You Are What You Read

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"Bro...broooo! You gotta read this book!"

Blair jolted up when hearing the unfamiliar, feminine voice at his front door and the sudden, overzealous knock. He was still awake, like usual, but that didn't prepare him any better. Thinking back, he realized the faint sound of rustling leaves, melting into the regular rush of the fall breeze against the rafters, had actually been a lean, lithe presence dashing outside.

The bangs were loud enough to rile up bitter dogs all around the neighborhood. Pushing away from his chair and laptop, Blair brushed back his hair and dared to step towards the noise at the front. The screen door wiggled and crashed on the other end. Before he could talk to the person outside, his cellphone buzzed in his pocket. Stepping away from the door, he slid it open and flipped to the text messages. Jules had sent him a text, which read, "ru gonne opn up 4 me???"

His eyes flicked back to the door as the feminine voice called out, "Did you get it?" Jules Marshall, his buddy from work, was over six feet tall, ripped arms, toned back, and, while he had an okay falsetto, his speaking voice would never be mistaken for feminine. Shaking his head, Blair considered just leaving the strange, random woman on his porch alone. Perhaps she'd stolen Jules' phone or...waaait.

He thought back to the first thing he'd heard, processing the words, "Read this book". Snapping his head up, he undid the chain and deadbolt and hissed through the doorway, "Shhh...come inside, Jules!"

Sashaying swiftly through the threshold and onto the tile was a young woman swallowed up in a white shirt with a cartoon cat, pink hearts, and the words, "Big men love pussy" across the chest, with a pronounced dent in it.

Her hair was in a dark-brown, yarn doll's jumble across her shoulders. A pair of pajama pants were knotted tightly with a drawstring so they wouldn't fall down and her sandals slapped against the tile. From under her arm, she hoisted up a book. Blair swung the door shut, nearly clipping her. With harsh whispers, Blair scolded, "What are you doing...just walking around with a book?!"

Half a grin worked its way across her pink lips, as she responded, "You recognize me. I was worried about that. This is Odessa Calvert. She's the..."

Fanning his hands, Blair stopped her, "I don't want to hear about what you're...reading. About the characters or anything, alright?"

The young woman frowned but nodded as she walked over to the living room and plopped down on the big sofa. She flipped open the book and held it in front of her. Hands on his hips, Blair shook his head and went back to his laptop. Carefully, he closed everything out and stuck a thick piece of foam over the webcam. He replaced the tape over the other electronics in his house before he returned to check on Jules, who was lost in...reading.

"Of all people, Jules, I would never expect YOU to dabble in reading. You see how dangerous it is." Blair gestured to the woman on the sofa.

The woman eased back. "Come on, bro. It's not that bad. Books are cool. You should try one."

Blair cupped his head with his hands. "Jules, books...transport you to other places. They put you in the shoes of other people. You can get lost in books and never return to who you were before. And you think that's...not bad?"

Dipping her head, the woman answered, "Odessa Calvert is not bad. I won't tell you what it says about her but where she lives is pretty different and her thoughts and feelings and everything...it's like a fire inside my belly. She...you need to read it to understand. But I've been through a lot in San Francisco and ever since my boyfriend moved out and the..."

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"Listen to yourself!" Blair interrupted, "You're acting like this imaginary life is your own. You're turning yourself into her by giving in to stories and...literature. Books are banned for a reason. Imagination is just too powerful. One minute you're yourself and the next, you...need a bra."

Odessa/Jules giggled but frowned to herself. "Maybe I'm alright with being someone else. Maybe I'm alright with being Odessa. She has better clothes than me. I had to throw these on and get over here. Because she has a best friend who reminds me of you."

Blair raised his fingers. "Don't you try to tangle me up in this too. Come on. Gimme that thing." He hopped to his feet and wrapped his arms around the book without looking down at the cover.

Jules whimpered and pleaded, "No. Please let me finish it. I'm almost done. 'The chill sea air batted at her face like a promise not kept, a dream abandoned by waking, and a voice that sang to her heart'. You gotta..."

Despite his best efforts, Blair couldn't shield himself from the words while tearing the book away from her fingers. He yelped and tried to fill his thoughts with protection. But the words had seeped in like a mist and kindled a terrifying sensation of...curiosity.

Flinging the book halfway across the room, Blair scolded her, "You want me to be just like you!"

No matter how many facts and figures Blair shouted in his head, he couldn't drown out the tickle of those words. Human imagination was the most dangerous weapon, with the power to destroy people, countries, and worlds. And his best friend had just turned his on.

Softly, Jules pressed, "Is that so bad? This is nice. You have no idea what it feels like to imagine, to see and be someone else with just words and thoughts."

His eyes locked on the book, Blair shook his head. He was strong. He needed to detox his friend and himself. Hurling the book in the closet, he led Jules back to the hallway and advised him, "Get some rest. Clear your thoughts of questions. And get well."

Wobbling with a grin, Jules said, "Okay, Aubrey Farrell. Your best friend, Odessa, will get well...and see you soon."

Just about tossing her out the door, Blair panted and shut his eyes. The words still clung to him like a sickness, making him feel sweaty and strange inside. He stripped the protection off his devices and returned to the late-night clerical work. The numbing of information wasn't enough. Snippets of what Od...Jules had said lingered with him.

Cursing, he flung open the closet and gazed at the book. Such an unsuspecting thing. He held it in his hands. He searched around the place where Jules had been reading. He told his mind he would only close the mystery on her words about dreams, promises, and voices. And this Aubrey Farrell. That was all, just burn it closed like an open wound.

If he was truly of sound mind then he would've immediately tossed the book into a fire to cleanse himself, but he was already infected by words. Paging through, he was assaulted by sights, sounds, and feelings that weren't his own, like a sea swallowing him up.

He walked with the book as her crinkly, rusty hair landed on her shoulders. Aubrey, with her sweater and book bag by the lake. Blair didn't fight the ideas consuming his sense of self. He flopped down on slick, crunchy grass, her jeans bunching up at her knees.

She'd finished reading. What a world! A place where books were banned and imagination restricted. As she checked her watch and reminded herself that she needed to meet up with Odessa for lunch, she was quietly glad she didn't live in that world.

aHYR4iz.jpg [https://i.imgur.com/aHYR4iz.jpg]