17. Well-Trained

The inside of Chloe’s house is dark and cozy, the lights turned low to prepare for the movie. You’d think I wouldn’t be a fan of the dark, given the whole… y’know, Dark World, but paradoxically I always find myself more comfortable away from the light and sun. The dark is where I’m powerful, where I’m in control. The dark might be where all the bad things come from, but it’s also just… who I am. A light in the dark. When it’s already bright, what good am I?

“You’re okay with dogs, right?” Chloe asks.

An image of one of the wolf-like monsters I fought today flashes through my mind, its jaws open as it leaps towards Aurora’s throat. Purple crystals emerge from all over its flesh, hatred burning in its eyes. I shoot it in the head, and with an explosion of gore it dies, rapidly turning to dust.

Focus. She’s talking to me.

“Uh, yeah,” I say. “I’m fine with dogs.”

“Great!” Chloe beams. “Come on, come meet my dad!”

“Uh, okay.”

I’m ushered into a small entertainment center with a decent TV, a well-worn armchair, and a slowly collapsing couch. The armchair is already occupied: a middle-aged man lounges in it like it was made for him, happily holding a steaming mug in one hand and petting a dog with the other. The dog has a small bed of his own right next to the armchair, and he seems quite happy with the current setup overall. The dog’s fur is a mix of three or four different colors, and its fluffy, curled tail wags happily as it sits by its master.

Chloe’s dad gives me a warm smile as I approach, which immediately helps me see the family resemblance. He has big, calloused hands, a face full of stubble with a few flecks of gray, and his left leg appears to have been amputated just below the knee, replaced with a metal prosthetic.

Lucky. Just a little higher and walking would be a way bigger problem.

God, it says a lot about me that my first thought when seeing someone with a severe injury is ‘lucky, could have been worse.’ It’s kind of messed up.

…Hey. I didn’t mean it like that. And I wouldn’t tell him that out loud!

“You must be Eliza!” Chloe’s dad says, standing up and holding out a hand to shake. “I’m Rob, or you can call me Mr. McNeal, I suppose.”

“Uh, good to meet you,” I manage, shaking his hand. His dog stands up and starts sniffing me.

“And this is Bosco,” Mr. McNeal says. “He’s my therapy dog.”

“Oh! Should I not pet him, then?” I ask, aborting an attempt to do just that.

“Oh it’s fine, it’s fine,” Mr. McNeal insists. “He’s a good boy, you can’t distract him too much. We’re at home anyway.”

“Eliza!” Chloe calls out from the kitchen, causing me to flinch a little. “Do you want any marshmallows in your hot chocolate?”

How should I know? I never drink hot chocolate.

“Uh, anything’s fine!” I call back.

“So, Eliza,” Mr. McNeal says. “Chloe’s told me a lot about you!”

“Only good things, I hope,” I say.

“Maybe. I’ll never tell,” he winks at me. “But hey! Sit down, make yourself comfortable. How do you feel about The Emperor’s New Groove?“

“Never seen it,” I answer.

“Ooh! You’re in for a treat, then!”

“Chocolate time!” Chloe announces, returning with two more mugs. “This is it! The treat that you’re in for!”

“Not the movie?” I ask, accepting the steaming mug and bringing it up for a sip.

“Well that’s good t—oh, careful, it’s… hot?”

I swallow the steaming liquid, then take another gulp and swish it around on my tongue. It’s really sweet! I like it. I guess she put those marshmallows in.

“It’s really good, thank you,” I nod. Her dad whistles.

“Iron mouth you got there,” he says.

“Yeah,” I agree. I’m not really sure why, but after so many years of being an Earth Guardian a little of the magic just rubbed off on me. Even untransformed I’m a bit stronger, faster, and tougher than a human should be.

I wonder if it’s a smaller-scale version of whatever fucked up Anath’s body.

I’m not sure it matters much either way. Uma’tama has been pretty darn clear about how dangerous Dark World corruption is. Whatever is happening to me isn’t much of anything like what happened to the Dark Witches; I’m tough, but I’m pretty sure I’d still be killed by a bullet if I get hit without any shielding.

I’m not saying it’s the same, I’m saying it might be similar in principle. If it’s possible to permanently enhance my body WITHOUT being corrupted by the Dark World, it’s worth looking into.

“Eliza?”

“Huh?” I blink.

“I asked if you wanna sit down,” Chloe says gently.

“Oh,” I say, looking at the couch. “Yeah, thank you.”

I sink into the abused cushions, trying to relax my muscles and failing. God, thinking of Anath makes me worry she’s going to go after my brother again. I can’t believe she goes after my brother. My brother! She’s going to seriously hurt him one of these days. No, don’t think about it. When she shows up again I’ll beat her into the ground. And if she hurts my brother I’ll fucking kill her with my own two hands!

The last time I fought her flashes through my mind, reminding me of every mistake, every last thing I should have done better. It’s not just beratement. I’ve practiced. I’ve prepared. If she shows her goddamn face again, I’ll be ready. Again and again in my mind, I watch her move, watch her beat me, watch her nearly kill me. Again and again and again and again…!

Something cold and wet touches my hand and I gasp, jumping a little in shock. Oh, it’s just the dog. Bosco. He walked over and put his head on my lap. That’s… that’s sweet of him.

“…Eliza? Are you okay?” Mr. McNeal says, looking at me with a deep concern on his face that I don’t quite understand.

“I… I’m fine,” I insist. “Bosco just startled me a little, is all.”

He keeps staring at me. Even Chloe is surprised.

“…What? What is it?” I ask.

“I’ve never seen Bosco do that with anyone else before,” Mr. McNeal says.

“Uh. Well, my family has always been popular with animals?” I say.

“…Eliza, he’s a trained therapy dog,” Chloe reminds me. “That’s what he does when my dad has a war flashback. To… y’know, help bring him back to the present.”

I… but that’s not…

“…Oh,” I say. “Uh. Sorry. I’m fine, though. I’ve been spacing out a little today, I guess.”

“It’s been a lot more than little,” Chloe says. “Did something happen today? Do you wanna talk about it?”

“I… nothing today, no,” I answer. “It was just a normal fight. Nobody got hurt. Convergence sealed. It was, uh. A good day. Pretty… pretty standard.”

Understanding dawns on Mr. McNeal’s face, though it immediately shifts back into worry.

“Oh. Oh, kid…” he says softly.

Oh, you just HAD to mention the convergence. Now he knows, and he fucking pities me for it. I don’t need his pity. I don’t want his pity! This is why I don’t tell people this shit!

I thought Chloe already told him! Ugh, I feel awful for having this come up at a family movie night that I’m intruding on. I’m being such a horrible guest. None of them should have to deal with my problems.

“It’s fine,” I insist. “Really. I’m just excited to see this movie you want to show me!”

Bosco nuzzles his head further onto my lap as I wipe something out of my eyes. They’re wet for some reason.

“Let’s just… watch that,” I insist. “Okay? I just… want to enjoy spending time with you. Please.”

Chloe and her father share a look before turning back to me.

“…Alright, kid,” Mr. McNeal acquiesces. “It’s a pretty good movie, I think you’ll like it. And if Bosco wants to sit with you and Chloe, just… do me a favor and let him, yeah? He’s a really good dog.”

I nod, not trusting my voice. I make sure to use the hand not holding my hot chocolate to scratch behind Bosco’s ears.

Oh yeah, the hot chocolate.

Huh. Right. I am holding that. I take a sip.

It’s really good.

Yeah. It is.

The movie begins. It is apparently about some jerk of an emperor who gets turned into a llama and presumably will have to learn about love and friendship on his journey back to becoming human. I hope the evil witch lady dies. Yeah, that hits too close to home, huh? Evil woman turning people into animals. I can feel Bosco nuzzling me a little harder every time she’s on screen. It’s a little embarrassing.

Outside of her, though, I do really like the movie. It’s just… really silly. I’m not exactly a silly person, but I guess it is nice to have a break from time to time. A comedy really was the perfect choice. I forgot how much I like to laugh.

“That was… that was pretty great,” I say as the credits start to roll.

“Right?” Chloe grins. “It’s one of my favorite movies.”

A rumbling sound suddenly erupts from my stomach, audible over the music coming from the television. I blush.

“You hungry?” Mr. McNeal asks.

“A little,” I admit.

“Well, the tikka masala should juuust be about done simmering,” Chloe says, standing up with a big smile. Man, she is always smiling. I wonder what she’s so happy about. “I like to cook it slow. Makes everything nice and soft.”

She walks off towards what I assume is the kitchen and I just stay where I am, not entirely sure if there’s something I should be doing other than scratching Bosco behind the ears. Chloe’s dad stands up, motioning me towards another room. The moment he does, Bosco gets up and trots to his side.

“Let’s wait in the dining room,” he says. “Chloe likes to bring everything out like it’s a big production.”

“It is a big production!” Chloe shouts from the other room. “Food is art!”

Her dad chuckles, shaking his head with a fond smile on his face as he leads me towards the dining room. It’s a pretty tiny room, all things considered, barely big enough for the four-person table and chairs that it houses. The only other piece of furniture is a small shelf holding a few objects: an urn and a picture of a woman.

“That’s her mother,” Mr. McNeal says bluntly.

“Oh,” I answer softly. The only thought running through my head right now is ‘did I fail her?’

“Eliza?”

I blink.

“Huh?” I ask.

“I said cancer took her,” Mr. McNeal repeats. “Back when Chloe was very young. There was nothing anyone could have done.”

I swallow, not liking the way it seems as though he’s looking through me.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” I manage.

“We all are,” he says. “It’s still hard, after all these years. Problems feel a lot easier to manage when there’s someone to blame. Even if it’s ourselves. But hey! At least I don’t have to worry about it with this bad boy.”

He motions at his prosthetic.

“There’s definitely someone else to blame for this one!” he says. “Probably a lot of people.”

Well, now I have to ask.

“How did you lose it?”

“Transport vehicle I was riding in got blown up in Iraq,” he explains, and I tense up. “One minute I was having a boring old truck ride, next minute I’m in a hospital getting honorably discharged. It threw me for a loop, but in some ways I’m glad it forced me to come home.”

“Do you know what blew you up?” I blurt before I can stop myself.

“Not your rogue Earth Guardian, if that’s what you’re asking,” he says, cutting to the heart of it immediately. “I did see her while I was on tour, though. It was a pretty harrowing sight.”

I clench my fists, unable to meet his gaze. Earth Guardians are not allowed to fight in wars; our powers are for combatting magical threats, not interfering with local politics. The Preservers are very firm on that point.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” I tell him. “No one should have to feel threatened by us. We exist to protect you.”

“The threat isn’t what made it harrowing, kid,” he says. “Watching a ten-year-old fight to the death, screaming with rage the entire time, is what was harrowing. She wasn’t even going after our boys when I saw her. She killed people on every side.”

“Da-da-da-dah!” Chloe suddenly cries out, walking into the dining room with a big pot in her hands. “Food’s ready! Rice yourselves up. Oh, Eliza, is there anything you want to drink? We have milk, juice, soda, whatever.”

“Uh, juice is fine,” I answer, a little whiplashed.

“Coming right up!”

She sets the pot down and I watch as her father scoops the rice in it onto his plate. I copy him once he’s done, and then Chloe returns with another pot that presumably contains whatever we’re putting on the rice. When she leaves and returns a third time, she’s carrying drinks for everyone, which she places on the table for us before sitting down and starting to serve herself. The food is really good. It’s meat in some kind of orange sauce that tastes like tomatoes and cinnamon. I think she already told me the name, but I forgot.

I make sure to compliment her food out loud, as well as ask for seconds, and she seems very pleased when I do. She and her dad chat a lot during dinner, but I mostly focus on eating. Something about how good it tastes is making me very aware of how hungry I am.

I probably don’t eat enough, huh?

Being hungry makes anger and fear come easier.

That’s true, but I should look into whether or not it’s affecting my strength. Hunger might be a crutch, and if so I don’t need it. Better to work the leg.

Bosco bonks my leg with his nose again. I swallow the food in my mouth and give him another scratch.

“Hey, boy,” I greet him.

“You ever think about getting a dog, Eliza?” Mr. McNeal asks.

“I’d like that, but I don’t think I would have enough time to take care of one,” I say. “Plus, I figure I can always visit my brother if I want to spend time with animals. He loves them to pieces.”

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“Well, you’re always welcome to drop by here as well,” Mr. McNeal says.

“Yeah, if you like my dinner so much then you absolutely need to try some more of my recipes!” Chloe insists. “My dad has no taste. He’ll say anything’s good!”

“Honestly, I probably will too,” I admit. “But if the meals are anything like tonight, it’ll be because it is good.”

“Aww,” Chloe coos. “Well that’s really sweet. I’d love to—”

My phone starts to ring, interrupting Chloe with a familiar song. My whole body goes tense. Really? Again? Twice in one day?

“Hello?” I say, answering the call. Shoot, I probably should have apologized first. It’s rude to talk on the phone at dinner.

“Eliza,” Uma’tama’s voice says from the other end. “Anath is back.”

Well, I promised. I am going to fucking kill her.

“Damn it. I have to go,” I hiss, covering the receiver. “Thank you so much for dinner, it was really nice, I had a great time.”

“Duty calls?” Mr. McNeal asks.

“Literally, I suppose,” I say, motioning with my phone. “Bad luck, I guess.”

“Well, be sure to come back again!” Chloe insists.

“I will,” I promise, returning the phone to my ear. “Where is she?”

“She’s headed exactly where you think she’s headed,” Uma’tama answers. “Please don’t be reckless, Eliza. The backup I mentioned earlier is less than fifteen minutes out. I’ll send her your way as soon as I can.”

“I don’t need backup,” I scowl.

“Please accept it anyway,” Uma’tama pleads. “I assure you, she won’t slow you down.”

“…Fine,” I answer, and hang up the phone.

“A-are you going to transform?” Chloe asks.

I blink. I mean, I wouldn’t normally do it with witnesses. The flying cat’s kind of out of the bag, though. Yeah, I still have no idea what the fuck I was thinking when I did that, but I guess transforming now will get me there faster.

“You wanna watch?” I ask.

“…Yes please.”