Lost Amongst Many

Chapter 53

-Preston's POV-
Rob ran up the steps, and I knew why.

He had spoken softly, but my enhanced hearing had picked it up faintly.

I blushed at his receding form, leaning into the leg of Mitch.

"Ow Preston. Too hot. Ow ow ow."

I moved away, suddenly aware of my body temperature.

It had risen without my knowledge.

I slunk up the steps painfully, and made my way to the end of the hall. Rob was sitting on his bed, staring at the window. A single tear was running down his face.

He turned and saw me in the doorway, wiping away at the tear frantically.

"Yeah?"

"I-I heard what you said downstairs."

"You did?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"Rob, I have spent too little time with you. But I will be here for the next half year, or in your time- three years."

"Really? That long?"

"Yes. I have missed surface world friends while I was in the Nether, despite seeing my childhood friends again."

"Childhood? I though you grew up here."

"I did. As a very young child, I became friends with the Star prince and his best friend."

"Vikk and Lachlan? You know them?"

"Yes."

"Wow. You link a bunch of people."

"I do. But for the time being, you need to take down the barrier. It is hurting me right now. Almost worse than my wound."

"I don't know how."

"I can show you. I know how."

I took him out to the deck in his room, and told him to put his hand out until he felt a cold glass-like surface.

"It's right here."

"Now press your fingertips against it. Lay your hand flat on it and make sure your fingerprints are touching the surface."

"Okay."

The barrier shattered beneath his touch.

I returned to my form. I asked Mitch to call Seto, who arrived shortly after.

"I will be remaining here for a while, can you possibly lay an enchantment on me so I can look and walk like a human? You know, so the people of the city will not attack me on sight?"

He found an enchantment in his spell book that worked, and I was suddenly human again.

"That will last as long as you stay on the surface. It'll go away in the Nether, but come back whenever you're in the surface again. K?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"K imma go eat dinner with Kara and Kenny. Mitch, you coming?"

"I'll come. Jerome's going home so I'll go with you now. Bye Rob. Bye Preston."

"Good bye!"

"Bye dude!"

Then left.

"So you were serious about staying?"

"Why not?"

"Preston I'm teaching you modern English if it kills me. Your formality is gonna short-circuit my brain."

"Sorry, it is a natural habit of speech for my kind."

"I know but it's confusing. At least try and use contractions."

"What is contractions?"

"Smashing two words together to make it easier to say."

"Like what?"

"It's."

"And that is?"

"It is, but shortened to i t apostrophe s. Or wouldn't. That one is would not, but shortened to w o u l d n apostrophe t."

"So you are being lazy with language."

"Yeah. We humans are basic. We don't care about saying every word anymore."

"Dewnt?"

"Do not, but spelled D o n apostrophe t."

"Oh."

"Try one."

"Dewnt."

"Stop pronouncing a 'w' sound. Say it like dough, like pizza dough. With an 'nt' at the end."

"Doughn't."

"Close enough. Take off the end of dough. Say the d sound, then the o, and then the 'nt' sound."

"Don't."

"Good!"

"Good?"