Crossover Crossroads (The Kell and Maille Story)

Rocket Slide

025: Rocket slide

Kell inclined his head and pointed toward the playground. Maille began walking toward it. When they got to the sand, they kicked off their shoes and Kell led her to the swing and began pushing her on it. After a while Maille leaned back, upside down and let her hair drag in the sand.

"Kell, why do you want to know about the church?"

"For the respect it engenders."

"And is that why you have befriended me?"

He followed her thoughts as easily as if he could read them. "No." he said.

"Why then?" she asked as she swung away from him, her hair still dragging like a curtain.

"Because."

"Because, what? I mean, Kell you barely know me."

"I know you better than you think."

"And I barely know you." she insisted.

"You know me quite well."

"How could I know you? You hardly talk to me."

"Words don't always make the person, Maille, I know you not so much for what you say as for how you react."

"What made you want to befriend me? Is it because I'm Steve's sister-in-law? I know about the church?"

She wasn't pulling any punches. "No." he said and slowed the swing to pull it back so they were looking at each other upside down but from a very close angle. Her face was red.

"So why then?"

"Why are you pushing this Maille?"

"I want to know."

"No, you don't."

"Why? Is it some twisted perverted reason? Why Kell? Why have you gone to all this trouble?"

Kell let the swing go and Maille sailed away from him. He was gone when she returned and she sat up and looked around. Kell had climbed the rocket tower slide on all fours like the monkey he owned, and now he was skirting the outside of the tower.

Maille hopped off the swing and recklessly pursued him, climbing the slide and then ducking into the inside and climbing to the top. She lay flat on the hard cool metal, and tapped on his fingers as he circled the tower on the outside.

"Kell?"

"What Maille?"