Animalistic

French Canadians and missed calls

     Max sighs, waking up for another day (It'll make sense later, I swear). Beside him is Volio, his fiance, still sleeping. Usually Max would just go back to sleep, or maybe cuddle with Volio if they're awake, but this morning seemed..... unusually different. This morning he felt a sense of restlessness. Funny, he doesn't recall taking any of his drugs before bed. He doesn't recall... anything of the previous night, actually. He looks over at Volio, deciding not to wake them to ask. Max checks his phone to see if he's on the news as "Florida creature" again (he swears they make him sound like a gator on purpose), but instead finds SEVEN missed calls from Aaron, all with voicemail messages to follow. 

     He hurries to get his clothes on, throwing on an interesting T-shirt, reading 'I'd wanna be me too', a grey hoodie to wear over it, and a pair of black-and-white basketball shorts. "I look like a low-budget Sans" he sighs to himself, looking at his reflection in the mirror. He grabs his phone and earbuds and stuff them in his pocket, quietly opening the door. Max looks back one more time before leaving, entering the elevator and forgetting to lock the door. 

     The elevator doors open to the lobby, leaving Max to find his wolf friend begging the receptionist to let him..... do something, Max can't tell what. Aaron notices Max watching from the far end of the lobby and runs over to speak to him. 

"Max! Max, you're not gonna believe this-"

"Aaron, wait, calm down, how are you here?"

"Sh-Shimmer! Shimmer and the others have disappeared! We have to find them!"

"What do you mean? Shimmer and Vali are probably just sick again. Give her a minute, Shimmer'll text you back."

"No, that's not it! She never came home from your performance last night!"

"P- There was a performance??"

     Max suddenly starts to remember the image of the purple kangaroo surrounded by goons in leotards carrying metal pipes. Max starts to feel a little dizzy, frantically sitting in one of the couches in the hotel lobby. 

"Hey, uhhh, Aaron?" Max says, slowly processing what he's been told. "D- Do you remember Cas?"

"Well- yeah, why?"

"Last night. At the show. Cas was there, talking about her. And you, too. Seemed really creepy."

"Max, what?! And you didn't tell anyone??? They could be dead!"

"You said Vali is missing too?"

"Yeah, and Nathan, bUt MaX, wHy ArE yOu JuSt NoW bRiNgInG tHiS uP?"

"I don't remember. I think I got hit in the head. I think...."

     Max just stares at his friend pacing back and forth, growing more and more worried.

"What did I tell you?" Aaron almost-shouts again, "I told you Cas was crazy! What are we gonna do? Wait- don't worry- I'll call the cops!"

"Wait, no! Nothing is ever fun when you call the cops right away! Besides, it makes for a really boring story."

"What story?"

"Nevermind," Max says, chuckling a little. "Hey, let's go back to the arts building. See if Nathan's car is still there."

"What? Wait, you know about that?"

"Shhhh....."

     The two catch the next bus stopping by the hotel and get off once they're in the general area of the place Max was the night before. Neither of them had a car, so they walked the rest of the way.