After leaving Tawn's room after a restless night of sleep between the coiling snakes, and darting for a hot shower in my own in the morning, I wasn't expecting to be met with Balae's hopeful face tapping at the door as I laid in my bed.
I had to remind myself that others chose to live here too. Even though they had the whole world to set up a home in, this dump was the preferred place for some.
Answering the door, I kept myself inside. Wedging a head around the barrier, I smiled politely to her, hopeful to maybe get whatever they wanted over with quickly so I could catch some proper sleep before too many people started showing up.
"Good morning" Balae grinned and shook their head, dipping it slightly "I was hoping to catch you."
She looked towards Tawn's door and peered at me in interest.
I did the same, feeling my gut knot at their sly smile.
How did she know I had been in there? It had been a good while since I had snuck out, so maybe she had been told by one of the three snakes? Was being caught like this going to jeopardize things within the rankings? Associations had to be carefully planned so that the species we preferred wasn't too shunned by another.
Tawn could hold his own. I doubted that Balae would shunt him or his younger friends to the side since her own partner was also a snake.
"Walk with me?"
It was leaning more towards a demand than a question. I glanced again, knowing I wouldn't be able to decline.
"Sure" I smiled again and slipped out of my room.
What was all this about?
40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMRyJyw8ci
The tapping of Balae's claws echoed off the walls when I followed behind her nervously. She turned her head slightly to look at me, catching my worried face before I had a chance to fix it.
"You aren't in trouble" she chuckled.
"I'm just wondering what you want with me?" I voiced "we don't really talk."
Or do anything, for that matter. I was so fixed on my job and little circle that I never ventured further to befriend the other birds around here.
It was my own fault I didn't know the names of the snakes who accompanied the music for our performances all these years. It was an embarrassing blunder.
Without having Balae introduce herself at the roundup, I wouldn't know her name either.
"Currently, you are the only star left here" Balae spoke, tapping up the stairs to backstage "Nisha didn't show up on his chandelier this morning after Lumi was fired, and Tawn is off with Silera."
"Wait" I stopped as I tried to process what I had just heard "they're both gone?!"
I didn't think Tawn would be up and about after last night. I already knew Nisha had snuck off the moment I couldn't find him after talking to Alowyn.
"For now" Balae looked over her shoulder to me "but, freedom is tempting. You've had it too."
So she saw that. Was there anything she didn't see?
"You don't think they will come back?"
Balae tapped a toe on the ground, thinking.
"Maybe not."
She started to move again. I kept up.
"But Silera is your mate" I frowned "and he..."
"I let him" she stopped my accusation before it begun "and it's a risk I have to take if we are going to raise a family together."
So they had been breeding up there. That made sense from the noises I heard.
And I shared that with everyone else last night....
I burned and dropped my head when she eyed me again.
Her feet clicked down the stairs to the bar area. Mine clunked heavily after.
"They have to come back before tonight" I spoke up "the show can't go on without them."
Balae stopped and turned towards me.
"Can't it? Bruce made it quite clear he's willing to fire anyone who doesn't follow his rules."
"Yeah, but, that's the others" I waved my free hand "we're special to him."
I hated how much it sounded like I was perching us on a pedestal above literally everyone else. It felt like I was sharing the same ideals by saying it out loud.
Balae let out a little snicker and stopped to open the door to the tunnel for me.
"Are we going outside?" I eyed it, unsure.
Staying within the grounds was harmless. But with the talk of everyone else already out there, it felt like she was wanting me to run off too.
It was tempting, but I didn't have anything prepared for such a spontaneous thought.
A few more hours and Adrian would be here. I could have a better plan with a getaway vehicle.
"You first" I leant across to hold it open for her.
She smiled and took the lead, waiting for us to be snapped into darkness.
"You need to be prepared to leave" Balae spoke as soon as we were alone "Bruce isn't going to take it well if he finds out his stars are leaving his grounds after all this time."
"If he finds out" I scoffed.
"He sleeps in his office" Balae replied bluntly "he watches his cameras. Silera has told me how he just sits and stares some days, drinking away. You've been very, very lucky he's been distracted."
I followed the feet scuffing ahead, smirking at the information.
"Maybe his liver will fail before he can piss off the wrong person then?"
Balae shared the amusement, clacking out a brief melody of laughter with me.
"Just don't count on staying here forever. You need to get a plan together; you all do."
She opened the other door to briefly blind me.
"All of us?"
"It'll work better if you leave together" she didn't leave the door frame, tilting her head upwards to where the camera would be mounted outside "you already work well as a team."
I grimaced, knowing that wasn't true at all.
"My point is, you can get further with three of you than trying to rough it alone back out there."
My eyes lifted to her finger pointing to the open gate and the trees lining the road beyond.
She saw my interest in her idea. Lowering her arm, she tapped a toe.
"Walk with me."
Nodding, I did eagerly.
40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwVoSlcDwX
Nestled around the side of the building, we weren't out of sight of the cameras. One was mounted up on the side of the roof, pointing down at us.
It was a wonder Bruce hadn't seen us all leaving when we did.
Sitting up on the table, we turned our backs on the camera and faced the gate.
"The one around the other side is tilted just a little too far to the right" Balae jerked her head to the one I saw pointing down to the door, directing me to the side wall where another was hidden "you can use the blindspots to move a whole snake through there."
She chuckled. I was confused on what she meant exactly.
"Get a plan ready. Save some money; learn to drive. If you guys are going to go back home, you'll want to get as far from here as quickly as possible."
Looking to Balae, she made sure to keep her face solely forward.
"Why are you saying this?"
"Because I've seen how unhappy it makes you all" she replied without acknowledging me "it's no life having to do the same tricks day in and day out while Bruce tries to see how many bones he can break."
Her eye slid down to my arm I held close.
Our eyes met and I felt my breath catch in my throat when her intimidating stare faced me.
"What about everyone else?" I worried again.
"Think about yourselves" Balae grew stern now "you, Nisha, and Tawn. Everyone else has a choice. You three don't."
We both faced the gate, letting silence settle between us.
The breeze was quite nice. Everything was calm, despite the honking cars a few meters away.
"What about you?" I asked.
Balae shrugged, leaning back on their hands.
"If I lose everything to escape and go wild with Silera, then so be it. It's up to her, she's the one who has to put the energy into having our family. I'll do whatever I can to make sure it works, but in the end, I'm not going to go against what she thinks is best."
"Even if that means you'll stay here?"
She sighed, tilting her head up to the sky.
"It won't be for much longer. He wants to de-fang her, and the doctor has already been sneaking around last night. It's getting too dangerous to try and stay here. After Tawn gets back, I think I'll have to drop the idea of moving on again. Silera isn't too keen on it all. We've got somewhere warm and sort of near food. It could be better, but she's too worried about abandoning a good nest."
I voiced my agreement and understanding, nodding along in sympathy.
How many others were in similar circumstances? Maybe after we left, it would all repeat again with a cast of new stars and partners? I was already training another. It wasn't a far-fetched idea and one I had milled over before.
Perhaps there was a way to prove the abuse happening here and make sure Bruce was unable to work another job in his life? Make it better for the others who needed the money to support themselves?
Paragon could be a good place. We could make that happen.
But how?
"I need help" I stated, realising "we can't leave until we fix things here."
Balae sighed at me.
"You may not have that much time."
Determined, I kept my eyes ahead at the gate.
"I'm going to have to make time. For all of our sakes."
Especially Tawn's. Bruce was doing something to him. He didn't have to say it out loud for me to notice.
"Bruce is using his power to get away with what he wants" I spoke up "we have to stop that."
"How?" Balae frowned now, tapping a finger on the wood "it's not like you can barge into his office with a phone and start filming him decking into someone."
So it was beating? I thought it was something more sinister? Unless Balae was just giving an example from what happened recently.
Could Bruce punch someone so hard that they vomited and sobbed like that?
Bruce had to have another way to incriminate him. Phones could be hidden, but didn't he also have...?
"The contracts" I breathed.
Balae peered down, confused.
"What if I grab the contracts? They can't be legal. That could help."
She pondered my idea, humming.
"It could work, but you also need to catch Bruce in action. You need to plant a camera in his office where he won't notice it."
I sighed, knowing I certainly didn't have one of those. And even if I did get one, where would be a spot he didn't look often, but was still good enough to capture the best recording?
"Maybe one of the others can help?"
Grimacing again, I bought my hands to my mouth to try and hide my uncertainty.
"I don't know them."
I felt a nail on my leg and saw Balae smiling.
"It isn't too late to meet them."
I wasn't so sure. The first time any of them had seen me at my most vulnerable was when my wings were being cut from me. The next was when I was forced to choose my replacement from the lineup. Neither instances made me seem like an approachable person, or someone any of them would want to be associated with.
"You met me" Balae nudged me, grinning "that's a start."
Rolling my eyes back, I knew this didn't count.
"Some of the others like to gamble in the back rooms. You could try there."
Instantly, I was nervous. Who knew what kinds of people I'd meet in there and if they would be welcoming to a star intruding something that was meant to be secret.
"I could go a few rounds" Balae smiled again, chuckling "do you have money on you? Something valuable?"
I shook my head, jerking a thumb to the direction of my room.
"It's all back in my bed."
"Go grab a few bucks and we can play Sparrow's Foot. It's an easy game, and you might win something."
Sparrow's Foot? What kind of odd name was that?
Instantly, I raised a brow.
"What about you?"
Balae giggled and shrugged.
"I don't exactly get paid. Bruce thinks that me living up in the roof is payment enough for the work I do."
"That's shit" I wrinkled my nose.
"Well, I can still go and catch my food and take in the breeze when I get around the power lines, so it's not all bad" she replied.
Knowing I couldn't share the same freedom, I gave a quick nod and looked down at my hand gripping the table to help support me.
She noticed and nudged me again.
"We've got a few hours. Want to play?"
I shrugged and agreed, not sure what else I'd do anyway.
Maybe I could find out more about the others and get them to help with my cause? I could try and pry for a camera from one of them after breaking the ice over a game.
40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX74BrEkleL
Balae met me at the end of the hallway and right beside the ladder Nisha usually lived at the top of. Rather than climbing it, she led the way past it and down around the part of the stage where Lumi usually sang. She was on her phone, smiling and snickering at something being typed out. Over her shoulders laid a branch of thin bristled leaves that clumped around an odd green fruit that had thorns growing from the bright skin.
Dropping down, she waited for me to slide after her nervously, following along the wall towards another ladder on the far side.
Before we got there, Balae stopped at a door on our left, raising a foot to knock so she could keep typing.
It was a particular tune that almost mimicked a usual three part rap.
Two sounded out before a pause. Balae added the last one after.
"Who is it?" someone called out. A young girl.
"Who do you think?" Balae snorted back "I bought a newbie."
The door opened in the same fashion I had opened mine to Balae this morning. I saw the wooden feathers and recognized the small girl as the Tawny Frogmouth.
Did I get her name? I remember she was very excited about meeting the other one like her.
She grinned and beamed up at Balae who fluffed up in joy. Grinning, the girl looked to me.
"I would never have thought you'd be joining us."
I hung back shyly, just smiling to try and keep her unnerving wide eyes from me.
"I'll help him out with the game" Balae spoke up, now making her loot obvious over her shoulders "I've got more fruits."
Without another word, she opened the door wide.
"Balae!" a voice greeted her enthusiastically and rushed forth to clap hands with her "fancy seeing you here after so long!"
Balae seemed bashful for a moment. She shook her head in greeting, even crooning a little.
The excited friend was a rust coloured dog with a long black snout. Their black mouth hung open and dried tongue hung over their front fangs. I saw their bushy tail wagging from behind blue overalls adorned with flowers around the clips.
Through bright brown eyes, they obviously held Balae in high regard. White fur arched above the browline and continued along the jaws. It continued down the neckline to the shirt under the overalls.
The undersides of both orange arms were white, reaching up to lift off the branch and take it into the room.
"That is Tilly" Balae leant over to me as she pressed a hand on my back and gently nudged me inside so the door could be closed "she's always such a happy person."
Tilly bobbed over to the side of another, leaning in close to mutter to them while gesturing to the branches she held.
The other was the irritated black and brown bird-legged person with the split lip and claw marks up one side of his face near his chin.
I already knew this guy had a horrible attitude in general. He glared to me and audibly huffed while accepting the branches to lean against the wall beside them. I saw there was also a pack of drinks and a plastic bag of some sort of deep blue cloth.
His name was Oliver. He was an easy one to remember when he acted like chosing Alowyn was a death sentence.
Of course I wouldn't let anything like that happen to him. Oscar was just a prick.
"Hybrids only!" Oliver called from across the room "last I checked, he is barely scraping in."
He flicked a finger to me, sneering.
"He's still got wings" one spoke up from one side of a fold up table they were carrying over to the middle of the small room.
The appearance of them stunned me for a moment. Here, in this room, was a glossy black cat with a faint dark brown swirled through on its hips and head.
It leant back on its chair and had its feet up on the table. Cat paws were exposed, revealing spotted black and pink padding underneath
It's tail swept on the floor when it eyed Tilly taking a seat opposite to lean over, wanting to touch one of its toes as her own tail wagged furiously.
The only thing it wore was a blue collar with a shiny tag glinting below it in the shape of a fish.
"Stumps count as wings" it pointed out, flattening it's ears at Tilly to make her recoil with a whimper.
Oliver snickered along with another wheeling over a whiteboard. I saw their amusement in my pain and stung inside.
"Come sit" Balae pressed a hand to my back "you can go next to Tilly."
Her face lit up when she saw me approaching, and she gave up her chair to fetch another from the pile folded against the wall.
The cat stared me down. I blinked back, nervously staring at the etched "Kitty" on the collar it covered.
The one who was pushing the whiteboard coughed out to gain our attention. As it was turned, the Tawny came to happily sit beside me.
A woman with short white hair flicked out above her shoulders stood before us. Her face was a light pink; too hued to be any colour seen on a human that hadn't been sitting in the sun for a bit too long. It looked like she had been burnt from the elbow down, her arms covered in a greyish fuzz.
Her eyes were also dark brown. They seemed stern but also kind as they swept over us and turned to the board she pointed with a pink finger.
Some sort of ape? Nisha would know her for sure.
"I don't want any IOU's today" she tapped the columns and names "Bonny, you still owe from last time."
The Tawny gasped out as she remembered and quickly threw a fistful of crumpled notes on the table that the woman scraped towards her, marking off the board.
"Since we have a new player, I'll make a new row" she explained as she drew a line across for me "is it spelled like the bird cage?"
I blushed when the others giggled back.
"Take out the i and change the second a to an e."
She grinned and promptly rubbed out the letters to fix my name.
Smiling at it, I was made aware of the empty table between everyone.
Balae shadowed my shoulder. Bonny was to my right and Tilly to my left.
Opposite me was Kitty. To her right was Oliver. Another empty chair was next to him that I assumed was for the woman.
She pulled out a deck of cards from the pocket of her flowing green pants, shuffling them as she approached the table.
Balae leant close, making sure to lower her voice for me.
"You'll get four cards. Three lay across the top and one below them, like a foot formation. To win, you have to make the lowest 'feet' in both red and black. There will be one in the middle that is face- down. You can draw from it, but it'll be a mystery what you get. If you draw, you have to replace it with one you have. All cards are face-down."
"So, lowest wins?"
She nodded, refusing cards so that she could focus on mine.
I peeled each one up from the back while she used her wings to stop the others from peeking.
It wasn't looking good. A black three, black eight, black queen, and a red king.
Balae grimaced, pointing out the suits.
"Get rid of those first. They are ten each. Don't forget to sort them into piles by colour."
I looked around to see the others making fragmented feet. All cards were carefully guarded and face-down.
Glancing over, Oliver was deadly serious now. He tossed a ten onto the table to start the betting.
"How good do you think your odds are?" Balae whispered.
I grimaced back.
"Honestly, not good."
Kitty and Oliver clearly saw my doubts. Kitty smirked to him, confidently tossing in fifteen he handed her.
I rummaged under the table and found a five in my pocket. I slid that across, to his scoff.
"Can't afford anything more, big star?" Oliver teased.
Balae leant over to pull off three of the fruits and roll them onto the table. I could see little ants roaming around the spikes.
Oliver wrinkled up in disgust. Bonny laughed, throwing in a ten that the ants immediately started to trail to.
Tilly looked nervous, rolling across two single two dollar coins that the others scoffed and laughed at.
The white haired woman slid over a five and added in three packets of brown gum.
"Weak" Balae teased.
"Better get them before the ants do" she shrugged back, smirking.
With betting done, the game started.
Oliver replaced one card with one from the middle foot. I saw disappointment he tried to hide.
Kitty confidently passed.
I pulled out the red king and avoided the one Oliver had just swapped, taking the bottom of the foot instead.
Peeling it up, I was met with a glimmering picture of two sparrows fighting. The words were mirrored in the same way as the birds that had gold foil swirled around and through them.
Balae's eyes grew wide. Instantly she ducked down to my side, shielding her beak with a wing.
"That's the best card of the deck" she muttered excitedly "you can play it to pick any cards you want from someone else's deck. You can replace each one with one of your own or make them draw from the middle. You can use this to make a whole foot to your advantage and make them better more. Up your bet."
Rummaging again, I added a twenty to the pile.
"Bullshit" Kitty called out instantly "one card doesn't change a whole foot."
"Unless he got the sparrow already?" Bonny smiled, peering down at the hidden cards hopefully.
"I'm not telling" I replied smugly.
Oliver narrowed his eyes at me, huffing.
"I call bullshit too" he jabbed a finger "he's playing us."
"You sure?" Balae added.
Tilly grinned, her tail wagging again at us.
Kitty grumbled, adding a five. She was sure she had the better deck. Maybe I'd target her?
Balae placed in two more fruits to the pile.
It was back around the table again. Oliver drew.
Kitty drew, sharing her card with Oliver smugly.
"Should I play it?" I whispered to Balae.
"It'd be a good time. First to get both lowest feet wins."
The winnings weren't much. I don't even know what I'd do with the useless fruits.
I held the card, not sure how to go about such a bold move.
"Place it down face up, then pick your person" Balae instructed.
Slapping it down, there was a round of excited gasps amongst scoffs.
"I choose Oliver" I grinned.
"Yeah, sure, pick on the actual bird" he huffed as I got up from my seat to move around to his shoulder and be shown his cards.
Balae followed, angering him further.
"This should be classed as cheating" he loudly complained when I pulled out a red one, black two, and red five, to replace with my highest cards still in my hand.
"Balae did say she would be helping him" the woman replied "it's allowed for now."
Peeling out another black five, I had a nice hand I took back to my seat with me to spread into two broken feet.
"Cheat" Oliver accused again now that I was opposite him, throwing down his cards "I'm out."
"But, you can still draw" Bonny insisted.
"What's the point? He's got Big Bill up there leaning over his shoulder. It's not fair."
With folded arms, he sat back in deep irritation.
The game hesitantly continued around him.
So, he was a sore loser. Oliver liked to be in charge.
"It wasn't personal" I spoke up.
"Sure, sure" he sneered "trying to smooth it over, as usual."
Hurting, I drew, giving up a five for an eight.
Tilly's tail wagged, despite the conflict between us. She grinned to Oliver who refused to make eye contact.
Now that I had Oliver out of the way, now could be a good time to see where alliances stood with Bruce. I couldn't bring up my plan if someone here was going to whisper it all directly in his ear.
"Does this happen often? Maybe I could bring Nisha or Tawn around next time. I'm sure they would be interested."
Oliver scowled and Kitty drew back a little. Even Bonny looked nervous.
"I'm putting my fist down on that" Oliver slammed his on the table to rattle his cards, pointing a finger to me "no! Absolutely not!"
"Nisha is a snitch" Bonny voiced.
"Tawn will strangle us over a bad round" the woman spoke up now "it's best if snakes don't come around."
"No scalies" Oliver snapped to me "always been that way and always will be. They're dangerous!"
Bonny and Tilly nodded. The woman and Kitty stayed out of it. I didn't even see what Balae was doing behind me.
That was true, but he wouldn't blow up over a game of cards, would he?
The distrust of Nisha ran deep in this place. They knew his advantage was partially bad for them. It made me feel sorry for him. Maybe he had less friends than I first thought?
Not even species stuck together.
"What if Bruce finds out about this?" I pried as I picked another card; a red five "is this legal?"
"So, you are going to snitch too?" Oliver laughed out "unbelievable!"
"No!" I defended instantly, waving my hands "I just want to make sure we aren't going to get into trouble being here. Bruce can be...."
I made a noise and pulled a face. They seemed to understand.
"He's too busy looking in other directions" the woman tried to soothe me through a smile "he's... let's say... watching you lot more than everyone else."
More chuckles. I was the target, of course. I knew that.
"So, would he be looking this way since I'm here?"
Oliver looked up to Balae nervously. Kitty followed suit.
"Silera is out. I don't know where he is" she replied.
This also made the woman nervous.
"Let's call the game" she decided "if we don't have eyes, we are playing blind."
He scared them too. But, it still didn't tell me if they would report to him out of fear.
"But, the signal hasn't happened" Tilly pointed to the roof.
I looked up, expecting to find something there other than the beginnings of mould stains.
They had a lookout that wasn't someone already living up in the roof. Someone else was making a home up here, or just really liked to come to work early.
This was really getting interesting. I was also running out of time.
"Do you not like Bruce?" I pressed.
The woman laid out her cards, biting her lip.
"I have worked for better people."
Playing neutral. She didn't want to stir the pot.
"He's a piece of shit" Kitty sneered "you know what he did when I got hired here?"
Oliver groaned. Tilly giggled. They knew the story.
"He gave me a litter tray! Told me if I needed to go that I could use that instead of the actual toilets!"
There was laughter at her. Kitty hissed back, trying to silence them and keep her dignity through embarrassment.
"He gave me a box of bird seed" I added to her mumbles for Oliver to shut up.
Kitty looked up to me in surprise.
"Really?"
No, but we could connect over the mutual shame we were supposed to have.
"It was the green one" I shook a finger in thought "uh..."
"Shrill?" Kitty offered as she flipped her cards.
I nodded, grinning.
"He's an absolute cunt" I pointed out.
She laughed at my foul mouth. The others shared shock and amusement at my blatant hate for the one I directly answered to.
It wasn't enough for Brice to act on if it did reach him. Sure, he wouldn't like me bad-mouthing him, but at least I could deal with something minor in return. He wouldn't risk hurting me further, but I wasn't untouchable.
Tilly flipped her cards, revealing the lowest score so far. Flying under the radar, she had used my focus on those opposite me to her advantage to steadily build up an excellent hand.
"Is it true that you sleep in the office with him?" Oliver smirked when I showed my stolen hand to them "I heard you walk the halls at night, snooping."
"Snooping?" I choked out "I rarely go out. I definitely am not heading to his office once the show is over. It's creepy when it's so quiet."
Oliver didn't look convinced. I don't even know where he heard such a rumour.
"I heard you mated your singing partner" Bonny turned her cards "is that true too?"
Instantly burning, I had completely forgotten about Adrian's covered arms and how that might have looked to the others.
He hadn't been as slick as he thought with lying about the cause.
"I haven't done that with him" I mumbled back, dropping my eyes.
It made me look so guilty, but I was too ashamed to admit it is what I wanted. If it had been true, I probably would hold my head high and drink in the awe at such an achievement.
Bonny bristled up through a grin. The others noticed my unease. Oliver whispered something to Kitty to make her stifle a laugh.
"Are you gay?" Oliver blurted.
Burning again, I didn't answer.
"Do you like girls at all?" he pressed, trying to decipher where I was aligned.
"Hey!" the woman intervened "who he likes isn't up to you to decide. If he likes boys, so be it. Let the kid be himself."
"Oh, I'm not judging" he waved a hand towards me "I was just seeing if what I thought was true."
His smirk was wide. He was revelling in my discomfort and the juicy information he had decided for himself.
"Kind of obvious when he's basically begging for it every night up on the ribbons; whoring himself to everyone...."
"Oliver!" Kitty gasped, a laugh on her voice.
"Out!" the woman pointed to the door "go on! You too, Kitty!"
Both of them got up, shuffling for the door. Oliver paused at it to smile slyly at me before disappearing.
"I'm sorry about them" the woman apologized as she scraped cards and Tilly raked in her winnings "he always runs his mouth before thinking with that bird brain of his."
I smiled at her, shrugging it off.
"It's ok" I said.
"It really isn't" Bonny spoke up "you can't help the way you have to perform. Even if Bruce knew the importance of it, he wouldn't care. He'd laugh at you the way the others do."
My gut dropped when I turned to Bonny.
"They...laugh at me?"
I was a joke without even knowing it. No wonder Oliver always had a snort on his breath when talking to me. He only saw me as the whore he envisioned me as.
Dancing was a special rite to most birds. For me, it was a forced mixture of both. I was a spectacle for the humans while dirtying the meaning with the hybrids that mocked me.
I didn't know it was that bad. I should have guessed that something usually reserved for a sexual act would be ridiculed when made into a exaggerated show.
How was I supposed to befriend them now when I knew none of them respected me?
"I think it's beautiful" Bonny laid a hand on my shoulder as she got up "if you find your partner, you never let them go, ok?"
I nodded to her and felt something click into place.
"Are you and the other Tawny....?"
She grinned and blushed.
"Strigo is very kind. I'm not passing up another opportunity like this to try and become a pair."
I understood. Even though they weren't endangered, I hadn't seen many Tawnies together, wild or hybrid. The opportunity was far too perfect for them. They clicked so well when they first laid eyes on each other.
At least Bonny was seeing me as a person, rather than a joke.
"Good luck with it all" she started to move from me "and I hope your arm heals quickly."
Smiling, she left the room. Tilly juggled the fruits and pressed one against me to take, making a quick getaway too.
Balae gathered the rest happily and joined my side. The ape woman was already flipping over the whiteboard and wheeling it to stash against a wall. It still had my name scribbled onto it.
With a gentle nudge, I headed for the door too, checking around it for any sign of Bruce.
There was no-one else but Oliver. He leant against the wall as if he were waiting for me.
"Come on then, Chicken Wings" he tilted his head for me to follow "are you always this slow?"
I turned to Balae, frowning.
Did I want to follow him after what he had said?
"Be nice" Balae warned him "or I know where you'll be."
He waved her off, dismissing her with a scoff.
He wasn't scared of her either. Was it all put on or was he really that fearless?
"I'll be upstairs if you need me" Balae leant down to me "go. You'll be fine."
After his verbal abuse? I wasn't so sure.
But Balae had faith in him, so maybe he'd be different if it was just us? He wouldn't have an audience to impress.
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Cautiously, I approached him. His eyes slid down to the fruit I held that he snatched off me to shake off the ants.
Digging his thumbs into the side, he cracked it open to reveal a lumpy interior that was similar to a yellowed mandarin. One was stuck to each side of the fruit.
Oliver passed me half, digging in to rip up a slimy section to drop down his throat.
"It's like pecans and dark chocolate" he explained when I didn't touch mine "if you don't want it, I'll eat it."
Handing it over, Oliver was delighted.
Looks like he could be easily bribed with food.
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He led the way back down the hall to the rooms. Ignoring them, he kept walking towards the cleaning closet at the back. Right before it, he turned left to wedge down a narrow hall that turned sharply and ran downwards before jutting left and then heading straight once more to open up into a larger area.
Opposite us was a bench that ran along the wall. On it was a single microwave nestled beside a fridge. To the left, in line with the top of the fridge, was three cabinets for cups. Beneath that was some sort of small oven and air-fryer combo.
Underneath the bench, there was more doors to suggest storage for eating.
A little wall jutted out to signal the end of what was supposed to be an open kitchen. A back dock surrounded the rest of the area, with a large roller door to the right.
Oliver approached a button on the wall to press it and watch the door squeal and wobble as it began to reel open.
Beside us were pallets stacked on top of each other and shoved along the wall. Others blocked in the ones at the back, slapped with stickers not to stack more than two high. Several were teetering on three or four.
"Come on" Oliver caught my attention as he sucked under the door.
Watching it still moving, I did the same to see the same tall fence surrounding the area around us.
A large flat loading dock area rested before us. With lines painted through it, they curved and led up to open gates lined up towards a road stretching further onwards.
Looking up, I saw another camera pointing on us. At the corner of the building sat another that faced the fence and curving road inside the area.
There were stacks of crates lined beside the rolling door. Oliver peeled off one for me to slide across the concrete. He came over to drop his beside mine and sit on it to eat his fruit.
He offered my half again that I refused.
"I wanted you to come out here because I think you might be up to something."
Side-eying him, my body froze up.
How did he know? Did I give myself away too easily?
"You've still got a while on the arm, don't you?" he pointed to it.
I nodded, looking down to it tucked in as well.
"How are you going to get far on that?"
I forced a laugh, glancing to Oliver.
"I've got no idea what you mean."
He glared blankly back, still picking at the fruit.
"Come on. You lot have a plan, don't you? The attacks, the fact you've been acting out; it's all linked. You guys aren't going to stay here. You may look like a human, but you aren't giving up to that side. You've still got your stumps and that wild look in your eyes."
Grinning, I lowered them at the unintended admiration.
"Plus the fact you couldn't possibly sleep your way through everyone in the crowd."
There it was. I should have known.
"So....". Oliver continued, chewing the fruit "...how are you going to drag your little lover out there with you? You taking him out to whatever tree you used to live in?"
He grinned, picking off more segments as he waited for me to answer.
"He's human" I simply said "he wouldn't survive out there."
Even though he didn't have those problems in my dreams, reality was a lot crueler. Adrian needed food, water, and shelter; things I could go without much longer than he could.
"Balae told me we would have to do it together" I revealed to him.
With a look of surprise, Oliver slurped up the fruit.
"When?"
I shrugged.
How long did I really have? The lack of schedule was making me nervous. If Tawn and Nisha did return, who knew when they would leave again and find a reason to not come back?
It has to be before this arm healed. Three months was too long.
I couldn't learn to drive with it too, like Balae wanted. It would have to be Nisha or Tawn who did that.
And they were still tied up in whatever else they were doing out there.
I couldn't get Adrian to drive us either. I was certain that all three of our homes were nowhere near each other's. With Nisha originally from overseas, he probably preferred to live out further than the rest of us in this country.
I knew from his story that he roamed with a Great Dane before coming here. He never specified exactly where. And after going by so many different names, he could prefer to live another one of his many lives elsewhere and reconnect with whoever was linked to them.
"Do you think it'll be hard?" I asked Oliver.
He looked to the camera above us, then to the gates.
"To get out of here? No. But to stay out there? Yes. Who knows what he'll do to try and get you all back, or if he'll just give up and start over here. If you guys leave, we are dead."
I agreed, mulling over the idea in my head with a snort.
"Not if he dies first."
Oliver scoffed, laughing and shaking his head.
"Yeah, right."
Continuing to look at him, his face fell.
"Wait, you're serious?"
I shrugged, scuffing my foot on the ground.
"They're expecting someone venomous to do the job. If we were already leaving, would they really chase a wild animal?"
"If you could revert back that quickly" Oliver thought it over "away from humans completely, it could work. But what about Paragon?"
"I've got to incriminate him first" I explained "he's got the contracts in his office I want to see. I know he's doing something to Tawn, but I've got to prove it."
"What if he does something to you instead?" Oliver spoke up.
We faced each other in silence for a while. He tilted his head.
"Hide a phone and go in there yourself. Surely it's not that bad?"
"Tawn was crying and throwing up" I frowned now "it couldn't have been good."
"It'll get your evidence" Oliver shrugged, eating again.
It didn't seem like he was taking this seriously. Then again, he was helping me.
Maybe it would work? It certainly would be easier than trying to blindly search for another way to set up a phone or camera someone would be willing to give to someone they barely knew?
So, all I had to do was be lured into his office and figure out a way to end this once and for all.
The others would even know what hit them when they returned.
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