Mythical Link ▸ Link Neal {Book One}

102

     Derek nodded emphatically and beckoned for her to follow him. He led her through a maze of bookshelves before they stopped along the far wall. He gestured broadly to the wall, and turned to look at Jessie.

     "Your boys will find all sorts of cool stuff here! Werewolves, vampires, kitsunes, you name it."

     Jessie narrowed her eyes as she looked at Derek. "Kitsunes? What are those?" Her heart beat slightly faster in her chest as she waited for him to speak.

     "A kitsune is the Japanese term for a fox. They're known as tricksters," he said with a wink. "Why don't you grab one of these books and read about them yourself. They're pretty interesting. Kitsunes are actually my favorite mythical creature," he said as he pulled a book off of the shelf and passed it to her. She held the thick book in her hand and she realized that right on the cover it said Bestiary Of Common Mythical Creatures. She blinked several times and looked up at him gratefully.

     "Wow, thank you. I will definitely check this out," she said with wonder in her tone.

     He chuckled. "Follow me and I'll check you out! Are you a member of the library?"

     Jessie nodded as she followed him to the desk. "Oh absolutely. My boys and I are avid readers."

     "Excellent. I feel like reading is becoming a dying art. We can't let that happen," he said as he moved behind the desk and sat himself in front of the computer.

     Jessie only nodded her head.

     "You're absolutely right. We can't let that happen," she agreed and he smiled as she passed the book to him.

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     Rhett and Link stood in their dressing room, Rhett fixing his hair while Link stared fixedly into the mirror. He still hadn't spoken a single word to Rhett. Stevie had greeted them when they entered, and could immediately tell that they still weren't talking from last night. She suggested that maybe they try to write a song today, but Rhett wasn't having it. He wanted to try filming a few episodes so they had some content to put out there in case they couldn't film in the future. Link didn't disagree or fight him on it, so he thought they were cool.

     Now that they were standing in front of the mirror getting ready to film, he had second thoughts about it. His shoulders slumped and a frown creased his lips. He couldn't help himself but glance at Link, wondering what on earth he could do to make things better. He was such a screw up and he knew it.

     "Ready to do this thing, brother?" He said, hoping that would garner a little response out of him. Even a nod of the head would have sufficed, but he received nothing. Rhett sighed and hung his head as he wheeled on his heel to walk out the door. He felt his chest tighten and his eyes sting like he wanted to cry, but he wasn't going to. He was the one that messed it up for himself. Rhett appeared on the set first, and Drew, their newest crew member greeted him with a big smile.

     "Morning Rhett," he beamed, and Rhett smiled. Drew's face fell instantly, and he took Rhett by the arm. "Look, they filled the rest of us in on what happened. We're here for you. For both of you."

     Rhett genuinely smiled this time and he patted Drew's hand. "Thanks man. I really appreciate that," he said, and he moved to take his seat. He peered at the empty seat beside him, feeling a stabbing pain in his heart.

     He wished his apology had sounded more empathetic. He realized then that he still sounded like a jerk when he brought Terra into it and he ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh.

      Lizzie sprang into the room with her short blonde hair drawn up into a tight bun, a smile on her face. "Good morning everybody!"

     Rhett smiled, an ounce of warmth penetrating his heart again. He didn't know how they were so lucky to have found such an amazing crew. Chase wandered in with a bowl of ice cream in his hands and Rhett arched an eyebrow.

      "Is that for the show?" He questioned.

     Chase laughed. "No, this is my breakfast!"

     Everybody laughed. Morgan walked in and his eyes widened, and he held his hand up. "Whoa man, don't get too close to the cameras with that."

     Chase stuck his tongue out and Morgan shook his head with a grin. Morgan then looked at the empty seat beside Rhett and he arched an eyebrow. "Where's Link?"

     "It's been several minutes. He's usually right behind you," Kevin pointed out. Rhett's heart dropped into his stomach. He rose out of his seat. Just as he had straightened himself up, he heard a cry come from the upstairs bathroom and he tore off in that direction without hesitation.

     Half of the crew peeled off behind him with concern on their faces, Rhett stopping in front of the bathroom door.

     He could hear the water running from the shower and cries emanating behind the door. "Link? Are you okay, buddy? It's just me, Rhett," he turned to everyone behind him and brought a finger up to his lips. He slowly opened the door and found Link curled up in the corner of the shower, fully clothed with the water spraying over him. His hair was soaked flat to his head, his glasses beaded with water. His chest was rising and falling faster than was normal, gasps escaping his lips. Tears drizzled his cheeks, his clothes damp and sticking to his body. He slowly turned his head to look at Rhett, a pleading look in his eyes.

     Rhett didn't hesitate a moment after to rush into the bathroom, and he nearly slipped on the water on the floor to get to Link. He hopped right into the shower with him and didn't care that his clothes were getting wet also. He shut the water off to the shower and wrapped his arms around Link, holding his head tight to his chest.

     "It's gonna be alright, Link. Everything is going to be okay, I promise."

     Link clutched the back of Rhett's shirt as he cried into Rhett's chest, the sorrow-filled sobs carrying to the crew members standing outside of the bathroom. Their hearts slowly shattered for him one by one.

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