Salzburg Stories

Chapter 2: John Highly

Chapter 2: John Highly

Zephier smiled as he walked over to the cage. He reached inside the cage and petted the giant reptile on the back.

"How are you Mrs. Zin? I heard they were cutting your, um, funding. Slightly." Abel took a long break before finishing the sentence.

"Oh well you know, I got most of my funding from the South Korean board but they can't afford it anymore." Mrs. Zin sighed as she stepped out of the cage. "And who might these people be?"

"These are the new students." Zephier began.

"I'm Fern and this is my twin brother Haran." Fern finished with haste.

"We'll it's very nice to meet you both." Mrs. Zin said with a large smile.

Mrs. Zin retreated to a back room which Haran had theorized was a storage room. Zephier took Fern by the hand and brought her over to where some turtles were swimming in a large aquarium full of sand water and artificial plants. He picked up a turtle with a large black mark on is back.

"We call him Curse. Abel and I spend a lot of time in here." He said as he put Curse into Fern's hands. "I am not cursing you, but rather giving you a curse that you may choose what happens, that is what love is."

Fern froze with the squirming turtle in her hands. "Wha- What?"

"I want to be a novelist or a poet! So I need to be creative, did you like it?" Zephier asked as he took the turtle from Fern's hands, his face glowing with pride.

"It's interesting, creative. Kinda sweet in a way I guess, but I don't think of love as a curse." Fern stated as she relaxed herself.

"I thought it was great!" Abel butted in.

Fern looked at Abel for a while. She had no clue as to whether or not Abel was hitting on him.

"Not like I care who likes him." Fern pouted to herself.

"So are you two? You know?" Haran made a heart shape with his fingers.

"NO WAY!" They both shouted at him.

"No?"

"We may be close friends but Zephier is basically my brother!" Abel explained.

"I took care of her for her first month here." Zephier added.

"You're so kind!" Haran smiled brightly.

"Yeah, kind." Fern looked away into one of the tanks.

"Holy fucking shit!" A short boy came running through the door at break neck speed, his oversized trench coat billowing out behind him. "I heard that there is a Komodo dragon in here!"

"Yep, in the big cage, mate!" Haran pointed out.

"Mother of god!" The boy examined the lizard for a bit before looking at Haran. "I'm Marvin Steelwood. I'm from New York City. And who might you be?"

"I'm Haran. I'm from London, England."

"Cool, who are they?" Marvin asked Haran.

"The Black haired girl is my twin sister Fern, Blue hair is Zephier and Red hair is Abel." He explained.

"Nice to meet you all! Perhaps we could be friends! Do any of you by any chance like discounted product, if you know what I mean?" He opened up his trench coat to reveal bags of pills and herbs as well as packs of gum and condoms.

"Depends on the mix. How old are you by the way?" Zephier asked.

"Fourteen, and it's all clean and clear Stelinos man no worries." Marvin grinned with his beady eyes hiding behind his aviator shades.