Take A Deep Breath

I Have A Bad Feeling

   "No! We can't stop again, yet! We need to keep movin'." Rayla said as forcefully as she could. Yet another Xadian town that Callum found oh, so fascinating. Eith their cabins built of silvery stone and magic and their purple silky curtains made of some material akin to gossamer. Not to mention the green grass and unlimited colored flowers that surrounded the roads and buildings. But Ratla had seen all of this before. She was getting minorly tired of it. If she had to stop this time she might just blow up!

   Callum pouted. "Oh, Rayla. Pleeeeeaaaaasssse? I promise I'll only stop in the stores I need to this time. No souvenirs," He said with a pathetic look that made Rayla roll her eyes.

   "Och, fiyne. But, ye can't take too long. What do ye need while we're here?" Rayla asked impatiently while trying to ignore Callum's enticing face.

   Callum didn't hesitate to start walking into the nearest food center. His elf disguise was less than stellar but it seemed to keep these blind fools convinced. The store owner, who was a purple elf with gray eyes and off white hair, didn't seemed too concerned about the young boy under the cloak and hood as he looked at all the different fruits. Rayla was growing impatient.

   "What are ye doin'? We have a long way tah go!" She whisper shouted as Zymy squirmed in her bag.

   Callum picked out a red fruit and brought it over to the store owner. With absolutely no shame whatsoever, he put on what was perhaps the worst ever attempted elven accent. "Hey, fellah elf. How're yee dooun todee? The rejhun I'm from duhsnt halve these froots growwhen. Wha' is it?" Callum was scared that the store owner would figure him out. He knew elven accents didn't sound like that. Rayla nearly punched his lights out, but that would've looked slightly bad. Callum held out the odd fruit.

   "Ralmangos," the elven shop owner answered cheerily. So far, most elves had actually been rather upbeat. "Sweet and succulent. One o' the best fruits in Xadia. They're quite common actually. You must live in the north."

   "Yep. Frahm the narth," Callum said as smoothly as he could manage. This little interraction was taking too much time for his companion.

   "Heh. No' a wonder ye talk so funny. How are ye, Rayla?" Callum was surprised to hear her say that.

   "Hiyah, Krisi!" Rayla called out joyously.

   "So.... got yerself a kewtie, didja? What's this lucky northerner's name?" Kristi asked with childish curiosity.

   Rayla's eyes bugged. "Whatdya mean by that? I am not with 'im!"

   Kristi raised an eyebrow as Callum began to grasp the situation. "I mean, what exactly is the problem with that?" He dropped his accent accidentally. Kristi noticed it.

   "I thought ye sounded summat strange. Ye aren't from the north, are ye?" She didn't seem spiteful. Just curious.

   Callum opened his mouth to respond but Rayla slapped him right there before he started to speak. "Ow! Rayla, my lips hurt now! Mean!" He spoke in muffled voice.

   Rayla shushed him. "He's from outta town. I can't tell ye where he's from if there're people around," Rayla winked to her old friend.

   Kristi looked around and made sure nobody else was in the store. "Well. I guess we're closed then. Better lock the windows." The three set to work closing and locking all entrances. One window near the door remained unclosed so Kristi made her way to drop the curtains. Just as she did, Callum walked out from behind a shelf heading the same direction. The two reached for the curtain string and his hand landed on hers. She grabbed him by the wrist. "I dunno where yer from," she said ominously, "but I don' think Rayla deserves ye," her tone changed wuickly to a seductive growl, "Ye can stay here with me, handsome."

   Callum felt awkward and he knew Rayla was listening. This was gonna go badly. "You don't want me here. I'm dangerous to be around," he wasn't even trying to disguise his voice anymore.

   "I thought ye might be." She inched closer until her body pressed against his hardly.

   Callum felt her right hand rubbing his back. "I have a bad feeling about this."

   Kristi chuckled. "I am a bad feeling. Don't worry though. I can be pretty good if ye want me tah be." That sounded suggestive.

   Callum chuckled uncomfortably and he felt Kristi pinch him in the rear causing him to yelp. "Kristi, you may be a friend of Rayla's but I really don't know you. Could you..." he grabbed her hand as it reached for his rear again, "Could you please stop it!"

   Kristi chuckled childishly as she put on a large smile. "Och, come on, ye little mite. I can hold ye to the best." What did that even mean?

   This was crossing the line. "Kristi!" Rayla burst out from behind the shelf. "If ye don't mind, my friend here has better things to do than you. So, if there's nothin' else ye have any interest in, we have tah go." Azymondias squirmed in her pack again and she adjusted it to make it seem like he was still.

   "Ah-ha! There it is! I knew it!" Kristi shouted in joy with a mocking sound hidden underneath. "Not a couple, eh? Try an' lie tah me now, whydontcha? Ye totally liyke 'im, doncha?"

   Rayla figured out what she had been looped into. "He's mah best friend! O' course I don' wantcha tah be feelin' up on 'im like a creep!" Rayla shouted defensively.

   "Crush girl! Crush girl!" Kristi said singsongedly.

   "I'll rip yer hart owt!" Rayla seemed upset.

   "Girls, girls. Calm down. I have everything I need out of here anyway, so we can leave." Callum held his hands out trying to get them to drop the subject so they could stop by the next store.

   "Och, yer no fun. I s'pose if ye hafta go I can't stop ye. But, I just wanna know where else yer goin'. I can direct ye," Kristi said sincerely.

   "Clothing shop?" Callum asked. Rayla gave him a quizzical look. They had plenty of clothes. Why bother getting more?

   Kristi seemed excited at this. "Really? I've actually got tah drop by there. Come on, I'll take ye."

   Rayla was hardly thrilled about stopping by a clothes store and she was even less thrilled that Kristi was joining them. She couldn't wait to get out of this town. They walked down the road a short distance until Kristi pointed to a small shop which was apparantly the tailor's. Callum and Kristi rushed inside while Rayla sat on the steps keeping watch. She didn't trust the two alone but Callum was an awful liar so if something happened she would be able to find out. Kristi came out first and sat on the steps next to Rayla with a grumpy face. "Hey. You shopped fast. Rare for ye, en't it?" Rayla asked jokingly.

   Kristi gave a sarcastic smile and hum and began to explain. "Yer boyfriend..."

   "He's not my boyfriend."

   "...sent me owt here. Said he had some sor'a secret he wanted t' show ye." Kristi sat down on the steps. "Now, I hafta wait fer 'im tah come owt here."

   That gave them very few things to do. Rayla was hoping the two would finish shopping at the same time so she and Callum could move on and leave Kristi here. This was taking a while. In fact, it was taking so long that Rayla got bored enough to start making shapes in the clouds. One arrangement looked like Ezran, one looked like Callum. Zymy. Callum. King Harrow. Callum. Runaan. Callum. Why did so many of these look like Callum? Almost everything reminded her of him. She decided it would be better to forget about the clouds and look back to the town. Thankfully, Callum walked out of the store just as she was ready to lose it. She turned, still sitting on the steps "So, yer finally done? Wha' didya need so badly?"

   Callum grinned. Maliciously. He reached into his bag. What he pulled out caused Rayla to gasp. A two piece swimsuit? No! What was he planning?

Any of you who read my other Rayllum story, your patience and support has payed off! Here is the first chapter of my Rayllum short story. This chapter is part of my Start of Summer Special! School is out! Until next time, au revoir mon amis and a fond farfarren.