There were three traditional sandcastles, a sand snowman, and a furnished sandy apartment the perfect size for ImaMess, who was lounging on a sand sofa, watching a show on his human sized cell phone. "I know CPR if you need it," he offered, but he sounded more concerned than lewd.
Shush, you," Jessie snapped, aiming a fake kick at him. She led me to a picnic blanket and made me sit down, where I was plied with more towels, water, snacks, and a small bag of ice from the bar.
Rowan was given the same treatment, and, as if rushing to get through an event gone wrong, Mike quickly took charge of the judging and voting. Ultimately, Perl won for the snowman, and Rowan was named the best windsurfer, everyone citing his team spirit and dramatically successful rescue as part of his skill. He seemed surprised and touched by it, though he didn't quite know what to make of the stuffed dragon.
"Are there dragons here?" he whispered nervously when I gave it to him.
"Not the kind you're thinking of. They're generally big lizards, or people dressed up, or . . ." I shook the overstuffed plush at him. "Go ahead, squeeze tight, then you can tell Milo you hugged a dragon."
"He knows that," he replied, confused, but I was too out of it to take note of it til hours later. At least he didn’t seem to be too badly affected by the incident. Still, the bags under his eyes were definitely getting darker, and the slump to his shoulders was growing more pronounced. Tired or depressed, both were concerning.
The ancient lullaby Rowan had sung rattled around in my head the whole evening, soothing and frightening at the same time. I’d gone swimming plenty of times since I got here, why had this time been so different? What had caused that vaguely familiar buzzing sensation I’d felt when Rowan touched his forehead to mine? He’d touched me before without incident. Had I forgotten what elfsong felt like? Or maybe that’s what it felt like when you were silenced? He shouldn’t have been using it in the first place, and that added to my worry.
I wasn’t alone in my concern for him, and was grateful to see the amount of pampering everyone was giving him as the hero of the evening. Rowan’s shuttle team turned out to be a friendly, nerdy bunch, and we ended up having a fun evening after all, picnicking on the beach. I was much less worried about smuggling shenanigans at the end of the night, and more fascinated with the idea of them all getting on a space ship and heading out for adventures. No organized Star Trek missions for them, though, they’d probably be Guardians of the Galaxy levels of chaos, cheerfully butting heads with each other more than anyone they encountered.
Even my friends had a good time. Jessie and Izzy turned out to have a lot in common, especially where speed and loud music were concerned, and even made plans to meet up later in the week at a concert. Phoebe and Bryce got into a complicated discussion on medieval castle building techniques that pleased Jessie to no end. "They're flirting!" she hissed in my ear. "I told you this would be good for her!"
Rowan, on my other side, had no trouble overhearing her. "It sounds more like they are planning war," he pointed out. "They are arguing about fortifications and armory inventory. Flirting should involve food and gifts, not trajectories."
"Yeah, well, she was raised to not disagree with men at all, to just take whatever abuse they give her."
"If someone is abusing her, they need to be stopped, immediately. I will -"
"Hold up there, tiger," I said quickly. "It's a complicated emotional thing, and Jessie's actually being subtle about something for once -"
"Hey!"
" - so we're letting her handle it."
"The more she sees how normal relationships work, the better, that's all. Bryce seems harmless enough. Or am I missing something?"
"He is quiet and patient, unless you make too much noise."
"Hmm, maybe he could use some help, too."
"Is she like this with everyone?"
Rowan asked me.
"When she found out I was new here, she gave me two dozen books, five mix CDs, a TV, and a list of movies and tv shows an inch thick to introduce me to pop culture."
"I thought you were from Russia or something, not outer space," Jessie muttered.
"So if you want explanations, she's got 'em, and is eager to help people succeed."
Rowan looked like he'd rather stick his head in a beehive than ask her anything, but Jessie seemed to appreciate the compliment. Someday I was going to get them to tolerate each other.
Jessie and Phoebe dragged me home with them after the party broke up, unsatisfied that I had recovered, and determined to keep an eye on me until morning. There we had party number two, watching silly movies and playing games until Phoebe finally begged to go to bed, so she wouldn't miss her morning class, and Jessie passed out on the sofa soon after.
I lounged in their beanbag chair and read until morning, trying not to hum that lullaby. Sleep never came easily to me these days. It was too much like being in the Void.
No comments:
Post a Comment