Malee defined herself based on good grades, which made the fact she was currently failing most of her college classes even harder to bear. She majored in math to make her know-it-all parents happy. The equations on her paper looked like a jumbled soup. She kept squinting at it as if it would magically make sense of it. She was in a monastic trance and would only leave it once she understood the secrets of the universe, or more accurately, her calculus homework.
“Malee!!” A voice shouted in her ear. She jolted back, shocked out of her trance.
It was Sadiaah. Malee was polyamorus and Sadiaah was one of her partners. He was an athletic man with a blonde mullet. In his hands there was a small cake.
Malee sighed. “I’m busy Sadiaah.”
“Do you know how late it is? You’ve been working for hours.”
“And I still don’t get it.” She grumbled. “What time is it?”
“It’s six PM. You’ve been working since nine AM.” Sadiaah said, pushing away her papers and putting down the cake in its place.
“Fuck…” Malee tugged at her hair. “I have a flight at nine. I promised I’d see my parents over the weekend for my birthday. I nearly forgot.”
“Pssh. Your parents are stupid anyways.”
“I promised I’d see them. Plus you’re wrong, I love them a lot.”
Sadaiah started dragging her up out of her chair. “Come on, it’s your birthday. Let’s go downtown and celebrate. I’ll make sure you get down to your flight.”
Malee gave her unfinished work a sidelong glance, and then up at his pleading smile. “Fine, I’ll come.”
Sadaiah shouted with glee, almost like a mad man. He grabbed the back of Malee’s head, playfully slamming it into the cake.
Malee lifted up her head, looking like a depressed wet dog, dripping with frosting. Sadiaiah laughed and jeered, and then bolted for the door. “I’ll see you at the downtown coffee shop in ten. Biyu and I will be there. You better be there too!”
As he left Malee licked and brushed the frosting off her face. Sadiaiah could be a lot sometimes, but at least the cake tasted good.
Before she left Malee looked down at her phone, a few messages from her family group chat.
Mom: Hey sweetie super excited to see you soon!! We decorated the whole house! It feels like forever since we’ve talked ❤️🎊🎈
Dad: We even got vanilla cake because we know you like it, even though the rest of the fam hates it
Below those text messages was a series of photos, the house decorated in garlands, a wonderful three tiered cake, a photo of her room just as it was, her cat nestled on the bed. All the photos were lovely, but she especially missed her cat. He was an orange tabby cat named Squash.
She turned off her phone and ran after Sadiaiah.
***
It took her a little while but she eventually found the coffee shop. Sadiaiah and Biyu were out front.
Biyu was their other partner. They were wearing a big puffy sweater with a praying mantis embroidered on it, tied around their waist there was a leather jacket, they had a pair of ladybug earrings, and the fringe of their short black hair was dyed pink. Malee found it funny in a way, both Sadiaiah and Biyu had dyed hair, while she was a natural brunette.
Biyu rushed forward, tackling her into a big hug. “Happy birthday!” She spun Malee around, humming the Happy Birthday song.
Malee laughed. “Thank you so much, both of you.” She headed for the coffee shop door. “What do you guys want to get? I’ll cover it.”
Sadaiah shook his head. “We’re not going there, we’re going to someplace even greater.” Biyu pointed at a building across the street, The Bookhouse Museum.
Malee squealed in delight. She loved that museum. And with that, the three of them headed over there.
The Bookhouse Museum was a small museum, and it was the only one in town. It was a disheveled building with creaky stairs and cracks all over it. Still, it was beautiful in a way. The walls were painted with abstract artwork, some of it even painted by Malee herself.
At the main reception desk there was the leader of the establishment, Auntie Parchment. Her real name was Yuliya, but everyone called her Auntie Parchment. She was an old woman with tumbling curls of gray hair, a tiny set of glasses at the edge of her nose, and swaddled in old red fabrics.
“Oh hello, Malee! And Malee’s friends of course. For a museum visit it’ll be three dollars, twelve in total for the three of you.” She said. Auntie Parchment had a thick Russian accent and a slight lisp, her voice sounding like sweet molasses.
Sadaiah leaned on Malee. “It’s her birthday, you know.”
She glared at Saadiah. “She’s trying to run a business, and money’s no problem.”
“No it’s your birthday, your friend is right. You’ve done so much to help me too. Free visit for all. Ah! And even more.” Auntie Parchment rifled around in her pockets, producing a small rainbow button. She slapped it on the table. “Gift for you Malee. Birthday gift. You’re gay, right? Perfect gift.”
Malee chuckled awkwardly. “Yes I am.” She was bi, but that was mostly semantics at this moment. The button was gorgeous, and she loved it. She held it up to the light, it shone brightly. “Thank you very much. We’ll be heading inside.”
“Oh be careful! I got a new chihuahua, his name is Beans. He can be quite yappy, but don’t worry. He just wanders the museum, doesn’t harm the books.”
Malee nodded and then headed inside the museum with her partners. The museum was full of different glass cases with different books and old writing utensils. They had been to the museum many times before, but Malee always felt like she discovered something new every time she was here. She felt like a wise old archeologist, finding untapped treasures.
At the edge of the museum she found something she’d never seen before. A small black book covered in diamonds and gems. They made out fascinating geometric patterns, images of bugs and birds.
Sadiaiah moved to the edge of the case, slipping his fingers underneath the glass. The case was unlocked, and he slowly lifted it up.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Malee said.
Biyu placed a finger on their lips and Sadiaiah defended himself. “I’m taking this. We need it.”
“No you don’t. What are you doing?” Malee said, desperately glancing at Biyu, hoping they’d back up her side. Biyu looked really uncomfortable and meek, biting the edge of their lip.
He rolled his eyes, glaring down at her. “Not everyone has a rich successful family like you Malee.”
Malee was stunned, she never expected this out of him. Nor did she ever consider her family to be rich. Then she grabbed her head, another thought coming to mind. “It’s late, I need to catch my flight, to see my family.”
She shifted towards the door, Sadiaiah grabbing her wrist and pulling her back. “Don’t go. This’ll be quick.”
She gritted her teeth, not knowing what to say, anger and confusion just bubbling over her physical posture.
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“Guys, guys, guys.” Biyu said. “Let’s not get into some huge argument. Whatever we do, let's do it together.”
Malee sighed. “Whatever you’re doing Sadiaiah, I know I can’t stop you. But I don’t think you have good reasons for this.”
“I need the money, I’m going to pawn it off.” He said, letting go of her wrist and returning to the case.
“I don’t think you need the money. And if you needed something, of course I’d give it to you. But I don’t think you’re doing this for good reasons, I think you’re just doing it to get off on your hedonistic pleasures.”
Something flashed across his face. Anger? Confidence? Happiness? It was too quick to tell. Then he flung open the case, grabbing the book. They all waited with bated breath, expecting an alarm or something to go off. But no alarm went off, the museum was too small for that.
Malee was shocked. She thought of running and getting Auntie Parchment, or grabbing the book from him. Saadiah started walking away, triumphantly holding up the book. There was a back window in the museum, and he was making a break for it.
She turned around towards the counter, ready to report him. But Biyu grabbed her arm. Staring up at her with big pleading eyes. “Come on.” They sounded so desperate.
She sighed. “Fine.” The two headed over to him. He was fiddling with the window, struggling to get it open.
Then they heard a growling sound. The three turned to see the chihuahua. “God dammit.” Sadiaiah said. “Right now between me and this is some stupid dog named Beans.”
Biyu sat down, petting and comforting the dog. She pulled something from her pouch, a small slice of apple. “I’ll meet you guys later.”
Sadiaiah finally flung the window open, grabbing Malee and pulling her along. They eventually got onto the street. He started confidently walking away, acting as if nothing happened. Malee shut the window and followed.
They eventually turned a corner, getting over to a back street. There were a couple of big trash bins, and thankfully there weren’t any prying eyes.
Malee pointed at the book. “We’re still not done with that. What the heck Sadiaiah? This has been the worst birthday ever.”
He looked genuinely sad. “I get it. I do. But let's wait for Biyu.”
Malee nodded and sighed again. So the two of them waited in awkward aggressive silence. He kept glancing around, making sure no one came, and no one did. Except for Biyu, who arrived about thirty minutes later.
“Sorry about that. I was taking care of the doggy and talking to Auntie Parchment.” They said.
Sadiaiah looked panicked. “Wait really, does she know!?”
They chuckled. “No, she had just fallen asleep. I said we left. I even left a little duplicate book with my handy dandy crafting kit.” They proudly held up a small box filled with knitting supplies and other bits and bobs. After they put it back they curiously looked at the book. “What’s in it?”
Malee interrupted. “I’m not going to just be a bystander here. I’ll cut you a deal, Sadiaiah. I know a lot about books. Why don’t we open it up, I’ll be able to tell if it’s actually worth something. If it’s valuable you can sell it, but if it’s just pretty we'll return it to Auntie Parchment.”
“It’s a deal.” The book had a metal chain and lock wrapped around it, which he tore off it. Then he tossed her the book.
They stood together anxiously, peering over the book. “Here goes nothing.” Malee mumbled. She slowly opened the book.
Before she could read there was a flash of light. Everything seemed to whirl and tumble. A spin of colors and change. Malee felt a pressure in her stomach, as if she was suddenly thrown sky high. Her nose felt clogged, her eyelids heavy, a blaring chirping sound in her ears. She stumbled forward, in her peripheral vision she could vaguely see her partners, but they were fading away.
It was all too much.
She passed out.
***
Malee woke up, rubbing her head. She had a horrible headache. She looked around, the trash bins and city streets were gone. There were blades of grass and all sorts of flowers. They were huge, twice the size of her. Still, she could see slivers of the sky. The sky was a shade of pale purple, with large red drifting clouds.
She started to panic, stumbling onto her feet. “Sadiaiah! Biyu!” She shouted their names again and again. There was no response.
She took deep gasping breaths, trying to calm herself. She had to do something. Malee sat down and assessed what she had. She was wearing her college shirt, skirt, jeans, and big clunky boots. Maybe the skirt could be used as rags if she got wounded, the boots as a weapon. She took her purse, dumping that out. She had a granola bar, a bag of Taro seafood chips, five cards (library, college, ID, credit, and insurance), a few pills (her HRT medication), the button from Auntie Parchment, a small pocket sketchbook, pencil, phone/charger, and a metal heart locket.
She knew she’d probably need to get more food, the granola bar and chips could cover her for a few days if need be. She could identify herself with the cards, could also sharpen them into weapons or use her bag as another weapon or rope. The pocket sketchbook would be some good entertainment, could even use it to charter her surroundings. The pencil could also be another good weapon if need be.
As for the medication, it would only cover her for two weeks or two. Malee was a transgender women. She had only recently realized it, and had just started medication two months ago. She always felt jealous of Sadiaiah. He was a transgender man, but unlike her he transitioned when he was nine years old, getting HRT before puberty and phalloplasty/top surgery right after he turned 18. She hoped she’d find some more medication soon.
She opened her locket. On one side there was a photo of her, Biyu, and Sadiaiah. It was New Years eve, and each of them was kissing one of her cheeks. On the other side there was a photo of her family. Malee was blasin, her father African American and her mother Thaiwaneese. It was from last Christmas, they’d given her a beautiful pink dress.
She found her flight ticket too, another sad reminder.
Malee looked at her phone next. There was no service. She tried sending out a text message, but it didn’t go through. She could access her photos and videos, but she wasn’t sure it would be useful. Maybe it could be used as a flashlight if it got dark, but with the technicolor sky she wasn’t sure. Thankfully she also had a charging block charger, so she didn’t need an outlet.
She stood up, finally feeling somewhat calm. No matter this crazy situation, whatever it was, she knew she could handle it. She had the tools.
Then she had a realization that she didn’t have the book. She wanted to get that book. That book got her here, maybe it could get her back home. Perhaps it could even provide some good information inside.
Off in the distance she saw a small glowing light. She bolted after it.
She pushed past the huge blades of grass and towering flowers. It was hard to run, feeling as if she kept bumping into some sort of barrier. Her arms ached from pushing them out of the way. The ground felt strange underneath her legs.
Finally the plants parted out of the way. There was a small clearing. She saw a small clift, leading to a sharp edge. At the end there was the book, the gems upon it glowing slightly. Beyond the clift there was an orange pool of liquid. The book looked like it was almost going to fall in.
Malee bolted for it. Right as she grabbed the book she heard a crack underneath her feet.
She fell. Thankfully it was a small drop. With a splash she, the book, and the rocks fell into the pool. The water was sticky, lukewarm, and slightly viscous. Malee paddled to the edge, dragging herself and the book out.
She stared at her reflection, she was covered in goo and grime, twigs sticking out of her hair. She had a gut feeling that cleaning herself would almost be pointless, that she would just get dirty again in this environment.
Malee turned her attention to the book. It was not glowing anymore, the gems gray. Thankfully, none of them were cracked. She shook the book out. Then she pried the sticky pages open. She hoped for there to be a flash again, but nothing happened.
She sighed, feeling absolutely exhausted. She was hurt from the fall. Moreover, the day had been emotionally exhausting, feeling betrayed by her partners. She’d let the book dry tonight and read it in the morning.
She looked around, eventually finding a few twigs. She spent the next couple of minutes vigorously rubbing them until she had a small bonfire. For the first time in her life she was glad she was in the Boy Scouts as a child.
She set the book out beside the fire, scraping off some of the liquid and then using smooth flat rocks to separate the different pages.
Then she took out the granola bar, nibbling only a little bit. Her stomach growled in protest, but she knew she had to conserve her resources. Malee wished she had gotten to eat more of that cake, or had some food at the coffee shop. But this was the situation. She walked over to the blades of grass again, trying to rip off a small piece, but it was too tough to break. Malee took the defeat, she’d figure that out tomorrow.
She plucked the cards out of her wallet, emptying it out. Then she used it as a cup, collecting some of the liquid. It tasted tart, with an oddly sweet after taste. At least it was something, she hoped it wouldn’t dehydrate her.
Lastly, before she rested she pulled out her phone. The screen had cracked during the fall. She opened it up, tapping on Sadiaiah’s contact. She could send him a message, of course it wouldn’t go through but she had to voice her thoughts.
Malee: I hate you so much. You scare me. I love you though. I miss you. I wish you were here. You’d have the strength to survive in this situation.
She clicked Biyu’s contact next.
Malee: Why? Why did this happen? You were supposed to be smart. I love you, I wish you were here.
The sky grew darker, the shades of violet and red growing darker. A small pale moon in the sky. She thought about forcing herself to stay awake. As a child she remembered reading books like Narnia or Alice in Wonderland, there were always big monsters in the new worlds. She could easily be food in the night, but she had to sleep.
She detached the cord from her purse and also took off her belt. She connected the two together, then she made a loop and connected the rest of it to a tree. A simple foot snare trap. Malee doubted it would be effective, but it was an effort.
Finally, she doused the flame and fell asleep.