July 2009 - August & Oliver


    "Well, I loved it. Engaging. Scary. Well done," Dani said. Then she sat back and looked at me strangely. Something was on her mind.


    "What''s up?" I asked. "You''re sad about something."


    She tried to hide it, smiling. "I''m the therapist, remember? But there is something we have to talk about. You turn 21 next month, and you will age out of the program. You''re not being kicked out, but we have to make space for the next kid. You understand."


    "Yeah. I hadn''t forgotten. I know the deal. I''ll get back the rent I paid. That''s over two thousand now, right? Enough to find a place to rent. And once I''m 21, I can work at a nightclub, and I''ll make much better money."


    Dani smirked. "I don''t doubt it. And if you need help, you can call us. We''ll still be here for you."


    "But not you, specifically, right?"


    Dani winced. "Right. I''m sorry it has to be this way. Part of my job is letting you go."


    I nodded and looked around the room. My vision was blurring, but I was trying to memorize everything. The four desks cramped together. Stacks of folders of kids who needed help. The fan motor yelled down the halls. The walls were sunken in some places. Overhead, fluorescent lights and old white rectangles with mystery spots covered the ceiling. There were no computers. Dani brought her home laptop to work. When we met. Because I was her job. Not her friend.


    The carpet was orange and threadbare.


    "I understand. I know why it has to be this way. I''m just gonna miss you," my voice broke.


    Dani leaned forward and held my hand. "I''m going to miss you, too."


    She said some platitudes to try and comfort me, but she was comforting herself.


    When she finished, she asked me about Jude. It was our first meeting since his arrival.


    "He''s… different? He''s the same, but he doesn''t act the same. When we were little, he used to make fun of me because I had no friends. And it hurt because it was true. He could make friends anywhere. We moved so many times, and it was always the same. He made friends right away. I made enemies. Bullies, mostly. I was this fae, weird kid. Somehow, the other kids knew what I was before I did. My family moved almost every year. New schools. New kids. But they always knew. So I learned how to deal with them.


    "There was this kid once. A scrawny punk. He bullied Jude, called him names. ''Blueberry,'' because Jude is husky and wore a blue sweater.


    "Anyway, when I noticed it happening, I asked Jude if it bothered him. He said it did. So the next day, as we got off the bus, the kid picked on Jude again, and I told him, ''That''s enough. Leave him alone.'' Of course, he beat his chest and insulted me. I just walked away.


    "There''s two ways to handle guys like that: ignore them or punch them in the face. Sometimes, ignoring them works. They get bored. That day, I ignored him because I didn''t give a damn what he said about me.


    "The following day, when we got off the bus, that putz fucked with my little brother one too many times, and I busted his face open. He was so surprised, this massive gash under his eye and blood running down his face.


    "Turns out he''d studied karate for several years, so he smartly bound my arms with my backpack and punched the back of my head a couple times before the bus driver pulled him off me and called 911. When the cop arrived and got the full story, he almost gave me a pat on the back. My mom gave me extra dessert that night.


    "I''m not a violent person. Teachers all knew me as a gentle book nerd, and the punk had a reputation as a delinquent fucktard, so I got 3 days detention. He almost got expelled and kept a wide distance from then on.


    "A similar thing happened at a different school in another state. My class was in a stage auditorium, and some dumbfuck had the bad idea to say something disparaging about my sister. So I waited until he was a good 20 meters away, sprinted at him, jumped off a chair, and drop-kicked him square in the chest. And no one fucked with me at that school ever again.


    "Sorry, I got off topic. Jude. Jude is nothing like that. He''s like a mouse. I''ve never seen him violent. It''s just not in him. He doesn''t get angry. He just sort of shrinks from conflict. He''s a gentle, friendly, funny person. And he comes alive when you look at him. He loves being around people.


    "But at the Hippodrome, he was shy and anxious. He''s quieter now. The other night, we were talking about Morgan, and all of a sudden, he shut down and shut me out. Something''s going on with him, but he won''t talk to me about it."


    "Don''t put too much pressure on yourself. Jude isn''t your responsibility."


    "He is, though. He''s my little brother. He''s all I have left."


    Dani thought for a moment. "What if you moved in together? With your cashback, you could pay the first month and deposit on a place. Jude could find a job and pitch in by the following month."


    "Yeah. I think that could work. I''ll bring it up tonight when I meet him."


    "What are you up to tonight?" Dani asked.


    "Alex, Deon, Faerie, and I are going to a board game store. Jude is supposed to meet us there. But first, me and the urchins are gonna meet up for dinner."


    Thai House Express, a family owned business on Castro Street. The portions were large and affordable. We ate family-style dishes of tom kha soup and appetizers of fried minced chicken, potatoes, and carrots, with a cucumber salad. For the entrees, we ate larb, crab pad thai, and a crispy pork belly on rice.


    I got a Thai iced tea with coconut milk. Alex opened a bottle of wine for the table. The server kindly forgot to ID any of us. Once we were all toasted, the conversation picked up.


    "What''s y''all''s Hogwarts house?" Deon asked everyone at the table.


    Half-Blood Prince was about to release in theaters, and at the time, Harry Potter was a cultural touchstone.


    "Ravenclaw," answered Alex immediately.


    "Okay, no surprise there," Deon rejoined and looked at me pointedly.


    "Hufflepuff," I confessed to a shocked audience.


    "I figured you for a fellow Ravenclaw," said Alex.


    "No way. You''re both wrong," Deon demanded. "He''s clearly a Gryffindor. How are you a Hufflepuff?"


    "I''m miscellaneous and very good at finding things," I said to drunken laughter. "What about you?"


    "Slytherin," Deon preened. Alex looked mortified. "I love the dark, everything dark, and those flowy black robes? I wannem."


    "But they''re so bad!" I said.


    "No, they''re not! They''re ambitious. They want power. I relate to that. How ''bout you, Faerie?"


    "Harry Potter is overrated," she said with contempt.


    "Why you such a hater?" I ragged.


    "I''m not a hater! You just don''t get it. Maybe you never will. Maybe it was unfair of me to ever think you could. How could you understand how I feel? But is it so much to ask you to respect that I don''t like it?"


    I felt thoroughly chastised, and the three of us meekly answered no.


    Faerie seemed at once satisfied and remorseful. "Thank you. I was the last person you invited, and you should have warned me Nathan was going to be there. I feel like an afterthought with you guys, and it sucks."


    "I''m sorry, Faerie," I said.


    "Me too," Deon said. "This is bringin'' up- I been thinkin'' I''ll go home to South Carolina soon since I''m about to age out of the program."


    "Me too," I said. "Not the South Carolina part. Why do you wanna go back there? That''s like the Southiest state there is. It''s got South in the name. That''s like peak racism."


    "Yeah, but at least in the South, people are obvious about it, ya know? Like, there are streets I know not to go down, but I know where to avoid. Here, folks is just as racist, but they be everywhere hidin'' in plain sight. And there''s like no Black people here! They all got pushed out or pushed down. I feel what Faerie''s sayin'', ''cause I need my people. Much as I love y''all, I am drowning in caucasity."


    Deon finished and drank his Thai iced tea with an expression at once sympathetic and daring.


    Faerie said, "Right. I need to find my people."


    After a pause, Alex chimed in, "I''ll probably go back to New York when I age out. I miss my horse."


    The pause outlasted itself.


    "So I suppose this is the end of the urchins, then?" I asked rhetorically.


    "Not so fast!" Deon cut the gloom. "We''re not dead yet, and there''s still Totally Awesome! to go to. I wanna stay in touch with each one a you. Friends like y''all aren''t easy to find, and I don'' wanna lose any a you."


    Faerie and Deon paid the tab. Alex and I split the tip. Then we walked to the underground and took a train to West Portal, where the board game store, Totally Awesome! was located.


    It was in a quaint commercial area with single-story brick buildings and large glass windows. Totally Awesome! was in a spacious rectangular shop with creaky wood floors and geeky images covering every wall. Giant comic book pages had been blown up to cover every bare surface. Magazine covers and stickers covered the bookshelves, which had boxes and boxes of board games I''d never seen before. There were entire genres I didn''t know existed. Gaming tables were organized in the back of the room. "True Affection" by The Blow was playing overhead.


    The other urchins and I wandered the aisles looking at board games. There were playable copies of almost every game in the store and perhaps two dozen people playing one game or another.


    I asked Alex where to find the store owner, and he pointed at a well-built man with black hair. He was bent down, teaching someone to play a game. I walked up to introduce myself when I recognized him as Dante, one of my first one-night stands, handsome as ever, with a simple button shirt and slacks.


    He looked up to see me and took a second to remember me.


    "Hey! Uh... Bastian, wasn''t it?" Dante stood to greet me.


    I wanted to turn and run, but I faked enthusiasm and shook his hand. "Yeah, hi. This is your store? It''s amazing."


    Dante grinned. "Thanks, yeah, it is. How''s it going?"


    "Great. My friends brought me here," I indicated toward the other urchins, whispering among themselves. "I just came to say thanks for hosting this. I''ll leave you to it." I turned to leave, but Dante touched my wrist invitingly.


    "Wait," he said. "I''m teaching my friend here to play Magic: the Gathering. Wanna play? You can use one of my decks."


    "I don''t know how to play," I said, hoping he''d leave it at that.


    "That''s great! It''ll be a fair learning game. C''mon, take a seat."


    Reluctantly, I took a seat. Dante handed me a deck and explained the rules. I don''t like being explained things when I haven''t asked for an explanation. I resented Dante for ghosting me a year ago, and now he was explaining things to me.


    But I swallowed my irritation and listened to the rules. It turned out to be a lot of fun. I came back every week to play games and meet new people. Totally Awesome! would become my new hang-out spot.


    Jude didn''t show up that night. I called him to ask what had happened. He said he made a friend in the Tenderloin and decided to stay with them. At the time, I was just glad he made a friend and didn''t think much of it.


    The other urchins and I stayed until the store closed. On the way home, I got a text message from August inviting me to a drag show. Faerie didn''t like drag so I didn''t mention it to the others. They got off the train at Church station, and I kept going to Van Ness station, walking the rest of the way to Truck, a seedy dive bar in the SOMA.


    Truck was a single rectangular room with dark red lights and erotic images covering the walls. "I Can''t Decide" by Scissor Sisters was playing over the speakers. Three nearly naked men were dancing on the stage.


    I found August ordering a drink at the bar.


    "Make it two," I told the bartender, bumping my shoulder into August.


    "Hey, you came!" he said and embraced me.


    "Of course. I thought you were performing. Why aren''t you in face?"


    "No. We''re here to support Oliver. This is his first time performing at a venue."


    "Oh," I wasn''t sure how to feel or respond. I didn''t want to be bitter. "You two hit it off the other night. Congrats on your dibs kiss."


    "Yeah, he''s great. But listen, Oliver and I talked about it, and if you''re cool with it, we can all share. I mean, we''re adult men. It''s not like you and I haven''t fucked already, so what''s one more?"


    For some reason, that possibility had never occurred to me. August was my best friend. We had dated, and there was love between us but not romantic love. Our love was platonic and often competitive. This was uncharted terrain for us, and it took me a second to consider.


    "Yeah," I said triumphantly. "Why the Hell not? Sounds fun."


    Oliver was still backstage, so August and I found seats near the front of the stage and drank our whiskey gingers, flirting, daring each other with glances and threats.


    The lights and music changed. The hostess with the mostest, Suppositori Spelling, came onstage and welcomed everyone, explaining the rules and theme of the night and introducing the first queen, Diana Fire.


    August nudged me in the rib, whispering, "That''s Oliver."


    "La Grippe" by Squirrel Nut Zippers came on, and Oliver/Diana Fire stepped onstage, dressed as a plague doctor. She had a black top hat, a creepy bird mask, and a full-length leather coat that covered everything.


    Her arms and legs moved in a disturbing rhythm with the song, swaying and then stopping. When the words began, Di opened a latch on her mask, revealing her lips, which synched perfectly to the lyrics.


    At the end of each verse, she removed an article of clothing; first the gloves, then the coat, revealing a sexy nurse outfit; finally, the hat and mask came off, revealing a green wig and Joker make-up from the Dark Knight.


    Diana Fire spent the rest of the song dancing eerily and collecting money from adoring fans, myself included.


    When the show ended, Oliver came directly to us and kissed us both. We stayed for a bit, drinking and flirting, before walking to Windemere.


    It wasn''t my first threesome, but it was the best. Oliver was a bottomless bottom, so August and I took turns, and we got real inventive with it.


    We stayed the night and then over the weekend, watching TV, ordering pizza, and having sex. We all got to know each other and quickly became an item.


    August and Oliver were both in the drag scene and more outgoing than I. They brought me out to introduce me to their acquaintances and show me off. I was the quiet place they hid their secrets, and they were my adventures in the real world. They complemented each other in crowds, dancing among people, and I was their anchor. August was the steady pragmatist. Oliver was the social butterfly. I was the dreamer. Somehow, it worked.


    August 2009 - Happily Ever After


    For my 21st birthday, Jude and I moved into a one-bedroom apartment in the Bayview district. I paid the first month''s rent and deposit. Jude assured me he would get a job and chip in by September. I gave Jude the bedroom and took the living room for myself, hanging sheets for privacy.


    The following day, August and Oliver took me on a road trip. I''d always wanted a pet, and it had been impossible living in the Perramont. But for the first time in my life, I got to decide, and I wanted a ferret. The boys picked me up and drove me to Nevada. Ferrets are illegal to buy, sell, or own in California, so we had to sneak Loki in a box across the state line.


    That was what I named him. Loki. He was the most wonderful animal. He had a cage, but I rarely confined him to it. I don''t like caging animals in general, so he got to run around the house most of the time. Loki crawled into bed with me most nights. Whenever I took a shower he would come running, because he loved to play in the water. I bought him all sorts of toys and things to climb on. Loki was an incredibly healing influence on me. He loved me. I could tell. And that simple, trusting relationship helped me open my heart again.


    August and Oliver were wonderful. They supported me and believed in me. Oliver slept over most nights because he didn''t like his roommate, and he loved Loki. August was always dating someone new, but he never forgot to make time for us.


    I got a new job at a nightclub in SOMA called the Golden Cow. Bar support, but it was still good money. Not great, but good.


    And that was my life. Two boyfriends, college classes, a job at a nightclub, a pet ferret, and my little brother living in the room over. For a moment, I had a happy ending.


    I even finished my book.


    Happily Ever After.


    Chapter 12 - Caught in the Snare


    On a clear moonlit night, high in a castle tower overlooking a crescent-shaped island, Arthur Avalyn threw his son off a balcony to his death.


    As the air rushed around him for what seemed like eternity, and before his body collided with the rocky shore below, one thought filled Rafael Avalyn''s mind: the last time he would ever see his sister Morgan was the first time he''d ever seen her terrified.Stolen story; please report.


    But for some reason, by the grace of his guardian angel Sophia, Raf washed ashore, alive and unbroken.


    Presumed dead, Raf would save his sister and take revenge.


    But first, he needed to escape the beach. The tide came in at dawn, and the narrow track of sand he ran along would soon flood. If he couldn''t find higher ground by then, the undertow would likely sweep him back out into the endless blue.


    To his left was the ocean, creeping closer with every wave, and on his right, a massive tower of stone jutting out of the crashing sands like a beacon to wayward ships. Far above Raf, at the peak of the cliff, was his ancestral home, Castle Moondial, where his father had thrown him to his death and where a monster held his sister captive.


    The moon was full and bright, illuminating the narrow strip of shore Raf ran along. His clothes were soaked. The night winds off the ocean chilled him to the core, and his leg muscles burned in protest, but the tide was coming in, and Raf needed to find a way up and off the beach.


    Raf knew roughly where he was and what he was looking for. The upper outside beach was a popular spot for surfing and sunbathing during certain times of the year. His family had gone years ago, before Lyn was born, back when Raf''s mother was still alive.


    He was so young when she died. Raf could only remember brief images, the sound of her voice, certain smells. Raf knew Lyn wasn''t to blame for their mother''s death, but deep down, he had never forgiven her.


    Where was Lyn now, Raf wondered. With any luck, someplace far away and safe with Rowan.


    Morgan is the one possessed by a fallen, Raf reminded himself. She''s the one he needs to worry about.


    Though in truth, Raf had more immediate concerns.


    The sky was getting brighter, and the beach was already flooded. The ocean waves crashed against the cliff wall on his right, bringing the tide up to Raf''s knees. Soon, the waves would overtake him, and he''d be swept back out with the undertow. And still, he saw no way up from the beach.


    Had he misremembered coming all those years ago? Or was the beach simply longer than he ever knew?


    Raf was beginning to worry. He looked up to gauge his progress. The cliff ledge was noticeably shorter than earlier, but something else, too. Metal bars had been drilled into the cliff wall as if to hang some giant painting. They were too high for Raf to reach. If only he had a rope. He continued moving.


    The sun broke over the horizon to his left, setting the sky on fire with orange, red, pink, blue, and white clouds.


    His legs were sore from pushing against the current, and the waves now came up to his waist, so Raf leapt forward and swam, letting his arms and chest do the heavy work. His heart was pounding, and every breath was strained, but there had to be a way up, he told himself, though he was beginning to panic.


    In time a massive wave came in, throwing him sideways against the cliff wall. Raf''s skull knocked against stone, and he felt warm blood around his ear. The wave went back out, pulling Raf out with it. He wiggled to stand upright, feet barely reaching the ocean floor. He was out of time. One more big wave like that, and he''d be swept out to face the ocean''s mercy.


    He looked up and around for an escape. The metal bars were still too high to reach, and the stone was too smooth and wet to climb. But ahead! The path Raf remembered from long ago. It was barely visible in the distance, but so close!


    Raf launched himself with renewed vigor. His lungs and body ached, and his legs were in agony, yet he swam like his life depended on it.


    But it wasn''t enough. Soon another massive wave hit the coast, engulfing Raf, spinning him underwater, tucking him beneath the surface, and pulling him away from land. He held his breath and swam to the surface to see the distance he''d lost. His exit looked even farther than before.


    Raf was beginning to despair. He was so tired. He''d been running and swimming for hours. Morgan is in danger, he reminded himself, and his exit was close enough to see!


    "Hey! Up here!" Raf heard a shout. Someone with shining black hair waved from atop the cliff. "Come closer! I''ll throw you a chain!" They yelled.


    Raf tried to swim forward, but his arms were like jelly, so he flipped into a back float and waited for the next big wave. It didn''t take long before Raf was carried back toward land on a wave, but this might be his only chance. If he got pulled back out again, it would likely be even farther than last time.


    The wave crashed against the cliff wall, and Raf, along with it, slammed his shoulder. Before he could be swept back out, the person above leapt off the cliff and tossed two chains with both arms. One chain hooked onto a metal pipe in the cliff wall; the other splashed near Raf.


    "Grab the chain! Careful of the edge on that hook! And hold on!" his rescuer yelled, and Raf did as instructed.


    Suddenly, Raf''s chain pulled him up so quickly that his grip almost slipped. His rescuer twisted midair and tossed Raf over the ledge of the cliff. He hit the ground and rolled limply, too tired to shield his fall.


    His rescuer''s grappling hooks connected with the stone ledge, and soon they leapt up, landing neatly on both feet next to Raf.


    They looked a bit older than Raf, nearly Raf''s height, with wild unkempt hair and soft features. Their clothes were yellow seaskin cloth. Raf was still on the ground where he landed. He tried to pick himself up, but his body was spent.


    They knelt, swiftly reaching into a satchel on their thigh, pulling out a water canteen, and offered it to Raf, helping him drink.


    "Thank you for saving me," Raf said when he finally finished drinking.


    "Well, I couldn''t leave you out there to drown. Last few months, bodies have washed ashore, all weird, shriveled, but soggy-like. Hard to describe. I feared you was one of those. When I saw you flounder, I thought, ''maybe this time I can make a difference.''" They said all this while helping Raf walk over to sit at the base of a tree.


    Raf recalled the string of recent murders; a mysterious ''Raven'' creature kidnapping vagrants in a cloud of smoke, bodies exsanguinated and tossed into the ocean. Was this the person that found them washed ashore?


    "How terrible. I''m sorry you had to witness that," he said.


    They shrugged. "That''s life. I''m Hinata."


    "I''m- I''m Ryan," he lied. Rafael Avalyn was supposed to be dead. "You''re incredible with those grappling chains. You must be from the cliffs."


    "Born and raised," they answered. "My folks taught me how to swing before I could walk. Tss. You got an open wound on the side of your head. Let me clean that up." Hinata reached back into their satchel and pulled out a basic first aid kit and a musubi.


    "Here, eat this," they offered the musubi.


    Raf was famished. "Thank you."


    It was delicious: rice, cured fish, and vegetables wrapped in seaweed. While he ate, Hinata washed and treated his injury. Their hands were calloused and skillful. When Raf finished eating, they insisted he drink more water. They were so attentive, and Raf felt so safe in their care that before they even finished tending Raf''s wound, he fell asleep.


    Rafael Avalyn dreamed he was falling. His father watched from above. Raf reached for help, but he was underwater, and Arthur was holding him down. Raf struggled and panicked. Why, Dad, why?


    Then Raf breathed in and found himself in a dimly lit hallway he''d never seen before. Blue flame sconces lined the grey marble walls, engraved with detailed images, so many Raf didn''t know what to make of them. Signs of a great impending war. Looking at the engravings, Raf woke up in the dream. He looked around and knew somehow, this was someone else''s dream.


    "Come to me," rang a honeyed voice from down the hall.


    At the end was a single door carved with an image of two winged figures mating in a swirl of shadows.


    "Nope," Raf answered, turned, and walked away.


    He was falling again. This time the jagged rocks came closer and closer, but before Raf hit the ground, he woke up in the dream again, standing on the rocks and facing Sophia. Again he knew this was no longer his dream.


    Sophia was satisfied. How Raf knew this, he couldn''t say because the angel''s expression was inscrutable. Even in a dream, Raf struggled to see Sophia in detail, for the angel was so bright it felt like looking directly into the sun. He looked down as a sign of respect and an act of self-preservation.


    "Well fought," said the angel.


    Raf didn''t know what that meant, and so he said nothing.


    "The chainfisher has another part to play in this. You will need a grappling chain to reach the underground forest."


    "How do I find this forest?" he asked.


    "Go to the last peak on Crescent, and look for my signal. Go."


    Raf woke up in the evening sun. Hinata was in the distance, walking toward him, carrying something. In the golden daylight, Raf could see their features more clearly. They had strong, muscular arms, broad shoulders, and an easy smile. Their clothes were loosely fit, allowing for free range of movement but modest and practical. On their waist were several straps and utility belts, which connected to a central harness.


    He got up and waved. Hinata waved back, and for some reason, Raf''s stomach fluttered. Sophia called them ''the chainfisher,'' and said they had a part to play.


    What part? Raf wondered. Can I trust them? Either of them? They saved my life, he reasoned. So I have to trust them. What choice do I have? No one else can help me now.


    With his crisis of faith more or less settled, Raf decided to tell Hinata the truth and hoped they could keep a secret.


    Raf stood to greet them. His legs were still sore, and his shoulder hurt to move, but his head injury wasn''t too bad. At least he could stand, and his vision wasn''t impaired.


    Hinata ran the rest of the way, shouting excitedly, "You won''t believe what happened! While you were sleeping, an angel came to me! They said I was to help you get somewhere and-"


    "Sophia spoke to you?" Raf interrupted, stunned.


    "You know them!?" Hinata''s eyes widened. "Sophia… Yeah, they told me you''d need my spare chain. I had to run home to pick up supplies and tell my parents not to worry."


    Raf pondered. Surely Sophia speaking to them meant Hinata could be trusted.


    "Is this the chain?" Raf pointed to the bag Hinata brought.


    "Mhm. I only have the one grappling harness and rig, so I suppose we''ll have to share while you practice."


    Raf looked in the bag and pulled out the chain. It was heavy and well-forged. Unlike Hinata''s chain, there weren''t any attachments or hooks. This was a simple chain.


    Suddenly the bag began to glow. The chain lit up a fiery red and moved with a life of its own, twisting and flattening into a thin layer, then rapidly snaking itself up Raf''s arm like a tattoo.


    His first reaction was one of shock and fear. He dropped the chain, shook his arm, and fell to the ground; yet the chain floated midair and continued its progression up Raf''s arm, across his back and shoulders, and then down his other arm; coiling like vines around a branch. As the last of the chain flew out of the bag onto Raf''s body, it spread down his back and around to his chest.


    It was heavy, like chainmail or a suit of armor, but it moved as he moved, as if it were alive and reacting.


    Sophia''s voice sang out, and the chain/tattoos on his arms and torso seemed to vibrate with sound.


    "This will shield you from damage and allow you to reach the peak more quickly. I will remain with you and guide your movements until your mission is complete."


    Hinata watched all this happen, too shocked to do anything but stare, mouth agape. A moment of dumb silence passed until Hinata finally found the words to ask, "Who are you? What mission?"


    Raf inhaled sharply. "My real name is Rafael Avalyn. A fallen killed my father, tried to kill me, and now possesses my sister. Sophia told me that the only way to stop the fallen and save my sister is to go to Oceania and learn soul magic. I don''t know what that is or how to get there, but according to Sophia, my first destination is the ''last peak on Crescent,'' whatever that means."


    Hinata looked conflicted. Yet pensively, they looked up toward Castle Moondial. "If that''s the first peak, the last peak must be on the other side of the island."


    Then they turned to Raf and said, "You lied to me, Ryan." There was ice and anger in the accusation.


    Raf felt a stab of panic. He looked down. "I''m sorry. I was scared and wasn''t sure whether to trust you." His eyes met Hinata''s. "I trust you now. I''m choosing to trust you. Please forgive me. I won''t lie to you again."


    They blinked in surprise and shrugged, "I guess. You''re not what I expected."


    "What did you expect?"


    Hinata hesitated but then didn''t hold back. "I figured stewarding families were shameless cowards. How else could they have surrendered?"


    Raf was aghast. "How could- Adam destroyed Inari and everyone on it! He would have done the same thing to all of us! My grandfather had no choice!"


    "Better to die free than live in servitude. He knelt and served Adam all the same."


    "That''s not true!" It was Raf''s turn to hesitate. How much should he tell them? "My family conspired with the last firefox to assassinate Adam. That''s why my father''s dead and why I''m supposed to be dead, too. You''re alive because my grandfather surrendered. We survived this long because my father pretended to serve."


    Hinata was taken aback. "I didn''t know that. I''m sorry. Like I said, you''re not what I expected."


    Raf cooled down. "It''s alright. Sorry for getting defensive. I never knew people thought those things about my family. I guess it hurt my pride."


    Hinata smiled, and their eyes sparkled. "You''re for real! This is wild! No, impossible! What even happened to that chain? Can I touch it?"


    Raf laughed, silently amazed that such a thing was still possible.


    "Sure." He pulled up his sleeve, revealing his new chain tattoo. It glowed a molten reddish gold. Sophia seemed to have compressed the metal in the chain down to a liquid form. It looked like it would burn at the touch, but it was warm, like a chain left out in the sun. The molten tattoo reacted to Hinata''s touch.


    Sophia minded the chains, Raf supposed, and the visual expression of Sophia''s mind was awesome. Magnificent, like solid fire.


    Hinata looked amazed but was playing it cool. They shot Raf a daring smirk. "Let''s see what it can do." They pulled out two grappling chains from a holster on their lower back.


    "Huh?" was all Raf could manage to respond.


    "Follow me. If I''m right, Sophia will make sure your throws connect."


    Hinata ran toward the ledge and then jumped off the cliff, throwing their grappling hook to the nearest pole, swinging to the next pole, and throwing their other grappling hook. Repeat. Repeat.


    Raf followed them to the edge of the cliff and hesitated. He''d never been afraid of heights before, but after being thrown to his death, looking at the beach from this high up sent his heart racing.


    "You''ll catch me, right, Sophia?" Raf asked. Silence. "Sophia?" Still no response. Raf felt embarrassed.


    "Come on," Hinata shouted, not far off in the distance, dangling elegantly from a chain. "This is how we''ll get to the last peak. Trust me, I can get us there."


    Raf''s heart fluttered again. He wanted to trust them. He had to trust them. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Raf leaned over the ledge. Immediately the chain flew from his arm, uncoiling itself and extending to latch onto a pole. Raf swung down and back up again, and then the chain behind him released, and he was freefalling again. He panicked and yelled, reaching with his other arm for Hinata. But the chain was alive and lifted his arm higher, aiming for another pole and firing out to grab onto it. Raf was swinging. He bumped and spun against the side of the cliff, but the chain held, and once he swung up, the chain released, and Raf extended his other arm forward. Repeat. Repeat.


    "I''m doing it!" Raf cheered.


    "I knew you could do it!" Hinata answered. "Follow me."


    They swung forward and up. Raf followed joyously.


    It felt like flying. They climbed higher and traveled far in a short time, but Raf was quickly exhausted. His arms were still sore from last night''s exertions, and his shoulder hurt terribly. He called out to Hinata, and they found a place to rest on a naturally formed shelf, wide enough to sit down.


    The outer coast of Crescent was mostly cliffs and hills. Legends say the island was the peak of an extinct underwater volcano. In the inner bay of the island was the crater, and Crescent made up the land surrounding that crater.


    They sat on the outer side cliff facing the ocean, far above the shore. With the sunset behind them, the sky was turning darker shades of blues and oranges.


    Raf was a little more confident with heights than before, but whenever he looked down, his body started a panic response, so he always looked up or forward.


    Hinata passed him some food: nuts and dried fruits, another musubi, and the water canteen. He had forgotten to eat before jumping off the cliff and was again famished. Once he was fed, he looked at Hinata.


    "You saved my life. You gave me a golden chain and showed me how to use it. You fed me twice. How can I ever repay you or thank you enough?"


    Hinata blushed and laughed nervously, looking away toward the horizon. "I dunno." They were pensive for a moment. "You really know a firefox?"


    Raf nodded. "The last."


    "I wanna meet them," they said reverently.


    Raf sighed. "I don''t know where they are now. Somewhere safe with my little sister Lyn is all I know. I''m sure our paths will cross again someday, but I can''t promise it."


    That almost seemed to satisfy Hinata, but not quite. "And you truly believe Adam can be killed?"


    "According to Rowan, if Adam were separated from the Blessings, he could be killed."


    Hinata leaned toward him, wide-eyed. "Rowan is the last firefox?"


    Raf nodded.


    "What are the Blessings?"


    "Five gems, the source of his power, embedded into Adam''s regalia. Remove those, and he''s still ageless but not immortal."


    "And you intend to steal them?" Hinata whispered breathlessly.


    The question terrified Raf beyond words. "Right now, I only care about saving my sister and banishing the fallen that killed my father... Then yes, Adam will suffer."


    Hinata smirked with satisfaction. "Alright. Keep your word, Rafael Avalyn. I''ll take that as payment for helping you."


    Then Hinata yawned and stood up. From their lower back satchel, they pulled out their hooks, resembling sharp question marks.


    "It''s about time to make camp. You can go on a bit farther, yeah?"


    Raf sighed. Carrying the chains on his body was a constant strain, and his muscles were already sore from heavy exertion. "Yeah, but not far. My shoulder hurts pretty bad."


    "Let''s see it," they said, and Raf pulled his sleeve up to the shoulder. The bruise was big and purple, spreading far down his arm and around his back. "Oof. That looks pretty bad." They gently poked certain places, inquiring as to the pain level. "I don''t think it''s broken, just banged up," they concluded. "Come on. I know a place up ahead where we can make camp. Try only using your one good arm to swing. Watch, like this."


    Hinata put one grappling hook away and jumped off the shelf, throwing the free hook to a pole, swinging, twisting midair to release the chain, and throwing it forward again. Somewhat less graceful, and it looked much more difficult but also doable. He took a deep, fearful breath and followed Hinata off the cliff. Raf was much less graceful, but Sophia guided his arm and the chain so he never fell.


    The camp spot was farther than Raf had hoped, but it was perfect. This shelf was much larger than before, lush with trees and bushes, and a firepit already built in the center of a tiny grove.


    Fireflies danced in the air. Lizards and insects scurried by as Hinata and Raf collected dried kindling to start a fire.


    Both Hinata and Raf were adept firestarters, and it wasn''t long before a roaring campfire was going. Raf helped Hinata set up some tarps to shield from the elements, and once that was done, the two of them promptly fell asleep.


    No visitors interrupted his slumber this time, which were a mix of nightmares of falling and drowning alongside dreams of soaring through the air with Hinata.


    When Raf woke, Hinata was absent. The fire was still going, so he figured they must be nearby.


    His muscles were agonizing. The chains were so heavy he struggled to sit up. He was getting stronger, but his body needed time to recover. Once he managed to stand, Raf looked around for Hinata.


    Looking over the ledge, he started to hyperventilate. Even after swinging one-handed, looking down at the beach from this high up still activated a physical trauma response. Raf collapsed to the ground, frustrated and confused. He thought he''d overcome this already. Why was he still scared?


    On his hands and knees, dizzy with fright, Raf looked over the side for Hinata. His vision was blurring, but he saw them below, swinging just above the water''s surface, throwing a chain into the ocean, hooking a fish with incredible aim and skill, and yanking it up quickly into a bag. Raf retreated to tend the fire.


    Hinata swung back up, landing nimbly on both feet and greeting Raf enthusiastically. "Good morning! I caught us some breakfast. Won''t take long to cook. Sit tight. I got this."


    They wandered the grove for a short while, collecting herbs and such, then returning to the fire to sit in front of a wide flat rock. Hinata set the herbs and fruits they''d collected on the rock off to the side. Then, from a sheath on the side of their boot, they pulled out a knife and set it on the rock. Finally, from a bag on their side, they pulled out a large silver fish with rainbow scales and set it in the middle.


    It was already dead, either from bleeding out of the hook-induced hole in its body or from lack of water, but it died recently, so Hinata swiftly thanked it for nourishing them, gutted, scaled, and sliced it.


    They squeezed some oily fruit over the fish and rubbed the oil from head to tail, flipped it over, and did it again, this time sprinkling on some tiny green leaves they stripped off a stem. A stick was shoved through the hook-hole, and the fish was set over a low flame until crispy brown and sizzling.


    While that cooked, Raf and Hinata got to know each other. Raf inquired about their family life. Hinata grew up in a cave on the inside of the cliffs, near the cavern village. Their parents weren''t thrilled with Hinata running off to the far corners of Crescent, but Hinata was old enough and capable enough to go anywhere they wanted. They had no siblings. Eight cousins.


    Meanwhile, Raf and Hinata ate a delicious, sweet, and healthy breakfast together. And Hinata got to know Raf better, too, inquiring as to his wounds and his upbringing.


    His injuries were healing slowly but steadily. Raf was used to the occasional bruise. Since the day he was old enough to hold a sword, Rowan trained him to be a deadly warrior. And not just in combat. Secretly, Rowan taught Raf and Morgan the fundamentals of mathematics, reading, writing, geography (local and global), wilderness survival, leadership, and critical thinking.


    After breakfast, they relaxed in the sun, chatting, joking, and laughing. Time flew by, and for a little while, Raf forgot his dire mission and gave himself permission to rest and be happy.


    Then Raf remembered his sister was suffering, and it destroyed any happiness he felt. By evening, Raf had rested enough, and it was time to continue to the last peak.


    His muscles were still sore. His shoulder ached. The wound on the side of his head itched as the skin healed. And his fear of heights still paralyzed him at the ledge. Raf tried to hide his fear from Hinata, but they intuited much of the truth and were gently supportive and encouraging.


    By sundown, Raf and Hinata reached the other side of the island.


    "That''s got to be the last peak," said Hinata, pointing upward while dangling in the air.


    A plume of dark grey smoke rose from behind the peak, barely distinguishable in the twilight of dusk. "And that must be Sophia''s signal," Raf thought aloud.


    "Race you there!" Hinata swung forward.


    Hinata knew the area better than Raf, but Raf wasn''t playing. He was determined, and that plume of smoke meant the next step on his journey to save Morgan. Nothing was going to get in the way. Up his sleeve, Raf had Sophia and her solid flame chain.


    With angelic strength, he catapulted himself over Hinata. Sophia''s chain shot into the cliff wall itself, guiding him around a bend, securing Raf''s fall, and then launching him forward again.


    Unlike Hinata, Sophia didn''t need poles to grapple onto. Sophia''s chain fluidly molded to the size and shape of any location required and released as rapidly. So it was no contest. Raf reached the source of the smoke long before Hinata.


    The smoke billowed out of a crack in the mountain. It was well-secluded and inaccessible for anyone without a grappling chain and a lot of determination. If not for the smoke, the opening would have been invisible from the ground below.


    Raf looked into the crevice and saw an underground forest, just as Sophia mentioned, except everything was on fire. Raf looked down in horror at the flaming cavern.


    "Sophia! Sophia, what do I do?" he begged for guidance as Hinata climbed up the ledge behind him.


    The chains vibrated with sound, and Sophia''s voice sang out. "Jump into the fire. There is little time. Chainfisher, you did well guiding Rafael to this threshold. Wait here, and when you see a sign, follow it."


    Raf turned to Hinata, and their eyes met his.


    "I want to go with Raf," Hinata pleaded.


    "You will not survive where Raf is going," answered Sophia. "Say goodbye now."


    Hinata looked devastated. Raf almost cried with them. Instead, he rushed forward to embrace them.


    "Thank you for saving me," whispered Raf.


    "Thank you for giving me hope again," Hinata whispered back. "Don''t die, and don''t forget me."


    "I won''t. I promise."


    They held each other for a moment longer, and as they separated, both thought they might share a first kiss, but Raf turned, ran, and leapt into the smoke.