here in death valley

bored. bored, bored, bored, bored. forks & faux fur, how fucking insipid. YAWN. ❛                  you think invisible thoughts carefully? what i mean was how do you envision them? i mean, they are invisible by their very being, correct? so if they are invisible, how does one envision them?     ❜ a niggling feeling, something not right. ❛     oh gosh! i never even introduced myself, did i? how rude! princess heidi frossen of arendelle, how do you do?     ❜

“ Really, you should think all your thoughts carefully. But especially thoughts you want to use to get something! I mean, imagine thinking fire-y thoughts with abandon --- anything could catch fire! It just makes sense invisible thoughts work the same way, you know? But you do bring up a good point; still, all thoughts are invisible. Like, I can’t see my thoughts right now. Invisible thoughts don’t look any different, ‘cause they don’t look at all, but they feel different. Oh! “ Jake stuck his head out at her, ducked his head in a quick nod. “ How fancy. I’m Jake P. Sullivan of Monstropolis. The question is, how do you do? “

❛     the fork usage honestly depends on the kind of meal you’re eating, but a general rule of thumb is work from the outside in. & the silverware is usually different sizes too, just so one doesn’t forget! oh wow, fur? i mean, you’d do well in the cold if you still had your fur but i guess without it your tolerance is dramatically decreased ; i do tend to wear an outer layer of faux fur when it’s awfully cold because it keeps one so warm. how can one think invisible thoughts?     ❜

“ Hey, you learn something new everyday. Thanks for the tip --- I’ve just never understood the need for so many sized forks! Spoons, I get, knives, I get, but forks have always eluded me. At least now I can finally extend an olive branch to them, get into those foreign-fork-relations. Yeah, the fur worked great in the cold, but now I’m like a hairless cat, and nearly as grumpy as one. Smart! You don’t have fur, so you improvise with detachable fur. Who’d have thought of that? Ah --- very carefully.“

❛   that’s why i always say : manners first, &, like, everything else afterwards! well, at least they didn’t follow you. .. oh. i’ve never had horns ; i don’t much think i would suit them, anyway. i quite like my form as it is.     ❜ sweet candy-floss smile, eyes rolling internally. ❛   no powers at all really, unless you consider extreme-cold-weather-tolerance a power. so either i have been afflicted with some power i knew not i had, or your blending skills need some serious adjustment.     ❜

“ It’s a good thing to always say. Let’s people know you know which fork to use, that you open doors for old ladies. I mean, I don’t know which fork to use, but I do open doors for old ladies. Yeah, I count my lucky stars. Fingers crossed they saw me hit the wall and figured I’d beat myself up a little on the way out, right? Horns are alright, but the fur, let me tell you, was the real worst of it. I like how I am now fine, though, and they definitely wouldn’t suit me now. I totally count that as a power. I’m such a wimp about the cold. Ah, well. Maybe they do need some adjustment, though nothing that would take more than an hour, two hours top. I just gotta think invisible thoughts really hard. “

❛   oh gosh, someone was making death threats?! & you were apologizing?! that is so awful, why would they do that? are you okay? did you hurt yourself when you ran into the wall?     ❜ a pause, jade gaze scanning the boy. ❛   if you’re trying to blend in, i’m afraid you don’t seem to be doing a very good job - i can still see you, after all.     ❜

“ Yeah! It was sort of an adventure, I’ve gotta admit. And of course I was apologizing! I can’t just abandon my manners because of a slight inconvenience. Had I not apologized, then I would have given them a reason to keep on; as it is their reasoning is a mystery, but alas. Oh, no. I’ve got a very thick skull, was dropped on my head once or twice as a baby, I’m sure. I used to have horns, so my cranium’s still got some of that fightin’ spirit.“  jake let out a sharp burst of laughter, doing nothing to try and hide further. instead he leans a little away from the girl, lifts a hand to his chest in mock affront.  “  What?! No, you’re joking, I know it. I should definitely be invisible by now. Do you --- aw, man, don’t tell me you’ve got special I-can-see-the-invisible powers! “

❛    a regular tuesday? yeah, i guess that’s what i’m saying. you get used to it, though. er … you’re welcome, but i really wasn’t doing anything important & i’d never say no to helping someone be a permanent death-threat-free man.     ❜

“ Sucks, really, because Tuesday used to be my poker night. I had the worst face out of everyone though, so maybe it’s for the best! As long as I get used to the slight jolt of pure terror and adrenaline, huh? I’m just kidding, it’ll be grand. Maybe I’ll get so good at running away, because I’m the worst at assimilating, that they’ll ask me to join the track team. Hey, stranger, don’t downplay yourself on my watch, you got it? I know it was top secret work. That’s why you’re the best for helping me out. I owe you my life as a death-threat-free-man.  “

❛    that kinda thing’s gonna happen a bit ; blending in’s probably for the best. i choose self-appointed isolation but … that’s ‘cause i struggle to blend in, i guess. er, yeah, y’can sit here. s’not like i’m doing anything important.     ❜

“ …You’re kidding me! No, I’ve gotta believe you’re just pulling my leg here. Right? You’re not telling me the death threats and the high speed hallway chase are just a regular Tuesday. Aw, man! I’m the worst at blending in long-term. And also at not talking to people. Well, thanks. I’m sure it was very important but top secret, but thank you for halting in your business to grant me my last chance to be a permanent-death-threat free man. “

“Exactly, you’ll have to wait for the end of our movie to know what you’ll say! Or else it isn’t very exciting if you already know…although, it’s weird. That’s the one part of the story I can’t make up. Even if I think about it, I can’t make it up because I have no idea what happened before the accident besides the pining. Were there milkshakes shared? Playlists made? Was there a speech that was talking about me but disguised as a talk about someone else? Plus, even though I’m the screenwriter, it’s hard to write stuff for you to say besides the basics because otherwise I’d be like ‘is this what Steve would say?’ and start to be afraid I’m writing you all wrong. Or can we? I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Only the Fates can do that, and they can be pretty hard to persuade sometimes. You gotta ask them in just the right way, otherwise, they’ll turn you down like Narcissus dissed Echo!”

“But look at you! You’re not too many steps behind! One could even say you’re ahead. Da da duuuuuuuuuuuuun, da da duuuuuuuuuuuun! Da da duuuuuuuuuun, da da da da duuuuuuuuuuuuun! Da da da da da da da dun! Du dun du dun du dun dun. Daaa dun–da da dun da dun da dun–daaa duuuuuuuuun! Da da dun! That’s the Rocky song, right?”

“ Ugh, I can’t handle it! I need spoilers! I want to know the ending! By the time the end of the movie comes, I might not even know it’s the end of the movie, you know? Because of the memory loss and all, see --- this is all confusing. I might have already said the thing I’ll say later but I don’t know. There’s only one part of the story about the future you can’t figure out? You’re very impressive, you know, though I bet you do know, by nature of being impressive. Ah, well, you can always just run my lines past me. Trust me though, the more time ya’ spend around me, the easier it’ll be to write for me. I’m very easy to predict in a very annoying way, I assure you. Conversely, ask another Steve. I trust most Steves to get who I am. I’ll bet I could persaude them. Like I said, I’m annoying, but the charming kind of annoying. “

Nova laughed softly. “No, you didn’t. I was just wondering based on your reaction.” She shrugged as she gestured for him to sit. “Yikes — well, don’t worry, I’ll try and protect you from whatever was chasing you.” She joked. 

“ Ah, alright. I am pretty reactionary. “ Jake nodded at her, sliding into the seat next to her; he had to make sure he didn’t wack at her with a wayward hand motion as he spoke. Didn’t want to get two sets of death threats in the span of five minutes. “ Are you my knight in disguise, or something, or what? “  He responded in kind, his eyebrows shooting up wryly. 

She chuckled slightly, leaning back. “ I could only imagine how hectic it was for you to end up here. ” She tilted her side a bit to the right, looking the haphazard boy up and down. “ I’m assuming the halls aren’t like your home? Don’t worry. I’m sure whoever was chasing you won’t bother you if you’re busy with someone else. Common courtesy, ‘suppose. ”

“ No need to guess, I’ll let you in on that wonderful-horrible secret --- really hectic! “  He raised both his eyebrows, expression kind if confused. He was too out of breath to do any deep thinking. Better to just ask questions. “ Ah, I don’t remember half of what I just said, sorry. Did I compare the halls to home, much like Shakespeare did to that lady and unrealistic summers? I’ll keep my fingers crossed for common courtesy, though I doubt it holds in people who chase people down for an accident, you feel? “

“It’s okay, you’ll end up getting some of my winnings for squirrel-sitting, so it’s not a complete loss! Oh, good, good, I like where this is going. What if, when the music starts playing, we happy cry and run in slow motion to the other–but then! Bam! A car hits you! And it’s horrible! So we go to the hospital! And you’re in a coma, because, you know, you were hit by a car, but your soul comes to me and is like ‘I wish I had told you sooner,’ and it’s really sad–but then! A miracle! You wake up! But, you have amnesia! So, you can’t remember all the pining, and it’s really sad because you’re like ‘who’s that girl?’ and I cry because I want you to know, but if I tell you, you might sacrifice stuff for me and I want you to live the best life possible, so I leave, still crying–of course. So, time goes on, and we start living our own lives again, and then we meet in like a grocery store or something–a park! That’s more romantic. Okay, so we meet in a park, and I seem familiar to you, but you don’t know why, and I don’t tell you because, you know, there’s no drama then. So then, we keep accidentally meeting in random places and your feelings start to grow all over again and one night you run to my apartment and you’re like ‘Hey! Nev!’ and so I open my window and there you are and you shout something that you only would have remembered from before the accident and I start crying and you climb the fire escape and we both happy cry again and it’s a really nice ending with more music playing in the background!”

“Huh.” Nev couldn’t place her finger on it, but she felt like there was something about the subject of family that wasn’t Jake’s favorite. Maybe it was him saying it wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but for Nev, it had more to do with the way he said it. Kind of making it seem like it wasn’t a big deal–a behavior she shared. “Thank you. I think I will go for it, c’est la vie! Yolo! Carpe Diem! All those pump up sayings!”

“ Well, I like that it’s a win-win now. I’d have hung out with a squirrel for free, but hey! I don’t have to, which makes it even more a plus. I --- woah, I don’t think there’s anything I can add to that! You’ve got all the dramatic bases covered, what with souls, and memory loss, and two happy cries, not to mention the whole window thing. I wonder what it is I shout? Ah, I guess I’ll just have to wait go find out. I see now how many problems would be solved if our future selves weren’t pining, or being noble, but alas, we can’t change the potential future. “

Both brows rose midway through his rather long explanation. He wasn’t listening, not really– he never really put too much effort in long speeches from others. A smile– no, a smirk showed as he came to the end of the story. “ That is fascinating. ” An amused tone. Left foot up on his right knee, a hand resting on the back of the bench. “ You know I always wondered how anyone could actually run into a wall. ”

“ Easily, “  Came Jake’s reply on autopilot. Jeez, was he out of breath. Threats on his life and running and wall-induced injuries apparently really did a number on one’s respiratory system. “ Y’know, it’s like I said, once I realized this kid was serious about their threats, I hightailed it out of there at like, top speed. Broke the sound barrier and all that. Momentum was at my side for running, but not so much for turning, and my feet don’t really have breaks, you know? I just crashed. “ He slammed his hands together in a twisting motion, going out with explosion sounds --- then raised his eyebrows with a wry smile, trying to get something genuine off this guy’s face. 

“It’s very important, that’s how I’m providing for myself since I can’t find a real job. Being in the Program makes it hard to do anything like that. Oh whoa, yeah, you might need to slow down a little bit. I’m not ready for reciprocated feelings. You see, I’ve got to pine a little bit before I’m comfortable with mutual appreciation. Semantics shmantics! That’s what my dad always says. Hmmm, that’s true. We might have to capitalize on that because after all, not everyone has faces like ours. Oh, why, thank you! That’s the goal with these lashes, to seem fancy and impressive, so it’s good to know they pay off for something. Sounds perfect. Can we have some tea while we watch it too? I don’t know, but there’s something about that movie that makes me feel like drinking tea.” 

“You have a sibling? What’s that like? And honorary family too! That doesn’t sound half-bad. It’s okay, I’m planning on meeting them someday–I think I might even be able to meet some here! Although…I’m a little nervous about what they think of me, but I guess that shouldn’t stop me–right?”

“ Ah, so it’s a lucrative poker game. I’d try and ask if there were an in for me, but I’m afraid I have the worst poker face; not just in poker, just in general. It’s the curse of all that damn trustworthiness hiding away in there. I’m sorry! I can pretend to pull back a little bit --- hey! What if I pine, while you pine, and then in the end we realize it was all some cute misunderstanding while music plays in the background? Huh? It seems like a good idea to me. I like the sound of your dad then, he’s got the right idea. We might have to capitalize on ‘em, since I can’t play poker like some of us apparently can. Let me tell you then, they do their job and do it well. We can drink tea! I think it’s all the jungle-y bits, you know, since tea uses leaves, which are sort of like jungle-y bits. “

“You’d make a cute squirrel. Of course! We’d welcome the company. I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t wanna have no friends at all! I’d be happy for you to hang out with me and my squirrel. Oh, yes, a squirrel sitter is important. After all, I’ve got weekly poker night to go to on Fridays. Thank you, I had a feeling I’d be able to count on you from the moment you skiddadled into my life. I may be the local ‘trustworthy’ face, but I’m pretty sure you could’ve carried the same title. It takes time to get used to them, but a freak blinking accident reminds me of that movie where the older woman is teaching her granddaughter to be coy and they use fans and she flutters her eyelashes and it was funny. It was kinda like this–” She does an exaggerated impression of Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries 2. “Yes, yes, George of the Jungle might be the most appropriate without being sad.” 

“Oh…how big is ‘not big’? I’ve got a pretty small family myself. There are some more extended members of it too, but I’ve never gotten the chance to meet them, so I don’t really count them.”

“ Thank you! Y’know, aside from always feeling like I had a ‘Steve’ jawline, I’ve felt that I have a squirrel personality. Yes! If I can’t be a squirrel, I would love to be friends to one. They just seem like the best people --- er, squirrels. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on poker night. Seems like something important, and I’m sure your future squirrel wouldn’t want you missing out. I love the word skiddadled! I’m glad you feel that way. I hope it isn’t too soon to admit that I’ve felt the same ever since we met; though I suppose you didn’t skiddadle into my life, I still skiddadled into yours...but that’s semantics. The bottom line is that we’ve both got the sort of faces people would pay good money to use in their commercials. I’m sure. Takes guts to even blink, and look at you all fluttering! It’s very impressive, I hope you know. I’m all for George of the Jungle. “

“ I say both – nap first, then ice cream. Or vice versa – what type of mood would you say you’re in? Better yet, what’s your favorite flavor? My thoughts exactly! I think we should fashion a plan, here let me put a pause on this homework – believe me I’ll just be calling someone about it later tonight either way – what did the person who shouted at you look like or did you not get a good look? “

“ Well, does out of breath count as a mood? If not, then I guess I’m alright aside from this frankly worrying heart rate of mine. So, ice cream sounds better first, obviously. If I could eat it while napping, trust me, I would. Nice to see we’re on the same page, then! Hey, depending on what it is, I might be able to help out with it, as a thank you for what promises to be a spectacular diversion. Uh, tall. Arms bigger than both our heads combined, spoke with an Apalusian accent --- hey! I’d make a pretty good witness, apparently I pick up on a lot. “

“ What an afternoon you’ve had! Of course of course, I’d be delighted to have company. If they make their way over here just say so and I’ll create some sort of a diversion to shoo em’ away.·Or tell a horrible joke, that also does the trick! “

“ Right? I could use a nap now, or some ice cream. Thank you! I was hoping you’d say something like that, I really didn’t want to start running again. Ooh, I like the sound of a diversion. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather they don’t find me at all, but what isn’t fun about a good ol’ diversion? “

“Yeah, squirrels are just happy to have some attention. I wonder if I could keep one in my room…of course, I’d take it outside because it wouldn’t want to live indoors. But it could stay the night. Yes, over! I need someone dependable and won’t waste my time on some kid who can’t even remember to comfort his friend! Brownies would be acceptable. They do–actually. Sometimes they poke you in the eyes if you’re not careful enough. Well, if you ever wanted to be brave enough, I could help you apply them! Hmmm…The Lorax, George of the Jungle, Into the Woods…something that will pay homage to the fallen trees because that’s only respectful.”

“Good strange or bad strange?”

“ I know if I were a squirrel, I’d be happy with any nickname. If you do get one to keep around you, do you think I’d be able to chill out with it from now and again? I’d make a great squirrel sitter too, for your nights out. In that case, I promise I’ll always remember to comfort you when needed. The last thing I would want is for anything to be over! I’ll be sure to keep my brownies and cookies handy. Yikes. Poke you in the eye? That sounds hardcore. I don’t know if I could do it, even with your help applying them. What if I blink and they cause some freak blinking accident? All of those sound like good options --- really worthy of the trees’ memories. Though The Lorax sounds like it’d hit too close to home for that occasion. Maybe some other time. “

Music blaring in her ears, she scribbled and doodled in a journal. A presence. Nova looked up and saw a boy, looking behind and around. “ by all means, ” She started, removing the headphones so they hung around her neck. “ make yourself comfortable. it sounds like you’ve had it rough so far. ” She shut the journal while tapping the pen. “ how does one manage to have all that happen in the short span of time, i wonder. ” She said, slightly amused as she rested her chin on her hand.

“ Thank you, thank you. I wouldn’t call it rough exactly, but yeah, it hasn’t been a walk in the park either between you and me. Do you know how hard it is to run down a hallway when someone’s chasing you? And you clear a path through the people, with your elbows and stuff, but it just makes it easier for the person chasing you? Man, I’m learning a lot. “  Out of breath, Jake turned to look at Nova, drawing in a gulp of air before going on. “ I  wonder too. Chalk it up to bad luck, I guess! “