The Floaters [cake au] ✔

⌛ ➁ : paintbox ⌛

Chapter 2: paintbox.

Hanging out with Jack, Ashton, Michael and Jenna proved to be really cool – we talked about bands and music, and even sang covers by the bonfire each night. They all lived in the same apartment, and despite having separate bedrooms, they often shared the same bed. It was now the third day I'd been there and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling a bit homesick.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" Michael asked, putting his head of fluff on my shoulder as we watched Ashton and Jenna harmonised whilst Jack played the air guitar.

"Yeah. Just miss home."

"Me too. I wonder when we can go back?"

I shrugged, looking up. This place was certainly more beautiful than earth – the sky was never polluted, so we could see the stars for what they were worth, and the moon always shone brightly in the sun's absence. I'd been staying with the others in their apartment, which was further away from Luke's one, and weirdly I hadn't actually changed out of the clothes he'd given me yet. Mainly because I had nothing to change into.

"Where do we get clothes from?" I asked idly, scratching my jaw.

"I think there's a market in the village to the left, Jenna says she goes there every week to check out what's for sale. We should go with her next time, I think."

"Yeah. I don't think I can stay in the same clothes for any longer."

Speaking of Luke, I hadn't seen the guy since I arrived. I was curious enough to want to see him, but my sense of direction was awful and there was no way I'd be able to find his place again.

Now, what was I saying? The others had specifically told me to stay away from him when I found them the other day. They'd said he was a bit of a weird one; a bit freakish, a bit of a geek. Annoying and childish. I frowned thinking about it, and shut my eyes to block it out.

~

"Let's go! Do you guys have everything?" Jenna checked, staring us both in the eyes whilst we squinted in the bright midday sun. We nodded like obedient schoolchildren and soon after, we set off down a long sandy path that was surrounded by bushes and flowers, and lots of butterflies.

Around half an hour later, we arrived at a market square, where dozens of people had already set up, and sat at their stalls. Lengths of exquisite fabric and jewellery hung from many, whilst others had rows and rows of colourful fruit and vegetables. We tracked down the clothes stall and headed over, Jenna greeting the vendor as if they'd known each other all their life.

"Guys, this is Ryan. Ryan, this is Michael and this is Calum," she introduced, pointing at us. We waved at the cute guy with soft brown hair and eyeliner circling his eyes. He was dressed in black, various necklaces dangling from his neck.

"Nice to meet you," Michael greeted. "So you sell clothes here?"

"Yeah, I do! I have contacts with this dude up in Buttershire who makes them, and he ships them down so I can sell 'em every week. Have a look – I'll give you all a 50% discount, since we're, you know, half dead and all that." We laughed at his dark humour and began to rummage through the piles of coloured items. A lot of them were black, with band logos or signs, and some were plain. I chose a Green Day top and a faded blue loose fitting vest. They'd do for now.

Suddenly, Ryan gasped and came round to the front where we were standing and pointed at my shirt. "Holy fuck, you know The Offspring?!"

I had no idea what was going on, so I stood there and smiled.

"Literally you are my spirit animal! No one that I've seen in the four years I've been here has heard of them! I love them so much... I was seeing them when I got hit and sent here... damn, you're awesome!" he exclaimed, jumping up and down and embracing me in a hug. I still had no idea what was happening.

"Haha... yeah totally!" I let out. Michael looked at me with one raised eyebrow and I replied with a 'wtf' face. "I'll... just get these," I said once he'd finally let go. He took them with a massive grin and put them in a bag for me.

"You, mister, can have them for free. You two though, need to pay up. Come on."

Jenna protested, "But I've known you for so long! You've literally only just met Calum."

"All sales are final. If you want your clothes, you need to pay for them!"

Michael chuckled and handed him the money we'd borrowed from Jenna. Here, the currency was what we knew on earth to be imperial units – one grain was equivalent to approximately one Australian dollar, one ounce was three, one pound was eight and a stone was twenty. You'd earn them by doing small jobs for people, making sellable objects, or hunting animals/cultivating vegetables.

"Thanks Ryan!" Jenna shouted, before ushering us away to the next stall, where they sold many different kinds of supplies. "I need to pick up a chopping board, Jack broke ours trying to slide down a hill." My eyes caught sight of a small box of paints, and I thought of Luke. Maybe I could get them to thank him for the clothes?

"Hey, erm Jenna, can I borrow some money to get this?" I asked.

"Yeah sure, it's not like you needed money for the clothes so go ahead! How much do you need?"

I looked at the price tag and saw that it was actually kinda expensive. "Er... a stone and two pounds..."

She fished around in her purse and handed me the money with a smile. I thanked her and picked up the wooden box and handed the money to the vendor who gave me a free paintbrush as a gift. I put them in the clothes bag, and when Jenna had finished, we headed back to her apartment.

~

"Oh yeah, of course! We still play our instruments, but they're different. Here, they're so expensive that we literally have to save up for months to buy them. Also, they're handmade by crafters so they're even more expensive," Jack complained, biting into a toad leg. I had lost my appetite after seeing the kind of things they ate here – a lot of it was food I'd never even think of touching back home.

"Aren't you hungry Cal?" Michael asked as he swallowed a mouthful of carrots. I shook my head.

"Nah."

Jenna cleared her throat. "You know, we don't actually have to eat," she began, chewing. "Our bodies are fed on earth so we only eat to feel satisfied. Like, you're not hungry, but you just want something to eat. So Calum, not eating isn't going to harm you unless your family or doctors give up on you."

I nodded, stretching out my legs so they were closer to the bonfire. Behind us, we heard a rustling of leaves and I turned to see Luke standing there, searching for something in the grass. I smiled, reaching into my bag for the paint box, but Jenna got there first before I could even open my mouth.

"What do you want, moron?"

Luke shrugged. "I was just searching for insects." It didn't seem to me that he was just there for that, though.

"You're so weird," Jack added, shaking his head.

"Yeah, get lost!" Ashton yelled, throwing his wooden stick he'd been roasting meat on at the tall blonde, as he ducked and squinted. "Why aren't you leaving? Calum, tell him!"

I froze, raising my eyebrows and looking between both of them. Luke looked sad, as if he wanted me to tell him to stay, whereas the others looked like they would roast me if I did do as they told. "G-go, Luke, no one wants you here."

He sighed, shaking his head in disappointment before walking off.

Suddenly I felt this pang, and immediately hated myself for saying such a stupid thing. The other praised me, whooping and cheering but I wasn't feeling it. The rest of the night, I sat there in silence, watching them drinking this alcoholic drink they'd made themselves, not even trying to join in.

***

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