating lights and skyrocketing elevators with gears and runes alike dotted the decor of this lobby area.
Neon signs flickered various shops and venues. It was all very overwhelming. But the smell of food pulled me in one direction. Though I was hesitant to move with long fingers wrapped in mine. He felt like home.
My stomach rumbled as we drew near what looked like a diner that spilled out into the lobby. Tables and chairs casually sprawled out from the wide mouth of the shop with in. I felt like I was looking at a chaotic version of Parisian cafe. Strange looking folks sat around chatting and a line formed out the door. “This place must be good.” I mumbled as I stepped into line with Nox trailing after me.
I turned to face him but he was looking out into the seating area. A man in burgundy robes wand purplish skin stared right at us. He had a yellow stone stuck to his forehead, much like Vision in the Avenger movies. He stared at us and shouted. “Free yourselves! All is not what it seems!” ^prophet-1
I took Nox’s hand and he turned his gaze to me while the man continued to shout drivel at us. “Ignore him. Why did you choose my video?” I asked lamely.
His smile brightened and I didn’t want to stop staring, but I did I turned back and tugged him down the line and we were inside the building before he could respond.
“I loved the song. It was great. I really liked the guitar solo and once I found out you lived here… lived in The City I was like yeah. I bet I’ve been on the same train staring out the same windows wishing for more.” He smiled softly. “And now we’re here.”
“Wherever the fuck here is!” I said.
“New Everlight.” Nox laughed. “Home of the nearly dead.”
We inched closer to the front wall while Nox spoke and I began to wonder what was really going on. The line moved quickly. Those who stood in front of the machines ordered and quickly were on their way with trays of piping hot food — it was only moments.
“Uh.” I said and Nox turned his attention to where I was staring. “We are in Star Trek or something.”
Nox looked on and nodded. “Cool! I preferred Star Wars.” He said with a shit eating grin on his face. He was trying to provoke a flame war. Everyone knew Star Wars was better — but they didn’t have replicators. They cooked the old fashioned way. I think — you really didn’t see people eating much — drinking, that was their thing.
It was nearing our turn and we watched to see how it all worked and when it was our turn Nox stepped up to the machine and pressed his hand to the panel and it scanned it. It knew exactly who he was and then there was a blip on the screen as his order materialized.
To our left a plant combusted into flames and there were shouts and screams but before it could cause further harm the fire suppression system from above rained down a white foam and the flames were smothered instantly.
Nox grabbed his tray and hurried off to a table. A gaunt man stalked after him and I wanted to rescue him from whatever was going to happen but my stomach rumbled and I turned to the machines. I placed my hand on the scanner and thought about what I wanted.
Pancakes smothered in strawberry ice-cream, a large side of bacon and a few scrambled eggs and large pot of coffee with cream and sugar. And viola it materialized piping hot, the ice-cream slightly melty as it slide to the side of the pancake. It smelled divine.
It was quick, but I wasn’t sure where Nox made off to. Shit!
There was a soft pop in my ears as I felt ground beneath my feet and the twisting of my gut stopped. The scroll I’d taken rest against my left hip like a gun holstered there for later use. My right wrist itched and as I pulled the sleeve of my red hoodie up I notice a very faint outline drawing of a phoenix etched into my skin in a soft purple ink. “What the fuck!” I scratched at the image and it changed right before my eyes. What had been a simple outline, was now slightly more elaborate, the details of the quarter size tattoo emphasized the flames and feather details.
A woman with silver glowing hair stood behind a opulent desk covered in holo screens. She seemed intent on her work but there was a sadness in the way she moved. The moment I had spoken she jumped and was hurrying towards my side. “That’s odd.” She said grabbing my hand. The glow of her skin was cooling, and she calmed my growing anxiety with the gentle touch. “I’ve never seen it change before.”
“You’ve seen tattoos magically appear on people before?”
She giggled. “Of course.” She lifted her shimmering robes and showed her own small tattoo, “Everyone in Everlight has one. It is what binds us here.” Sadness radiated from her voice, she didn’t want to be here.
“So you were about to die too?” I asked.
She looked up at me with bright blue eyes and the sadness deepened. “We all were. This is our afterlife. We do not get to be with the ones we loved, or the way we should. Forever plagued to live in Everlight.”
I looked around. “You’ve been here a long time haven’t you?”
She nodded, “Melancholy is all I have left.”
A second popping sound interrupted her sadness. A tinge of purple dance across my skin, and the world grew just a little bit more clear.
Aurora smiled as the man next to me fully formed from the twisting of the portal that released him. “Good, you are both here.” Her smile looked faked, but she was trying. “I am Aurora Starbright, and I would like to Welcome you to New Everlight.” Bags magically appeared in her hands and she thrust them at us.
The tattoo on my wrist began to itch again and it transformed again. The details becoming more intricate. “Jesus fucking Christ.” I growled.
Aurora chuckled softly. “I’ve never…” She looked at me and the scroll at my him. “That’ll do it.” She pointed at the scroll. “That is pure Chaos magic. No one ever makes that deal.”
I shrugged. “I have my reasons.”
She nodded. “I’m sure you do. We all have reasons for walking in Everlight. In these bags are everything you will need to get started here in New Everlight. Welcome to your life after death.” She sounded sad. “It’s best to stick together and fulfil your first quest together.”
“Quest?” I asked.
“It’s in the bag.” She nodded. “I’ll leave you two to figure things out.” She moved back to her desk and began flicking holo screens like Tony Stark in Iron Man.
I turned to the man who’d interrupted our conversation prior and my eyes went wide in recognition. My heart raced in a good way — not the I’m going to die way, and I had no fear that it might burst. “You’re him.” I said.
He smirked. Those piercing ice blue eyes lanced my heart and the smirk only drew my eyes to his lips. “And you’re him.” He laughed. “Alex.”
“Nox.” I held out my hand. “I was coming to see you play.” I waved my other hand to include the room, “Before all this…”
I remembered the deal I had to make and I stepped quickly in and closed the distance before placing a soft kiss on his lips.
I was nervous as I walked my usual path to the bar. It was open mic night, but it wasn’t just any Thursday. It was the Thursday after a compilation went viral. I expected fans to show up. It was the first time that anyone talked about coming to see me sing and play. I had a shift before and after my time slot — it was technically during my work hours but my boss was more than happy to let me take time off to get in a set or two. I did have a few fans after all who came religiously to see me.
I took the usual short cut through the alleyway and half way through was confronted by a man with a knife. “Give me your wallet.”
I didn’t have a chance to do anything before sirens wailed past us and the man panicked and lunged at me with his knife. I moved. But obviously it was the wrong direction as the knife plunged into my chest. The man yelped and scurried away. Blood seeped through my shirt and jacket and over my fingers as I felt my life draining from me. As my vision faded a purple light began to engulf me and a searing hot pain radiated through my body and I felt like I was going to hurl with each twist and turn.
But then it stopped and I stood in the middle of utter darkness. There was no pain — no light only a disembodied voice.
“You have been chosen.”
As the words filled my ears, and the vision of my death seared my eyelids and I tried to push the images away. “I don’t want to see that.”
The voice commanded. “Choose.” Something felt oddly familiar about the whole situation.
Light and objects begin to radiate all around me. Each one different, and each one spoke of things I didn’t quite understand. The guitar in sheen black and the embellished flames more than spoke to me — it was me. I felt it more than anything else. There was no hesitation as I grabbed the neck of the guitar and it imparted its vast knowledge unto me.
The other artifacts faded and I was left standing in a boring hotel room. The standard bed, TV stand with flat screen, and a desk in the corner.
The feeling of otherworldliness left me with the knowledge of how to control this space. How to enter, leave and decorate the space. The space had one rule, I listened and nodded as it told me I couldn’t take anything out except that which I brought in. But I didn’t care. Anything I wanted? That was a lot of power.
But the first thing that came to mind was the comforts of home — my childhood home when everything was just right. Right before shit fell apart… I didn’t want to think about it. But the room was a comfort during those times. The rock posters on my wall, the vintage vynil collection from my Dad, even the bed and all it’s comforters and pillows billowing out made me feel safe. I hadn’t known I that I needed it until that moment.
I lay down in the pile of fluff and remembered the smell of home. But there was this nagging feeling that I had to get going. Nothing told me why I felt that way but I just did.
A small voice inside my head told me what I needed to know. Somehow I thought it came from the guitar that I still held by the neck. It felt almost alive. I spoke the word, “Leave.”
My entire body felt small and warped before I stood in the middle of a sterile room with the buzz of magic all around.
It was just an ordinary day. Same things going on as usual. My heart was feeling a bit heavy, but nothing out of the ordinary. The streets were busy, cars blared their horns, sirens wailed in the distance. I was on my way to a pub that had open mic night. Rumor was a guy I’d borrowed a song from played there every Thursday night. I wanted to see if he was as good as he sounded in person as he was online.
The cross walk lit up green and as I stepped off the curb, a pain in my chest filled my vision with a blinding purple light as I collapsed to the ground.
Somehow this all seemed familiar almost like a dream. But that thought was lost as my body twisted and turned and the pain lanced through my body leaving the feeling of impending doom. This was it. I was done for. My life spiraling to a complete stop in the utter blackness after the light faded, just as quickly as it had come.
I was dead? In the utter darkness the pain subsided and a voice echoed all around me. “You have been chosen.”
As the words filled my ears, a vision of my death passed before my eyes like watching it on a TV screen.
I fell to the ground. The paramedics arrive. After what I can only say is moments, but no telling how fast time is moving in the vision with everyone standing so still, I’m lifted on to the gurney with a white sheet covering my face. I’m dead.
That deja vu feeling again radiated through my body as the voice echoed again. “Choose.”
A series of lights illuminated objects around me. Each one different, and each one singing songs of what it can offer me when I look at it. A red Exit light flickered off to my right. Somehow I knew if I went through it I would cease to exist — be left with only the pain in my chest and whatever lie after death.
I reach out to touch one, but jerked my hand back knowing that if I touched one, I’d be forever bound to it.
Seven objects floated in a ray of light all their own. My eye drifted immediately to the simple scroll with purple flames flickering around it. I knew that was my destiny — my ultimate fate. The other objects held no call — no hold over me and they faded into nothingness leaving only the scroll and it’s beckoning words.
“I’ll save you.”
I approached it and the flames around the scroll formed the visage of a bird, with glowing purple eyes. “Sign and I will grant you a normal life — defect free, no medication, free from your fear.”
I stepped closer and the flames grew bigger and brighter. “And what do I have to do in return?” I asked.
“Nothing. Nothing more than a favor when I ask it of you.”
“Just one?” I sounded skeptical.
The flames rustled in amusement. “Just one for everyday you live.” The flames sparked, “But I won’t ask for more than one a day, and not everyday. It is fair, is it not?”
“What kinds of favors?”
“Today. I ask that you kiss…” the flaming eyes buried deep into my soul and a smile splayed across its beak, “Kiss the first man you see upon exit of this realm. Give me a reason, let me feel the touch of another.”
“You aren’t going to ask me to kiss some stranger all the time.”
It chuckled. “No. Just today. Tomorrow I could ask you to kill a foe.” The bird shrugged its wings. “I do not know. You live, I ask. I’ll add in an extra bit. I will allow you to reject my offer three times. On the forth, you will return to your life — dead. Dead. Dead.”
The flames winked. The others had fled, and I picked up the scroll, pricking my hand as I wrapped my fingers around it. Blood flowed to the parchment and my name appeared at the bottom.
Power lurched in my body and a mysterious mist enveloped the area and then I was left standing in a simple room room. It wasn’t huge or small and it was poorly decorated.
The feeling of otherworldliness left me with the knowledge of how to control this space. How I can enter, leave and make this place my own. The only rule: You may not take with you anything created here, only what you bring in may you take out.
And with a thought, the room transforms into studio apartment. It was simple and cramped. I didn’t like living with people so this was all I could afford. It was home with the twin bed meticulously made and pushed up against the windowed wall, the tiny nook of a kitchen and bar that only had room for one bar stool in front of it. A bar across the back wall with full length mirrors took up most of the only full wall in the place. The middle of the hardwood floors empty and polished to perfection. I was a dancer after all I needed the room to practice when I could.
I sat down on the bed and felt myself for the first time. I felt light — lighter than I ever remembered. And all I had to do now was kiss a boy. I wondered how hard that would be.
I looked around one last time before standing and spoke the single word. “Leave.”
There was a pop and I felt like my entire bodied squeezed into the size of a pea and appeared in a blinding flash of light in a white nearly sterile room with clean lines and the buzz of magic all around.
Adrian watched the swirling pool with the defiant blue-eyed man starting at into the abyss waiting. He shouted, “I’m not playing this game.”
Of course, one of his chosen souls would be belligerent. Nox had tried to get him to see things differently but he gave up eventually. Adrian was certain that they would hit it off and the kiss had started everything off well. But now the idea of putting on a show deterred the man.
To be fair, Adrian probably would feel the same, given the man’s lifes choices. But this was their first chance and now it was done because IREP didn’t anticipate this situation.
Alex sat unmoving. He glared and scowled. He didn’t move.
Adrian dialed up Drusilla on the holo. When the dark haired woman answered she looked grumpier than usual.
“Perhaps you should not reveal the nature of the deal to them. I will rearrange their lives and we can see how that changes things. They are meant to be together if you can set the scene right.”
“I don’t care about their destiny. I just want a good show and so far it sucks!”
“It will be worth it Dru. I promise.”
She growled. “I have no choice in the matter. The polls look good. That kiss will need to be impactful again. It is the reason people stayed tuned.”
Adrian chuckled. “I’m sure Aetherion would absolutely love to begin the pact that way.” Adrian looked over at the purple flaming bird playing on his perches. “Wouldn’t you Aetherion?”
The bird looked at Adrian with a grin and his purple flaming feathers ruffled and he preened them back into place. There was a silent whisper in his head that made Adrian chuckle. But he didn’t reveal the context to the woman on the other side. “He enjoys the lads. Don’t tell them this time. Hopefully it will go smoother.”
“Dagnabit!” Drusilla shouted. “Why the hells do they gotta be all obstinate!”
Henrietta looked over the cubicle wall and giggled, “At least he’s cute doing it.”
Drusilla looked up at her coworker and glared. “Why did I have to get two stubborn shits! How many times are we going to have to reset this show?”
“At least the fans like them.” Henrietta giggled. “The whole crew too. Larry said he hoped that kiss would last longer — might see them in bed next go round.”
Drusilla rolled her eyes. “Then you take the case.” She shouted as she shoved away from her desk. “Now I gotta fill out al that damned paperwork to reset Everlight. You know the tech guys hate that.”
Henrietta giggled. “At least they are cute doing it. The Carl is hot.”
“Do you think with anything other than your libido?”
Henrietta shook her head. “No better way to think around here, love. Bosses ain’t ever gonna listen and all we can do is work work work. So gotta live it all on up there sweetie. Get you some, and you’ll see what I mean.”
“I don’t have time for that.” Drusilla said stalking away from her desk to find a pen and file all that paperwork she hated. But Henrietta was right, at least they were cute. Never thought in a million years she’d actually want to watch the horrid show. But at least this time they had balls on them. No one ever sells their soul to the Phoenix. It’s just not done. Who wants to server forever. That was one lucky pick from that note she found. And resetting the show was actually kinda fun. This time they would have to down play the truth of the matter or Alex might get all ‘i’m not doing this again’. And he was cute. And as long as the numbers stayed up, those two boys would keep on resetting until we were done with their sorry asses.
Was there any place he went that he didn’t make friends? He seemed more than happy to be chatting with strangers — kissing them even. Though he didn’t look like he was going to kiss the man with the robot child thing.
I sat down at a small table waiting for Nox to join me. And when he did he smiled brightly at me. His eyes drifted towards the cake and then back to me like he knew what I had asked the fancy replicator thing for. It hadn’t been on purpose. I just couldn’t stop thinking about him.
For being magically created food the mashed potatoes tasted like something my mom would have made when I was a kid — not at all from a box like I do when I’m home alone. Not that I’m ever home anymore.
Nox cut his steak and weighed the taste as he ate. It was hard to take my eyes off his lips. And he seemed to notice.
“Tell me it’s okay to be gay in the future.” He said with all too smug grin.
“It is. Lots of celebs are out and proud. But I’m not gay.” I said after swallowing the half way decent steak I had just put in my cakehole when he spoke.
“So you just like kissing boys.” He rolled his eyes.
“And girls, and whoever else I take a shine too.”
“Uh huh. But you don’t want to be seen doing so — with boys or whoever else.”
I sighed. “When I started it wasn’t so easy. Its still a stigma. Still something you can alienate the wrong people. Plenty of stars out there who don’t mind being out and proud and flaunting their sexuality. But it’s not mine. Haven’t done the girlfriend thing either. No one really knows who I take to bed at night. Kinda the way I like it.” I diverted the conversation, I didn’t want to talk about this here or now. Or really ever, but he brought it up. “You are obviously out even though it’s not quite so kosher.”
He smiled. “It’s hard to be a male dancer and not be defined as gay to begin with. It has absolutely nothing to do with my career choice, or the fact that I like men. It’s just who I am.”
I could see that. “So you have a guy back home?”
Nox shook his head with his mouth full. But his gaze dropped when he finished chewing and pushed a few green beans around his plate before he looked up and met my eyes with his big chocolate colored ones. “No. I’d never want to have to make someone deal with all my issues. It’s bad enough my Dad had to take care of me for so long. He missed out on a lot in his life because of me.”
“What about your mom? She not around.”
He laughed. “My mother gave me up when I was a baby. She couldn’t afford to care for me with a heart defect. The state found my dad and he took care of me. I never even knew my mom. Didn’t care to even look for her.”
“That sucks.” I said.
We ate in silence for a while. He’d dragged me here so I could feed my ever growling stomach and because I had tried to hide my reaction to comment. “I do want to let you kiss me again.” I said in a hushed whisper. “I just…”
Nox nodded. “I get it. Still in the closet. I said I’d back off.”
“It’s not just that.” I confided. “It feels like everyone is watching.”
He laughed. “We are part of some fucking reality TV program of course everyone is watching.”
I blinked at him. It wasn’t that I hadn’t understood the motivation of my circumstances. I fully accepted that I’d have to play whatever game they set me up for. But this… was this really what I bargained for? To live my life in front of strangers. No fucking way.
I stood up and looked up at the sky, where else was I going to yell? “I’m not doing this! I refuse! I won’t play your fucking game.”
Nox frowned. “Is it so bad? We don’t have to work. We can travel, explore this strange new land.”
I glared at Nox. “I’m done talking to you too.”
“What did I do?” Nox growled.
I didn’t answer him. I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms. I had no intentions of moving or talking or doing anything interesting.
Nox tried to get me to react. But after an hour of trying he gave up and walked away. He had a nice ass. He had a nice everything. I felt a strong sense of loss, a little bit broken as he walked away from me. I almost got up and followed him. But I wasn’t going to play this game. “I’m fucking serious. I’m not playing this game!” I shouted into the ether.
He liked me. But… closeted men were so annoying. It may not be appropriate, but who the fuck cared we were now dead to everyone we loved. Did they even get a chance to bury us or did we just disappear.
Who was going to take care of my dad now? He was alone. We had relied on each other for all of my life. No one else would miss me.
“You have people back home?” I asked trying to make conversation.
Alex shrugged. “You mean that will miss me?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Maybe my parents. My team will be disappointed about being out of a job.”
“A team. That caters to your every whim.” I laughed. He was also spoiled and pampered.
“They make sure I did what I needed to do.” Alex just shrugged it off like it was common place.
My mouth betrayed me as I quipped. “I get it, and made sure you looked the way you were supposed to.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Just … nothing. We can talk about it when you aren’t with ear shot of people.” I said.
The clink of utensiles and glass with the hover of conversation drew me away from Alex even as his stomach rumbled again.
“Food will just have to do here.” I said and walked towards the open air dinning arrangment. There was no smell of cooking, but there were plenty of denizens sitting at tables with piping hot meals.
The area was magical and serene in a nice way. There was no frills and exploitation of magic. Just normal people, doing normal things. I watched a family with three small children walk up to a kiosk and the mother punched in some information on a holographic panel and their food materialized from nothing in the microwave looking box to the left of the panel.
“I think you can get whatever it is you want here.” I said out loud. I wasn’t sure Alex followed me and I didn’t wait to find out as I stood in line behind an elderly man who’s race I couldn’t determine. He was my height, thinner than me by a long shot, almost like he was nothing but skin and bones. His hair was white which gave him the elderly appearance but maybe he wasn’t.
He looked back at me and I smiled. “Hi.” I said.
The sounds that left his mouth didn’t match the words I heard in my head. “New here.” That was an odd feeling.
“I am. Just got in today.”
“One of the IREP brats.” He scoffed and turned around and ignored my presence.
“He don’t like you much. I was beginning to think everyone liked you.” Alex shot at me.
I chuckled and bit my bottom lip glad that he followed me. “Not everyone likes me.” I said in agreement.
“Coulda fooled me.” Alex said. “Maybe we should get rid of these bags.”
“Might be a good idea with the looks we are getting.”
After the old man left it was our turn to order something. We both stared at the holographic panel and wondered. I touched the screen and while my eyes saw runes I didn’t understand I seemed to be able to decipher it none-the-less. It was odd. This whole translation thing was odd.
There was a tug on my waist. “Cuse me mister. You need help?”
I looked down to find metallic spherical head with great big glowing eyes staring back up at me. Long slender mechanical fingers tugged on a loop on my jeans.
“Uh. Yeah. Hi. Yeah we need help. I have no idea how to work this thing.”
A whimsical man dressed in bold greens and blues and covered in oil and glittery magical essence stepped closer and smiled. I took one step back seeing the glitter fluttering around his person.
“It’s not contagious.” He chuckled.
“If you say so.” I grinned but I didn’t step back into his aura.
He spoke softly. “Let me help you.” He touched the panel and it whirred into a magical display with runes and words I didn’t fully understand — yet did with these new magical eyes.
He said, “You’ll get used to the disembodied feeling of Everlight. Now just think of the meal you’d most like to eat.” He took my hand and placed it on the circle on the holo screen. “It will generate whatever it is here.”
I shrugged and said, “Okay.” And thought of a steak dinner with all the fixings — mashed potatoes, green beans and loaf of hot crusty bread and butter. It’s what I would have had with my dad tonight for his birthday. I sighed as it magically appeared piping hot in the box. A glass of red wine appeared with it and I laughed — Dad would have ordered one for me though he knew I didn’t drink.
I pulled the tray from the box. “That’s handy. How do I pay?”
The man chuckled. “Rosie covered it. She can’t operate the machine herself as she isn’t flesh and blood.”
He pointed to Alex. “You next.”
Alex placed his hand on the circle and I could tell he was thinking real hard about what he wanted to eat. The magic was fluttering.
“Just think of one thing.” Rosie added.
“I can’t make up my mind.” Alex said. “That looks so good, but I really wanted a burger.”
“We can always come back again.” I said.
Alex looked at me with those bright blue eyes and I wanted to melt into him. I felt such a strong connection and attraction to him, I almost wondered if magic were at play.
“You promise?” Alex said.
“I do. I’d cross my heart and hope to die if my hands were full.”
Alex smirked and turned back to his order and it rendered perfectly this time. A similar tray to mine — minus the green beans. He also included a slice of the most delectable looking chocolate cake I’d ever seen. My mouth watered.
Alex turned around and headed for a table with a wide smirk on his face.
“I think he ordered that for you.” The man said.
“You and Rosie will join us?”
The man looked at Alex sitting down at a small table. “Maybe another time. I’m Lucious Merrymaker. You can find me here.” He handed me a blank card. “Your IREP device can read it.”
“It was nice meeting you, Lucious. And you too Rosie, thank you for dinner. Or breakfast, or whatever meal it is right now.”
“Middle of the day lad.”
“I’m Nox.” I smiled, “That’s Alex. You sure you won’t join us?”
Lucious looked back at Alex watching us and he nodded. “I’m sure. Looks like he wants you to himself.”
I shrugged. “I dunno. We’ll fight most likely.”
“Sometimes those are the best ones.” Lucious winked and stepped up to the holo and made his order.
I took my leave and headed to sit down with Alex, wondering to myself about the cake and Alex. And this fucking world we just got dropped into.
I was starving. My stomach rumbled again and I thought about what might be good. A delicious burger, fries and a strawberry milkshake. Yeah, that would hit the spot. The compass pointed in a single direction. “Yes!” I shouted and looked smugly over at Nox. At least I got it to do what it’s supposed to.
Nox rolled his eyes and the little gnome — now named Gizmo popped back into the device with a little pop and crack leaving behind the soft sent of a musty room. “I’m hungry.” I said grabbing the starter bag by the handles and heading off in the direction the compass pointed.
Nox followed.
We passed a very strange gas station with glossy rune covered pillars and holographic displays. And the vehicles getting this mystical gas looked even stranger. Some had wheels, others hovered above the ground. Some even looked like they were powered by steam. It was all very surreal and I had to echo Nox’s earlier statement of where the fuck where we. This was definitely not home. And we were dead.
Nox walked in the same sort of slow motion walk as I did. We were both absorbing the strange new world in each other’s company. “So what did you do back home?” I asked trying to engage with the hot man who kissed me.
He smiled at me and I wished he wouldn’t do that. I looked around, not that anyone here would know who I was in my world, but old habits died hard.
“I was a dancer. Choreographer on a good day.”
“Oh. You do any music videos? Might have seen you.”
He shrugged. “A few. But did more theater type dancing.” He grinned as he asked, “What did you do?” There was a knowing tone to it, so maybe he did know who I was. That was a bummer and a good thing, but I wasn’t sure which I wanted.
“I was a rockstar.”
His big brown eyes went wider as if they could even do that. In shock? surprise?
“But…” he stammered. He stopped on the sidewalk and the other pedestrians behind us flowed around us like we just another thing in the street and not noticing we were staring at each other. “But I thought you were an actor. The guy who did that film…” He started snapping his fingers trying to remember the name of a movie I never was in.
“What?” I laughed. “That’s my dad. He was the actor. I ain’t ever been in a movie and I sure as fuck don’t want to be. That’s too much memorization and no creativity in it at all. I write my own shit!”
Nox shook his head in confusion. “But you look just like him.”
“I do. People say I’m the spittin image of him. I don’t see it.”
“When were you born?” Nox asked.
What was I missing? “98, why? When were you born?” I asked to be rude too.
“78”, Nox said with a frown.
“What?” I was the one now with wide eyes and a shocked expression. “When did you die? What year was it?”
“It was Tuesday, January 14, 2003.”
“I was fucking five! So you have no idea who I am. And you’ve been dead for twenty years. How the fuck is this possible!”
Nox laughed. “We get saved moments before we die and you are asking how we can be from two different times like it’s completely impossible.”
“Well ain’t it!”
He grinned and it disarmed my wrath. I mean I wasn’t angry at him. I wasn’t angry at all. “Obviously it’s not, unless we are dreaming.” He took a step closer and leaned in and whispered, “And I hope I’m not dreaming. I’d really like to kiss you again.”
He put his arm on mine and pulled me forward and we started walking with the flow of the pedestrian traffic again. My mind stayed with the words. But he didn’t elaborate or even give me a hint of what else he might be thinking. He was hot. And it had been a long time since I’d gotten down with a guy. Was something my publicist wasn’t good for my image. It might be alright to be into the same sex in theory, but it could still affect sales. And for her it was all about the sales and it was easier to go along with it than fight her on it.
Here… here was a different story. I didn’t have an entourage, a publicist or even any handlers. It was just me. Me and this hot old man… What the fuck!
Nox was looking at my hands and I pulled them away jerkily. “What?”
He pointed to the device in my hand. “I was just seeing what we we needed to go, but it’s spinning now.”
I looked down at the device and sighed. “Yeah I got distracted.”
He grinned widely and I bit back a groan. The grin dimmed a notch at my reaction and he turned to look at the sleek building that said Everlight Police Department. There weren’t any cop cars outside it. At least none that I recognized. Nothing that screamed police anyway. I wondered what that might look like in this unicorn vomit type city. I missed the dirty streets, the wailing sirens, all this frilly foofoo stuff was grating on my soul.
“I’ll back off.” He whispered and his hand dropped from my elbow.
My arm felt cooler now that I stood there alone without his warmth touching me. He still smiled, but he stood further from me, avoided making any physical contact as we walked. My concentration returned and we crossed another street into a district a bit less magical and much more serious.
The people were still fantastical, as were the buildings but the atmosphere changed from showy to less comical, I guess was the way to put it. There was still a hum in the air. Magic was everywhere in Everlight. But we were nowhere closer to my food order than we had been. And now I felt like there was a growing gap between me and the hot man who had kissed me for no other reason than he made a deal with a devil.
We stepped out on to the sidewalk just beyond the glass windows and our senses were assaulted with foreign sights, sounds and smells. Everywhere we looked strange, exotic folks walked. The towering buildings jutting into the sky, some at strange angles that defied physics. There were even dragons and pterodactyls flying high above the glittering and glowing cobblestone streets.
Where the fuck did we just land?
There was a bench just outside the Welcome Center, or so the sign above it said. A few pedestrian’s walking past glanced at us as we sat down. I couldn’t help but openly stare as the creature that walked past me looked like an elephant from the Babar cartoons. There were people walking down the street with purple skin and green hair. It was a kaleidoscope of the unknown. “Where the fuck are we?” I said out loud.
Alex shrugged and sat down next to me pushing his hands into his bag and pulling things out. He patted down his pockets, searching for something, “Fuck!”
“What?” I asked.
“Lost my phone.” He looked down at the small device in his hand and fumbled with the buttons and it came on. “Gnome G2. What do you want?” the device growled at him. Two eyes and big bulbous nose jutted out from the screen. “Come one man, I ain’t got all day. I got a line a mile long. Get it out!”
“What the fuck are you?” Alex asked confused and glancing from the device to me.
The device sighed. “New user download initiated.” The face in the device squirmed and wiggled and popped out of the screen and stood about four inches high and Alex dropped it on the ground.
The creature, I was assuming was now a gnome picked it up and checked for cracks and handed it back to Alex. “I am the Gnome G2. I am your personal assistant. The device can do many things, and I don’t need to always be here.” He looked grumpily at Alex. “This device can ask me 2 questions per day and I will assist you to the best of my ability. As a new user, this question does not count towards your allotment but any questions not about my function will.”
“What can you do for me then?” Alex asked.
“I just told you.”
“No what kind of apps?” Alex asked.
“Preinstalled is a compass that will point you to your destination you think of. And a glamour token to change how other’s perceive your exterior appearance. There two additional slots you can install from the collection on offer at your tier.”
“Anything else you can do?” Alex started flipping the device around and checking it out. Almost ignoring the Gnome.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
I didn’t quite understand what was going on, but a personal assistant I understood that.
The gnome looked at me, “Invalid user.”
Alex smirked, “Just answer him.”
“I am a Gnome G2.”
“So that’s what we call you? Gnome G2?” I asked politely.
He growled at me. “Everyone just shouts Gnome at me.”
“Do you want a name?”
It looked at me quizzically. “Why?”
“Everyone has a name. You seem nice. And wouldn’t it be nice if they didn’t just yell Gnome at you?”
“I suppose that might be nice.”
“What should we call you then? Maybe Gizmo.” I smirked. Not only was it a fuzzy cute little critter I grew up with, it meant a do-da tech thing you didn’t know what to call it.
“Gizmo…”
Alex was pulling his lips in and trying not to chuckle himself while the Gnome played with the word.
The gnome looked up at me with a jaggedly toothy smile. “Gizmo at your ready.”
It made both Alex and I laugh. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Gizmo. I’m Nox.” I held out my hand to the tiny gnome.
He looked up at me with bright tear filled eyes and grasped my finger with his whole hand and shook vigorously. “I like you.”
“I like you too.”
“I bet you have your own.” Alex nodded to my bag and I fished around inside and found a similar device. Though it looked a bit different. Gizmo nodded. “That’s a Pixie two point oh. She’s a doll. I bet she’d like a name too. Just give that big old button on the front a push.”
I pushed the button and above the device a winged looking tiny humanoid girl fluttered her butterfly wings.
Gizmo didn’t wait for her to finish manifesting before he took her hand and pointed her in my direction. “This is yours. You take good care of him. His name is Nox, and he’ll give you a name if you want.”
“My very own name?” The pixie girl clapped and danced her way to me with a bright smile. She sat on my shoulder. “What will you call me?” She laid down on my shoulder and kicked her tiny little feet up in the air and rested her chin on her hands.
“I dunno.”
“How about Bitsy?” Alex grinned.
“Invalid user input.” She echoed what Gizmo had said in the beginning. I grinned, “It’s okay to answer him too.”
She turned to look at Alex with a giggle. “He’s cute too.” She clapped her hands. “I’m Bitsy.” She said fluttering up in the air and spinning circles. “I’m Bitsy!” she shouted again before landing back on the device look at me with wide purple eyes. “What can I do for you?”
“I think we just need to use your compass.” I said.
Bitsy touched the device and the screen opened up and she pressed a button that looked like a compass and smiled. “Here ya go sweetie? I’ll not count that against you since you gave me a name. But the next one will.” She grinned at me then poofed out.
“Someplace else to eat.” I said outloud while I thought about a nice sandwich joint. Something easy on the stomach and potentially less magical.
The compass needle spun and Gnome looked down at it. “That’s inconclusive you’ll have to wait a while and try again.”
Alex tapped the compass on his device. “Let me try.”
I was about to comment on the kiss. That fucking kiss. His lips on mine. He was fucking hot. And he didn’t seem to recognize me. No one was looking in the window and trying to accost me. It felt glorious. Maybe this dying thing would be alright. Though I didn’t intend to die. Not then, not now. I’m still sort reeling from the chase.
The voice that came from the woman behind the desk was hushed and hurried. “If I can draw your attention…”
I rolled my eyes and Nox smiled. I could keep doing that. He nodded towards her and took a few steps to close the distance so she wasn’t whisper shouting at us.
I shouted. “What?” He chuckled behind his hand. His nails were painted black.
The woman began speaking about things. I wasn’t really paying attention as I looked at the man who kissed me for no other reason than he was asked to. He glanced in my direction and he’d smile reverting his gaze back to the woman. He leaned towards her listening. I didn’t hear a thing she said. I was too busy thinking about that kiss.
I was pretty sure she was giving us the grand tour, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him as I followed them through the small room and then through the swinging door I’d spied before.
The bustle of plates and silverware clinking and the smell of food pulled me from the thoughts and I looked around.
“… and this is The Enchanted Feast Hall. Anything you can possibly imagine is here. Just head on into the line and pay at the end.”
“Pay with what?” Nox asked.
He pulled out his wallet and fanned a couple of bills. “I doubt you take US dollars.”
The woman who probably introduced herself but I didn’t remember slapped her forehead as she stopped floating forward and turned around leaving a small swirl of the mist that drifted around the room creating an almost spooky atmosphere. This place was a bit spooky — not in the scare you to death way, in the frivolous, gaudy, unicorn vomit type way. I didn’t like it.
The floating orbs above us shed shifting lights that colored the walls and decor below. The magic hummed all around us. It was tacky and overdone if you asked me.
The woman floated back in. Floated… she hovered several inches above the ground. What the fuck!
She came back holding a bag of things. “These are your Welcome to Everlight Starter kits. Inside you’ll find your Soul Crystal.” She looked inside the bag and started to hand me one bag then thought better of it as she switched, “No this is yours.” She handed Nox the bag she started to shove at me. “And this is yours.” She gave me a bright smile and a wink.
Uh…
I didn’t know what was going on.
Nox asked, “What’s a Soul Crystal?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. It has a piece of your soul. It is what holds you in Everlight. If it breaks you’ll drift forever…” She made it sound like it might be fun and magical to drift through the aether forever with no care in the world. I didn’t think that sounded good at all.
“What’s it good for?” I asked. “I mean other than keeping me anchored.”
“It’s your identity, your credits from IREP will be there. Your meal plan. All that personal stuff you can access with your Soul Crystal. You need to keep it on you at all times. They tend to have a mind of their own if you try to leave it someplace. They start following you around floating and eerie like. It scares people.”
“Floating around scares people?” I guffawed. What the fuck lady!
She smiled at him. “He’s got a voice.”
Nox grinned, “He has a nice voice. He’s just distracted is all.”
“He needs to pay attention.” She turned to Nox and started talking again. But I was still focusing on the fact that he thought I had a nice voice. That could mean so many things. Did he know who I was? He sure as fuck didn’t act like it — but maybe that was a good thing.
My stomach growled with the smell of food. At least it smelled good, though everything out on the tables was as different from reality than I could imagine and so were the people. “I’m hungry.” I looked at Nox and smiled. “But this place looks like unicorn vomit, let’s go somewhere else.”
I looked to the receptionist. “I assume we can go wherever we want. You are just following our lives we don’t have something we have to do do we?”
Nox chuckled. “We can go. I’ll explain things to you.” He turned to the floating woman and offered his hand, the long fingers with black painted nails wrapped around hers and he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed. “Celestia it’s been a pleasure. I’m sure we’ll see you when we come back to sleep.”
“We are sleeping here?” I groaned.
“I’ll explain.” Nox said with a grin. The woman watched us turn around and walk out the swinging door and back into the quiet and cleanliness of the reception area. The moment the noise and vomit inspired decor vanished I was left with a calm and stillness that made me feel better. Something didn’t sit right.
Nox put his hand at the small of my back and guided me out the door in the floor to ceiling wall and we were greeted with the oddly familiar sights and sounds of an epically busy city. But there was nothing familiar about what I looked at.
The Mind of Nox 