(GE Copy)

Chapter 19: The Qualities of A Friend (Part 1)

“Every day we succeed, yet never notice our victories...”

The light turned on. Middle of the night, just a man, standing at the door, staring into the cold, empty room. He’d tilt his head, then lean against the wall, running his fingers eerily along the door casing. His hand jumped, flicking the junebug upon the ground; then with the club he flicked it into the centre of the room. This wasn’t the first time he’d entered like this. As he could veer past the counter, and inside the bathtub curtains, he lifted the seat with a thick wooden stick. It slipped off of his walking cane, and slammed loudly, giving his heart another restart and it seemed as though all was fine. Thing’s were never quite the same for old Paul after watching that snake swim off down the drain, but he got himself back to bed and a couple hours of sleep before sunrise.

Aaron crawled down the steps, wiping the morning crud from his eyes. Paul looked up from the chair, warning Aaron before he entered the bathroom. “It’s been snakes and needles every time I have to use the john... You might fancy yourself one of these as well...” Waving the baton in front of him, offering a temporary loaner for the trip in. Aaron passed it up, and watched the concern in his father’s eyes.

“Sure...” He thought to himself, “Felicity’s that threatening I need to crap with a stick...”

“It’s terrible,” Paul continued anyway, even as Aaron closed the door behind, still hearing his Father’s rambles behind the privacy wall.“I wake up in the night for a glass of water, the tap’s already running and I swear I see it sliding out into the living room... Now I dream about snakes with hands...” As Aaron left, he could still hear his father ramble on about something, wishing for some peace that morning before school. Finally grabbing Aaron’s attention, his Father’s voice rose and spoke. “Kid... You need to slow things down. You’re always in some kind of rush to do nothing. Cousin Lenard, the other cousin Lenard, always worked like a storm. Threw everything around, met the goalpost early, but all that free time he bought was spent fixing all the shortcuts he made. Never could finish a job right, and Old Skinner wasn’t taking that kind of behaviour, when it meant we’d have to finish it for him. How about you stay home today, take the time to pick things up slowly, and remember what kind of a reward we receive after a job well done?”

“I have class today. Study break ended, we got tests to finish and hand in this week.”

“Oh...” He seemed disappointed, sighing. “Guess you’re back out the door then... Your mom left it all on me anyways, don’t know why I’m trying to cooperate with her on anything. You know I’m not happy about last night, but you did come home. Look, when you get back from class, if you just settle down for the day, I’ll call it even. I just wish you’d see the value in these simple things, you still have the choice in the road you walk. You don’t seem to think anything can hurt you...”

“Is this all because I didn’t want to take the stick into the bathroom?”

“That snake will hurt you in ways that are very real,” Paul’s voice fell stern and serious, “the fact that you ignore that is the youthful blindness I’m so damned worried about!”

“I gotta get something to eat, or I’ll be a zombie all day today...” Walking away with a furious streak of anger. Aaron felt the tension in his hands wanting to tare the handle off from the pantry door, with the hinges with it. He tugged it, picturing in his mind what he hands dared not, with the vibrating fury that ovulated his windpipes. He saw the hinges actually flex, for a moment he panicked, worried that his anger had actually left him; but for a moment, Aaron actually embellished the rebellion of it, and dared himself to yank it harder. Eventually checking the poor metal holder, it lifted only slightly from the wall, and remembered that it was already doing that a few months back. The tiny nails held it poorly to the wood and needed to be upgraded anyway. Aaron felt guilty to let that anger come through him, even as he later walked up the steps to his room and wiped the cereal from his chin.

“You seem rather set off from all that...” Felicity called out, laying on Aaron’s bed, half wrapped in Aaron’s covers.

“He’s using the fear of actually grounding me as a tactic to make me fear it more than actually grounding me... It’s the only way he can make being grounded actually mean something; trying to make me think about it all throughout the day when he’s not there, like it’s some heavy weight that I got holding me down...”

“They still only see’s what they want to see...”

“’They this’, ‘they that’... Fine, yeah, sure... I’m in the mood for it. The only reason his ‘prophecy’ came true, was coz he planted the thought in there and let it grow... I was perfectly happy until he put that thought in there.”

“I think it’s irresponsible of them. You really should tell them...”

“You see... I tried...” Aaron cracked, his voice faltered and part of his frustration melted into tears that he refused from his eyes. “When I was a kid, when they were looking directly at it, mysteries beyond all doubt, they wouldn’t believe me. Told me I had an over active imagination. Soon I was being punished for telling them the truth, so how’s that supposed to teach him not to tell lies. It wasn’t worth the battle anymore, threats of Child Services, being given pills, I knew what they would have done... So I kinda... Stopped. I gave up. I lost, I guess I’m just a fucking liar now, with no credit to my own... This world is more real than they realize, and it doesn’t feel like I’m running out of any less time.”

“That’s pretty stupid. You see it, I see it, and they’re going to punish you for sticking their own head in the sand? They should be praising, and admiring you for it, for things they can’t see. You have a gift that should be used, not put away.”

“I think them worshipping me would be even worse... I’d rather it just be understood, or in the very least, believed.” Lifting his bag. It seemed heavy, tipping him over a bit until hitting the dresser.

Paul seemed troubled, as Aaron made it back down with his school supplies, but held his tongue. Aaron realized the old man probably heard a lot, and figured that he had some imaginary friend. It’s not like Aaron hid his anger all that well. All he could picture was how much of a special needs case he looked like, and Aaron grit his teeth; just another strike against his maturity, and ever being believed.

Aaron’s extended holidays were at their ends for now, and he was back to his last few remaining days of class before the second study break. No one ever used any of this time to actually study, just like no one used last week to finish their due papers in time; just an early freedom before returning to the most stressful finals week. Rubbing the sandbags under his eyes, in the hallways, Zack moaned “I could have lived happily without having the image of that damned shadow dancing in the back of my mind.” While sloppily trying to solve his locker combination.

“You look like shit.” Aaron commented.

“Thank’s Sophie...”

“Sophie’s over there, dude. How tired are you?”

“I need five cups of coffee if you want decent sarcasm out of me today.” Turning to the girl of their team, “Sophie, boy did you miss out on a helluva trip. Would’ve loved it... Blows ghosts right out of the water...”

“Wow, you look like shit.” Sophie confirmed.“Also, I’m not a boy, what kinda weird shit have you been looking up lately?”

“Not the best topic” Aaron informed, walking the sleeping dough boy to his next class. Even their teacher gave Zack some slack, allowing him the extra allotted hour to complete his test. They missed him at the home-ec but he sat at the lunch table and lowered his head. “If it’s any consolation,” Aaron comforted. “We get off tomorrow at eleven, because chem is on Thursdays. Three more tests, and we’re on the final stretch for summer. ‘Least til finals.”

“I can handle the twenty percent grade mark of just skipping the rest of today... And Mrs. Grazelda’s stone cold heart. Already got a ‘B’ in math, I’m not gonna be a programmer, or an engineer... and french probably won’t even exist in ten years, divine willing...”

“Zack...” Sophie called, “You remember when you had your ‘cool’ phase, and you started skipping class just to look like a punk, even though you bawled your eyes out for missing film day, and a fourteen plus movie?”

“Got some sick street cred for passing that one up...”

“Didn’t your folks...”

“Please don’t remind me about how they rode my ass and cut my allowance until I could get back up to a B point average. They never even graduated, so why do they care so damn bad, it’s down right hypocrisy!”

“Neither did my dad,” Aaron added, leaning back in his chair. “And that’s why he’s so insistent that I bloody do the thing, so get in line.”

“Go get an education, it’ll make you money.” Zack mocked, “Go to post secondary, you’ll enjoy it... Yeah, sure” Lifting his head up from the table and leftover potato flakes. “It’ll make me even more depressed, lonely, and fifty thousand in debt. Don’t think I haven’t heard what’s happening to my cousins right now, it’s a damned disease; Coercing your child to go to University in this day and age is like telling them to go grab a thirty year mortgage, should be a damned human rights violation... Sorry... Uncle eddy was over the other day... Fun topic...”

“So,” Sophie cut the tension, “What adventures in Alban have you two been up to, anyway?”

Setting his chair straight, Aaron commented in Shock. “A sense of humour, when’d you pick up that kind of sarcasm? You wanna find out?” Aaron smirked. “We got a shortcut, with less walking... Been thinking about it all morning, actually, about the idea that we can get back from anywhere. I’ll be testing it out pretty much all day after I get off class. I’d offer you to watch, but Dad’s riding me over last night and this morning and I’m gonna have to watch over my shoulder constantly. But... If it doesn’t matter how lost we get, then we could go anywhere; and with our body guard, we’re golden...”

“That can’t even hit shadows...” Zack interrupted.

“Don’t ruin it for me Zack...” Aaron retorted, “You know what kind of treasures are out there, you in or no?...” Zack opened up a half baked sarcasm, but Aaron cut it off. “Nope, not taking that Zack, you get to cut me off like twenty times for your rambles yesterday. Strange new worlds, gemstones growing out your ying yang, untold riches waiting to be discovered, you in or no?”

“When did those tables turn?” Sophie inquired. “Zack’s always been the one dragging you around for years.”

“Things happen, kay?” Zack waved.

The warm sun shone on them between the lush green leaves as they poured out from the school, eager for adventure only one day later.

“I’ve finally got it down pat last night.” Aaron opened, walking down the slope of the ally between the car shop and what was the pottery guild, just out of sight from the school and the library across the street. “Bloody well almost broke something trying; you’re going to love this. Just about got caught diving into the grass too, but Dad should be over his canary after I did what he asked... First we need the right area...” Pouring the jar upon the shaded concrete corner, Aaron then placed a rock on top of the water. Kneeling down, he kindled the memory he wanted, but every echo that bounced in the ally reverberated strangely. His focus turned onto their current location and nothing came of it. Desperate to prove his point, Aaron tried harder and harder to until nothing happening. He risen his hand, halting the jests and jabs from his friends poking at his behaviour, then continued, “Just need to give me time...”

In his hurry, it seemed even more slippery to snag exactly what it was that he needed to recall for his new carnival trick to work. At last, he dropped everything, and concentrated on a completely fresh start. He traced back to his hand, to the one inside his skin, then to the feeling of swirling like the stone which seeped flowing rivers of cold energy. It was akin to the echos and reverberations of this ally and the smell of the inherent gas and oils that collected, the memory that without sight, he could almost believe he was there. The rock slipped into the wet concrete, slowly being taken by the void beneath and at last it fell through.

“See! See!” Aaron cried out, “Sophie, come here before it disappears!” Dragging her by hand, and inciting that she place her hand through the puddle. It seemed unendingly deep, until stiffening into a hard, weighted passage. She retrieved her hand before the passage severed again, and Zack shook his head seeing the miracle once again. “Let me reignite it...” Aaron insisted, taking back to the water which was even more successful this time, feeling his hands plunge into the deep, warm, sun bathed space on the other side. He plunged himself through, still fighting with gravity on both sides to pull himself out. Sophie marvelled, watching Aaron’s hand return to beckon them before it hardened.

“Primitive... Simple... No automation...” Sophie shrugged. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re trying to impress me or something...” Until hopping in, and getting stuck by gravity mid way with her head bobbing off balance in the ally. “Well, this is a design flaw. First we got to see Aaron’s ass flailing about, now he gets to see mine... Oh... I feel him... Who the heck else is there?” Before being sucked out through the hole by two strong arms, as well as Aaron’s.

Zack, being of sound fitness and intelligence, had conceived a method for hopping through which was foolproof... So, just sit and watch. Getting a running start, he took a high jump, into a tucked cannonball, like a badass, and found himself on the other side. More on this later.

Laying on her shoulder’s, exactly as they left her, Sophie laid silently against the wall for quite some time before sliding back into a full upright position again. “Have we met?” Sophie asked.

“Geez,” Felicity, sneered, “You don’t see someone for three days and they forget you even exist...”

“Right, this is Felicity, I told you about them...” Aaron introduced, but it was about this time that Zack made his grand entry, flying through the gravitational shift, and right into Aaron’s nightstand. Ass first. It fell over, dropping the lamp on Zack’s head, and did not shatter, thankfully. He returned upright, and gracefully announced his arrival before they could hear a distinct reprimand from down below rushing up to their room.

“No rough housing up there!” Crystal arrived, giving her son, and Zachery crap, “I saw the damned roof shake, what the hell did you do?” Dragging her son out, “If you’re going to be rough, go out side!”

Zack laughed, getting out of the house, “Sure haven’t seen your mom that angry since we tried setting off fireworks in the barbecue... And succeeded.”

“Yeah, she sure can be if she wants to be, just usually isn’t.” Aaron replied, petting the snake’s head as it came out from his shirt. “Not sure why dad has to be the peace keeper all the time with that inferno waiting to happen inside her.”

“Where did Felicity go, anyways?” Sophie inquired, as Aaron grabbed the pre-packed travel sack from the back of the house.

Extending his arm, Aaron let the serpent leave his shoulder, and transform back into a form with vocal chords. “Did you remember the bag of food?” Aaron inquired.

Handing him back some money, Felicity began to snack from it. “I didn’t feel like walking into town to have a million people sneer at me, so I just grabbed whatever was in the pantry.”

“Well, I bought mine...” Zack announced “Trail mix, three water bottles this time, and a box of fruit leather coz it was on sale... And baby, it tastes like it.” Spitting out the husk that was missed during the quality assurance stage.

“So, you’re Felicity then...” Sophie wondered, “The snake. So this is the one you were talking about, who took down all those boar.”

Basking in the praise, Felicity bashfully turned their head, too embarrassed to make eye contact, “So, he’s been expressing my exploits, has he? Hope I don’t go getting a bounty on my head with that loose fittin’ tongue of his...”

Sophie smiled, “Huh, I figured you looked like the LARPing kind” Putting on a terrible accent “The only bounty, mate, is the bounty at the end of them hills!”

“You’re mocking me...”

“Don’t worry,” Aaron assured, “She settles down rather quickly, let’s just get out into the field and make some ground. I got a spare jar in my back pack, that makes two of them for getting home. Wherever we end up, we got a speed dial on the interdenominational taxi service...”

Butting in, “You really should keep that water in a metal container.” Zack inferred, “Given, you know... Last time.”

“And I suppose I should also keep a plastic container just to make sure the water is level and doesn’t seep into the ground, too, right?...” Aaron sarcastically returned, “Actually that’s probably a really good idea... Let’s just have a good time, it’s not that hard to find a good spot for this stuff. We got two jars, and a professional badass to assure a safe travel.” Cracking the lids into the plastic foot bath container, he got to work. It risen, assuring that a pressure had been archived on the other side. Hesitantly, Aaron checked his seals, then plunged into the container, disappearing with ease this time.

Flowing out from the waters, Aaron recollected another charge for his glass vessels from the magic pond, and clamped the seal on top. Zack, Sophie, and Felicity soon emerged one by one, discovering whichever direction gravity felt like being today. “Can’t get enough of the old man, can you?” The mute girl spoke, hovering above them on the foggy shore.

“And somehow you just never walk away from him...” Aaron replied, “I’m not here to humour the old man this time. We head any direction from here, we’ll find something new, yea? I see the sass building in your eyes, yea or nah?”

“Hey sweetheart, good to see you’re still full of joy...” Zack greeted. Iswana flipped him the bird at his blatant harassment. “The only expression that takes no words to say, and it’s only now that tell it to me...” Smirking with his own condescending angst.

“Astonishing,” Sophie muttered aloud, “you guy’s have made a lot of progress since I was here last...”

“Happens when you stay home all the time.”

For what must have been twenty minutes, they wandered through the fog, finding nothing but more empty space and the shore of their pond at their side. Wringing his shirt as the mystical fog burned away the excess, Zack complained about the constant trips through the drink. We all know what that sounds like by now. “You people have way too many issues with being wet...” Felicity remarked in response. At last, they could make out a large rock wall that stood bold and straightened like the carved fortress of a mountainous kingdom. They followed it along, finding an entrance into the ravine with poles bracing the two sides. Above was carved out, with passages past the posts. Perhaps they weren’t wrong with the assumption of a kingdom after all.

The fog faded into a mild haze, and they seemed to be climbing up hill between the facings. At the top of the crack, they came onto a large open chasm, a deep bowl of orange, steep and unclimbable walls surrounding the mile’s spread with them at the bottom. They came into it from the side, seeing the waterfall and the many ponds that it’s waters spawned. The temperate clay ground refused to sprout the lush vegetation that the ample moisture in this place could feed, and it’s soil was often hardened like large plates of smoothed baked sandstone. Only dotting of grass sprouted in corners and seldom anywhere else.

Running his hand along the walls of this enclosure, Aaron looked along it’s edges for signs of crystalline formations and hopefully more gemstones. Overlooking the ridge of a large pond near the centre, Aaron gazed out at it’s massive size; with it’s overhangs and it’s eroded concave exclusions, it seemed like a prime candidate for something nice to form. Not exactly the easiest to get to, or out of, but he kept it in the back of his mind and ventured to the next marvel.

From here, they could see one collapsed edge on their right, that faltered stone made a ramp to clear up the top of this giant’s pothole. Aaron kept nudging the group onto the sides of the enclosure, towards a waterfall where mineralization had to have compiled something. When they arrived, Aaron’s eyes widened, and his careless saunter plunged his hands into the depths. It was there, a sandy bed of sparkles could be seen. He lifted a handful of soil from the bottom. It’s glimmer drew in the crowd. They were tiny, in a massive quantity. Creamy coloured gravels that coating was like mother of pearl. They had a distinct feeling to them, “Like the weight of them falls lazily through my fingers.” Aaron unwarrentedly informed... Yet they remained still, unmoved, only emanating as a tumbling stack in his hands.

Aaron’s hands swiftly tucked the gems away, frantically overwhelmed by their sheer quantity and easy access. Not the faintest clue what purpose they served, but time would tell one day. His hands felt the water waver as he plunged them back into the depths, feeling that vibration transfer to the ground beneath his knees. Rapidly increasing in it’s pace, they could hear the loud rumbling behind the wall. Soon the trembling force crashed past the breach, shattering the waterfall’s flow out onto the doorstep of it’s home, and it huffed hoarsely. It lifted it’s body up onto it’s limp back legs like a seal, braced upon it’s massive two in the front. Twenty feet tall, with a blackened navy blue textured skin like an eel, it dawned it’s head towards the retreating party. The elongated ovular face bore no eyes, yet followed them.

“Wow, Zack...” Felicity joyfully remarked, “I thought you were just being a fleckle shet when you said they got bigger,” As the beast risen it’s head to bellow a rattling roar. It’s eyes finally revealed under the massive flop that covered it’s mouth, glowing an indescribable, frightening colour that superseded hue with their terror. Everyone ran but Sophie, who’s stunned body laid helplessly awe stricken before the beast. Everyone turned to watch as it walked up to Sophie, and proceeded to yell at the solicitor by it’s door. Standing tall, Felicity roared back, slicing the beast straight up the belly and remarked “Who’s the big boss around here now?!” As the splatter of guts and bile spewed upon Sophie, covering her from head to toe in a viscus dark green mucus.

She turned, wiping the crud from her face with glee, and jumped up and down as the beast fell down behind her. “This aroma is absolute putrid!” Gagging on it’s delightful intoxication, “It seems I have actually become rather inexcusably human after all...” As she proceeded to vomit profusely.

“Augh!...” The boys appalled, as Zack reminded, “You remember that old fermented bottle of chewing tobacco we found on the side of the road? The one where the lid came off and ran down your leg?... Yeah, it's kinda like that, isn't it?

Aaron walked away as swiftly from the scene as he could, holding in his lunch. Felicity passed by “I have far too much pride to vomit before the corpse of my enemies...” Before gagging out of sight from it.

Sophie walked slowly towards them, drenched in the filth of the slain, with her arms opened wide “This is the best thing I’ve had happen in years! Aaron, share it with me!”

“Fuck that shit, go hug yourself!...” Running away, Aaron continued “Start a chain store while you’re at it!”

Sophie took Aaron’s advice, sufficiently squirming in the steaming slick vile muck and entrails, squishing it between her skin and clothes. After this second repulsive display, they took her to a pond where there were no such massive beasts to take them by surprise a second time. Despite her pleasure, even Sophie agreed it was time, “Gratifying as it is to revel in this filth, now that my stomach is no longer an... An... Issue... This slime is getting cold and crusty, it’s no longer that satisfying...” Squishing the viscus bubble mix against her chest and underarms “I suppose all good things must come to an end...” Walking herself out into the tepid waters, and waving off the onlookers. “Oh! It’s slippery again!... And very cold...” Giving a play by play of her stimulating interactions, even as she undressed and washed her clothes.

Wondering aloud, Zack called to Aaron, “You don’t have like... Any soap or anything in that magic survival pouch, do you? Those weenie sticks might finally be coming in handy at a range... Although, I don’t think that stink is coming off her... She’s awfully quiet all of the sudden...” Looking over at the lip of the hill towards pond where she was.

“Careful,” Aaron heckled. “You might accidentally glance a look at her hip.”

Going along with it, Zack moaned, “Oh! Heaven forbid I accidentally see her ankles!” Until becoming serious, “She’s got worse things hanging out to worry about over there than some dainty ass hip...”

“You know how sensitive she is about her hip”

“You mean that nasty looking scar on her side we saw as kids... She sure wasn’t shy about it back then... Oh, hold on...Wow, I finally got it.”

“Really?” Aaron astounded, “It took you this long?”

“I feel so bad for her now... That old war must have hurt her pretty badly to leave an open cut like that... Must have been terrible, I’d be pretty sensitive about something that traumatizing too.”

“Dude... She’s an alien... That’s not a scar...”

“Well, it couldn’t be her... Um... Oh...” Having his skin go from beet red to lifelessly pale, “Oh fuck. Please tell me that’s not her... Oh, why?! Why did we have to see that so early in life! I can’t even enjoy thinking about it anymore, it’s immoral now! OH, OH MY HEAD! I CAN’T STOP SEEING IT! OH! That’s what it looks like? I had no idea! Why would you put it there!?”

“What are you guys yammering on about over there?” Sophie hollered.

“I don’t know,” Felicity replied, “Something about a nasty cut on your hip or something,” Sending Zack back into a hue of deep red. “Apparently it’s really ugly or something and gives Zack P.T.S.D. Shit, he’s rolling around on the ground clenched in horror right now just thinking about it!”

Aaron shook his head, “I’m pretty sure that’s not why he’s rolling anymore.”

“WILL EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Zack cried! Whaling his body against the ground with his reddened cheeks like a balloon full of jelly,

After what seemed good enough, Sophie returned, less offensive to the nose. She adorn her cold wet clothes, and performed a strange inhuman chirping action that appeared to raise her core temperature and redden her skin. Finally, she rejoined the group.

Clearing his throat, Zack turned to Sophie, who was still reeking of lake monster guts. “So,” slowly walking himself into the subject, “The hip, eh?... Why the hip?”

“Worlds greatest mystery, I’d wager...” Sophie returned dryly. “It’s as confusing as why humans decided it was a good idea to put the their baby makers in the same flap they do their squatting from...”

“That’s fair...”

Walking the parameter, Aaron poked Felicity. “Happy you finally killed something large enough?”

Smiling, until the victory could no longer be contained, Felicity relished aloud, “I wanna kill another!”

Zack scratched his head, still awkward about the hip confusion, “I really hope there’s a plot twist at the end of this that makes them all incurable monsters, and not just, deadly, but helpless, bystanders that have equal right to life...” Looking at the oversized flagship of a corpse draining into the water supply. “Coz at this rate, body count’s not going down.”

“So, what do you think?” Aaron jumped up to the front line to Address Sophie. “You suppose I have a bodyguard capable of saving me from the Seven?”

“Not sure I can gauge it, or why they’d have a problem with you other than the encounter with my Father...” She replied, solemnly. “He says that even I could be like one of them because of who my mother was. Since leaving them, he’s made certain that I conceal such, and have consequently that has stifled any chance of my acceleration. At best, I’d be capable of parlour tricks, or heaven forbid, card readings. But if you want to be safe from anything, you either need to have your head down, or overpower the strongest enemy in the group. It’s the opposite of the chain link analogy, and that’s a wildcard... Which is as far as it goes, becuase as I said, card readings...”

Unsatisfied, Aaron turned away, “Still got a better chance than with your father’s slew of asinine teachings. You know how many times I’ve called up bullshit in the field so far?”

“Says the dropout.” Sophie returned vexxated. “It’s easy to call out what you can’t prove.”

“It took two weeks of learning nothing, and only a few days to prove it wrong,” Aaron returned, fingers pointlessly ablaze’in like a punk nobody. “And I have a brilliant person who agrees with me. That ‘door opening’ thing you mentioned, was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“What you have is getting your way...” Sophie instilled. “And why’s this gotta come up out of nowhere like this?”

“You going to tell me that door thing is for things we want to hear or something instead of what we need, or?”

“If you already know, why do you feel you need to ask?”

“No,” Aaron defended, “That door opened, and it’s exactly what I needed, not what I wanted. A lot of it turned out really crappy. Heck! I didn’t even know what I wanted, but I got this, and it’s what I needed, I call that destiny; so it’s gotta be correct, and these scars can contest to it.”

Clearing the grog from their throat, Felicity moaned, “I don’t get what you’re beef is with this bel-dude... Seems kinda caustic...”

Confiding to Felicity, Sophie muttered quietly, “He kinda chooses to believe that whatever happens to him is something given to him from the cosmos... And that he doesn’t have a choice in the matter.”

“You don’t choose shit!” Aaron retorted.

“Sorry, he has some baggage with the concept. Point and case... It’s increasingly common that he acts like this now. Naturally, him and my Dad didn’t seem to mix too well, and it’s both their faults.”

“I’ve noticed...” Felicity accepted, looking back to Aaron. “Whatever it is, it brought you to me. That’s all that makes me happy...”

Finally satisfied, they made their way out to the rubble ramp of debris from earlier and climbed up to the top of the round canyon. They had to stop a moment to admire the captivating view, and see just how far they came. If only they had a camera, they could sell pictures like these for a fortune, too bad none of you reading will ever get to see it. Maybe.