Harper (NaNoWriMo 2014)

Chapter 20: No One Ever Likes Their Own Medicine

Harper had taken the two back to his apartment, but when he woke the next morning, they were gone. Books and all. No note. Nothing. He hadn’t said a word to Cirrus since the station, and she hadn’t said a word back to him. And now they were gone. They had even rearranged the pillows to make it look like they had never been there. 

He felt emptier than he thought he would. He sat at his desk, scratching absentmindedly at his groin through his boxers, and stared blankly at the mechanical dragon still in progress. He hadn’t been able to work on it the past week, since he’d used his free time to read those books. Those god-damned books. 

“A scam,” he told himself, picking up one of the metal sheets he had cut, “It was all just a fucking scam.” But what did they scam him out of? Money? A free trip to the zoo? His time? 

Gullible. He’d been so fucking gullible. He couldn’t believe himself. Still as clueless as the rich boy he’d started off as. No common sense whatsoever. What had he been thinking, inviting strangers to his place? And multiple worlds? That was crazy talk. Clearly. 

He went about his daily routine, packing his duffel bag, dragging his bike down the stairs. They’d never existed. Left without a trace. Invisible. Well, if that’s how they wanted to be remembered, then fine by him. 

He almost believed himself as he biked to the Starbucks, music blaring. But as he rode, he couldn’t help but remember last week, the hands on his shoulder, the greetings. They followed him as he locked his bike, as he walked into the store, when he ordered his drink. A frappe. Same as last week. He sent it back and demanded a new drink immediately. 

Stubbornly he stayed inside, sipping at his dark coffee. Hoping that by showing this was his routine first, he could get them to stop bugging him. Establish his place. Alpha male. His territory. But Cirrus’s voice still echoed into his head, asking for another sip. He could see her face now. Wincing at the bitter taste. “This is a real man’s coffee,” he said out loud to her imagined question. The people next to him looked at him. He glared until they grew uncomfortable and switched their gaze. 

Even in the water he couldn’t escape them. Knees clutched to his chest, bubbles rising, he tried to find his peace of mind. To enter his dominion from before he met them. But each time he surfaced, he was half-expecting to find Cirrus on the boardwalk, legs kicking, shouting “250 seconds!” for how long he’d stayed under. 

Angry at himself, he ducked down again. Only one day, he scolded himself, You only hung out with them for one day! How can you still be hung up on them like this when you only spent one day with them?? 

It didn’t make any sense. He’d spent longer with ex-girlfriends he didn’t even remember anymore. But why did these kids continue to stick with him? To stay with him?

Recent. Too recent he told himself. Just wait a few hours. Or a day. They’ll be gone by then. Promise.

Yeah. Right. He’d promised that same thing to himself not too long ago. 

He only managed an hour in the water. He washed his hair aggressively, hoping that the pain would help detract his thoughts for at least a few seconds. And it worked. Until he felt a tugging at his neck, and a sharp pain in his palm. When he held his hand to his face, he saw a thin line of red. When he looked down at his chest, he saw the shark tooth necklace. And before he knew what was happening, he was crying. 

As soon as he toweled off, he pulled out his phone and called Alice. 

She met him on the boardwalk. They walked the length of it quietly, sitting down at the end of it. After a few minutes of silence, Alice finally broke it. “Is this about last night? At the metro?”