By the time Jack had to leave, I was so invested in the show that I hardly noticed his departure. It didn’t entirely fill the absent void in my chest from our abrupt ‘goodbye,’ and it couldn’t fully capture Sera’s smiles or the way Aeolus was constantly moving around or Sky’s little grin as he watched, but regardless it was nice, if a bit surprising, to see their faces again.
Cove was equally invested, leaning forward to rest his elbow on his knees as he watched the screen with intense eyes.
None of us bothered to turn on any lights as the sun dipped below the horizon, as we were all too invested in the colorful cartoon to care.
Ani let out a little chirp of delight when Millie first showed up, pressing his side against me as he watched her soar through the sunny blue sky.
Jack returned an undeterminable time later, after the sun had set and the apartment was cast into darkness. He slipped in quietly to stand by the T.V., looking at us as he searched for something.
“Hey,” he said, “you guys been watching this the entire time?”
Mattie nodded, her eyes laser-focused on the sword fight being depicted on the screen. “It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” she replied, dead serious.
Even I, blinded by nostalgia, didn’t think it was that good. The original Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, and Star Wars are all examples of peak fiction. Then again, it was her first cartoon or even tv show ever.
Jack made direct eye contact. “Even you two?”
I patted the cat next to me. “Haven’t moved an inch.”
Mattie unknowingly confirmed my alibi. “It’s true. Cove had to put the…D.P.Ds in.”
“D.V.Ds,” Cove and I corrected her in practiced and exasperated unison.
“Yeah, those.”
Jack looked thoughtful but didn’t say anything else right away. He chewed on his lip and stood there awkwardly as our attention returned to the tv. When the ending song played, he spoke up once more. “Speaking of good media, any of you ever read What Lies Ahead?”
“No,” I answered confidently.
Mattie shook her head.
Even though we’d been expecting this question, Cove’s response was slightly delayed. “Sorry.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Jack looked slightly disappointed at our reactions, collapsing onto the couch next to Mattie with a sigh. “Never mind then.”
“...why?” Mattie tore her attention away from the tv to ask.
The lights of the tv shifted for a few moments on Jack’s uncertain face before he answered. “No reason.”
I choked down a scoff. Right.
We stopped watching the series shortly before midnight, Mattie drifting off into the guest bedroom while Cove moved to take her couch. I was perfectly content where I sat and nestled my shoulder into the comfortable fabric of the sofa.
Jack handed us a few blankets from his cupboard, and we drifted off into sleep.
I woke in the morning to the smell of cooking bacon and fried butter, a sure sign that Jack was making a traditional sizeable American breakfast. My stomach growled. I opened my eyes, only to shut them again as the sunlight smacked into them rudely, setting my pupils on fire. I tilted my head to the side and tried again, spotting Cove and Jack in the kitchen, involved in hushed conversation. Ani’s fur trickled into my nose, and I gently shoved him away before sneezing. Ani jumped at the sound and sprinted into the kitchen, where Cove and Jack were now watching me.
Now I had to get up. With an exaggerated groan, I left the delectable comfort of the couch and the blanket, which was ten times better than the musty couches we’d slept on and a hundred times better than Mattie's floor.
We exchanged our good mornings as I stretched, and I rubbed my eyes as I plodded over to sit tiredly at the table. The room lapsed back into a pregnant silence. As Jack loaded the now-cooked bacon onto a plate covered in paper towels, he asked, “What about the cats?”
Caught in the middle of a yawn, I let Cove answer. “They can hunt or scavenge for themselves.”
“Ah.”
A few more moments of silence passed. “Breakfast is done, so I’ll go wake Mattie,” Jack said, escaping into the guest room. Amused, we let him.
They weren’t gone long, and the air was soon filled with the sounds of metal forks screeching against plates.
Jack set down his fork and opened his mouth to speak before closing it again. He twirled the fork in his hand, staring at it as we stared at him.
He caught our stares and gave a wry smile. He took a deep breath and said, “We’re living in a book.”
The piece of bacon I’d been eating caught in my throat, and I fell into a coughing fit, hastily downing a glass of water to ease the pain. There was blunt, and then there was blunt.
Cove’s fork was painfully loud as it scratched itself across the plate. Mattie laughed and then choked on her own piece of bacon. Recovered, I spoke over her coughs. “I’m sorry?”
Jack’s face darkened, blood rushing through. He gripped the fork tightly. “I have proof. A few months ago, a visitor from another world came to us. He told us he knew the future of our world because he’d read it.”
It was probably for the best that Jack avoided any description of the visitor. I can’t imagine ‘a talking teddy bear came and told us so’ would go over very well. Even to me, an interdimensional traveler who’d seen the bear in a dream, it was strange.
“Mom was right. All men are crazy,” Mattlie let slip. It was an unfair generalization.
Jack ducked his head down to stare once again at the fork in his hand. “Look, would you please just meet with him? He can explain everything better.”
Mattie let her fork clatter onto the table. “Can you leave the room for a minute? I want to speak to Cove and Hayden alone.”
“Sure.”
When Jack was gone, Mattie turned to us and whispered, “He’s crazy. Can you guys take him?”
Cove’s answer was rapid-fire “Yes.” He flexed his hands, almost as if to say, ‘I can do it right now if you want.’
“I thought you could protect yourself?” I jabbed.
Her eyebrows rose. “He’s crazy,” she repeated. She considered for a few seconds. “But if you guys can take him, I think we should go. I’m curious.”
Well, considering she constantly snuck out of her home and into a city filled with killer robots alone, her answer wasn’t unexpected.
Cove sighed, sounding a little disappointed–in what, I didn’t know. “Sure.”
Mattie clapped her hands together. “It’s settled then. JACK!” Her shout was loud enough to be heard two towns over, much less in the master bedroom.
Jack scurried out of the room, looking guilty. He stood in front of the table, waiting for judgment.
“After careful deliberation, we’ve decided to hear you out,” she said.
“Take us to your leader,” Cove added, bringing back some of his usual good humor.
Jack’s shoulders slumped in relief, and he pulled out a phone. “Contacting him right now.”