Satyr Play 03 Pt. 02

"You should come with me. I have to tell him Henry is in Hainesburg. This Roy is more likely to listen to you as he knows you," DJ said. He watched Nate's body language as the man froze, then crossed his arms before himself and leaned back slightly.

"No, he'll listen to you if you tell him the message is about Henry's location. I-I can't go back right now." Nate looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"Sure, it's cool. If you could help me speak to Xiong, that would be great."

"No problem. You're gonna have to wait until morning, though, as they sleep until the sun comes up," Nate offered.

DJ just nodded, then yawned. "Sleep sounds good. I don't want to leave Henry alone with those creeps. I owe him that much."

Nate nodded, and they watched the fire for a moment.

"That trick you did with your glamor. You included clothes. Do you suppose that would work for me too?" DJ asked.

"It should. Glamors are just a magic overlayer. Just choose what you want to wear and imagine it as part of your disguise," Nate explained.

"Thanks," DJ said and went silent for a moment. "Have you met Baba Yaga?"

"I think so, just once. She looked at me and said, shit," Nate sighed.

DJ chuckled. "Great first impression." Nate shrugged. "When Henry helped break the compulsion she put on me, the witch showed up in our minds and screamed at him. I almost pissed myself, and her anger wasn't directed at me."

Nate frowned with concern. "Baba Yaga frightens Roy, and he's a big scary motherfuckin' werewolf! Henry's supposed to have a better relationship than most with her. Let's hope that's true for his sake."

There didn't seem to be anything else to talk about, so DJ just settled down next to the fire as Nate did. He watched the Silver People get up and leave until it was only Nate, him, and the sleeping glass.

"Where do they go?" he asked quietly.

Nate glanced over at him. "They chase storms. The lightning feeds them. Just being here on this planet seems to feed them, but they get an extra boost from lightning. Crazy shit."

DJ nodded and did his best to relax. It might be a nice place for the Glass and Silver People, but he preferred a more urban environment. Hopefully, in a few hours, he'd be able to get back to it. He hoped Henry would be okay until he did.

-=-

Sandy rested back on her pillows and stared at the small, glow-in-the-dark stars she'd stuck to her bedroom ceiling so many years ago. She recalled how proud and excited she'd been as a child as she gazed up at her efforts. Tonight, she was surprised they still managed to hold a glow as her lights had been off for hours. Sleep was evading her, and she knew why. She no longer belonged in this place.

She'd endured another day of listening to her parents and their friends discussing local concerns until she felt her brains were melting out her ears. Shortly after dinner, she said her goodnights and went to bed early. In her old room, she worked out what she would tell her parents the next day at breakfast as she arranged a bus ticket back to Chicago for midmorning.

With a six-hour bus trip to Chicago, then the transfer to O'Hare, and catching a flight back to New York, she didn't expect to get home until the early hours of the following day. Kesini shifted restlessly. Sandy knew she needed to burn off a little energy, so she decided to go for a run.

She hadn't packed any workout clothes, so she opened her closet and poked through the old clothes that still hung there. She needed to get her parents to donate these items to some retro clothing shop. She wouldn't be caught dead in these outfits ever again!

Pushing them aside, she stared in surprise at her high school track and field suit hanging on the hanger. It was comprised of a white halter top, red tights, and a blue hoodie. Very patriotic and stretchy, as she recalled. She recalled seeing some girls walking through the shops downtown wearing similar outfits, so her old high school must still be sticking with this uniform. As nothing else in town seemed to advance, she wasn't surprised they hadn't either.

A smile slipped onto her lips as she pulled it out and held it up against her body. She saw it would probably still fit. Sandy wasted no time in stripping off her clothes and pulling on the halter and tights. They were definitely tight, but they didn't bind as she lifted her knees to her chest. This would be perfect for running. She slipped on some ankle socks, tied on her running shoes, and pulled on the hoodie. Facing the mirror, she gazed at herself critically. The hoodie was comfortably loose, but the top and tights were skin tight. She wouldn't have gotten away with this in her teen years. She smiled as she thought she looked pretty damn good. Her job kept her fit, and having Kesini as her constant workout buddy was doing wonders for her muscle tone.

She looked to her door and realized if she tried to sneak out down the stairs, the creaking would wake her parents, and she'd have to explain. Instead, she moved to her window and slid it open. The old oak tree was still there, and the branch she used to climb out onto was perhaps a little closer to the house. Kesini eagerly flowed out the window to test the branch. Finding it firm and strong, Sandy was lifted across, where she climbed down to the ground with Kesini's eager assistance.

She set a random direction and began to walk. Once her muscles warmed up, she moved up to a jog. She'd been training Kesini to assist with this as she wanted to go running with Tish and Henry one day. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep up on her own, but Kesini was a fast learner and was integrated into her body so completely, she could gauge how much strength to add where and when to make it look effortless.

They got into a rhythm, and she soon found herself approaching the edge of town. Only darkness lay beyond, so she changed direction and ran parallel to the town's perimeter.

She felt good. It still took effort as she provided the movements, and Kesini was simply augmenting her strength. Her muscles were expending energy as well. Still, as she moved from a jog to a run, she felt like she was flying with Kesini's help.

Once more, she changed direction and found herself running down the main drag through the town's small downtown core. Nothing was open at this time, so she had the place to herself. She breathed in the cool air as her lungs worked like a bellows and her legs pumped.

She missed seeing the police cruiser pulling out of the parking lot next to the city hall to follow her with its lights off.

When she reached a small industrial section of town, the road ahead of her suddenly lit up with headlights and the cruiser's red and blue lights. Then she was rolling back over the hood of the car as it struck the back of her legs. If her legs hadn't been protected by Kesini, they might have ended up broken.

The cruiser suddenly stopped, and she rolled off to hit the street. Again, Kesini bore the brunt of the fall, but Sandy was still dazed by the sudden attack.

She heard approaching footsteps and found herself being lifted in a cruelly tight grip and slammed face-first on the hood of the cruiser.

"Just another tight-assed little cock tease. So many of you fucking bitches in this town," a gruff voice growled as a big hand landed on her ass and squeezed hard. Sandy grunted in pain.

"We're gonna have a little fun. You stay nice and quiet, and you won't get hurt. Mess with me, and I'll fuck you up!" he snapped at her as one hand pressed her down against the car as his roaming hand grabbed the tight waistband of her tights and tugged it down to expose her ass.

"NO!" Sandy roared as she suddenly spun under him, dropping her glamor in her rage. Kesini exploded out of her hood as Sandy's hair wrapped fist connected with the officer's jaw with a sickening crack. Sandy slid off the car onto her feet as Kesini lifted the creep in the air and slammed him face-first on the hood of the car hard enough to cave it in and crack a few of his ribs.

Sandy stood before the car listening to the heavyset man struggle to suck in a breath. Kesini was angrily whipping back and forth, and Sandy saw his hand trying to pull his gun from his holster. As she caught this motion, Kesini shot forward and wrapped around his hand, crushing the bones, making him scream. Then she tore the holster from his belt, and half of his pants came away with it.

"GODDAMN YOU BITCH! I'M GONNA FUCK YOU—" He screamed through his clenched teeth.

Sandy had Kesini tear off the rest of his pants until he was naked from the waist down. She then pulled his nightstick from his belt and pressed the blunt end against his puckered asshole as Kesini held his legs open with tight grips on his ankles. His struggles increased as he felt the intruder begin to push inside.

She was shaking with rage at what this piece of shit had attempted to do to her. She wondered if he'd done it to others. It seemed likely.

"You stay nice and quiet, as this is really gonna hurt," she ground out between her teeth, unconsciously channeling her inner Dirty Harry.

"N-N-no! Don't you fuckin' do—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHhhhhh!"

She roughly fucked him with the polished stick until he passed out, then she pulled it from his body and let it drop. With her hands completely wrapped by Kesini, she wasn't concerned about leaving fingerprints.

She heard two sharp cracks and saw Kesini releasing his broken ankles. She staggered back as she pulled up the back of her tights to cover her ass. Her rage flared again, and she almost picked up the nightstick once more. Instead, Kesini did and threw it through the cruiser's windshield.

"We have to go," Sandy mumbled, activating her glamor once more as she walked backward away from the scene. The cruiser's red and blue lights were still weirdly illuminating the empty buildings around them. When she turned the corner, she spun and burst into a run.

She stuck to the quieter and darker streets until she slipped back into her neighborhood. Kesini lifted her effortlessly up the tree and into her window. Quietly, she closed her window then she stripped off the track and field suit. She looked at it and realized it might have trace evidence on it. She wanted to burn it, but that wasn't possible. She'd have to take it with her. She pushed it into the bottom of her suitcase and covered it with her other clothes.

The officer was going to be discovered in the morning as the workers in those buildings arrived. She'd have to remain calm and act natural.

More than anything, she wanted to leave this place and get back to her friends.

As she tucked herself into bed, she clung to Kesini and let her tears finally fall.

-=-

Dayshia dabbed the tears from her cheeks as images of her father today intruded on her thoughts again. Beth had taken her to the home he was in, and Dayshia was shaken by how small her father had become. He'd been such a strong and vital man, but this sickness had sucked all of that away until he was left a shadow of his former self.

On top of this, his personality, which had always been so calm, firm, and self-assured, had twisted as his mind slowly failed him. Fear and bitterness were taking over. He'd said some pretty mean things to his younger daughter today, and she was torturing herself with self-recriminations for living so far away.

The man she saw today was not the man who raised them.

Beth saw how hard the visit was on her baby sister, and they'd spent hours talking afterward. Dayshia knew her sister held absolutely no resentment for staying behind to look after her father while Dayshia left to make a life for herself. She was thrilled to hear she was going to be a surgeon.

Dayshia was happy to spend time with her sister's kids, but she realized that it didn't inspire her to want her own. She recalled teasing Tish and Sandy about her hopes and dreams, including marriage and a family, but she wasn't sure she wanted that at all. With her new career as a surgeon, she knew she wouldn't be able to dedicate sufficient time to her family.

Spending free time with Henry... that sounded good. The thought of being a surgeon also made her happy. Being with her friends made her happy, and their group was undoubtedly getting bigger.

Losing Roger had been painful at first, but she now realized he was always pushing them outside their boundaries, but not in good ways, not in ways that led to personal growth. It was like doing damage control all the time. The fact that he'd become a murderer after his change, that gave her pause. How much of that was due to what he'd become and how much had been there all the time.

That thought gave her shivers.

He needed to be stopped. She knew, if she was given the opportunity, she would do it without hesitation.

She just hoped her soft-hearted bestie Sandy didn't interfere.

-=-

Tish sank into the overly soft pillow top mattress in Steph's guest room. Her mind immediately took her to her memory of sleeping on the collected grass on Eden with Henry. All she needed was the slight scent of cinnamon, and his warmth beside her to make the scene for her with her eyes closed.

She heard a soft knock on her door.

"Come in."

Steph opened the door and peeked inside. "Still up?"

"Yup."

"Mind if I visit?" her sister asked tentatively, and Tish's eyebrows went up. Steph wasn't the shy type.

"Sure, pull up a cloud," Tish teased as she patted the mattress next to her.

"Ugh, I told David the mattress was too soft!" Steph said as she closed the door behind her. She rushed over and slipped under the covers on the bed next to her younger sister.

"I thought you'd be all talked out," Tish teased her.

"Are you kidding, me with nothing to say?" Steph asked in false shock. Tish just chuckled as she knew it was true. While Steph was eleven months older than Tish, she acted two years younger and never stopped talking.

Looks-wise, they could have been twins, except Steph preferred a pixie cut for her ebony hair.

"Oh my god, I missed you!" the older sister sighed as she cuddled next to her Tish. "You know, of all of the kids in our family, you're the only one that doesn't immediately tell me to shut up?"

Tish chuckled. She missed this.

Then her mind took her to a painful truth she'd been hiding from herself. Once her baby was born, she might need to stay away from her family until her child was grown enough to know how to remain in disguise.

Steph caught the sadness in Tish's eye and pulled back a little to examine her carefully. "I'm sorry if I said something to upset you."

Tish gave her head a firm shake and forced a smile onto her lips. "No, it's nothing. I-I just missed this too. I'm sorry I live so far away."

Steph smiled at her. "You could move here! Bring that hunky man of yours with you, too!"

Tish chuckled. "I'm afraid to bring Henry anywhere near you!"

"He's so yummy!" Steph growled quietly in her sister's ear, which caused both of them to burst into giggles.

Once they got control of themselves, Tish sighed happily. "He is."

"So, sex is good?" Steph asked with a wicked grin.

Tish snorted softly. Steph was such a lusty girl. Her husband, David, who Tish found to be a cold fish, had his hands full with her. "The sex is... indescribably good!"

"Oooo! You bitch! You weren't supposed to tell me that!" Steph squealed with a pout.

Tish just smiled and shrugged.

"Now you're gonna have to give me all the details," Steph said petulantly.

Tish watched her sister with love in her eyes. There had to be some way to keep this. Then an idea came to her, but it was so dangerous she immediately shut it down. She'd... talk to Henry when she got home.

In the meantime, she had a fantasy to provide the details for.

Chapter 34

DJ was going out of his mind! The morning after he'd arrived on Eden, Nate introduced him to Xiong once the sun had risen high enough to wake the Glass Being. Nate touched it to speak with Xiong, and from Nate's expression he knew the answer wasn't going to be good.

It seemed that the Glass People had drained themselves recently making home improvements in the valley for all the new arrivals and wouldn't be able to open a gate probably until the following day. Nate told him the group no longer allowed Xiong to open tears on his own as it took so much energy, it put the being's life at risk. They spread the effort amongst a group now, which was far safer.

Spending another day and night on this itchy planet was torture for him, but at least he had Nate to talk to. That said, he found himself being careful what he said around Nate as the man wasn't as innocent as Henry had been. DJ was getting the impression that Nate wasn't warming up to him. That was too bad, but DJ wasn't looking for a friend at the moment.

He wanted to get back to New York to deliver his message to this Roy guy to pay off his debt to Henry. In their gratitude, they'd point him to someone with information on what skills he had. If he really was all-powerful, he had some scores to settle and riches to accumulate. Henry was a nice guy and all, but he knew jack shit about how to live amongst the Humans, or rather, how to rule them.

He'd waited all day as a large group of the Glass People basked in the rays of the orange sunlight. Then by noon the next day, it finally looked like they were ready as the group made their way towards Nate and himself.

"Last chance to head back to the city with me," DJ said, aware of what the answer would be.

Nate spread his wings and stretched them. "No, I'll go later."

DJ shrugged and looked to the one he identified as Xiong. Nate placed his hand on what might have been Xiong's shoulder then looked to DJ. "They're ready to send you back."

"Will they open the tear near VRL?" DJ asked.

Nate frowned. "That's a very busy spot. Too much chance of being seen."

"I've already put Henry at risk from not reporting his location for so long. If I have to run across half of New York to get to this guy Roy, it might be too late!" DJ said, adding a little desperation to his tone.

Nate shifted uncomfortably, but the Glass People seemed agitated by what they heard through Nate's ears. They gathered closer and reached out their hands to touch one another. Xiong, DJ recognized by his color and shape, was at the front of the group and held his hands before him. A tiny tear formed, maybe the size of a football, and DJ could see it was in a darkened doorway. A dirty metal door was closed just beyond. Xiong turned the viewpoint, and they could see an alley, and it looked empty. At the end of the alley, people were walking by, dressed in business wear. DJ changed his glamor to match and grinned as he was suddenly looking as sharply dressed as the working stiffs. He felt a surge of joy as this was going to work.

"Perfect! Let me through here!" he exclaimed, riding the high of success.

Xiong opened the tear wide enough for DJ, and he wasted no time leaping through. As his feet hit the pavement, the tear snapped closed behind him. He turned to head out of the alley and saw three large figures standing in the alley entrance gaping at him. They weren't human.

He recalled what Henry said about remaining calm when faced with what he once thought were hallucinations. Now he knew he simply saw past their disguises. He schooled his expression and walked towards them.

The three were large, furred creatures with clawed fingers and toes and face reminiscent of wolves. Nate said Roy was a werewolf, so these must be some of his pack? He smiled confidently.

"What? Did you see how this guy appeared out of thin air?" one said to another.

Seizing the initiative, DJ stopped before them. "I need to speak to Roy Duncan immediately. It's about the location of Henry Gable," he said boldly and watched their expressions freeze.