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Chapter 16 ~ Excitement in the making

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ELVIS'

It had been over two weeks since Elvis' escapade, and the excitement stemming from his 'near death experience' had worn down in the cabin. After morning workout, Elvis would sit around throughout the day with nothing to do. Over the time he had spent with Neil and the gang, he had lost over 50lbs and looked nothing like "the old him." The long black hair that once engulfed his head, hiding as much chub as possible, was now gone. After the required haircut, his natural dirty blond color grew wildly and outlined his now sharpened jaw line. He had let his facial hair go as well; not once had he shaved since he arrived at the cabin. Though his insomniac tendencies still haunted his sleeping patterns, he was able to get at least six hours of sleep every night. He felt better all-round, much better. Though he still had quite a few more pounds to transform to muscle, he figured his ticket home wasn't far away. 

It was a Friday, and after finishing breakfast, Neil excused himself to leave for the weekend. He had apparently been ordered to meet up with Bradley to discuss business. Elvis, Nick and Lance were left to clean up the kitchen and find their own means of entertainment for the weekend. 

"I think I'll go into that little town down yonder," Elvis announced to the guys. "Been thinkin' bout checkin' it out for a while, and with all the snow melted I think it will be safe this time. Plus, I can jog there and back. That'll take care of my exercise for the day." 

"Sure man," Nick answered nonchalantly, focused on drying off a breakfast plate. "There ain't hardly nothin' down there, but you're free to go check it out for yourself." 

"There is a few shops and a diner," Lance suggested. "Diner's got good food."

Elvis nodded, "Yeah, sounds interesting enough. Better than sitting around in here all day. Just this time, if I don't show up before dark, ya'll better damn come find me." 

"No worries, Aar, we got you covered. Plus, no snow expected for the next few days or so." Nick smirked, "You should be safe."

"Yeah. Boy, I feel safe already," Elvis quirked sarcastically. "I'm just gonna go grab my coat and head out. I'm serious though, if I'm not back before dark—" 

"—We know, we know.." Lanced chimed. 

"'We know.. We know...'" Elvis mimicked nasally as he left out the front door. 

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Picking up his jog, he ran straight down the side of the mountain. He figured the fastest way to find the town was to just head down till he got to the bottom. Finding his jogging rhythm, he dodged trees, jumped logs and hummed to himself as he made his way towards the town. He had not the slightest clue where exactly the town was. 'Probably should've asked about that.' He thought to himself. 

After a good hour or so, he slowed to a walk. The mountain was beginning to flatten out, so he reasoned that the town should be fairly close. Pausing for a moment, his ears picked up the sound of random chatter and the hum of an engine. "Finally!" He said aloud. 

Approaching a clearing, he saw the outlines of houses. Excitement bubbled and a bit of anxiety coursed through his veins, surprising him. 

'How long have I been away from people?' He thought to himself. 'What's my story again? People won't recognize me as a celebrity. I am just a normal person. Not Elvis, no he's missing and I have not the slightest clue where he is. What is my other name again? Aaron. Right. Aaron Sley. How's my northern accent?'  Elvis cleared his throat and voiced the best non-southern accent he could muster. "Hi, my name's Aaron. Aaron Sley." Sighing, he decided that was the best he could do.