The Animalia

Chapter 2

It's lunch, and I really don't want to confront Diana, but she's asking Leslie out, and I need to be there for 'emotional support'. I walk over towards them, but not too close, I don't want to intrude. 

Diana turns to me, winks, and says, " So Leslie...", She pauses, not out of nerves, of course, she never gets nervous, but to be more dramatic, "Do you want to go to the Rainbow Room with me?", Leslie squealed and hugged Diana, who just smiled and patted her head. 

The rainbow room was a room in Macanally's family restaurant that Mr. Macanally's son made. It's a room in the back of the restaurant decorated with different LGBT+ flags and the occasional carved initials. there were also strange things painted on the walls that nobody really understood, for example, "Solangelo is great", or, "SnowBaz rules!", but it was the best place in town for members of the LGBT+ community. 

When we get to our next class, I make sure Leslie sits between me and Diana, because I really don't need her talking me out of this, not when I might finally have a taste of freedom. 

~~~~~~~~~

Finally, I was doing it. School had ended half an hour ago, and I had hurried out of class so Diana wouldn't try to talk to me. I was going to miss Diana, but I could visit. Hopefully. 

Once I got to the park, I sat down on the large oak tree that sat in the very center of the park, and dropped my bag beside me. I was about to make sure I had all I needed before the boy approached. 

I smelled him before I saw him, he smelled like cake, feathers, and a sweet kind of burning smell that I could only guess was magic.  Once he was behind me, I said, "You know, it's never good to sneak up on a wolf, even if you can just fly away." 

"Ah, so you are an animal? Damn. I hate it when Charlie's right.", he replied as he leaned against the tree, the sudden movement causing his dark hair to fall over his bright green eyes. 

I rolled my eyes and said, "Oh, so you just came to see if I was an animal? What, were you gonna flat-out ask me?", I had no idea how I was acting so calm, I guess I was just channeling my inner-Diana. I'm never like this, anytime a boy sat next to me at school, especially a cute one like this, I always ran away, too nervous to talk. 

"I don't know what I was gonna do, but you get a chance to talk to a pretty girl, you don't pass it up. Besides, I would've had to talk to you anyway. You're sitting on the entrance to The Biosphere. AndI'm not talking about that thing you learn about in like, sixth grade. The Biosphere is a sanctuary for Animals like you and me. Since you don't know what it is, you want me to show you around?", He said, looking at me with a mix of confidence and shock in his eyes, like he was just as confused about his confidence as I was mine. 

I rolled my eyes and said, "Please, I'm sure you just see a girl, and can't pass up a chance to talk to her. Now, if you show me how to get in, I can figure it out on my own, thank you." I seriously didn't know Diana had rubbed off on me so much.

He turned and looked at me like I was a lost little kid," Fine, but Janet's gonna get someone to give you a tour little miss sassy, and well, it could be me, or it could be Charlie.", He gestured towards a tall boy with a mess of red curls atop his head, which were dancing in the wind as he looked at some papers in his book, he had an unflattering spatter of zits across his face, mimicking his abundant freckles," It's your choice, I mean, would you rather have a tour of the Biosphere, or an all-inclusive tour of the Biosphere with Charlie's intellectual view on each particular detail, and hypocritical views on other people's fashion choices."

I rolled my eyes again and said, "Ugh, if you're the only two choices, I might just run away to the other side of the country, instead of the other side of the city. You know, New York sounds interesting enough."

"What do you mean my run to the other side of the city? Did you commit a felony? Are the police after you? Are you single? Wait, did I say that out loud? Forget I said that, um, yeah, so there's a paw print on the side of the tree, sorry, bye." The boy walked over to Charlie, blushing heavily. I like this place already.  I got up and looked around the tree, finding the paw print. I smelled him walk towards me again, and all my worries about the new place floated away to come back later.