Skinny • Book 1 In The Reality Series

Calum

"Isn't he just a precious little plump lump!"

"Gracie."

"Look at his little trunk! And his little toenails and his eyes! Look closely he has little eyelashes!"

"Gracie."

"I was going to name him Dumbo but that's just too cliche."

"Gracie..."

"And then I thought about naming him Mowgli, you know like in the jungle book but...."

"Gracie!"

Startled, Gracie stopped mid ramble and looked up at me from her perch on the stained floor of the motel room we had purchased and snuck Elliot the Elephant into. Sat beside her looking undeniably adorable Elliot looked up at me and blinked.

"What?" Gracie asked, rubbing the large, floppy ears of her companion.

"You stole an elephant!" I snapped.

"Stole is such a strong word, I prefer the term burrowed."

"When you borrow something you're supposed to give it back." Sierra offered from the bed where she was sitting with Katy, eyeing Elliot nervously, "Unless you're Lexi. You guys know Lexi right? She borrowed my favorite nail polish, Damsel in a Dress, it was like, not the cheap gross goup from the drug store, it was the good stuff and she still hasn't given it back....And that was in ninth grade."

"Sierra." I sighed, running my fingertips through my hair, "Please."

Nodding, Sierra fell silent.

Standing up, Elliott walked around the room sniffing various things with his long, tubular nose before stopping in the corner. Disgusted I watched as he raised his tail and deposited a pile of tirds on the carpet.

"This is why elephants do not belong inside!" I cried, horrified.

"Oh calm down." Gracie grumbled rising to her feet and scooping ip the mess in one of the motel's complimentary white towels, "He doesn't belong in a circus either. Taken away from his mother, tied up, beaten, trained through fear tactics to perform for ignorant humans while they stuff their faces with beaks bones and butts on a bun!"

"Where does he belong then?" I demanded, "You can't keep him, he's an elephant! He's going to be the size of this house in a few years!"

"I know I can't keep him." Gracie scoffed, "My Aunt and Uncle have a wildlife rescue reserve in Florida. I'll take him there."

"You're going to drive across the country with a stolen elephant in your trunk?" I said skeptically.

"No." she mumbled, dumping the towel full of crap in her hands into the toilet and flushing it, "Not exactly."

"Well how do you propose you get him there then, by plane?" I demanded, "Hi, I know I can't bring anything over three ounces but I'm going to bring my pet woolly mammoth!"

"I was thinking that you'd drive." she replied.

"Me?" I yelped, "Gracie! I know you're crazy, that much is blatantly and painfully obvious! But if you think for one minute that I'm going to be a party to this....this.... disaster of a plan then you are sadly mistaken!"

"Oh come on!" Gracie sighed, "Please."

"Why don't you just drive?" Katy questioned.

"I don't have a license." Gracie replied with a shrug.

"But you drove." Sierra said slowly.

"I know how to drive, I just don't have a license. I have photosensitive epilepsy."

"What does that mean?" Sierra asked.

"Flashing lights give her seizures." Katy whispered.

"Tv," Gracie added, "And fireworks, camera flashes, sunlight through slanted blinds, movie theatres are a big no no, so are strobe lights so concerts are out."

"THat's why you never go to school dances!" Sierra gasped, "The lights!"

"No honey." Gracie sighed, "I don't go to school dances because they're peer mandated popularity contest beauty pagent hybrids where if you don't hve the perfect dress or the perfect boy you're somehow inferir to everyone else and if we're being honest I don't have the time or patience for that shit....or to spend hours caking on makeup which I'm just going to sweat off....That, and the lights would have me flopping on the ground like a fish out of water."

"Can we please stick to the problem at hand?" I asked, eyeing Elliott who was trying to reach the package of coffee grounds on the dresser.

"Yes, thank you." Gracie sighed, "I'm going to Florida, who's with me!"

"I'm already late for my curfew." Sierra mumbled.

"Great then what's a few more hours, days, whatever welcome aboard operation save Elliot!"

"I didn't say that." Sierra said quietly, but Gracie had already moved on.

"Katy?"

"What?" Katy questioned, looking somewhat terrified.

"You're in right?" Gracie asked, "You have to be, I honestly can't leave you in good conscious if I come back to find you smeared across the train tracks like road kill I'm going to...well I'm not going to think about it beacuse it's not going to happen beacuse you're coming."

"I can't!" Katy said quickly.

"Why not?" Gracie sighed, "Your life can't be that great if you tried to end it."

Katy looked down.

"Come on." Gracie coaxed, "Please. I want you to come."

"I-I can't."

"You can't, or you won't?"

Taking a deep breath, Katy opened her mouth to reply however was cut off by a shrill, trumpet like scream, coming from Elliot.

"Elliot!" Gracie chided, "Baby hush, Mama is talking."

Turning back to Katy, she rose to her feet, "Are you in or out Katy?"

Katy hesitated, "Calum?"

"What?" I questioned.

"Are you going?"

"Me? No! Absolutely not!"

"Calum, come on." Gracie sighed, "Live a little."

Frowning I looked from her, to Katy to Elliot.

"I'll go if you will." Katy said so quietly I almost missed it.

Hesitating a looked back at the elephant in the corner. An animal who would have grown up beaten into standing on his hind legs for the single purpose of entertaining others.

"Please Daddy." Gracie coaxed in a nasel baby voice, which I presumed belonged to Elliot.

"I'm not his Dad." I said quickly.

"Please Uncle Calum."

"No." I said firmly, 'I'm the dirver, that's it."

"So you're in?" Gracie shrieked.

Frowning, I ran my fingertips through my hair, "I guess."

"That means you're in too Katy!" Gracie cried, "This is going to be great, you won't regret this!"

"Too late." I muttered, "I already do."