Amos Freeman's Amusing Adventures

[Amos Freeman]

img145.imageshack.us/img145/143/amosapp.jpg

Amos's application for the Velvet-tone Coffeehouse, delivered to Ari

[Amos Freeman]

121_08_17_2012.mp3

(indistinct rustling)

(distant voice)

“Yes, um, I’d like a large coffee, please. Black.”

(muffled)

“Um, no, thank you. Right, no sugar. Just black.”

(heavy interference)

(clinking of change in background)

“Thank you.” (pause) “You too, thanks.”

(susurrus of public conversation)

(chair being pulled out, scraping on tile floor)

(more rustling)

(a cell phone rings; the song is “Uprising” by the English rock band Muse)

(even more rustling)

“Hello?”

(…)

“Hi, Mom.”

(…)

“I’m fine. I’m, um, at the mall. Having a coffee.”

(…)

“Yeah, everything’s fine.”

(…)

“No, I haven’t heard from him.”

(…)

“I know, Mom.”

(rustling)

“Oh, crap.”

(…)

“Nothing, um,” (chuckle) “my voice recorder turned on in my pocket.”

(end audio file)

[Amos Freeman]

Amos Freeman sat cross-legged on his bed amidst several open books and a clunky, loudly whirring laptop. There was a lump in his throat. His phone was in his hand, a number already in the dialer. His thumb was hovering over the SEND button.

He pressed it.

He waited.

“Hello?”

Michelle Baker’s voice was tired, but not unkind, and Amos cleared his throat.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, sweetheart. Is everything okay? You’ve already called today. Not that I’m complaining,” she joked, but it was kind of anemic. She was obviously tired. She was always tired.

“Uh, yeah, everything’s fine. I’ve just been thinking – are you busy right now?”

“Not really, hon. I just got done making dinner, that’s all. Dunno where Joel went – I suppose he’ll come back if he gets hungry enough.”

“Yeah.”

Several beats of silence.

“I just wanted to tell you something.”

“Alright, shoot.”

Amos’s heart was thudding against his chest. His fingers were fiddling with the small hole in his top comforter.

“Um, I’m gay.”

A long pause.

“Oh?” His mother said at last.

“Yeah.”

He felt embarrassment welling up inside of him, flooding his cheeks and his chest and his brain, and he hurriedly spit out,

“Is that okay?”

“Of course it’s okay,” his mother said in a rush, and Amos wondered if she was near tears. She sounded like it. “No, honey, that’s absolutely fine. You do… whatever makes you happy, okay? I love you. Nothing will ever change the fact that I love you. You be exactly who you are and nobody else, do you hear me?”

Her voice wavered near the end, but she sounded determined, as though she’d been rehearsing for this moment for a while in her head.

“Okay.” His voice was so quiet it was barely audible. His vision was a little blurry. “I love you too, Mom. That’s all I wanted to say.”

“I’m glad you told me, honey.”

Amos cleared his throat again, this time trying to rid it of the excess emotion that was clogging it.

“Yeah, me too.”

[Amos Freeman]

Amos had borrowed this rabbit before.

She was an Eastern Cottontail, more brown than gray, who used about five acres of the Hammel campus as her home range. She was young – barely over a year – and their minds worked well together.

Well, usually.

Left? Amos thought hopefully again, for the third time.

The sun had set a little over an hour ago, and the chorus of crickets was near-deafening through the rabbit’s long, erect ears. She looked up periodically, twisting her head around in several directions, as though she would never be safe anywhere. This was instinct; he couldn’t control instinct. He didn’t want to.

He just wanted to go left.

Please left? he urged, and the rabbit, who had finally finished nibbling at a particularly lush patch of grass, obliged.

Her name was Rosie, because Amos had first entered her mind under the cover of a large, bushy shrub rose. She was, for all intents and purposes, your common everyday garden rabbit. Eastern Cottontails were one of the most common species in the United States, and there was no shortage of them in the woody, peaceful, mountainous landscape that surrounded the Hammel campus.

However, Rosie, who had not been totally unaware of Amos’s entrance into her mind (very few animals ever were), was much smarter than your typical garden variety rabbit.

Borrowing changed an animal.

They zipped through yards upon yards of freshly mown grass, zigzagging playfully. The entire world was a crisply focused barrage of colors and smells and shapes, all of them easily distinguishable to the rabbit’s senses. Amos considered this true, utmost freedom; humans thought, rather selfishly, that the world had been created for their benefit.

Humans barely even saw the world.

Predator! Rosie thought loudly, suddenly frozen to the spot. Predator! Predator!

Amos, too, was temporarily frozen, the strength of animal instinct gripping his mind so tightly that he couldn’t think.

(Borrowing changed Amos, too. Sometimes, when he returned to his body, he regretted being born with eyes on the front of his head. It was almost like being blind.)

[Amos Freeman]

OOC Note: This is a 1x1 timewarp that Pollo and I did some time ago. Featured here are Amos and Juniper, upon their first meeting, just a few weeks after they entered Hammel. Posted with her permission.

--

Eleven-year-old Juniper picked idly at the grass she sat upon, a frown on her face as she stared across the waters of the pond. Earlier in the day she had finished moving into her room and got all of her classes scheduled, so she had the rest of the evening to be by herself and think about the past week or two. Everything had happened so quickly – her abilities manifesting, the recruiters visiting their house, leaving her mom and tearful sister as she was whisked away to this meta school. She hadn’t even had time to entirely grasp the situation yet, but now, as she began to settle into her new environment, her excitement turned to sadness as she thought about leaving her family on the other side of the country.
She blinked, and felt a drop of water on one of her legs. She hadn’t even realized she was crying. She was happy, really, but she was so very alone and already missed her mother and Willow. What if she didn’t make any friends? What if she couldn’t control her abilities? She waved a hand in the air, trying to get a gust of wind to blow over the water, but the air remained as calm as ever. She dropped her head onto her scrawny knees and sighed. What she would do to feel the fir needles of an Oregon forest under her feet right now.

--

Amos was tucked behind a tree near the pond; he’d been reading there quietly, minding his own business, when a girl he didn’t know had taken a seat and started to cry. He sat, frozen, his eyes flicking between his book and the edge of the pond where the noise was coming from.

He couldn’t read like this. He felt guilty.

He rolled over onto his knees, crawling a little before raising himself to his feet. He wedged a small paper bookmark into his book (Kids in Print: Publishing a School Newspaper, Second Edition; his mother had bought it for him as a going-away present) and walked as quietly as possible towards the girl.

He was scrawny, acne-prone, and slightly disheveled. None of his clothes were brand-name, his pants had grass stains on the knees, and he had a striking gash above his right eyebrow that was in the process of healing over.

“Um,” he said, his puberty-strained voice wavering a bit. He clamped his teeth onto his lower lip. “What’s wrong?”

--

At the sound of a voice, Juniper’s head snapped up, and she hastily brushed at her face. Still, it was impossible to hide the redness in her eyes. She blinked a few more times and glanced over her shoulder at the person who spoke. It was a boy, appearing around her age. Her eyes instantly went to the gash on his forehead, and they widened in fright. What had he done to get that?

What’s wrong? Oh, right, he had asked a question. She tucked back a stray strand of wiry hair, and smoothed out the creases in her skirt as she lowered her knees to the ground. “Um, it’s…. I’m new,” she said quietly, her eyes averting to the side. “I just got here today, and there are so many strange people and I’m so far from home and…” she bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears that were still threatening to fall. Why did he care anyway? She was just the tiny new hippie girl from Eugene. She doubted he would even know where that was. “Have you… Been here long?” she asked, hiccupping a little.

--

Amos followed her eyes and, realizing she was eyeing the scab on his forehead, quickly and ineffectively smushed his hair over it. He looked off to the side momentarily, feeling self-conscious.

“I’ve only been here for two weeks,” he informed her, folding his legs criss-cross applesauce and plopping down beside her. He laid the book down more gently and looked over at her. She was dressed kind of funny. He squinted a bit, then looked out over the water. “Like, really far away? I’m just from Manchester, which is like three hours from here, but that doesn’t matter because it’s not like I can leave anyway.”

His nose gave a small twitch, and he rubbed it.
“If it makes you feel any better, I cried on my first day too,” he mumbled so quietly that it was barely audible. “Oh, my name’s Amos.”

--

“Yeah,” Amos confirmed, fidgeting a little. “I fell, that’s how I got this,” he gestured to his forehead loosely. “And they took me to the hospital, and um, drew all this blood, and then they sent me here.”

He conveniently left out the part about how he had shared minds with a pigeon.

“I know where Oregon is, but I’ve never been,” he said with a hint of pride. “The furthest west I’ve ever been is Arizona. My grandma lives there.” He scratched at his cheek absentmindedly before giving the girl another, more detailed, look. She really did look sad; it made him feel a little uncomfortable.

“I miss my mom, too,” he said. “But not my brother, he’s a jerk. Or my dad, really, because I never talk to him.”

Amos blinked twice, but didn’t look up.

“You too,” he replied before pausing. He hoped it wasn’t rude, but he had to know, “Um, so, your mom likes trees a lot, I guess?”

--

“Oh, I didn’t go to a hospital,” Juniper replied, a little stunned that he had. At least that explained his wound. “I was just playing in a field, and I made the wind blow when it wasn’t supposed to?” She asked it like a question, shrugging. “They call it aerokinesis.” She didn’t mention the fact that the air was starting to shimmer in colors that it shouldn’t be. She was too freaked out about that to accept it yet.

“Oregon is amazing,” she replied, her eyes lighting up. If there was anything she loved, it was her home state. “The air is so clean, and the forests are so green, and the rain is so refreshing.” She could go on and on, but she realized he probably didn’t care. She glanced down, embarrassed. “I’ve never been further east than Idaho,” she mumbled.

She didn’t know why she was telling this stranger all of this, but she was already appreciating having someone to talk to. She really was quite sociable, most of the time. “My dad left when I was two,” she said shortly. “I haven’t seen him since.” At least they had something in common.

For a second she gave him a confused look, before she realized why he asked the question. She let out a tiny laugh, and smiled a tiny smile. “Yeah, she does. Her name is Heather. Heather Birdsong. My sister’s name is Willow.” She picked up a stray leaf from the ground. “Amos is an unusual name,” she added, glancing up at him again. “Does it mean something?”

--

“They said I got a concussion,” Amos elaborated, using two fingers to gently push on the tender area around the ugly cut. “But I didn’t really feel that, uh, that bad, I just kind of had a headache for a few days.”

He studied Juniper, nodding.

“That’s pretty cool,” he offered, which was the closest he got to actual praise. “I have a mental power. I haven’t met anyone else with one yet. They can’t even find a good trainer for me.”

He sighed, inhaling deeply as a cool breeze glided across the pond.

“That sounds nice,” he said lightly, but not unkindly. “Manchester is mostly just, um, buildings. I mean, we have parks and stuff. And trees. But not, like, forests. Just backyard trees.” He felt a strange pang in his chest as he thought of his own backyard. He’d really taken it for granted.

“I’m sorry,” he said after a moment’s pause. Several beats of silence passed. “My mom’s name is Michelle.” He smiled a small, amused half-smile.

“Amos was one of the prophets in the Old Testament,” he explained dutifully. “My brother’s name is Joel. Joel is the book that comes before Amos.”

--

Concussions sounded scary. Juniper gave a little pause. “I’m sorry,” she finally said, unable to think of anything better to say. “I get headaches now too, sometimes,” she added. “They said it was a… Side effect? Like having abilities is like taking some sort of medication.” She wrinkled her nose.

She studied him again. She supposed he was kind of cute in a dorky way, but it didn’t really have any effect on her. She was too young to care about such things. “What kind of mental power?” she asked, then added quickly,”I mean, you don’t have to tell me. I’m just, you know, curious.” Her cheeks burned a little. What were the proper manners for asking meta-humans about this sort of stuff? She had no idea.

She couldn’t imagine living in a city of buildings. Well, cities were made of buildings yes, but her hometown had tons of parks and trees spread throughout, it was easy to escape into a wild place. “No forests?” she asked, pouting. “How terrible. At least Hammel has a forest,” she said, motioning behind them. “We should check it out sometime,” she commented lightly, then realized how forward she was being and added,”I mean, you know, if you want to.” She was blushing more furiously now. “I just want to make friends,” she said quietly, fidgeting more with her hands.

“Oh, Biblical names,” she quietly replied. “I wouldn’t know anything about that. It’s a cool name, though.” She crumpled up the leaf and sprinkled the remains over the ground.

--

“I went to see Dr. Neville, the um, the psychiatrist, and he said lots of people get headaches here,” Amos informed her. “I bet the nurse’s office is, like, half-full of headache medication.” For some reason, this image was funny to him, and he smiled lightly as he thought to himself.

He paused at her question; he hadn’t told anyone about his power yet, except the officials, and they’d made him do that. He bit his chapped lower lip and decided it couldn’t hurt anything.

“I can take my mind out of my body and put it into an animal. I can tell what they’re seeing and hearing and thinking. They called it Mind Borrowing.” He looked sideways at her, as though judging her level of trustworthiness, then continued. “I put my mind into a pigeon when I was at school, um, on accident. That’s why I fell. I can’t be in an animal and in my own body at the same time, so they said I have to lay down when I do it from now on.”

Amos craned to look at the forest behind them. He turned back around, nodding.

“That could be fun,” he said with a hint of seriousness. His mother had always said he was too serious for a child. “I saw some moose playing in the sprinklers earlier. Do you have moose in Oregon?”

--

“I think I’m supposed to see him tomorrow,” Juniper replied. She messed with a strand of hair. “Is he scary?” She didn’t like doctors or psychiatrists or any of those ‘professionals’ in general; her mom was into herbs and natural remedies, and that’s all Juniper felt that she needed. She gave another small smile at his comment about the nurse’s office. “I bet so.”

She listened intently as he shared his ability. He could…. Borrow animal minds? How COOL! “That’s so neat!” she gasped as soon as he was done talking. “I LOVE animals. My mom has animal communication; I’m kind of jealous. I wish I could talk to animals, or know what they’re thinking. Can you do it with people too?” People were animals too, right? She was talking more rapidly now, tears forgotten. “That makes sense,” she nodded about him falling. “What was the pigeon thinking?” she asked in a whisper, huddling a little closer as though they were sharing a secret.

At least he hadn’t been weirded out by her question. She gave a silent sigh of relief. “Um, I’ve never seen a moose before,” she replied, thinking. “But I would love to see one now. I’ve heard they’re huge!”

She realized he might be getting a little uncomfortable with her enthusiasm, and calmed down a bit. “What’s your class schedule?” she asked quietly, rummaging around in her knapsack for the paper she had gotten earlier. “Maybe we have a class together.” She pulled out the slightly crumpled schedule, and glanced back at him.

--

Amos thought of the doctor, with his slightly lined face and calm, fatherly voice.

“Not at all,” he told her. “He was really nice. He gave me a snack and let me sit on the couch.”

He blinked a few times at the peak of her excitement, leaning back a little before re-adjusting his personal space. He gave her a shy, awkward half-smile.

“Nah, I can only borrow, um, animals that are… well, smaller, sort of. Like squirrels and cats and stuff. Birds. And bugs, I can do bugs too.” Juniper leaned closer, and his green eyes met her brown ones. She even smelled sort of like a tree. It was really weird, but not in the bad way. “Um, it was eating a French fry.”

He paused for a moment, still looking at her seriously, then folded into a giggle.

“Sorry, I left it in my dorm,” he apologized. “I don’t really remember. Um, I can go get it, if you want. You can come. I live on the co-ed floor.”

--

“Oh good,” Juniper let out a breath of relief. Snacks. Snacks were good. She loved food, even though she didn’t show it. Maybe the meeting wouldn’t be so bad after all.
She caught his adjustment and instantly felt bad. “Sorry. I get, um, excited about things,” she said sheepishly. He seemed quite reserved, so she made a mental note not to get too enthusiastic. She didn’t want to scare him off before they could even become friends.
“Bugs too? Ooooh.” She kept her voice lowered, but her interest was obvious in her eyes. “I love bugs too. We used to get praying mantises in our backyard, I used to play with them.” Would he think that was weird? Probably. Oh well. She giggled, thinking about eating as a pigeon. “Well, at least it had good taste,” she said.
And he laughed! Well, kind of. But it was a relief – she was starting to be concerned that he was one of those kids that was serious all the time about everything. “Oh, that sounds good,” she said, starting to stand. She paused. “Um, do you mind? I mean, if you were busy out here or whatever, I don’t want to take you away from what you were doing…” she trailed off.

--

“It’s okay,” Amos told her, scratching his scalp through his mess of thick, dark hair. “I’m just not used to, um, talking so much.” He hadn’t had many friends in Manchester, so he was used to being looked over instead of looked at.

“I like praying mantises, too,” he grinned, brushing off his butt as he stood. He took a few steps, then jolted, as though startled. He ran back to pick up his book, brushed it off, too, and started walking again. “I have a book with lots of pictures of them. Maybe I can find one in person soon and try to see what it’s… um, thinking.”

He looked Juniper up and down ponderously before shaking his head lightly.

“I don’t mind,” he said simply. “I was just reading. Um, so it’s not a big deal.” He led her to the dorm wing in silence. He pushed open the door and held it for her. When they were both inside, he began a slow trudge up the stairs.

“It’s this one,” he said, pointing to room 207. His name was printed in teacher’s handwriting in the second slot by the door. He twisted the doorknob and led her through the entry room; he looked back with some hesitation before he opened the door to his room, too.

Most things were still in boxes. The ones that had been opened were beside the bed, and they were all full of books; novels, field guides, non-fiction, thick, thin, and everything in between. He rubbed his eye wearily and walked over to his nightstand, picking up the crumpled piece of paper that contained his class schedule. He had scribbled his lunch number very messily in the corner.

“I have math first period, English second period, science third period, and then lunch, and then, um, history fourth period.” His eyes skimmed to the bottom of the page. “And then my training is supposed to start the week after that, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, at 3:30.”

--

Juniper waited patiently for Amos to grab his book. “Well, I suppose I can talk enough for both of us,” she replied. “My mom would always say I talked her ears off, so I do have a reputation.” She gave him a crooked grin. “I hope that’s okay.”

Now that she was talking to someone, she already felt more comfortable, even if she did miss her family terribly. “Oh gosh, I would love to know what a praying mantis thinks about,” she gushed. “They always look like they’re thinking about eating you. They like, watch you.” She held up her arms and pointed her hands downwards in an attempt to look like one. “And they way they catch their pray… Sooo cool.”

She followed after him as they made their way back to the building. She was still trying to get used to the entire campus; it felt so big. She gave him a smile and a “thank you” as he held open the door for her. She allowed him to lead the way; she didn’t even know where the co-ed rooms were. Soon they reached his room, and she slowly entered, taking a look at all the boxes around the area. “Looks like I’m not the only one still unpacking,” she said shyly, glancing at all the books in the open boxes. “Wow, you have a lot of reading,” she breathed, rubbing a hand up and down her arm.

She pulled out her own schedule again and studied it. “I have science first period, English second – hey, looks like we have the same teacher! – math third, lunch, and then history. Same teacher again.” She smiled. “So we have two classes the same. At least I won’t feel like a complete stranger anymore.” She glanced at the number indicating his lunch. “Oh, same lunch too. You might be seeing me a lot.” She gave a chuckle. Hopefully he wouldn’t mind her sticking to his side for a while, at least until she found more friends.

--

Amos was quiet for a while, but he was also content. He listened to Juniper talk as he shuffled around the room, looking up every now and then to nod or offer a small smile.

“I don’t have a bookshelf yet,” he explained, motioning to the boxes of books as though that was an explanation for having so many. “My dad and his girlfriend send me Barnes & Noble gift cards for every holiday.” Instead of actually coming to see me, he left out, but it was implied.

He dug around a bit, picking up a hefty but rather small volume titled ‘Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America’ and offered it to her.

“Um, you can borrow it if you want,” he said softly. “If we have so many classes together, um, then I guess you can give it back to me anytime, so… I mean, if you want.” He repeated this last bit, and his cheeks were slightly colored.

She chuckled, and he felt a sudden relief as though something heavy had been sitting on him for the past two weeks and he hadn’t noticed. He chuckled too.

--

“Oh, well, it looks like you could use one,” Juniper laughed, running her fingers over the cover of a novel. “I love books too. I don’t have this many because mom always took me to the library to get them rather than buying them, but I guess I need to find a new library now.” She pouted for a moment. Did Pilot Ridge have a library? Or maybe the library at Hammel would be sufficient? If nothing else, Amos looked like he had enough to last him for a long time. “Oh, that was nice of them,” she said quietly, but the look in his eyes made her give him a sympathetic grimace. At least his dad was still around…

She shook her head. Jealousy was not her thing. And she was soon distracted by the book he was presenting her. Her eyes widened.

“Oh, can I?” she breathed, taking it in her hands and gently flipping through the pages. There were so many pictures! “Thank you so much! I promise I won’t let anything happen to it.” She beamed at him, tempted to give him a hug but understanding that most people didn’t appreciate hugs from strangers, even if she herself always felt like hugging everybody.

“Thank you, Amos,” she said sincerely. “I… This means a lot. I didn’t think I would find a new friend this soon.” She hugged the book against her scrawny chest, suddenly feeling like Hammel wouldn’t be so bad after all.

[Amos Freeman]

OOC: Another collaboration with Pollo. This one was done directly on AIM; it's a conversation between Amos and Juniper. Posted with her permission.



(3:42:43 PM) thecommasutra: Please distract me from my math homework
(3:43:05 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Okay ummm
(3:43:12 PM) thecommasutra: Ummmm!!!
(3:43:24 PM) ipaintwiththewind: I'm working on a stuffed animal
(3:43:25 PM) ipaintwiththewind:
(3:43:29 PM) thecommasutra: What is it?
(3:43:38 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Well
(3:43:45 PM) ipaintwiththewind: I'm kinda working on two, actually
(3:43:49 PM) ipaintwiththewind: One is a panda
(3:43:54 PM) ipaintwiththewind: the other is a... spider
(3:43:56 PM) ipaintwiththewind:
(3:44:13 PM) thecommasutra: Making a spider stuffed animal sounds like it would require lots of effort
(3:44:27 PM) thecommasutra: ...why are you making a spider stuffed animal, actually?
(3:44:48 PM) ipaintwiththewind: It's definitely challenging, all those legs
(3:44:55 PM) ipaintwiththewind: um well
(3:44:58 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Lei lost his
(3:45:03 PM) ipaintwiththewind:
(3:45:18 PM) thecommasutra: So you did too well on the legs on the last one?
(3:45:29 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Hahahaha!
(3:45:33 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Apparently
(3:46:04 PM) ipaintwiththewind: So anyway, I thought I'd make a new one
(3:46:31 PM) thecommasutra: Sorry
(3:46:33 PM) thecommasutra: Got a text
(3:46:43 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Alto?
(3:46:50 PM) thecommasutra: Is he out of the infirmary yet btw
(3:46:52 PM) thecommasutra: mhm
(3:47:03 PM) ipaintwiththewind: aweeee
(3:47:08 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Yeah, he is, thank goodness
(3:47:50 PM) thecommasutra: Juney
(3:47:58 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Amy?
(3:48:05 PM) thecommasutra: I need to tell you something and promise you won't tell anyone okay
(3:48:13 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Okay, of course
(3:48:19 PM) thecommasutra: You know Ravyn right
(3:48:31 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Yeah, she's really sweet
(3:48:50 PM) thecommasutra: So the other night I was on my computer
(3:48:55 PM) thecommasutra: And I heard this huge ass noise
(3:49:00 PM) thecommasutra: And I went to go see if she was okay
(3:49:09 PM) thecommasutra: You knew her dad died, right?
(3:49:12 PM) thecommasutra: Did she tell you?
(3:49:20 PM) ipaintwiththewind: OHMYGOODNESS
(3:49:23 PM) ipaintwiththewind: No!!
(3:49:26 PM) thecommasutra: Yeah...
(3:49:28 PM) ipaintwiththewind: That's awful!!
(3:49:36 PM) thecommasutra: She was really, really upset
(3:49:44 PM) ipaintwiththewind: I'm sure...
(3:49:44 PM) thecommasutra: So I was in there and I talked to her for a while
(3:49:57 PM) thecommasutra: And she had an obscene amount of hard lemonade
(3:50:08 PM) ipaintwiththewind: ... She was drinking?
(3:50:12 PM) thecommasutra: Yeah
(3:50:12 PM) ipaintwiththewind: oh Ray...
(3:50:21 PM) thecommasutra: Seriously you can't tell anybody
(3:50:27 PM) ipaintwiththewind: I won't
(3:50:29 PM) ipaintwiththewind: promise
(3:50:41 PM) thecommasutra: But I was trying to cheer her up and then she was like
(3:50:46 PM) thecommasutra: Right... like... there
(3:50:53 PM) thecommasutra: Like in the personal space danger zone
(3:50:55 PM) thecommasutra: You know what I mean
(3:51:00 PM) ipaintwiththewind: yeah....
(3:51:01 PM) ipaintwiththewind: ??
(3:51:06 PM) thecommasutra: She kind of kissed me
(3:51:08 PM) thecommasutra: And it was weird
(3:51:14 PM) ipaintwiththewind: w....
(3:51:15 PM) ipaintwiththewind: what?
(3:51:18 PM) ipaintwiththewind: really?
(3:51:19 PM) thecommasutra: Yeah
(3:51:20 PM) thecommasutra: I dunno
(3:51:28 PM) thecommasutra: I haven't talked to her since, I left after that
(3:51:37 PM) thecommasutra: It was super bizarre
(3:51:38 PM) ipaintwiththewind: How much did she have to drink?
(3:51:45 PM) thecommasutra: I'm not sure, I think she started before I got there
(3:51:54 PM) ipaintwiththewind: I...
(3:51:58 PM) ipaintwiththewind: I don't even know what to say
(3:52:07 PM) thecommasutra: But she told me not to tell anybody so you can't say anything
(3:52:13 PM) thecommasutra: I don't want her to feel worse
(3:52:14 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Of course not
(3:52:18 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Poor thing...
(3:52:19 PM) thecommasutra: It was so super weird
(3:52:23 PM) thecommasutra: And one other thing
(3:52:26 PM) thecommasutra: About Leiken
(3:52:30 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Yeah?
(3:52:34 PM) thecommasutra: She said that he like
(3:52:38 PM) thecommasutra: I dunno when
(3:52:51 PM) thecommasutra: But she said they kissed a while back and he tried to make a move on her
(3:52:58 PM) thecommasutra: And she was afraid he wasn't going to stop
(3:53:04 PM) ipaintwiththewind: ....
(3:53:12 PM) ipaintwiththewind: what?
(3:53:19 PM) thecommasutra: I dunno, that's just what she said
(3:53:28 PM) ipaintwiththewind: That..... That doesn't sound like him
(3:53:37 PM) ipaintwiththewind: maybe she wasn't thinking straight
(3:53:44 PM) thecommasutra: Maybe...
(3:53:59 PM) thecommasutra: But I mean I don't see why she would lie about it either...
(3:54:07 PM) ipaintwiththewind: yeah but....
(3:54:20 PM) ipaintwiththewind: I like Lei, I don't think he would do something like that
(3:54:29 PM) thecommasutra: I know you like him
(3:54:40 PM) thecommasutra: I was just saying, it's what she told me, and if he does that to you I will
(3:54:42 PM) thecommasutra: I mean, do nothing
(3:54:56 PM) thecommasutra: Because what would I do
(3:54:57 PM) thecommasutra: But still
(3:55:00 PM) ipaintwiththewind: he wouldn't do that to me
(3:55:13 PM) ipaintwiththewind: I trust him
(3:55:28 PM) thecommasutra: Well that's your prerogative
(3:55:49 PM) ipaintwiththewind: He's just like.... A lost puppy
(3:55:57 PM) ipaintwiththewind: He always seems so alone and sad
(3:56:14 PM) thecommasutra: He was kind of like a rabid coyote to me actually
(3:56:19 PM) thecommasutra: lol...
(3:56:40 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Huh?? I know you guys didn't get along well but... Was it really that bad?
(3:57:00 PM) thecommasutra: I didn't cry about it if that's what you mean
(3:57:10 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Well, no
(3:57:19 PM) thecommasutra: I dunno
(3:57:22 PM) thecommasutra: I was just saying
(3:57:37 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Okay...
(3:57:47 PM) ipaintwiththewind: I just finished another leg
(3:57:53 PM) thecommasutra: Haha good job
(3:57:57 PM) thecommasutra: How many does it have now
(3:58:06 PM) ipaintwiththewind: ... Two
(3:58:07 PM) ipaintwiththewind:
(3:58:19 PM) thecommasutra: Hey, it's always worked for us
(3:58:23 PM) thecommasutra:
(3:58:51 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Very true
(3:59:08 PM) thecommasutra: You know I'm not trying to be mean about Lei right
(3:59:12 PM) thecommasutra: Sorry if I hurt your feelings
(3:59:17 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Yeah...
(3:59:19 PM) ipaintwiththewind: No, it's okay
(3:59:23 PM) thecommasutra: Are you sure?
(3:59:39 PM) ipaintwiththewind: I just.... Feel like maybe if you guys got to know each other better, maybe it wouldn't be so bad
(4:00:00 PM) thecommasutra: Haha
(4:00:05 PM) thecommasutra: Well it wasn't for lack of trying
(4:00:36 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Yeah...
(4:00:39 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Hm
(4:00:53 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Well, he's actually coming over later
(4:00:56 PM) ipaintwiththewind: to um, watch a movie
(4:01:12 PM) thecommasutra: Like a date?
(4:01:20 PM) ipaintwiththewind: No!
(4:01:22 PM) ipaintwiththewind: ... well
(4:01:25 PM) ipaintwiththewind: I don't think so?
(4:01:32 PM) thecommasutra: lol
(4:01:49 PM) thecommasutra: Okay...
(4:01:55 PM) thecommasutra: If he does anything weird text me
(4:02:05 PM) thecommasutra: I'm serious
(4:02:08 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Of course
(4:02:11 PM) ipaintwiththewind:
(4:02:17 PM) thecommasutra: Promise?
(4:02:23 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Promise
(4:02:26 PM) thecommasutra: Okay.
(4:02:44 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Maybe you could come over at some point too
(4:02:47 PM) ipaintwiththewind: if you'd like
(4:02:51 PM) ipaintwiththewind: we're gonna have popcorn
(4:03:07 PM) thecommasutra: I dunno if that's a good idea
(4:03:14 PM) ipaintwiththewind:
(4:03:26 PM) thecommasutra: I mean I love you and I love popcorn
(4:03:29 PM) thecommasutra: Obviously
(4:03:42 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Of course
(4:04:02 PM) thecommasutra: Lei's just not my type
(4:04:07 PM) thecommasutra: It would make a very awkward triangle
(4:04:20 PM) ipaintwiththewind: ... Ooooh okay
(4:04:24 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Well
(4:04:31 PM) ipaintwiththewind: You can come over later-later if you'd like
(4:04:32 PM) ipaintwiththewind:
(4:04:38 PM) thecommasutra: Sure
(4:04:43 PM) thecommasutra: After I finish my homework
(4:04:50 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Yay!!
(4:05:01 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Speaking of.... I should actually go work on mine before he comes over
(4:05:09 PM) thecommasutra: Okay
(4:05:12 PM) thecommasutra: I'll see you later
(4:05:18 PM) thecommasutra: Seriously don't let him do anything weird
(4:05:18 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Okay!
(4:05:21 PM) ipaintwiththewind: I won't
(4:05:23 PM) ipaintwiththewind: I love you <3
(4:05:24 PM) thecommasutra: I'm seriously serious
(4:05:29 PM) thecommasutra: I love you too <3
(4:05:33 PM) thecommasutra: See you
(4:05:40 PM) ipaintwiththewind: Bye Amy
(4:05:46 PM) thecommasutra:

[Amos Freeman]

Drabble 1
He wondered what other people really thought when they saw other people naked. He supposed he knew, but he didn't understand. He would like to. It wasn't like he didn't find other people attractive. He wasn't broken. He was just realistic. Scientific, really. Where other people saw flesh, warm and supple, he saw keratin and melanin. Facts instead of fantasies. Anatomy instead of arousal. He hadn't been abused or anything. His parents, obviously, understood what he didn't. His brother also had little trouble. He was the only one in his family. He felt like the only one in the world.

[Amos Freeman]

Drabble 2
It was a frigid day in December 2009 and their mother had taken them to the Currier Museum of Art.

"It looks like she was drunk or some shit," his brother said with his usual elegance as they stared at Georgia O'Keefe's Portrait No. III. Amos said nothing. He wondered why Joel had even come to begin with.

"Or like she had a real fucking bad case of the hiccups."

Amos still didn't speak.

"God, you're gay," were his brother's parting words. He moved on to the next exhibit.

Amos stayed, transfixed, pondering the significance of very bad good art.

[Amos Freeman]

Drabble 3
He was fascinated by the way that, if he got close enough, he could see the other boy's limbal rings. They were thick and near-black like a wall shielding his finely-woven brown irises from the rest of his sclera.

Which was ridiculous, of course. Anatomy didn't work that way.

They were just eyes.

If he got closer than close enough, he could feel Alto's breath lingering in the air between them, and he would smile a little. And Alto would smile back.

There was no window to the soul. Amos didn't even believe in souls.

He was in love, though.

[Amos Freeman]

Drabble 4
Eleven year old Amos Freeman came downstairs in his pajamas to find his brother in the kitchen.

"Breakfast," the older boy said without looking up. Amos turned his attention to two bowls of already-soggy cereal.

"Ma said she was gonna make F-F-F-F... F-French toast."

"Yeah, well, Ma left early, and I can't be fussed making your stupid toast."

Amos sat down at the table cautiously. He examined his brother, who was still in his pajamas, even though he always left earlier.

"Aren't you g-going to school?"

"No."

"Your lips are bluish."

"Just shut up and eat your goddamn Froot Loops."