Part 13 (cont.)

Allison told a story of her brothers and camping.

“…I say if you’re going to a mountain lake, never rent a cabin. I mean camping is somewhere between a lot of fun and the most-horrifying experience of your life. It’s like imagining the zombies have taken over and you must survive. But this place was really secluded and kinda crappy. Things went bad right from starting a fire in the fireplace. Smoke kept flowing back into the cabin so my eye doctor brother had to find a ladder in the creepy, dark basement. He only went in there once and then came running out with the ladder, screaming all sorts of profanities about, ‘There’s an evil midget bastard down there!’. So my other brothers give him shit about that when they go down and find it’s just a dead raccoon.

“They tossed it at him several times. He still has the nickname ‘midget bastard’, even though he’s over six feet easily. So, he gets the ladder on the side of the cabin and he’s still cursing and claiming he’s gonna die because the roof is not in the best condition. He picks all sorts of packed tree bits and junk out of the chimney and finally, we can start a fire. But that takes forever too because my brothers want to do it the caveman way. After about an hour, they just use their cigarette lighters. They totally lie to this day they can start a fire by rubbing sticks together.

“We all get bummed when it turns out fitness trainer brother forgot the smores and all the little snacks we were gonna toast up. He’s real organized sometimes but the problem is he will organize everything into one box perfectly and have the box ready and head out…and he forgets the entire box. Which is what happened…”

I leaned back and just listened to Allison's words. She gave little giggles and moved her arms a lot as she told her story, making brushing motions for clearing out the chimney.

“So they’re arranging the wood for the fire when out crawls this snake and it finds a toasty corner to relax in. My brothers go nuts. We all find out which of us as the best, most high-pitched girly scream. Turns out it’s not me. Another thing never to be forgotten but it’s kinda between brothers so you’ll just have to guess. So anyway, with this new reptile guest, my brothers are all running around the main room looking for like a sword to decapitate the snake with or a crossbow…all things they suggested. There’s nothing. One of them wants to throw a bed at it. It’s then that I provide the cooler head by saying it looks like a milk snake. But they don’t hear me because it’s starting to move and half of them make base camp down the hall and the other half run out the door and to the dock on the lake. I go to pick it up and it’s the most chill snake I’ve ever seen. It just hangs there like a sleepy little kid. It settles into my lap and naps. Lovely colors, almost like anime colors. If I ever get turned into some sort of anime girl, if the conquest theory is right, then I totally want to be a snake anime girl. I mean it makes sense. Wide, weird eyes, and soft, glossy skin. And that’s kinda all…but still!”

I pondered her thought. I couldn’t imagine anime girls and snakes going together but I gave her a thoughtful expression. We only had a few people ahead of us.

She continued, “So, once I’ve totally out-manly-ed my brothers by sitting back and chilling with this snake, we finally get things settled and it’s a pretty nice day. One of the people who maintain the cabins stopped over and took the snake off our hands. He played with it and then released it quite a ways away. My brothers told really gloating stories about things they’d done, trying to get some pride back.

“Then, suddenly, we get another scare. Do you remember those scary dinosaur movies back a long time ago? The raptors from that. It sounded honestly like the cry of one of those things. I leapt as well. So my biggest brothers grabbed for a blanket and a big stick they’d gotten during the little snake adventure and went in search of the source of the noise. It sounded like it was coming from the bathroom but, honestly, it could’ve been anywhere. They advance on the bathroom and this two-legged beast goes tearing across the hall like…some of my brothers say demon, some say wolf..... and it’s shaded by the fire so that it looks dark and ominous. I knew what it was right off: A really pissed-off wild turkey. It charged and chased us and this time I wasn’t going to stick around. It made the weirdest sounds. My brothers started wailing on it with their stick and…blanket…but it was a futile battle…”

I was really getting into it and hoped we wouldn’t be called so soon it cut the flow of Allison’s story short. She kept the same pace.

“So all hope is lost. We’re forced into the kitchen and this is where it turns crazy. The door is open…I think someone left it open or just pulled it open in the chaos of the turkey showing up but there’s this snake that hurries right through the door like lightning and goes right for the turkey. It almost sails through the air according to some versions my brothers told later but I think it just moved really fast. So it goes right for the turkey and bites it. Feathers and animals were flying so that I can’t be sure it’s the same snake as they released down the way but it looks similar. The turkey trips and fumbles and I know it’s about to get the upper hand on the snake because turkeys are insane and can kill snakes. But my one brother swings the branch he has with all his might and slams the turkey into the ground.”

She clapped her hands at the climactic part and puffed a breath.

“The turkey was dead on impact. The snake looked beat up but survived. And I swear…it may have been a simple, non-venomous snake but that snake was a hero. And it looked like the same darn snake. I couldn’t say it was the same one but it looked just like it. It even curled up with me in the same way. So…who knows but I like to believe. After that, we ran out of all the excitement that trip could possibly have and it was kinda boring. But we had a great story.”

I shook my head and smiled. The ending came just at the right time as we were finally taken to a booth. It was in a secluded corner of the restaurant without any other tables nearby. I figured we might easily be forgotten by the servers but Allison had a fun idea as she sat next to me on the same side of the booth.

We looked over our menus and accepted a couple of sodas from the server, then Allison snuck under the table and changed into boy-mode when no one was looking. When our server came back a minute later, she seemed to pause and note the androgynous boy in a green dress who was sitting next to me instead of a girl. I didn’t react. She gestured with a finger, and rubbed at her eyes under her glasses before asking us if we were ready. I said to Allison, announcing her name, “You want to split an appetizer?”

He pondered and the server offered to come back in a minute if we needed time. Allison didn’t duck under immediately, which was wise because the server doubled back to give us a long look before heading off again. When she returned, Allison had returned to female form (although a little woozy from the quick back and forth). The server gave her a long stare and asked for the order. We gave it and passed her the menus. Before she left, she pursed her lips slightly and glanced between the two of us. She asked, “Is there anyone else in your party?”

We snuggled up and told her it was just the two of us. She didn’t seem to buy that. When she was away, Allison lamented that we hadn’t brought the device or any changes of clothes.

We gave it a few more rounds as salads were served followed by some nice pasta dishes before Allison finally offered her, “My weirdo twin brother has been around in a dress like mine. How embarrassing, huh? You didn’t happen to see him, did you?”

A light flashed in the server’s eyes but I could see she had so many questions. However, she just shrugged and told us, “I have no idea. It’s been a busy night.” Sadly, that was all the closure we could give her without exposing Allison. Other than that silliness, dinner was uneventful. We wound up splitting a squid appetizer as Allison played with the tentacles. She also asked for some bits of spices to make the salad more to her taste. And she managed to find an entrée which wasn’t quite so salty as mine. We traded bits and she made mine better with what seemed like culinary magic.

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Our frazzled server earned herself a decent tip, especially for the free parfait dessert. We walked out the side door and enjoyed the outdoor mall a little before we continued on to the bookstore. It was easily the nicest one in the area and one of the biggest bookstores which hadn’t closed. Allison marveled at it as we went inside.

It wasn’t as nicely-arranged as it had been in years past. Before, it had been nothing but books on every inch of its shelves. But the books had retreated to make space for a tablet display area and little trinkets and toys and board games and stuffed animals and all sorts of things which weren’t books. The music from the coffee shop area was lovely though. But Allison was here for the books.

She went for the new releases first, browsing a little pamphlet with notable titles. I clung around her but, with a kind smile, she told me, “Go browse where you like, sweetie.”

I took her advice but I didn’t roam far because I wanted to see what kind of books Allison liked, to give me ideas for future gifts. She didn’t seem to focus on any in particular, although she did flip through a cooking book towards the front. I tried to be inconspicuous but she soon passed by me, stuck her tongue out, and whispered, “Stalker Kinrae…”

Eventually, I found my own places with books I liked. I had to fight through lots of little toys and things but the areas were all there, though compressed. Some of my happiest times were when I could come to the bookstore. My mom would open math books and drink coffee and largely leave me alone. Same went for libraries but she often loomed around. Dad would sometimes come along too but he always started fights.

I thought about what Tessa had said. I needed to face them. On some level, it wasn’t an idea I rejected. I did need to say things to them but I knew it was too late for my father to understand any of it and the same was probably true of my mother, who would only hear what she wished. I didn’t want to go alone. But I didn’t want to subject Allison to that thing and all it would say to her. I knew she could handle it but I didn’t want her to experience it.

I sighed and sifted through manga. There were times when I could be all over books with the thoughts and feelings they gave me, especially mangas. But they just washed over me. I sifted through supernatural stories and books about underworld characters with a range of moralities. I picked up slice-of-life books with their odd proportions and wide, watercolor eyes. I glanced through the bright tones of comedic works. Ultimately, I sought out non-fiction. Well, nearly non-fiction.

The books with theories about the ‘Kinrae’ and all they might be up to. I read about fluctuations in video feeds as evidence of invisible presences standing behind Kinrae here and there. Mottled, grainy footage with areas highlighted and features made of noise. I could see invisible faces, primed by the suggestion, but logically I knew this was not the answer.

But then what could be said of what I’d already heard from Tessa (if I took it all as truth)? A lot of it was likely lingering in the margins of these books as the sorts of ideas these writers didn’t even consider.

I stuck to science fiction for the rest of the time. When Allison caught up to me, she hefted three things. One was a fiction book series I’d never heard of before but which she touted with joy. Another was a new bunny plushie for her set. This one moved slightly and vibrated like it was shivering and breathing through the use of a battery. And the last thing was a magazine of recipe ideas. I wasn’t particularly surprised by any of them.

I took them and told her, with a smile, “My treat.” She poked me and noted, “I got treated last time. This time…I will only let you go reverse Dutch. We each pay for the other’s purchases. After all, you paid for supper.”

After some more poking, I finally conceded to buying a few books I’d wanted to own for a while (classics mostly) which almost matched what Allison wanted to buy. After that, it was unequivocally Allison’s treat for frogurt before we headed back. She piled on little red Swedish fish along with chocolate drizzle atop the apple flavor. I kept to my usual chocolate and some peanut butter bits.

Unlike our last frogurt trip, Allison scooted her chair close to me and laughed constantly when recounting all the quirkiest books she’d noticed before getting into the silly bits of the book series she was reading. I put my arm around her. It was a beautiful end to the evening.

Not to say we didn’t have fun later. Male Allison even teased out the girl in me for a while before bed. And we slept in each other’s arms.

The next days flowed like water as the local drought gave way to small but appreciated rain. This also helped the herbs and led to me and Allison clinging together under an umbrella. We learned more about and even met Daniel. He was as friendly a person as anyone could ask to know. He lifted me up in a bear hug, which was surprising in both male and anime girl form.

Disappointment came when the professor finally got back to me with an answer to my concerns. She told me to direct them to Tessa. I had to resist smacking my face. My questions about the sincerity of the Kinrae were also rebuffed. She then seemed to suggest I might do better in a different kind of course. Dropping the class was an option dwindling down to days without a penalty on my records. I tried to put my concerns into a form that sounded as equitable as possible. But it was my word against everything my professor was certain of and I could see why she wasn’t interested in what she saw as simply my opinion.

I didn’t hold it against Professor Brandt, although I was irked when she dropped my paper down to a B minus for trying to express these concerns as subtly as possible within the paper. I even cited Tessa as anonymously as possible. Lissa got similarly dinged.

After that frustration fest, our schedules finally aligned so that we were all able to catch a train at the end of the week. Quilla spent the evening with her dad.

Allison and Lissa both brought trivia books for the trip. They thrashed me at theater and movie trivia at the same time but it made the journey pleasant. We cut across hilly terrain and brown shrubs and slipped beside quarries and man-made lakes. Around dense, master-planned cities and townships where horses trotted along. Somehow, as we went, I couldn’t help but feel we were approaching something more than just Kinraetown, but I wasn’t sure what.

The main station stop was impressive with its wooden cross-beams in the waiting area, marble-arched junctions between tracks, and vast windows as light streamed through on all sides. Once out, Allison had to consult her phone for directions. We would walk the rest of the way past the older enclaves. This area had been a host to so many different cultures from far off lands which had come to settle. We went past one of the oldest firehouses in the state and watched a tribal dance in a vast courtyard.

It seemed a shame to let the experience become like tides of water all mixing together and flowing over us but we had a destination. It took three blocks of walking. We turned the other direction from Chinatown and towards a district with brightly-painted houses and a style that laid claim to no human culture, while resembling many of them.

Allison put on her most noir-like expression and uttered the breathy comment, “Forget it, Sean….it’s Anime Girl Town…”

We laughed.