1 Chapter 1: Back Together (2/2)
Again I waited for her to continue, but she didn't sense the rhetorical element of her informing me until the silence was thick.
”Become my 'official' assistant, and any magic you create will be sold through me,” she said.
”I thought I was already your assistant?”
”You're an intern, becoming an 'official' assistant would come with further responsibilities and benefits.”
”Like a paycheck,” I asked.
Don't get me wrong; I was getting into the idea of magic being a part of my life because it felt good. The prospect of making money was just an even greater incentive to pursue the career path. If I made enough money, I could have helped dad so he wouldn't have to work as much. We could have fixed up the house, got a new car, or maybe something small like getting a bigger TV for the living room. Dad would never outright say he wanted or needed help, but it was just us, so I wanted to.
”Among other things,” Beth said.
”Alright, that doesn't sound too bad,” I replied as I sat up in my seat.
”Don't take this lightly. Becoming a magician's assistant, a real assistant, is a big commitment. There are things magicians do that the public eye is unaware of. To sign your name under my own would be to delve into a world you've only begun to see.”
She was vague and a little ominous, but I chalked it up to people her age always having to speak in riddles and metaphors.
”Well, I still have high school, but if its gonna be more of what we've been doing, then I think I can handle it,” I said.
”Splendid,” she said before getting to her feet.
We left her office together just in time to see the repair crew starting to fill the hole made through the stage.
”So, what am I taking notes for?” I asked.
”We have buyer's coming. I want you to sit in the back and learn how to negotiate,” she said.
I was excited until logic struck me.
”Wait, so you were sure I'd take your offer?”
”More or less,” she said.
”What if I hadn't shown up?” I added, but she seemed to ignore my insinuation.
”Beth?” I said.
She walked away, definitely ignoring my question.
After spending most of the day with Beth at the theater, I met up with Wes at Mabel's. They closed early on Monday nights, so we couldn't get inside. Still, we got to walk home together from there. I was so excited to share the good news about making money selling my spells. I landed a job. I thought Wes might have been excited for me, but he seemed, at best, indifferent and at worst disapproving.
”It's cool they still took you after you missed the first few weeks, but you're already so into it. It's weird,” Wes said.
I didn't like keeping secrets from him, but something told me Wes wouldn't respond well to finding out only half of me went with him to STR.
”I'll be making actual money, and I can help my dad,” I debated.
I was beginning to think he didn't care. Instead of focusing on all the good my new opportunity could bring, he kept trying to convince me to change course.
”Why not get a real job, or do something less dangerous,” he said.
It was ironic hearing Wes suggest I do something less dangerous after we spent weeks on our own in a desert full of drugs, creatures, and Santa Claus.
”It is a real job,” I said
”I don't think people like us should use magic, and you know that.”
”I do,” I said before he cut me off to continue.
”But I get wanting to help your dad, so why don't we agree to disagree for now.”
”Sure,” I said, somewhat surprised to find Wes willing to drop it so quickly.
I would have preferred he be supportive, but I could settle for leaving the conversation before it turned into an argument.
”Cool, I actually wanted to ask you something,” Wes added as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
He wasn't being shy about our being together. Our arrangement made it easy to follow his lead, but at times he moved so fast I might have hesitated to go along.
”I'm all ears,” I said as he paraded me around town on our way home.
”How hard would it be to get your parents to meet mine?” He asked.
”Your parents already know my dad,” I said.
”But not your mom,” he corrected.
I had to stop walking.
”Why would they need to meet my mom?”
”Well, humans have their traditions, elves have theirs, and satyrs do too,” he said.
”You're losing me.”
”We're together now, and it's customary for our parents to meet and break bread and stuff,” he said.
The way he described his traditions made them seem inauthentic or made up on the spot.
”You're serious?”
”You know how my mom feels about you. Meeting your parents, both of them, would help smooth things over,” Wes added.
”Do you have to tell your parents?” I asked.
I wasn't ashamed of Wes, but as I said, it felt like he was moving fast.
”They're gonna notice something eventually, better to be upfront about it,” he said.
We cut down a back road close to the woods, and the natural forest ambiance gave our conversation cover.
”Well ... I'm not sure about telling my dad about 'us' yet,” I admitted.
”Oh,” Wes responded with his whole body almost immediately slumping over with what might have been shame or embarrassment I caused.
”I don't mean it like that, it's just,” I started to say.
I searched for the right words to say, but Wes put it bluntly.
”I'm a dude, and you're a dude, we're both dudes.”
”I'm not sure if we should jinx things by declaring it yet,” I added.
”Well, it doesn't have to be now, just soon.”
”I'll think about it,” I said, attempting to table the conversation.
We walked a few steps before Wes found our next dilemma of discussion.
”About the Triplets,” he started to say.
”I don't even want to know,” I said, laughing at the thought of Wes with those three girls in any capacity.
It was getting dark out. We didn't talk about much else after that, but when your friends with someone for long enough silence doesn't have to be awkward. I wish we'd been talking about something, at least then I could have blamed what happened next on my being distracted.
We were entering the neighborhood when I took a step too far. The sidewalk collapsed under me, and I fell underground into sewer water.
”Fuck,” I said as I splashed down and nearly impaled myself on the rubble.
Above me, Wes stood outside the hole looking down at me. His face said it all.
”You ok?” He asked.
”I'm fine.”
I was wondering when my streak of bad luck would kick back in. While I was split into my halves, something kept my lousy streak of accidents from rolling. Naturally, I expected after putting myself back together, my incidents would come back if not worse than before.
I started to climb out but quickly noticed something that made me freeze. There was a sound growing in the distance. Running water. There was a wave of sewage heading in my direction. With no ladder or rope at my disposal, I couldn't get out fast enough. I might have used my floating spell if I weren't afraid of using it outside. I jumped and tried to reach Wes while he reached out to grab my hand. The wave grew near enough for Wes to hear it as clearly as I did. He caught my hand, but it was too late. The tide pulled me under, and I pulled Wes with me. We were washed through a man-sized pipe with no sign of the filth infested water slowing down. I couldn't see anything. I couldn't hear anything. All I felt was Wes gripping my hand, and the water engulfing us while trying to shred our bodies. Things went dark for a moment until Wes managed to grab hold of something. He held on long enough for the water to pass us, and finally, we were able to breathe.
”Find a way out,” I exclaimed breathlessly and hardly able to move.
Wes being abnormally strong for his lithe size, managed to stand upright enough to drag me along. We didn't know where we were going, but we couldn't standstill. There was another wave coming, and I wasn't sure we'd make it through a second round. We took a number of lefts and rights searching for an exit, which wasn't easy considering it was pitch black. We didn't know where we were underground. If not for Wesson's tight grip of my hand, we would have lost one another moving so quickly through the maze of pipes.
We found an exit.
It was in the distance, but even with it being dark out, light shining through from the outside made it clear we were almost out. Wes picked me up and carried me all the way over until we were met with a single obstacle. The exit was blocked off by a set of metal rods similar to that of a jail cell. Wes tried to bend them, but he wasn't strong enough. On the other side of the bars was a wooded area. If we could have gotten through, we would have been safe.
If nothing else, we were away from the rushing water enough to avoid it sweeping us away again.
We tried calling out for help, but no one came. Wes tried to punch and bend the bars until he wore himself out. All we could do was wait unless I did something I really didn't want to.
”I guess now you get your wish,” Wes said.
”What wish?” I asked, exhausted.
”You get to spend more time with me,” he joked before joining me on the wet, warped floor.
We were laid out on the ground like a couple of corpses. The smell of raw sewage becoming the fragrance of our clothes kept us awake when we were too weak to move.
”There's something I can do,” I said.
”Then do it,” Wes responded quickly but with sluggish demeanor.
”Maybe someone will come along though,” I tried to be stupidly optimistic.
”Pitch, if you can get us out of here somehow, please just do it,” he said.
”Fine...I have to call my mom.”