Sixty-Seven Salamanders

by Jeffary Joseph

  She let out a giggle. “Okay.”

  I took my hand off her head. “Okay, go get ready, we should get going soon.”

  She nodded and went back to her room. I knew it wasn’t easy for her, but she was strong, so I wasn't too worried. I stretched and heard my back muscles pop in protest; sitting for three hours straight was never good on your spine. Shaking my head, I turned my attention to trying to find a decent movie to watch.

  Chapter 6 – Off to College

  “Arena, you have to let go.” I could only see the top of her head since her face was buried in my chest; wetness was seeping through my polo shirt. The bus honked for the third time. If Candace were here, she would’ve had a few interesting things to say to it. Unfortunately, this farewell wasn’t going as smoothly. It was finally time for me to begin my new journey to New York, but my little sister had me in a vice grip.

  “I know, but…” Her voice came out muffled.

  “Remember what we talked about?”

  “Mhm… I’m the man of the house now.” After a few more seconds, she reluctantly released me.

  The bus driver honked again, which made Arena jump. So channeling my inner Candace, this time, I turned my head back to yell. “Hold your balls!” I gave Arena one last hug and climbed the bus with my black duffle bag.

  “What is wrong with you kids and shouting about balls all the damn time?” The bus driver looked at me in annoyance.

  Oops, guess it’s the same driver Candace yelled at. I scratched my head in embarrassment. “Sorry about that. I had too much sugar this morning.”

  He grunted. “Hurry up and sit down, you’re holding up the bus.”

  I glanced around the vehicle, seeing there was barely anyone on and took a seat in the very back. It was too bad my mom couldn’t see me off, but she was working a double shift again. I knew it couldn’t be helped, but I still wish she could’ve seen me off. Soon after, the bus started and rumbled off. There was a large tinted window behind me; Candace had a philosophy about never looking back, but I thought you could learn a lot from doing so, just as long as you didn’t stay there.

  Outside, Arena frantically waved at me; she looked like she was trying to do the chicken dance. I smiled and waved just as hard, not caring how goofy I looked. She faded from view some seconds later. It was a bittersweet feeling finally leaving home; this is what I wanted - no needed, but it was harder than expected. There was a famous saying I’d heard a while back that stuck with me even now; 'If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading'. Well, I certainly was on a different path now. Onward to New York!

  A hand on my shoulder jostled me awake. “Hey kid, we’re here.” The bus driver stood in front of me.

  I rubbed my eyes and looked out the window to my right to see a swarm of people entering and exiting a giant white and grey complex. The airport. I thanked him and climbed off the empty bus with my duffle bag. Outside, I zigzagged through the onslaught of people and managed to make my way inside the airport. My eyes scanned the entire place in awe never having seen anything seen like it. People were buzzing around, bright lights flashing everywhere and it was just so… huge.

  After the two-hour bus ride, I was at Miami’s international airport. Maple Hill’s didn’t even have one, so it was my first time in such a place. My phone vibrated, pulling me away from all the admiring. Checking, I saw it was Candace. She might’ve even been more excited than me about coming to New York. The last time we’d seen each other a couple of months ago, there had been a weird vibe from her.

  [Candace:] Where are u now??

  [Adin:] I just made it to the airport, it’s huge

  [Candace:] Make sure u head straight for the check-in area

  [Adin:] O ye of little faith

  [Candace:] U have a tendency to get lost

  [Adin:] I got lost once when I was like ten! Anyway im checking in now, ill txt u when I land

  I put my phone away and proceeded to the check-in area. Unfortunately, Candace was swamped with student council work, so she wasn’t going to be there to pick me up when my flight landed, though we were supposed to meet at the school later on. I was on my own until then.

  Once at the check-in counter, I greeted and handed my plane ticket to a woman with a blue vest. She stamped it and handed it back to me with a practiced smile. “Okay, you’re all set, Mr. Anderson, just make your way towards that line over there.” She pointed to a line to the far right with about a dozen or so people.

  I thanked her and made my way over. I guess it wasn’t going to be a long wait. Remembering the economy and how bad it was, it made sense people couldn’t easily afford to fly that often. A bald older man stood in front of me, so I used the opportunity to stare at my reflection in his shiny head. I don’t think I’d ever seen such a perfectly smooth, bald head, wondering if rubbing it would give me good luck. He probably would have a slight problem with that, Adin.

  Instead, I opted to use it to study my appearance. I wore a simple black polo shirt with blue jeans. Since it was summer, my dark skin had really gotten a tan. I wonder if I looked like a simple country bumpkin to these people. I stopped staring at the stranger’s crystal ball-like head and looked around, again thinking how impressive the airport was. The whole situation still felt surreal, having no plan just a few months ago and now traveling to New York City, mecca city of the world; it was like a dream.

  It was just starting to hit me now, butterflies rising in my stomach in response. Really, now you’re nervous? The bald man that had been in front of me was already entering the small tunnel that connected to the airplane. I tried to move my legs, but they felt like two tree trunks rooted to the ground. My hand also gripped the strap of the duffle bag, turning my knuckles white. Move dammit. Isn’t this what you had been waiting for?

  Of course, this is what I’d been waiting for. Of course, I was excited. And I didn’t want to admit it but scared too. A hard push on my shoulder jarred me forward several steps. What the! By the strength of the push, I was expecting a man, but a tall, slender girl stood before me instead. Although she was slender like me, it was obvious she worked out, her simple white tank top showing lean muscle in her arms. She also had on blue jeans that hugged her long legs.

  Her hair was tied up by a green ribbon in a messy up-do. Like her ribbon, her deep-set eyes were a piercing green that drilled into me. A small, sharp nose and full pink lips rounded out the rest of her angular face. If she hadn’t just almost killed me, I’d think she was pretty cute.

  “I’m sorry; I guess I possess more strength than I realized.” The girl chuckled as she spoke in a thick accent that was hard to place at the moment.

  I didn’t think it was particularly funny, having almost done a swimmer’s dive straight into the tile floor.

  “You appeared to be experiencing some sort of trauma, so I thought I would give you a helping hand.” She had a smirk on her face; with a flash of realization, I noticed that her accent was a French one.

  “By trying to murder me?” I glared breathlessly, my heart doing somersaults in my chest as I tried to regain composure.

  “No, slowpoke, by getting you to move.” She moved aside to reveal several, annoyed people behind me.

  I waved at them with an embarrassed smile and gestured for them to pass. “I’m sorry, everyone, feel free to pass me.”

  I didn’t have to tell them twice, they all rushed past me like a stampede of rhinos.

  “See? I was being a Good Samaritan.” The young girl was back in front of me, still with that smirk on her face.

  Although I thought she was kind of smug, she had helped me out. “Thank you. I’m forever in your debt.” I mimicked her strange speech and bowed for added effect.

  She just continued to smirk at me, making me frown; it seemed she was immune to my deadly sarcasm. Moving at last, she bent down to pick up her bags and walked past me. Before following, I took a deep breath and surveyed the airport one final time. I’m ready.

  Ch
apter 7 – Airplane

  “19K… 19K…” I shuffled and squeezed through multiple people searching for my plane seat and soon got there to find someone sitting next to it.

  “If it isn’t, Mr. Slowpoke.” The strange girl I’d met only moments ago looked up at me with a bright smile.

  “Do you usually give nicknames to people you've just met?” I frowned.

  “Only in special cases.”

  “I guess I’m just lucky then.”

  “Luck is just when preparation meets opportunity.”

  Okayyy. “Uh, sure, I guess.”

  “Are you going to sit down or continue standing there?” She patted my seat, still smiling.

  Despite myself, I smiled too. She was a bit weird, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I was already meeting new, interesting people. “Thanks.” The hardness of the seat pressed against my bottom as I sat down, me expecting it to be more comfortable. And it was a pretty long flight, so my butt was definitely going to feel it by the time we landed. A chuckle escaped my mouth, already picturing how I was going to complain to my mom and sister how uncomfortable the airplane seats were.

  “What's so humorous?” The girl raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Oh nothing, I was just thinking about something.” I noticed the window beside her, my jaw dropping involuntarily at how high up we were.

  The girl giggled, making me physically cringe.

  Geez, Adin, could you have been any more obvious?

  “Is this your first time on a plane?”

  It was probably an honest question, but I still couldn't help feeling a little defensive. It was my one insecurity being acutely aware of my ignorance of the outside world. It wasn’t a farfetched statement to say I felt like the caveman from one of those Geico commercials. “Of course not, I've been in plenty of… contraptions such as this.” Contraptions? Really?

  She laughed again. “I’m sure you have, Mr. Slowpoke.”

  I really wish she'd stop calling me that. I frowned again. “And what about you, Miss, uh… Call People Whatever She Wants. Do you have a name?” I didn't have any witty nicknames lined up like she did.

  She nodded. “You can refer to me as Noir Ancel.”

  I hadn’t been expecting a name like that. “That's French if I'm not mistaken, right? It means black.” At least I had a little confidence in my overall knowledge.

  “Wow, I have to say you've impressed me, Mr. Slowpoke.”

  “Look, you can stop calling me that, I have a name.”

  “I know that, Adin Anderson.”

  My eyes widened. “What…? How do you know my name?” I was pretty sure I'd never met her before; she's not someone you’d forget easily.

  “What if I said I was psychic?” Site leaned a bit closer, her sparkling, green eyes piercing mine.

  I tried to read her ambitious, blank face. Either she was joking or forgot to take her medicine that morning. “I’d say you were coo-coo.”

  She stared at me for a few more seconds before the corners of her mouth curved upwards into a smile, and she reached into her pocket to produce some sort of paper a plane ticket.

  Examining closer, I saw it was mine and took it. “How did you get my plane ticket?”

  “Actually, I’m not psychic; I’m a master thief.”

  “That’s obviously not true.” My expression was bored.

  “Truth is just a matter of perspective.”

  There she went again with her philosophical talk. Thinking about it now, her speech was a little strange, like a princess or something.

  “Although, I did just procure it from the floor when you were having your little crisis.” She smiled teasingly.

  I sighed and shook my head. That made a lot more sense. “Pretty pathetic, huh?”

  “I thought you were kind of cute, in a frightened animal kind of way.”

  “Now you’re just making fun of me.”

  “I’m actually curious as to why you were in that state, to begin with.”

  “Oh… it’s kind of embarrassing to tell you the truth.” I tried laughing it off.

  “I promise not to laugh, pinky promise.” She held up her slender pinky in front of my face.

  I’d only known this strange girl for a minimal period, and whether she knew it or not, she was asking me to divulge one of my biggest fears. Not knowing why, I hooked my pinky around hers and shook it anyway. Maybe I was being too gullible but felt she could be trusted. “Well as you so obviously noticed, this is my first time on an airplane. I’m from a small town and never had much opportunity to leave, so this is my first time venturing out like this.” I shrugged. “And I guess… I just felt overwhelmed. I was scared and excited at the same time, so my brain just kind of overloaded, you know?”

  She sat in her seat and listened to me vent the whole time with her eyes never once leaving mine; I don’t even think she blinked, and only when I was completely done did she speak. “Without struggle, there is no progress. As long as you continue to move forward, you have nothing to fear. So, if you need another push let me know.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. And thanks for not laughing or anything.” I chuckled, actually appreciating her philosophical jargon this time.

  “I take my pinky promises quite seriously.” She held up her pinky again.

  I smiled at her; she really was a strange girl.

  “We’ll be taking off shortly, folks. Please turn off all electronic devices now.” The pilot’s robotic voice reverberated throughout the plane.

  The engines roared to life soon after and I was gently pushed back into my seat as the flying machine accelerated forward. A look out of Noir’s window showed we were moving extremely fast; the scenery outside became a blur while we whooshed by.

  “Are you ready?” Noir smiled, studying me.

  I inhaled a long drag of air into my nose and nodded. “I’ve been ready for eighteen years.” My stomach rolled as the plane took off some seconds later, the feeling similar to when you descended in an elevator. It eventually subsided as we leveled out, the whiteness of clouds outside the window now. Glancing over at Noir showed she had her head buried in a mammoth-sized book. It was at a slight angle, so I had to crane my head to read the title; Evolution & the Mystery of Genetics. I shook my head and smiled. This girl really is strange. Then, I laid my head against the back seat of my slightly uncomfortable chair and dozed off.

  Chapter 8 - NYC

  I yawned and looked to my right to see Noir gone once the plane had landed and everyone shuffled out. She could’ve at least woken me up. Getting up, I duck-walked between the aisles, my butt stiff and sore just as I’d predicted. Inside the New York airport, every person walked passed me with a sense of purpose. But I was completely clueless, standing there, lost in a sea of people. Take a right at the escalators, then take the elevator down. After that, you should see a gift shop, take a left and voila, you should see the exit. I mentally repeated the instructions Candace gave me the previous night but still couldn’t spot it.

  I debated whether to text her or not, not wanting to give the satisfaction of being able to tease me with being lost for the next year; someone bumped into me and apologized, making me sigh.

  “Lost?”

  I turned to see Noir's green eyes staring at me. Maybe she really was a master thief; she’d snuck up on me without my noticing at all. “I didn’t expect to see you again.”

  “I did.”

  “Really? Maybe we’re tied by fate.” I grinned.

  “Maybe.” She smiled back.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re here, then. As you guessed, I’m completely lost.”

  “Don’t fret, I would be happy to escort you to your destination, but first, nature calls.”

  “Nature calls?”

  “I have to pee.”

  I laughed awkwardly. “Oh, ha, right, pee, okay.”

  She smirked and navigated her way through the crowds of people, and I spotted a few benches not too far away to make my way over and si
t. Waiting for the French girl, five minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen. After twenty minutes or so, I decided to get up and search for her. Nobody could pee that long. Maybe she had just gotten hungry and grabbed a quick bite to eat? Heading in the same direction she disappeared, I eventually came upon men and women’s bathrooms and wandered around the area for a little while, but still, there was no sign of her. Oh well.

  On my way back to the benches there was a ‘bang’ that sounded like something had fallen. A green door was the only thing in the immediate area; it read ‘Staff Only.’ Another ‘bang’ come from inside the door only a moment later, causing me to flinch. What the heck’s going on in there? I walked up cautiously and put my ear against it to listen closer but didn’t hear anything else for several seconds. Guess it was nothing. Before I could walk away, a grunt escaped from the other side of the door that clearly came from a person.

  Someone might be in trouble! My heart rate doubled at once as I grabbed the doorknob and twisted, but it didn’t move an inch. A muffled scream suddenly sounded out now, forcing me to look left, but of course, there wasn’t a single soul around. I then debated whether to run and fetch help. But it might’ve been too late by then. No doubt, I could potentially be walking into a very dangerous situation and certainly wasn’t Superman, but someone was in trouble, and I was too much of an idiot to run away. Dammit!

  Talking a few steps back, I gathered some momentum. In movies, they usually busted down doors with their shoulders, and while that was manly and heroic, it was more likely to get your shoulder dislocated in the real world. And I was quite fond of my shoulder. I charged forward soon after and launched a kick with all my force; it hit the door with a loud smack and swung open instantly, giving little resistance.

  I prayed whoever was inside was deaf in one ear or something, because I had been as quiet as a stampeding horde of elephants. With the way free, I craned my neck inside to see some sort of stockroom, the lighting dim at best. Several rows of shelves with cardboard boxes were stacked on one another. Dust was settled on the boxes, making it seem like the room wasn't used much. Leaning on my toes, I took careful steps further in and cupped my hand over my ear to listen closer.