Sincerely Yours, Bill Cipher

The Ones That Hurt

     Not seconds after Pacifica leaves, I experience my second pulse. I feel my soul painfully tear away from my body until I'm standing still, just as my soul, while my body lays collapsed on the ground. Talk about an out-of-body experience.
     Yule hasn't quite caught on to what's happened. He kneels down next to my body and calls out frantically, "Bill? Bill! You okay?"
     "Up here, dude," I call to him with a grin.
     Yule jumps, being so startled he shoots five feet into the air. While he sputters and tries to form questions, I'm busy trying to calm my laughing.
     "Yo, not funny, man!" he retorts curtly. "I thought you were actually hurt!"
     "Well, that did hurt, but I'm fine now. I expect that I could end this pulse at any time by returning to my body. But... might as well stay like this so that we can both follow Pacifica. Convenient, right?"
     "Orrrrr......" Yule's eyes shift from me to my unconscious body. "I could try possessing you. I've always wanted to try possession!"
     "Yule, no!" I snap. "Don't let your curiosity get the better of you. What if things get stuck that way?"
     "Well, then I'll have a body... and you won't!" he teases. "My, how the tables will turn!"
"I hate you."
"No, you don't," he replies with an annoying grin on his face.
     "Alright, alright, enough!" I stop us. "Let's follow Pacifica before we lose her." I take one look back at my body on the ground. "Uh, do you think it would be okay if I just left that here and came back for it later?"
     "Um, it'll probably be okay?"

                             ..........

We find Pacifica strutting through the small town with all the confidence in the world. Some of the Jinn on the streets turn their heads and mumble uncertainties as she passes. Pretending to be looking the other way, she 'accidentally' runs into a Jinni about our age (well, for me, equating to my human appearance).
     After their collision, they both trip back with startled shouts. The Jinni collects himself, picking himself off the ground, and checks to see if Pacifica is hurt. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," he apologizes, his worry lines appearing. "I wasn't looking where is was going and- hey, are you lost?"
"A little," Pacifica admits, laughing through faked embarrassment. "Not lost enough not to find your Jinn town, though."
The Jinni she's speaking with stiffens in surprise. His lips part slightly as he stares at her with shock and confusion. He's attractive, with a defined jawline, ebony skin, fairly tall height, toned body, and blue glimmer to him. I wonder why Pacifica chose him as her target instead of someone less beautiful, who would probably accept her attention faster. Then again, all Jinn tend to have handsome features. This Jinni starts to stutter, unsure of how to answer Pacifica's surprising statement. "You- you-"
"I- I-" she repeats in a teasing tone, tracing a finger along her new friend's cheek. "I'm not as dumb as I appear. I do seem human enough, but one of my grandparents was a Jinni." She pouts. "I didn't inherit the magic, but the good looks, on the other hand..." She gives one of her dashing beams, and I can practically watch the Jinni's heart melt. Impressive. She's captured him already. "I do need some help, though."
"We typically don't help humans..." the Jinni says reluctantly, rubbing his neck and looking away.
"But I'm technically not one."
"Still..." the Jinni looks even more uncomfortable.
"Can you at least show me where I can get something to eat?" Pacifica pleads, her eyes wide and desperate.
"Oh. Well, I'm sure that would be okay..."
"Really? Thank you! You know..." Pacifica tucks a lock of hair behind her ear and flushes. "You're pretty cute. Anyone ever told you that?"
The Jinni blushes a noticeable pink. His jaw drops. "Wow- Thanks. You're honestly way more beautiful, though... but I'm sure you've heard that a million times." He sticks out his hand awkwardly. "This is how humans greet, right? I'm Koa, by the way."
Pacifica shakes his hand. "Pacifica. It's nice to meet you."
     "Okay, so here's the thing," he explains. "You gotta stay on the down low. People around here don't exactly take kindly to humans. They're known for their avarice, their greed. They mostly only interact with our kind for a wish. Crazy right?"
     Pacifica laughs, and it sounds pretty forced. I hope Koa doesn't see through her. "Yeah."
     "I can take you back to my house, we'll have lunch, then I'll try to send you on your way. However," his eyes shift to the left and right, "we need to avoid my parents, or any other adults around here. Kids my age and younger are a lot more open to humans than the adults are. Maybe because we're a bit more trusting. Or perhaps we're more curious."
"I think..." Pacifica ponders, "I think it's good to be trusting. That's when you can form the friendships that really count. The ones that last a lifetime."
"The ones that hurt the most to lose," Koa continues the thought with a saddened frown. He drags the toe of his shoe across the pavement, which makes a rough, sandpapery noise.
Pacifica places a comforting hand on his arm, looking up at him with round, sad eyes. "You've had experience?"
He sighs. "Hasn't everyone? And it's not like you even have to lose them to something serious, like death, or something extreme. Sometimes, friends seem to just... drift away, you know?"
Pacifica nods, biting her lip. I can tell she's feeling the guilt of what she's trying to do heap on her. She puts her hands on Koa's arm and looks around uncertainly. "We'd better get going. I think people are starting to stare."
     She's right. A Jinni mother with her two young children have stopped at a street corner, peering over curiously. A Jinni man is peeking over the top of his newspaper, adjusting his glasses like he things he isn't seeing clearly. A Jinni youth walks by and encouragingly punches Koa in the arm, seemingly proud of his friend's 'score'.
     "Okay," Koa says, nodding. Pacifica loops her arm through his. "Let's go."