by Simon Archer
“As long as I get to eat them so that I can accurately describe them to customers, I’m all good.” He smiled and went back to eating.
Most of us ended up having a second plateful of the Zesty Bevork Rolls before we were done. Most of us also completely forgot about eating the salad that was served with the meal. Regardless, all of us were full and satisfied by the time the waiters came to clear our trays.
“Who has room for dessert?” the head waiter asked, looking us over.
“Me!” we all said in unison. Nobody in their right mind would turn down one of Ellie’s desserts.
“Very good, we’ll be right back.” The waiter hurried off. A couple of moments later, he and two others returned to pass out individual-sized peach cobbler puffs. Much like dinner, the outside was crispy while the inside was tender and delicious. Ellie would only use fresh fruit in her desserts, and the taste showed it. The peaches were juicy and perfectly ripened so that they had just a hint of tang to them still. The glaze was sweet but not overpowering, and the crumble was graham cracker mixed with something else I couldn’t identify. By that time, I didn’t care. It was delicious, and I wasn’t going to pause eating it to ask. Our circle fell quiet while we devoured our desserts. By the time we were done, every one of us had leaned back in our loungers to relax.
“Thank you for that, Ellie,” Charlie said. “It was perfection, especially after that meal.”
“I appreciate that, Charlie,” Ellie responded. “Now, if you are all done, Rosie has something she wants to show you!” Rosie stood up as the waiters came to clear the last of the dessert plates. I don’t know where they came from, but she was holding two small bags with drawstrings at the tops.
“I thought it would be fun to make you a few party favors,” Rosie said in her tiny voice with a big smile on her face. “Ellie and Kennedi are going to help me.”
Ellie stood beside Rosie in the center of the circle, and Kennedi joined them. Kennedi looked up, and without warning, she jumped straight up, twenty feet into the air. Above her had been a metal circle hanging down that none of us had paid attention to. It was a loop similar to what some of the fabric dancers around the place would use occasionally. Kennedi grabbed the loop, flipped her legs through, and hung upside down. She looked down, and Rosie threw the bags she was holding up to Kennedi. Then Rosie turned and slowly looked at all of us with a shy smile.
Ellie stepped up so that she was a mere inch from standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Rosie. Ellie’s tail wound in between them, and Rosie took hold of the end of it. She looked at Ellie and nodded. Ellie nodded back and slowly extended the spike out of the end of her tail. It was a wicked-dangerous looking piece of metal that we didn’t see all that often.
Then Rosie slid her hand up so that she was touching the spike itself, instead of Ellie’s tail. She raised her hand and Ellie’s tail high up into the air, with Kennedi hanging directly overhead. Rosie looked up at Kennedi and nodded. Kennedi held both bags in one hand and opened one with the other. She put her hand in the bag, pulled something out between her fingers, then held her fingers directly over the spike Rosie had a hold of and started rubbing her fingers together. I could barely see the tiny granules of sand start to fall toward Rosie and Ellie.
Right when the sand made it to the tip of the spike that Rosie was holding up, they started to stack themselves in a straight line. It looked like they were balancing on the tip of Ellie’s spike. Approximately six inches of sand granules were stacked on top of Ellie’s tail. Then suddenly, the sand started to change color. The granules glowed blue for just a moment and then turned clear as they started to melt into each other. In the blink of an eye, a twisted, clear, beautiful glass-looking figurine was falling off the end of Ellie’s spike. Rosie caught it, blew on it, and handed it to me.
I stared at the creation in my hand. I still wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but it did indeed look exactly like a piece of glass driftwood. There were spikes and twists and no pattern to any of it. It was absolutely beautiful. I looked up at Rosie, wide-eyed.
“What? How did you do that? What is it?” I stumbled to ask for answers. She laughed and brushed her honey-blonde hair behind her shoulders.
“Have you ever seen what lightning does when it hits a beach?” Rosie asked me.
“No,” I answered. I looked around at the rest of the group. “Any of you see it?”
Everyone started shaking their heads, so I looked back up at Rosie.
“Well, when lightning strikes sand, it melts it and creates beautiful glass sculptures that look like liquid flames reaching for the center of the earth when they are dug up,” Rosie explained. “This is similar, just more focused and slower.” She looked up at Kennedi and nodded for her to drop some more sand.
Kennedi obliged. Once again, the sand stacked on the edge of Ellie’s spike and then started to change. In the end, another twisted glass sculpture fell off into Rosie’s hand.
A crowd had gathered around our platform as Rosie made one glass piece after another. She handed them out to all of us and then started throwing them into the surrounding cluster of people. Each time a new piece fell off Ellie’s spike into Rosie’s hand, the crowd would cheer and raise their hands in hopes of catching one. I was surprised that not a single one ended up hitting the floor. When Kennedi motioned that she was out of sand to drop, Rosie held one hand up to Kennedi, another out toward Ellie, and took a bow. The applause erupted amid a round of sighs from the people who didn’t get to take one of her masterpieces home.
Rosie took her seat alongside Ellie. I expected Kennedi to come down, but she decided to put on a little show of her own. She flipped and twisted inside the ring as it spun and swayed back and forth. From the corner of my eye, I saw a figure slowly climb the steps to our seats and then stop. I looked and saw Reina standing there with her hands folded, staring up at Kennedi.
Before any of us could say anything to Reina, Kennedi flipped upside down and made the ring swing over towards the steps. She reached her hand down just as Reina reached up, and in the blink of an eye, they were both swinging high above us. Reina swung and launched herself upside down over the ring and wrapped the fabric above around her legs. She put her arms down, and Kennedi grabbed on, flipping herself from inside the ring to the top of it. Reina slid down and put her hands on the ring beside each of Kennedi’s legs. Then she let her body fall and turn over, and in an instant, she was sitting inside the ring. The two of them flew overhead like a piece of art as the entire party cheered them on. Even the other fabric dancers stopped their acrobatics to watch the duo.
Next, Reina put her hands wide on the top of the ring above her and hung from it. Kennedi swung her legs back and slid downward, letting go of the ring and using Reina’s body to hold on to until she reached the bottom of the ring. Then Reina did the same. She slid down Kennedi’s body, and when she was just holding onto her feet, she did a backflip dismount and landed on the middle of the platform. She reached one arm up, and Kennedi put her foot in Reina’s hand. She let go of the ring, and it retracted towards the ceiling, leaving Kennedi standing, one-legged, on Reina’s hand. Then Kennedi did a double backflip and landed right beside Reina. The two put their arms around each other’s shoulders and took a bow. The entire restaurant erupted in cheers, applause, and requests for an encore.
As soon as the impromptu show was over, Reina looked a little shy again. She smiled at Kennedi and turned to go. Kennedi grabbed her by the hand and pulled her back, obviously wanting her to stay. Kennedi leaned towards me and whispered in my ear.
“Can she sit with us?” Her green eyes were full of hope. There was no way, even if I wanted to say ‘no’ that I could disappoint those eyes.
“Of course, Kennedi,” I replied. “You were amazing up there.” Kennedi flashed me a huge smile and kissed me on the cheek.
“Thank you, thank you!” she squealed the way I’d become accustomed to when she was excited. Kennedi turned and hugged Reina, then motioned to someone by the
bar. A moment later, another lounger was brought up onto the platform for Reina to sit next to Kennedi. Krysta was on the other side of Reina, and she reached over to take hold of her hand when she sat down.
“Did you two have that planned?” she asked. “It was so much fun to watch!” Reina smiled sweetly at Krysta.
“No, I just saw her up there, and it looked like so much fun. I’ve been watching the dancers all night and thought I’d give it a shot if Kennedi was okay with me joining her,” Reina explained. Kennedi tilted her head and glanced from Krysta to Reina.
“You didn’t download how to do it?” Kennedi asked Reina.
“No, I just watched.” Reina almost sounded as though she’d been called into the principal’s office. “I don’t update wirelessly.” Mouths dropped from nearly everyone sitting on the platform. Even Theo sat up straight in his chair. Leah shot me a seriously confused look and redirected her focus to Reina.
“Darling, why don’t you update?” Leah asked cautiously, trying not to sound alarmed. Reina looked around the circle she was sitting in, and her eyes rested on Kennedi’s as though she didn’t know what to do. Kennedi took the hand that Krysta wasn’t holding and squeezed it tight.
“It’s okay, Reina. Leah is just curious. It is not typical for cat girls to not update,” Kennedi said softly. Reina looked back over to Leah, who had put a comforting smile on her face.
“I don’t like to update, so I don’t. I prefer to learn things manually instead of instantly,” Reina answered Leah’s question. Charlie sat up beside his wife.
“Is there a specific reason you don’t like to update?” Charlie inquired, mimicking his wife’s comforting tone. Reina took a moment and looked like she was searching for an answer. Then she perked up a little.
“No. No specific reason. I just don’t like the idea of it, I guess.” Reina had gained some confidence once she decided she was among friends instead of interrogators.
“Well, that is certainly interesting, Reina!” Bev piped up, taking the opportunity to lighten the serious mood that had descended upon us. Macy jumped at the chance to help Bev’s objective.
“For you to have learned how to fabric dance like that by watching a few acrobats for only a couple hours, is a true accomplishment!” Reina smiled at Macy and shrugged a little.
“Thank you, Macy,” she responded. Kennedi and Krysta both turned to Reina and struck up a conversation to get her attention off the puzzled looks on the rest of our faces. Our curiosity had most certainly been piqued. However, a party wasn’t the place to expect to find answers as to why a CG would simply not WANT to update.
Just as we were getting over the shock of Reina’s reveal, Ayla brought another round of drinks. The topic of conversation quickly switched to storytelling from adventures each of us had and reminiscing about the obstacles we’d all overcome together. We drank, and talked, and even got up to dance a few times, until the early morning hours. To my surprise, Theo and Bev didn’t leave early like they normally do but instead told stories of when they were first married and building a life together.
It was the most perfect birthday party I’d ever been to, one of those you are sorry to see end.
Eventually, however, the bartender called last call, and the place started to empty out. Once all the guests had stopped by the platform to say ‘goodbye’ and wish me a happy birthday once more, our group got up to leave. When we were outside in the parking lot, we slowly split up and walked to our cars.
The Lindys’ driver, Kevin, was waiting for them, and Leah, Charlie, Macy, and Reina got into a black Lincoln Towncar. Reina was staying at the UFT facilities and needed to be dropped off. Since we had all been drinking, Ellie offered to drive Theo and Bev home, so the three of them went to Theo’s truck. Kennedi was going to be driving my 4Runner, so she, Krysta, Rosie, and I climbed in. All our cars pulled out of the lot one after the other. I looked out the window into the dark desert night as we sped down the road and went over the details of the night in my mind.
This was one evening I was never going to forget.
5
The next morning started later than I would’ve liked, but I gave myself a pass due to the sheer amount of alcohol I had consumed the night before. I wasn’t the only one getting a late start because just minutes after I rolled over and saw that it was nine-thirty, my phone rang. It was Bev asking if the girls and I wanted to come to her house for brunch. Ellie had stayed at the house with Bev, and when the two of them got in a kitchen together, they demanded people so they could feed them. I agreed to brunch and immediately hopped in the shower to get ready. The hot water helped wake me up and wash away any brain-fuzz from the night before. By the time I got out, I felt like tackling my day. I got dressed and went downstairs to the kitchen. Kennedi was the only one there.
“Where are Krysta and Rosie?” I asked as Kennedi smiled at me. She was wiping down the island.
“They are still in their apartment,” she replied. “I can run and get them real quick if you need?”
“Yes, if you don’t mind,” I said. “Bev and Ellie are whipping up brunch.” Kennedi jumped up and clapped her hands with excitement.
“Fantastic! It feels like ages since we’ve done brunch!” Before I could respond, Kennedi had run out of the room to fetch Krysta and Rosie. When we’d built the house, we’d made special places for all the girls. Kennedi had her tower, and Ellie had her hydroponic gardens in the basement and her greenhouses. Krysta had been a recent addition at the time and hadn’t made any requests, so we built out an attached apartment space for her. It had a door directly into the main part of the house like a bedroom would, but it also had a wrap-around balcony with a staircase exit.
Kennedi was dead set on making sure Krysta felt included, but not smothered, and her idea had worked perfectly. Krysta loved her space. She had three rooms plus a living room and bathroom. She had converted one of her rooms into an office and then offered the third room to Rosie when she came to live with us. We had planned on putting Rosie in one of the empty guest rooms, but Krysta insisted. She was so grateful to Rosie for keeping her alive after her kidnapping that she wouldn’t hear of her possibly feeling like a guest in a house we wanted her to call home. The arrangement worked out beautifully. Krysta and Rosie were the perfect apartment-mates.
It wasn’t three minutes later that all three girls came bounding into the kitchen, broad smiles on their faces.
“Good morning, Clark!” Krysta and Rosie said in unison. They each kissed me on the cheek as they passed.
“Are we ready to go?” Kennedi asked me.
“Good morning, girls. Yes, let’s go. I’m starving!” I told them. We headed out the kitchen door. It was an unseasonably cold morning, so we hurried to jump in the 4Runner.
Moments later, we were pulling up to Theo and Bev’s house. I parked across the drive, near the barn. The four of us hopped out and crossed the drive. Kennedi was the first one up the porch steps. She opened the screen door, knocked twice, then opened the main door. She stepped aside to allow room for Krysta, Rosie, and I to walk in. Once inside, Kennedi closed the door and followed us down the hall. The four of us stopped when we reached the first doorway on the right that led into the kitchen. I peered in to see Bev and Ellie whirring around, preparing breakfast.
“Good morning, ladies,” I said. “What have you got going in here?” I stood up tall and pretended to be trying to snoop.
“You’ll find out when we put it on the table!” Bev barked at me, feigning irritation. Ellie chuckled.
“Good morning!” Ellie added. “You all can go relax for a little bit. This will take about another fifteen minutes or so.”
“Where’s Theo this morning?” I inquired.
“Probably surfing the couch,” Bev replied, smiling. I turned back to the hallway and started making my way to the living room. I heard the girls ask Bev and Ellie if they needed help with anything. Ellie came up with some menial tasks for them to do, most likely for the opportunit
y to gossip more than actually needing assistance. The hallway emptied out into the living room, and when I reached it, sure enough, Theo was there. He was sitting in his lounger, feet up, with a cup of coffee in his hand. He looked over when I entered.
“Get kicked out already?” he chuckled.
“Yep,” I replied. “Doesn’t take too long these days. How are ya? Feeling ok after last night?”
“I feel great,” Theo started. “I learned how to control my alcohol intake back in my thirties.” We both laughed. I sat in the lounger opposite him. He had lit a fire in the fireplace, and the two of us stared at it, basking in the warmth it put out for a few minutes.
“We need to schedule a day to get back on that corral,” I mentioned.
Theo looked over and shrugged. “No rush. Bev has been checking horse prices, and they are higher than average right now unless we want to travel to find one. I refuse to let her buy a horse she’s never seen, and she doesn’t want the road trip,” he explained.
“Well, you just let me know when that changes,” I told him.
“You’ve got it,” he replied. “Hey, have you talked to Isamu lately? How is the glass contract working out for you?”
He was referring to Isamu Sato, a Japanese business owner who was the sole industry provider of nano-glass. Vice Grip Solutions had recently taken over the contract Omnicorp used to have with his company, Murai Gurasu, for exclusive rights to the specialty glass. It was used in the spinal columns of cat girls and acted as a type of central nervous system. Shortly before Charlie and I made the deal, Kennedi, through her now-business partner, Samuel, had discovered alternate uses for the glass that nobody else seemed to know about, or have considered. Now, VGS used the glass to not only rebuild CGs but for the production of a myriad of products, mostly related to even heat distribution.
