Stranded among Saurians - FreNeS1 (2025)

Chapter 1: Waking up in a stranger's bed

Chapter Text

I woke up to the blaring sound of an alarm clock.

I groaned at the thought of another day of university.

Mornings were my nemesis. I needed at least two alarms to wake up. This was the first one, which gave me enough time to mentally prepare for the next one.

With routine precision, I relied on muscle memory to turn off my phone alarm to savour those precious moments of rest. However, instead of the comfort of my covers, I found myself on the floor with a headache after falling from the bed head first.

Confused and disoriented, I checked my head for damages. My fingers were expecting the familiar texture of my messy hair, but they found a smooth bald dome instead.

What is going on?

It was too dark to see anything. I fumbled around the nightstand, reaching for the lamp, only to realise there wasn't one. I fumbled around again until I found a light switch on the wall. I flicked it on, and the lights illuminated the room.

I didn't recognise this place.

I stared at the unknown apartment. From where I stood, I could see the whole thing: a kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. It was the bare minimum for a living space. The apartment was a mess, with trash everywhere and furniture that looked like someone had salvaged it from a garbage dump.

In fact, calling this place a garbage dump would be an apt description.

Where am I? What am I doing here?

Dumbfounded, I scratched my head and felt the lack of hair again. Did I get too drunk last night, and God knows what else happened? I don't remember drinking yesterday. Did I get kidnapped by someone? Why would they shave my head?

Still groggy from waking up and headbutting the floor, I stumbled into the bathroom to clear my head. A bit of water and soap worked wonders in the morning. I reached for a towel and dried my face.

I couldn't comprehend what I saw when I looked at the mirror hanging above the bathroom sink.

A bald teenager I didn't know was staring at me with a surprised look on his face. I moved, and he moved, mirroring my movements. After a short while, I realised I was looking at my reflection. That bald kid was me.

That is not me. Am I possessing someone? Am I dead? What is going on?!

I sat down on the bed, trying to process everything. I was in an unknown place in another person's body. How did I get here? I couldn't find an explanation. This situation defied all logic.

Unless I was dreaming.

But if I was dreaming, why didn't the headbut wake me? The bump still stung a little when I touched it. I had also washed my face with cold water. This felt too real, even for a lucid dream.

I tried to fly to check if I was dreaming, but I couldn't. Shame.

Desperate for more information, I searched around for anything useful. I noticed a computer sitting on a table near the bed. I powered it up, and a welcome screen asked for a password. Damn, the lead turned out to be a dead end pretty quick.

Unless…

If the computer belonged to the bald guy, perhaps muscle memory could type the password. After all, his body shut off the alarm and rolled out of bed without my input.

I closed my eyes, stopped thinking, and put my fingers on the keyboard.

Trigger

I didn't know what the word meant, but it looked promising. I pressed enter, but the computer denied entry with an error sound. It wouldn't be that easy after all.

Let's try again. Concentrate.

Fag

I knew that one. This guy has a knack for trash-talking, so 'trigger' was probably a slur I didn't know about. Likely an insult for social justice warriors or something like that.

Leaving the computer aside, I looked around for anything else. My eyes spotted a phone charging near the bed. I unplugged it and tried to use it. However, another lock screen blocked me from the precious information I desperately needed.

It was a pattern lock. Maybe muscle memory could work on this one? I grabbed the phone and let my hands do the rest. Luckily, my thumb cooperated this time and traced a simple pattern that unlocked the phone.

The first thing I noticed was the screen background. It was an anime girl of questionable age wearing school clothes. It was displayed in a way that made it look like unlocking the phone lifted her skirt, revealing her underwear.

God dammit, bald guy.

Well, even if it was cringe, it was pretty ingenious. God knows I did numerous troublesome things as a teenager myself, which was only four years ago, by the way. I shouldn't be so quick to judge others. Who is that anime girl? I don't recognise her…

How can I be distracting myself right now? Hello, brain! High-stress situation here! Search the damn phone.

I didn't want to see more anime girls with little to no clothes, so I avoided images and messages just in case. Mail should probably be safe.

I tapped on the app, and the emails were listed. Most were spam and scams about subscriptions to websites I didn't recognise, but the third one caught my eye.

Dear Anon Y. Mous and Family,

I am pleased to inform you that Anon has been accepted to Volcano High for the remainder of the academic year. We understand that your situation is unique, and we are committed to ensuring a smooth transition for Anon into our school community.

At Volcano High, we pride ourselves on fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where every student can thrive. Moving to another region is a strenuous trial for a student, so our dedicated faculty and staff are here to help Anon acclimate academically and socially in Volcadera Bluffs.

We will be ready for a warm welcome next Monday at 7:30 AM. We look forward to seeing Anon succeed and grow with us.

Warm regards,

Principal Spears

The short email contained a lot of helpful information, so it helped me calm down. I didn't know who Principal Spears was, but I liked him already. This was a decent starting point, but multiple things were still a mystery. How did I get here? Where was I? How would I get back home?

I didn't think I could answer those questions quickly, so I had to work on a long-term plan. The safest way forward would be to pretend to be Anon, at least while I made sense of whatever was happening.

Having to suffer through high school again was harsh, but in my situation, it was probably for the best. Anon's parents should cover rent and food, and I had lots of free time to figure things out.

Also, nobody should know Anon personally because he'd just moved in from another region. I didn't think I could pretend if I had to talk with someone close to him.

Wondering about my next step, I checked the alarm clock. It read Monday, 7:13 AM.

According to the time in the email, I had 17 minutes to get to school. I needed to hurry.

I wished I had more time to search around, but I wanted to avoid standing out by being late on my first day. If the 'warm welcome' was literal, someone should be waiting for me at school. I hastily opened the phone's map app and searched for the school's name. It was 20 minutes away on foot.

I went to the bathroom and washed myself with a wet towel. I was hoping for a shower, but that will have to wait. I put on the first set of clothes I found that wasn't too dirty, grabbed a backpack that I hoped contained school supplies, and darted outside.

Chapter 2: Colourful scary monsters

Chapter Text

Time check. 7:18 AM.

I had 12 minutes to complete a 20-minute route if I wanted to arrive on time. Maths weren't on my side this time, so I had to move fast.

I tried to pick up the pace and started running, but after just two blocks, I had to stop to catch my breath. This stupid, lanky body was not built for exercise at all.

Come on, Anon! I'm not even running that fast! Why do you need to catch your breath?

I forced myself to start running again, but I only made it one more block before I had to stop again.

I miss my own body already.

For both our sakes, I decided to settle for a brisk walking pace and bullshit some excuse for my tardiness. I was new to the area, so getting lost could work.

The street I was walking through reminded me of Anon's apartment, which was not a compliment. It had this low-income suburban vibe, full of mysterious liquids, graffiti, broken bottles and trash everywhere. It didn't seem like a nice neighbourhood at all. Maybe Anon's parents weren't that well off.

The weather perfectly complemented the mood: so icy and foggy that you couldn't see anything more than a couple of metres ahead. Visibility was so poor that I had to rely on my phone to navigate the streets.

As I approached my destination, buildings gave way to a single road surrounded by green hills. Or at least that's what I imagined based on the greenery on the map.

A couple of cars passed by. I noticed a trio of figures talking a little ahead of me. I was really close to school now. I was only 3 minutes late, which was acceptable even if someone was waiting for me.

The sun finally decided to make its appearance, and the fog began to clear.

I could finally take a look at- What the FUCK are those things?!

I freeze in terror.

The entrance to the school building is crowded with what I can only describe as lizard people of all colours, shapes and sizes. Some have tails, others have horns. That one that just laughed has shark teeth and a beak.

Those things aren't human. But they look too real to be hallucinations. How are they moving and talking like that? Did that one's tail twitch just now?

Oh god, they are staring at me. Why are they staring at me?!

As I stood there terrified, a couple of those creatures overtook me. They looked at me curiously as they walked past. Those monsters were even scarier up close.

"What's that guy doing standing there all loonie-like?"

"Beats me. But aren't skinnies like hairy and stuff? This one looks wrong."

"Maybe it's sick or something."

"Anyway, about the new episode…"

I felt like I was hit with a flashbang. Every single emotion surged through me at once. A million thoughts raced through my head, but one stood above all.

Get out of there.

My feet quickly carry me to the side of the building as I look for literally anywhere else to be. I stop at what looks like a little alcove covered with bushes and complete with a wooden bench. I could even hear a bird happily chirping away.

It's a lovely place. Shame I'm in the middle of a mental breakdown.

Am I crazy?

I don't feel crazy.

But if I'm not crazy, why are there lizard people?

Lizard people are something your uncle addicted to conspiracy theories would come up while on drugs. I don't think I have enough imagination to come up with this shit myself.

Am I dreaming, then?

I ensured I wasn't when I woke up, but it may be time to reconsider.

I pinched myself.

Nothing happened.

I pinched myself again.

Surprise! Nothing happened.

I stand there doing nothing.

Maybe if I wait enough time, my problems will solve themselves.

Wouldn't that be great?

"Um, excuse me. Would you happen to be Anon?"

I turned around and saw that two of those fever dreams approached while I was distracted: an orange one with glasses, a long tail, and a weird head bump, and a grey one with an orange mohawk and mismatched wings.

The grey one speaks. "You're kinda staring into space there. Are you okay?"

I was not okay. I don't understand anything anymore.

Stress is too much. I stop thinking and switch to autopilot.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm fine. Just thinking about… stuff."

All my emotions converged on a blank, neutral stare. I'm not fine at all, but with any luck, the weird creatures would buy it and leave me alone.

"So, are you Anon?" the orange one asked again.

"Yeah?" Not really. I'm someone else possessing his body.

The orange one perks up and gives me a warm smile. It isn't comforting in the slightest.

"I'm so glad we found you! My name is Naomi. I'm the student council president and your guide. It's my sincere pleasure to make your acquaintance, Anon!"

"We're your welcoming committee", the grey one interjects.

These two colour splotches are my warm welcome to Volcano High.

"I see."

"I had this prepared just for you!" Orange offers a brochure.

I stand there dumbfounded, looking at her hand. Orange tilts her head in confusion and shakes the brochure, signalling I'm supposed to take it. I react and grab it.

Volcano High and You: A New Beginning to Adulthood

I glance at the brochure in my hands. I like the colours and images. It looks great, and the words sound nice. However, I'm too far gone at this point because of the mental breakdown to really comprehend what was written.

"Hey, I need to take care of some things, babe." Grey looked at a group of lizards trying to lift a comically large speaker up the stairs. Unsuccessfully.

"I'll see you at lunch, right, Naser?" Orange asks.

"Of course."

Grey gets close to Orange, hugs her, and they start nudging their faces together like animals. Is this considered a display of affection in dream lizard culture? Are these two a pair?

Grey leaves, and Orange is left alone, looking dejected.

After a while, she smiles and speaks again. "So, Anon. Why did you transfer here?"

I have no idea.

"Uhh…"

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Okay."

We stare at each other in uncomfortable silence. Orange is trying hard to keep the conversation going while I'm trying hard to keep my sanity and survive this delirium.

She perks up again. "I know! I can take you to see the principal! He's very nice, and I'm sure he would love to see you in person. And I can tell you things about the school while we walk!"

I don't want to be stuck in the same building as hundreds of these crayon creatures, but I must go inside to keep the Anon persona. I need to find an excuse, but-

Orange reaches for my hand, but I quickly jerk it away and step back defensively. She looks at me, startled by my reaction.

"I... Uhh... Sorry," I mumble in a panic. "I'm not… I'm not good with touch."

Nice recovery. I almost look like a sane person.

"Oh! I apologise. I shouldn't have tried to grab you out of the blue like that. That was rude of me."

"It's okay."

More silence.

Orange is like a cereal box character. She made a considerable effort to be as welcoming as possible, but to me, this comes off as highly offputting.

The longer I stare at her, the more I feel I'm going to have an aneurysm. I muster whatever energy is left in my brain to say something intelligent.

"If you want to show me around, that's fine. I can... just walk with you."

Orange perks up again. "That's amazing! Let's go then!"

She starts walking, and I follow her inside.

While we walk, she tells me about all the fantastic things the school offers. Well, I think she does. I'm not paying attention. Once again, I'm surrounded by a myriad of these cartoon reptiles, so I'm entirely focused on keeping my essential body functions up and running.

Avoid looking at anyone on the way. I don't care if they stare at me or not. I want this to be over as soon as possible. Breathe and walk. Just breathe and walk.

Suddenly, Orange stops and says something I don't understand. Considering we are standing in front of a door with a plaque that reads 'PRINCIPAL SPEARS', I believe she is informing me that we have reached our destination.

She knocks on the door.

A deep voice is heard from the other side. "State your business."

"It's Naomi. The new student would like to speak with you, Principal Spears." Orange replies.

Do I? Guy sounds like he weighs two tons and bends steel beams as a hobby. I'm pretty sure I don't.

His voice is heard again. "Tell him to come later. I am dealing with another student."

Orange looks back at me with an apologetic look, and we enjoy our characteristic awkward silence. Before anyone can speak, someone shouts from inside.

"THE FUCK YOU MEAN I HAVE TO CLEAN UP AFTER-"

Chapter 3: First contact

Chapter Text

Orange does her thing and starts talking. "Well, why don't I show you to your class? Do you already have your schedule?"

"Huh?" I reply with a confused look.

"The list of classes you are taking. You most likely received it with your application details."

"Huh?" I reiterate.

"You don't have it?"

I instinctively fumble around my pockets, looking for anything. I feel something in my left hand and take it out. It's a crumpled piece of paper. I unfold it and reveal school subjects arranged on a table. Holy shit, I'm a magician.

Before I can say anything, Orange takes it and produces the most high-pitched squeal I have ever heard. Are these things animals or people?

"We share first-period English together!" Orange chirps. "Come on, Anon! I'll introduce you to the class, and you'll be able to make all sorts of new friends!"

I would honestly prefer torture at this point. I'm already having trouble staying calm with this sugar caricature. If I have to talk to an entire class of lizards, I'm collapsing on the spot.

She started walking again, and I started following her again. She started talking again, and I started ignoring her again.

Even if I wanted to listen to what she says, which I don't, my mental state only allows me to focus on one thing at a time. Right now, it's walking.

Surprisingly, this doesn't deter Orange from continuing her monologue. She's been at it for a while, and it doesn't seem like she'll ever stop talking. She doesn't even need my input or anything. With that energy, she could become a fantastic late-night radio speaker.

We arrive at a classroom where several lizards are going about their lizard activities. After standing there for a moment , Orange stops talking, which genuinely surprises me, and takes a seat in what I imagine to be her usual spot.

I look around for empty seats, searching for whichever is furthest from anyone else, and settle for one in the corner of the room. I already miss the empty alcove on the side of the building, but alas, that wasn't an option.

I hope everything goes smoothly. I'm incredibly close to my breaking point. For the love of God, please, nobody talk to me.

A stereotypical bell rings, signalling the start of class. One of those things enters the room: a green one dressed in a bathrobe and holding a wooden sword, because why not?

I don't know how much more of this craziness I can handle.

“Ohayo gozaimasu curassu. Tudei yu habu e niu curassu-meito tsu Borukeino Hai”

Another flashbang directly to my face. I'm glad my default reaction is deer in headlights mode.

“Anon-kun puriizu camu appu zen intorudiusu yooru serfu”

The whole class turns around and looks at me. A few seconds pass.

Orange coughs and gives me a subtle nod.

I don't want to be here, and I don't want to do this, but if I don't stand up and say something right now, it will only get worse.

Mustering every ounce of courage I have, I stand up.

"Hi…"

Just a few more words. Remember your new name.

"I'm... Uh… I'm Anon."

Good enough. Now, I can sit back down and enjoy my anxiety.

"What was your old school like?" Please, Orange, for all that is holy, shut the fuck up.

"...Good."

I look around and see that most lizards are no longer interested in me. It is a sign that I've done the bare minimum required for an introduction, so I sit back down. The teacher gives his lesson in his thick Japanese accent, taking back the attention of the few lizards still looking at me.

I sink into my chair. That was too much. I feel lightheaded, and my hands are trembling. I scream internally for a minute. Fortunately, sitting in the back row makes my hysteria invisible to everyone.

After remembering to breathe and recovering from my fit, I spent the rest of the class inspecting the backs of the colour freaks sitting in front of me.

Examining the creatures up close, rather than lizards, calling them anthropomorphic dinosaurs would be more accurate. In fact, I started to notice individual details similar to some dinosaur species I knew.

The first one I recognised was a brown one with this weird-looking crown head with three horns, so it had to be a Triceratops. There was another green one with multiple spiky plaques on his back and tail like a Stegosaurus.

Recalling my earlier encounter with Grey, he had leather wings without feathers like a Pterodactyl. I knew that Orange was similar to the funky one with the head bump, but I didn't remember the name of that one.

My victory was short-lived. Knowing more about the monsters I shared a class with did not help me calm down. In fact, there are a bunch of films about a particular dinosaur park that gave me very morbid ideas about what my near future could look like. Thank goodness there weren't any t-rexes around.

Class ends eventually, and I can feel my mental state deteriorate in real time as Orange approaches me again.

"Anon! Did you enjoy the class? Mr. Tsuki's Japanese accent and mannerisms seem unusual, but his lessons are excellent!"

Honey, everyone in this room is unusual. You are talking crayon dinosaurs. I assure you, one of them being a weeb is the least of my worries.

Why is she staring at me?

Right. Conversation is done by saying things out loud.

"It was… okay." It really wasn't.

"Your next subject is Science, right?" Orange asks. "My next subject is Economy, but I'd happily walk you to your class."

That would actually help a lot. My knees are weak, and my legs refuse to work.

"Thanks."

With that, we go back to our routine. Orange walks in front of me, yapping about any and all topics, and I follow her, not listening. I have to consciously think about walking and breathing so as not to collapse right then and there.

We stop next to a double door with glass windows. This must be the laboratory.

Orange turns to me. "It was really nice to meet you, Anon! I'll head to my own class now. See you at lunch!"

She leaves.

Would I even make it to lunch? Now that I think about it, I am a bit hungry since I didn't get to eat breakfast. Usually, I would be extremely mad about missing a meal. Still, I had to prioritise other critical tasks today, like survival.

I stand there dumbfounded, looking at nothing in particular. I almost miss Orange's shrill voice telling me what to do.

A purple dinosaur holding a notebook brushes me as he opens the door and enters the lab.

Right, I'm supposed to go to Science class with dinosaurs.

I enter the room and tactically search for the best quiet spot at the back of the class, but there isn't one. The classroom had double desks, encouraging people to sit together. I dread having to share a desk with one of those freaks.

I settle for the desk furthest from the teacher, hoping nobody will sit in the other chair.

Dinosaurs kept pouring into the room, and not a single one seemed to care about the human freaking out in the corner. Most of them are already talking and making pairs. There are also a couple of loners like me, but the laboratory has enough desks for each of us to sit by ourselves.

I'll be able to keep to myself in this class. Good.

With the ring of the school bell, the chatter in the room dies out. The teacher stands from his desk and moves to the front of the room. He's one of those dinosaurs with a head bump, like Orange, but this one is smaller , white and has even thicker glasses.

"Good news, everyone!" he says in a cheerful voice. We'll be having a lab on magnetic fields today! Find a partner and get prepared."

My heart sinks as the nightmare of sharing a desk becomes reality.

I pray to God that we are an uneven number of people and I get to do the lab by myself. Even if I had to pair with the teacher, he looked the least threatening of all the dinosaurs in the room.

Looking up from my desk, I see that most other students are already working on the assignment. Did my prayer work?

The teacher approaches me. "You are the new student, Anon, correct? Hurry up, Mr. Anon, your partner is waiting for you."

It didn't.

I stare blankly at the teacher.

"Very well." The teacher turns around and gestures to another student to come closer. "Fang, would you be so kind as to sit next to your new partner?"

I panic as someone takes the seat beside mine.

Chapter 4: Sheer panic attack

Chapter Text

The dinosaur sitting down at my desk is only at arm's distance.

She's a white pterodactyl with feathered wings dressed in black clothes and a rat skull necklace. Her claws are incredibly sharp, and she also has spikes on her head for unknown reasons. Her amber eyes are sizing me up like prey. The only saving grace is that she doesn't look like she wants to tear me apart. She only looks like she would rather be anywhere else.

For entirely different reasons, so would I.

I managed to stay relatively calm when Orange talked to me, but this one was nothing like Orange. Orange was similar to a sugar overdose. This one looked like she could quickly turn my insides into outsides.

My muscles seize up, and my heart starts working overtime. I'm definitely going to die today.

"Sup." She offers a greeting.

I try to reply, but only a mumble comes out.

"Great." She frowns. "I got the weirdo."

She stares at me intensely, her eyes drilling into my own, probably expecting me to back off. But I was frozen in fear, unable to move or look away.

"Whatever." She huffs. "Just do the damn assignment, and don't bother me."

I don't know anything about any assignments. Right now, my mind is high on adrenaline, and the only thing I'm seeing is the predator in front of me.

We are still locking eyes.

"Last time I say it." She growls and bares her sharp teeth. "Just do the assignment and stop. Fucking. Staring."

The warning is enough to break me out of my trance. I break eye contact and stare blankly at the desk. I have to be extremely careful not to piss off the beast sitting at clawing distance from me. There is no chance for me to escape or fight back.

I need to make her happy. She said to do the assignment, so I'll do the assignment.

I sheepishly take the worksheet and stare at it. The words appeared to me as a jumbled mess, too blurry to understand. But the risk of failing to please the angry menace forced me to focus.

It was a simple questionnaire about Lorentz's magnetic force. Considering I was an engineering student, this shouldn't be too hard.

I made sure to employ myself to the fullest because my life was literally hanging on this.

The first part was a simple quiz about magnetic forces and choosing the right pole for different types of magnets. Since I was familiar with this, I just filled in the answers.

Next were a couple of diagrams in which you had to draw the direction a compass would point when affected by a magnet. I also solved them quickly, making sure to use the equipment on the desk to check the ones I was unsure of.

The last part of the questionnaire was about electromagnetic interactions, the bread and butter of electrical engineering. I started doing the odd hand signs used to figure out the direction of forces and fields and filled in the last answers.

I was used to maths in my essays, so I was worried about the lack of numbers or calculations. I expected to have to calculate at least some magnetic forces or currents.

I placed the completed worksheet on the desk, satisfied with my performance.

A white hand with claws grabs it.

Holy shit! I forgot why I was doing the assignment in the first place.

I go back into panic mode and stare at Claws again, who is staring at the paper with a confused look. Claws looks at me and then back at the paper, probably questioning how in hell I managed to solve the whole thing in about 15 minutes without the help of the book.

Remembering she doesn't like me staring at her, I immediately look away.

Hmm, yes. The floor here is made out of floor.

I see her leaning towards me from the corner of my eye like she wants to ask me something. She reconsiders and grabs the physics book, comparing each question to the textbook's reference material. Is she checking if she needs to kill me or not?

Never have I ever wanted a perfect score more than today.

After a while, the teacher walks by and asks something, but I'm too out of it to understand. Claws gives a reply. He looks at me and asks me something else.

I don't know what the question was, but I don't want to disagree with the killing machine beside me, no matter what.

"What she said."

The teacher makes a weird face. I notice he isn't looking at me but at Claws.

Turning around, I see her baring her teeth at me again. I have somehow made a mistake. My life is on the line a second time, and she looks even more pissed off than before.

"She?" Asks Claws.

I can only manage to blurt out a feeble whimper in response.

"Can you not see?!"

It's the absolute worst-case scenario. Claws is about to kill me.

I need to say something. Anything.

"What he said?"

Judging by her reaction, that wasn't the correct answer either. Claws spreads her wings, and her index finger jabs my chest. I have a pissed-off Apex predator right in front of me.

I'm dead.

I try moving, fleeing, fighting. Anything. But I am paralysed. My body refuses to move. I can only wait and watch my inevitable end unfold.

"I. Am. Non. Binary." The Pterodactyl jabs its finger again with each word.

I stare back, horrified, unable to speak.

"Oh, OH." Claws continued. "So that's how it's going to be, huh?!"

"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST SPIT IN MY FACE AND THEN- AND THEN GIVE ME THE COLD SHOULDER?!"

"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW-"

" FANG, " the teacher interrupts.

Claws recoils, taken aback by the teacher raising his voice.

It feels like the world has just stopped.

I see something flash briefly in Claws' eyes. This is not part of the plan. The predator is no longer on the offensive. For a single instant, the predator is not focused on me.

That is what my instincts were waiting for. An opportunity.

I practically charge through the door and run as fast as my legs can carry me.

I don't care where. I only care about getting as far as possible from here.

When I finally stopped, I was standing in a familiar alcove.

My vision was blurry. Tears streamed down my face. I stumbled and fell to the ground on my knees and hands. The world was spinning around me, and my whole body was screaming and convulsing.

All I could do was suffer through the storm.

I don't know how long it's been, but I've pulled myself together, barely. After taking a moment to compose and clean myself, I think about my next move. I need to find food and search for more information about this world.

The best way would be to get out of here as fast as possible and do it from the comfort of Anon's apartment. I better move fast before-

I hear something. Hide.

I quietly crouch behind a bush and stop moving.

I can't see anything from my spot, but I hear a conversation between two people walking by.

"-practically lunged at the new student!"

“Dios mío! Is he okay?”

"I don't know. I wasn't in their class when it happened. I think he went back home crying."

"Pobre chico."

"It's a pity, I wanted to do a reading with him."

"You and your black arts."

"Pfft, you're one to talk about 'believing black arts', Rosa. You and your magic dino in the sky."

"Ay, pinche pagana! You're lucky I don't-"

They are too far away now for me to listen to their conversation. I wait a few more minutes to ensure the coast is clear and leave my hiding spot.

I need to get back to my apartment pronto. Hiding in the bush forever will not work, so I must rely on another strategy to avoid the monsters. My legs can't handle any more torture, so making a run for it wasn't an option either. I settle for laying low by blending in. Make a serious face and act confident like you're in the middle of something important.

I quickly try to escape, but I only get to walk for a few metres before running into someone.

It was Grey.

Chapter 5: Impromptu invitation

Chapter Text

Naser POV

Another stressful day at school.

I'm the head of the student council, track team leader, and numerous other titles. Many people are counting on me for a lot of things, so it's normal to have many responsibilities.

Today, I had to welcome the new student, set up the auditorium for Fang's concert, submit applications for the track team's next race, and check the gardening club's budget report.

Also, remember classes and homework. I need a high GPA to get into a good college.

Fang's concert was the most stressful thing of the day. I love my sister sibling, but they make my life impossible if things don't go their way. I hope the concert goes well.

I took the liberty of ordering a bunch of pizzas from Dino Moe's and inviting as many people as possible. The more people that went to the auditorium, the better. If I managed to get the whole school to listen to the band play, some of them would definitely become their fans.

True, the band didn't have much success, but that was because they were going through a rough patch right now. Fang had practiced music day and night since she was a little kid, so it was only a matter of time before she THEY made it big.

I still had trouble with the non-binary thing. I wanted to respect it, but using another name and pronouns than the ones you've been using for your whole life was complicated. I managed to not fuck up on the name, even though Mom and Dad still called her Lucy. But the pronouns are still a work in progress.

After submitting the track team documents, I went outside for a little break. There is one more period to go, and then the concert. I opened my chat with Naomi only to look at the sticker she sent this morning: a green triceratops holding onto a branch with the text "Hang in there, baby!"

She really knows how to cheer me up. Without Naomi, I would not be able to manage all of these duties.

I look up from my phone when I hear someone passing by. The new human student is walking by the side of the school, near where we met for the first time today.

When Spears told me I had to welcome a human student, I pictured one of the monkeys I see on Dino News Network all the time. The kind that hangs around Skin Row. I was glad Anon wasn't like that. He was a bit strange, but I'm sure he was only overwhelmed by transferring to a new school in a different state.

Naomi and I had hoped to talk more with him at lunch. She wanted to catch up with him and ask how things were going. I also wanted to tell him about Fang's concert and invite him to come. Sadly, Naomi said he didn't feel good after the second period ended.

I can use the opportunity to invite him now.

"Hey, Anon!"

He looks at me and says nothing, like when we first met. Maybe he doesn't like to speak or something.

"Naomi and I missed you at lunch. Is everything okay?"

After a long pause, he mumbles a response. "I was… I didn't feel well in my stomach, so I skipped it."

"Oh, that sucks," I replied. "Well, I'm glad I ran into you. I wanted to ask you something. My sis– uh... sibling is doing a concert. Would you like to come?"

"I don't… Sorry… I mean…" He rejects the offer, probably because he's too shy.

"Don't sweat it, man. I just thought someone like you could use the opportunity to make friends. You don't have to come if you don't want to."

He stares at me again. I can't make out human expressions, so I don't know if he's trying to tell me something with that look. I still think Anon should attend, so I hit him with my special attack.

"It's a shame, I even got a few pizzas from Dino Moe's for the concert. It’s one of the best pizzerias in Volcadera Bluffs.”

Anon stops to consider this new information and finally speaks. "Could I… Umm… Bring some of them back home with me?"

Hook, line, and sinker. "Sure! No problem! See you at the concert then."

A few pizzas are a reasonable price for a future fan of Fang. Humans are not massive, so they don't eat that much. With the satisfaction of a job well done, I give Anon a wave and leave for my next period.

"Hey!" Anon stops me.

Did he regret signing up for the concert so soon? I turn back around. He's gesturing and opening his mouth, but I can't figure out what he's trying to say. He's extremely weird, even for a human.

I ask him directly. "Did you want something?"

"Yes," he replies. After a moment, he manages to speak a coherent sentence: "Can you… Can you tell me where the library is?"

"You need to check out some books for an assignment?"

"Sure." He says. Then he looks directly at the ground.

Are teachers handing out Anon assignments already? It's his first day at school, and he already has extra work. The guy was probably stressed out. I shared a feeling of having too much to do and too little time.

"Don't worry, I can take you there."

I started moving towards the school, and he followed me. He's walking behind me in complete silence, looking at the ground. Naomi told me he also did that with her while she showed him the school. Maybe it was a human thing.

I still feel uneasy about Fang's concert. Anon was doing me a favor by attending, and if things went well, he might even become their friend. There's one problem, though. He's too shy and weak.

Fang sometimes gets aggressive for no reason, and I don't want him to avoid Fang because of it.

"Anon, just so you know. My sibling can be a bit… a bit…" I couldn't find the right words to describe them. "Well, I don't know, and I don't know why they are like that. But just give them a chance, okay?"

He doesn't respond. I stop walking and look at him directly. Anon jumps back, surprised, and stares back at me.

I repeat the question. "Okay?"

He nods slowly. That's enough for me.

We kept walking and arrived at the library. It was one of the most extensive facilities in the school, with an impressive collection of reference books and novels. Mrs. Roberts, the librarian, was extremely diligent about her work and ensured that the library was organized and well-maintained.

It's a shame how little use the library gets. Most students, myself included, rely on the internet to search for reference material for class. Only the literature club and a few people interested in reading novels come here for books.

"Here we are." I turn to Anon. "Knock yourself out."

He looks at the door and then at me. "Thanks."

At this point, I really had to go back to class. I waved goodbye to Anon and left.

He was a good guy for a human. He was weird but good. I hope Naomi and I get to eat with him tomorrow.

Chapter 6: Gathering intel

Chapter Text

Grey waves goodbye and leaves. I congratulate myself for not breaking down after my last experience with another Pterodactyl. Even if he's the same species as Claws, he doesn't look like he wants to kill me right then and there.

I am still trying to figure out if the impulsive decision to accept the invitation was the right move. I have no intention of making friends with these freaks. My first thought in the alcove was to run away, but the promise of pizza was enticing enough to reconsider.

My stomach warned me I needed food badly, and I wasn't sure how much there was in Anon's apartment. With a few pizza boxes, I could eat for a whole week, even two, if I rationed them.

I gazed at the imposing library doors again. I had only come here because I needed a place to hide for another period before the concert. I didn't think lying down behind a bush in the school garden would do.

This was the first hiding spot that came to mind for two reasons. First, I was willing to gamble that the emptiest place in the whole school would be the library. All the cool kids hate books, and all the uncool kids are in class right now. Second, I could use the opportunity to investigate the dinosaur people. Information could become my lifeline. I had to leverage every chance to learn more about this world.

I open the door, and the pleasant smell of wood and paper hits me. The library is enormous, and the furniture is old but well-kept. The brief moment of respite shatters immediately when I notice a purple dinosaur with golden eyes and glasses sitting at a desk, staring directly at me.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"Umm… No?"

She crosses her arms and gives me a stern look. "Are you sure?"

"Yes?"

The only reason I'm keeping a semblance of composure right now is because I'm too spent physically and emotionally. Compared to Claws, an antisocial librarian doesn't seem that threatening. However, I'm standing close to the door if I need to make a run for it.

She speaks again. "Name."

"Jul- Ah.. I mean, Anon." I forgot I was possessing the kid.

She frowns.

"Anon Y. Mous," I clarify.

She types something on the computer, and a small machine comes to life. After a moment, she grabs a plastic card from the machine and hands it to me.

"Here is your library card. Feel free to browse and read as many books as you want. If you need to borrow books, register them at my desk. Up to five per person."

I take the card from her hand, being careful of her claws.

She continues. "A warning." She leans forward in her seat, and I unconsciously step back. "I ensure that the books in this library are in top condition. Make sure you treat them the same way. Understood?"

The intensity of her glare puts me back into panic mode. I quickly nod a few times.

"You're free to enter." She adjusts her glasses and returns to reading. Taking the hint, I walk deeper into the library.

I take it back. The librarian is a dangerous threat, and I need to take the utmost care not to damage the books. I planned to grab as many as possible, but I've reconsidered. I'm better off grabbing only a couple and keeping my neck intact.

I wandered the library hallways, looking for something useful. I was right about the library being completely empty, which allowed me to focus on my mission.

The first stop on my search was the history section. Multiple books about the history of different nations and cultures were available, some of which were familiar and some of which weren't. I settled for a book titled 'The History of the World', which I hoped contained information about major world events.

The next stop was the health sciences section. Two books immediately drew my attention. They were two books in the same set, one titled 'Saurian Anatomy' and the other 'Human Anatomy'. I didn't think about grabbing the human one at first. However, the illustration on the cover showed an anthropomorphic monkey and a Neanderthal, which shocked me. Are there more kinds of humans in this world?

I located the table furthest from the entrance to the reading area. I put down the three books and sat down. I decided to start with 'Saurian Anatomy'.

The index listed different dinosaur species grouped by diet and family. I was happy to find that most dinosaur people were herbivores. I wanted to find more information about Claws, so I searched for Pterodactyl and started reading on the page shown by the index.

Apparently, the proper name was Pterosaur. They had vestigial wings they couldn't use to fly, but they used them for expressing emotions. Some of them had feathers, and others had tiny hair-like filaments. They were lighter than most saurians, but their muscles were strong, especially the pectoral and dorsal.

I was surprised to find out that dinosaurs in this world were mammals, not reptiles. There was something about pterosaurs' estrus season being in midsummer. I didn't know what estrus season implied, but it wasn't relevant now. We were in January. I made a mental note to check it out later.

Because the book had a section for every saurian species, the individual segments were brief. They contained only surface-level information and a few images. Sadly, I didn't find anything that could be used as a weakness or a way to defend myself. At least I learned I didn't have to worry about Claws swooping in from the sky to kill me.

I spent more time browsing the entries of other carnivorous and omnivorous saurians, taking note of the most dangerous-looking ones. Raptors were incredibly agile and had enough strength to tear a human apart. Carnotaurus were even meaner and more muscular than T-Rexes, and Spinosaurus were T-Rexes that could also swim.

The more I read, the more I dreaded being in the same building as these creatures. I didn't feel safe at all after learning this information.

Scarred from that experience, I turned to the next book in the pile: 'Human Anatomy'. It was considerably smaller than the Saurian one. As I feared, there were multiple species of humans in this world. Some looked like monkeys, and others looked like cavemen.

I flipped to the section about homo sapiens. I wanted to know what the book had to say about actual human people.

"Homo sapiens are characterised by their lighter than standard skeletal structure, smaller bodies and prominent chin. Their highly developed brain enabled complex language, abstract thinking and advanced problem-solving in prehistoric times. This allowed them to survive encounters with other stronger and faster saurian and human species.

"They were the first humans to use sophisticated tools and engage in intricate social interactions, which is reflected in their intricate and diverse culture. Although some studies argue they achieve higher than average scores in multiple intelligence tests, this difference in brain development with other species shrank considerably with time."

In other words, the only advantage my kind had, intelligence, is no longer a thing. If those creatures wanted me dead, I would be dead. This is awesome news.

I didn't want to read the book anymore, so I closed it. I hoped 'The History of the World' offered something more positive.

I opened the book and browsed the index. One-third of the book was dedicated to something called the human-dino war. This was precisely the type of information I was looking for. I could learn the techniques humans used to defend against dinosaurs.

After skimming the section, it was clear there were no such techniques. Saurians pretty much wiped the floor with us. Humans only survived because they hid in the north and south hemispheres, where the weather was too cold for the Saurians to bother. Eventually, they saw that war was at an impasse and simply agreed to stop fighting.

The only solution I have left is to become an Inuit. Great. Just great.

As I wallowed in self-pity, the school bell rang, signifying the end of the last period.

My stomach warned me that I still hadn't eaten anything today. I was physically and mentally exhausted. I had hit my limit a long time ago, and I wanted to go back to Anon's apartment, but I desperately needed that food. I didn't think I could hold on much longer without it.

I just needed to get to the concert, avoid everyone, grab as many pizza boxes as I could, and leave as quickly as possible.

I got up, grabbed the books and cautiously approached the main desk. I was relieved to find out the librarian was not there. I left the books on the counter and exited the library.

Chapter 7: Fighting my own battles

Chapter Text

The journey to the concert was arduous. Without Grey or Orange to guide me, I was forced to wander the halls aimlessly. I avoided as many saurians as possible, weaving between lockers and acting like I was looking at my phone.

Suddenly, I managed to sniff out the scent of cheesy goodness. This was the promised pizza, the only reason I had held bravely and didn't run away. I quickly followed the smell to a set of half-open double doors. The plaque above read 'AUDITORIUM'. This was the place.

Before I could walk through the doors, Grey exited the room. He looked down. When he saw me, he smiled briefly and approached.

"Hey! Glad you could make it!"

After reading the book about saurian anatomy, I was especially aware of Grey's sharp claws and teeth. Claws designed to catch his prey and teeth designed to rip flesh apart. I also learned that those freaks can eat raw meat.

I stand back defensively, as I don't want to become his next meal. However, he doesn't seem to react. He's deep in thought, looking at nothing with a blank expression.

He starts talking. "The concert is starting soon, but I've got to leave. My sibling doesn't want me here."

After a moment of silence, he looked at me and spoke again. "Look, whatever happens, promise you won't hold this against them. They're actually a really nice person once you get to know them." With that, he turned around and walked away.

A cold shiver runs through my spine as I start connecting the dots. Grey's sibling is a non-binary Pterosaur, and the only other one of his kind I've seen is Claws. There's no way, right? There's no way I'm walking into the monster's den on my own two feet, right?

Surely not. Gray had leather wings, and he was grey and orange, and Claws had feathered wings, and they were white. They were probably not siblings. Right?

Please let it be literally anyone else.

My stomach reminds me that escaping is not an option. No matter who is on the other side of those doors, I must go in there and get the pizza. The smell is killing me.

I swallow my fear and walk into the auditorium.

All my senses are immediately drawn to a table beside the entrance. The pizzas I've so desperately longed for are beautifully set up on top of it. My hunger overtakes me, and I grab one of the slices and wolf it down in seconds. Then another.

This is good Italian pizza with a thin crust and fresh ingredients. I make sure to savour the third slice I take. Grey must have paid quite a premium for these. I won't let your sacrifice be in vain, brother. I'll make sure to dutifully eat every single one of these.

Remembering where I am, I snap back from my hunger-induced trance and look around. The place is a large hall currently set up for a concert. A bunch of small groups of dinosaurs are sitting in front of the stage. There are three dinosaurs on top of it: a pink raptor drummer, a purple triceratops bassist, and…

Oh no.

It's Claws.

I freeze in place with a half-eaten pizza slice in my hand. Claws is Grey's sibling. This is the worst outcome possible. I find myself unable to move again, broken emotionally and physically at the thought of having to face the angry beast again. If they found out I was there, they would surely jump down from the stage and come charging me.

But that doesn't happen. Instead, the bassist starts playing a solo, and afterwards, the whole band joins in.

God, this song is absolutely awful. Are they doing this on purpose? Claws starts singing, and the music gets worse. It's a complete cacophony of sounds with no rhyme or reason. They are not harmonising in the slightest. Is this psychological torture?

I don't know how to react. I'm just standing there, wide-eyed at the absurdity of it all.

The crowd begins to laugh and hurl insults at them.

"PFFFT AHAHAHAHA, THEY STILL FUCKING SUCK!"

"Time for another extinction event!"

"Great music! …for a try not to cringe challenge!"

Laughter and jeering eclipse the music. The pink drummer starts hauling ass, and the purple bassist is about to break down in tears. Claws angrily unfurls their wings, tosses their instrument to the side and gives a double middle finger.

"FUCK YOU. FUCK ALL OF YOU."

"NO ONE WOULD WANT TO FUCK YOU, BITCH!"

I laugh at the comeback. I laugh because my brain has too many emotions, and I don't know what else to do. This whole day has been an absolute trainwreck from start to finish. Why am I here? What is going on? I don't understand anything. Is this some kind of cruel joke? Is the universe laughing at my expense?

I stop laughing. I'm done with this shit.

Claws grabs the arm of the purple one, and they all rush off stage. I grab all the pizza boxes I can carry and leave as well. I turn towards the door and see a humongous caveman in a suit with a fierce gaze directed at me.

"Anon."

I heard his voice coming from the principal's office this morning. This must be the principal himself. I should have been scared, but I wasn't. I didn't react to the titan before me since I no longer had any emotions left in my body. I just stared back.

He speaks again. "I don't want to hear about any of this come tomorrow. I expect some goddamned maturity from you, Anon. You'll be an adult once you graduate."

Am I getting a lecture? Is this really what is going on? After everything I've gone through today, the guy wants to give me a lesson about being an adult?

He approaches, and his hand lands on my shoulder. Now that I think about it, there was one emotion that I didn't get to experience today. Anger. I stare back at him defiantly. Food chain be damned, I'm going down fighting.

"Listen here, Anon. You are not the only person in the world. Everyone is fighting their own battles." His hand squeezes me and pushes me towards the door.

That comment had struck a deeply painful nerve.

"Fuck you."

"Excuse me?"

I turn back towards the principal. He is looking sternly at me, but I don't care.

"You think I don't know that?! I'm here struggling with my own shit, working hard just to stay alive, and you want to lecture me about helping others?! What fucking help do I get?! NONE! NOTHING! Why should I care about others when I get nothing from them?!

"And do I complain?! Do I make it everyone's problem?! No, I don't! I suck it up and fix my own problems myself. But here comes the fucking paragon of justice to teach me that I should be a better person. Do you even know anything about me? You fucking don't!

"You're just a fucking high school principal. You're not my family, and you're not my friend."

I stop for a brief moment. The Neanderthal looks really taken aback by my words.

"You know, I truly wish I didn't get to wake up today."

I now realise I started crying at some point.

"Whatever. I'm done." I turn back, and I leave.

I somehow returned to Anon's apartment in one piece without any more encounters.

I was still holding all the pizzas I grabbed from the auditorium. I sat on the bed and tried eating one, but I wasn't hungry. In fact, I wasn't feeling anything at all.

Without thinking, I jumped into the shower, turned on the water, and stood there. I didn't even know how to begin processing the absolutely awful day that I got to experience. I woke up in another person's body in an unknown world. And that world was populated by dinosaurs. Angry non-binary dinosaurs.

My brain was mush. I wasn't able to think.

Eventually, I exited the shower and sat on the bed again. I still wasn't feeling hungry, but I knew the lack of hunger was from shock, not because I was well-fed. I forced myself to eat.

I didn't feel like doing anything else today, so I went to bed.

If I am lucky, I'll wake up in my own body tomorrow. This will just be a traumatic memory I'll try to forget as quickly as I can.

I'm sure it won't happen, but it doesn't hurt to dream.

Chapter 8: Duty of a principal

Chapter Text

Spears POV

As the principal of Volcano High, I ensured every student had a proper education. That included learning about numerous subjects, like literature, economics, or science. But it also included learning about responsibility, maturity, and independence.

I trusted my colleagues to take care of formal education, so I focused on the latter. My long years of experience taught me that becoming a role model was the best way to help students grow. I was someone they could respect and who would push them in the right direction when they strayed from the correct path. However, some students have complex circumstances that require a more delicate approach. If my intuition was correct, Anon was one of them.

While driving to school this morning, I couldn't stop thinking about his outburst in the Auditorium. That type of reaction was excessive, even for a rebellious teen. When I arrived at the school's parking lot, I didn't head directly to my office; I went to the entrance hall. It was still very early, but I wanted to make sure to talk to Anon first thing in the morning, no matter what.

Students started arriving at the main building, but Anon was missing. After the bell rang, I reprimanded a few tardy students and returned to my office.

I used the intercom on my desk. "Anon Y. Mous, come immediately to the principal's office." While waiting, I started reviewing all the paperwork I had to review and approve for the day.

After a long wait, it was clear that nobody was coming. Either Anon is avoiding me, or he skipped school today.

Browsing his student file, the schedule revealed that his first period today was Mathematics, so I went to the classroom to check if he was there. Outside, I could see Mr. Carldewskii dozing off while holding a newspaper while his students were working or pretending to work on a maths assignment. I knocked on the door and entered.

Mr. Carldewskii jolted awake. "What is frickin' going on?!"

He dropped the newspaper and revealed a more… indecent magazine underneath, which he scrambled to hide as soon as he saw me. This was not the first time he had done something like this. I tolerated his crude behavior only because of the surprising number of awards his students achieved in interscholastic mathematics events.

I'll reprimand him later, but now it's not the time.

"Mr. Carldewskii. Is Anon Y. Mous present today?"

"I apologize, Spears, man, but I don't know that student." He turned to the class. "If anyone here is frickin' Anon, stand up and come forward."

A quick glance revealed that no humans except the teacher and me were present.

"He's not here. Feel free to continue your class, Mr. Carldewskii," I said as I left the room. I stopped and gave him an intense look. "We'll talk about your lack of decency later."

Anon was nowhere to be seen. Considering how shaken he looked yesterday, it was not strange he had skipped school today. My talk with Anon would have to wait. I had many other topics to occupy my time, mostly related to yesterday's mishap at the Auditorium. I continued with my duties until it was time for lunch.

My lovely wife prepared delicious home-cooked meals for me. Usually, I would enjoy them in my office, but today, I dropped by the cafeteria. Naser was probably affected by what happened at his sibling's concert, so I wanted to give him a few reassuring words. Also, I wanted to ask Naser and Naomi about Anon's welcome and if they noticed something weird about him.

At the cafeteria, I saw Naser sitting at a table with a complicated expression. Naomi was next to him, trying to comfort him. I approached the pair.

Naomi spotted me. "Good morning, Principal Spears!"

"Good morning, Naomi," I responded.

Naser was looking aloof, just poking at his pasta. Naomi placed her hand on top of Naser's shoulder and shook it lightly.

"Naser, sweetie. You shouldn't play with your food."

"Huh? What?" Naser looked up and noticed me. "Oh! Good morning, Principal Spears."He was more affected by the incident than I expected. He looked utterly exhausted and dejected. Their sibling's performance was met with laughter and insults. However awful their performance was, this kind of verbal abuse was not appropriate under any circumstance.

I grabbed his shoulder reassuringly. "Naser, what happened at Fang's concert was not your fault. I'll properly punish those who showed improper conduct in the Auditorium." Regrettably, that also included the band members, but Naser didn't need more weight on his shoulders.

I also needed to know what happened with Anon, so I asked them about the new student. Naomi started describing yesterday's events. Anon seemed extremely shy, having trouble talking and avoiding eye contact. His first period went without issue, but I was unaware of another incident in his second period. Fang threatened Anon because he was not aware of their pronouns. Anon didn't take it very well and ran away crying. Considering Naser's reaction, he also didn't know about this.

Naser then explained that he met Anon during his free period after the lunch break. He thought Anon could use the concert to make friends, so he invited him. He also took him to the library after Anon asked him to. Then they met again briefly at the concert and exchanged a few words.

After remembering the concert's events, Naser stared angrily at his food. I reassured Naser again, telling him to take the rest of the day to clear his mind. Then, left the pair alone and returned to my office.

After lunch, I decided to check with Mrs. Roberts about what Anon was doing in the library. She was sitting at her usual desk, reading a book. She reviewed every incoming book in the library to see if the content was appropriate for students. It was quite an achievement, considering the size of the catalog.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Roberts. Did a human student named Anon visit the library yesterday?"

She closed the book and looked at me from her desk. "Yes. Did that student skip class?"

"He did," I replied.

Mrs. Robberts clicked her tongue in disapproval. This was not the first time a student hid in the library. The librarian usually took matters into her own hands when this happened, using any means necessary to avoid repeat offenders. Her methods were questionable but very effective.

I could see her pondering the most fitting punishment for Anon. However, her type of discipline would be inappropriate. Anon needed a helping hand, not a slap on the wrist.

"Mrs. Robberts. This student is in a delicate situation. I would prefer you let it go this time."

She crossed her arms and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. The librarian was adamant about letting someone who profaned her sanctuary go free. "I have to say I disapprove of this, Spears. Skipping class is not something a student should do, even if they are using the time for something productive. Not punishing them would just reinforce that behavior."

"I really appreciate your work here, Mrs. Roberts. However, as I said, this is a special case. Please don't intervene, I'll handle this incident myself."

No matter how much she valued upholding the rules, the well-being of students should always be a priority. If my suspicions turned out to be wrong, and Anon was indeed a delinquent, I would punish him myself.

"Out of curiosity, did Anon check out any books?"

"No, but he was reading some," she answered. "If I remember correctly, it was Saurian Anatomy, Human Anatomy, and The History of the World."

"I see. Thank you, Mrs. Roberts."

She huffed and went back to her books. I left the library and went back to my office.

Anon was reading about Anatomy and History, which was surprising for someone trying to skip class. You would think Anon would pick up a novel or something similar.

My instincts told me I was still missing something important, so I pulled Anon's student file and phoned the number written on the parents' contact information. I preferred discussing things directly with students, but this situation required caution.

After a few rings, a male voice answered.

"Who is it?"

"Hello, sir. I'm calling from Volcano High. Is this Anon's father?"

"Yeah. What did the fucker do now?"

That was not something a parent should ever call their child.

"This is just a routine call, sir. We regularly call parents to check their children's progress."

"What progress? Don't you know how to do your fucking job? Of course, it had to be the fucking meteor dodger school with the annoying calls. Why do you think I pay taxes? I pay your fucking salary, you meteor dodger trash, so do your fucking job."

"Sir. There's no need-"

"I told that kid all he needs to know. He graduates, and then he's off to college or the military. I don't care which. After that, he can do whatever the fuck he wants. That's all you fuckers need to know. Do not contact me again."

He hung up. It took a lot of self-discipline not to crush my phone right then and there.

All the pieces started to line up, displaying a harsh truth. Anon was raised in an unpleasant household with racially biased views. He had a rough childhood and was probably taught dinosaurs were evil monsters. When he arrived at the school, he was scared of them, so he reacted with fear when confronted by Naomi, Naser, and Fang.

And even though he was scared, he decided to go to Fang's concert. He also went to the library to read books about dinosaurs and history. He wasn't convinced by the reality his parents taught him, and he was trying to find the truth for himself. That kid had a good heart.

He was trying his best, and I scolded him without considering his situation. He was right. I really didn't know anything about him.

I had to fix this as soon as possible.

I called my wife to tell her I would arrive late for dinner today. I may be overstepping my boundaries as a principal, but this is something I have to do.

Chapter 9: Hikikomori

Chapter Text

I woke up to the blaring sound of an alarm clock.

I groaned at the thought of another day of university.

Well, going to university didn't look half bad after the terrible nightmare I had last night. I dreamt I had to go to a crazy high school full of dinosaur people, and one of the dinosaurs threatened me. There was also a concert with awful music and a massive caveman who gave me a lecture. I'm glad it was only a dream.

When I tried to turn off my phone alarm, I fell on the floor head-first again.

Right, yesterday was not a dream.

Unfortunately, I was also correct in believing this dreadful fate wouldn't let me go so quickly.

My body managed to get a good night's rest, but my mind was still overwhelmed. I wasn't motivated enough to stand up, so I kept lying on the floor. I wanted to stay there forever, but hunger had other plans. It urged me to get up and grab something to eat, but its pleas were useless. I held my ground miserably on the floor.

With time, hunger took over and made me crawl to where I had left the pizzas. I still wasn't feeling well enough to get up, so I started eating directly on the floor. I felt like an authentic Italian university student with a bad hangover.

After the feast, I tossed the empty pizza box aside and rolled over to look at the ceiling. I was still feeling like shit, but doing nothing was not helping me relax. I needed to find something to distract myself.

I stood up and turned the lights on. After scanning the room for anything, I found a console tucked in a corner. It was a black and green machine with a label that read 'XROX'. Next to it was a game called 'Rock Ring Reach', which depicted a dinosaur in space armour.

Ignoring the uncanny familiarity with the counterparts from my world, I set up the console, inserted the disk, and grabbed the controller.

It was surprisingly fun to replay the campaign. Even though the characters differed from the ones in the game from my world, it was comforting to see that most of the story was identical. In fact, I liked the minor differences. It was like playing a remix of the original.

I played for hours and hours, finishing the whole campaign in a single sitting. As always, the last mission left me with chills. My stomach grumbled, so I grabbed a few more pizza slices and threw them into the microwave. I ate while watching the last story cutscenes.

The game was as enjoyable as I remembered, and I wanted more. I felt much better now, enough to try my luck in multiplayer. I hopped into a Deathmatch lobby and started playing. I was mostly a PC gamer, but Anon's muscle memory and quick reactions were amazing. I was surprised by how much we dominated, earning MVP in almost every match.

After a few games, I got into a territory control match with three other clan members. They were playing very seriously, making callouts and covering each other. Our opponents were another clan, and they weren't slacking off either. I felt my competitive spirit itching, so I played to the fullest. It was a harsh battle, but we managed to clutch.

The three clan members started chatting in the end-game lobby.

[Hunters] D0nut: "Man, that was close. GGs."

An0nRinger: "GG WP"

[Hunters] Snip3rElite: "I thought we would lose for sure with a random, but the guy was decent."

[Hunters] xX_Obelisk_Xx: "He has better KDA than you."

[Hunters] Snip3rElite: "I told you I was trying a new setup. I'm still getting used to it."

[Hunters] D0nut: "Yo, random, are you still there?"

An0nRinger: "Yeah"

[Hunters] D0nut: "Your game sense is good. Do you play competitively?"

[Hunters] Snip3rElite: "No way we are inviting the random to the clan."

[Hunters] D0nut: "We don't have a fourth person, and the guy is good."

[Hunters] xX_Obelisk_Xx: "Before that, I want to 1v1 him to check if he's worthy."

I wasn't expecting to be scouted for a clan. It was reassuring to know that I was still able to kick ass at video games. It was an even playing field for humans and dinosaurs.

I had a lot of experience. I loved playing video games from the moment I got my first portable console as a child. I was always enamoured by their engaging stories and colourful worlds. That love grew stronger after I discovered competitive video games. It felt good to continuously improve at them, watching your skill and rank increase with time and effort.

Two notifications popped on my screen: a friend request from Donut and Obelisk and a 1v1 match invite. I replied to the lobby messages.

An0nRinger: "Sorry guys, but I don't play very often. Thanks for the invite, tho."

[Hunters] D0nut: "Shame."

[Hunters] xX_Obelisk_Xx: "Coward."

An0nRinger: "Coward my ass, I'll take you on the 1v1. Square up, boi."

I accepted the friend requests and the match. I'd love to say that I emerged victorious, but Obelisk was a fantastic player and he overwhelmed me. I only managed to get him a couple of times. After being mocked by someone I suspected to be 13 years old, we said our goodbyes, and I turned off the console.

The morning was enjoyable. This world was alright when I could stay home and not interact with the locals. I was still scared of the outside, but the inside of the apartment was cosy and warm, more so because I had shut all the windows and blinds.

Staying inside these walls forever was an enticing idea. I could find a remote job and live off deliveries. Numerous online websites offered odd computer assignments that could cover my expenses if I was frugal enough.

Goal set: Sunlight is now optional.

With renewed spirit, I decided to make the most of my day. Ever since I arrived here, the one thing that bothered me was how the apartment looked like a chaotic battlefield. If I am to live confined in these three rooms, I will make myself at home.

I started by gathering all the trash in the apartment into a single garbage bag: empty pizza boxes, soda cans, and food wrappers. Then, I gathered all the scattered clothes, put them in the washing machine, and set the program for a quick wash. I also took care of the scattered plates and glasses, washing them in the sink and placing them in the cupboards.

I properly stored all items thrown about: food in the fridge, utensils in the cupboards, clothes in the drawer, and books and magazines on the shelves. After sorting out the clutter, I started working on the apartment itself. I made the bed, dusted off the shelves, swept and mopped the floors, and used a cloth and some soap to wash stains off the walls.

I found a strange solace in the rhythm of cleaning.

Tired but happy with my performance, I sat on the bed, staring at the fruits of my labour. There were still some scratches in the walls that I couldn't repair, and one of the bed legs was cracked, but it was a vast improvement from the pig pen I arrived at.

I earned some more gaming time. I picked up the controller and-

Knock, Knock.

Someone is knocking. I can feel my body tremble at the thought of a carnivorous dinosaur stalking me from the other side of the door. I don't know who it is, but I'm not answering the door under any circumstances.

They will likely leave me alone if I don't do anything. Door-to-door vendors are only effective when the house has people inside. If nobody answers, the one knocking will get tired and leave.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

The knocking is louder this time. My body is shaking, and I can feel all the positive energy I gathered this morning leaving my body. I place my hand on my mouth to muffle my breathing and avoid making any noise. Please take the hint, nobody is home. Why won't you leave?

"Anon, it's Spears. I know you are in there. Please open the door, I only want to talk."

That deep voice took me back to yesterday's events. Why is Spears here? Did he come to discipline me for lashing out at him? Or is he here because I missed school today? No matter the reason, I don't want to talk. I'm not going to open the door.

"Listen, Anon. I owe you an apology. As your principal, I should have been more aware of your situation. I neglected my job, and because of that, you had a terrible first day at school."

He's… sorry? I was the one angrily shouting at him. Why did he come here to apologise?

Most teachers only focus on teaching and handing out exams. Still, I've heard stories of great teachers who will move heaven and earth for their students. Some people even refer to them as the parental figures they never had.

It was late. Spears is definitely off-duty. Why is he here, then? Is he one of those teachers who actually cares? Can I really trust him?

...

I hope I don't regret this.

I slowly walk towards the door and open it.

Chapter 10: Unexpected counselling

Chapter Text

The imposing figure of Principal Spears occupies the entire door frame. He's an absolute unit, built like a tank. I have no doubts this behemoth could beat a bear in a wrestling match. Looking up at him, I notice his expression of concern and pity. He seems to be genuinely worried about yesterday's events.

We stare at each other awkwardly for a second. Then Spears speaks.

"May I come in?"

"Yeah... Sure."

We both walk into the apartment, and I go through the motions of hospitality. I offer Spears the only seat available, the bed, which he accepts and sits down. The bed creaks and visibly bends with the weight of the principal. I go to the kitchen and pour two glasses of tap water, giving him one of them.

I sit down beside him, looking at the floor. He starts talking.

"As I mentioned, I neglected my responsibility as a principal to learn about your circumstances. Before anything else, I want to offer a sincere apology."

I raise my head and look at him. Despite his appearance, he's surprisingly gentle with words. I still don't trust him, but at the very least, I want to know what circumstances he's talking about. He could give me more information about Anon.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I was shocked by your reaction yesterday, so I've asked a few people at school about what happened. I feared something was wrong since you didn't attend school today, so I also spoke with your father."

The mention of Anon's father made me clench my jaw, and my hands balled into fists. At first, I thought it was because I was in danger of being found out, but then I noticed that it was Anon's body reacting, not me. Did his father do something to him?

"I see that you two don't have a good relationship." Spears sighs. "Perhaps that's for the best."

I don't want to keep beating around the bush. "Please, just tell me what you know."

"I was already aware of your unfortunate incident at your previous school," he explains. "I was notified when I received your school application. After what happened at Rock Bottom, I expected you to have trouble integrating into the school, but not to the point of having to run away.

"I spoke with Naomi and Naser today. They told me about your incident with Fang in science class and your communication problems. They thought you were timid, but I noticed the real issue after checking with Mrs. Roberts and talking with your father.

"Anon, you've never interacted with dinosaurs before yesterday, right?"

Shit. Spears found out I'm an impostor.

How can I escape this situation? Spears is sitting between me and the door, so I can't make a run for it. Even if I escaped, where would I go? There's nowhere to hide. Are they going to try to exorcise me like a demon? Are they going to throw me into prison? Maybe they think I'm just crazy and throw me into a mental hospital.

Despite my freakout, Spears continues. "Some families can be extremely prejudiced when talking about other races. Based on your father's reaction, I believe you've been taught a lot of falsehoods about dinosaurs. And based on your reaction, maybe even about other human races, too."

Turns out Anon's parents are just racist, and Spears thinks I was taught to hate dinosaurs as well. Thank god I haven't been found out.

This whole racism thing would explain my panicked reactions to dinosaurs. Admitting it would also allow me to ask questions that would be bizarre to ask. I'll take the solution served to me on a silver platter.

"Yeah… That's it... That's why everything… yesterday… Yeah."

Spears places his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. I'm still shaken, but I don't feel the same pressure I did when he came in. For the first time since arriving in this crazy world, I felt someone had my back. Is he doing this because he thinks it's his job? Or does he genuinely care about me?

"Mr. Spears. When we first met, the only thing I did was lash out at you. True, I was not okay at the time, but that's not an excuse. Why did you come here to apologise? I should be the one saying sorry."

"No, Anon. You are still young, and it's normal for you to make mistakes. You were placed in a very stressful situation and lashed out because you were hurt. It's not your fault. What's important is to learn from it and improve yourself.

"You are a good kid, Anon. You could have decided not to open the door and hole yourself in your apartment, but you chose to let me in. You could have chosen not to attend Fang's concert, but you gave them a second chance. You could have hated dinosaurs like your parents taught you, but you decided to learn more about them instead.

"Doing these things proves that you have a good heart and strive to do the right thing. That's what really matters. It's my pride as a principal- no, as an adult, to support and help your growth."

After his speech, I couldn't help getting emotional. He truly cared. Spears spent the whole day investigating what happened and visited me to ensure I was alright.

He was wrong about why I reacted the way I did and about my motivation to go to the concert and read about dinosaurs. However, his version was much more realistic than me being a transmigrated person from another world.

A part of me wanted to confess everything to him right then and there. However, I ultimately decided not to. I didn't feel good hiding the truth after he did so much for me, but some skeletons are meant to stay in your closet forever. If I was lucky, he wouldn't believe me and treat me like a crazy person. And I don't even want to think about what would happen if he believed me.

I stood there unmoving while Spears' hand was still on my shoulder. After mulling everything for a long time, I only said two words.

"Thank you."

He gave me a warm smile and patted me on the back. Even though he was extremely good with words, he could be better at limiting his strength. His gesture was well-intentioned, but my back was now aching.

"I'm glad you are feeling better, Anon. Now that we've sorted through the heavy stuff, how can I help you feel at home in Volcano High?"

We spoke about a lot of things. I asked Spears many questions about dinosaurs, and he tried to answer every single one honestly to the best of his ability. From his answers, I learned that dinosaurs were remarkably similar to humans. The only difference was that they kept some physical traits and behaviours from their ancestors. They were just people with scales and wings.

He reassured me that even though there were physical conflicts between some extremist groups and racism wasn't rare, most dinosaurs and humans coexisted peacefully. His wife was a dinosaur, a Tyrannosaurus, to be precise. He showed me a photo of them both. It was a strange sight, but they looked like a perfect couple.

My financial situation also came up in the conversation. Considering the quality of the apartment and the neighbourhood, I could be in a better spot. He offered to sign me up for a loan program for the school cafeteria. I wasn't in a position to refuse any help, so I accepted and said goodbye to my food problems for a while.

Spears looked at his watch. Shocked by how late it was, he quickly got up and moved to the entrance. I followed him there.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow then, Anon?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't feel ready yet." He looked at me with a worried expression. "I promise I will go the day after, for sure. I just need a bit more time."

His expression softened again, and he started walking away. As he was leaving, he offered one last comment.

"Just one thing. I hope you remember that you laughed at the concert. I won't punish you for it, but if you strive to be the best version of yourself, I hope you can make amends with the band members."

And with that, he closed the door and left.

Danm. I didn't want to face the angry monochrome Pterosaur again, but I had no choice because we shared science class.

What should I do?

Chapter 11: Saurian acclimation session

Chapter Text

After my conversation with Spears, I was mentally exhausted, so I grabbed a couple of pizza slices for a quick dinner and went to bed.

Was there really a reason for me to be scared of dinosaurs? Sure, they were significantly stronger and faster than me, but Spears explained they were just people, not rabid feral animals.

With this newfound perspective, I recalled yesterday's events and realised that most of my fears were only in my head. I was flipping out and acting like a maniac. Despite that, most saurians simply gave me curious looks or ignored me. Orange and Grey even went out of their way to make me feel welcome. It didn't work, but I'm glad they tried.

Claws had been the only real issue, but maybe they only lashed out because they were also hurting somehow. Everyone was fighting their own battles, no? Was the confusion with their gender a sore spot? I could start by apologising for that and see where things would go.

Even though I still had some doubts, I would keep my promise of attending school the day after tomorrow. I didn't want to let Spears down after all he'd done for me. Also, It would be a disaster if Anon's parents got involved.

I kept mulling things over as I lay in bed before falling asleep.

I woke up to the blaring-

Yeah, I'm not doing that again.

Making sure to not fall off the bed this time, I slowly turned around and turned off the alarm. I got up, still groggy, and went to the kitchen. The only breakfast available was pizza. Still, Grey had been so kind as to order various types for the concert, so I didn't get tired of the food. I finished eating, cleaned the plates and got to work.

Today's mission was to get as acclimated as possible to dinosaurs and dinosaur culture. I had a plan, but I needed access to Anon's computer to put it into action. Luckily, since his mail account was still active on the phone, it was just a matter of clicking 'Forgot Password' and resetting it through the email link.

I'd get used to seeing dinosaur people with the help of the greatest invention known to humankind since the printing press: the internet.

I wanted to start with something simple, so I searched for videos of the most popular sitcoms. I spent a lot of time watching 'YouSnoot' clips of 'How You Met My Mother', 'The Workplace', 'Dinofornia Eight-Eight', and 'Classic Family'. Their titles were uncanny, and I could easily recognise their other-world counterparts. It was a weird feeling.

The most significant culture shock was the religion depicted in those clips. It was common for characters to express surprise by saying, "Raptor Jesus!". After some digging, I learned that Jesus was a raptor rumoured to have lived in ancient times who sacrificed himself to avoid an asteroid hitting the world. They made a religion out of it quite similar to Christianity. The guy's name was even the same.

That would explain why dinosaurs were not extinct here. I wondered how a raptor managed to deflect an asteroid in ancient times. The internet offered multiple explanations, but none of them made sense. My favourite was a comic of Raptor Jesus going Super Sayan and punching the asteroid into a million pieces. I didn't know if it was sacrilegious to find it amusing.

I also watched a few documentaries about numerous topics. The flora and fauna of the world were mostly the same as mine, but some species were different. The most curious animal I found was an insect with a giant carapace the size of a turtle that was kept as a pet. At this point, I was more excited than afraid of all the cool new things I was discovering.

Now that we were on the topic of Nature and Science, I remembered the estrus season thing I saw in the Saurian Anatomy book. I wrote 'Pterosaur estrus season' in the search bar and clicked the first result.I was not expecting the type of video that played. It was pretty spicy, showing two pterosaurs aggressively getting frisky together. I was mesmerised. I couldn't look away.

After the video ended, I recovered from the shock and ensured my search was limited to academic purposes. I learned that dinosaurs could only have babies during certain times of the year, and according to the article, male and female dinosaurs were 'in the mood' and experienced intense emotions during that season.

After the two characters in the video sorted out their feelings, the furniture looked like it had gone through a woodchipper. 'Intense emotions' was a hell of an understatement.

According to the researchers, humans did not have an estrus season. Their estrus cycles were too short, so they were ready to go anytime during their reproductive years. They wrote it in a way that made humans look like horny monkeys. Never have I been more offended by something I 100% agree with.

I didn't want to admit they were right, but I spent the remainder of the day enthralled by saucy videos of dinosaurs. It wasn't part of the plan, but those videos were really helpful in getting to know them more intimately .

I went to bed after my curiosity was sated. The acclimation session had been successful. I was now used to dinosaurs and dinosaur culture, but there had been… unforeseen consequences.

Like yesterday, I fell asleep with dinosaurs in my head. However, the situations I imagined were very different. I felt a lot of conflicting emotions.

I woke up from bed and shut off the alarm. I almost fell to the ground face-first again. I had to get used to this bed soon before I caused irreparable brain damage.

Today was the fateful day I would return to school and interact with the dinosaurs. I hoped yesterday's session was enough to get used to them and not freak out. I took a shower, got dressed, grabbed my things, and left for school.

It was another freezing and foggy day. After a short walk, I was again at the school's entrance, with saurians of all shapes and sizes everywhere. Although I was nervous about being around so many of them, I managed not to run or hide. I took a breath, murmured, 'I can do this,' and made my way into the building.

The imposing figure of Spears was standing in front of the main hall door.

"I'm glad you made it, Anon." He flashed a fatherly grin and gave me a nod of approval. "Remember to come by my office before lunch. I'll have your lunch card ready."

"Yes, sir!" I gave him a thumbs-up and continued on my way.

I came a bit earlier than usual to get breakfast at the cafeteria. I could not function at all with an empty stomach. I still didn't have my lunch card, but I collected some cash while cleaning the apartment. It wasn't much, but it was enough for a decent breakfast.

The cafeteria was almost barren, but it had a decent selection nonetheless. I indulged myself with an egg sandwich, strawberry yoghurt, orange juice, and two chocolate and dried fruit cereal bars. It was my core belief that eating well is the key to happiness. I sat down and enjoyed my food, keeping one of the cereal bars for a future craving.

With a happy stomach and a smile, I looked at my schedule to find out today's first class. My smile faded when I saw it was Science.

I have to face Claws first thing in the morning. Hope is dwindling fast.

Come on! I just need to apologise while keeping all my blood inside my body. Claws is mean but not a psycho. Probably. They're just a punk-head rocker with aggressive tendencies. I think.

I get up and start walking towards the Science laboratory, trying to figure out what to say that wouldn't get me ripped into shreds. But before I can think of anything, I turn a corner and come face-to-face with the white pterosaur.

Chapter 12: Making amends

Chapter Text

Fang POV

Seriously, where the fuck are Trish and Reed?

Reed is probably somewhere getting as high as a kite, but I can't find him in his usual spots. And Trish is still on her crusade to get revenge on the people who laughed at us at the concert. Why did she need to personally hunt every single one with a crowbar? I was happy they got what they deserved, but doing that would only get her into trouble.

Fuck, I need a cig.

I start walking to the school's rooftop, but I'm interrupted when I turn a corner and find myself face-to-face with the new human student.

I didn't like the guy at all. He was a weirdo who kept mumbling and ogling me while we were in Science class. He got my gender wrong twice, and when I called him out on it, he just fucking left. Okay, maybe I was shouting too much, and he got scared, but don't dish it out if you can't take it, you know?

Dr. Fernsworth and Spears scolded me after what happened and told me it was awful to pick on the new student. They even dared tell me that I should apologize to him. Hey! I was insulted, too! Where was my fucking apology?

"Umm," the bastard spoke. "I'm… I'm sorry."

Oh shit. Did the human actually apologize? I wasn't expecting that from a bigot.

"What are you sorry for?"

"Well... I didn't know your gender, so I called you a she. I know those topics can be touchy, so I just wanted to apologize if it was uncomfortable."

The guy was looking at the ground. Was he autistic or something? Fuck, now I was the one feeling bad for shouting at him. Why did I make such a scene? Trish told me that it was important to get outraged when people misgendered me. She said everyone would be proud of me for standing up for myself. But that didn't happen at all. They just looked at me like I was a crazy bitch, or just flat-out ignored me.

The human tries to leave after apologizing, but I stop him.

"Hey," I instinctively scratch my arm. "You… Skinnie. I'm sorry for shouting at you, too."

He looks at me with a complex expression and then thinks about something for a long time. He sighs, puts his hand in his pocket, takes out a cereal bar, and offers it to me.

"Peace offering?"

I take the cereal bar, unwrap it, and pop it into my mouth, wolfing it down with a single bite. I was feeling a bit peckish, so that hit the spot. For some reason, he's looking at me with a shocked expression.

"What, never saw a dino eat before?" I joke.

"Not really."

"Huh?"

"My parents are not really fond of dinosaurs." He explains. "I didn't interact with you guys until my first day here. That's why I was freaking out back at science class."

Holy shit. The guy's parents are part of a racist cult. Is that why he stared at me like he had never seen a dinosaur before? Well, duh. He just told you he never did.

"So you weren't ogling me back in Science class?"

"Wait, what?"

The class bell rang, interrupting our conversation. The human was startled by it, which was a bit funny to watch. After collecting himself and muttering a curse to the loud bell, he told me we should get going if we didn't want to be late.

I still had cravings and wanted to go for a cig, but I could wait for another period. It was okay talking with the new guy. We walked to the science lab and sat together at the same desk.

Dr. Fernsworth got up from his chair and announced in his usual cheery voice that we would be doing a lab on waves today. I had a mental image of a megalodon surfing at the beach, but I doubt those were the waves he was talking about. He started going through the desks, passing the worksheets around.

"Oh my!" He looked pleasantly surprised when he saw us. "I see you two are back to getting along. This is great news! I hope you can get by without any incidents today."

The worksheet was filled with squiggly lines. They were waves, alright, just not the fun kind. I really couldn't figure out the questions, much less the answers. It's not my fault Science was extremely difficult and boring . The human looked confused, too. Heh. It seems like acing the last worksheet was just a fluke.

"Is this it?" He says.

"What do you mean?"

"It's just two pages asking for some definitions and simple questions. We get an entire hour for this?"

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Are you some sort of genius?"

He looks back at me with a frown. "Dude, this is not hard. There aren't even any calculations."

I give him a huff. "Maybe it's easy for you, Skinnie. I don't really get this sort of stuff."

"I don't buy it. Do you really not get it, or did you give up trying?"

That crossed the line. What the fuck does the bastard know about me? I glare at him, and he jumps back in surprise. I would be jumping at him for talking shit, but I don't want to get another lecture like last time, much less after Spears warned me that he would get my parents involved. I just scoff and look away.

"Um…" He mutters. "Sorry"

I don't want to hear it. "Whatever, just do it alone like last time, and don't bother me."

He looks pleadingly at me for a bit, but I don't care. I gave him a chance to make amends, and he blew it. He gives up and grabs the worksheet. But instead of filling out the answer, he's just looking at the questions.

After inspecting the exercises, he turns back to me with a serious look. What does he want now? Is he going to complain I'm not doing my part of the work? If he's such a fucking genius, he can do everything by himself.

He speaks. "I honestly think you can do it if you try."

"And I told you that I'm not good at this! Just leave me alone!"

The fucker is starting to piss me off. I can't do it because I'm dumb. I'm shit at Science and at every other single subject. I barely get passing grades. Why the fuck would I try? The only thing I'm worth anything for is music, and what does that matter when the band fails every time we try to set up a concert?

He doesn't get the hint and continues talking. "Then prove me wrong."

"You know what, I will."

Fuck this guy. I angrily take the worksheet from him and read the first question. It asks about what part of the wave is the crest. It reminds me of the funny thing on a chicken's head, so it's the top part, no? I circle the answer and look at him. He nods. The next question asks what part of the wave is the through.

"See?" I tell him. "I have no idea what that is."

Looking back at him, I see he's holding the textbook open. I glance at the page and see a diagram showing the different parts of a wave. According to it, the through is the lowest part. I begrudgingly go back to the worksheet and circle the answer.

We went back and forth like this for a while. Some answers I managed to figure out by myself. For the rest, when I glanced at the textbook, it was coincidentally open to the page where the answer was. Before I could prove him wrong, the worksheet was completely filled out.

It doesn't take a single second for the human to mock me.

"See?" He says mockingly while giving a smug grin. "I knew you could do it."

"Fuck you." I retort.

"Dude, you're a musician. Music is just waves. You have to know this stuff."

Hold on. "How did you know I was a musician?"

He goes quiet, looking at me like he got caught with his hand inside the cookie jar. This was very suspicious. Was he one of the bastards that mocked us at the concert?

"Well…" He explains. "Your brother Naser invited me to a concert three days ago. You were one of the bassists, no?"

"You were at the concert! Did you laugh at us?"

"Umm…" His silence says it all.

"You did laugh!"

I get closer and grab him by his jacket. Punishment be damned. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind.

"Wait! Wait! Maybe It's true that I laughed, but I was in the middle of a panic attack! I didn't laugh at you, the band, or the music! I only laughed because I didn't know what else to do!"

That's so bullshit, but… Why does it sound like he's not lying? He's looking at me with the same scared expression he had when I shouted at him for misgendering me. Is he really telling the truth? Fuck, I don't know.

The bell rings, and Dr. Fernsworth starts moving desk by desk to collect the worksheets. The last thing I needed was another lecture and my parents getting involved. I'll figure out if he's telling the truth later.

I release him. "Whatever, It's fine."

"Hey, I-"

"Shut up. The concert was a bust because of all the people that came just to laugh at us. I'm going to show you how good VVurm Drama really is. We practice in the auditorium after school. Don't you dare run away."

He nods several times, gets up, and leaves for his next class. I take out my phone and message Trish and Reed to let them know we have practice today.

I'll show him what's good.

Chapter 13: The calm and the storm

Chapter Text

I was a bit shaken after my conversation with the white pterosaur. I challenged them to complete the worksheet because I was sure they could, and they were just avoiding it for some reason. Why did they have to be so intense about everything? I wouldn't have done it if I had known it would be so much trouble.

The plan was to apologise for misgendering them and laughing at the concert. After that, we would go our separate ways. However, they made me promise to go with them to a practice session after school. I didn't want to go, but I heard rumours that the purple triceratops bassist was breaking the kneecaps of people who mocked them at the concert. I didn't want to be the next one on the hit list.

After checking my schedule for my next class, I hastily made my way to the Math classroom. I entered the room and saw a human slouched at the teacher's desk, snoring loudly with a newspaper on his face. He had a lot of body hair and a tacky golden necklace.

Isn't there a single ordinary teacher in this institution?

I followed tradition and sat at the furthest desk to avoid as many people as possible. After a few minutes, the school bell rang, jolting the teacher awake. He shouted a string of colourful curses at the bell, grabbed a bunch of papers from his desk and gave them to one of the students sitting in the front row.

"Alright, here's the frickin' homework for today. You know what to do."

After his passionate speech, he just left. If not giving a fuck was a sport, I'm sure that golden necklace would be a medal. A blue dinosaur handed me my copy, and I got to work. The homework questions were more complicated than I expected. Are these really high-school math problems?

"Hey, Skinnie!"

I'm rusty with algebra and calculus after relying on computers for so long. I don't know which is more shameful, my browser's or my calculator's history. Also, the textbook is the size of a phonebook, making searching for formulas tedious.

"Skinnie!"

Let's see here… Carry the one… Crap, I think I made a mistake. I don't think Jimmy is swimming two hundred kilometres above the water level.

A crumpled paper ball hits me square in the face and lands on my desk. I unfurl it and reveal a single sentence: 'Look up.' I do as the note commands and look at the ceiling, confused. There's nothing there. I scratch my head and look around to see who passed me the note. I notice a pink raptor smiling at me and a purple triceratops facepalming.

Oh shit. Those two are the other band members from the concert. I'm not getting any breaks today. The purple one waves me over, and I shake my head and point to the homework. She angrily waves faster. Caving in, I grab my stuff and come closer to them.

The purple triceratops is looking straight at me. I don't know if she's angry or she just has a bitch resting face. Meanwhile, the pink raptor has a peaceful and relaxed expression. I could notice the sweet smell of drugs coming from him. He was probably a bit baked.

"Sup, compadre" The pink one offers a greeting.

"Sup?" I greet back.

The purple one starts talking. "You see? He's my class partner, so I look out for him. How are you looking out for your class partner, Anon? Are you enforcing the social contract? Having good conduct and mutual respect so you can leave class and go on with your life?"

"Uh… What?" What's this one yapping about?

"A certain friend of mine is partnered with you in Science, right? They told me they had to be partnered with a Skinnie bigot and proceeded to show them, making them flee. I had a feeling you'd be him."

She's looking at me with a smirk on her face. Why is she talking in circles? I don't know if she's trying to mock me or not. Maybe she just likes poetry?

In doubt, answer plainly and honestly. "Yeah, that was me. The only human in the whole school, you know. We already made up, though."

"I know, and I appreciate it." She says. "They just messaged me before class. I'm Trish, and this is Reed. We're Fang's best friends."

So, Claws' real name was Fang. It's funny I wasn't that far off with the nickname. I still thought their claws were more impressive than their teeth, but maybe it was because I was comparing them to human nails. They're likely not unusual for other dinosaurs.

"You're also band members, right?" They tense up when I mention the band. To avoid any issues, I quickly follow up. "I went to the concert. It was a shame that you didn't get to play anything with all the hecklers."

Trish gives me the most intense look I've ever seen. I don't know how someone this small can hold so much anger. While she's deciding whether to interrogate me or hit first and ask questions later, Reed interjects.

"You know, we talked about playing a bit after school today. Do you, like, wanna join us?"

"Fang asked me already. I'll be there if you'll have me."

I didn't want to go to their practice session, but saying no was no longer an option. Otherwise, I'd find my kneecaps broken right then and there. Even after agreeing, Trish was still fuming like a kettle left on the stove for too long. What more does she want from me?

I rise from my seat, not wanting to continue the conversation. "Great meeting you guys. I still have to do the homework, though…"

"Hey." Trish stops me, and I look back at her, confused. "Look at me. It's important. Fang is happy. They found something about themselves they finally like, and it helped them through a dark time. They made up their mind. They don't need people in their life who might hurt or confuse them.

"They have us and the band. We're trying to make it for ourselves. I look out for them because I care for them. They've been hurting because of those dicks at the concert. I'm doing my part in assuring them."

The rumours weren't an exaggeration. This girl is going ape shit (dino shit?) on people with a crowbar. The more I listened to her talk, the more reasons I had for leaving. I don't want to be involved in any drama. I just want to return to my seat and do math problems.

She continues. "My point is, don't upset Fang."

"If you want me not to go to the practice session, that's fine. You can ask me directly to back off. There's no need to get all Shakespeare on me."

Trish huffs and glares at me again, but against my better judgement, I refuse to back down this time. I have no patience for people with her attitude. She and I enter a staring match while Reed looks at us with concern.

"Wait, man!" Reed says. "She's not saying like, don't come. It's more, like, Fang has a good vibe going, and we are coasting together, you know? Like, don't rain on our parade." It's funny that the drug-addicted raptor makes more sense than Trish.

"I wasn't planning to. I was just joining you guys because Fang asked me to." Well, more like forced me to.

"Then we're cool, bro. Also, you want this?"

He offers me a sheet of paper with all the answers for today's homework. How did he solve everything so fast? Considering the trouble I had with just one exercise, I'll gladly take it.

"Thanks, man!"

"Shhhh, the friend of my friend who's the friend that helps me is also my friend too." Okay, maybe he wasn't the one making the most sense. "So… Friends?"

"Sure."

I extend my hand for a handshake, but he gives me a low five instead. That works, I guess. I offer Trish another low five, but she just stares at me with both her hands in her hoodie. Suit yourself, moody one.

The class bell rang, signalling the end of class and the start of the lunch period. Hmmm, food.

I suddenly remembered that I had to pick up my lunch card from Spears if I wanted to eat. I said a short goodbye and quickly made my way towards his office.

Chapter 14: Mandatory Membership

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Making sure to avoid the herd of hungry dinos heading to the cafeteria, I ducked and weaved my way to the principal's office, giving the door a couple of knocks to make my presence known.

Spears' booming voice could be heard from the inside. "Come in."

I expected his office to be huge, matching Spears' size, but it's a tiny cramped room. There's no empty space anywhere. Every bookcase was filled with papers and files, and every available space on the wall had a photo or a diploma hanging. The caveman was hulking down at his desk in the middle of the room, looking like a giant inside of a dollhouse.

"Are you going to stand there forever? What are you waiting for? Sit." I sat down while Spears grabbed a bunch of papers from a drawer. "Not many people have to use the school's financial services, but don't get disheartened by it."

"Don't worry, sir. I just lack money at the moment. Nothing that can't be solved with a job."

"That's a great attitude, Anon. All the paperwork is already done. As I explained the other day, there's no interest, down payments or anything like that." He gave me the stack of papers. "Anyways, go ahead and sign here. Here. Here. Initial here. Date here. Print your name here."

It was a form with 23 pages containing very complex technical words. How much paperwork was needed to apply for a lunch card? I was feeling too smooth-brained to follow Spears' instructions. He watched me flip through the pages and then gave a small chuckle.

"Just kidding, Anon. You're good to go." He took the papers from me and gave me a poorly laminated lunch card. I guess it was an office worker's idea for a joke. "Just one thing, there's one more topic for us to discuss."

"Sure, what is it?"

"I've been thinking about your situation. I believe the best way to improve your personal development would be to join one of our school's clubs. It will help you develop your social skills and get acquainted with other species."

"Oh… Umm… Sorry, sir, but I don't-"

"Don't worry, Anon." He interrupts me, extending his hand. "If you need help joining a club, I can enrol you in the student council. I'm sure they'll be very welcoming."

Well, well, well. If it wasn't the consequences of my actions. Turns out the story about being raised in a racist, secluded family had some extracurriculars attached to it. I had two options: finding a club or being forced into the student council.

Considering how both student council members I knew looked busy every time I met them, the second option was akin to slavery. I preferred to find a club that didn't involve countless hours of strenuous office work.

"Thank you for the offer, Spears, sir. But I'll try to join a club by myself."

"That's settled then." He turned around and fetched a container from a drawer. He opened it, and the smell of a wonderful home-cooked meat pie with veggies made me salivate. "You're dismissed, Anon. I'm sure you're eager to indulge with some food yourself."

With my new magic card in hand, I exited the office and hastily made my way to the cafeteria. I'll deal with the club issue later. Now, it was time for lunch.

I arrived at a bustling cafeteria filled with people stuffing themselves with enormous plates of food. The servings were huge. It was impressive how much dinosaurs could eat. I grabbed a tray and got in line.

The food selection was extensive: from a display of cheap vegetable soups and salads to the most expensive gourmet plates you could imagine. Who was rich enough to order a Wagyu Beef steak with truffles and gold flakes in a school cafeteria?

I bought a simple salad, two hard-boiled eggs, and a pair of sandwiches. It was enough food to get me through lunch and dinner. When it was time to pay, I presented the cashier with my new favourite item. I technically had to pay back everything after the school year, but I hoped to return to my world before that became a problem. Ergo, free food for the entire school year.

Looking for a place to sit, I spotted Orange waving cheerfully at me from a table. Grey sat with her, thinking about something while munching on some nuggets. I should learn their actual names. I can't keep calling people by the colour of their scales.

As expected, Orange was the first one to speak. "I see you're making use of the lunch card services! Not many people have to use them, but I'm glad they are there for people that need them." I noticed a hint of classism, but I elected to ignore it. "And you even got a balanced meal! That's impressive! I prefer to eat vegan myself. This cafeteria has a delicious selection, and it's a kinder choice for the planet."

"I dunno," I reply. "I really enjoy eating. It's not that I don't like vegan food, but there are a lot of amazing dishes that need non-vegan ingredients. Even if I was a herbivore, I couldn't live without milk or honey."

"Oh!" She had a surprised look. "You're way more talkative than Monday!"

"I was quite overwhelmed at that time," I explained. "There were a lot of things going on in my head. Speaking about that, I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your names back then. Could you tell me your names again?"

"Sure! He's Naser, leader of the track team and head of the student council. And I'm Naomi, student council president." Huh. Aren't those two student council positions essentially the same thing? Before I could ask for clarifications, Naser cut into the conversation.

"Hey, Anon. I wanted to talk to you about my sis-, er… sibling. I wanted to apologise on their behalf for the incident in Science class. And also about everything else that happened at the concert. I knew I shouldn't have invited all those guys..."

"Don't worry about it, man," I replied. "The concert wasn't your fault. Also, Fang already apologised. And I guess the Science class incident was partly my fault, too."

"Yeah, they can be a bit… Wait, what?" Both Naser and Naomi looked absolutely baffled at the prospect of Fang apologising. Naser's expression went from shock to confusion to happiness in milliseconds. "Really? They did?"

"Dude, you're making it sound like your sibling is a menace to society."

"I mean, it's not that they are bad." Naomi gives her input. "But Fang is a special case."

"Honestly," Naser piles on. "They're just going through a phase, man."

I got a bit mad at the comment. Maybe it was because I was also a loner like Fang, maybe calling it a phase hit a nerve, or maybe I just couldn't stand their snobby, classist attitudes.

"They are going through a phase like every other teenager ever. Just because it may be temporary, it doesn't make it any less meaningful."

"Woah. Hey, man." Naser recoiled. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Sure sounded like it."

Naser frowned. "Fang is my family. I just worry about them."

Naomi interjected with a cheerful voice. "This is a great opportunity for real friendship, Anon! I'm so happy for you!"

What? What was she on about? Naser and I stared at Naomi, dumbfounded. Even if she wanted to defuse the situation, this was a confusing way to do it.

"If there's anything Fang needs in these trying times, it's a new friend to talk to!" She continued. "I think you would be able to understand them. I would love it if you tried! Naser would appreciate it!"

Judging by the face he just made, It most certainly didn't look like it. "Woah, calm down, boo. That's not how it works… and I don't think-"

The sound of the school bell interrupted Naser, signalling the start of the free period. Looking down, I noticed I had barely touched my food. I'd been too focused on the conversation and not enough on eating. Wasting food is one of the worst sins, so I stuffed everything I could indiscriminately into my mouth.

Naser stared at me judgingly while I was trying to gobble up a sandwich like a seagull. "Uhhh… We'll talk later, Anon. I'll have to keep my eye on you, though." Naser seemed especially wary of me for some reason.

"Don't worry, Naser," Naomi said. "I know Anon is of good character!"

I gave a thumbs up while almost choking. They stood up, dropped their trays on the bin and left for their busy student council schedules. Honestly, even if I had only been here for two days, I could see those two were working harder than the school's faculty. They should ask Spears for a salary and benefits.

I didn't want to end up like them, so it was time for me to search for a club to join.

Chapter 15: Going clubbing

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After wolfing down my lunch, I packed the leftovers with napkins and stored them in my backpack for later. I got up from the table, dropped the tray on the pile with the others, and left the cafeteria.

Current objective: Find a club.

There was one problem, however. I had no idea where to start looking for one. The school was huge, and although most rooms had plaques, they only displayed classroom numbers and letters instead of what the room was used for.

I wasn't about to enter every room individually to check if it was a clubroom, so I walked back to Spears' office to ask for guidance. On my way there, I ran into Naomi again, who was in a heated discussion with Trish about selling band merch in school. It wasn't long before the purple tornado got mad and stormed off, stomping away.

After Trish turned around, Naomi made mocking faces behind her. Turns out the saccharine dino did have an actual personality when she thought nobody was looking. After finishing her taunt, she turned around and saw me.

"Ah." She composed herself while she returned to the caramel cardboard persona I was used to. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Anon. Can I help you with anything?"

"Actually, I think you can. Spears told me that joining a club would be a good idea, but I have no idea how to do it. Do you think you could give me some pointers?"

"Oh!" She gave a bright smile. "Of course, I can help! Please, come in!"

I followed Naomi inside the office next to the principal's. It had the same layout as its twin next door but different vibes. Everything was spotless and tidy. No files were out of place, and it was void of decorations other than a couple of plastic plants. It looked unused, like a set for a movie or a commercial.

She sat down at her desk and started typing away at the computer. I was surprised to find out Naomi had an office of her own. Why did the student council president need one? Was she a workaholic? Should I be concerned for her?

With a few more clicks, the printer came to life and printed out a document. She squared the pages and handed them to me. It was a comprehensive list of all the registered clubs in the school, containing handy information, including members, meeting times, and assigned clubrooms. It was an invaluable resource for my quest.

"Thanks, Naomi!"

"No problem! By the way, I think you should join the music club." She pointed to the entry on the first page, which consisted of Fang, Trish, and Reed. "You are already acquainted with them, no?"

Even though I had to join a club, I wanted to join a simple one that wouldn't be a hassle. I preferred to spend my time figuring out how to get back home. Working in a band was laborious and time-consuming, and considering how devoted the members were, VVurm Drama was not an exception.

I came up with an excuse. "Well. I tried playing an instrument before, and I was awful at it. Probably not a good idea for me to join a music club."

"Really, I insist. Even if you are not a musician, you can help in other ways. Many jobs in a band don't involve playing an instrument."

"Really, It's okay. I-"

"It might sound weird, coming from the student council president, but it's fine even if you don't do enriching activities. Fang and the others often use the auditorium just to hang out. It might be a bit wasteful, but bonding between band members is fundamental."

Why was Naomi so interested in me joining the music club? Whatever the reason was, she was barking at the wrong tree. Unless all other options were worse, I wasn't going to join.

"Thanks, Naomi. I'll consider it."

"It's not a bother if you want to join right now. I can get the paperwork prepared in a jiffy!"

"Naomi, please," I said, cutting her off. "I'll get back to you when I pick a club. Thank you for the help and the advice. I really appreciate it. But let me look at the other options. Okay?"

"Of course!" She finally relented. "Just talk to me when you're done, and I'll process your club application."

I offered a quick farewell and left the office. The conversation had been more exhausting than it needed to be. I disliked people who tried to make others do what they wanted. Naomi was sweet and probably meant well, but she was too meddlesome. Even if it was well-intentioned, I could make my own choices, thank you very much.

Scanning the stack of papers, I noticed that half the clubs were related to sports or exercise. All of them were assigned to either the gymnasium, the pool or the open multipurpose field. Luckily, they were all next to each other, so I could check out many clubs simultaneously.

Arriving there, I saw many dinosaurs engrossed in their respective athletic activities. To describe them as feral would be a huge understatement. A dodgeball game was going on in the gymnasium, which looked like a battlefield, screams included. The open area was filled with fierce dino athletes achieving numerous inhuman feats. The pool looked like shark-infested waters, with waves forming from the impressive speed and power of the swimmers.

Even though this body could use some exercise, my survival instinct was telling me that joining a sports club wouldn't be a good idea. I'm so glad Anon didn't pick PE as a subject. I went back inside the school building and considered my other options.

Drama, music, and art clubs were discarded because they required too much time and energy. Culture or debate clubs could be risky since I lacked common knowledge about this world. The student council was also out, obviously.

Only three remaining clubs could be good picks: the literature, cooking, and gardening clubs. Considering my options, the literature club is the best pick. I could spend my time in the club reading about history and culture and figuring out how to return to my world. Also, bookworms weren't usually very outgoing, which also worked in my favour.

I headed for the library and entered the room. I started walking to the reading area, where the literature club was having a meeting. I wonder how I could introduce myself-

"Mr. Anon."

A piercing death glare from the librarian freezes me in my tracks. She's standing right next to me with crossed arms. I didn't see her because she blended perfectly with the library itself. Fuck, this is science class all over again.

"It came to my attention that you used the library on Monday to skip class. As you might know, that is highly inappropriate behaviour."

She's just standing there, menacingly. I'm back to fight or flight mode, and considering my opponent is a dinosaur, the only option is flight. I glance at the door behind me. I could make a run for it if I distracted her somehow.

Wait, calm down. We went over this already. Dinosaur people are not feral animals. The librarian is not going to kill me. She's just going to give me a lecture. Just take it, apologise and move on.

"Normally, I would be dishing a fitting punishment. Lucky for you, Spears told me to show leniency this time. Just know that if it happens again, you'll learn why nobody misbehaves in my library."

Oh, no. This is not a lecture. This is a threat.

I have a feeling I don't want to fuck around and find out what she's teaching.

"Understood?" She raises her eyebrows.

"Yes, ma'am." I nod a few times, and I bolt outside.

With my heart beating hard in my chest, I power walk away. Though I'm handling this one much better, I hate the feeling of being prey. My monkey instincts are screaming at me to run and hide.

You know what, books are overrated. Sorry, literature club, but some things are not meant to be. I'll never set foot in the library ever again. Not with that vengeful monster roaming the shelves.

I don't know if it's a dinosaur thing, but I've met many really intense people in this strange world. It's incredibly exhausting, far from the calm and quiet life I've always wanted.

I just wish the next person I meet is normal. Please, God, let me find someone bland who likes routine and whose favourite food is bread.

Just as I was thinking that, I slammed into a green dinosaur, falling on my ass.

Chapter 16: Fateful encounter

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Stella POV

I really treasured the new tarot cards I purchased yesterday. They were premium plastic with intricate images, vibrant colors, gilded borders, and an elaborate filigree-like back design. Even the minor arcana were beautifully crafted.

As I walked through the school halls, mesmerized by their beauty, I suddenly crashed into the human student. He fell to the ground, and the cards scattered from my hand with a brief but charming display of colors and shapes.

I couldn't have hoped for a better introduction. This was just like my Japanese animes! I've seen this scene play out a thousand times.

I knew what would happen next. We would briefly apologize with a hint of shame on our voices. Anon would start helping me pick up the cards until we both grabbed the same one. Our hands would meet, and we would stop to look into each other's eyes, sharing a profound feeling no words could describe.

But when I looked down at the dropped cards, I noticed only one was facing up. The hand of fate was at play here. This was not the time to play out my fantasies. It was my duty as an astrologer to guide Anon towards his destiny!

"You."

The human got up and muttered a quick apology, but I was focused on the card.

"The Hermit…" I pondered the card's significance. "Introspection? No, No. Maybe a test of some kind?"

Anon stood there, visibly confused. I approached to better take in his aura. I closely examined his stance, expressions, and vibes. However, I didn't notice anything unusual. I was overlooking something important. I took a step back, focusing instead on the bigger picture. From this point of view, I could sense Anon's presence was clashing with the rest of his surroundings.

"Ah, I see now." The card's meaning was literal. "You're a wanderer who's extremely far from home."

"Huh? What?" He was baffled. "Wait, back up. How did you know?"

I pointed towards the lone face-up card sitting atop the others. The human appeared to have some knowledge about tarot as he stared at it wide-eyed. The stars had aligned for this meeting. I was just a fledgling astrologer, but I couldn't afford to miss this opportunity.

"Anon! You must let me do a reading for you!"

He was visibly shaken. "How did you know my name? Did the cards also tell you that?"

"No, silly. I was in Literature class when you introduced yourself. Didn't you know we were classmates?"

"Ah… Oh. Sorry." After a brief pause, he continued. "You know what, go ahead."

After gathering the cards into a neat pile, I shuffled them thoroughly. At the same time, I explained the type of reading I was going to perform.

"We are going to do a simple three-card spread. This means that you'll take three cards from the deck. The first will show your past, giving context to the rest of the reading. The second will show your present, describing your current situation. And the third one will show your future, revealing its dangers and opportunities."

He looked intently at the cards and nodded along to my explanation. It was the first time someone actually cared this much about my guidance. I had to perform the reading perfectly. With a flourish, I displayed the cards in a fan, and he picked one. It was The Empress, upright.

"This card has a lot of positive meanings related to love and abundance. Considering you also pulled The Hermit before, it probably means that you started your journey from a nice place."

His face revealed a subtle expression of sadness and longing. He missed his home. If he was happy back there, why did he leave? Why didn't he go back?

I shuffled the cards and set them in front of Anon again. He hesitated for a second, but he picked another one. It was The Hanged Man, reversed.

"Oh." The meaning was unmistakable. "You are not on this journey because you want to, right? This card means that you are suspended from action right now. So you can't really do anything about it."

The human stared at the card with a complicated expression, lost in thought. I tried comforting him with a meaningful quote.

"If you can't do something, then don't. Focus on what you can do. It'll help."

He stopped staring at the card and turned his attention to me, tilting his head like he was trying to remember something. Did he recognize the quote? Did he also like anime? Wait. Stop, Stella. Focus on the reading.

I shuffled the cards and displayed them one last time, hoping fate was kind to Anon. He pulled the card with a defiant gesture. It was The World, upright.

"Nice! That's an amazing one! You'll be able to complete your journey and accomplish something great!"

I smiled earnestly, expecting him to enjoy the news, but he looked intently at me instead. "If I complete my journey, does that mean I'll be able to return home?"

I didn't know the answer to that question. "Umm… Sorry. I don't really know. I'm not that good at this stuff yet. The card means your journey will end happily if you work hard enough. That's what my tarot guidebook-"

"But I don't want a happy ending here!" He was visibly shaken. "I want to go back home!"

It wasn't right to reject the call of fate like that, so I gave him another piece of wisdom. "Whatever you lose, you'll find it again. But what you throw away, you'll never get back."

He was taken aback by my response. But as he was mulling over the quote's meaning, he suddenly made the same expression as before: doubt with a flicker of recognition. Before he could process why the quote was familiar, I hit him with another one.

"If you don't take risks, you can't create a future!"

"Wait, I know that one! That's from One Piece, no?"

"It's actually called The One Treasure, but it was a close guess."

"Ah, right." He sighs. "Anime has weird names too."

"Hey! Anime is not weird!" I turn my head to the side and scoff disapprovingly.

"I didn't mean it like that…" He stops talking momentarily as if he has just realized where he is. "I didn't mean… anime was weird as an insult. In fact, being weird is... cool, you know? I think anime is cool because it's weird."

"You think anime is cool?!" I could feel my tail swishing from side to side. "You have to come to my house, and we can have a watch party sometime! The new season of Jojo's Weird Journey just came out. It's an amazing show! You need to watch it!"

"Um… That would be nice, but aren't you going a bit fast? I mean… I don't even know your name."

"Oh, sorry. It's Stella! Nice to meet you!" I offered a handshake with a friendly smile.

"Anon. Though you already knew that." He accepted the handshake with a nervous grip. "Can we go back to the reading, though? How did you do it?"

"How did I do what?"

"The tarot stuff. It was a magic trick, right? I get why you dropped The Hermit. You were in Literature class, so you know I just moved from another state. Did you choose the other ones based on what I was saying? But even if you knew what card to show, how did you make me pull them from the deck myself?"

Why was he doubting the result of the reading? He saw the forces of destiny with his own two eyes!

"I swear I did not trick you! You pulled the cards as karma destined you to pull. There's nothing more to it. And I interpreted the cards like the guidebook told me to! Don't you believe in fate?"

He opens his mouth to answer, but he stops before saying anything. He keeps to himself, pondering something with a dark expression. What happened in his past that made him feel this way?

"I… don't know. Honestly, I don't know what to believe in anymore."

I must cheer him up. "Believe in yourself, Anon. And if you can't do it, believe in me that believes in you."

He gives a chuckle. "Will your drill be the one that pierces the heavens, then?"

"You know that one too?!" Someone who likes Spiral Vanguard has to be a fantastic friend.

The school bell rang, interrupting our conversation and announcing the end of the free period. This also signified the fourth period was imminent, and we would get reprimanded if we didn't arrive at our respective classes on time.

"Sorry, Stella, but I have to go to class." He smiled softly and waved goodbye. "I'll see you around, I guess."

"Our destinies are intertwined. We'll meet again for sure!"

He left for his classroom, and after he was out of sight, I couldn't help but let out a small, excited squee of happiness. This was my first milestone as a fledgling Astrologer. I successfully managed to guide someone toward his fate.

Also, it turns out Anon is a weeb, too! I have to tell Rosa about this!

Chapter 17: The musically impaired

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I was still getting my bearings after being overwhelmed by the stegosaurus girl. Stella was a quirky and eccentric person with strange interests. In theory, believing in that stuff was completely harmless. However, her tarot reading broke me a bit. I was wandering through the halls with many questions lingering in my head. What had even happened? Was that encounter a destined meeting, like Stella said? Did she figure out I came from another world? Was it true that Karma was guiding me in some way?

If you had asked me about astrology before any of this, I would have answered that it was just a scam to steal money from weak-minded individuals. Reality is the things we see with our eyes, and destiny is the future you make with your hands. And yet, here I was. Stranded in a strange alien world. I didn't know why I was here or how I got here in the first place.

I had countless questions about everything, and no matter how much thought I put into it, I didn't find answers to any of them. It may be time to start believing in the supernatural.

You know what, let's be practical about this. Instead of focusing on what I don't know, focus on what I know. Namely, I'm supposed to be in Music class right now. I'll be late if I don't hurry.

I shoved my questions and feelings into a bottle to ruminate later and rushed to the music classroom. I arrived just before the tardy bell. A pale yellow dinosaur was waiting for me.

He had a humongous nose and wore numerous rings and colourful clothes that didn't match each other. It was like a rainbow gone wrong. People in this world never failed at being the most outlandish individuals ever.

"Good timing, Mr. Mous. You're just in time," he said with a relaxed smile. "Take up anything you like and have fun."

After making sure all students were accounted for, he sat down on a highly lavish armchair, plopped in a pair of headphones, and blacked out in a matter of seconds.

That was it? Pick up an instrument and just go at it? I knew that letting students figure things out by themselves was good, but teachers should give them guidance first, no? People won't learn how to play an instrument just by divine intervention.

I suddenly realised something. Considering that the average person is not a good musician, the room was about to become a cacophony of instruments. I instinctively pressed my hands over my ears, bracing for impact. Instead, I saw that most students were ignoring the teacher's instructions, sitting down and browsing on their phones instead.

I wanted to take the lesson seriously, but I didn't think it would be a good idea. I had a good ear for music, but my uncoordinated fingers were terrible at making instruments sound good. I had taken some guitar classes as a teenager, and I was labelled as a lost cause and told to find another way to express myself.

Accepting my limits, I pulled out my phone and continued my saurian research. This time, I decided to browse some news sites.

Just like in my world, most news was very opinionated, with no backing evidence and/or misleading titles. Even after searching for a while, I didn't learn any useful information. At the very least, the website I was browsing had enjoyable background music. It was a slow and rhythmic guitar melody, relaxed with a hint of sadness to give it some spice. It was a weird but pleasant choice for a news website.

After a while, I noticed that the melody wasn't coming from my phone but from somewhere else in the room. I looked around and found that the musician was none other than Fang. They were engrossed in the music, swinging their tail to the rhythm as they strummed the guitar. Despite the tune's apparent simplicity, it was rich with feeling. If they could play so well, how did they perform so horribly at the concert?

The song ended with a final riff. Fang smiled softly while the last notes lingered in the air. They looked up and noticed I was staring at them, baffled.

"Well?" Fang said, approaching with a smirk. "What do you think?"

"That was incredible. Seriously. You are definitely an amazing musician."

They frowned. "You are making a weird face. Are you mocking me?"

My face betrayed me. "No! Not at all! But… The thing is… If you are so good at music. How come you guys sounded terrible at the concert?"

"You're still not off my shit list, watch it."

"I mean it! You're amazing at this. That melody you played was incredible, and I'm quite sure it's just something that you came up with on the spot. Only great musicians can do that shit." Fang flashed a brief smile of pride after that comment. "I just don't understand why the concert was a bust. Were you also playing the guitar back then?"

"No"

"Why not?"

"I would if I could." I looked at Fang with a raised eyebrow as they sighed. "Look, the band is just Reed, Trish, and me. So we all have to decide by majority vote what happens. Reed says using a bass is more unique, and Trish always says it's a 'promising business model'.

"I play bass just fine. I think the problem is more that if you want to make an unconventional band layout, you damn well better know what you're doing. If you're anything short of masterful, it won't sound good. And when it comes to music, it either sounds good or it doesn't. Simple as that."

Fang grabbed their guitar and went back to playing. This time, it was a sad tune. They looked defeated, resigned to their fate. It bothered me. Why did it bother me so much?

I also felt the same way in Science class when Fang was sulking about being unable to do the assignment. Why the fuck was Fang giving up so quickly? They were all bark and absolutely no bite. It bothered me enough to confront them again.

"The explanation makes sense, but it also sounds like an excuse. You're a good musician, can't you do anything about it? I'm sure getting booed off stage at every concert isn't fun."

Fang missed a note, growled, and then made a complicated expression. "It's just… Trish says… I mean… God damn it. Look, we're better with two basses. Trish and Reed say so."

"But you don't."

"You know what?" Fang stopped playing and faced me directly, giving me an intense look. "I'll show you we're good enough with two basses."

"I see… You're going to prove me wrong again?" I gave them my best shit-eating grin. "Like in science class? Hmm?"

"Oh! Fuck you!" Fang said as they huffed and flashed me their middle finger.

As soon as classes ended, Fang started speed-walking towards the auditorium without a word, carrying a bass and a guitar borrowed from the music teacher. I followed behind them, struggling to match their pace. After a short walk, we arrived at the auditorium.

When I opened the door for them, Fang stepped on my foot. Maybe I had gone too far with my taunt. I'll have to apologise afterwards. Trish and Reed were already on stage, ready for the jamming session.

"Hey, Fang!" Trish said with a smile, "What took you so long?"

"Had to grab something," Fang said, raising the two instrument cases.

"Oh." Her expression went back to an unimpressed frown. "And the skinnie is here too. Why did you even invite him?"

"I'm proving an idiot dumbass wrong," Fang said while jumping on stage.

"Break a leg!" I said while sitting on a front-row seat.

"Shut up. Just you wait," Fang snarled back.

I just smiled and gave them a thumbs up.

"What is this about?" Trish asked.

"Like… Playing guitar, right? Ya wanted to play your guitar…" Even while high off his mind, Reed was surprisingly sharp.

"Yes! I mean…" Fang betrayed their real feelings for a moment. "No, Anon thinks that the music would sound better if I used a guitar instead of a bass."

"What? No way!" Trish said with a frown.

"Woooow, way to try throwing everything off, Anon," Reed added.

"That's not-"

"You shut it." Fang didn't let me explain. "No words, only music. Let's go through 'I Need Meth Money By Tuesday Night And If I Don't Get It I Will Stomp On Your Child'."

It was a funny title, full of teen angst. The song, however, was awful.

Fang was incredible, even with a bass. Trish and Reed were decent, but like Fang said in music class, it wasn't enough to make an arrangement with two basses sound good. Fang was giving it their all, but the two basses wouldn't stop clashing no matter what they tried. They looked increasingly distressed as the song went by, wincing at every messy chord and awkward tone overlap.

By the time the song ended, Fang was panting and trembling.

This was a disaster.

Chapter 18: A change in tune

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"S-see? Totally awesome, r-right?" Fang was trying to appear confident, but they were literally shaking.

"Look… Just try the guitar."

Trish was visibly mad at my comment. "Oh, shut up! You don't know anything about music!" I frowned, but I didn't say anything. I'm here to settle a bet, not to confront the purple brat.

After composing themselves, Fang spoke up. "We might as well try. That's why I brought him, after all."

"You're really siding with him on this?" Trish had a look of disapproval. "We already decided VVURM DRAMA is better with only drum and bass, remember?"

Reed joined in. "Yeah, man… Way more unique that way."

I didn't understand why they were so adamant. "We're just settling a bet. Nothing more."

Trish dropped the hammer again. "I don't care. You don't get a say in this. It's a band decision, and we already made our choice. We're wasting enough time as it is! Especially talking about guitar when it doesn't match any of our stuff!"

"Wasting time playing guitar?! What's that supposed to mean?!" That comment struck a nerve with Fang, and they jabbed a finger into the triceratops chest in protest. "Every time I want to make changes, you guys always overrule me! Even when it's playing my favourite instrument in my own band!"

The two started arguing, getting more heated as the discussion dragged on. Fang was angry because Trish didn't let them try anything new, and Trish was as inflexible as a brick wall. Reed was looking at both of them, unsure what to do. I interjected before it got really out of hand.

"If Fang wants to play guitar, why don't you guys let her try a couple songs? Even if you are serious about the band, you can spare a few minutes to play around and try new things, right? It can be just for fun, you know. You guys are also friends, after all."

All of them were taken aback by my words, but Trish was still unconvinced. "Look… I really want us to succeed. I'm being stubborn because I care about the band."

"Then you should listen to Fang more. They're the best musician here."

Trish opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find anything to say. If she did, she would also be criticising Fang's abilities. She gave up, threw up her hands, and sighed with frustration.

"Fine, we can try with the guitar."

"Alright!" Fang was smiling again. "This time we're playing 'I Gave The Special Kids The Jonestown Special, And Now I'm Going To Jail'."

These song titles were something else.

This time, the song was full of energy. I was swept up almost instantly, tapping my feet and banging my head. The band members were also caught in the rhythm. Reed banged his head with every drum beat, Trish moved side to side, and Fang jumped around the stage to the beat of the music.

The difference was as clear as night and day. The bass and the drums gave substance to the song, and the guitar and the voice gave it spice. They weren't as good as a best-selling band, but they could certainly put on a wild show.

The song ended with a powerful finale. I got up from my seat and started clapping. But then I remembered why I was there in the first place and sat down, waiting patiently for my moment.

Fang was sweating and catching their breath after moving around so much, but the grin on their face showed how much they enjoyed playing. Reed's eyes were closed, and he had a relaxed, satisfied smile. However, Trish was looking at nothing in particular with a blank expression.

"See!" Fang said. "Totally better with a guitar, Trish!"

Trish rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, grumbling something I didn't catch.

Then Fang turned to me. "What did you-".

I just grinned at her without saying anything. A gesture is worth a thousand words.

"Oh…" Her smile turned to a snarl. "OH, GOD DAMN IT!"

"Always happy to help!" I said, giving my best sarcastic bow.

Before Fang or Trish could retort, Reed spoke up. "Wait… Does this mean like… Now we're a normal band?"

Trish scowls. "A vote then."

To Trish's dismay, this time, she was outnumbered two to one by Fang and Reed. The guitar was back, and Fang enthusiastically jumped up with a cheer, enjoying the moment. I was the one that won the bet, but I'll let them have their fun.

"So, like…" Reed asked. "Do we gotta redo all the songs?"

Fang reassured him. "It's only one instrument line. Shouldn't take too long."

"Urg…" Trish pinched the bridge of her nose. "There goes our main marketing strategy."

I was happy the purple menace had something else to do other than chasing people with a crowbar. My work here was done. I apologised to Fang and the other band members for the concert fiasco. I even helped them with another of their issues for free. It was an excellent time to make my exit.

I got up and started moving towards the door. "Well, that was a good show, but I should leave."

"Wait!" Fang called out to me. "We uh… Feedback! We could use your feedback!"

"We what?! Fang?! From him?!" Trish was outraged.

"Nah, sorry. Thanks for the offer, but I have things to do." I waved goodbye and started walking again. "I'll see you guys around."

As I left the auditorium, Trish shouted one last mean comment: "It would be great if you don't, skinnie!"

I didn't know Trish's problem with me, but I agreed with her this time. It would be best for everyone if I didn't see them again.

It doesn't matter if we could be good friends. I was going to go back to my world eventually. I've seen this happen in movies: the protagonist is torn between staying with his new friends or returning home. I don't want that to be an issue.

As I was making my way back home, for some reason, I remembered one of the quotes that Stella cited during the reading:

"Whatever you lose, you'll find it again. But what you throw away, you'll never get back."

Was it a good idea to leave only because I didn't want to risk becoming friends with the band? Was I too hasty saying goodbye? l could have stayed for a bit longer and had some fun with them. It would have helped calm me down.

Remember, we will eventually go back home. Those friendships will not last. You are only making troublesome friends who will hurt you when you say goodbye, even if they don't want to.

But is it reasonable to avoid making friends because it might hurt when we say goodbye? Wouldn't that pain mean that those friendships were real? There will always be a time when we have to say goodbye to everyone. Friendships are meaningful even if they end. What's the point of avoiding them?

Relationships are meaningless if you know they won't last more than a year. It's not only about returning to our world. Even if we take longer, this is the last year of high school. After the school year ends, everyone will leave to do their own thing, and we won't keep any friendships.

But humans need friends to survive, you know. If we don't have anyone to talk to, how will we avoid going crazy again? This has happened before, and it can happen again. We're already having conversations in our head.

Why do you think it's happening? We are under a lot of stress because we're in another fucking world! Having friends is not the issue! The issue is us being stuck in god knows where and not knowing jack shit! What if we lose our chance to return because we're messing around with teenagers?

Worrying about whether we can return it is only helpful once we have that information. Wait until then to complain. We also need to keep multiple other things in mind, like living daily and fitting in with the people from this world. Otherwise, we'll get into a lot of trouble.

That's precisely my point, jackass. I don't care if we get groceries or search for information online, but we must keep moving. We cannot afford to waste time on making friends!

We don't need to do this alone. Friends can help us with a lot of those things.

Also, it would be amazing to get to know dinosaurs better. They are an entirely different species in an entirely different world! There are a lot of things that we don't know yet. If we become their friends, we'll understand this world much better.

We are aliens here. Remember that. Colleagues are fine, but close relationships are dangerous. If we act carelessly, we will get found out.

I suddenly noticed I was standing in front of Anon's apartment with a blank expression, staring at the door. After a short moment to collect myself, I unlocked the door and went inside.

My head was a mess.

Chapter 19: Laying the groundwork

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After my brief mental breakdown, I was too nervous to distract myself with games or videos. If I did that, the voices in my head would start arguing again. It was my middle school crisis all over again. Since that incident, whenever I was anxious, my mind went into overdrive. The voices in my head were one of the first symptoms. And as they said, it would only worsen unless I did something about it.

But how would I improve my situation? Many issues were on the table, but they were a jumbled mess in my head. I wanted to pull up a guide, like an RPG, to figure out what to do. Those things were handy.

Wait…

Why not make one myself?

I powered up the computer and opened a blank text document titled 'Saurian Survival Guide'. Mimicking an RPG quest book, I divided the document into three sections: lore, characters, and missions.

Starting with the lore section, I wrote down all the info I had gathered about this world. I summarised my personal experiences, what I learned from my short research sessions, and what Spears explained when he came here the other day.

Next, in the characters section, I wrote an entry for each person I met in this world. I included their name, species, and a brief description of their personality and background. I even went the extra mile and pulled a picture of each from the school's website.

The missions section was the hardest one to work through. The first objective that came to mind was the most important one: returning to my world. However, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't figure out how to achieve it. The only things that came to mind were randomly searching the internet or talking to the green stegosaurus about astrology. Probably, neither would work, so I wrote them down as optional tasks and moved on.

I also had to make sure I was adapting to this world. This objective had two sides: ensuring my needs were covered and fitting in with the rest of the dinosaurs.

For the first part, even though I secured shelter, food, and water, I also needed other things, like clothes, heating, and internet. I was broke, and bills would become a huge problem soon, so I wrote down that I should find a job.

For the second part, the only way to get used to the dinosaurs would be to interact with them more. Even if I didn't want to, Spears was forcing me to join a club in school anyway. After checking the remaining ones on Naomi's list, I wrote down that I should join the gardening or cooking club.

That was all the tasks I could think of, so the guidebook was complete. It felt good to set myself a goal and accomplish it.

Now that I was more relaxed, I took the lunch leftovers from my backpack for a quick dinner. Even though it was school cafeteria food, it was still delicious.

After dinner, keeping the momentum, I tackled my first mission: getting a job. I didn't have many skills or experience to offer, so I had to cast a wide net. I opened all the job sites I knew and started applying to all the low-skill, remote, part-time jobs I could find. I even created a profile for myself on some part-time worker websites.

Having a clear goal to work towards worked wonders in calming me down. I went to bed with a full belly and a clear mind.

Even though I was incredibly sleepy, I was getting used to my new routine: wake up, shut down the alarm, avoid falling from the bed, get dressed, pick up my backpack, and start walking towards the school.

I adored taking my time after waking up. Still, for some stupid reason, Volcano High started classes at eight in the morning. Waking up so early sucked. No wonder people were so grumpy.

As the school building was coming into sight, I thought it was weird the sun wasn't in the sky yet. I checked my phone and realised I had arrived at school an hour before classes started. It happened because, being the idiot I was, I had set my morning alarm to the wrong time. I was too groggy to figure out my mistake until it was too late. I tried to groan, but only a yawn came out.

I knew what would give me a morale boost: food. I beelined towards the cafeteria and indulged myself with some pancakes. It wasn't the healthiest food, but it was delicious. Like yesterday, I also picked up a couple of cereal bars for later. They were great for settling a craving and calming down angry pterosaurs.

I was about to search for a quiet spot to pass the time until classes started when I saw Naser grabbing a massive tower of packages from the cafeteria counter. I still had to repay him for the pizzas, and I hated being in anyone's debt.

"Hey, Naser!"

He was startled by my greeting, and the tower of boxes started wobbling, threatening to topple at any second. After regaining balance, he popped his head from behind the pile.

"Oh, Anon! You're early! I'm sorry. I have my hands full at the moment."

"I can see that. Do you want help carrying those?"

After a moment, he nodded, and I grabbed a few boxes from the top of the-

What the hell?! This shit weighs a ton!

"I have to drop these boxes of food at the soccer field," he says as he starts walking again. "I'm helping them set up a small party to celebrate winning first place in the regional tournament."

I can only respond with a grunt while concentrating on following him without my legs giving out. What the hell do football players eat?! Tungsten bricks?!

We arrive at the field and leave the packages beside some folded tables. As I stand there, recovering from the unexpected weightlifting exercise, Naser starts unfolding the tables and placing one box on each.

I was fighting for my life after carrying two, and he was just effortlessly picking them with one hand. Dinosaur strength was definitely something else. After setting everything up, he turned to me with a satisfied grin.

"Thanks, man."

"No problem," I said, lying. My legs and my back were on fire.

"Now I just have to get the L&L club to finally take down their Christmas decorations… and sort out the props and costumes of the drama club… And then the… uh…"

Naser just stood there with a blank face. At first, I thought he was trying to remember something, but he kept spacing out for a solid minute. Considering how many things he had to do, it was no wonder he was breaking down. He was practically a slave of the entire school.

"You okay?"

"Huh?" He was still a bit out of it.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah! Yes, I uh… It's just…" He mulled something over before turning to me with an intense expression. "Why is my sister like that?"

"Umm... what?" That was one hell of a tangent.

"Like… I don't know! She's always angry at me. It's winged retard this, winged retard that! And no matter what I do, I never get it right! It's always problem after problem: the concert, the window thing, the time she got caught smoking…"

I signed up to help him with the boxes, not to be a family counsellor. It wasn't the first time people used me to vent, either. For some reason, I was a magnet for people with dramas and traumas. I had my hands full with my own, thank you.

"Every time she sees me, she just… She's so… I just don't know what to do, man."

"Have you tried not doing anything?"

He didn't really need to 'fix' Fang. That was their parents' problem. I didn't think it was bad advice, but Naser looked at me like I had suggested jumping off a bridge.

"I'm not going to abandon my sister, Anon," he argued.

I didn't know why he was so worried about Fang. They were just a teen going through a rough time. It's not like they would get up one day on the wrong side of the bed and shoot up the whole school. Sometimes, it's best to do nothing and wait for things to sort themselves out.

"Even if you have good intentions, every time you screw up, you're only making things worse."

He looked at me with an intense expression. Why did he ask for advice if he wouldn't listen to it? Before he could reply, his phone rang. He looked at the screen, and his eyes widened.

"Crap, I forgot I promised to meet with Naomi before school today. Sorry, Anon. Bye."

He put his phone into his pocket and ran toward the school's entrance at a ludicrous speed. He was truly worthy of the title of track team leader.

I still had more than half an hour before classes started. I looked around for something to do and realised the school's gardens were close. I decided to take a short walk to enjoy the greenery and relax.

Chapter 20: Blooming buds

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Rosa POV

Middlemist red camellias were gorgeous, but Jesus Raptor, were they needy. The soil conditions had to be perfect for them to bloom. Even the littlest change in humidity would cause them to lose their beautiful red color and close up for the rest of the season.

Maintaining a patch of blooming middlemist camellias was hard, and I planted a lot of patches. They were my favorite flower, after all. That's why I had to do extra work every morning and afternoon. It was a lot, but the results were worth it.

I was really proud of the school's gardens. Strolling through the flower fields made me the happiest girl in the world. I created the gardening club to ensure the plants looked as beautiful as possible. I even convinced Spears to let me take care of the school's gardens after graduation until they found someone I could trust to inherit the responsibility.

Walking to the next set of flowers, I noticed we still had some barren fields to replant. Sadly, we didn't have enough club members to use all our available space. Having extra hands on campus beautification days helped keep the weeds in check. However, I wasn't comfortable letting delinquents handle my most delicate plants.

After Sage left, only three members stayed in the club, including Stella. I knew she didn't enjoy gardening as much as me, but she joined the club because she knew how much I cared. She was a saint and the best friend anyone could ask for.

The only other member of the club was Heather. She had a green thumb, but the kind of plants she wanted in the garden were… ay Jesusito . It took a long time to convince her that this wasn't a farm and that she couldn't plant corn or potatoes. In the past, Sage had also given me similar trouble, growing a patch of spices in the middle of the garden without even telling me about it.

As I approached the next patch of camellias I had to water, I spotted the new human student squatting beside them. He was staring intently at the flowers with a curious look.

"I see you are admiring our work! The gardening club takes much pride in our flowers!"

Startled, he turned around surprisingly fast, almost tumbling down on the camellias. Lucky for him, he managed to catch himself before falling. Lord in his stone cross be my witness, I would commit a hate crime if anyone ruined my precious babies.

He stood back up and spoke. "Hi, I… Uh… I was taking a short walk before classes started." He regained his composure and continued talking. "Who are you?"

"I'm Rosa! Pleased to meet you!"

"Anon." He offered a handshake. "You're a member of the gardening club, no?"

"Yes."

"That's convenient."

"Oh? Do you wish to join our club? Is that why you're here? Órale! It's great to have a new member!" I was swinging side to side with excitement, thinking about all the new arrangements I could make with another set of hands working in the garden.

"I'll tell Naomi to sign me up then," he said.

"Don't worry about that, Anón. I'll handle your application." I got closer to him and placed my hands on his shoulders. "Now, tell me everything: What flowers do you like? Do you have your own gardening gear? What plants do you have at home? Do you have a field at your house, or only care for potted plants? Do you prefer flowers that look good or flowers that smell good? Do you have any arrangement ideas for the gardens yet?"

"I… uh… never cared for a plant before." He nervously scratched his neck. "I just thought It would be nice to learn."

"I see."

I couldn't hide my disappointment after learning that Anón was a greenhorn. Other than Heather and Sage, most people who came to join the gardening club didn't know what they were getting into. They came in expecting to take care of a couple of potted plants. Then, they ran away after realizing the effort required to work on my award-winning gardens.

Everyone in the club was athletic for a reason. The only way to become a great gardener was to put in a lot of hard, earnest work. I didn't want another quitter in my club again, so I showed Anón what he was signing up for right then and there.

"Follow me."

I brought him to the area behind the supplies shed. It was a secluded section between two buildings with small plots of land, where we tested flower arrangements and prepared new plants before moving them to the more visible areas of the gardens.

"You'll be helping the other members while we do our club activities. That way, you can learn how to take care of plants. We meet here during the free period. Also after classes if there is gardening work to do.

"Another thing. Everyone in the gardening club has a personal patch for themselves." I pointed at one of the unused plots. "This one is yours. Pick some flowers you like and take care of them until they bloom. After they're ready, I'll help you move them to a more visible spot."

"Just like that?" He tilted his head. "Isn't there a guide for caring for plants or something?"

"This is gardening, chico . You can try your luck with videos or books, but getting your hands dirty is the best way to learn. In fact, I have to take care of another patch of flowers before classes start. Why don't you join me?"

"Sure."

I took Anón inside the shed, where I grabbed one of the few gardening aprons available. I picked a hand trowel, a pair of pruning shears, and a pair of gardening gloves. I put them inside the apron's pocket and handed it to Anón.

"This will be your set of tools. You can do almost everything with these."

He took the apron and tied it to his waist. It was a little big for a human, but it would work for now. If he turned out to be an earnest worker, I would help him get a custom apron and better tools.

I led Anón through the gardens, looking for something to do. I didn't have any more plants to take care of today, but I really wanted to test Anón's mettle. As I was looking for a patch that needed some touching up…

"PINCHES PENDEJOS!"

Anón jumped back in surprise at my outburst, looking at me nervously before following my eyes to see the disaster that made me roar. One of my precious fields of poppies had been trampled. A lone soccer ball and several empty beer cans sat on the flower patch, revealing what had happened. The case was clear, and I was ready to pass judgement.

"Me cago en sus pinches muertos! Les voy a meter la pinche pelota por el culo, cabrones!"

I wanted to bring hell on earth to the soccer club right then and there, but giving urgent care to the flowers came first. I kneeled down and started to assess the damage.

Anón chimed in. "Are… Are you okay?"

I turned to Anón and unconsciously glared at him. He recoiled.

"Ah… Sorry for scaring you, Anón, niño." I sighed and gave him a comforting smile. "Can you go to the shed and bring me a wheelbarrow, please?"

"Right."

I started removing the damaged plants and loosening the compacted soil. I carefully counted each lost flower to see how many chanclazos the culprits deserved. When Anón returned with the wheelbarrow, he helped me load the damaged flowers and move them to one of the plots behind the shed.

A few poppies were only bent, but most were crushed or broken. With Anón's help, I replanted the flowers that had some hope to recover and put the others to rest inside the compost bin. Then, we returned to the crime scene and filled the holes with some spare dirt and grass. We managed to fix the damage, but the flower patch looked much emptier.

"Thanks for helping out, Anón."

"Don't worry about it." He gave me a sympathetic smile. "And sorry about the flowers."

"We'll see who'll be sorry after I give those pinches pendejos lo que se merecen! ¡A Dios pongo por testigo que les voy a partir la madre a chanclazos! "

Chapter 21: Small talk, big problems

Chapter Text

After leaving the angry Latina to carry out her revenge, I put my gardening tools back in the shed and returned to the school building.

Like every other person I had met in this world, Rosa was unique. First, she was tall and bulky, almost an entire head taller than me. And even though Rosa was huge and intense like the other dinos, I didn't feel uncomfortable with her.

Even though we were from entirely different countries, sharing culture and a mother tongue came with a certain kinship. Also, she was highly mature for her age. In fact, I was mentally older than her, but it didn't feel weird when she called me 'niño' like I was a teenager.

Oh, right, I am a teenager right now. I need to remember that.

I went to my next class and sat in my preferred last-row seat. Following the school's trend, the teacher gave us some easy assignments to complete and then returned to his desk to slack off. Since I arrived here, every day has been hectic, so I appreciated the calm and quiet time.

It was just me and the assignment. As long as people left me to my devices, I was happy.

No, we're not happy. We're wasting time again! Blending in is fine, but we should be working on something more useful while we pretend to work on the assignments.

I don't know about you, but I'm already invested. I didn't think solving high school problems would be this interesting. Just think of them as fun brain teasers.

Even if you like solving them, can we leave that for later?! We have things to do!

Spears was extremely caring towards us. The least we could do was reciprocate and be good students. Don't you think so?

That doesn't mean acing every test. We don't need to go through high school again. We can work on our own tasks as long as we don't get in trouble and get decent grades.

Come on! We already managed every task for the day before classes even started. The only missions left on the guide are the ones we can't do now. Let me have my moment.

If we don't have any tasks right now, we should be figuring out more things to do!

Isn't self-care and rest important, too? We must be ready to face tomorrow with a bright smile! If he wants to do the exercises, just let him.

That's true. Tomorrow is the day we'll find a job. It will be a lot of work, so preserving our energy is a good idea. Take it easy, and don't spend much brain power.

Ha! Three to one! I win! It's brain teaser time!

If we weren't the same person, I swear to god I would strangle every single one of you.

Besides the brief sparring between the voices in my head, morning classes ended without incident. When the bell rang, I beelined towards the cafeteria to enjoy good-quality food.

However, unlike yesterday, I arrived right as the number of dinosaurs in the cafeteria reached critical mass. With so many people fighting for a spot, the lunch line looked more like a lunch mob. There were war cries, and food was flying everywhere. I've seen public riots less intense than this.

Even though I was hungry, for my safety, I decided to wait a bit before getting my lunch. After a few minutes of browsing on my phone to pass the time, a familiar green dinosaur tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hi! What are you doing alone in the corner, Anon?"

"Waiting for the clamour to die down a bit." I sighed, "Cramming this many hungry dinosaurs in the same room seems like a safety hazard, to be honest."

"It's not so bad once you get used to it," Stella said with a smile. "I'm going to grab food with Rosa. Do you want to join us? Safety in the herd, you know."

Looking over her shoulder, I saw Rosa waiting in the lunch line. There was a visible gap between her and the rest of the jostling bodies. Everyone was giving her space, probably because they knew the repercussions of angering the Latina. It didn't feel right to use someone as a shield, but I wouldn't be able to get lunch anytime soon otherwise.

"Sure. Thanks."

Stella and I joined Rosa and started grabbing our food. Stella picked a large salad while I collected a combination of main dishes and sides that would last me three days. I had no money, and the lunch card only worked in the cafeteria. Rosa had already brought a massive lunchbox from home, so she didn't grab anything else.

After we sat down, I spread my selection to decide what to eat and what to pack. Stella looked curiously at me while I set the food items on the table.

"You're eating quite a lot, Anon. Are you going to be able to finish all that?"

"I'm not eating all of it today. I picked enough food to last me until Monday. I don't have any cash right now, so I can't get food without the lunch card."

Both of them were horrified.

"Um… I didn't know." Stella was stumbling over her own words. "Sorry for asking."

" Ay, pobre chico ." Rosa was genuinely worried about me. "If you ever need anything, just tell me, okay?"

"Don't worry about it." I waved my hand nonchalantly while packing the food into my backpack. "I plan on getting a job tomorrow, so my luck will change soon."

"That's good to hear, Anón."

After I revealed my financial situation, there was a palpable feeling of tension in the air. Being poor was a touchy matter in the US, but I didn't expect such a reaction. Stella was awkwardly eating her salad, while Rosa was worried about what she could say that wouldn't be offensive.

I didn't mind eating in silence, but I didn't want to bring down the two girls' moods after they invited me to join them.

"So, you two know each other?"

" ¡Si! " Rosa exclaimed excitedly. "We've been close friends for a long time."

"Is there a story?"

"Well," Stella explained while nervously scratching his arm, "both of us were born outside the country. Our parents enrolled us in the same middle school, and since we were both outsiders, we ended up sticking together."

"That's really nice." I thought about another topic to keep the momentum. "Did you manage to get Rosa into Anime?"

"Oh, I tried," Stella giggled, "but she wouldn't watch anything other than Dino Ball Z, dubbed in Spanish."

Like that, the conversation started flowing again, and I returned to handling my food. Stella began rambling about anime. She enthusiastically shared her thoughts and theories about all the series that she liked, while Rosa and I simply chimed in with comments and opinions from time to time.

Stella glanced at Rosa. "By the way, did you catch the criminals that messed up the garden?"

Rosa's eyes lit up with anger. " Esos cabrones se lo pensarán dos veces antes de volver a meter un pie en mi jardín. "

I chuckled. "I'm glad the flowers were avenged."

"Ah, talking about the gardening club, Anón. Do you know about campus beautification?"

"No. What's that?"

Stella explained, "Students who get detention have to go to school on Saturday. As a punishment for misbehaving, they must work on the gardens while Rosa and I supervise them."

"Wait, isn't that forced labour? Is that ethical?"

"Those chavos problemáticos need to learn the value of hard work. It is a valuable lesson."

"Plus," Stella added, "parents complained about their kids having to come to school for detention just to stay in a room doing nothing. That way, students get to do an enriching activity instead."

"Cool reasoning, still forced labour."

"Hmpf." Rosa didn't agree with my statement. "Anyway, we'll be working on the gardens tomorrow morning, so if you have time, you can join. You can get started with your plot."

There's no way I'm doing extra school activities on the weekend. I had a job to get and a whole interdimensional return trip to plan. I was already wasting enough time playing the part of a good student and joining a club.

"Sorry, but I have a lot of things to do tomorrow. Also, I'll probably be working on weekends, so I won't be able to join you for campus beautification either way."

"Ah…."

Both Stella and Rosa made a facial expression like they had stepped on a landmine. It bothered me that they both walked on eggshells around me because of my financial situation. What was the big deal? I was going to get myself out of that hole in no time. There was no need for them to pity me.

We had already finished our lunch, and I didn't feel like sticking around any longer. I said a quick goodbye to Rosa and Stella and made my way outside.

Chapter 22: Racial segregation

Chapter Text

Besides the cafeteria food, one cool thing about Volcano High was that they didn't have classes on Friday afternoons. After lunch, I was free to return to Anon's apartment.

The conversation with Stella and Rosa bothered me a lot. I was planning to take the rest of the day off to relax and explore more dinosaur shows and video games. Instead, I powered up my computer and checked how my job applications were faring.

I didn't expect any response, considering I had only posted them yesterday. Still, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of messages I received. However, my happiness faded when I saw what the responses said. Every single one of them was a rejection.

Application declined.

Candidate disqualified.

No offer was extended.

Candidate no longer in consideration.

Did not move forward.

Your profile is not what we are looking for right now.

It was rejection after rejection after rejection. I couldn't understand why that was happening. I knew I was a high schooler with no credentials, but I applied for every job I could find, regardless of pay or conditions. If even those jobs rejected me, how would I get an income?

Screw those dumb bastards. We can earn money by ourselves. We need to be daring and start our own businesses!

No. First, we need to figure out why we were rejected.

Why would you focus on failures? We must live life looking towards success!

We don't even know why we failed. You want us to blindly charge forward with no thought. We need to be smart about this.

Knowing why we were rejected is essential. There is something that we are overlooking that will bite us in the ass if we don't figure it out.

Fine. Just as long as we manage to work something out quickly.

I mulled over the situation, going over the rejection messages for hours. Most messages were automatic rejects, but some were not. In those, the common thread was dismissing me because I was not the type of worker they needed. But it was weird that they did that without even an interview.

Something finally clicked: everyone rejected me because the humans living in the area had a bad reputation. When the employers saw my application, they only saw a bald human troublemaker from Skin Row. And no matter what I did, that wasn't something I could change.

If I couldn't get a job, I wouldn't be able to afford to live. And if I couldn't afford to live, I would have to spend all my time begging for scraps. And if I had to spend all my time begging for scraps, I wouldn't be able to figure out how to return home, and if I couldn't figure out how to return home…

There was no way out of this. I was stuck, stranded in an alien world and out of options. I shuffled slowly towards the bed and collapsed on it unceremoniously.

Are we giving up? Just like that?

What do you want us to do? No job means no money. We are stuck.

It's harsh, but it's true. We can't get anywhere without an income. Should we start figuring out how to scrape by?

Stop focusing on all of those rejections! It doesn't matter how many no's we get. We only need one yes.

And how would we get that yes?

People judge us based on stereotypes. We'll make them change their minds by meeting them in person.

I don't think that would change things, but it's not like we have any other options.

Everything is okay if we have a plan and a way forward. No matter how little hope we have, we'll keep moving and reach the stars!

It was a cardboard cutout inspirational quote, but it worked. I was ready for another round of job hunting. I got up from bed full of energy, but after realising how late it was, I had dinner and went back to bed. Tomorrow. Tomorrow would be the day I would get a job.

Morning came, and I woke up early to make myself as presentable as possible. It was tough. The only hygiene products that Anon had were a single bottle of shower gel and a stick of awfully smelling deodorant that I didn't want to use. The clothing department wasn't any better. Anon had three sets of identical jeans, shirts, and green jackets, and no washing machine or iron. I did my best with the little I had to work with.

I left the apartment to start my search. I went up and down the streets of every area in the city next to where I lived. Still, no matter where I went, the result was always the same: I got the door slammed in my face as soon as I explained I was there to ask for a part-time job. Sometimes, I didn't even get to say anything before they threw me out.

I visited almost every business within a five-kilometre radius, and none would even give me the time of day. I was angry at first, but after the fortieth rejection, I was beaten, tired, and extremely hungry from walking up and down the city the whole morning. I could do nothing else but sit down at a random bench.

I was powerless. I couldn't do anything. What hope was there for me to return home when I couldn't get a job anywhere?

I could do nothing else but sob quietly.

"Hey, ya lil' rascal. What're ya bawlin' 'bout now?

I turned around and saw a massive greyish-brown dinosaur that I immediately recognised as a T-Rex because of his tiny arms. He was imposing, but his presence was not frightening. He had a cheerful smile, a bushy moustache, a hat, and an apron with a pizza design.

I didn't answer. I just looked at him with a tired expression. Then, I turned around and went back to my depression. He let out a thoughtful 'hmm' as he walked away without a word. After a few minutes, he returned, holding a pizza slice and some napkins.

'Ere, kid. This'll perk ya right up," he said with a toothy smile.

It was a slice of freshly made good Italian pizza with a thin crust and fresh ingredients. I savoured the slice. It tasted familiar.

"Wait, is this pizza from Dino Moe's?"

"Oh! Ya can tell it's my pizza just by the taste?" The smile of the t-rex grew even bigger. "That makes ol' me real happy!"

"It's yours? Are you Dino Moe?"

"Yeah, I'm a dino, an' the name's Moe." He laughed heartily and pointed to an Italian restaurant just a few steps away. It had a massive sign that said 'DINO-MOE's PIZZA & PASTA'. "Now, c'mon, tell ol' Moe what's eatin' ya, kid."

"I'm alone, and I have no money." I sighed. "I've been walking around the city the whole morning searching for a job, but no matter where I go, I can't find anything. People won't even give me a chance, and I think it's because I'm a human living in Skin Row."

"Hmm, that place's got a name for itself, but ya don't look like the kinda guy who goes 'round knockin' over grandmas for their purses." He mulled something over for a while. "Say, kid, what kinda stuff can ya do?"

My eyes sparkled at the opportunity. "Anything. And if I can't, I'll learn fast."

"Now that's the spirit, kid!" He placed his tiny arm on my shoulder. "See, I work with 'ese delivery group, but they're a bunch o' hacks. Charge ya a pretty penny, an' yet folks be complainin' 'bout their grub showin' up all mushed up, cold, an' even missin'! Think ya can do a better job, huh?"

"Yes."

"Can ya drive?"

"No, but I can go extremely fast on a bike. But... I don't have one at the moment."

"Ya can use my old one!" He gave another hearty laugh. "I started as a pizza delivery boy myself, ya know."

I pictured a young Moe on a bike, wearing a helmet and holding the handles with his little arms. It was an amusing thought, and it perked me up a bit.

"So, when do I start?"

"Deliveries start at eleven-thirty." He looked at his watch. "So, like, in five minutes. The bike's in the back. Get ready, kid."

He tossed me a set of keys. I grabbed them midair, gave Moe a confident nod, and ran to the back of the restaurant.

Chapter 23: Una nuova famiglia

Chapter Text

There was a small shed with a padlock in the back of the restaurant, which I unlocked with the key Moe had given me. I entered and flicked the light switch, and a lightbulb hanging from the ceiling illuminated the room.

It was a storage room, mainly for food and other restaurant supplies. However, I also saw several tools and other equipment I thought didn't belong there. Why would an Italian restaurant need a whole bunch of crowbars? Or a set of gloves and masks, for that matter? I didn't know what those tools were doing there, but It wasn't my place to pry.

I found what I was looking for: a small red pedal bike with a delivery bag on the back resting on the wall. It had the restaurant's colours and logo, so it had to be the bike Moe was referring to. It was old, but it was surprisingly well cared for, and there was even a helmet I could use next to it. I adjusted the bike to ride comfortably and moved it to the front of the restaurant.

After waiting a few minutes, a very tired-looking purple raptor girl with messy hair and an ear piercing came out of the restaurant with a pair of pizza boxes. She looked like she hadn't slept for three days straight. Her movements were trained and mechanical, using the least energy possible.

"You're the new guy?"

"Yup! Ready for anything!" I gave her a thumbs up and a smile.

She groaned. "Keep that energy to yourself, buddy." She unceremoniously dropped the boxes on my hands and turned around to return to the restaurant.

"Wait! Where do I deliver this to?"

"You can read, no? Everything is on the ticket."

I looked at the piece of paper taped to the top box, and the address was indeed written on it. Before I could say anything to the girl, she was already gone.

I stored the boxes in the delivery bag, put the address on my phone, and started cycling towards my destination. I didn't want any problems on my first day, so instead of going at a ludicrous speed, I settled for just going fast and respecting all the traffic laws.

Following the directions of my phone, I arrived at an apartment complex. I grabbed the food and walked to the entrance of the building. After ringing the bell, a red triceratops wearing a dirty white sleeveless shirt opened the door. Without saying a word, he handed me a bunch of cash, took the pizzas from me, and closed the door on my face.

I returned to the restaurant and gave the money to the purple raptor. Afterwards, she handed me another set of boxes to deliver. This time, the client was a very nice old lady with giant glasses who gave me a small tip for my troubles.

While making the deliveries, I met many types of dinosaurs. Some were nice, some rude, and most simply grabbed the food without saying a word. I even saw some funky species I hadn't seen before, like a green brachiosaurus with an absurdly long neck and a blue dilophosaurus with two punk-looking crests.

After three hours of work, the lunch service was finished. Moe came out of the restaurant and patted me on the back. "Good job, kid! I knew I could count on ya! Now, I bet ya worked up a big appetite, so whatcha wanna have for lunch, huh?"

My stomach was indeed rumbling. "Can I pick anything?"

"As long as ya don't expect ol' Moe to cook ya a burger!" He laughed loudly at his own joke.

I told him I wanted a simple pizza and sat at the table where the purple raptor was. She was slumped down, resting her head on her arm with her eyes closed. Her hair was all over her face, but she didn't seem to care.

After a few minutes, Moe came out with my pizza and a plate of pasta. He dropped both dishes in front of us. When the smell of the food hit her, the girl woke from her slumber and started eating.

"Hey, Jenny. I gotta take care of some... business, y'know? I'll be back before dinner. Hold down the fort for me, will ya?"

The raptor girl nodded without breaking eye contact with her pasta. Moe dropped off his apron on the counter and walked outside.

I tried to strike up a conversation. "So, your name is Jenny?"

"Duh." She flashed a deadpan look. "You have a knack for pointing out the obvious."

I grabbed a slice of my pizza. "You work here alone?"

"Dude. Do you see anyone else here?"

I raised my arms in protest. "Hey, I don't know. Someone could be sick or something."

"Nah." She went back to her food. "The restaurant is just me and the big guy."

I took a good look at the place. It had quite a lot of tables. "You manage with only two people?"

"Moe's always trying to find more hands. The pay is extremely good, but he expects people to work hard. Like, real hard. Most people end up quitting after a while." She pointed at me with her fork and chuckled. "I wonder… How long will you last?"

I looked at her defiantly. "If this job pays well, I'll last very long."

"Wait, you don't know how much Moe is paying you?"

"Umm… well... no."

Jenny burst out laughing. She bent over, grabbing her stomach to try to hold it in. I looked at her with a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment.

"Oh, kid," she said, wiping away tears of laughter. "You sure are a clueless one, aren't you?"

"I got caught up in the heat of the moment and forgot to ask, nothing more."

She returned to her food. "Whatever you say, kid."

"My name is Julio," I snarled back.

"Sure, Julio."

We continued eating without saying a word, though I sometimes heard a subtle snicker from her.

Moe returned and started preparing for dinner service. Jenny wasn't kidding when she said that the T-rex expected hard work. Even though I was only a delivery guy, I got roped into grabbing stuff from the storage area, preparing the tables, and even cutting up some vegetables. There was absolutely no time to rest. I now understood why Jenny's movements were so practised and efficient.

After some gruelling work, people started entering the restaurant, and deliveries began coming in. I was already tired, but I needed that money. Quitting wasn't an option, so I continued working hard, making deliveries until it was almost time to close.

Jenny gave me a massive stack of boxes. "This is the last one for today. After that, you'll be helping with the cleanup, so don't take too long."

I placed the stack on the delivery bag and started cycling towards the destination address. It was a nice suburban area with clean roads and single cardboard cutout houses. The drop-off point was a house that was having a huge party. There was music, a pool, beer and everything else you would expect. I walked towards the front porch with the boxes when a tipsy stegosaurus noticed me. He turned around and announced my arrival to the rest of the partygoers.

"YO! GUYS! PIZZA HERE!"

There were standing cheers and ovations. I had never felt so welcomed in my life. An orange dinosaur whose species I didn't recognise approached and happily paid for the pizzas with quite a generous tip. I returned to the bike and started cycling towards the restaurant. Dreading the work waiting for me there, I slowed down my pedalling and took in the sights of the 'typical American suburb'.

Suddenly, a police car came out of nowhere and stopped right in front of me, startling me and making me crash and fall face-first onto the pavement.

I heard someone yelling. "Stop right there! Hands on your back where I can see them!"

I raise my head from the ground to look at the police car. Two officers had come out. One was a massive brown pterosaur with a scar on his left eye wearing a police uniform, and the other was a short grey compsognathus wearing a leather coat and a hat. They both had revolvers pointed straight at me.

I freeze immediately.

"Hands on your back! Now!"

I do as the scary dinosaur with the gun says and place my hands on my back. It makes me slip and fall face-first on the ground. I started bleeding from my forehead, but at this point, the adrenaline was enough for me to not feel any pain.

What is going on?! Did the police somehow find out I came from another world? What are they going to do with me?!

The pterosaur rushes to where I am and slams his knee into my back, knocking the breath out of me.

"Where are the drugs, you bastard!"

What?!

Chapter 24: Caught in the crossfire

Chapter Text

Aaron POV

"You don't want to cooperate, huh?"

The human was speaking between breaths. "I don't… know anything about… any drugs."

It wasn't my first time with a criminal that liked to play dumb. "Listen. We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way." I pressed my knee a bit further into his back. "If you don't want to talk, we might need to use some harsher methods to get to the bottom of this."

The human was scared, but he was not talking. We wouldn't be able to get a confession out of him like this. We would have to do this the hard way, after all.

"William, go check the bike."

William nodded, took his tools from the police car, and approached the vehicle on the floor. While he tested for drugs, I removed my knee from the suspect and started cuffing him. After dropping him in the back of the car, I approached my partner to see what he found.

"Anything?"

"Nope, the bike's clean." He turned it to the side to reveal the logo. "Dino Moe's... If I remember correctly, it is an Italian restaurant in Little Troodon, no?"

"Now we know that he's lying for sure."

"How so, chief?" William looked at me with a questioning eyebrow.

"The owner, Moe, is an old friend. I order from there occasionally, and that restaurant uses Dino Eats, so it doesn't have its own drivers. Whoever this guy is, he's certainly not a delivery guy. At least not for pizzas."

William sighed. "It's going to be another long night, isn't it?"

"Duty calls," I replied, giving him a pat on the back.

We collected the bike as proof and put it inside the trunk of the police car. We got in and drove to the police station. I made sure to message Samantha on the way that it would be another long night at the precinct so that she wouldn't expect me for dinner.

When we arrived, I grabbed the human suspect and walked him to one of the interrogation rooms. William and I spent hours trying to get him to confess. Still, no matter what we said, he kept telling us that he was a delivery driver for Moe and that he didn't know anything about any drugs. We weren't going to get anything out of this guy like this, at least for today, so we left him alone in the interrogation room while we discussed what to do.

"I don't know, chief," William said with a troubled look. "Are we sure that's our guy?"

"One, we have reports of numerous drug dealings and overdose cases in the neighborhood, which has been a huge problem for months. Two, we get a call from a lady living there that he saw a human making suspicious dealings with some kids and leaving with a stack of money. She gave an exact description of the subject, mind you. Three, we find the guy the lady described with a bunch of cash and without an alibi for being there. He's our best lead in weeks for this case, William. I'm not letting him go until we get something."

"I get that, but my instincts say he's just a scared kid." He scratched the back of his head. "Maybe someone is using him, and he's unaware of it? The drugs could be hidden in the pizza boxes or something."

"He says he works for Moe. He gave us a good description of him and the restaurant. As I said, I know the owner and have reasons for believing he wouldn't do anything like that. He's lying."

"Fine, but we tried every trick in the book. How do we get him to talk?"

"A night in the holding cell may soften him up. We'll continue the interrogation in the morning."

"We can't keep him here without making an arrest, chief. The judge will have our asses."

"Don't worry. We have one hell of a probable cause. Plus, it's already very late. It isn't unreasonable to wait for tomorrow to call him."

William crossed his arms. "Sure, but that's still a bit harsh, no?"

I placed my hand on his shoulder and gave him a stoic look. "Criminals will not give up once you catch them, William. Until the culprit is behind bars, they will lie, cheat, and play dirty. If we need to be a bit forceful to ensure that we keep the streets safe, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

William sighed, but he started preparing the paperwork for the holding cell. I entered the interrogation room and grabbed the human.

"What?! Where are you taking me?!"

"Since you are not cooperating and it's really late, we're taking you to this five-star holding cell for you to reflect. Let's see if you keep up that attitude in the morning."

"I didn't do anything! I didn't do anything!" The human cried with crocodile tears.

"Good try, but I've seen much better actors."

"But I didn't do anything!"

"We already have proof you dealt the drugs. We're being good cops and allowing you to confess. If you cooperate, you might end up with a lighter sentence."

"I'm not lying, you fucking pigs!"

We arrived at the holding cell, and I dropped the suspect off inside with a push.

"You are really one dumb criminal. Well, we'll be processing you tomorrow anyway. Good night!"

I turn around and leave the human there without even taking off the handcuffs. William is waiting for me, talking with Laura about the suspect.

"...I mean, have you tried the 'nice cop' routine?"

"No," William answered. "The arrest was forceful, so he wouldn't buy it coming from us."

"Well, then, you haven't exhausted all the options." She smiled. "Let me work my magic. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, friend."

I interjected. "We need to crack this case. Getting that confession is essential." I handed her the keys to the holding cell. "The suspect is all yours."

"How did you leave him?" She asked.

"He's in the holding cell, cuffed and crying crocodile tears."

"So, weak and vulnerable. I can work with that." She smirked. "Don't worry, chief. I'll get a confession in no time!"

"Don't be overconfident," I replied. "The suspect's a tough nut."

"Yeah," William added. "We've been in the interrogation room for two hours and got nothing from him."

"I have the entire night shift. That's plenty of time to make him crack." Laura noted, confident as always. "You boys let me do my thing."

"Just… One more thing." William interrupted. "I don't think he's lying about the drugs."

I grumbled. "We've been over this. He's lying."

"I know he's lying and might be involved in another way. However, I'm pretty sure he's lying about something else." William scratched his head. "I don't know… There's this weird feeling I get from him. Whenever we question him about the crime, he tells the same story and doesn't leave anything out. But he's weirdly defensive when we ask him who he is or where he's from."

"Huh. That is strange. I'll check on that too while I'm at it."

"Nice observation skills, William, but I don't care if the guy is an alien from outer space." I insisted. "I want a confession about the drugs. If the guy's an illegal, that's a secondary concern."

Laura held a finger. "But that could be something I could use as leverage to get a confession."

"The suspect is yours, and I trust your skills." I put my hand on Laura's shoulder. "Use whatever methods you see fit."

She saluted with a smile. "Sure thing, chief!"

I said goodbye to both of them and returned to my car. The drive home was peaceful and gave me time to sort out my thoughts about the case. It was huge in the press, and the mayor called me daily to complain that there was no progress. However, I couldn't care less about the selfish fat prick.

I didn't do my job because I was a politician's dog. I had an excellent salary, but I didn't work tirelessly because of that either. Being the big boss of the police came with a lot of risks. Just by taking the post, I had painted a massive target on my back and the backs of my family. I cared deeply about them. Samantha was the light of my world, Naser was the perfect son, and Lucy… Well, Lucy had some issues to work through, but she was still my precious daughter.

When I arrived home, a plate of food and a note from my wife that said 'Love you, honey' were waiting for me on the dinner table.

I worked hard to keep the city safe for the sake of my family.

Chapter 25: Caged and cornered

Chapter Text

Those fucking racist cops just left us here! This is racial discrimination! Police abuse! When we get out of here, we'll sue them to oblivion! Mark my fucking words!

How can we report the cops if they are, you know, the cops? Are we going to ask them to report themselves?

We bide our time. Eventually, a judge or a lawyer will have to be involved. We can tell them everything they did to us and let them handle it.

But what if they are corrupt as well? What if they don't listen to us, and they frame us with some crime we didn't commit? What if we end up as prisoners forever? Oh no… This is really bad…

Quit worrying, you coward! They can't charge us for shit because they don't have any proof.

No, they absolutely can. They don't need proof if they use fabricated evidence.

Those pig rat bastards!

We are not bad people… Why do bad things keep happening to us? Where did we go wrong?

Come on, guys! Look at it from the bright side. We're going to get out of this mess like we always do. And this whole thing gives us the right to make 'when I was in prison' jokes.

I swear, I will throw us off a bridge if you say something like that again.

Jeez, I'm just trying to lift our spirits. Can't blame me for trying.

The only furniture in the holding cell was a cheap toilet. There wasn't a place to sleep other than the floor. I was still handcuffed, so I couldn't move freely either. I lay down in a corner of the room and tried to rest, but I could not fall asleep.

"Are you okay?"

The voice was warm and calming. I turned around and saw a green ankylosaurus policewoman on the other side of the bars. She was tall and imposing, but her expression was of pity and sadness.

"My colleagues can be such brutes sometimes…"

I heard the cell opening and the woman stepping inside and kneeling beside me. As I incorporated myself to see what she was doing, she grabbed my hands and unlocked the cuffs. She then started to clean my face with a wet towel, removing the dirt and blood from my forehead wound. The towel was warm, and her touch was gentle.

While she cleaned my face, she kept reassuring me with a soothing voice. "Hey, it's okay. You're safe now." After she was done, she put the towel back into her pocket and put a bandaid on the small cut on my forehead. "What happened to you? Did you get into a fight?"

No matter how nice she was, she was with the cops who arrested me without proof. I kept my mouth shut and turned my back to her.

"Hey, it's okay. I want to help you, but I can't do anything if you don't tell me what happened."

I said nothing.

She sat down beside me and started gently caressing the side of my head. "You've been through a lot, haven't you? I'm sure you were just unlucky. Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Her words were like honey, but my mouth stayed shut. I didn't trust her.

She kept gently stroking the side of my head for a short while. Then, she excused herself for a moment, got back up, and exited the cell without even bothering to close it.

She cares for us. After everything we've been through, it feels nice to be cared for.

But why is she so caring? Isn't she afraid we just knock her out and walk out of the cell? She left it unlocked.

It's a trap, idiot. There are cameras everywhere. She wants us to try to escape so that they can frame us for assaulting an officer and not cooperating.

Plus, she's a dino. If we punched her, we would only be hurting our fists.

Why are we talking about punching her? She just took care of our wounds.

But shouldn't she be at least a bit wary of us? She isn't. I think she trusts us.

Or, she's playing the good cop routine and wants us to confess to a crime we didn't commit.

The policewoman returned, holding a small box and a water bottle. She handed me the box, which I opened to reveal a bunch of doughnuts. She gestured for me to eat them. I was sceptical, but I caved in because I was starving.

Cops and doughnuts. Heh, a classic.

After I finished, she picked up the new empty box and handed me the water bottle. I took a deep gulp. She sat down beside me and started talking in a calm and soothing voice.

"I can't let you go without the chief's approval. But at the very least, I want you to be as comfortable as possible. I know you probably don't trust me, but if you tell me what happened, I can prepare the paperwork to get you out of here first thing tomorrow."

We're not leaving just like that. I want revenge. I want all the cops who wronged us to pay the price for what they did!

She's a nice lady, and she's offering to help. Why wouldn't we take her offer? Just because some cops are mean doesn't mean all of them are.

But how do you know if she's one of the good ones? This could all be an act. Or maybe not?

We can tell her what happened. After all, it's not like we're guilty of anything.

Fuck no! We decided not to trust these pigs. I won't tell them anything. I'm done cooperating with these bastards!

I got an idea! We can test the waters to see if she's just playing with us. Just follow my lead!

I coughed, faking an exhausted voice. "Thank you, miss, but I don't know what happened. Those two cops just beat me up and interrogated me for hours and hours. I kept telling them I didn't know anything, but they didn't believe me. And then they threw me in here…"

"Oh no… You poor thing…" She started caressing my head again. "Tell me what happened. I'll make sure your side of the story gets heard."

"I'm sorry, but I'm too tired… I don't think I have the energy to speak." I faked having a sudden realisation. "Ah, I know! They had a camera in the interrogation room. You can probably watch the recording."

"I know you're tired, but I need you to try. Just tell me what happened. You can rest afterwards."

"I'm too tired… Please let me go to sleep…"

"Kid, I'm on your side. No matter what mess you get into, I can get you out if you trust me. I'll do everything in my power, believe me."

She's faking it. She doesn't care for us. She's just trying to get a confession.

I KNEW IT! Those cops are corrupt bastards. All of them!

But she's being so gentle with us! Is she really faking everything?

If she cared for us, she would let us sleep. Even more so when we mentioned that we were interrogated and there was a recording.

But why pressure us now? If she's faking it, couldn't she let us sleep and continue with the act tomorrow?

I think I know. Remember that police drama where they had to let the bad guy go because they didn't have enough proof?

I see... And since they don't have evidence, they must get a confession out of us to justify the arrest. Otherwise, they have to let us go.

And when they do, we're going to sue them to oblivion and make them pay!

My train of thought was interrupted by the policewoman. "Are you okay? You're spacing out."

I continued playing dumb. "I'm just so tired… sorry…"

I didn't say another word. I lay on the floor again, wrapping myself in my jacket and resting my head on my hands. The policewoman didn't relent and continued diligently getting a confession with every trick of the 'good cop' routine. She said it was in my best interest to talk, tried to bait me with casual conversation, showed a lot of empathy, and even offered to handle the case herself so they would be lenient with me…

However, I didn't budge. I just stayed there, unmoving and silent, partly because I was exhausted and partly because I didn't trust the policewoman.

Somewhere in the middle of her ramblings, I fell asleep.

Chapter 26: Consequences

Chapter Text

I was rudely woken by the sound of one of the police officers banging on the holding cell's bars with his baton.

"Come on, up!" he barked.

My body was aching from sleeping on the floor. With some effort, I managed to get up and walk towards the front of the cell, where the huge pterosaur policeman from yesterday was waiting for me. He unlocked the door and signalled me to come with him. However, I didn't move.

As if we're going to trust the cop bastard.

"Where are you taking me?" I said defiantly.

"To see the judge on duty." He banged on the cell again. "Move it! We don't have all day. You're not that important."

A judge! That was what we were waiting for! Our luck is turning around!

I immediately walked outside the cell and followed the cop until we came to a small room. There was a small wooden desk with a couple of chairs in front of it. An elegantly dressed brown triceratops sat on a big leather chair behind the desk, holding a notebook and a pen. The noir-looking compsognathus detective from yesterday was also in the room, leaning against one of the bookshelves.

The triceratops' voice was firm. "Take a seat, please."

As soon as I sat down, he started questioning me. He asked about my name, age, occupation, where I was born and where I lived. I told him everything, and he wrote it down in his notebook. After taking care of the preliminaries, he asked the pterosaur policeman to explain what had happened.

It was my first time hearing why I was arrested. Apparently, there had been a lot of drug abuse cases in the neighbourhood, and they received a call from a concerned citizen, who reported I was making dealings with a bunch of kids. They rushed to the scene and saw me leaving with a stack of cash. They proceeded to detain me and interrogate me, but they weren't able to get anything out of it. Since it was late evening, they waited until today to call the judge for an arraignment.

The judge nodded, noting everything down. Then, he turned to me. "Is this what happened?"

Now is when we turn the tables.

"There are things the officer left out that are extremely important."

"Like what?" The judge raised a questioning eyebrow.

I got everything out of my chest. I told the judge about how forceful the arrest had been, pointing to the wound on my forehead and revealing my bruised arms. I told him I had repeatedly explained I was a delivery driver and was bringing pizza to a party. However, the policemen refused to confirm my alibi with the clients or my employer. I told him about the fact that I, a minor, was left in cuffs inside a holding cell without any sort of explanation.

The judge was appalled. He turned to the pterosaur policeman with a very stern gaze. "Is this true?"

"Strong circumstantial evidence suggests the suspect is involved in the dealings," he explained. "If we had a little more time, I'm sure-"

"Aaron!" The judge cut him off. "Is what the kid is saying true?! Did you throw him into a holding cell in cuffs?! A fucking minor?! Without even checking his alibi?!"

The other policeman spoke up. "I called the restaurant owner this morning. He told me they hired a human delivery driver just yesterday, which matches his description."

Even after hearing that, Aaron didn't back off. "That doesn't mean he isn't involved! This case is too important, Mike. You know this. There have already been hundreds of overdose cases. Most end up with one or more victims. Twenty-three of those corpses are children!"

Mike shook his head. "Corpses or not, I don't think you understand how big this mess is."

"And you know who does?" I interrupt with a shit-eating grin. "Me!"

"You shut up." Aaron barked.

"No! You shut up!" Mike barked back. "You have already screwed up enough. Okay, Anon, let me cut to the chase. I don't want this to become a bigger deal than it already is. What do you want?"

We want the heads of every single cop in this station!

Chill! We better ask for something useful. We're stuck in this crazy dinosaur world, remember?

You guys know we could ask for money, right? This whole thing started because we were too poor to afford to live comfortably here. We can cash out and forget this ever happened. Holding grudges is not healthy.

Fuck no! Revenge is more important!

Absolutely not. The least we need right now is more trouble. I also agree that asking for money is better.

Goddammit! Why do you guys always chicken out?!

"Part of me wants to go to war and sue every single one of you," I answered, looking straight at Aaron. "However, I'd rather just solve this quickly with a settlement and forget this ever happened. I believe that's the best solution for all of us."

Aaron huffed. "If you think any lawyer will take your case, I have bad news. We might have been rough with you, but everything we did was perfectly legal."

"I doubt that. But in any case, I'm sure the press will have another opinion on the matter." I threatened. "I can already see the news: 'Police Under Fire for Alleged Abuse of Racial Minority Teen.'"

"You fucking rat!" Aaron snarled at me.

I laughed in his face. "You're the one that picked a fight with a rabid animal with nothing to lose!"

"Enough!" Mike shut us both up. "Anon, as long as you receive sufficient compensation, would you agree to sign a non-disclosure agreement?"

"That's the whole point, no?"

Mike's tone was flat. "How much."

"I don't know." I shrugged. "How much are you offering?"

"Twenty thousand dollars."

Holy shit! That is a lot of money. Okay, I agree as well. Revenge cancelled.

It's a lot, but is it enough for what they did to us? Should we cash out or ask for more?

Before I could respond, Mike upped the offer. "Okay. Thirty thousand dollars. That's more than what you would get from a trial, even if it went entirely in your favour. And that amount includes an extra for covering any damages caused and denying any involvement with the police."

Greed is bad, guys. Take the offer.

"Deal."

The judge turned to his computer and started drawing up the agreement documents. After they were finished, he printed a copy for each of us. I gave them a read-over to check that everything was correct.

They were simple and to the point, without any lawyer speak. The police would release me, and I would receive thirty thousand dollars. In exchange, I would not sue them or disclose what happened to anyone. The fact that the money would come entirely from Aaron's personal funds was the cherry on top.

There was no reason not to agree, so I signed the documents. Aaron had to send the money immediately, so he logged onto his bank account from the judge's computer and wired me the agreed amount. He was grinning his teeth and shooting me death glares as he did.

"William," Mike said after the transaction was completed. "Please give our friend his belongings and escort him outside. I need to have a serious talk with the commissioner."

William accompanied me to the lockers, where they kept evidence and seized items. He gave me my stuff without saying a word. After retrieving my phone and turning it on, I checked my online bank account to verify the money was there. It was. Afterwards, William took me outside the building and helped me pull the delivery bike from the trunk of their police car.

I grabbed the bike and started walking away. Before I left, William called out to me.

"Hey. I don't mean to start another fight, but what is your deal?"

I turned to him with a questioning expression.

"It's just," he continued, "you are a kid, but you don't act like one. I've met people like you, youngsters who were dealt bad hands and forced to mature early. I can feel you're like that… but there is also something else in there."

"Why are you asking me this? It's not like I'm going to give you an answer."

"Well, It was worth a shot." He shrugged and chuckled.

Do we trust him? Even if he was involved, he never hurt us. He also checked our alibi this morning. He was just a guy doing his job. If it's true that a lot of people ended up dead from the drugs, I understand them going a bit further than they should…

It was all Aaron's fault. This guy did nothing wrong.

How can you say that! He's a cop! Witnessing injustice and doing nothing is as bad as doing it!

Whatever the case, he's a clever detective, and he could chase us for answers if we don't give him what he wants. That could be dangerous. We should tell him to prevent him snooping around where he shouldn't.

"It was my own fault. I trusted someone I shouldn't have when I was too young to know any better, and my life has been shit ever since. Because of that incident, I ended up alone and had a rough childhood. I don't trust anyone anymore." I locked eyes with William. "That's in the past, though, so I would appreciate it if you don't go around chasing old skeletons."

Not that he would find anything. Everything happened in our own world.

"I see." He said, mulling over the disaster that was my childhood. "Thanks for sharing. Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to do that."

"If you guys had been nice from the beginning, I would have cooperated." I sighed. "By the way, is the drug case really that bad?"

"You heard the big guy. It's huge." William's expression darkened. "A lot of people are dead. Most of them are kids who don't know any better."

"I won't excuse what your partner did. I did not deserve to be treated like that." I turned my head. "However, I hope you can catch the ones responsible. Good luck, I guess."

William tipped his hat. "Thanks. Stay safe out there."

See? Not all cops are assholes.

I walked outside the police station and checked the time on my phone. It was almost midday, so I got on the bike and started pedalling towards the restaurant to work my Sunday shift. I wondered what to tell Moe. I had just signed a non-disclosure agreement, so I couldn't tell him the truth. I would have to come up with an excuse.

I didn't want to lie to the big guy, but I had no other options.

Chapter 27: One step forward, two steps back

Chapter Text

Moe was outside the restaurant when I arrived, bringing in some ingredients from the back.

"Eh! Kiddo! The cops rang me up askin' 'bout ya. What'd ya go and do?" He approached and noticed my wounds. "Ah! What happened ta ya? Ya get yerself in a scrap?"

That's a good lie. Let's go with that.

"Yeah… While I was getting back from the last delivery, a couple of people assaulted me and took the delivery money." I smiled and pulled the cash from my pocket. "However, I managed to get it back."

Technically, we're not lying.

The t-rex dropped his smile and looked at me with a stern look worthy of an apex predator. "Listen, kiddo. I get it. I really do. I appreciate ya carin' 'bout the joint enough ta throw some punches. But when yer out there on the streets, the most important thing ya gotta watch out for is yer own skin. Take it from ol' Moe. I might not look it, but I've seen my fair share o' trouble back in the day. Next time, forget 'bout the cash and just make sure ya come back in one piece. Got it?"

I was stunned by the seriousness in his voice, which contrasted with his usual carefree attitude. I nodded slowly, and he returned to his merry toothy grin. "Now, ya doin' alright?"

"Well, I haven't eaten anything since yesterday." My stomach growled right on cue to accentuate that point.

"Lemme fix ya somethin' tasty, then!"

Moe's really caring. We're lucky we met him.

He patted my back with one of his short arms and took me inside the restaurant. He told me to sit at one of the tables and entered the kitchen. Jenny was preparing the dining area for lunch service with a blank, expressionless face and practised movements. She didn't even notice me until she started setting the cutlery on the table I was sitting at. When she did, she jumped back in surprise.

"Holy shit, dude! Don't scare me like that!" She examined my bruises. "Danm, kid. You look like a truck ran you over. Did you try to headbutt incoming traffic or something?"

"I got into trouble coming back to the restaurant yesterday. They tried to rob me."

"Wow. And here I was thinking you stole the bike and quit."

"Nope! I even managed to get the money back!" I held the stack of cash in the air triumphantly.

"First of all, I'll be taking that." She took the money and stored it inside the register. "Second of all, you fucking stink. Lower your arms and never raise them again, please. Dino's sense of smell is quite good, and I would like to avoid puking inside the restaurant."

That rude bitch!

I hate to say this, but she's right. We actually smell terrible. We should take a shower.

My face was flushed red with embarrassment and anger. "Hey! I don't smell that bad!"

She laughed out loud. "Sure you do, stinky boy."

"Don't call me that! I have a name, you know!"

She made a dismissive gesture. "Yeah, Julio. You told me already."

Oh no.

Oh no, no, no, no, no.

This is bad.

This is really, really bad.

What is going on? Why are we freaking out?

Our name here is Anon, remember? How did she know our real name?

She was teasing us yesterday. We fucking told her because we were mad, and we slipped!

Come on, guys. It's not that bad. I'm sure we can figure something out…

Can we say that Julio is our stage name? Maybe our pen name?

We need to kill Jenny! There's no other choice!

Wait, what? How the hell did you reach that conclusion?

Jenny was waving her hand in front of my face. "Helloooo! Is anyone there?"

I snapped out of it. "Yes… Sorry… Did you say something?"

Moe spoke from behind the counter. "They gave ya a real wallop, huh? Tell ya what, go on home and get some rest. I'll pack yer grub to go." He put the food and a water bottle into a bag and picked up an envelope from behind the counter. "Here. That's yer food, and this here's yer pay for yesterday and today. Now, I wanna see ya back next Saturday, good as new, ya hear?"

I nodded, got up from where I was sitting, and left after saying goodbye and wishing them luck for the rest of the day.

Okay. Ideas. What do we do?

I already said what we need to do. We need to kill the witness!

We just got out of a sticky situation with the police over drugs we weren't carrying. Imagine what would happen if there was a corpse.

We can make it look like an accident!

Guys?! Why are we even talking about murdering someone?! How would that solve anything?! Also, Jenny is not a bad person! She's just mean because she cares for us in her own way. I think.

No, but seriously, aren't we making a mountain out of a molehill? You know, people change their names all the time.

Elaborate.

People change their name when they change gender, or change their personality, or because they want to hide from someone, or because of family trouble-

That one. Anon's father is an asshole. Our story is that we use the name Anon at school and for legal documents. However, we like to be called Julio in private because Anon reminds us of our abusive family.

I still prefer the idea of silencing the witness. If we cannot kill her, we can blackmail her or hold her pet hostage!

You're a psychopath, dude.

Sorry to bother you guys, but we're standing still in front of our apartment door again. We look like crazy people.

We are crazy people!

I unlocked the door and went inside the apartment. Now that I was alone and the whole ordeal was behind me, all the stress, pain and exhaustion from the past two days hit me like a freight train. I pathetically shuffled my feet towards the bedroom and threw myself on the bed.

My stomach was growling again. I turned and shuffled around until I sat straight, back against the wall. I was still holding onto the bag Moe had given me, so I opened it to reveal a delicious plate of pasta al pesto and a large water bottle. I started shoving spaghetti into my mouth with my bare hands like a caveman.

We're cavemen in a dinosaur world. That's funny.

The food was delicious and abundant, so it was enough to satisfy my hunger. I was also thirsty, so I grabbed the water bottle and chugged the whole thing in one go. I threw the bag and empty water bottle on the desk.

Are we going to take a shower now? We could use some relaxing time.

But I didn't get to do anything. After hunger went away, exhaustion was the only thing left. I just collapsed right then and there.

—

The dreadful sound of the alarm woke me up. With practised precision, I fell down from the bed, head first. I cursed at the ground and at myself. I got up and crawled to the shower. I turned the faucet, but only cold water came out. Hot water wasn't working, so instead of a calm, soothing shower, I got the Greenland ice bath experience.

After cleaning myself as fast as possible, I got out of the shower and dried myself with a towel. My body was aching, and despite the cold water, I was still extremely tired. My motivation was at an all-time low, but I had to go to school no matter how I felt.

Maybe not. Shouldn't we prioritise our health? Couldn't we skip school today?

We're still being monitored by Spears. Skipping school again will get us into a lot of trouble. It'd be best if we didn't.

Hey, don't sell ourselves short! We can apparently bullshit our way through everything.

We will end up being caught in our own web of lies. Our original plan, which we should follow, was a calm and quiet life. We must be in the right headspace to find a way home.

Oh, right! With all the craziness going on, I forgot we were doing that. Do you guys really think we'll manage to go home?

We've only been a week in this fucking world, and we're already going insane! It doesn't matter if it's impossible! We need to find a way back, no matter what!

Sorry to interrupt, but could you please stop daydreaming? We're going to be late.

I checked my phone to find that I had 15 minutes left before classes started. I grabbed the first set of clothes I saw and began power walking towards the school.

After arriving at the main building, I quickly ran to the English classroom, where the teacher was already in the middle of a lecture. I sheepishly knocked on the door. Despite my best efforts, I arrived ten minutes late, which earned me a scolding in broken English from the otaku teacher.

Also, we didn't arrive early enough for breakfast. Morning classes are going to be harsh on an empty stomach.

Do you know who we should kill instead of the Jenny girl? Whoever decided that school should start at eight in the fucking morning!

Why are you so angry all the time? And why are you obsessed with murdering someone? Such intense emotions aren't good for a healthy lifestyle.

I was tired and hungry, and the voices in my head wouldn't shut up. This was going to be an awful day.

Chapter 28: A warm hug

Chapter Text

Heather POV

After wrapping up morning work with Ma and Pa on the farm, I left for school on the pick-up. The drive was smooth until I entered the chaotic mess of the city's morning traffic. Half an hour of driving later, I arrived at the school's parking lot, locked the car, and made my way to my first-period class.

I didn't think I was smart enough for high school, but when I told Pa about dropping out, he refused and insisted on me graduating and getting a degree. At first, I didn't think it would matter. I wanted to keep the family farm going, not work in an office or build rockets. However, Pa changed my mind after telling me that farmers had special careers, too. I was now set on Animal husbandry. I wanted to learn how to take good care of the animals on our farm.

As I was walking towards my second-period class, I saw Judee and Schizo sneaking around, hiding behind a locker.

"Mornin'!" I greeted.

"Eeep!" Judee jumped up in surprise.

"Shh!" Shizo gestured for both of us to shut up. "Stop making loud noises! You're going to reveal our position to the enemy!" She leaned in and pointed towards the hallway.

I looked where Shizo was pointing. The new human student was talking to Naomi about something. He looked angry, but I couldn't hear what they were saying.

"You're still spyin' on the human? You know that's not very nice."

"That human has something going on. I can feel it!" Shizo flailed around with her hand puppets. "He's too weird and… does weird things all the time! I have a feeling he's hiding a deep, dark secret… But I still don't know what it is." She stopped flailing around and looked me in the eyes. "I think he's a Glowie."

"I-I just… like to observe things…" Judee said, giving me puppy eyes. "Is it r-really that bad?"

"I mean…" I scratched my head. "I guess it's fine as long as it doesn't hurt anybody..."

Judee's eyes sparkled, and she returned to spying on the human with Shizo.

Both girls liked to follow people around secretly. They took inspiration from real people to come up with their puppet shows. The new human student was the latest protagonist. They got into a lot of trouble last time after they showed one of their plays at a children's library. The little brother of one of the characters was a member of the audience, and he told his sister about the play. She was furious and complained to Spears about slander and defamation. I didn't know what those words meant, but Spears scolded Shizo and Judee about respecting other people's boundaries.

However, those two were dedicated puppeteers. That scolding didn't make them stop spying on more people to create more plays, though they now only showed them to their closest friends to avoid more trouble.

I was also curious about what the human was doing. "What are they talkin' about?"

"T-They are talking about Anon j-joining a club," Judee answered. "Naomi wanted him to j-join the m-m-music club, but he joined the g-g-gardening club instead. Naomi is telling him to r-reconsider, but he-"

"He got mad!" Shizo exclaimed, waving her puppets around. "He was all like, 'Don't you have anything better to do than getting into my business?'"

If the human wanted to join the gardening club, that meant we were going to be partners! I felt lonely in the gardening club, so I hoped we could become friends. I wasn't on bad terms with Rosa and Stella, but I could feel they kept a certain distance from me. I didn't really know why.

The bell rang, so it was time for our next period. The human ended the conversation with Naomi with a firm goodbye and stormed off to his next classroom. Shizo and Judee started following him, but I stopped them and warned them they should probably go to their class. Judee walked away dejected. Shizo joined her after angrily squinting her eyes at the human.

I made my way to my own class. Even though I was trying to focus, I couldn't concentrate on the lesson. What would be the best way to introduce myself? I didn't know much about humans. Ma told me they were a bunch of cowardly, loud-mouthed swindlers, but they would go to the ends of the earth for their friends and family. I thought it would be really cool to make a friend like that.

After lunch, I quickly went to the gardens to grab my gear and look for the human. I found him trimming a shrub with a pair of scissors. He was being too forceful, bending the branches too much and snipping more than he should.

"You're hurtin' the plant like that, you know…"

He turned around and spoke with an annoyed tone. "And now what?!"

I could see that the human wasn't okay. He looked exhausted and somewhat sad. He was slouching with a rough look, especially on his face. He was looking at me, but it was like he wasn't really there. His eyes were unfocused and empty.

I did what I do best. I hugged the human to try to cheer him up.

He was startled at first, frozen with his arms hanging at his sides, staring at nothing in particular with open eyes like plates. After a moment, he began returning the hug slowly. He didn't cry or show much emotion, but little by little, his expression softened, and his body relaxed. I let go of him when I thought he was calm enough.

We stared at each other awkwardly without saying anything. I was the first to break the silence. "Umm... Hi! The name's Heather. Sorry for huggin' you out of the blue like that…"

"No, no, no! I…" He was nervously wringing his hands. "I kinda… needed that." He awkwardly scratched his arm. "Oh! Yeah, introductions. My name is Anon. Pleased to meet you."

He offered a handshake, and I happily obliged. He was looking at my eyes, moving back and forth between my good eye and my lazy eye. I was used to putting people off because of them.

"Ah… Sorry about my eyes. Are they too weird?"

He chuckled. "This past week has been crazy for me. I've been through a lot of things. You having strabismus is the least of my worries."

"I'm glad you don't mind, but… what does that strabismo thing mean?" I asked.

"It's the medical name for the condition of your eyes," he explained.

"Oh! I didn't know it had such a fancy name. Everybody just calls me cross-eyed."

"Anyways. You're a member of the gardening club, no?"

"Myep! And Pa says I got a way with plants!" I smiled proudly.

"Would you give me a few tips, then? Rosa told me to take care of this area here, but I don't know what I'm doing."

"Didn't she tell you what to do?"

"Not really… She just told me that gardening was all about listening to nature. According to her, the plants would tell me what they need." He got closer to the bush he was trimming. "I don't know… It's fine if you want to talk to plants, but I would be worried if they started talking back."

I chuckled. "I think Rosa means you should look at the plant to figure out what it needs." I pointed to the bush's leaves. "See? This one has some yellow leaves and some green leaves. This means it's not eating well, so you should give it some food."

"I see…" He grabbed a bag of fertilizer from the shed and poured some around the plant's roots. He then pointed to a flower bed. "And what about these ones?"

We spent the rest of the free period caring for the plants in the garden while I taught Anon what I knew. If the leaves were dark green, the plant was not getting enough sun. If the leaves were yellow and dry, the plant needed some water. He was eager to learn, nodding along to my explanations.

After checking all the plants in the plot, Anon turned to me. "Thanks for teaching me about this stuff. You sure know a lot!"

"No problem! I'm always happy to help."

"And yeah… about the hug…" Anon looked away for a moment. "Thank you again. I really needed it."

"So…" This was the moment of truth. "Do you want to be friends?"

He paused, thinking it over, and I started worrying that I'd messed things up by asking too soon. Then he looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'd love to be your friend."

"That's great!" I hugged him again, and he returned the hug.

I was genuinely happy to make a new friend.

Today was a great day.

Chapter 29: Puppet Pals

Chapter Text

Heather called out to me before I left for the rest of my afternoon classes. "Say… would you like to hang out with my friends after school? I'm sure they'd love to meet you!"

It wasn't a good idea to risk befriending more people. I had already broken my no-friends rule. However, gardening with Heather had been the kind of straightforward work that worked wonders for my mental health. If her friends were half as chill as her, it would be an excellent way to destress even more.

"Sure! Where do you guys meet?"

She smiled happily and told me how to get to a room in the school building. Apparently, her two friends were members of a club called Puppet Pals, and they could use the room for whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. I told Heather I'd drop by after school.

When I returned to my classroom, I managed to go through afternoon classes without being bothered by anyone. The novelty of having a transfer human student had died down already. After classes, I grabbed my stuff and searched for the Puppet Pals' clubroom. Following Heather's directions, I found a room with a torn piece of paper hanging over the door with the name of the club written in crayons of different colours.

I could hear two people arguing inside. I knocked, and the conversation suddenly stopped. One of them rushed towards the door.

"Who goes there?!" a girl's loud voice spoke from inside.

"Hi. I'm Anon, I-"

The voice behind the door started screaming. "We've been had! The enemy is at the gates! Everyone panic! Defcon 1! I repeat! Defcon 1!"

I didn't know what was going on.

"Oh! You're here!"

I turned around and saw Heather waving amicably at me. I waved back and pointed at the room. I could still hear a jumble of noises inside and the girl screaming outlandish things.

"Ah." Heather calmly smiled. "Don't worry. They're probably just a bit nervous. I kinda… forgot to tell them you were comin'."

She nonchalantly opened the door and walked in, and I followed her inside.

I was used to calling the people I met in this world crazy or weird. However, even if you combined all that weirdness, it wouldn't hold a candle to the two creatures I saw when I opened the door.

A small pale white dinosaur was sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth while hugging her knees and covering her face with two patchwork hand puppets. She was wearing a blue hoodie and pants with patches of various colours, and she had another puppet on her tail. The screaming girl was a short dinosaur with yellow and orange scales, red eyes and white horns. She wore a black bandana on her head and triple-wielded puppets on her hands and tail, like the white one. She was still screaming and running around the room, moving stuff around without rhyme or reason.

What the hell is going on?!

Don't ask me. I don't know either.

It may have been a bad idea to come here, after all. Whatever this is, it doesn't look like a relaxing time.

"Come on, girls! Don't be like that!"

Heather helped the white one stand up and gently pushed her until she was in front of me. Even though the shy girl was covering her face, I could sense she was a whirlwind of emotions. Afterwards, she reigned in the screaming girl, grabbing her by the neck and putting her in front of me as well. It was like watching a trained dog shepherding a pair of sheep.

"This is Anon." She explained. "I met him in the gardening club today. We talked a bunch, and we are now friends. I thought it would be amazing to introduce him to you girls. After all, you are making a play with-"

The shy girl stopped Heather from talking by putting her hands (including puppets) into her mouth, looking at her pleadingly with teary yellow eyes. The other one, now focused on me, started asking rapid-fire questions while waving all three of her puppets in front of my face.

"Who are you?! You're a Fed for sure, right?! Is it true that humans only eat cooked meat?! Why are you here?! Do Glowies talk in a special frequency that normies can't hear?! Are you responsible for the robotic pigeons that spy on people?!"

"Huh???" I was utterly dumbfounded.

"Answer the question, Fed!" She leaned in closer until I could feel her breath. Her snout was just a few centimetres from my face.

"I'm a student here! How could I be a Fed?! I haven't even graduated!" I pleaded.

"Liar!" She pointed accusingly at me with one of her hand puppets, locking eyes with me in a tense staring contest. After a moment, she narrowed her gaze and lowered her hand. "Or… maybe not. But if you're not a Glowie, then what are you?!"

"I'm Anon," I explained.

"Hmm…" She rubbed her chin with one of her puppets, lost in thought. It was a bit comical, as it looked like the puppet was munching on her jaw.

I turned my attention to Heather and the white dino. The three of us had a short Mexican stare-off, the shy girl's hand puppets still inside Heather's mouth.

"U-umm…" The shy girl took out her hands from Heather's mouth and spoke. "My n-n-name is J-J-Judee."

I nodded and then pointed to the horned one.

"S-She's my f-f-f-friend, W-Wendy."

Her friend Wendy snarled. "My name is Schizo!"

"R-Right… I'm s-s-sorry." She hung her head and pressed her hand puppets together, trying to hide her face again.

I was at a complete loss for words. I didn't know how to react. Even the voices in my head, who always seemed to have some witty comment or lesson to every situation, came up with absolutely nothing. There was only one way out of this situation.

Bailing.

"I'd love to hang out with you! But I just remembered that I… I left the stove on!"

My questionable excuse was received with a full range of reactions. Heather was sad and dejected, Judee was just as overwhelmed as I was, and Shizo had the signature 'doubt' look.

I blurted out a quick "Sorry-Thanks-Bye!" Without waiting for a reply, I left, walking away as fast as possible.

What the FUCK was that?!

I have SO many questions.

Maybe Heather's friends were a bit too much, but it was rude to leave just like that.

A bit too much?! Those girls weren't a bit too much! They were professional weirdos! And here we thought we were crazy because we talked to ourselves…

Don't you think that's a bit mean?

If we break our no-friends rule, it should be for a good reason. We made friends with Heather because she was nice, and her hug helped calm us down. Being her friend was convenient. However, if being friends with Heather means hanging around that circus, we should rethink our choice.

What do you mean by convenient? That's an awful way of thinking about friendships!

It's just plain logic.

You can prattle all you want about logic and convenience, but I won't let you treat our friend like that!

Why do you care so much about a random dinosaur?

She's not just a random dinosaur! She's a person! A person who cared for us and helped us when we needed it. That makes her a good friend, no matter how many stupid rules you create. And if she's our friend, we also need to be good friends with her!

But-

No butts! Enough! I've put up with your stupid rules and logical arguments for too long. It's time we stopped being so cold and calculating about everything and thought about others for once!

What others?! I don't give a shit about these dinosaur freaks! I want to return home to our friends and family!

I miss home, too, but that's not something we can fix right now. You're always so negative about everything! We will live miserable lives if we keep believing there's no hope for us here. Instead of being hopeless pessimists, we need a positive attitude and friends we can rely on.

Even so, we kinda screwed up making friends with Heather already. What do we do now?

First things first. We do something nice for her and apologise for being awful friends. Then, we give Judee and Shizo another chance. And for Christ's sake! Stop staring at the wall and open the goddamn apartment door!

I opened the door, entered the apartment, and sat on the bed to think about my next move. What would be the best way to apologise to a dinosaur and make a good second impression?

Girls like chocolate, right? We can just buy a box of chocolates with our newly acquired wealth and share it with them.

Giving a girl a box of chocolates can be easily misinterpreted. We should avoid causing more confusion.

Why don't we rust off our baking skills, then? Making something by hand shows we care, no?

That's a beautiful idea! Let's do it!

Chapter 30: Quid pro quo

Chapter Text

I decided to bake some chocolate chip cookies and searched for recipes online. I was surprised to learn that most baked goods in this world had a version for carnivores and another for herbivores, considering what ingredients each could eat. I didn't know what type of dinosaur Heather and the others were, so I decided to bake both types just in case.

I made a list of all the ingredients and went to the nearest supermarket, a massive building with a huge sign on the front that read 'DINOMART'. It was a busy day at the store, with people rushing through the aisles with overflowing carts. I grabbed a cart and collected everything I needed.

After trudging home, carrying everything on foot, I unloaded my haul on the kitchen counter. Remembering how enormous dinosaurs' appetites were, I doubled the ingredients for the dough, not realising the recipe already accounted for that.

We've been baking for seven fucking hours! How many cookies do we need?!

It would be wasteful to throw away the dough we've already prepared. We might have miscalculated, but we should bake everything. It's awful to waste food.

More baking just means more cookies! I see this as an absolute win!

We know a lot of people at school. Wouldn't it be nice to give everyone a treat out of goodwill?

We spent the whole afternoon baking those! We're keeping at least half of them!

I understand the sentiment, but please be practical about this. There's no way we're eating that many cookies by ourselves. We would explode.

That's a risk I'm willing to take.

For dinner, I ended up eating just cookies. I knew it wasn't the best idea, but I was determined to fully enjoy the fruits of my labour. The herbivore ones were fantastic, similar to my world's cookies. However, the carnivore ones packed a punch. I could feel my cholesterol rising after every bite. I only managed to eat two of them before I was knocked out.

That night, I went to bed with a tummy ache.

Worth… it…

After my usual morning routine, I packed the cookies into two plastic bags and headed to school. The moment I reached the entrance, I realised just how sharp dinosaurs' sense of smell really was. I could feel dozens of hungry, piercing gazes locked onto the cookies.

Guys? What do we do?

Don't worry. I'm sure they're only curious about our baking skills.

Dude, that one is straight-up salivating. If we stay here, we're going to become minced meat.

You're being dramatic.

Do you remember how dinosaurs act like crazy maniacs whenever they are hungry? There's not a single day that goes by without a fight in the cafeteria.

If that's true, holding chocolate cookies in the presence of hungry dinosaur teenagers isn't the brightest idea.

No shit, Sherlock!

Some dinosaurs were already sneakily approaching from behind. My survival instincts kicked in, and I bolted into the main school building. I didn't have time to look behind me, but I could hear them coming for me like hunting hounds. Luckily, the halls of the school were cluttered with students, and thanks to my slim and agile human body, I could make up the difference in speed by weaving through the crowd.

My legs instinctively carried me to Spears' office. I went inside and closed the door, working the lock just in time to hear my pursuers crashing into it. I was safe, at least for a while.

"Mr. Anon, I hope you have a good explanation for barging into my office like that." Spears was staring at me with a stern expression. "And another explanation for the people banging on my door."

While hyperventilating, I told him everything. How I became a member of the gardening club, how I befriended Heather and the Puppet Pals, how I messed up and decided to bake them cookies to make up, and how I was being pursued by relentless hungry dinosaurs.

Without a word, he got up and opened the door. A reckless dinosaur crashed into him, but the bulky caveman didn't budge. He took a breath and…

"STOP MAKING A RUCKUS BEFORE I SUPLEX EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!"

That roar challenged the durability of my eardrums, but it also dispersed the entire crowd. Spears returned to his seat and offered to keep the cookies in his office until lunchtime to avoid further incidents. I agreed and handed him the goods.

"By the way, Anon. I'm extremely proud of your growth. I'm glad you're making the most of your time here." He smiled softly, placing his massive hand on my shoulder. "That said, those cookies do smell delectable. I hope you can spare some of them for a hardworking principal."

Traitor! He only wants us for our baked goods!

Ridiculous. Spears went above and beyond to help us. If you ask me, he deserves an entire bag.

"Of course! Feel free to take some home for your wife as well."

I left the principal to his daily duties and went to my classroom. Some persevering dinos were still stalking me, but they left me alone after realising that I was no longer carrying any delectable treats.

Classes went smoothly, though my Science partner, Fang, was missing. Dr. Fernsworth asked me to give them a copy of the assignment. I didn't know where they lived, but I figured I could pass the responsibility to Trish or Reed.

After classes, I retrieved the goods from Spears' office and headed towards the cafeteria. Most food-crazy dinos were already fighting over the first spots in the lunch line, leaving me alone to carry out my mission. I dropped by where Heather was eating lunch with Judee.

"Hey. I'm sorry I had to leave like that yesterday. I… uh…. I baked you girls some cookies as a token of apology." I placed both of the bags on the table. "These are for herbivores, and these for carnivores. Feel free to grab as many as you want."

"Oh! T-T-Thanks…" Judee sheepishly reached in and grabbed a considerable amount from both bags. Was she an omnivore? That was rare for dinosaurs.

"That's really nice of you! Thank you!" Heather got up from her chair and hugged me so firmly that I could barely breathe. To my surprise, she took a bunch from the carnivore bag.

She wasn't a herbivore?!

I was curious about the missing gremlin. "By the way, where's Shizo?"

A green puppet grabbed my leg, answering my question. I instinctively yelped and yanked it away, pulling Shizo from below the table. She hastily got up and grabbed one of the cookies. "I don't trust you for one second! They could be laced with truth serum! Or poison! Or microchips!"

"W-Why would y-you p-p-put m-m-microchips in c-c-cookies?" Judee asked.

Shizo turned dramatically. "Government propaganda."

She put the cookie to her ear, probably listening for those propaganda microchips. Then she broke off a piece and cautiously bit into it. Her eyes went wide as plates. She stared at me and then narrowed her gaze, grabbing a handful of cookies from the bag while keeping eye contact.

I'm starting to like them! They're funny!

Right... Anyways, we need to keep distributing these.

I excused myself and left them to their shenanigans, searching for more people I knew to offload as many cookies as possible.

Rosa and Stella were the first ones I spotted. Both of them were very happy to take some cookies. Stella thanked me, promising another tarot reading, but I vehemently refused. Rosa complimented my baking and vowed to cook a traditional Mexican meal for me in return. Stella crossed her arms and turned her head, offended that I had accepted Rosa's offer and not hers.

I also found Naser and Naomi sitting at a table. Naser was slouching, as usual, and Naomi was trying to cheer him up. I offered them some cookies. Naser was shocked I could bake, as if it was surprising that I even owned an oven. Naomi thanked me for the cookies but, after asking me for the recipe, complained that they weren't vegan. I instantly regretted sharing any with them.

Reed was strolling up and down the cafeteria. I approached to give him some cookies, but he called out to me first.

"Hey, bro! You've got to help me!" He got sidetracked when he smelled the cookies. "Oh shit, these smell nice. Hey dude, can I have one?"

I opened the carnivore bag. "Take as many as you want."

"Cool!" He took one and started munching on the spot. "Man! Like, these are amazing!" He took another one and ate it, and then two more, and then ten more.

Enough! He's talking too much! Stop him!

I closed the bag. "What was that thing you wanted help with?"

"O shit! Yeah! Thanks for reminding me, man!" He spoke with cookies still in his mouth, leaving crumbs everywhere. "We lost Fang. Like, we can't find them."

"What do you mean you can't find them? Where did you lose them?"

"I dunno. I texted them, but they aren't responding." He scratches his neck. "I mean, I think they are on the rooftop, but I can't go there to check."

"Why not?" I was puzzled.

"Like, it's against the rules, man. And I can't get into trouble. Not today." He came closer and whispered in my ear. "I just bought a bunch of Carfe, man, and it would suck if they confiscate it. And, like, I could seriously get into trouble this time."

Should we be worried about Reed? That detective told us that drugs were dangerous…

The guy is high all the time. If it was actually dangerous, the teachers would do something about it. He's probably on something similar to the weed from our world. He'll be fine.

I hated doing random favours, but I hated awkward conversations more. "I'll look for Fang on the rooftop, but you owe me big time."

"Thanks, man!" He waved goodbye and happily walked towards the lunch line.

I impatiently hurried to the school's rooftop, hoping to find Fang, solve whatever issue had made her cranky this time, and return in time for a quick lunch.

I opened the massive rooftop double doors. I saw no one there, but I heard sobbing right above me. I looked up and found Fang perched on top of the stair enclosure. She was crying, harshly tearing feathers from her own wings. She was bleeding everywhere.

This wasn't your average teenage drama. Something had gone incredibly wrong.

Chapter 31: Heart to heart

Chapter Text

Fang was surprised to see me. "Anon? Why are you here?"

I'm asking myself the same question.

"Uhh… Reed was worried about you and told me to look for you on the rooftop. He didn't tell me what happened, though…"

Fang slumped, returning to their sulking. "Of course, he wouldn't even bother to come here himself…"

Okay, we checked, and they're here. We can go now.

And leave her alone looking like that? She's bleeding! We have to help!

Whatever her problem is, it's clearly way above our pay grade.

Even so, we must stay. We would have given anything for someone to hear us out when we were suffering, so we should at least listen to what they have to say.

Fine! But if they don't talk, we're leaving.

There was a small ladder on the side of the enclosure, and I used it to climb to the top. I sat down beside Fang without a word. The mess they made of themselves was worse than I thought. Bloodstained feathers were scattered everywhere, some still sticking out from their wings at weird angles.

Fang turned to me. "You ever feel like you just don't matter? Like, no matter what you do, you won't make anything worth it?" They stared at the ground, tears forming in their eyes. "I try and try, but nobody understands me. No one has ever told me I did a good job at anything. I've been playing music since I was in diapers, and the only thing I've got to show for it is a failing band and a bad reputation."

Fang looked at the horizon. Then, rage slowly built within them until her hand curled into a fist, claws biting her palm, adding more red spots to the bloodstained floor.

They're in pain, just like we were…

Do not dare compare them to us! Fang's life is not fucking hard! She's just a teenager who thinks they have it rough.

It's not good to compare other's grief to our own. Even if Fang's situation is not as bad, we don't know how much they're suffering. Everyone is fighting their own battles, remember?

"What do I have to do to get people to notice me!" Their fist crashed into the ground. "Even my own parents! When Dad looks at me, it's like he just sees a lost cause! Oh! Fang is the scene teen, better focus on the one that isn't broken so we don't screw up again!"

You whiny bitch!

Dude, chill. Just let it go.

Fuck no! We would have done anything to get our parents back! It's not fair that they get to fucking break down and complain about their family just because they have a shitty band!

This is not about the band. I can sense Fang's pain is coming from somewhere else. Please let them talk and listen until the end.

Fang deflated completely. Their anger faded, giving way to sadness again. "Why can't I be popular like him? Naser doesn't have to try at all... Even crippled, he just breezes through life! Why does he get straight A's? Why does he get my parents' attention? Why do I have to be the burden for everyone?!"

Fang grabs her knees and buries her face in her lap. "And the worst part is that he won't even hate me. I can tell him to fuck off every day, and he'll still be there the next as if nothing fucking happened. He's a constant reminder of everything I am not! He's a goddamn boy scout! Mr. Fucking Perfect!"

So the bitch is a failure, and they're jealous of their brother. Pathetic.

If you don't want to listen, just shut up. I also want to know where this is going.

"I can't just change! I can't magically get better at everything, even if someone like Naser tries to help. It won't ever happen… But he tries. He's always trying! Again and again! And he fucks up! Every! Single! Time! Why won't he leave me alone?!"

Fang clutched her shoulders, claws piercing their skin and forming a small trickle of blood that ran through their arms. "Naser knows exactly who he is. But I don't even know what I am." They slam down on the ground with both fists. "WHO AM I, DAMN IT?!

"I can only define myself by the things I'm not! I'm not a good musician. I'm not a good sibling. I'm not a good friend. I'm not a good person. My head's a fucking mess… My thoughts…they're all fucking foggy."

…

Maybe Fang is similar to us after all…

Fang tried to wipe tears from their face but left bloody smudges on their cheeks instead. "Half the time, I'm hating myself. The other half, I'm daydreaming of being something special, better than everyone else. But all of it is just a lie. I'm just here to be a drain on myself and others.

"And I'm stuck with myself. I can't just drop everything and try other things now. It's too late for that. Too many ways to fuck up. Music's the only thing I've been decent at, and even then…"

Fang had reached their limit. They turned to me, consumed by their dark thoughts, desperately trying to cling to anything. But I didn't answer. I quietly stared at her. I wouldn't help her, not yet.

Fang suddenly grabbed me by my jacket. "Here I am, begging for help, and you haven't said a single word! Why won't you say anything?!"

I answered calmly and plainly. "Because you hadn't asked yet."

"What? What are you even-?"

"Listen, you say that you try again and again, but that's not true."

Fang snarled, "You fucking-"

But I don't let her finish. Too many emotions were swelling within me as well. Talking with Fang made me remember all the pain and suffering I went through myself. With all the strength I could muster, I shoved her arms off my jacket and grabbed her myself. "Shut up! Didn't you want help? Well, I'm giving it to you whether you want it or not!"

I slammed my forehead into theirs defiantly. "The first time we met, you refused to try to do the assignment because you thought you couldn't do it. And I proved you wrong! The second time we met, you complained that you couldn't play the guitar in your own band, and I proved you wrong again! You say you are trying your best, but you only do the bare minimum every time because you're too scared to fail!"

"What the fuck do you know?!" Fang broke from my grab and pushed me away, baring her teeth with tears in her eyes.

"I know because I've been there! I've fucked up more than you! For Christ's sake! I'm living in a run-down apartment with no money, stranded in the middle of a city where I don't fucking belong! And everything is my own fucking fault!"

Fang was shocked by my answer, staring at me with a dumbstruck expression. I could feel tears and a small trickle of blood running down my face.

I wiped my face as best as I could with the sleeve of my jacket. "Look. It doesn't matter how bad it gets. It doesn't matter how many times you fail. The only way to improve things is to get up and try again. I know the risk of failing even more just… It just makes you want to stop trying. But you shouldn't. You owe it to yourself.

"Learn from your mistakes and keep pushing forward. You can ask for help if you need it. Your friends and family are there for you, but you must be in the driver's seat. Otherwise, you'll never get where you want to be.

"That's why I kept quiet. I know from experience that the only way to get out of that loop of misery and self-hatred is to be the one to ask for help. And you asked me for help. That's the first step."

Fang stared at me in silence, completely lost for words with a complex expression. I didn't want to admit it, but I saw myself in them. They reminded me of the scared kid who messed up and lost everything. They reminded me of the scared kid who wished they were never born.

I bottled up those resurfacing dark emotions. I would handle them later, but not right now. I couldn't leave Fang hanging after having empathised so much with them. I took inspiration from Spears and put my hand on their shoulder to reassure them.

"If you want to know who you are, you can start small. Just listen to your body. Like, right now. Tell me. What are you feeling? What's the first thing that comes to mind?"

Fang glanced at me and then stared at the ground. Then, they slowly replied. "I'm… hungry." They pointed to the bag of carnivore chocolate chip cookies. "Can I have some of whatever is in that bag?"

I just gave them the entire thing, grabbing the herbivore bag for myself. We ate in silence, taking in the skyline of Volcadera Bluffs.

Once we were both full of cookies, Fang turned to me. "Do you always carry a snack with you?"

I shrugged and smirked. "I've learned it's a great contingency plan for Pterosaur problems." I touched my forehead, noticing a newly formed small bump. "On an unrelated note, my forehead hurts. You're really hard-headed, you know that?"

"You're the one who headbutted me!" Fang grumbled. "Why did you even do it?!"

"Spur of the moment."

Fang angrily poked me on my side, which made me yelp and bend sideways. Fang cracked a smile, and then, slowly, they started laughing. I joined them, and we shared a moment of release, laughing away our pent-up emotions.

For the first time in a long while, I felt at peace.

"WHO THE FUCK IS UP HERE!" We were interrupted by a guttural scream as Spears slammed open the rooftop door. The poor thing flew off its hinges, making a hole in the suicide fence. A car alarm started blaring down the street, though I suspected it wasn't because someone was trying to steal the vehicle.

Uh oh. Caveman is angry.

At some point in our lives, I'd appreciate it if we could enjoy a pleasant moment without something ruining it.

Chapter 32: All according to plan

Chapter Text

Naomi POV

It was Wednesday, 21:00 sharp. It was time for my daily review and plan session. It was the best way to confirm that everything I had set myself to do that day was done and plan the tasks and activities I would do tomorrow. That way, I would ensure my life was as perfect as possible.

I grabbed my planner and markers from my desk drawer and reviewed all the items listed for today. Every task was completed flawlessly, so I marked them with a pleasant green checkmark. Every tick was accompanied by a lovely feeling of reassurance.

This moment was cut short when I reached 'Talk Anon out of joining the gardening club'. With a sombre expression, I put the cap on the green marker and placed it on the table, grabbing the red one instead. Even though I had bought it three years ago, it was in mint condition, barely used, like it should be.

My perfect planner was now stained with an awful red cross. Anon should have joined the music club like I told him to. Why did he join the gardening club instead?! Why couldn't he just follow my advice?! I was trying to guide him towards a happy relationship with Fang! Was he an idiot?! The only thing he had to do was follow my instructions! It wasn't rocket science!

I sighed. Fang had been a massive pain in the ass since the beginning of my relationship with Naser. He was always worried about her, trying to help her, but that rabid beast was incorrigible. No matter what he tried, it always ended in failure. Fang was his older sister! If anything, she should be caring for Naser instead!

If I managed to hook Anon and Fang together, that would take Fang out of the picture, and I could finally have my perfect relationship with Naser. However, I wasn't able to manipulate Anon anymore. He let me pick his electives before, but now, when it was time to pick a club, he was as stubborn as a mule. I tried circumventing him by convincing Rosa that he wasn't a good fit for gardening. Nevertheless, she didn't want to cooperate either.

Having him join the music club was a bust, but I could not let a single misstep ruin everything. I had to push Anon in the right direction another way. I wrote 'Come up with a new plan' as an essential task for tomorrow.

I carried on with the rest of the items on the planner. Thankfully, the red marker wasn't needed anymore. In fact, if I held the planner sideways, my thumb would cover the dreadful red cross entirely. Then, the page looked as perfect as it should.

It was now precisely 21:19. I had spent too much time on the reviewing step and had yet to sort out what tasks and activities I would slot for tomorrow. If I didn't hurry, I would be late for my daily Naser call at 21:30. There was no way I would allow myself to be less than perfect for my boyfriend, so I had to step it up.

I locked in and got to work. I put every task in a post-it and organised and prioritised based on preference, time constraints, and desirability. I finished the planning stage in record time, precisely at 21:28.

I neatly stored my office supplies, dusted off the surface I was working on, and lay on my bed. Naser's number was already dialled on my phone, and I waited eagerly until exactly 21:30 to press the green call button. He picked up on the second ring, which was slightly unusual. He always picked up the phone between the fourth and sixth rings. Why did he pick up the phone so early?

"Hi, babe." His tone was a bit drier than usual.

"Hi, sweetie! Is everything okay? You sound a bit down."

"I'm not down, I think… I mean! Uhhh… It's about my sister- Argh! Sibling!"

I scowled reflexively. Fang had probably messed up, and the consequences of her actions had affected Naser. When would that troublemaker learn to grow up?

"What happened?" I asked. "Did Fang do something?"

"Well… not exactly. That's not the issue. I…" Naser sounded especially distressed. Whatever Fang did, it was worse than her usual shenanigans.

I tried to calm him down. "I'm here, sweetie. Slow and steady. Just tell me everything from the beginning."

"Okay." He took a few breaths. "I told you that Dad has been a bit crankier than usual lately. He had some issues at work, although he won't tell us about them. And yesterday, at night. Dad and Fang had a huge argument."

I remembered talking about it with him at lunch. "Fang was microwaving nuggets at three in the morning, right?"

"Yeah! Their shouts even woke Mom and me up! I've never seen my mother so angry. It was scary."

"So, what happened? Did it get worse?"

"Fang came home late from school today, and she- Damn it! They! I mean… They came in without saying a word and locked themselves in their room for the whole afternoon, playing guitar."

"Isn't that normal for them?"

"Sure, yes, but Fang didn't say anything at dinner either. They didn't even say a nasty remark when Dad reprimanded her about yesterday's mess. Mom was worried, so she asked Fang if something was wrong. She replied that she was just thinking about stuff." Naser groaned. "I mean, THEY were thinking about stuff."

Fang's gender was a painful topic. Ever since Trish had drilled those weird non-binary ideas into her head, gender became a convenient excuse for Fang to feel entitled to scream at anyone. I was certain she only did it for attention, like a child throwing a tantrum.

"That whole non-binary stuff is just a phase. I'm sure Fang will grow out of it eventually."

"Yes? Maybe? I mean, no! That's not the problem either!" Naser was genuinely agitated.

"Look, sweetie. I want to help, but I can't do it if you don't tell me what's happening."

"Right, sorry. I'll get to the point." He took a long breath. "Okay. So we were having dinner, and Fang was sort of... quiet. Mom asked, and Fang answered that they were thinking about stuff. And then, Mom jokingly asked if it was a boy."

"And Fang blew up and started screaming?" That would be her usual response.

"No! She didn't! She blushed! She fucking blushed!" Naser was panicking. "And Mom was all giddy about it! She tried asking Fang to tell her about it, but she got embarrassed and denied everything."

A smile grew on my face. My plan had worked! Although it was supposed to be Anon who fell for Fang, not the other way around. But it didn't matter! It was a win either way. My perfect future was now within reach!

I couldn't contain my excitement. "That's amazing!"

"Is it?!" Naser didn't seem as happy with the news as I was. "I mean, Mom was really excited, but Dad was angry. He got up from his seat and started interrogating Fang. They got extremely pissed, insulted everyone and stormed off to her room."

"But wasn't Fang happy about it? Isn't it good that they found someone special?"

"I don't know! I have no idea who it could be! What if they're a bad influence on Fang?!"

It was apparent who Fang's mysterious lover was. For how good of a boyfriend Naser was, he was sometimes a bit slow to notice certain things.

"Well, I think it could only be one person," I said.

I could practically feel Naser jumping through the phone. "Who is it?! Reed?!"

"No, silly! Fang has known Reed since kindergarten. Their relationship is not like that. They're just friends." I knew it better than anyone. I tried to get those two together a long time ago, but it proved an impossible task. "Think about it. Only one person other than Reed and Trish hangs out with Fang."

"Anon?!?!"

"Yeah! They do make a good pair. Don't you think so?"

Naser went silent. Dead silent.

I got worried again. "Naser, sweetie? Are you okay?"

"I'm going to fucking kill him."

He hung up.

I had never heard Naser so angry before. I knew he cared about her sister, but I didn't expect that reaction. Why did Naser care so much about Fang? Why didn't he care about me more? I was the perfect girlfriend! I helped him when he needed it! I was by his side all the time, cheering him up! I brought him home-cooked treats for lunch! I did everything correctly! The only thing that Fang did was cause trouble! Why did he only care about her?!

I…

That call was supposed to be our time together, but he didn't ask about me once. All we talked about was Fang, and then Naser coldly hung up on me.

I curled up in bed, sobbing softly.

Why wasn't our relationship perfect? What was I doing wrong?

Chapter 33: Sugar and Spice

Chapter Text

I woke up without falling on my head and took a pleasant, warm shower. Those small moments of respite were very appreciated. They were a rare commodity in this bizarre world.

I'm really proud of us! We listened to Fang and helped them sort out their feelings. We even managed to share some of our own! It feels great to connect with others.

That was the worst thing we could have done. We overshared a lot in the spur of the moment. These sorts of things will come back to haunt us in the future.

We've relieved our trauma. We didn't need to do that. Also, our great deed landed us in detention, remember?

A fair price to pay for a new friend.

Friends are fine, but we can't become close. We're leaving everything behind, remember? The least we need is another emotional scar.

Strongly agree.

Hey. Isn't that Naomi?

The parasaur was about to cross the street in front of the school's entrance. She saw me, waved amicably, and flashed a polite smile.

Danm. She saw us looking at her. We lost our chance to ignore her.

Someday, we'll fix that awful attitude of yours.

In your dreams, you goodie two shoes. Someone has to keep us sharp.

Naomi crossed the street after looking both ways. "Good morning, Anon!"

"Sup" I greeted back. "It's weird to see you without Naser. You two are like peas in a pod."

Her plastic, happy expression briefly showed some cracks. "...He went ahead to help with another student event."

"That guy really is involved in everything, huh. Barely a moment to breathe."

"He's very dependable!"

We stared at each other awkwardly. I was used to Naomi monopolising the conversation, but she was strangely quiet today. "Umm… Anon, have you seen our lovely award-winning school gardens yet?"

Is this bitch mocking us?

She's probably just as overwhelmed as her boyfriend. That's what happens when you're a control freak.

"Naomi, we discussed how I joined the gardening club instead of the music club yesterday. I assure you, I've seen the gardens."

"Oh…"

Naomi was being uncharacteristically clumsy with words today. Something was up.

Don't ask her if something's wrong. We don't care.

We agreed to become a better person. This can be our good deed of the day.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Not really…" Her plastic expression finally broke, and for the first time, I saw Naomi for the vulnerable girl she was. She had a look of sorrow and fear, anxiously rubbing her hands together. "I've just been worried about Naser recently…"

"Did something happen?"

"It's just… When I'm with him, he's often anxious about something Fang's done. I'd just like him to relax about it a bit more, I suppose. Is that selfish of me to say?"

Another consultation. Should we start charging for these?

We should get a degree in psychology. With this much success, we could become millionaires!

"Naser is a very caring person. That's commendable, but because of that, he feels responsible for his sibling. In fact, we talked about this. He told me he was worried about Fang and asked me if I knew of a way he could help. I told him to take it easy and let Fang sort out their issues themselves."

"And?"

"He didn't take it well." I sighed, remembering his fierce stare. "But I'm just a random guy, and you're his girlfriend, right? Wouldn't he listen to you if you tell him?"

Naomi hung her head dejectedly. "He always listens to me... but he's sensitive when Fang is involved. He's really caring about his family." Her voice carried a hint of jealousy.

"And you wished he cared for you the same way?"

Naomi stared at me for an instant, her gaze saying yes but her mouth staying shut. She didn't want to admit it.

"Hey, I don't think that's bad or selfish. You take your relationship with Naser very seriously. If you're looking at him as a partner, it would suck if he didn't have time for you."

"I…" She had a doubtful look, still rummaging everything in her head. "That's not…"

"I don't have a girlfriend, I'm not that kind of person. But if I did, I'd probably also be mad if we didn't spend good quality time together."

Naomi was shocked by my reply. "You don't have a girlfriend? Are you sure?"

I chuckled. "That's a weird roundabout way to compliment me, but I'll take it."

"I…" She adjusted her glasses. "I need to check in something at the front desk. See you, Anon."

What the fuck was that?

Maybe Naomi is interested in us?

No way! Naomi is in a fantastic relationship with Naser.

The relationship that she was just complaining about? That one?

Guys, we have a lot of charm. Just because there's a goalie doesn't mean you can't score!

Even if she was coming onto us, love is poison. I don't want a repeat of last time.

It doesn't have to be about romance. Come on! We've seen those saucy videos. It's an entirely different species! Aren't you even a bit curious?

You're a freak, man.

Has everyone forgotten that we're at a school?! They are all minors, for Christ's sake!

I mean, we're-

No. Don't finish that thought. The conversation is over. Never bring this up again.

I entered the school and went to grab my stuff from the locker. I turned to see Naser pushing through the crowd of students.

That guy's gonna explode at some point.

He looks mad. Maybe something happened? We should ask him about it.

We haven't had breakfast yet and have already done our 'good deed' with Naomi. I refuse to handle this one.

We don't get to make a choice. Naser is coming to us, and he looks mad.

"Hey! Naser! How are you-"

"Come with me. Now." Naser was baring his teeth, glaring at me with a terrifying expression. Without waiting for a reply, Naser violently grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into a classroom against my will.

"Can't we talk this out like people?" I begged.

"Oh. Believe me. We're going to talk a lot." He pushed me down, making me sit on a chair. He then stood menacingly before me, looking down with an authoritative aura. "Are you dating my sister?!"

"Huh?" I was confused. "No? What's this about?"

He violently grabbed me by my collar, shaking me like a bag of potatoes. "Then why was Fang acting like that yesterday?! What the fuck did you do to her?!"

What the fuck is his problem?!

He's gone mad. We can't win a fight against him. Either we calm him down, or we'll end up on the ground with some broken bones.

"Calm the fuck down, dude!" I pleaded. "We were just talking! I didn't-"

"Explain yourself! Now!"

He isn't listening to us.

Hey, doesn't his angry mug look familiar? Aren't you guys getting flashbacks?

We'll think about that later. Focus on staying alive.

"Reed told me Fang was on the roof! I just went there to check if they were there, nothing more!"

He shook me again. "Then why did Fang come home late yesterday?! What was she doing?!"

Fuck this guy!

"Why don't you ask them yourself?!" I snapped back. "If you're such a great brother, why do you two have such a shitty relationship?!"

What are you doing?! We need to calm him down, not rile him up!

I'm not letting him walk all over us! We need to stand our ground!

He pulled me from my seat and threw me against the wall, hitting the back of my head. He got closer and pressed his elbow against my neck. "If you mess with my family, I swear to Raptor Jesus I will-"

"See, that's your problem!" My everything hurt, but I was able to push through the pain. "You're always jumping to conclusions! Fucking things up because you can't be bothered to fucking think before you act!"

"What do you-"

"I'm not dating Fang, you fucking moron! We're just friends! But what if I was? The first thing you do is beat me up? Oh! I'm sure Fang would love that! They'll like it as much as they love how you're always walking all over them!"

"I don't…" Naser shrunk a bit.

"You fucking do! I've known you for only two fucking weeks, and it's so fucking obvious! You're always worried about Fang, trying to fix them. But you never think about why they're going through a rough time! Or if they need your help in the first place!"

Naser released me from his chokehold and I fell to the ground. Suddenly realising what he had done, he backed up a couple of steps and slowly sat down. He was curled up on the ground with crossed arms, looking at me with intense eyes.

Did we break him?

God, I hope so. Can we leave now?

And leave him alone like that? He may have pushed us, but it's only because he was overwhelmed.

Fuck no! I'm done acting as a therapist for these freaks.

"I shouldn't have thrown you earlier," Naser scratched his neck. "I'm sorry, it was a moment of weakness."

"Well, if you thought things through for once maybe you wouldn't be in these situations so much." I slowly got up from the floor and walked away.

Chapter 34: Meet the Aarons

Chapter Text

We have to stop hurting our head. We're going to become dumb at this rate.

That one wasn't my fault!

I don't know… Maybe things would have gone better if we calmly talked things through with Naser…

Absolutely not! Just be glad I didn't outright kick him in the face. That's what he deserved!

If you had done that, our leg wouldn't be attached to our body right now. Never forget how strong dinosaurs are and how easy they are to trigger.

After the morning craziness with N&N, I didn't feel like socialising anymore, so I avoided everyone I could. This strategy worked the whole day, right until music class. I was focused on figuring out the exercises Mr. Jingo gave us when Fang approached me.

"Sup." They looked over my shoulder to see my half-complete worksheet. "What, are you not finished yet?"

"Nah. I like listening to music but don't know how it works. And it doesn't help that the teacher doesn't care about teaching." I pointed at the exercise I was doing. "What the hell is a sus chord? Is it made of impostor notes or something like that?"

"It's simple, you dweeb."

Fang sat down beside me and started helping me with the questions. Judging by the way they explained it, it was clear that they were incredibly knowledgeable about music. Things began to click, and I completed the remainder of the worksheet just in time to hand it to the teacher before classes ended.

So, we won't acknowledge what happened at the rooftop yesterday?

It's probably for the best. We shared too many emotions. We should go back to being friendly strangers to each other.

"Thanks, Fang! Oh! I almost forgot!" I pulled the homework that the Science teacher gave me. "Dr. Fernsworth told me to give this to you."

Fang inspected the worksheet and crossed their arms. "I help you out, and you betray me like this? How cold."

"Come on, you'll get it done in no time."

"Actually… I was thinking…" Fang scratched their arm. "I helped you with music, so… Wanna, like, help me do it at my place? The homework, I mean! I uh… kinda need help… with Science."

Uh…

Hell yeah! We scored!

Fuck no! Absolutely not!

Perhaps Naser was onto something after all… Is Fang interested in us? That's going to be… complicated.

What the hell do we say?!

Anything. Fang's getting pissy, and I'd rather not have to deal with another angry Ptero today.

"I… Uhh…." I was sweating bullets, unable to think of any excuse. "Yeah! Sure. I would love to go."

Fang stared at me judgingly. "Why the long pause?!"

I said the first thing that came to mind. "I didn't remember if I had something to do today. I mentally checked to see if I had forgotten something."

"Right… Anyways, dweeb. Give me your phone." I didn't want to risk pissing them off, so I reluctantly unlocked it and handed it to them. They opened contacts and saw the two entries saved: Anon's father and my workplace. "Danm, this is sad even for you."

What a gratuitous mean comment.

They punched in their number and created a third entry called Fang (with a guitar emoji) before returning it. They told me they would text me their home address later. We said goodbye and went our separate ways.

Why did you say yes?!

I couldn't come up with any excuse. God knows what would have happened if I said no without a reason. I'd rather not have another freakout at school. Even if we managed to get out of the situation unscathed, Naser would kill us if he found out.

Are we sure Fang has a crush? Maybe this is only about being friends. Or it could be about doing the Science homework, after all.

We can't know for sure. That's something that we need to clear up with them.

One more thing, gang. I have the feeling that we've forgotten about something crucial.

We have enough things on our plate already. If you forgot about it, it wasn't important.

Fang lived in a suburb too far away to make it on foot, so I had to take a bus to get there. I had become accustomed to Skin Row's small and suspiciously-smelling streets, so I fell out of place walking through such pristine sidewalks. The houses in the suburb were enormous, and the gardens were well-kept. The place seemed too rich for my blood, both for Anon and Julio.

I double-checked Fang's house address to avoid having the cops called on me. After knocking on the door, a massive pterosaur with a scar on his face opened the door. He was not amused by my presence.

Oh! I remember what I forgot about now! I thought Naser looked quite similar to that Aaron fellow.

"You have ten seconds to tell me how the fuck you found my house before I put you down like the rabid dog you are."

"You're Fang's father?!" I blurted out the reason for my visit without thinking. His hands reached to the side of his belt reflexively, though luckily, he wasn't carrying a gun.

I don't think he's happy to see us…

That's a hell of an understatement. We need to get out of here. Now.

Fuck no! We assert dominance! We stand our ground! We go down fighting!

Is your survival instinct broken or something?!

It's fight or flight! And I choose to fight!

"Honey, who is it?" A petite white pterosaur with a long blonde braid emerged from the house. "Oh! You must be Anon! Come in, come in!"

She looked identical to Fang, so I assumed she was their mother. She had the same white scales, though she was considerably shorter than her child and wore more modest clothes, opting for a simple green dress and a pink apron.

I could feel the killer stare of the police commissioner drill into my soul as Fang's mom ushered me into her home and pushed me onto a couch. Naser was also there, staring blankly at me. I thought he would try to jump me, too, but he was strangely calm about the situation.

"Sup," he greeted nonchalantly.

"Sup," I greeted back.

Fang's mother went into attack mode instantly. "I can tell Lucy really likes spending time with you. I'm so glad they found someone special!"

"I'm only here to help them with some homework. But… wasn't their name Fang?"

"Oh! That's right. My little tooth fairy loves to reinvent themselves." She smiled, probably remembering Fang's childhood. "One moment, she was the prettiest princess pirate, and now she's some sort of rock and roll maestro! The imagination she has…"

Those are some loaded sentences. Even if their mom means well, dismissing their identity entirely isn't a good way to help Fang.

She continued. "Look at me, babbling away! Don't let me keep you from your little date." She grabbed my hand again and guided me towards the stairs. "Go on! Lucy's upstairs."

I climbed the steps, happy to escape from the scary dinosaur that wanted to mount my head on a wall like a trophy. Upstairs, I came to a set of four doors and deduced which one was Fang's by the 'Fuck off' poster showing an image of a middle finger.

I knocked. "Hello?"

"Come in already, you dork."

Fang's room fit them like a glove. It was a large room with black walls and Christmas lights decorating each corner. She had a non-binary flag on top of her bed and posters of every rock band in existence plastered everywhere. Fang had scribbled notes, doodles, and song lyrics with chalk in the few remaining spots on the wall. A small sanctuary with multiple instruments was tucked away in a corner.

Our apartment looks extremely crappy in comparison.

Fang's room rocks.

Nice pun!

Ugh.

Fang was sitting on her bed, absentmindedly plucking some notes on an acoustic guitar.

"Sweet place."

"You like it?"

"It's like you, but like, if you were a room instead."

Fang looked at me like they were looking at an idiot.

Nice brain fart, dude.

You say that like you're not involved. None of us knows what we're doing.

I've had enough of this stupid charade! We came here to clear things up between Fang and us, so let's stop dodging the issue and get to it.

Please, let's be gentle about it.

I sat on the bed next to Fang. "Hey… can we talk?"

They flinched, missing a note. They stopped playing and stared at me nervously. "Talk? What is there to talk about?"

"About what happened yesterday on the rooftop." I met their eyes.

Fang got up and placed the guitar back on its stand. "Shit just happened, okay? I threw myself a pity party, and you happened to be there. I said a lot of dumb stuff just to blow off some steam, but it was just that, dumb stuff. It doesn't mean anything."

"We both know that's a lie, Fang. Maybe you were exaggerating or saying things you didn't mean, but you were speaking from the heart."

"Did you come here to lecture me?! Do you also think that I'm a problem that needs fixing?!" Her face turned to anger.

"No. That's not it." I shook my head. "I think you're a really cool person. And I don't think you need 'fixing'."

"Then, what's the problem?!"

"The problem is… I don't… I can't get close to people." I looked at Fang pleadingly.

Their anger subsided, replaced by confusion. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

We're going to have to trauma dump, no?

We owe it to Fang. They deserve to know.

"You told me your problems, so I guess it's only fair that I tell you mine."

Chapter 35: The talk

Chapter Text

I took a breath, trying to organise my thoughts. "I didn't come here because I wanted to. I only came here because I was forced to."

"What the fuck?!" Fang was deeply offended. "If you don't want to be in my house, then fucking leave!"

"No! No! Not here as in your house. Here, as in Volcadera Bluffs." I clarified though Fang was still annoyed. "But you are totally right about that, though. I want to fucking leave. The issue is that I can't leave right now. The place I come from is extremely far away, and I have no idea how to return."

Because we're fucking around, doing everything except finding a way back.

We're busy just trying to survive here. We just need more time.

"And that situation won't change for a while. I will likely be stuck here until I graduate, maybe even more. I need a lot of time and money to get back home. Right now, I'm just busy figuring out how to make ends meet."

Fang was listening attentively to my story. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"If I return… No. When I return, I will have to say goodbye to everyone. And that would be fine for most people. I keep everyone at arm's length because of that. But not you. We're way too alike. You understand me. We could become close friends if you and I keep hanging out together."

My emotions got the better of me. "And I'm fucking scared of that! I don't want to risk depending on you, Fang! I would be fucking miserable every day thinking I have to leave, and fucking miserable every day after I do, thinking about what I left behind!"

I shrank a bit after the outburst. "My home… It's not the best, but it's my home. I was born there, and I grew up there. And I have my routine. I loved my routine. It made me happy. You saw how much of a mess I was when I arrived here. It was panic attack after panic attack.

"But I can't return. I just can't. I'm stuck here. Stuck in this fucking world filled with dinosaur people where nothing makes fucking sense. Where everything is different but close enough to remind me of home. And the worst part? I'm starting to enjoy my life here. And that's what fucking scares me the most."

I stayed silent for a moment, looking at the floor, dejected. I glanced at Fang. They were sitting on their bed, close to me. Just like on the rooftop, but our positions were reversed.

"Fucking hell." I chuckled. "See? This is what I'm talking about. I get you because you get me. I don't have anyone like you back home. I had a great life with loving parents and a fucking fantastic childhood, but then it all came crashing down. Now I'm a miserable loner, nothing more. The only person who understands me back there is my psychologist, and the guy gets paid to do it.

I stared into Fang's eyes. I hoped they would be dismissive and angry, scream at me, and not understand. But they understood.

"If I have to lose someone I care about again…" I looked away and shrank further. "I'd rather not have gotten close to them in the first place."

I cried. It wasn't loud and emotional, like a dam bursting. It was slow and painful. Melancholic tears of someone with deep regrets. Remorseful tears of someone who knew that no matter what they did, they couldn't change the past.

…

Music. An acoustic guitar's soft tune. It began slowly, timid and tentative. A gentle stream of notes trying to find its course. Then, they grew into something more. Fang started to hum along, and the two melodies intertwined, merging into a beautiful, serene ballad. The harsh reality of the world around us faded, and the only thing remaining was the emotions I felt, carried by the music in a way that words never could.

Melancholy.

Pain.

Regret.

But everything comes to an end. The moment faded as the music slowed to a trickle of notes, and then, a single lingering note. After the song ended, Fang slowly laid the guitar to rest on her bed, and only then did I realise they were crying, too.

That song wasn't for me. It was for the both of us. We lived very different lives and had different problems, but we felt the same way. My greatest fear became reality, as I knew I had finally met someone with whom I could deeply connect.

My instinct took over, and I hugged Fang, wrapping my arms around them as they reciprocated. Our hearts ached as they always did, but for the first time, neither of us was alone in our pain.

Eventually, we gently let go.

"I…" I couldn't find the right words. "Thank you. Really. Thank you."

She was softly smiling, still with some tears in her eyes.

"Holy shit, you're good at music. Fuck…" For the first time in my life, I felt relief. True relief. "I guess it was my turn to break down. Sorry, you probably had something else in mind when you invited me to your house."

"Don't worry about that." Fang made a dismissive gesture. "Now, we're even."

"Not yet," I smirked. "I gave you advice as well. You still have to give me some words of wisdom. And give me food."

"Do I also have to headbutt you too?" They asked mockingly.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't, honestly." I rubbed my forehead. "My head still hurts a little when I touch it."

"Serves you right, but fine." They crossed their arms. "As for the advice, I think you're an idiot."

I laughed. "I mean, sure. But why specifically?"

"Like, why do you want to go back? Other than your 'routine' thing. You said you're a loner and that your parents… Well… Sorry about that..."

"They're not dead. We just don't talk anymore. It's… complicated."

"Right, so, is anyone waiting for you back home? Any friends? Pets?"

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't think of anyone. "My life sounds miserable when you put it like that."

"Then why are you so pissy about going back? If that place fucked you up, then fuck them back!"

"It's the life I have," I admitted. "I found my rhythm there."

"Really?" Fang crossed their arms. "You accused me of being a coward for not trying to change things, and now I find you're doing the exact same thing?"

"That's not... Okay, maybe you have a point." It was enlightening being humbled by a teenager.

"So why worry for nothing? Just start again here in Volcadera Bluffs, and that's that. And who says I'm staying here as well? VVurm Drama is going to make it big, and when we do, we'll be doing tours all over the world. We could go wherever. We could even drop by your hometown."

"I... Maybe?" If a band of dinosaur people played a concert in my world, it would definitely be a huge hit. "I guess so..."

"Come on." Fang raised a questioning eyebrow and gestured at themselves. "Do you still not want to be friends? With someone as cool as me?"

"It's funny. We've only known each other for, like, two weeks, but it feels like we've been through so much together. Honestly, there's no way we could be anything other than friends."

"Well... I mean-"

Suddenly, Fang's mom entered the room without knocking. "Anon, dear. Do you want to stay for-" She abruptly stopped when she noticed we had both been crying. "Oh… I'm sorry for interrupting you two... Take all the time that you need." Without waiting for a reply, she closed the door and left.

"Mom?!"

Well, we're dead. Aaron and Naser are going to kill us.

Why? Because we connected with Fang? I'm very proud that we did.

No matter the reason, we made them cry. Twice.

Tears of relief! And we were crying, too!

Don't think nuance will be enough to save us. Fang's father already wanted to kill us before. Imagine what he'll do to us after he finds out.

"Hey, you okay? You're spacing out." Fang was looking at me with their head tilted to the side. "I asked you if you're staying for dinner."

"No! No! That's a bad idea!" I blurted out.

"Huh?"

"Okay, confession time. I'm not supposed to say this, but I've met your father. While he was at work. And it wasn't a friendly meeting."

"What?! Dad arrested you?!" Fang was bewildered, looking proudly at me. "I didn't think you would have it in you. That's really cool."

"No, not cool! I didn't know he was your father! When he opened the door, I thought I was going to die. And now I made you cry!" I turned around and started walking in circles, panicking. "He's going to murder me in cold blood."

Like a lizard! Nice pun.

Not the time! Jackass!

"My dad can be an asshole and extremely irritating. But I don't think-"

"WHAT?! TO MY LUCY?!" We heard Fang's dad scream. Probably the whole neighbourhood heard him, too. Then, we heard loud steps quickly going up the stairs.

"I'll tell you the whole story later." I opened the window and began making my way outside. "I hope you don't mind me leaving through the roof. Trying to get out of here in one piece, you know."

Chapter 36: Silent Battles on our Own Minds

Chapter Text

Reed POV

"Duuuuude! It's good to see you, man!" Like always, Hugh was thrilled to see me. I was one of his best customers, after all. I may not have a taste for his more exotic, expensive stuff. Still, I was a regular who dutifully bought his goods and never brought any trouble in the four years we had known each other.

"It's good to see you too, bro." We exchanged a friendly fist bump and walked together to his van. We entered from the back and closed the doors. He lifted a bedsheet, revealing all his wares.

"I like seeing you around, dude, but didn't I already sell you a bunch of Carfe two days ago?" he frowned.

I was running low already. Things were going downhill way too fast. Graduation was right around the corner, and I knew for a fact that VVurm Drama would disband. The band was a nice distraction from reality, but the only one of us who had any chance to make it big as a musician was Fang. If they wanted to make a career out of it, they needed other band members, actual musicians that would do something else than leech off their talent.

It wouldn't be the end of the world. It's not like Trish and I would end up dead in a ditch somewhere. Trish would find a way to make it big in some way. She always did, charging through whatever or whoever was on her way. She had the determination to make things happen no matter what. And I… I had what the doctors called a 'mind with astounding capabilities' that loved to betray me and would constantly remind me of all the things that could go wrong. Every single second of my life. All the time. It would never shut up.

Like the fact that I would end up going to a nice college and working on an insipid, tedious corporate job that I'd hate. Or like how I'd probably lose contact with my friends and struggle to make new ones. Or, like how I had overused Carfe so much to quiet my brain down that I was now a hopeless addict, hooked on a dangerous vice with no hope of getting out.

The look of dread my mom gave me when she found out I was high shook me to my core, but the desperate and resigned look she had when she saw me now…

I took a sip out of my thermos.

"Got it right here." I shook the now almost empty bottle. "But, like, I had a lot of fun these past few days. I could use some more, dude."

Hugh stared at me judgingly before groaning and accepting, opening a container and filling my thermos with the good stuff. "I'm only doing this because you're a regular, and I care about you."

I pulled out a wad of cash from my pocket, but Hugh shoved it back in as soon as I did.

"Really?" I asked.

"This one's a freebie." He patted me on the back. "You're going through a lot right now, aren't you? We've known each other for a long time already. Have a few sips on the house." He sealed the container, placed it back on its spot and ushered me off the van. "Don't get used to it, though. Next time, it will be full price again."

It was really pathetic that Hugh, of all people, was worried about me. A college dropout who could only make a living as a drug dealer felt pity for me. My life was a joke.

I made my way to school as he drove off. I was about to enter the main building when Anon approached me. By the trace of leaves on his clothes, he had been lying low behind a bush. He was now frantically glancing around like a maniac, probably looking out for someone.

"Hey, Reed."

"Sup, compadre." I plucked a leaf from his jacket. "Dude... Did you go camping or something?"

"Not really, I just… Look, about that favour that you owe me… I think I want to cash it now. But not here." He signalled me to follow him into the school gardens. "Do you mind coming along?"

A favour for a favour. I agreed, and Anon took me to a little alcove out of sight behind the school building. There, he began unloading everything on his mind. First, he told me what had happened with Fang on the rooftop. I knew they were having a breakdown, but I didn't know what to do.

My mind was a bitch to handle when things were going well, and it became an absolute nightmare when things were going wrong. When shit hit the fan, the only thing I could do was hide somewhere and use enough Carfe to knock me down entirely. It was exactly what I had done after telling Anon about Fang's problems.

He didn't get into specifics, but it was clear that he helped Fang calm down. I was glad. Even though I wasn't able to be there for them, at least Anon was able to help. I already knew Fang and Anon were very compatible. After all, he was like Trish, and she was Fang's best friend. Anon and her butted heads all the time, but his way of being prideful, caring, and aggressive at the same time was identical to Trish's.

When we met for the first time, I could tell he also had many issues plaguing his mind. After speaking with him a couple more times, it was apparent he was pushing through anyway. He was making the most of his life; now, they were also helping Fang move on and improve.

But I couldn't do that. There wasn't a way out for me, not anymore. I was the one who would be left behind. Although I only wished the best for my friends, I was jealous. I was really, really jealous.

My mind was acting up, so I took a sip of Carfe to quiet it down.

Anon kept talking, explaining how Fang invited him to their house with the pretext of doing some homework. Now, their entire family thought they were going out together. He said it was a misunderstanding, but anyone could see that Fang was interested in them, and, although Anon was also clued in…

It was how he made subtle, weird pauses and changed facial expressions. He also avoided certain words and never spoke about his personal life. It was clear that he had some sort of trauma, possibly dealing with relationships. He noticed Fang's feelings, but although he felt a connection, too, he couldn't reciprocate.

If he couldn't shake that trauma off, his relationship with Fang would end in disaster. And if that happened, we all would… No. Stop. Anon wasn't like me. He was like Trish. He was dependable and capable. He would find a way to handle his issues.

"...I mean," he continued, "I'm not sure if they're going to do something drastic, but I would like to hide from Naser and Aaron for a while. Just in case, you know."

"Gotcha, dude. But, like, what Aaron are you talking about? All four of them? Does that include Fang?"

"Aaron, as in Fang's dad. Isn't he called Aaron?"

"His name is Ripley, bro. Aaron is his surname."

"I see... Wait. Four?" He muttered the names of Fang, Naser and Ripley. "Who's the fourth Aaron?"

He had forgotten about Samantha. That was a strange oversight. Obviously, Ripley's wife would have taken his surname after marriage. I knew that was only sometimes the case in other countries, but there wasn't almost any exception in the US.

But again, catching Anon out of place like that wasn't strange. There were many times when he just didn't click with the world. He was shocked when he noticed my tail had feathers, and he also felt a hint of fear when he saw my teeth when I smiled at him. At first, I thought he came from a dinophobic household.

However, his reaction to human teachers and everyday things was also abnormal. It was like he was an alien. He was strangely understanding and very mature, but he also misinterpreted many things. Perhaps his trauma had something to do with that dichotomy.

I answered his question. "Hmm… You're forgetting about Samantha, dude. I don't know her old surname, like, from before they married Ripley. But you know, right now, her surname is also Aaron. Like, it's their family surname."

"Oh, right!" Another bizarre pause. He was rummaging through something again, his expression changing slightly every few seconds. "Anyways, getting back on topic. I can manage myself outside of school to avoid Ripley, but… I don't know how to make sure I don't cross paths with Naser. I mean, we don't share any classes, but he does eat at the cafeteria."

"Don't worry, bro. I got you." I went for a 'hit me up' handshake, and he gladly returned it. "You know, Fang, Trish and I usually eat lunch at the auditorium. You could join us if you want, dude. I can even, like, bring you some food from the cafeteria as well."

Anon's eyes lit up. "That would be amazing! Thanks, man!"

"Bros help other bros. It's the bro code that bros have."

"Ah, right. If you're grabbing me some food, then you'll need this. It's my lunch card." I'd seen him use it a few times, and he even packaged some of his food to go, likely for dinner. If anything, it perfectly represented how poor Anon's situation was, figuratively and literally.

Even in that situation, he managed to push through and help others. I envied him... I envied him a lot...

After taking another sip of Carfe, I pocketed the card. We started to make our way towards the school's back entrance while I changed the subject for both our sakes.

"Anyways, bro. Do you, like, play video games?"

Chapter 37: Detention

Chapter Text

It was Saturday, and despite how much I would have loved to have a relaxing morning dealing with my own problems, I was walking to school to serve my sentence. I still disagreed that I deserved detention just because I was on the rooftop. Still, it was only a one-day punishment, and I had to leave for my job after a while, so it would only be a couple of hours anyway.

As I walked, I took a few moments to do some self-reflection. Even though luck was not on my side, I was now adapting much better to this crazy world. Besides Math, classes weren't an issue, and I had enough people around me not to die of loneliness. In fact, I had a surprising number of acquaintances: Naser, Naomi, Rosa, Stella, Heather, Judee, Shizo, Reed, Trish(?), and…

Fang.

I still don't know how to feel about Fang. We may have told them too many things.

Also, their family is out to kill us.

We need to keep our distance. The only person we can rely on is ourselves. We learned that lesson a long time ago.

We made the mistake of trusting a psychopath. As long as we avoid doing that again, we'll be fine.

Maybe Fang's not a psycho, but they're a teenager. An unstable dinosaur teenager with many issues that can cause us many problems, by the way.

We shouldn't judge Fang like that, but… There's some truth to that feeling.

Huh. I was expecting you to say something uplifting.

It's not about Fang. It's about us. Having someone really close would be amazing, but… We are all emotionally scared. Even if we want to, we can't trust someone that easily. It's going to be extremely hard, and it's going to take a long time.

Sure, but it's not like we can ignore them forever. Fang wants to be really close friends, maybe even more. What do we say to them? What do we do?

I… I don't know.

I don't think any of us know.

I entered the gardens and grabbed my gear from the shed. After a brief walk, I saw the non-binary Ptero chatting with Stella. I approached, greeted them both, and joined them for small talk.

"Oh, Anón!" Rosa had approached without me noticing. It's surprising how someone so big could be so sneaky. "I'm glad you decided to come to do some gardening after all!"

"Well," Stella chimed in. "It's more like he was forced to. He's here for campus beautification."

"Niño! What did you do?" Rosa stared at me with disappointment, like a mother would look at her child after he's caught with his hand on the cookie jar.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Fang nervously grasping their arm, probably scared of being outed.

We should avoid mentioning some details.

"Fang and I were eating lunch on the rooftop. It's quieter, and the view is amazing from up there." I explained. "I didn't even know that wasn't allowed until Spears came barging in."

I could almost see Stella's eyes sparkling. "You two were alone? On the school's rooftop? Like in a romcom?!" She had a smug grin. "What things were you two up to?"

Fang froze. I, however, was a master bullshitter.

"Eating," I blurted out with a dry tone and an unamused expression. "Remember when I brought cookies to school? I was chased around by crazy dinosaurs like a rabbit in a fox den." I sighed. "After sharing them with you guys, some dinos started staring at me with hungry eyes. I bailed to the rooftop to eat my lunch peacefully, and Fang just happened to be there."

I'm sorry, Stella, but I won't give you any ammunition for gossip.

Fang looks a bit annoyed. I wonder why.

Spear's called us to the front of the gardens with a roar. After ensuring everyone who was supposed to be there was accounted for, he left us in Rosa and Stella's hands. They told us to group up in pairs, grab gardening gloves and get to work.

There were three jobs to do, weeding, replanting flowers and trimming vines. According to Fang, an expert on detention, vine trimming was the easiest. So, off we went to the school's stone walls, where ladders were already set up. I put on my gardening gloves and took out the gardening scissors.

"Gloves?" Fang remarked. "Are you a wuss?"

I raised my now gloved hands. "I'm a skinnie, with skin that gets cut easily."

"Right, humans," Fang sighed, making a dismissive gesture. "I wonder if you even evolved at all."

What the fuck was that?!

They're pissed off about something.

They should talk about it like an adult, then.

Fang's a teenager, not an adult. Shouldn't we give them some leniency?

Fang's fucking eighteen. That excuse doesn't fly.

"Are you angry about something?" I asked.

"Figure it out yourself." They sharply replied.

We should-

Nope. We're not dealing with this. Not today.

Refusing to engage in a pointless discussion, I climbed the ladder and got to work. Fang was holding it with one hand and was playing with their phone on the other. I noticed them sneaking angry glares at me from time to time.

A few snips and a pile of weeds later, I was done with that area. I started to make my way down the ladder, but before I managed to climb down, Fang picked the whole thing up and moved it to the side with me still on it. I wasn't expecting that sudden movement, so I lost my balance and fell on top of them into a patch of flowers.

I screamed. "What the fuck?! Why did you do that?!"

"The fuck you mean, what did I do?!" Fang screamed back. "I moved the ladder to the next spot!"

"If you didn't notice, I was still on it! Wait for me to get down, or warn me first, at least!"

"So you humans come from monkeys, but you can't even hold on to a ladder?!"

I think-

No.

I didn't even-

NO! ENOUGH!

I was extremely angry. Because I had to wake up exceptionally early today, even though it was a weekend. Because I had just fallen from a ladder, and it hurt like hell. But most of all, because Fang, the person I wanted to confide in and who was my first real friend, was treating me like a punching bag.

I told you guys. Trusting people is a bad idea. It's our own fault for trying to make friends.

Just because they have a bad day-

Shut the fuck up. If everyone is allowed a bad day, so do we. We're leaving.

There's some time left until we have to go to work, we can still-

No.

"I'm done." My anger was calm and cold. I stood up from the ground, brushing the dirt off my clothes.

Fang got up as well. "Done with what?!"

"All of this. I'm leaving." I started walking away.

"You can't just leave!" Fang began following me.

"Watch me."

Fang kept talking, excusing themselves, telling me how I was in the wrong for the fall and how they were just pointing out facts. However, their arguments fell on deaf ears. I wasn't going to engage them no matter what they said.

"Listen. Whatever stick you got up your ass, I really hope you manage to take it out. But I'm not dealing with your shit today." I turned around again. "Peace."

Fang was about to start screaming at me again, but Rosa beat them to the punch.

(*) Spanish version (english version at the end of the chapter)

"¡Mis flores!" Rosa rushed up to us. "Wh-you-why- ARGH! ¡ESTUPIDO! ¡¿QUÉ CLASE DE RIDÍCULA Y PATÉTICA EXCUSA DE HOMBRE ERES?!"

"Rosa. Por favor." I pleaded. "No estoy de humor."

"¿Y TU CREES QUE YO ESTOY DE HUMOR, ANÓN? ¡¿QUÉ CLASE DE PENDEJO ERES PARA DESTROZAR DE ESA MANERA MIS CAMELIAS ROJAS?!"

"¡Que no estoy de humor! Hostia ya!" I screamed, throwing my apron on the ground. "¡¿Sabes cuanta mierda me he tenido que comer estas putas semanas?! ¡Y ahora por los putos santos cojones de Spears, tengo que venir aquí un sábado a hacer trabajos forzados por una razón de mierda!"

Rosa crossed her arms." ¡Esa no es justificación para tratar así a mis flores!"

"¡Me caí! ¡Fue un jodido accidente! Y con todo el respeto del mundo, se pueden ir tus flores a tomar por culo. Yo me tengo que ir a mi trabajo de verdad. Al trabajo en el que me pagan. Si no, me muero de hambre. No me gano el pan cuidando flores, y mucho menos siendo niñera de nadie."

Rosa's anger subsided after my harsh words. She had no rebuttal. She knew about my situation, as she had witnessed it first-hand when we had lunch with Stella, but only now she truly understood how deep the rabbit hole went.

A small audience had formed around us, all astonished that someone had the balls to argue with Rosa.

"Anón, perdona…" Rosa began apologising. "No sabía-"

"Ahora no, Rosa. Yo tampoco quería ponerme así, pero… En serio, me tengo que ir. Lo podemos hablar en otro momento con más calma." I picked up the apron from the ground, put my gloves inside the pocket, folded it and handed it to Rosa. "Y… perdona por las flores. Las arreglaré cuando tenga tiempo, lo prometo."

As I was leaving, I heard Stella talking to Rosa. "Umm… What were you guys saying? I can't really understand you when you're speaking Spanish…"

Fuck! Shit!

We screwed up again.

We kinda suck at keeping our secret identity a secret.

(*) English version

"My flowers!" Rosa rushed up to us. "Wh-you-why- ARGH! YOU IDIOT! WHAT SORT OF RIDICULOUS, PATHETIC EXCUSE OF A MAN ARE YOU!"

"Rosa, please." I pleaded. "I'm not in the mood."

"AND YOU THINK I'M IN THE MOOD, ANÓN? WHAT KIND OF 'PENDEJO' ARE YOU TO DESTROY MY RED CAMELLIAS LIKE THAT?!"

"I said I'm not in the mood! Damn it!" I screamed, throwing my apron on the ground. "Do you know how much bullshit I've been through these last weeks?! And now by the great grace of fucking Spears's balls, I have to come here on a Saturday to do forced labour because of a bullshit reason!"

Rosa crossed her arms. "That's not an excuse to treat my flowers like that! "

"I fell! It was a fucking accident! And with all due respect in the world, your flowers can go fuck themselves. I have to go to my actual job. The job they actually pay me for. If I don't, I die of hunger. I don't get paid for taking care of flowers, and much less for being anyone's nanny."

Rosa's anger subsided after my harsh words. She had no rebuttal. She knew about my situation, as she had witnessed it first-hand when we had lunch with Stella, but only now she truly understood how deep the rabbit hole went.

A small audience had formed around us, all astonished that someone had the balls to argue with Rosa.

"Anon, I'm sorry…" Rosa began apologising. "I didn't know-"

"Not now, Rosa. I also didn't want to get to this, but… I really have to go. We can talk this out in another moment when we're both calm." I picked up the apron from the ground, put my gloves inside the pocket, folded it and handed it to Rosa. "And… sorry about the flowers. I'll fix them when I have the time, I promise."

As I was leaving, I heard Stella talking to Rosa. "Umm… What were you guys saying? I can't really understand you when you're speaking Spanish…"

Fuck! Shit!

We screwed up again.

We kinda suck at keeping our secret identity a secret.

Chapter 38: Love advice

Chapter Text

That outburst is going to cause us a lot of problems.

It was very nasty shouting at Rosa like that. And we didn't manage to figure out what was wrong with Fang. I wonder if there's some way we can make it up to them...

Why should we care about others so much? We should prioritise ourselves for once!

Even though we're going through a rough patch, sometimes you have to make sacrifices for your friends. That's what friendship is all about.

We have two fucking twelve-hour shifts back to back delivering pizzas. And since you all decided we were going to detention, even though we didn't fucking deserve it, we didn't get to rest at all this morning.

Fang comforted us when we were suffering and helped us reorganise our thoughts. They're better friends than anyone we know from our old world, and I just want to repay them for that.

Okay, but Fang was being a bitch today for no reason.

They probably had a reason but didn't want to tell us.

I arrived at the pizzeria just ten minutes before it opened. Moe and Jenny were already working on preparing lunch, Moe tending to the kitchen and Jenny setting up the tables. After briefly greeting them, I retrieved the delivery bike and helmet from the back and got ready for work.

The lunch service went smoothly, without any incidents. After the last customers trickled out of the restaurant, Jenny and I sat at a table for our lunch break. Moe brought us a couple of pasta dishes, excused himself, and went outside to take care of some shady-sounding business again.

As we dug in, Jenny noticed my mental exhaustion. "You seem a bit off today, Julio. Is everything going alright?"

"I'm fine, but It's been a long morning. I had an argument just before arriving here."

"An argument?" Jenny was uncharacteristically interested. "Well, well, well. I didn't know you had a girlfriend. You don't seem the type."

"I don't- Wait, what do you mean by type?"

"You don't look like anyone's type, really." She gestured in my general direction. "Human, messy clothes, scrawny body, permanent tired expression… I'm surprised you scored."

What the hell, man?! Can't we even eat in peace?!

She's right, though. We should care more about our appearance.

"Anyways," she continued despite my annoyed looks. "What did you argue with your girlfriend about?"

"First of all, they're not my girlfriend. Second of all, I am still trying to figure it out. They were pissy about something, and I have no idea why." I sighed. "They weren't making sense, so I gave up trying after a while and just left."

Jenny was confused. "They? You have many girlfriends?"

"No, just one person. They're non-binary," I clarified. "Wait! No! They're not my girlfriend! They're just a friend!"

"Girlfriend or not. What did you do?" Jenny was intent on interrogating me.

We did absolutely nothing wrong!

I agree. Fang doesn't have any reason to be mad at us.

Reason or not, their anger was clearly directed towards us.

"No clue. We ate together a few days ago, and I even gave them some cookies as a gift. I don't know why they're mad, and they act like I should know."

"You were both eating together? And you bought cookies for them?" Jenny raised one eyebrow in disbelief. "Are you sure they're not your girlfriend?"

"First, I baked them myself, mind you." I was very proud of my baking skills. "Second, those cookies meant nothing. I shared them with everyone at school."

"You even baked them yourself…" Jenny sighed and shook her head. "You idiot, that girl is into you. They thought you made those cookies for them, and now they found out they weren't. You gave them a special gift and then took it away."

Makes sense. Fang was angry when we mentioned we shared the cookies with everyone.

What do you mean it makes sense?! We gave them to Fang because we had baked too many, and they were hungry. If they misunderstood it for flirting, it's their own fault!

I warned you all about mixing girls and chocolates.

Girl? Wasn't Fang's non-binary?

Not for cookies, it seems.

"Your silence speaks volumes, kid." After the lesson, Jenny reverted to her usual low-energy attitude. "Anyways. You should invite your non-binary, not-girlfriend girlfriend for dinner here as an apology. I'd like to know what kind of oddball is into a human like you."

"Screw you." I flashed Jenny a middle finger as she smirked. "I don't know… This was already a huge misunderstanding. I don't want to make things more complicated."

"It's not that complicated. Do you like them?"

Do we?

We've known them for a week. Of course we don't.

They're the first person we connected with. We feel something when we're with them.

I don't give a fuck. The only thing love does is ruin our lives.

Shouldn't we move on at some point?

We've been trying to move on for years with the help of a psychologist, and we barely scratched the surface. It's easier to give up and live the rest of our lives alone.

Jenny interrupted my thoughts. "Okay, maybe it's more complicated than I thought. You should figure out if you like them before doing anything else."

I sighed. "You know, if we ignore that you dish out mean comments like it's your second job, you're actually a decent and caring person."

Jenny gave me a deadpan look. "Ha, ha. Very funny."

I smiled softly. "Thanks, Jenny."

"You can thank me by coming in early next time and helping with lunch prep."

I flashed a mocking grin. "I don't know if I'm that grateful."

We finished our meals with some witty back-and-forth, and after Moe returned, I helped them with dinner service prep. The restaurant opened, and customers started pouring in. I got on my bike as the first delivery order arrived.

It was a busy afternoon. Every time I returned from a delivery, many other orders were waiting for me on the counter. I had barely any time to breathe, and I was quickly approaching my limit. However, I needed that money no matter what.

Do we? Can't we just quit? The hush money we got from the police was quite a lot. Why do we still need to work?

Since we all unanimously decided we're going to live here in Crazy Dino World, we have to fix our financial situation. I refuse to live our whole lives in a trash heap of an apartment. We must rent something better and earn enough money for college or a trade school.

Why not ask for some sort of grant or something? We have a shit financial situation, and we're a minority group in this world.

That's a really good idea.

I fucking hate relying on charity, but… maybe you're right. However, we still need financial stability now. The pay here is fantastic, and it's a part-time job compatible with school.

My next delivery took me to a house in a suburban area. I rang the bell, and a familiar green stegosaurus opened the door.

"Anon?!" Stella was caught by surprise. So was I.

Goddammit! Why did we have to bump into someone we know?

It was just a matter of time until we did.

"Hi, Stella. Yes, I work as a delivery guy." I handed her the pizzas. "I guess these are yours."

She didn't know what to say, so she took the pizzas and paid for them. I was about to leave when she stopped me. "Hey… Anon… I'm so sorry… Rosa and I-"

"No," I interrupted her. I was too prideful to let her apologise for something that was my responsibility. "The flowers were an accident, but I shouldn't have shouted at Rosa like that. What happened this morning was my fault. I should be the one apologising."

She looked at the ground dejectedly. "I didn't understand what you two were saying, but Rosa said you were very upset."

"I was. I lost my cool when Rosa started screaming at me." I sighed. "Look, I said many things I shouldn't have. Rosa can be intense, but I know she meant well. My situation is not an excuse to be mean to people."

"So…" Stella looked at me pleadingly. "You won't stop being our friend and leave the gardening club?"

"As long as you don't kick me out because of what happened," I reassured her. "Honestly? I'm starting to enjoy gardening. It's strangely relaxing."

"Yeah! Of course we want you in the club, silly!" She sighed with relief and grabbed my hands. "Oh, Rosa and I were so worried… I'd hate to stop being your friend! I still have to invite you to an anime watch party! And we have to do another reading! By the way, when did you learn to speak Spanish so well? Even Rosa was surprised! It's like you were born in Rexico! Though your accent was different..."

Réxico???

Too intrusive. Change the topic. Now.

"About that, I uhh… I should return to work soon, but I could use a quick tarot reading."

I swear I could see literal sparks in Stella's eyes. She quickly returned to her room to retrieve her cards, rushed back outside, and immediately set them up before me with a flourish.

She stared excitedly into my eyes. "What's the reading about?"

If we do this, we should get guidance on the topic we're worried about.

Didn't we learn our lesson? This is a horrible idea.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"How about a love reading?"

Chapter 39: The incident

Chapter Text

After mentioning that I wanted a tarot reading about love, the sparks in Stella's eyes became bright, fully formed stars. With a happy squeal, she told me to pick a card from the pack.

"Justice. Reversed." Stella's happy expression turned into a frown.

I was worried about her reaction. "What does that mean? Is it bad?"

"It means unfairness and unresolved issues. The tarot booklet says that you're supposed to reflect on past relationships to avoid troubles in the future." She stared at me with worried eyes. "Were you in a relationship before, Anon? Did it end badly?"

Fuck! I swear that girl is an actual witch!

It's really freaky that her readings are so accurate.

"That's… I…" I was no longer in the mood to continue with the reading. "Sorry, I have to get back to work. I'll catch up with you at school."

"Huh? Anon?"

But I was already pedalling away.

I tried to keep my mind from wandering. I focused on the rhythm of the bike's pedals under my feet to distract myself, but it was no use. The memory of my past surged before I could stop it.

I was a kid who had a perfect life. The kind of childhood everyone wishes for. I had loving parents, cool friends, and a lovely home. I was happy, really happy.

Then I met Lydia. She was… unique. We only met by chance, and even though she was three years older than me, we quickly clicked. Her view of the world was entirely different from mine. I always preferred to seek the good in people, but in her eyes, the world was rotten. According to her, people were blind and needed to wake up from the chains that bound them to a miserable, purposeless existence.

I was an impressionable child, and meeting someone so intense, so… raw. It was mesmerising. Even though I disagreed with her views, I felt nothing but respect and admiration for her. She was a contrarian to society, rejecting its rules and doing what she wanted.

We quickly became friends, and we got into many shenanigans together. At first, they were only harmless pranks. We had fun messing with people and getting into trouble. Trapping a door with water balloons, switching the push and pull labels on a door, putting realistic fake bugs in a public bathroom… We were happy. I fell for her at some point, though I don't remember exactly when.

However, with time, Lydia changed. Her pranks weren't harmless jokes anymore. They became an excuse to hurt people, manifestations of her hate towards society. The belief that the world was broken became an obsession for her.

In hindsight, it was apparent it would end badly. I should have seen it coming, but I was already so infatuated with Lydia that I believed her words no matter what. I wouldn't listen to anyone else. I distanced myself from every other friend I had. I even ran away from home.

And I didn't care about any of that. To me, Lydia was the only person that mattered.

One day, like any other, she told me to bring a package she had made to her university. It was supposed to be an annoying noise machine that would piss people off. I had to bury it in a particular spot so people wouldn't find it. She also told me to stay close to it to ensure it worked correctly.

It was just another prank, so I didn't think much of it. I sneaked into Lydia's campus, went to the spot she told me about and buried the package. However, I didn't stay close to it. I hated loud noises, so I watched from far away instead.

The package made a loud noise alright, but it wasn't an annoying beeping or a loud siren. It was a sudden bang. That fiery explosion was forever etched into my mind. I can still see it when I close my eyes.

Luckily, the explosive was not as potent as Lydia expected. There were a lot of wounded, but not a single dead... except for Lydia herself. They found her body in her apartment, next to a suicide note explaining how the both of us had planned everything. According to the note, we wanted to send a message to the cruel society we lived in.

Even though I swore I had no idea about her plans, no one believed me. Everyone assumed I was complicit in the crime but got scared and chickened out at the last moment.

I was sent to a reformatory school instead of a prison because I was a minor. Even though every kid there was a delinquent, their misdeeds were nowhere near as bad as what I had done. I was special. A criminal among criminals. Other kids found it fitting to punish and bully me because of it, and the adults found it fitting to just watch.

My life became a living nightmare. Everyone I knew from the outside burned every single bridge with me. Even my parents. The only person I could talk to was the psychologist assigned to my case. He didn't try to connect with me on a personal level, but he dutifully performed his job. He sat with me and walked me through everything, forcing me to move on from the trauma and teaching me how to handle my emotions.

When I turned eighteen, they finally kicked me out of the reformatory. I kept waiting for a mob to come for me at any moment, but lucky for me, the modern world had a knack for forgetting everything given enough time. Even something as terrible as what I had done.

Thanks to the lessons I learned from my psychologist, I could carry on with my life. Through hard work and a bit of luck, I scored a scholarship and entered a decent university. I even met with some classmates from time to time.

Some nights, I would think about what happened. And my thoughts would always wander to Lydia. She had been my first love. And even though she was an awful person, and she had tried to kill me… I still had feelings for her.

I didn't know what to do about it.

And we still don't know what to do about it now.

Enough of this! Can we move on with our life? That shit should stay forgotten, buried in a ditch deep down forever.

I agree. There's no point thinking about it anymore. Much less now that we're in another world.

I did the exercises that my psychologist taught me, emptied my mind and focused only on the tasks I had to do. Little by little, I eventually pushed my memories away.

I completed the rest of the afternoon deliveries and helped clean up after the restaurant closed. After our hard work, Moe gave Jenny and me our generous pay and a pizza to take home for dinner.

That night, I had nightmares about the incident again.

I stood before the school building, nervously thinking about my next steps.

So… What's the plan again?

We have to apologise to Rosa.

But we agreed to avoid everyone else.

I believe we should talk to Fang as well. Shouldn't we clear the air with them?

Even if we wanted to, our sanity has hit an all-time low. We just don't have the brainpower to handle Fang right now.

Still-

No! Not today! We need to rest. We can get to all the shenanigans you want tomorrow.

As long as nothing out of the ordinary happens, we should be fine.

I entered the school building, walked to the cafeteria, and grabbed a quick breakfast. To avoid bumping into anyone I knew, I ate in the tiny alcove behind the school building, now my favourite spot in the world. It was a peaceful breakfast.

The bell rang, signalling it was time for me to attend class. I returned to the school building and went to my locker to grab my things. However…

"YOU!" Shizo jumped out of my locker with a combat roll. She pointed at me with an accusing hand puppet. "I finally understand what you are!"

"Huh???" I was completely caught off guard.

"I thought you were a Glowie because, of course, you would be! But you weren't!" She started walking back and forth like a detective from a movie. "But why did you act as a Glowie if you weren't one? But of course! You couldn't stop yourself! It's in your nature to imitate others!"

I just stood there with a blank expression. Even the voices in my head were left without words.

"You still don't believe I discovered your secret? Then allow me to spell it out for you!" Shizo posed dramatically as she pointed the puppet at me again. "You aren't human! You're not Anon! You're a body snatcher in the body of Anon!"

Oh shit.

HOW THE FUCK?!

This is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is so bad I can't even-

My primal instincts kicked in for the third time since arriving in this crazy dinosaur world.

I ran away.

Chapter 40: Puppet show

Chapter Text

Judee POV

Fang's puppet raises its arms. "I'm mad because we're in a relationship and have fights!"

Anon's puppet crosses its arms and raises its head. "I'm also mad. But I'm being cool about it."

Rosa's puppet enters the scene, shaking violently. "Anon! Mis flores!"

Anon turns to Rosa. "Not now, Rosa! Can't you see we're in the middle of a very important couple's discussion? Also, yo hablo Español ."

Rosa's anger stops. "Understandable. Have a great day." Rosa makes a hand sign and disappears.

Anon then turns to Fang. "Even though I still have unresolved feelings for you… My body compels me to leave dramatically." Then, he exits the scene doing a somersault.

The scene was good, though I didn't understand how Wendy was supposed to make Rosa vanish. Her special effects were amazing, though, so I'm sure she would find a way.

I played with Fang's and Anon's puppets a bit. They had a really cool story together, and I was rooting for them. They were currently in their couple's fight phase, but after they talked about their worries, they would surely get to their romantic love phase. I was really excited about coming up with those scenes. I really liked love stories.

I heard footsteps approaching the clubroom, and Anon suddenly burst through the door. He caught me making his puppet and Fang's kiss affectionately.

I panicked. "A-A-Anon! I-I… It's n-n-not…"

He looked at the puppets on my hands, then at me. Then, he did a double take. We stared at each other, frozen without a single word, until we heard another set of footsteps coming closer.

"Please hide me." Anon dramatically jumped behind conveniently placed cardboard boxes.

Wendy came in moments after, crawling on all fours and sniffing the floor. "Judee! Have you seen not-Anon come through here?!"

"N-Not A-A-Anon?"

"Anon is not-Anon now!" Wendy got up and started making quick gestures with her puppets. "It's complicated! I'll explain later! You know where he is?!"

"W-W-Why?"

"I have to hunt him down! The fate of the world depends on it!"

I didn't know what to do. Anon looked really worried, but Wendy was my best friend. However, Wendy wanted to hunt Anon, and that was a bad thing to do. But the fate of the world was at stake! If I kept Anon hidden, would the world end? Would it be my fault?

"Argh! I'm wasting time! Call me if you see him!" Wendy got back on all fours and started sniffing for clues again. She left the room, closing the door with her tail on her way out.

After a few moments, Anon got out of hiding.

"W-What h-h-happened?" I was worried about what Wendy said. "Are y-you g-g-g-going to end t-t-the w-world?"

"No? What?!" He looked really confused.

"That's g-great..." I was glad I hadn't caused the world to end.

"Um… On an unrelated note… Why do you have puppets of me and Fang? And why are they kissing?" He pointed to my hands. In my nervousness, I had unconsciously rubbed them together, making it look like Anon's and Fang's puppets were kissing again.

I didn't know what to say, so I quickly dropped the puppets I was using and grabbed Mr Chipper, Miss Lovely and Hatey to help me.

Hatey immediately jumped in front of me defensively. "It's our private puppet business! What's it to you?!"

Anon was surprised by the red puppet, but he wasn't intimidated. "Well, one of the puppets is clearly me, so I think I'm a part of this too."

Mr. Chipper cut in for the assist. "Hello! I'm Mr. Chipper! Crazy weather we're having, no?"

The look in Anon's eyes told me the distraction didn't work either. There was only one strategy left. Miss Lovely! You're our only hope!

"Hey boy… Come here often?"

"Judee, please." Anon was not amused.

It was a total failure. Anon had discovered our secret, and he would find it disgusting. I curled up into a ball, and tears started forming in my eyes . Heather was really happy to have another friend, and I had messed it up… I wouldn't care if Anon was going to end the world anymore.

I looked at him from the corner of my eye, waiting for the moment he would scream and find me disgusting. But Anon didn't do that. He stood still for a long time in silence. Then, he sat on the ground close to me.

"Hey. It's okay." He started to gently pat my back. "I'm not mad. If anything, I'm a bit weirded out, but who cares?"

"Y-You're not g-g-gonna laugh at m-m-me? Or s-s-shout at m-m-me?"

"I promise I won't."

I gathered my courage and told him the truth: how Wendy and I came up with puppet shows based on real people, how we got into trouble and only performed them in secret, and how we thought he was cool and interesting and had been spying on him without him knowing. I braced myself for him to be angry at me.

"You know what? Go for it. I don't mind," Anon said nonchalantly.

I was shocked. "R-R-Really?! You m-mean it?"

"Compared with everything else that has happened to me, this is nothing. If you enjoy making a puppet show based on my life at school, go right ahead. Just invite me to the performance when it's finished."

When I told most people about my hobbies, they mocked me and called me names. I didn't like it when people did that, so I stopped talking to most people. I only shared my passions with Äiti and my childhood friends, Wendy and Heather.

But Anon wasn't mean! He even encouraged me to keep going! I was really happy, so I hugged him. He was really startled at first, but afterwards, he calmed down and returned the hug. After a brief moment, I realised I had been a bit too friendly and quickly released him.

I thought of something to change the topic. "Umm… Anon… W-Why was Wendy trying to h-hunt you?"

"She thinks I'm a body snatcher!" He chuckled nervously. "She has quite the imagination! Don't you think so?"

"Are y-you a b-body snatcher?" I didn't know what that was, but it didn't sound nice .

He turned to me with an intense look.

I tried to calm him down. "I w-w-wouldn't m-mind! You're my f-friend, no matter what! You accepted w-who I was, and I will also do the s-same!"

He kept quiet for a very long time. Eventually, he tried to get up and leave, but he stopped himself and sat back down. Then, he tried to say something, but his words were a complete mess.

I tried to help. "Umm… S-s-sometimes when I'm r-really nervous, I use my p-puppets to say the t-t-things I need to s-say." I grabbed a box from a shelf with numerous puppets that Wendy and I had sewn. "Do you t-think that c-could help?"

He was hesitant, but he started searching for puppets. He took one, then another, and then two more.

"D-do they h-h-have names?"

"This one is Curious." Anon grabbed the first one. It was a puppet of a yellow Stegosaurus scientist with a moustache. He was wearing a lab coat and holding a tiny microscope. "He's the type to wonder about everything and anything and wants to explore the world." He put it down and grabbed the next one.

"Then, this is Beast." It was a puppet similar to Hatey. It was a red T-rex with a mean, angry look, wearing a green tie and carrying a suitcase. "He's mean and aggressive, but he means well... Most of the time."

"This one is Rational." The next puppet Anon held was a stylish blue Troodon with glasses holding a book. It had pretty long hair, and its clothes were simple but nerdy. "She's very intelligent , but she's a scaredy cat. She isn't very good with people."

"And this is Caretaker." The last puppet was a cute pink ankylosaurus wearing oven mitts and an apron with a big red heart. "She's really caring and loves making others happy. She also loves baking."

I was really excited. Anon was a natural at puppeteering. "That's r-really cool! How did you m-m-manage to figure out their names and p-personalities so fast?"

"Well… I didn't really come up with the characters myself," Anon admitted. "It may sound a bit weird, but they're voices in my head."

I didn't know what Anon meant by that.

Anon put Rational in his hand and started puppeteering. "We got caught, and we're already holding the puppets. We might as well go with the flow and explain everything."

Then, it was Beast's turn. "This is stupid. We agreed to avoid any shenanigans. Why do we have to play these childish games?!"

Caretaker replied. "Puppets are a wonderful way of telling stories. Why not use them to tell our story as well?"

Curious chimed in, brushing his thick moustache. "I don't know about you guys, but I like my design. And those angry eyebrows really fit you too, 'Beast'."

Beast snapped back. "I'm going to shove this suitcase up your ass."

I chuckled. I was really enjoying the show.

Chapter 41: Understanding one another

Chapter Text

"So." Rational started explaining. "We aren't exactly a body snatcher. We're actually-"

Beast interrupted the explanation. "Didn't we agree to keep everything a secret?"

"We don't have to tell the whole truth, you know," Curious replied.

"You idiot! Don't just say that out loud!" Beast hit Curious with his suitcase.

"To be honest, It's not like we know what is going on either," Rational pointed out.

Caretaker started speaking softly. "Judee, we want to share our story, but we are terrified of what people might do if they find out about us. You must promise to keep it a secret if we tell you."

Judee nodded energetically.

Rational continued, "That means you can't speak about this to anyone. Not Shizo, not Heather, and not even your family."

Judee raised her fist confidently. "I p-promise!"

Rational turned to Beast. "Are we good now?" Beast grumbled and crossed his arms, but he didn't object this time. "As I was saying, We're actually not Anon. Our name is Julio. We don't know how it happened, but we just woke up here as Anon one day."

Judging by her shocked expression, Judee believed me without question. "But… If y-you're not A-Anon, then w-w-what happened to the r-real Anon?"

Curious replied, "I have no idea. Maybe we swapped, and he's in our body back in our world. Maybe he's also here somewhere, though if he is, we haven't met him yet."

Caretaker lowered her head. "I hope he's alright wherever he is…"

Judee raised her hand. "What do y-you mean your w-w-world? Do you c-come from another p-p-planet?"

Beast interjected. "Yeah. A much better one."

Curious chimed in. "Eh. Except for most things having different names, it's pretty much the same."

"Bullshit," Beast replied. "The people from this world are crazy. We've been through way more shit in the few weeks we've been here than in our whole life."

"We actually haven't," Rational remarked. "However, it's true that dinosaur people tend to be a bit… extreme."

"We come from a parallel world similar to this one," Caretaker clarified. "However, there aren't any dinosaur people in our world."

"W-Where did they g-g-go?" Judee asked.

Curious explained, "There were dinosaurs in prehistoric times. But they were animals, not people. And then, a huge asteroid impacted our world and caused a massive extinction."

Judee gasped. "So J-Jesus Raptor didn't s-s-stop the meteor in your w-world?! How did y-you survive?!"

"Small mammals were able to adapt to the new environment." Rational continued the explanation. "They hid underground where it was colder and survived. When the aftermath of the asteroid cleared, those mammals went out to a surface world empty of predators. Humans evolved from them."

Beast proudly boasted. "And we conquered the world, bending it to the might of humanity!"

"I-If your world is o-o-only humans… Isn't it l-l-lonely?"

"Not really," Caretaker noted. "However, things here are definitely more lively. Everyone we have met in this world is really unique. It's wonderful that everyone has their own point of view!"

Beast grumbled. "I'll give you that one. Everyone is too caught up in our world, trying to look perfect and say the right things to fit in. Most people are cardboard cookie cutouts. People here are way more forward and interesting."

"Also, you'd think that being the same species, we would agree more with each other, but that's not the case at all," Rational added. "I've checked a few history books from your world, and we have WAY more armed conflicts."

"Oh…" Judee hugged herself. "Your w-w-world sounds s-s-scary…"

Beast didn't like that comment. "Scary?! Our world?! Sounds rich coming from someone in a world of murderous lizards with razor-sharp claws and teeth! You monsters could tear us apart any moment!"

Judee looked really depressed. "I'm n-n-not a monster…"

Caretaker interjected. "We don't want to be mean… but dinosaurs are scary. Even if you are nice, we're still not used to you guys."

"Most humans from our world think that dinosaurs are cool, but also would never want to be close to one. We have movies about giant dinosaurs that conquer the earth and stuff," Curious pointed out. "However, I don't think Judee fits that description. She's small and adorable."

Beast disagreed. "The small types are the worst. I'm sure she has some trick up her sleeve." He turned to Judee. "I bet you can shoot acid, or your blood is poisonous or something."

"Well…" Judee answered meekly. "My s-s-saliva is p-p-poisonous…"

Beast pointed at Judee. "See?!"

Judee grabbed her bag and pulled out two medical vials. "But I always c-carry the antidote with m-m-me! I don't want to h-hurt people!"

"Just because you don't want to hurt people, doesn't mean you won't," Rational stated. "If we were involved in an accident, it could end badly for us."

Caretaker turned to the others. "Enough of this! We're being mean. Even if dinosaurs can be dangerous, that doesn't mean we should antagonise them."

Judee stared at me with a brave expression. "You c-can t-t-touch me i-if you w-want!"

Curious jumped at the opportunity. "Hell yeah!"

Caretaker hit him on the head. "You fiend! Absolutely not!"

"What do you mean by that, Judee?!" Rational nervously asked.

"I-I-I heard people who have f-fears can f-f-face them if t-t-they touch the t-thing they're afraid of," Judee answered sheepishly. "T-T-Touch therapy, I t-think it's c-called. If you w-want, I can h-help."

"Oh!" Caretaker exhaled in relief. "That's really nice of you, but please be more careful with your wording… If you say it like that, it could be interpreted badly."

Judee lowered her head. "Sorry… English is n-n-not my f-first language. W-What did I s-s-say?"

"Don't worry about it," Rational brushed the misunderstanding aside. "So, touch therapy... I think that's a great idea."

"Me too!" Curious piled on. "I'm really interested in looking at dinosaurs from up close. We read a few anatomy books, but having the opportunity to take a closer look at the real thing is exciting."

Beast crossed their arms. "I don't like it, but why the hell not at this point."

Caretaker bowed down. "Thank you, Judee. I hope you don't feel uncomfortable. If you don't like it or we are too much, just tell us, and we'll stop, Okay?"

I took off all the puppets and set them to the side. I sat down beside Judee and started examining her. First, I got close to her head and cautiously grabbed some hair. It was long and white, and felt exactly like a human's.

"Why do you guys have hair?"

"h-h-huh?"

"Sorry, that was a strange thing to ask."

I looked closely at her face. It was also white, though she had some black spots. At first, I thought they were freckles, but I could see them on her tail, too. They were likely a pattern instead. I also noticed her irises were glowing a bit, like a cat's. Our eyes met momentarily, and I could sense she was somewhat skittish.

"Are you okay?"

"I-It's okay, d-d-don't worry," Judee reassured me. "I-It's just I'm F-F-Finnish, and we d-don't usually g-g-get this c-c-c-close to p-p-people. It's a bit… w-w-weird."

"We can stop if you're uncomfortable."

Judee looked at me with a decisive stance but with puppy eyes. "N-No, p-p-p-please! I w-w-want to help!"

I asked her to open her mouth to continue with the examination. Her tongue was longer than I expected, and her teeth were the most impressive thing I had ever seen. They were a single row of small, serrated, razor-sharp teeth. Something like that could tear up any type of food. I was sure she could chew through an entire car if she wanted.

Then it finally clicked. Most dinosaur people in this world were built like predators, and that made me always feel like prey. Unconsciously, I always took the path of least resistance, trying to avoid conflict at all costs. When Spears told me that dinosaurs were people, I had simply understood that they were intelligent creatures you could talk to. It didn't change the feeling of being prey and predator.

However, at that moment, it was clear that my point of view wasn't correct. Even though Judee had all of these built-in hunting tools, it was impossible to regard the cute, trembling mess of nerves before me as a killing machine.

Judee was just a timid girl doing her best to help a friend.

Why were we even scared of her… Why are we such cowards…

I finally understood what Spears meant when he said dinosaurs were like us. He wasn't just talking about getting along or finding common ground. He meant something more: we were all a part of the same community.

Heather was an earnest and straightforward farmgirl who preferred the simple things in life. Stella was an otaku who could ramble about anime for hours. Jenny was an overworked server who always looked like a zombie from dealing with customers all day.

Dinosaurs might look different and scary, but they were just people. People just like me.

I moved away from Judee and smiled warmly at her. "Thanks a lot, Judee. I think I learned what I needed to learn. I hope it wasn't too much for you."

"It's o-okay," she said. "It was l-like a v-v-visit to the d-d-doctor."

I laughed softly. "Oh? Then I suppose I should give you a treat now."

Judee's eyes opened like plates. "You have more c-cookies?!"

"Not right now, but I can bake more!"

The intercom came alive with a screech, followed by Spears' familiar roar. " ANON MOUS. IF YOU'RE NOT IN MY OFFICE WITHIN TEN MINUTES, I SWEAR ON MY DEAR FAMILY, I WILL PERSONALLY MOUNT YOU ON MY WALL. "

"Welp, I guess that's my cue to leave." I got up and grabbed my stuff. "See you around!"

Judee amicably waved goodbye as I left.

Chapter 42: Talking things through

Chapter Text

"Anon. I was informed you were chased by another student. And that you missed your First Period class." Spears was sitting in his office chair, staring at me with a firm gaze. "Care to explain?"

"I'm honestly not entirely sure what happened myself," I replied.

"I'm not saying you're at fault, but I don't want these incidents to become a regular occurrence. Your academic performance has greatly improved since you transferred here, and it would be a shame to see that progress go down the drain because of incidents like these."

"I'll… do my best not to be chased around?"

This world is crazy. What the fuck are we even supposed to do!?

"With that out of the way… I was also told there was another incident at campus beautification yesterday. Care to elaborate on that?"

Can we bullshit our way out of this one?

Spears will understand us if we tell him the truth.

"Okay, that one was definitely my fault." I took a moment to gather my thoughts. "Fang and I had a fight, and we were both angry. There was an accident, and I fell on top of a flower patch. Rosa came screaming at us, and I shouted back quite aggressively. I have to apologise to her, but I haven't had a moment to do so yet."

Spears raised an inquisitive eyebrow. I gathered the incident he was referring to was not that one.

Ah! I got it. He's mad because we left detention early.

I continued, "There's also the fact that I left early. I completely forgot to tell you, but I found a great part-time job at a restaurant. I start at eleven on the weekends, and the place is a bit far from school. Given my financial situation, I cannot afford to miss work. Literally."

Spears' expression softened as he remained pensive for a while. "Your situation is a bit complicated. Your conduct was improper, but it's unprecedented that a teenager has to care this deeply about adult problems. I was going to give you a punishment for your actions… but what you need right now is some leniency."

Spears pulled out a small piece of paper, quickly wrote something on it, signed it, and handed it to me. The note stated that I could excuse myself from school responsibilities if the situation required it.

Now that's a nice bonus.

I knew he would understand. I'm glad he's our principal.

Spears got up and grabbed my shoulder firmly, his eyes drilling into mine. "However, I'm only giving you this freedom because your grades are more than satisfactory, and you have been responsible thus far. If you abuse this leniency, I will have no option but to punish you and take it away. Are we clear?"

"Crystal clear, sir." I put the note in my pocket.

"Good." Spears released me and leaned back in his seat. His expression softened again. "I would send you back to class now, but with only a few minutes left, all you'd do is disrupt the lesson. Since we still have some time, I'd like to hear your thoughts."

"My thoughts on what?"

"I'll listen to whatever you wish to tell me."

That's a really open question. What do we even say?

We speak of all the times life has fucked us.

Spears is one of the best people we've ever met. We should thank him.

He'd appreciate it more if we're honest and tell him what's troubling us.

"Every moment of my life since I arrived here has been constant chaos. Not a single day goes by without something weird happening to me, and I still can't get used to it." I sighed. "I really miss my calm and quiet life."

Spears nodded. "I understand you had no option but to transfer to another school after your incident. These types of abrupt changes are always challenging to handle. Especially for a teenager."

We still need to find out what Anon did that made him transfer schools.

Whatever he did, it can't be worse than terrorism.

"When I arrived here, I knew nothing about dinosaurs. Honestly, I thought they would tear me apart the moment I let my guard down. But you helped me understand that dinosaurs and humans aren't that different. I even made a few friends once I got used to them!

"Don't get me wrong. I still get into many strange situations and have a long way to go until I'm used to living here. However, I'm starting to feel more at home. It's been a while since I was looking forward to the future, even if I'm not sure what I'll do after graduation yet... I guess I'm still figuring things out."

A happy smile gradually appeared on Spears' face. "You may have had a really rough start, but it's only thanks to your hard work and dedication that you managed to turn the situation around. You are a good kid, Anon. I'm really proud of you."

Since the incident, all I've received from people are angry glares and mean comments. When it wasn't that, it was pure indifference, which felt even worse in some ways. I tried hard to turn my situation around and prove I was more than my mistakes.

But people are ruthless. They mocked me, bullied me, and treated me like trash. I tried to convince myself it was okay to never receive a warm comment ever again.

I could feel a single, manly tear roll down my cheek.

I don't think Spears realises how much those words mean to us.

This warmth… It's really been a while, hasn't it?

I'm glad we came to this world. I'm really, really glad we met Spears.

"I believe I've taken enough of your time, Anon. You should get to class." As if on cue, the school bell rang.

I waved goodbye and made my way to the Science lab. I came in early and sat on my usual seat at the back of the classroom. Some moments after, Fang sat down on the seat next to mine, startling me.

With all the craziness, we forgot about Fang

"Hey," they greeted, not wanting to make eye contact.

"Hey," I greeted back, also unsure what to do.

The teacher handed us our usual assignment, and we began working on it diligently. It was the perfect excuse to avoid acknowledging our awkwardness. However, we were already used to working as a pair, and we made a good team. We finished with much time to spare, even after checking and double-checking every answer.

We stared at each other awkwardly in silence. Still trying to figure out what to say.

"I'm so-" We both started speaking simultaneously.

"You first," I said.

Fang took a breath. "I'm sorry I knocked you off a ladder. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I fell on top of you, and you cushioned my fall. Are you okay, by the way?"

"Don't worry, dinosaurs are tough."

We stared at each other nervously in silence again.

"What were you going to say?" Fang asked.

"Ah, yeah. I'm sorry for causing a misunderstanding with the cookies."

Fang tilted their head in confusion. "Cookies? What?"

"Isn't that why you were mad?"

"Fuck no! I was mad because you made it sound like what happened on the rooftop wasn't important. Like I didn't mean anything to you. I thought we were close, and then… It's like you didn't care about me anymore."

"It's not that I don't care." I clarified. "I just didn't want Stella to know."

"Why not?! Does being my friend embarrass you that much?!" Fang began raising her voice, and some people turned to us with curious glares.

"I thought you would be mad if I told Stella the truth."

"I have a shit reputation already, and I don't give a shit about anyone in this school." Fang clicked their tongue in annoyance. "Most people in this school are just weeds anyway. They won't ever amount to anything, just taking up resources from the people that matter."

That comment reminded me of what Lydia used to say, hitting way too close to home for me to ignore. I stared Fang directly in the eyes. "Don't say something like that ever again."

They made a dismissive gesture. "Why? It's the truth."

"Absolutely not. Most people are dumb, but that doesn't mean their lives are worthless. If you keep believing your life is more important than others, you'll go down a really dangerous path."

"Jesus Raptor, it was just a comment." Fang was taken aback by my strong reaction. "The thing is… I haven't made any friends in, well… a while. Most people just don't get me, and I… I don't want to lose an actual friend over stupid bullshit like rumours and shit."

Dial it back, guys. Fang is not Lydia.

"I… I also don't want to lose a friend because of that… And I enjoy spending time with you…. I was only mad because you were childish and didn't tell me what was wrong."

Fang crossed their arms and raised an eyebrow. "Don't blame me. It was obvious."

"No, it fucking wasn't. I thought-"

Wait, was the whole thing a big misunderstanding? Does this mean that Fang is not into us?

Well, this is fucking awkward.

"Anon?"

Chapter 43: Conflict resolution

Chapter Text

The school bell rang just in time to interrupt my awkward silence and announce the start of the lunch period. Dr. Fernsworth started collecting the assignments, which gave me a few moments to think about my next move.

Lunch is the perfect excuse to bail.

Fuck no! We're done being cowards and taking the easy way out!

Weren't you the one that wanted to avoid everyone the most?

After talking to Judee, I had an enlightenment. I hate how we always run away whenever we are in the middle of a complicated situation.

It's a tactical retreat. We figure out what to say and then return with clear ideas.

Tactical retreat, my ass! We're just being a bunch of cowards. I won't let us run away this time.

Fang is our friend. We all want to clear things up with them, but we need to figure out what to say.

Just say the first thing that comes to mind.

After Dr. Fernsworth left with our assignment, Fang turned to me again. I took a long breath, trying to find the right words. "You see… I'm not very good at relationships. I've never had any close friends, or… well… any real friends, really. I don't know what I'm doing, so I mess up sometimes."

"I don't buy it," Fang remarked, deadpan. "You are friendly with absolutely everyone. If you're shit at relationships, then why the fuck do you have more friends than me?"

"Sure, I'm friendly with many people, but I can't call them close friendships. I haven't even hung out with anyone other than you." I unlocked my phone and showed them my still almost empty contact list. "Honestly, you have more real friends than me."

Fang crossed their arms. "If you haven't noticed, I'm also a social pariah."

"Well, at least you have Trish and Reed," I pointed out. "And you also have a family. That counts for something, no?"

"My father is an asshole, and my mother is… well, she's always in her own little world where nothing is ever wrong. My shitty baby brother is an ass, Trish is as stubborn as a mammoth, and Reed... is Reed." Fang sits back on her chair and hangs her head backwards. "It sucks that the new guy is the only one I can tell shit to."

"At least we can share our shitty lives with each other, I guess." I shrugged. "Anyways, I'm hungry. I'll catch you in the auditorium."

"You're not coming to the cafeteria?"

"Naser and I had a big argument. It ended quite badly," I admitted. "I'm keeping my distance from him for a while, so I asked Reed to grab me some food."

That's a hell of an understatement. We got beat up.

Honestly, I expected Naser to come for us the instant we stepped into the school today.

Fang tried to comfort me. "Don't worry about it. My brother's an idiot, but he wouldn't hurt a fly. What was the argument even about?"

"You," I admitted, scratching my neck awkwardly. "Naser thought I was getting too close to you and that I'd be a bad influence or something."

"Fucking hell… Again?! Why is it so damn hard to stop judging me or my friends for, like, a minute and just give me a break?!" Fang scoffed. "And here I thought he finally learned to leave me alone..."

I raised an eyebrow at that last comment. "Naser left you alone?"

"I mean, he's still bothering me constantly, but he didn't screw anything up this weekend. I actually thought I'd get a break for once! But no! He just has to go and mess with my friends!" Fang slammed the desk angrily as they stood up. "You know what? I'm going to rip him a new one."

I grabbed their arm before they stormed off, trying to avoid another conflict. "Hey, I know you're pissed, but even if Naser fucks up all the time, he really does care about you."

"So what? He's always fucking up my life! All the time! I'll insult my fucked-wing retard of a brother until he learns to leave me and my friends the fuck alone!"

Fang was furious. I instinctively backed up, but I kept trying to calm them down. "Sure, but if he changed for the better, maybe it's best to let this one slide? I think I should get a say. I mean, I was the one who got hit, after all."

"NASER HIT YOU?!" Fang barred their teeth.

"Well… It was more of a shove," I admitted sheepishly.

Fang pulled away their arm from my grasp, setting off to get a piece of Naser. They opened the door with a kick, slamming it against the wall and almost taking it off its hinges.

Should we… I don't know… do something?

At this point, it's better to just go to the auditorium for lunch and let Fang and Naser talk it out.

Talk it out? Things are going to get physical between them. Honestly, I feel sorry for him.

He got into this mess himself, so let him deal with the consequences. He's lucky we've forgiven him. Deep down, I also want to kick him in the face.

Fang stormed off, leaving me alone. With nothing else to do, I grabbed my stuff and headed to the auditorium for lunch. When I pushed the doors open, I saw Trish devouring a massive salad while lounging on a chair, while Reed was tinkering with a projector.

"Yo, guys!" I called out.

"Hey! A-man! How's it going?" Reed replied, not looking away from the machine.

Instead of throwing out her usual insult about skinnies, which I recently learned was a racial slur, Trish stared at me with a devious smile before returning to her salad.

What the fuck was that?

Trish is happy to see us? That can't be good.

Come on, guys! Maybe she's finally learned to let things go and turned over a new leaf.

Unlikely. Be on your guard, everyone.

I approached Reed, hoping he remembered to grab something at the cafeteria. I got up on stage next to him and noticed he was having trouble figuring out how to work the prehistoric apparatus he was trying to fix. I wanted to help him, but the infernal device disregarded any diplomatic attempts from either of us.

After trying (and failing) to help, I asked Reed if he had remembered to grab me something for lunch. He pointed to his bag on one of the auditorium chairs and said he'd gotten a couple of sandwiches for me. I thanked him and headed over to get them.

However, Trish stopped me before I could, grabbing my shoulder and pinning me to the wall. "Did you really think I would let you mess with Fang like that?"

"Huh? Like what?" I genuinely had no idea what beef she had with me this time.

"You did something to Fang at detention, and it was so terrible they wouldn't even tell me what it was," she explained. "And now I just saw them walking by the auditorium, and they were so mad they didn't even greet me or tell me where they were going. I've never seen them this upset, and we have been friends for ten years now."

I sighed. "The thing is-"

"I won't hear your excuses." She pushed harder, cutting me off and staring into my eyes with pure hatred. "It's not complicated at all. Fang was fine before you came, and now they're not. You messed that up, and I don't care how. You're the problem."

"That's not-"

"Shut the fuck up." Thanks to being a dinosaur, Trish's grip was extremely strong for someone her size. I tried getting Reed's attention, but he was too focused on the projector.

"Normally, I would beat you up like all those bastards who laughed at us at the concert. However, you've hurt me and Fang too much to let you go this easily." Her grip tightened, accentuating her threat. "I found your secret, and I'm going to show what you're hiding to everyone."

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening. Trish is going to tell everyone we're not Anon! This is really bad!

How the fuck did she find out?!

Maybe she overheard us talking to Judee?

I knew we shouldn't have told her!

Trish smirked again. "It's great watching you panic. Enjoy your last meal before you're outed to the whole school." She released her grip and returned to her seat.

Okay, team, any ideas?

We kill Trish before she tells anyone.

Why is murder always your solution to everything?

We have no other option. There's no way we can let people know our secret.

We're making a mountain out of a molehill. What if people know we're from another world? Didn't we already tell Judee anyway?

If one or two friends know, that's okay. However, if everyone knows, this is going to become a thing. And everything would go downhill real quick. We need to stop her at any cost. We're going to be thrown into jail! We're going to become experiments for these dinosaur freaks!

I don't think being a murderer is better than being an alien, though.

What do we do, then?!

You're the smart one! Stop fucking panicking and think of a plan!

Chapter 44: Revenge feels best served piping hot

Chapter Text

Trish POV

Halfway through lunch, Fang returned to the auditorium, still affected by whatever Anon had done to them in Science class. However, they looked even worse now. They were furious but sad, looking at the ground with bared teeth and watery eyes.

I was really worried about them.

I rushed to their side. "Fang! What happened?!"

Fang pushed me aside. "Not now, Trish... Just... Just leave me alone."

Why wouldn't Fang tell me what was wrong?! Why didn't they trust me anymore?!

I knew why. The bastard responsible for everything was sitting just a few feet away from us. Anon had slid into our group like a snake, tearing our friendship apart. Why did Reed and Fang want to hang with him?! What could they possibly see in that skinnie bastard?! Why couldn't they see how much he ruined our friendship and our band?!

I stopped myself from kicking Anon's ass right then and there. Beating Anon up wouldn't solve anything, no matter how much I wanted to do it. I had already found a way to destroy him once and for all. I had the solution to all our problems safely stored in my phone. I just needed to figure out the best way to use it.

When I asked Reed what he was doing with the projector, he told me we would have an assembly after lunch. Showing everyone at school the truth about Anon would be the perfect revenge. And then Reed asked me to fetch Naomi's presentation, giving me the perfect opportunity to pull it off.

After fetching Naomi's pen drive, I detoured into the computer room. I turned one of the computers on, plugged in the pen drive and my phone, and swapped the last few slides of the presentation with Anon's incriminating photos.

They were disgusting photoshopped photos of him with some weird anime girls. Some of them were even clearly children! Seeing those images again reminded me how genuinely horrible Anon was. He was just a womanizer pedophile bastard! He was just trash!

I took the pen drive out and turned off the computer, hurrying to the auditorium so no one suspected anything. I handed it to Reed, who finished setting up the projector just as people entered the auditorium.

I did what I needed to do. It was now only a matter of time before everyone knew the truth about Anon.

Spears shouted for everyone to shut up and called Naomi to give her presentation. While she drilled our heads with stupid useless information about graduation, I kept Anon in check to make sure he didn't pull any bullshit. I was glad he was still panicking, muttering to himself like the freak he was.

Then, it happened. Reed clicked to the next slide, revealing the first of many poorly photoshopped images of Anon with anime girls.

The whole auditorium went quiet. Dead quiet.

And then, everyone erupted into laughter.

Yes! Now Fang and Reed would see how awful Anon was and finally kick him from the group!

Before escaping, I turned to Anon one last time, wanting to burn his broken, defeated face into my mind. But that wasn't what I saw.

Anon wasn't cowering in shame or crying like I thought he would.

The fucker was laughing!

After recovering from their shock, Naser and Naomi quickly switched the slide to reveal another embarrassing photo of Anon. Once he saw it, he laughed even harder than before. No matter how horrible the images were, Anon kept on laughing.

Why was he laughing?!

Eventually, Naser punched the projector, breaking it. The loud noise broke me from my trance and reminded me that I still had to escape. I ran for the doors, but Spears was faster than me. He grabbed my whole head with a massive baseball glove, lifting me in the air.

Spears carried me to his office, sitting me down on a chair. He didn't even try to speak for the longest time, just staring at me with a judging, disappointed look.

I hated that look.

"Three MONTHS!" He slammed his desk in anger. "THREE MONTHS from graduation, and YOU PULL A STUNT LIKE THIS?! I've half a mind to have campus security escort you out of here and send you to Reef City Continuation." He sighed heavily and stared right into my eyes. "You have five minutes to explain why I shouldn't do that right now."

I started crying. Why couldn't anyone see that I had no other option?! "It's Anon! It's all his fault! I didn't know what else I could do! He is just some asshole from the sticks. A fucking skinnie that's tearing our group apart! He's the one driving Fang away!"

Spears clutched his head in frustration, thinking about what to do with me. After a moment, he called Anon into his office. The bastard came in, greeting him with a smile like nothing had even happened. The principal gestured to me. "Trish, is there anything you would like to tell Anon?"

Of course, I had things to say to the skinnie bastard! "It's all your fault! Who are you to come here and take Fang Away! You're just some nobody from the middle of nowhere who only cares about yourself! I helped pull Fang out of their shell. Our band was doing just fine. And then you show up and start manipulating everyone! Because you're a selfish control freak!

"Everything has to revolve around you! We were going to make it to the top! But you stole everything from me because you didn't understand us!" I couldn't hold my tears any longer and began crying again. "No one understands us!"

Spears then gestured to Anon. "Anon, is there something you want to add?"

He nodded. "I mean, of course, I don't understand you guys. I've known you for... three weeks, tops? That barely counts for anything."

I expected Anon to scold me, acting as intellectually superior as skinnies usually did. Instead, he calmly agreed with me. I couldn't understand why.

He continued, "My plan was to graduate without interacting with anyone, but that plan went out the window really fast. For some reason, things keep happening to me. At this point, I learned it's better to go with the flow than fight it.

"I didn't really try to understand Fang at first, but after we spent some time together, we found out we had a lot of things in common. I... really enjoy hanging out with them." Anon was smiling like an idiot talking about Fang. I refused to acknowledge it. "They're really cool, you know. It would be a shame not to be their friend."

I snapped back in anger. "But you're the one messing everything up!"

He answered casually. "Really? I don't really think that's the truth. The way I see it, you guys were already falling apart without my help."

"Fuck you!"

"Look, for example. That shit you pulled with the projector? Props for setting it all up. I can respect the amount of work it took. However, I honestly don't care about my reputation here. This shit is really tame compared to the kind of bullying I'm used to." He pointed to himself proudly and chuckled. "I'm a professional bullying victim, you know."

Spears and I looked at Anon with a dumbfounded look.

"Anyways," Anon coughed, "even though I'm fine, Fang and Reed were extremely affected by that stunt you pulled. Reed's out there mulling over how you betrayed him and broke his trust, and Fang is really depressed, thinking that everything that happened is their fault. We… didn't mean to eavesdrop, but you two were shouting a lot. It was hard not to hear everything."

I didn't know what to think anymore. I hated Anon, and I didn't want to listen to him. But...

Something in my head finally clicked. I realized that everything he said was true. Even though I wanted to protect Fang, the only thing I managed to do was hurt them.

I was the one who hurt Fang.

Anon kept talking. "Fang told me you three have been friends since kindergarten. That's a very long time. I'm sure you guys have been through a lot of shit together. It would suck if you guys were to fall apart."

"I…! I…"

I couldn't say anything.

I didn't know what to say.

If Anon wasn't the problem…

...

Was everything that happened my fault?

Was I the problem?

…

I cried.

I cried hard.

I ugly cried.

I used every single tissue in Spears' office.

Chapter 45: Growing a spine

Chapter Text

"It's… It's my fault… I'm… sorry." Trish's anger had dissipated entirely now. The only emotions remaining were sadness and remorse.

"Apologising is great, but you really fucked up. You've hurt your friends and caused a lot of trouble. However, I believe it's fine as long as you clean up your mess and learn not to fuck up again." I smiled. "After that… we can even start over again."

Why the fuck do we keep forgiving everyone no matter what they do to us?!

Because if we are worth a second chance after what we did, everyone else does, too.

"Well said, son. I couldn't have said it better myself." Spears smiled proudly like a father would. "I'd like to have a word with you about being a 'professional bullying victim', but I believe you've gone through enough today. You can leave and take the rest of the day off."

I was about to exit the room, but Spears offered one last comment before I opened the door.

"One last thing… Don't think I didn't notice." Spears stared sternly at me as I slowly turned back around. "Your waifu is trash, and your taste is shit. My door is always open so I can share some quality anime."

Weren't the waifus from the photos mostly Neptunia or whatever it's called in this world?

Neptunia is not trash, you literal Neandertal!

To be honest, we recognised all of Anon's waifus. We have the same taste in anime and games.

"I respectfully but assertively disagree with that statement. The common folk dare not tread the road less travelled, but only in the depths of the abyss one finds the most unique treasures." I turned around as dramatically as I could without looking back. "Nep Nep, Principal Spears."

I exited the room and saw Fang and Reed huddled together, leaning against the door frame with complicated expressions on their faces.

"Hey," Fang greeted, still as distraught as I left them.

"How did it go?" Reed asked.

"Surprisingly well, to be honest. I think you were right when you told me Trish was a good person." I joined them, leaning against the wall, and sighed. "However, she should learn to stop being a fucking idiot and actually listen to others for once."

Fang scratched her arm dejectedly. "You're doing okay?"

High school was objectively the worst time in our lives because of the bullying. And now Trish gave the bullies a reason to make our life hell.

Even if dinosaurs are a bit more extreme, they won't reach the level of 'pranks' that we're used to. The things those kids did to us broke the Geneva Convention multiple times.

Those kids were ruthless…

"Eh…" I make a so-and-so gesture with my hand. "All things considered, I've been a bullying victim for a long time. This whole doxxing prank is tame in comparison."

Fang and Reed looked at me appalled like Spears and Trish did when I told them I was used to being bullied.

"This was tame? Dude… Like…" Reed scratched his neck. "What kind of things did they do to you in your previous school?"

"There was this one time that they tore all my clothes and tied me to a tree. They bound my arms and legs so I couldn't move and then started throwing paint at me. I couldn't do anything, so I had to spend the whole night stuck to a tree until the gardener found me and helped me down."

And we thought that shit was normal…

Worse. We thought we deserved it.

After hearing my story, Fang and Reed stared at me with horror. They couldn't believe anyone could be that cruel. We all stood there in awkward silence for a while.

I eventually got up from the wall. "Well, the day is still young. I'm going home."

"I uh… can ditch." Fang offered. "If you need me to come with you."

I could see that Fang wanted to join me, but they were extremely affected by everything that happened themselves. They looked conflicted, continuously looking back and forth between me and the door to Spears' office.

Even though we should go home and rest, we will end up staying because of Fang, right?

You know it!

It's the right thing to do.

God fucking dammit…

I leaned against the wall again. "You're worried about Trish, aren't you?"

Fang turned, hanging their head dejectedly. "How could I not see something like this happening?"

I shrugged. "Shit happens. What's important is what you do now."

Fang steeled themselves and looked me in the eye. "We should go. You probably don't want to see Trish after she leaves."

"You're right, I don't want to see her," I replied. "But you do. I already told Trish all I wanted to say. But you haven't had the opportunity to talk to her yet. I can wait until you two are done. I don't mind."

Reed nods. "It's a good call, dude. Thanks."

We slid down from the wall and sat on the floor. I started browsing random topics on my phone. Reed was awkwardly toying with his tail in silence, also strangely calm about everything. Fang, however, was clearly the one most affected by the incident. They hung their head, wondering what to say to Trish after she came out.

I got bored of doom scrolling through social media. "By the way, Fang. What happened at the cafeteria? Did you talk it out with Naser?"

Fang was surprised by my question and took a few moments to answer. "I… don't even know what happened. I told him to piss off, and he just replied that he would, but… Why did he say it like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like, really cold and dismissive." Fang looked conflicted. "Naser told me he didn't want to fuck up my life anymore, so he would leave me alone."

Reed was also interested, so we told him what happened. "Dude... Isn't leaving you alone, like, what you're always telling him to do?"

Fang crossed their arms. "Maybe? I don't know… I have a feeling he said it like he wouldn't talk to me ever again."

Naser took our advice to heart a bit too much.

Sometimes, it's better to end the relationship outright. It's easier than letting it become a constant source of pain.

But what if those two had a good relationship before all this? Are they really never going to talk again just because of one fight?

'Just one fight' is one hell of an understatement. Ever since we met them, I don't remember those two having a positive interaction ever.

Reed remained pensive, but Trish exited Spears' office before he could give his opinion. Trish was still crying heavily, her face completely red at this point. Fang stood alone while Reed and I kept sitting on the floor.

They stared at each other for a while, Fang finally breaking the silence. "Why? Why did you do all of this? Anon is our friend! This is the kind of shit that those douchebags who make fun of us would do!"

Trish spoke between sobs. "...I… I thought he was a bad influence… I thought he was driving us apart… Everything is changing, Fang… And I'm really scared… I don't like it… And I thought it was all because of Anon."

"Then why didn't you just fucking talk to us?"

Because Trish is as delicate as a bull in a china shop.

That's mean!

And true. She even has the horns to match.

"I know you told me, but… I didn't want him to hurt you… I thought you deserved better… he's not-" I noticed Trish throwing a glance at me and cutting herself off. "I'm really sorry, Fang. I was just trying to look out for you, but I messed up…"

"I can make my own decisions, Trish." Fang sighed and rubbed their temples. "I thought about it... and I'm going to take a break from the band."

"What?!" Trish's voice cracked as the weight of Fang's words hit her like a wrecking ball, leaving her completely frozen in place, overwhelmed by the consequences of her actions.

Fang didn't say another word. They steeled themselves and walked away with a simple, quiet goodbye. Reed hesitated momentarily but ultimately decided to get up and follow Fang.

Before I knew it, I was standing alone next to Trish.

Should we… comfort her?

Absolutely not! No way in hell!

I turned to leave, but Trish grabbed my arm before I could. Unlike in the auditorium, her grip was less hostile, almost hesitant.

"Hey… I just… I need to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

She locked eyes with me with a serious expression that contrasted with her red and puffy face after crying so much. "Do you… Do you like Fang?"

Dodge the question.

No! We won't run away again. This time, we get to the bottom of this.

I thought about my relationship with Fang. How quickly we'd connected despite being different species, the moments and deep emotions we'd shared, and how much I truly cared about them. I thought about how, in only a few weeks, they'd become someone I wanted to be around all the time.

Those feelings had been there for a while, but I'd always pushed them aside because of my past. Loving someone again after what happened was hard, and Fang reminded me of Lydia in ways that scared me.

But was that fear of the past enough of a reason to ignore what I felt now?

…

No.

No, it wasn't.

I met Trish's gaze head-on. "Yes. I like Fang."

Chapter 46: Life is a shitshow

Chapter Text

After my confession, Trish became a whirlwind of emotions: anger, confusion, sadness, pain… All of them in the span of a few seconds. When she settled down, she was totally spent, unable to do anything but stand there looking at nowhere in particular.

I had nothing else to say. "Welp. See you around."

Trish didn't say goodbye or react at all, for that matter. It was like she had become a statue. I walked away, leaving her to her mental breakdown. Reed was waiting for me, leaning against a wall, and approached as soon as I was done talking to Trish.

"You always make the right call in these sorts of situations." He closed his eyes and scratched his neck. "Dude, I'm jealous of you."

Now that's a nice joke.

"Don't be." I sighed. "My life is a fucking mess. It's trouble after trouble after trouble."

"That's the thing. Like, you have arguably the shittiest life of all of us, and despite that, you still pull through everything. How do you do it, dude?"

"Well, the alternative is to give up, fall over and die. Even if I don't know where I'm going, I think it's better to keep moving forward."

Reed tilted his head, somewhat annoyed at my answer. "Right, but… I mean, like… how do you always solve everything so well?"

"No idea. Maybe I'm just lucky?"

Reed scoffed. "That can't be it. Trish doxxed you to the entire school, and you should be outraged. Your first reaction should have been to fight with her, insult her or run away crying. Instead, you calmly talked it out with her like an adult. You even managed to support Fang through everything, too."

"Well… I've screwed up a lot in my life. I've got a lot of experience in what you shouldn't do. Eventually, you run out of ways to mess up."

He looked away, resentful. "...And, of course, you have the perfect excuse for that too."

What's going on with Reed?

He looks really hurt. This whole thing may have shaken him more than we thought.

…I have the feeling Reed isn't really the chill druggy goofball that we think he is.

I thought about it for a moment and decided to tell Reed the truth. "If I'm 100% honest, I'm just doing what my psychologist taught me. I didn't come up with anything myself." I shrugged. "Look, I was in a really dark place and didn't know what to do. My psychologist told me how I was supposed to live my life, and things get better when I follow his advice. Honestly, I don't really know why it works. I just know it does."

"Hmm… A psychologist, huh…" Reed remained silent, mulling over my words. "I guess I can give it a shot..." Suddenly, he leaned forward and lowered his voice. "By the way, you should tell them, bro."

"Tell who what?"

Reed just gave me a cryptic wink and left towards Trish. He approached her, still broken and unmoving, and gently pulled her into a hug. Trish hesitated, but after a moment, she hugged him back.

I decided it was best to give them some space, so I exited the school building. I took the path through the gardens to avoid running into anyone.

We should lay low while we wait for this whole thing to blow over.

We survived five years of the worst bullying ever. We can handle whatever these dinosaur freaks throw at us.

By the way... What did Reed mean by telling them? Who's them?

We only know one non-binary person. He probably meant we should tell Fang our feelings.

How the fuck did he know?! Is he a psychic?!

Judee also knew. She was making Fang's puppet and our puppet kiss when we surprised her.

Perhaps this is why Trish was so mean to us. Was she scared we would take her best friend away?

We're the only ones that didn't see it. We're definitely the worst at relationships.

When I reached the school's entrance, I spotted Fang absentmindedly scrolling through their phone, still visibly shaken. They looked up and noticed me.

"...How are you holding up?"

"I'm a bit exhausted, but I'm used to it." I waved it off with a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about me."

"Uh… I can call us a taxi or something if you're tired."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Thanks."

We started walking toward the stairs while Fang dialled the number, but after a few steps, my thoughts caught up to me. "Hey… Maybe it's not the best time for this, but I wanted to tell you something…"

Fang turned to me, tilting their head slightly. "What is it?"

"I… I've been thinking a lot about a lot of stuff… and…"

"HEY LOSER, THINK FAST!"

I turned around just in time for a soda can to hit me square in the forehead, knocking me off balance and sending me tumbling down the stairs.

My entire body was in pain. My legs felt like they were on fire, and my shoulder definitely was not where it should be. I tried to sit up, but the moment I put some weight on my arms, I slipped and fell to the ground like a sack of bricks again.

"Anon!" Fang rushed down the stairs. "Are you okay?!"

What the fuck do you think?!

"I've certainly been in better shape," I muttered, forcing myself to laugh at my joke even though it hurt. I tried to push myself to stand up again, but my body refused to cooperate.

"Hold up. Let me help you up."

Fang grabbed me by my good shoulder and helped me to my feet, taking me to a nearby bench. They sat me down and pulled out their phone to call us a cab. Afterwards, they took a cigarette box from their pocket and offered me a smoke.

"I heard somewhere that nicotine helps with pain."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'd rather have some Ibuprofen. It helps waAY-" I winced as my shoulder flared up again, sending a sharp pain through my body. It was definitely dislocated, and I knew that if I didn't put it back into place before it swelled, it would be a bitch to heal back up. "Fang, could you help me with this shoulder?"

Fang blinked, confused. "Uh… What am I supposed to do?"

"It's dislocated and it hurts like a bitch." I explained between clenched teeth. "I'd fix it myself, but I don't think I have the strength right now. Just help me put it back into place."

Fang was hesitant. "Is that a good idea? I have no fucking clue how to do that."

Thanks to my wonderful childhood, I had quite a lot of experience patching myself up. I guided Fang through the steps, showing them where to grab and how to pull and rotate the bone. Despite Fang's lack of experience, their dinosaur strength made it easy for them to shift the shoulder back into place.

"Fuck…" A wave of relief hit me as the pain slowly eased into an ache. "Thanks, Fang."

Now that the main issue was handled, I could finally take a moment to examine the rest of my body. Luckily, other than my now fixed shoulder, the rest of the wounds were simple scrapes and bruises that could be handled with basic first aid and some rest.

We've been through worse. We can handle it.

Right, but we're due a first aid session when we get home.

Once the taxi arrived, Fang helped me stand up and get into the cab. The driver, a greasy-looking raptor with a goatee and incredibly long eyebrows, turned to me with a toothy smile while Fang got in through the opposite door.

"...Shit, kid. You look like you got into a fight with a steamroller and lost."

"It was actually a flight of stairs." I corrected him.

"Now, where are you kids heading on a school day?" He chuckled. "Maybe the hospital?"

"Two-thirty-seven South St. Hammond Street."

The driver sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Skin Row, eh? Well, I can take you to the edge of the neighbourhood. Is that a deal?"

"Sure, whatever."

I would have loved to rest during the ride, but the ludicrous speed and reckless driving made that impossible. Every sharp turn reminded me exactly which body parts were more bruised and beaten.

After a while, Fang turned to me with a concerned expression. "Why doesn't the driver want to go all the way to your place? It can't be that bad, right?"

"Well…" I hesitated before answering. "Skin Row earned its fame for a reason."

Fang looked at me with a nervous smile as if waiting for me to laugh and say I was joking. I didn't. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. No one will bother me if I don't go looking for trouble. People in areas like these don't mess with locals. Why would you mug someone without any money?"

Fang frowned. "Right, but what about me? I'm not a local."

"You don't need to come with me," I reassured them. "I can walk to my apartment on my own. Don't worry about it."

"Fuck no." Fang's tone was firm, and their eyes were locked into mine. "I'm not leaving you alone like this."

That comment hit me harder than I expected. It was the second time in my life that someone had gone out of their way to ensure I was alright. I was not used to this.

Despite the pain and the mess of emotions swirling inside me, at that precise moment, I felt a strange warmth I was not used to.

Chapter 47: An intimate moment

Chapter Text

I tried to ease Fang's worries. "We'll be fine. It's only a couple of blocks. And even if you're not a local, you sure look like one."

"If you say so…" Fang suddenly frowned. "Wait… was that an insult?"

"Uh… maybe?" I chuckled, but it sent a sharp jolt of pain through my body.

Fang raised their chin smugly. "Hmph. Serves you right."

We reached the edge of Skin Row in record time, thanks to the driver breaking every single driving regulation. After checking that every part of my body was still attached, I limped out of the vehicle while Fang paid the driver.

Fang hopped out of the taxi and slipped an arm behind my back to steady me as we approached Anon's apartment. Even though I only lived on the second floor, I despised not having an elevator. At that moment, that resentment turned into a personal vendetta.

Once we painfully climbed the stairs, I unlocked the apartment door. I welcomed Fang inside before unceremoniously crashing face-first on the bed.

"Well…" Fang glanced around, searching for the right words. "Your place is cleaner than I expected."

"It's clean because there's nothing here," I replied, repressing a groan as I turned around on the bed to face Fang. "Your room is way cooler."

After resting briefly, I tried to sit up to take care of my injuries. However, Fang was quicker, gently but firmly pushing me back onto the bed.

"Lie down, you need to rest," they said with authority, like a mother reprimanding their child.

I gestured weakly at my bruised and battered body. "I need to take care of this before it gets worse."

"You're an idiot," Fang replied, annoyed. "I didn't come here just to admire your room. Let me patch you up."

"Are you sure about that?" I asked, sceptical.

"Well, I already fixed your dislocated shoulder. I think I can handle a few bruises," Fang proclaimed proudly. "Now, where do you keep your medicine?"

"In the kitchen," I said, pointing in its general direction. "Left cabinet, second drawer from the bottom."

Fang opened the drawer and rummaged around for a while before returning empty-handed and annoyed. "How do you keep half a pharmacy in here but not a single ounce of sabre balm?"

"Dude, just grab a cloth and some ice from the freezer," I replied

After some painful back and forth (literally), it was clear that I had far more experience handling these kinds of situations than Fang. I guided them through gathering everything needed and showed them the steps to care for my wounds.

For the bruises, put some ice in a cloth and press it against the area. For the scrapes and tiny cuts, clean the wound gently with a wet cloth, apply antiseptic, and bandage it. For the now-realigned shoulder, make a makeshift sling out of a large bandage, apply some ice, and take some Ibuprofen for good measure.

Fang followed my directions surprisingly well, managing to only make me yell from pain two times throughout the whole ordeal.

"You really know your shit," Fang said after bandaging the last wound, half-impressed. "Do you want to become a doctor after you graduate?"

I gave them an ironic smile. "Nah, I just have lots of experience getting beat up."

Fang looked away, conflicted. "...It's kind of fucked up that you're used to this kind of thing."

"Well… This time, it was different." My ironic smile turned into a sincere one. "It always took me much time and effort to patch myself up. Having someone to take care of me is a welcome change."

Fang returned the smile before sitting on the bed next to me. "By the way, what did you want to say back at school?"

Oh shit.

Now's not the time for romance. We're both too tired.

Telling Fang would give us both some closure. It's essential to clear things between us.

We also agreed to stop being cowards, so stop bitching and start confessing!

"Okay… So… The thing is…" No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't come up with the right thing to say.

Fang got tired of my hesitation. "Whatever it is, just get it out."

I did as told.

"I like you," I blurted out.

Fang's eyes widened. She blushed, and her tail thumped repeatedly against the bed. Our eyes met. We stared at each other in stunned silence.

A moment passed.

And then another moment passed.

Fang snapped from their shock. Instead of replying with words, they leaned in until their face was just a few centimetres from mine. They brushed their hair aside and slowly started to lean in even closer. And closer. And closer. Until our lips were almost touching.

But then Fang shifted their weight, putting their hand on my dislocated shoulder.

"Fuck!" I yelled in pain.

"Oh shit! Sorry! Sorry!" They quickly apologised and sat back up.

After the pain receded, I just started at Fang, confused and still processing what had just happened. Then, the realisation of what Fang had tried to do hit me like a train.

Fang tried to kiss me.

Fang liked me, too.

I was happy. I smiled and giggled at Fang, and they replied in turn with a low chuckle that grew into laughter. I joined them, and even though laughing hurt, it only made Fang and me laugh even harder at the absurdity of it all. We laughed heartily until we both finished releasing every pesky pent-up emotion we had.

"Are you okay?" Fang eventually asked with joyful tears still on her face.

"I might be hurt all over, but the person I like just admitted they like me back. All in all, I am over the moon!" I said with glee. "Though I have to warn you. I don't have any dating experience."

"Bold of you to assume that I do," Fang replied.

"I guess we'll have to wing it, then."

It's a pun! You get it? Because Fang has-

Yeah, yeah. Just shut it and enjoy this moment, dude.

Fang took the initiative and laid down on the bed next to me, this time carefully avoiding my shoulder and bruises. They got close to me, cautiously grabbed my non-dislocated arm, and placed their head on it as they hugged me. Fang then unfurled their wing on top of us, enveloping us both like a blanket.

I fell asleep holding her close.

I woke up to the irritating beep of a microwave. Half asleep, I confused it with my alarm and instinctively reached out to shut it off, only to be stopped by the makeshift sling on my arm.

Now fully awake, I took a moment to check how my body was doing. Thankfully, the medicine had worked wonders. I could move around without pain as long as I was careful.

I leaned forward and noticed Fang, already awake, was busy microwaving something in the kitchen. Whatever it was, it smelled great and perked up my appetite. "Morning, Fang. What are you eating?"

"It's not morning, it's afternoon. And these are dino-nuggies," they replied without even glancing my way. Their face was practically glued to the machine.

"Got some for me?"

Fang snarled at me like a feral animal. "Fuck no! These are mine! Find something else to eat."

I found Fang's gesture cute, so I annoyed her a bit. "That bag is massive. Are you certain you can't spare a few for a poor, sick man?"

"I would fucking kill you." Fang stared directly into my soul, not the least bit amused by my teasing. "It's a large bag because I'm staying for a while and need my nuggies. All of them. And don't try to be sneaky because I've counted them."

I was surprised by Fang's comment. "You're staying for a while?"

"Yeah." They looked defeated for a moment. "I… don't feel like going home."

Fang's invading our personal space! They didn't even ask us!

They need support! We have to let them stay!

Right, but you're forgetting that Ripley is going to murder us in cold blood.

"Fuck! That's bad!" I blurted out without thinking.

"Are you seriously going to kick me out?! After everything?!" Fang's expression was one of betrayal.

"No! It's not that!" I quickly reassured them. "I really like you, and I'm happy you want to crash with me. The issue is that your father is literally going to kill me when he finds out."

Fang, still annoyed, brushed off the issue with a hand gesture.

"I'm not kidding, Fang. This is serious." I insisted. "You have to go back home, or I'm dead."

"Dad can try whatever the fuck he wants, I'm not going home!" It was clear the issue was not up for debate.

We're stuck between a rock and a hard place. What now?

We can't abandon Fang! We just confessed!

If Fang doesn't want to leave… How about we make Ripley stay?

"Okay, hear me out," I said, scrambling for a solution. "Can you convince your mother to let you stay with me? Or, at the very least, can you get her to talk to your father?"

Fang scoffed, clearly annoyed, but I kept pleading with them as they wolfed down their dino-nuggies. Slowly but surely, they warmed up to the idea. However, instead of telling Samantha the truth, they told her there was an issue at school and that they'd be staying at Reed's for a while. Then, before their mom could even respond, they hung up.

"There, problem solved!" Fang looked at me proudly, in a much better mood after devouring their full plate of nuggets.

Problem solved, my ass! Fang lied to their parents, and now this situation is a ticking time bomb! And we're the sucker stuck in the blast zone!

Don't patronise Fang. They did this with the best of intentions.

Come on, guys! Don't think about that! We have a special someone now, and there are a lot of things we could do together.

Could you PLEASE get your head out of your crotch?!

Hey! I wasn't thinking about that! I was only thinking about hanging out… and romantic stuff…

We share a brain. We know what you were thinking.

…You shouldn't blame a man for being horny.

"I think I need a walk to clear my head," I muttered.

Fang didn't like the idea of me moving. However, they reluctantly agreed after demonstrating I was fine by hopping around a little. On two conditions: it had to be a short walk outside Skin Row, and they were coming with me.

Chapter 48: A chance encounter

Chapter Text

Tracy POV

It was another weekday afternoon without many sales, but I had learned to appreciate these kinds of days. It was all about avoiding the people rushing through life and finding the ones who were up for a hot dog and a chat.

As I walked with my cart through the park, I noticed a couple of teenagers who fit the bill: A punk-looking pterosaur and a skinnie covered in bandages. They were strolling slowly, clearly not headed anywhere in particular. They were the perfect clients for a quiet afternoon, so I immediately set on an intercept course.

I parked my cart next to them and called out. "What a day, eh?"

They didn't reply, but their troubled faces told me the bandages weren't just because of a simple accident. Both looked battered, the skinnie on the outside and the pterosaur on the inside. Whatever happened to them, it had been rough.

I tried to cheer them up the only way I knew how. "Hey, I have somethin' that'll turn your day around! Nothing beats steamin' dino-size hot dogs with my special sauce!"

"Thanks, but we're good. We were just-" The skinnie started declining my offer. However, the stomach of the pterosaur growled, interrupting him before he could finish.

He turned to her, incredulous. "How?! You just ate an entire plate of nuggets half an hour ago!"

She looked away, embarrassed. "The nuggets go to a different stomach, okay?!"

The skinnie blinked. "Wait… Really?"

I couldn't tell if he was messing with her lady friend or if he really believed it. "I insist!" I said with a grin. "Don't worry, these are on the house!"

I expertly flipped the sizzling hot dogs on my trusty griddle, and the aroma of grilled meat and spices quickly captivated them both. I started spreading my secret sauce over the bun with quick, practiced motions. It was a unique blend I had crafted, with a savory kick and just a bit of spice.

They dug in the moment I gave them the hot dogs, and their faces lit up almost instantly. The pterosaur wolfed down her hot dog like there was no tomorrow. The skinnie was more reserved, savoring it with wide eyes. "Holy shit! These are really good!"

I smirked, standing tall. "I've been perfectin' my craft for years, kid. Hot dogs are my true calling! They could be yours too, y'know."

The skinnie shook his head, faintly smiling. "Yeah, I'm not really sure about that. No offense."

"None taken." I pointed at him with my tongs. "So, what's your calling then?"

The skinnie scratched his head, thinking for a moment before frowning. "I… have no idea."

"That won't do, kid! Findin' your purpose is the most important part of life." The skinnie was listening intently to my ramblings, so I kept going. "You see, I got myself a cart and started selling hot dogs as soon as I graduated. But I realized early on that I preferred taking it slow and enjoying the job. I hate those busy areas full of tourists. I'd rather have days like this, grillin' and chattin' away."

The skinnie tilted his head. "Then… how do you make a living?"

"There's this explorer gig I do now and then. They send me to remote places to find and collect rare ingredients. The pay is good. I also meet cool chefs and keep some of the ingredients for myself. That covers the bills, so this cart can stay my passion."

The skinnie raised an eyebrow. "So, you work a gig to take it easy on your full-time job?"

"Exactly!" I nodded proudly. "This cart is my pride and joy, y'know. I get to meet people, hear their stories, and see them enjoy my food. Just like your girlfriend right there."

I gestured to the pterosaur, who was already finished with her hot dog and was eyeing the one in her boyfriend's hands like a hawk. The skinnie began moving it slowly up and down, and the pterosaur tracked it perfectly with her eyes. With a sigh, he split his hot dog and offered her one of the halves, which she immediately devoured.

I didn't want to bore the couple with my stories, and I wanted to hear some of theirs. "So, what happened to you two, if you don't mind me askin'? Did you get in a fight or somethin'?"

The pterosaur froze mid-bite, and her eyes dropped to the ground. Whatever the problem was, it was still too raw for her to talk about.

"A bitch of a friend betrayed us," she growled.

"Well, yes, but also no," the skinnie added. "It's a bit complicated."

The pterosaur wasn't having it. "It's not complicated. Trish was a horrible friend who doxxed you, and she abused my trust and Reed's to do it."

I shook my head. "That sounds like a lot. It's no wonder you two look really down. Did she have a grudge against you or somethin'?"

The skinnie pointed at his girlfriend. "Fang's her best friend, and-"

"No!" The pterosaur snapped, cutting him off. "Not anymore…" She turned away, clearly hurt.

The skinnie placed a hand on her shoulder, gently stroking her arm. Taking that as my cue to back off, I moved behind my cart and cleaned the grill while the two spoke.

After a few moments, they approached me again.

"You don't need to tell me if you don't want to," I said, still focused on the grill. "I was just trying to make conversation."

"No, it's fine." The pterosaur replied softly, glancing at her boyfriend as if telling him to continue.

The skinnie nodded and began telling the story again. "Fang, Reed, and Trish have been friends for a long time. I transferred to their school a while back. Things were rocky at first, but I ended up becoming friends with Reed and Fang. Trish and I, though…"

I crossed my arms. "Butted heads a lot, I'm guessin'."

"More than a lot. The point is that Trish was scared that their friend group would fall apart. She cares about Fang, so when I showed up and things started changing, she immediately saw me as a threat." He sighed. "She thought I would take Fang away from her. Doxxing me was her way of telling me to fuck off."

"That's rough," I said, frowning. "I don't know exactly what doxxin' is, but it sounds pretty darn serious. You look like you ran through traffic."

"Ah! The dislocated shoulder is from falling down the stairs. The doxxing thing wasn't that big of a deal," the skinnie said, waving it off.

"But it was!" the pterosaur exclaimed, frustrated. "Trish showed your embarrassing pictures to the whole school! Why do you keep brushing it off?"

The skinnie paused, thinking carefully before replying. "...I guess the best way to put it is that those pictures weren't really of me."

We both stared at him, confused, as he nervously tried to explain his words. "I mean! Those pictures were of a previous Anon, I'm not-" He fumbled, looking for the right words. "The thing is…"

I stepped in to help him out. "You mean, you're a different man, now?"

"Yes!" The skinnie's face lit up. "That's it! That's exactly 100% what I meant. No other meanings whatsoever."

I smirked at the teenager's awkwardness, "I guess you're both at that age, after all."

The pterosaur snapped back, preemptively annoyed. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you're at that age where you should figure out what to do with your life. And that includes figuring out who you want to be." I grinned. "As for me, I'm your friendly neighborhood hot dog vendor."

The pterosaur scoffed, crossing her arms. "You say that like it's easy."

"For me, it was. I'm the type of gal who likes to keep things simple. But every guy has their own story. Some are straightforward like mine, and others are a bit more… complicated." I nodded solemnly, sharing my experience. "I know that better than anyone. Chattin' with folks like you two is what makes this job worth it for me."

The skinnie raised an eyebrow. "Then could you grant us some words of wisdom, oh wise hot dog vendor?"

"First of all, don't try to please everyone. Believe it or not, some people don't like my special sauce. But that doesn't mean that it ain't good. It just means that it ain't for them." I flipped the tongs in my hand, showing off my skills. "Also, don't be afraid to mess up. When you're cooking your first batch, it won't be perfect. But that's how you learn. Trial and error, my friends. You'll get there."

They both stood quietly for a moment, mulling over my words. I took their thoughtful silence as a win.

"Now," I said, leaning on the cart with a grin, "how about some ice cream to help digestion? Though it ain't gonna be free this time."

Chapter 49: Stranded no more

Chapter Text

The hot dog and ice cream combo really helped me calm down, especially with the vendor's advice. Fang seemed more relaxed, too, even a little inspired. However, what the vendor said about finding our identity stuck in my head and wouldn't go away.

Ever since I arrived in this world, I'd accepted my role as Anon. It felt like a precious second chance after screwing up so badly in my previous life. But now that I'd decided to stay here and started thinking about my future, I realised I wasn't comfortable living my life as someone else.

The discomfort had been there for a while, but I'd been too busy adapting to a crazy world filled with dinosaurs to recognise it. The Anon persona was starting to crack. I kept slipping up, almost saying my real name on multiple occasions. Hell, I'd gone and told Judee my whole story.

I hope she keeps her word and doesn't tell anyone…

We'll need to tell people eventually. Shizo discovered the truth about us on her own, and it's only a matter of time before others do as well. I wouldn't be surprised if Reed knew already, somehow.

Shizo figured it out because we aren't really Anon. The hot dog lady was right. We need to figure out who we want to be and stop being someone we're not.

I don't get it. We aren't imitating Anon, and we haven't kept any of his past relationships. The only thing that we've borrowed is his name.

We're using his clothes, living in his apartment, enjoying his hobbies, and attending his school. We're practically living his life.

Okay, fine. Point taken.

We've been so focused on surviving that we didn't consider it. But now? Now, things are different! We have time, money, and, most importantly, the will to face the future!

It was a shitty motivational quote, but all the voices in my head agreed: I couldn't keep living my life as Anon. I needed to become Julio again.

Fang pulled me out of my thoughts. "Hey, did you notice it?"

"Huh?" I tilted my head, unsure what she meant.

"What the hot dog lady said. She called me your girlfriend." Fang stared at me, waiting for a response.

A troublesome thought crept in. "I kind of assumed we were in a relationship… I mean, we didn't talk about it explicitly, but…" I was stammering, worried about what Fang might say. "Did I… Did I get that wrong?"

"Of course we are, you idiot!" Fang knocked on my forehead with a smile that instantly eased my worries. "I was talking about her calling me a girl. I thought I'd be mad, but… I dunno. It kind of felt right."

"Oh, Okay," I said nonchalantly.

"That's it?" Fang gave me a sharp look.

"To be honest, I only called you 'they' because you scared the shit out of me when we first met, and you yelled at me about it. Then, it just kind of stuck," I admitted, scratching my head. "I don't really know anything about that gender identity thing…"

My brain caught up to my mouth, and I realised I could have phrased that better. Thankfully, Fang didn't seem to mind.

"I thought I knew all about it after reading a bunch about LGBTQ+ stuff, but it turns out I don't know shit either." She sighed. "This whole non-binary thing started because of… her ." The venom in her voice made it clear she meant Trish. "She told me that maybe that's why I wasn't happy. She also said having a non-binary lead singer would be 'cool for the band'. I was an idiot for believing her. Why did she have to mess with my life so much?!"

The conversation was taking a dark turn, so I reeled it back. "Does this mean you're going to use your old name again? It was Lucy, right?"

When I said her name, Fang glanced away and blushed a little.

"...You can call me Lucy if you want," she said shyly. Then, she put on a serious expression and crossed her arms. "But, only you. I don't know if I'm comfortable with anyone else calling me that."

I couldn't resist testing her reaction again. "I think Lucy is a beautiful name, don't you think so? Lucy ?"

Her face turned bright red, and she smiled, clearly embarrassed. She tried hiding it with her hands. When that didn't work, she folded her wings over her entire body like a cocoon. I poked the feathered cocoon, and she slapped me lightly with her wing, telling me to stop. Unfortunately, her dino strength and my battered body weren't a great mix, and the harmless gesture ended up causing a bit more pain than Lucy intended.

"Shit! Are you okay?" Lucy asked, startled by my yelp of pain.

"I'm fine, don't worry," I said, laughing it off. "I kind of deserved that one."

Wait! If Lucy's changing her name, we can ask her to call us by our real name, too!

I don't know if revealing our past is the right move right now…

Lucy is our girlfriend. We'll have to tell her everything eventually.

Asking her to call us by our name is enough for now.

"I… I want you to call me something else, too," I said.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why?"

I hesitated. I wasn't ready to tell Lucy everything, and I didn't want to lie, so I went for something in between. "It's like the hot dog lady said: I'm a different man now. I'm not Anon anymore."

Lucy's expression softened. "Okay. If that's what you want, I'm with you. Just so you know, it's a pain in the ass getting people to use your new name. I couldn't even change my legal name. It was too much of a paperwork hell."

"That's fine," I replied. "I don't mind other people calling me Anon. But you… I want you to call me by my name." I looked down at the ground, feeling anxious. "I really like you, and… It would really suck if you called me by someone else's name. It would make our relationship feel… fake."

Lucy blinked, surprised by my remark. After a moment, she agreed. "...So, what should I call you?"

"Call me Julio," I said meekly.

"Okay, Julio ," Lucy replied, emphasising my name and making me feel warm inside. "We should probably get back to your apartment, though. It's getting dark, and I don't plan on getting stabbed tonight."

On the walk back, Lucy was much more quiet. Now that she wasn't busy looking after me, the weight of the doxxing mess seemed to crash down on her. I tried bringing up random conversation topics to keep the mood light, but her replies kept circling back to Trish.

She'd go silent whenever that happened, and her expression would darken. I recognised the signs immediately. I'd been there myself during my first few sessions with my psychologist after the bombing incident. Back then, I'd feel anxious and withdrawn. Trapped in my own dark thoughts.

However, my psychologist didn't force me to talk. He would let me be, reading quietly or chatting about a random topic. He never forced anything. I ended up opening up to him on my own.

Taking a page from his book, I stopped trying to force a conversation and instead reached over and gently took Lucy's hand as we walked.

She glanced at me for a moment. She didn't utter a word, but her eyes revealed she was going through a storm of emotions. Then, she grabbed my hand as well, squeezing it firmly. I intertwined my fingers with hers.

We continued walking in silence. Every time I felt Lucy's mind begin to wander, I tightened my grip just enough to let her know I was still there.

I'm here for you.

We'll get through this.

It will all be okay.

Slowly, her shoulders began to relax, and a tired but genuine smile began to form on her face.

Back at the apartment, I took another ibuprofen to keep the pain away. I wanted to do something nice for Lucy, so I decided to cook dinner. The fridge wasn't exactly well-stocked, and the fact that Lucy was a carnivore greatly limited my options. However, I managed to pull something half-decent together: a steak, fried eggs and grilled cheese combo. It wasn't anything fancy, but I seasoned it perfectly and plated it like a pro.

I nearly cried when Lucy drowned the whole thing in a thick layer of barbeque sauce.

After dinner, we ended up in bed, watching a movie. It was an action flick about a guy taking revenge on a Russian gang that killed his dog. The plot was simple, and the fight scenes were great. It was the perfect movie for us to leave our worries behind and turn our brains off. By the time the credits rolled, the exhaustion of the day finally caught up with us.

For the first time in a long while, I felt like everything might just be okay.

Chapter 50: New life, old me

Chapter Text

Waking up next to the person you love is a great way to start the day. Especially because, for once, I remembered to turn off the alarm so we could sleep in. Lucy was still fast asleep, breathing softly and steadily by my side.

Even though the dinosaurs from this world were technically mammals, they were still cold-blooded creatures. With no heating in Anon's apartment and a bed barely big enough for one person, Lucy had latched onto me for warmth. She hugged me tightly, and her wing covered us both like a cosy, feathery blanket.

I could definitely get used to this.

Lucy stirred a little, mumbling something incoherent as she began waking up. I took the opportunity to sneak in a quick peck on the tip of her snout. She grumbled and buried her face in my chest, muttering about wanting five more minutes.

Even though I was fully awake and ready to start the day, I decided to be merciful and let her have those minutes. To be honest, I was enjoying the cuddling session as well.

However, hunger won out after a while, and I couldn't sit still anymore. I tried whispering to wake Lucy, but she didn't even budge. With one arm in a sling and the other pinned under her, I had to get creative. I leaned in close and blew a puff of air against her face.

Lucy groaned loudly, squinting at me with a glare, more sleepy than menacing. "You're the worst," she mumbled.

"Love you too," I teased, finally sliding my arm free.

I got up and headed to the fridge while Lucy stayed in bed, still half-asleep. Despite my hopes for a miracle, the fridge was just as empty as yesterday. All that remained were a few eggs, three massive bags of dino-nuggets, and a litre of barbecue sauce.

Eating nuggets for every meal isn't a healthy diet.

And that barbeque sauce could double as an industrial adhesive. We need to buy actual food.

Hey! Since we're going out anyway, let's go to the mall and grab some clothes while we're at it!

Do we really need new clothes? We can't afford to waste money.

It's not 'wasting money'. It's investing in ourselves! If we're going to stop being Anon, we need our own stuff, including clothes.

We should take Lucy with us! Make it a date!

I turned back to Lucy, still sprawled out on the bed. "Hey? Would you like to go to the mall? I need to grab a few things, and, uh… we can make it a date if you're up for it."

That sounded way smoother in my head.

Lucy's eyes widened, and she blushed slightly. She tried to play it cool, leaning back with a casual shrug. "That'd be cool, I guess."

But her wagging tail, thumping rhythmically against the bed, gave her away.

After some eggs on toast for me and a plate of dino-nuggies for Lucy, I took a moment to check how my body was healing. I realised Anon's body healed way faster than mine ever did: the scrapes were almost gone, and the bruises, though still tender, had shrunk a lot. The shoulder was still a work in progress, though.

We took a bus to the nearest mall, a massive three-story building packed with people, even though it was a weekday morning. Our first stop was the supermarket, where I grabbed enough ingredients for a few meals. After a short debate about nutrition and explaining the importance of eating healthy to Lucy, she also piled the cart with numerous snacks and sweets.

Next, we got me some new clothes. Fashion wasn't my strong suit, so I asked Lucy for help. Considering her style, I expected her to drag me straight into a Hot Tropic, but she brought me to an H&D instead. After explaining my limited budget and browsing the clearance racks, I settled on some basic coloured T-shirts (avoiding green like the plague), two pants, a jacket, and a belt. Lucy complained that my choices were boring, so I bought some leather bracelets and a metal necklace to add some style points.

While searching through the accessories, I found a black leather bracelet with silver details that matched Lucy. Figuring it would make a good gift, I bought it for her. The delighted smile and the kiss I got in return were worth every penny.

It was already noon by the time we left the store, so we headed for the food court to refuel. Figuring out what to eat was the hardest decision of the day. I vetoed fast food for the sake of my stomach, and Lucy wasn't interested in anything 'too exotic'. We compromised on a local sandwich shop, where I was again reminded of how ridiculous dino-sized portions were and how endless Lucy's appetite could be.

Where does all that food even go?!

I get the feeling that Lucy's just built different. Skill issue, I guess.

After stopping at a crepe station for dessert, we debated what to do with the rest of the afternoon. We thought about going to the arcade, but my shoulder was aching a bit, and I was a bit exhausted. We decided to spend the rest of the day at home, watching movies, playing XROX and enjoying the snacks we bought.

Although the date had lifted both our spirits, I could tell Lucy still wasn't over everything that had happened at school. Her mind kept drifting, and whenever she wasn't down, she looked frustrated.

After cooking dinner for both of us and crying after it got soaked in barbecue sauce again, we went to bed. The outing had proved that my wounds were manageable, so I set the alarm to return to school tomorrow. Lucy's expression darkened when she noticed, and when I asked her if she was coming, she didn't give me a straight answer.

After finishing my morning routine, Lucy and I spent a little time checking on each other, me physically and her emotionally. She was still overwhelmed and didn't want to go to school, but she insisted I go without her, so I did.

After grabbing breakfast from the cafeteria and a few cereal bars for good luck, I headed towards my favourite little alcove to enjoy a quiet meal. But as I turned the corner, I came face to face with Naser.

My entire body tensed.

O Shit! Now what?

Too many things happened. I don't even know if we should be angry or scared.

We're too beat up to run or fight. Whatever happens, we need to talk our way out of this.

Naser looked… worried. Extremely worried. He tried to cover it up for some reason with a cold, indifferent expression that didn't suit him. "Hey. Have you seen Fang around lately?"

"Yes?" I answered cautiously, unsure where this was going.

"Have they talked to you? Did they say anything about when they're coming home? Just curious, that's all." He tried to sound casual, like it didn't matter, but he was obviously trying too hard not to care.

Even after everything that had gone down between him and Lucy, even after how many insults she'd thrown at him, even after failing to connect with her sister again and again, he couldn't help but worry about his sister.

I sighed, relaxing a little.

"...You really care a lot about your sister, don't you?" I asked softly.

"No, I-" Naser coughed awkwardly, crossing his arms tighter. "Mom said they were staying at Trish's, but Fang didn't come to school yesterday. I talked to Trish and Reed, and they didn't know anything either." He tensed, and his whole careless persona cracked a little more. "You also didn't come to school yesterday. I'm just checking if there's a connection. That's all."

I decided to tell him the truth. "The doxxing thing hit Fang pretty hard, but I think this goes deeper than that." I took a deep breath. "Fang's staying at my place right now."

Naser's eyes widened, and his entire body went stiff. His anger flared instantly as he lunged forward, but surprisingly, he stopped himself. He was clenching his fists, visibly trying to rein in his temper, though I could feel the thread holding him back was extremely thin.

Then, just as quickly as it had flared, his anger faded completely, leaving a deflated and depressed Naser. "What's even the point… Every time I get involved, I mess up…"

Without another word, deep in frustration and guilt, he turned around and walked away.

This is wrong! We can't just let him go like this!

We're hurt already. If Naser snaps, we could end up seriously injured.

No! We can't ignore this! Not again!

But-

That's how we fucked up with Lydia! We knew it would end badly, and we just let it happen! We stood there and did nothing!

…

If we can do something, we do it. I refuse to do nothing. Not anymore.

"Naser, wait!" I called after him, grabbing his arm to stop him. He froze, and then he turned to face me. For a moment, our eyes locked, both of us overwhelmed by the weight of unspoken emotion.

"Come with me," I said with a serious tone. "Let me explain everything."

Chapter 51: Healing takes time

Chapter Text

I took Naser to the little alcove behind the school building. It felt wrong to bring someone else into my personal safe place, especially when that someone had been ready to maul me a few minutes ago. Naser's mood shifted constantly between anger and confusion, like he didn't know how to feel.

After arriving at the alcove, I decided to get straight to the point. "First thing's first. Don't worry, Lucy's fine for now."

"It's Fang ." He cut me off, his anger snapping back instantly. "And what the hell do you mean 'for now'?!"

I raised my good arm defensively. "I'll explain! Please, calm down." I could practically feel the heat of Naser's laser stare. "Or… stay angry. That's fine. Just let me explain, and don't hit me."

"Anon. Are you dating my sister or not?!"

Lying will only make things worse.

"Well… I wasn't before, but now…"

Naser froze, his jaw dropped, and his eyes went wide. His expression was a mix between anger and fear. Then, with clenched fists, his entire body started trembling. He was literally vibrating with rage.

My survival instincts kicked in, and I started babbling. "You know dating is a two-player game, right? Fang wants to date me, too! In fact, Fang liked me first! Please don't hurt me. Why are you even mad? I'm a great boyfriend!"

Naser punched the wall, shutting me up instantly. The force of the blow echoed through the gardens.

Holy shit, there are cracks on the wall. I'm so glad that wasn't our face.

What the fuck is that strength?!

Naser has anger management issues.

His anger is OUR issue right now! Is it too late to retreat?!

Fuck no! We ride this out, no matter what happens. If we screwed up, well, at least we tried instead of giving up.

Great words. We'll make them our epitaph.

Naser spoke again. "Did anything happen?"

"That's… a really generic question. I don't-"

"Did ANYTHING happen, Anon?!" Naser's voice cracked with frustration. He wasn't making sense, but I was too scared to ask. I needed to say something.

I think he's asking if we did anything to Fang.

"Uh… normal date stuff?" Then it clicked. "No! No, no, no! We didn't do anything like that! Dude, we just started going out!"

His expression shifted again as the gears in his head started turning, sending him down an entirely new emotional spiral. His hands dropped, and he just stood there, staring into space. After a long silence, he finally muttered something: "I shouldn't have threatened you earlier. Sorry. It was a moment of weakness."

Naser looked at me, but I was still too shaken to reply. He continued, now with a considerably softer tone. "When you told me you were dating Fang, and that she liked you too, my mind just… It felt like the worst-case scenario. Don't take it personally."

"...Why, though?" I asked hesitantly, with a hint of annoyance.

"I mean, it's not you specifically, but..." He looked like he wanted to backtrack, but he had already started criticising me. "You have a very bad reputation. And those anime pictures of you… And you barely know each other! It's just… Dating is hard, okay? It takes effort, responsibility and dedication. And you aren't like that. No offense."

He just insulted Lucy and us in one go.

No offense, my ass. Fuck you!

Naser has a talent for offending everyone when he speaks.

Even though my knees were still shaky, I felt a spark of pride flare up. I wasn't just going to take that after all the effort I'd put into rebuilding my life. "Naser, I've been living on my own for the past three years. I pay my own rent and bills. What the fuck do you mean I'm not responsible?"

"But-" Naser hesitated, genuinely confused. "Your parents don't give you any money?"

Bringing out my parents was particularly painful, and it stung. Now it was my time to be angry at Naser. "My parents abandoned me, but I managed to survive on my own. It's a shitty life, yeah, but it's the only one I've got. And I have worked hard to make it better, little by little. So, next time? Maybe listen to other people and think before you open your mouth."

Naser looked down at the ground, unsure what to say, now on the receiving end of the criticism. There were plenty of other things that I wanted to say to him, but this wasn't about him or me. It was about Lucy.

I sighed, softening my tone. "As I was saying before you interrupted me, Fang is fine for now. However, she's going through a rough time."

After mentioning Lucy, Naser locked in again. "Did something happen?"

"Because of the doxxing, Trish and Fang had a massive fight, and she was really affected. She's too stressed to even come to school."

Naser's eyes narrowed, replying with a frustrated voice. "And you just left her alone?!"

His tone and consistent interrupting annoyed me, so I snapped back. "Yes! I left her alone because I trust her. If she asks me for space, I give it to her." I took a breath, trying to calm myself. "Fang didn't come to school because she's avoiding Trish."

We might be here a while if he keeps interrupting us.

It's fine as long as we don't end up like the wall. Especially since Naser has the strength of an industrial hammer.

I continued, determined to see this through. "Your parents are probably worried about her, but she doesn't want to go back for some reason. Your parents think she's staying with Trish, but that excuse won't fly forever. Do you think you could talk to them if they find out? The last thing Fang needs is your dad breaking down my apartment door and dragging her back by force."

When Naser finally answered, it wasn't what I expected, "What am I doing wrong?"

"Sorry?"

He looked down, talking with a desperate voice. "Remember the concert? Fang told me to kill myself. The next day Trish told me she'd be better off if I didn't exist. This Monday, Fang told me to fuck off and never talk to them again."

Naser held his head in his hands, his fingers digging into his hair. Then, suddenly, he punched the poor wall again. This time, making an actual hole and leaving a faint streak of blood on his knuckles. "Why do THEY feel safer at some random guy's apartment than at her own fucking home?! What's so broken about our family that makes THEM want to run away? Why do I piss THEM off so much?"

He slumped onto a nearby bench, but unfortunately, the wood cracked under his weight immediately, sending him crashing to the ground. Unable to take it anymore, he curled into a ball right then and there, mumbling something about how simple and good things were before the 'non-binary deal' ruined everything. Even though his face was hidden, the occasional sniffle told me he was crying.

He still doesn't understand. We need to help him.

I don't know if he's receptive to feedback right now.

We have to try. We're not giving up ever again.

I don't like our new 'never give up' philosophy.

"It's funny," I said after a moment, "you asked me the same thing before."

"Anon…" Naser's voice cracked. "Just shut up."

"Nah." Instead, I sat beside him and started rambling, mimicking how my psychologist used to do things. "Look, when I told you to do nothing, I didn't get to explain it properly. I didn't mean you should abandon Fang. I meant you should give them space when she needs it."

Naser didn't respond, but I could tell he was listening.

"Fang's really stressed, and when someone is that overwhelmed, the best thing you can do is let them take things at their own pace. I don't know her life like you do, but I get the feeling that people are constantly telling her what she should and shouldn't do."

I paused for a moment, recalling Lucy crying her heart out at the rooftop. "Fang's a really creative person. Creative people don't react well when you force them into a box. I don't think the non-binary thing was because she wanted attention or even because she didn't feel like a girl. I think she just wanted people to respect her as a person."

Naser stayed silent as I continued, keeping my voice gentle. "I believe the best thing you can do for Fang is to support her. Don't try to fix everything or push her to do things 'the right way'. Just be there and listen to her when she expresses herself." I chuckled, lightening the atmosphere. "I mean, she's a musician, expressing herself is practically her passion."

Having finished what I wanted to say, I sat there letting my words hang in the air.

After a long silence, Naser finally spoke. "I… I need to be alone for a bit."

"Alright, take care. See you around, Naser." I stood up and gave him a small wave before walking away.

How the fuck did we even pull that off? Where did all those words come from?

I… have no idea. It was pure instinct.

I just hope we were able to help Naser.

Maybe a career in psychology isn't such a bad idea after all…

Chapter 52: Body Snatcher at my high school: How do I break his mind control???

Chapter Text

Shizo POV

739681562

>be me

>go to shitty high school in Dinofornia

>hate everyone except two friends

>random bald skinnie joins mid year, acts weird AF

>constantly asking strange questions, smells like a glowie

>awkward as hell, like he's never seen a dinosaur before

>one day he starts handing out cookies for no reason

>suddenly becomes fucking chad overnight???

>mindcontrol.jpg

>decide to investigate

>basically have his entire schedule memorized at this point

>convinced he's a body snatcher

>try to catch him in the act, but he always escapes

>one of the few not mind controlled people doxxes him and humiliates him

>skinnie doesn’t even flinch

>comes back to school like nothing happened and no one even bullies him

>friend 1 says he’s lonely and just needs more friends

>friend 2 says we should try being nice to him

>tfw that bastard mind controlled half the school

>finally catch him at lunch today and call out his bullshit

>he laughs it off and walks away

>no one believes me

>everyone looks at me like I’m crazy

>rage.png

>about to jump him but my mind controlled friend grabs me before I can

This body snatcher fucker has half the school eating out of his hand. They think he's some kind of second coming of Jesus Raptor. How can I break the mind control?

739682440

>>739681562 (OP)

Body snatchers steal bodies, they don't mind control. This isn’t one.

You’re dealing with a Skinwalker. https://wikilegia.org/wiki/Skinwalker

But why the fuck would a skinwalker waste time in a random high school?

Check if there’s an ancient burial ground nearby.

739683671

>>739681562 (OP)

no place is safe anymore

they have already infiltrated the white house

now they are taking over our schools

739688512

>>739681562 (OP)

>>739682440

It’s not a skinwalker.

Take this! THE FINAL REDPILL!!

https://www.yousnoot.com/watch?v=v4-GcS1UQyg

THE SKINNIE IS AN ALIEN. THEY ARE COMING FOR US ALL!

AND THEY WANT OUR CORN!

739690426

>>739688512

aliens are not real

739690853

>>739690426

>aliens are not real

Why are you even on /x/, bro?

739691327

>>739681562 (OP)

OP needs to kill the alien and post its insides on yousnoot

739691856

>>739691327

How do I kill it?

Also, what’s the plan if it’s a skinwalker?

739692356

>>739691327

>>739691856

If it’s a skinwalker, you can’t kill it. Even if you do, it’ll just get back up like nothing happened.

You need a shaman to cleanse its evil energies. They’re really expensive, though. I hired one to purify my house, and it cost me $800.

739692488

>>739691856

>>739692356

You got scammed.

Real shamans don't take money for cleansing evil. It's our duty.

We're always on the lookout. We come when we're needed and purify bad juju for free.

Mind control is dangerous, but it sounds like he only wants people to do things for him. If no one is getting hurt, it's not a top priority.

We'll find you soon, though. Just wait.

739692734

>>739691856

DO NOT kill the alien!!! It’s hiding its DNA in the food to link with everyone!! They share and amplify emotions!!! That’s how they mind control people!!!

NEVER TAKE FOOD FROM AN ALIEN!!!!!!1!!

739692943

>>739692734

TF you mean linked? So if I kill him, I die too?

And why am I not mind controlled?

739692786

>>739692943

WHY DID YOU EAT ITS FOOD?!?!?!

You’re not mind controlled because you know it’s an alien, and your brain is rejecting the influence. But killing it will still hurt you and everyone else linked to it!!!

You need to convince everyone at your school that he’s an alien. That’s the only way to break the mind control.

BUT YOUR DNA LINKS WON’T BREAK UNTIL THE ALIEN BREAKS THEM ITSELF!!

IF IT DIES, YOU ALL DIE TOO!!!

739692797

>>739692943

If he’s a skinwalker, you can also break the mind control by exposing his true nature. But if the school finds out and he realizes his cover’s blown, everyone there will be in extreme danger.

If he laughed it off when you confronted him, it means he’s a high grade evil spirit and doesn’t care about getting found out.

Only break the mind control if you’re okay with dying. Honestly, I’d wait for a shaman.

739692821

>>739692786

>>739692797

Fuck.

I’ll try freeing my friends from the mind control at least.

739724678

>be me

>chase the skinnie who mind controlled my friends

>maybe he's a skinwalker or an alien

>either way I'm fucked

>can't kill him because apparently I’ll die too

>spend lunch and free period chasing him with a camera to prove he’s not human and free my friends

>fucker spends the whole time planting shit in the school garden

>why does he garden so much???

>tfw he probably knows I'm watching

>tfw he’s messing with me on purpose

>frustrationgrows.gif

I just wasted 3 fucking hours watching an alien/skinwalker garden. One of my friends even gave him a giant basket of veggies.

What’s his deal with plants? Why is he mind controlling people to give him herbi food?

Why is he even at my school if he’s so powerful?? Shouldn’t he be infiltrating the government or something?? Why didn’t he just go to a farm if he wants to fuck plants all day???

WTF IS EVEN GOING ON

739724868

>>739724678 (OP)

I TOLD YOU IT WAS AN ALIEN!

NOW YOU SEE IT TOO!!! YOU HAVE PROOF!!!

THEY WANT OUR CORN!!!

739724910

>>739724868

Why corn?? The basket had all kinds of stuff, not just corn.

I’m a carni, so I don’t know exactly what was in there.

739725007

>>739724678 (OP)

He could still be a skinwalker. Some spirits get power from earth’s energy. Homegrown veggies are like premium fuel for them.

Whatever he’s doing, his goals are beyond our understanding.

Keep praying a shaman shows up soon.

739725135

>>739724910

>>739725007

IT’S AN ALIEN.

WE NOW HAVE PROOF. IT WANTS OUR FARMING TECH!!!

Aliens can only eat grey paste on their spaceships. They want our food because it’s better!!

That’s why they make crop circles!! THEY STEAL OUR FOOD AT NIGHT!!!

This one’s sneaky. It’s disguised as a human to blend in and control people!!

739725266

I won’t stop posting until you all agree what it is and tell me how to deal with it.

739741765

>be me

>trying to break the mind control on my best friend

>have a talk after school, share the evil skinnie story, try to break the spell

>she says she talked to him

>he claims to be from a parallel world

>whatthefuck.avi

>ask for details

>no Jesus Raptor in his world, and dinosaurs went extinct

>skinnies were alpha predators in his world

>WTF

>she insists there is no mind control

>she says the skinnie is just a good friend

>tfw he wasn’t an alien or a skinwalker

>tfw he’s actually a fucking isekai protagonist

Sounds extremely fake. I don’t think skinnies could survive in a world without dinosaurs, but my friend wouldn’t lie to me.

I still don’t trust this weeaboo isekai bullshit. Does this even belong on /x/ anymore???

739741865

>>739741765 (OP)

DON’T TRUST YOUR FRIEND!!!

IT’S STILL AN ALIEN!!!

IT MUST BE AN ALIEN!!!!

739742046

Wait, Jesus Raptor real??? Christianity was right all along???

Jesus Raptor actually stopped the asteroid????????

739742120

>>739742046

Believe in Raptor Jesus or burn forever in the eternal flames of hell.

(USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST - Off-Topic, Not Paranormal)

739742437

>>739741765 (OP)

So no mind control?

Does the skinnie even have anything special about him? Like, is his heart on the wrong side? Extra hands or fingers? Extra rows of teeth?

Anything???

739742485

>>739742437

Heart’s normal. Hands and fingers are normal. Teeth are normal.

He just calls things weird names sometimes. Heard him say “Mexico,” “California,” and “Walmart.”

I thought he was a cryptid, but maybe he’s just a boring skinnie from another world after all.

Fucking wild goose chase. Fucking sucks.

739742543

>>739742485

OP, at least you’re alive.

Live to see actual cryptids someday (and die because they will kill you).

Chapter 53: Trust hanging by a thread

Chapter Text

The return to school after two days of exile wasn't as bad as I expected. Sure, every teacher felt the need to pile absurd amounts of catch-up work, but Principal Spears' note saved me from drowning in assignments. It was a weight off my shoulders. Unfortunately, after lunch, that weight was replaced by the literal weight of a massive bag of vegetables, meats, and fruits that Heather gave me as a 'get well soon' gift.

After spending some time in the school garden, making it up to Rosa after falling on top of her precious camellias, I somehow managed to haul the enormous bag home. I dropped it on the kitchen table, which bent slightly under its weight.

I called out to Lucy, hoping she would help me sort through the bag, but there was no response. Concerned, I poked my head through the doorway. Lucy was sprawled out on the bed, with half her body hanging off the side. She stared blankly at the ceiling with wide-open eyes, completely zoned out.

Maybe leaving her alone was a bad idea after all.

"Everything okay?" I asked cautiously.

"I'm booooored!" she groaned dramatically, sinking deeper into the bed. "Movies and XROX are fine, but Raptor Jesus! I miss playing music so much! I wish my instruments were here…"

I let out a small sigh of relief. "Well… I've got a couple of pots if you want to try drumming," I teased with a smirk.

Lucy shot me a deadpan look that could have killed a lesser man.

"Or," I quickly continued, "you could text Naser and ask him to sneak out one of your guitars."

She smiled, happy with the idea, but the smile soon turned into a frown. "I can't ask my brother… He'll tell my parents where I am."

"I don't think he would," I reassured her, genuinely believing Naser had turned over a new leaf after our talk. "I think you can trust him with this much."

"You don't know my brother," she muttered bitterly. "Even if he doesn't tell my parents, he'll still find some way to screw it up."

"I don't see how unless he drops the guitar on the way here," I said, trying to lift up the mood. "Besides, I already told him you were staying here."

Lucy bolted upright. "You WHAT?! WHY?!"

I took a step back instinctively. "We had a little heart-to-heart today, and I-"

"Why would you talk to him behind my back?!" Lucy took a step forward with watery eyes.

"I didn't think it was a bad thing!" I said, panicking. "He looked awful, and he said your parents were asking questions. I thought it was a good idea to tell him!." I was desperately trying to calm her down. "I just wanted to buy you more time. I thought it was the best way to do it."

Lucy's shoulders sagged, and she let out a frustrated scream before collapsing back on the bed. She clutched her feathers tightly, her hands trembling like she was about to tear them all out. "Why can't I just feel my emotions in peace?!" she cried. "Why does everyone always have to get involved?!"

We fucked up.

Lucy trusted us, and we just hurt her like everyone else did!

I get the feeling we aren't as emotionally intelligent as we think.

I quickly moved to her side and wrapped my arm around her, hugging her tightly and mumbling apology after apology. I was scared she might push me away, but she didn't. Slowly, her frustration faded, and her hands loosened. I let go once she was calm, but I stayed close.

"I'm sorry…" I said again. "I shouldn't have talked-"

"I don't know why I'm like this…" Lucy interrupted with a soft, broken voice. Her eyes were unfocused, staring at the ground. "I keep begging for people's attention, but when I get it, I hate it…"

"It's not your fault. It's mine," I said firmly, grabbing Lucy's attention. I held her gaze, trying to show that I meant every word. "I tried to help, but I should have talked it out with you first."

I sighed and looked down, feeling the weight of my hypocrisy. "I don’t think the problem is about people giving you attention. It’s that they keep deciding things for you like you don’t have a say." I looked back at her. "You should be able to make your own decisions. I didn't respect that, and I'm sorry."

I grabbed her hand, squeezing it a bit. She didn't say anything, but she squeezed my hand back. Then, she leaned forward and buried her head in my chest. We stayed like that for a while.

Finally, she took a long breath and clenched her fists. She stood up with a resolute expression. "Fuck it. I'm going to text my brother."

I stood as well. "Okay. I'll be in the kitchen."

"You hungry?" she asked.

"Heather just gifted us a massive bag of food, and I have to figure out what to do with it."

We both moved to the kitchen. While I sorted through the bag, Lucy worked on her text. She rewrote it over and over before finally hitting send. Once she was done, she leaned against the counter, watching me with mild amusement as I stressed over how much food we were given. I had to pull out a notebook just to list everything. There was enough to feed an entire army. For months.

If I left everything as it was, most of it would spoil before we could use it, so I began sorting the ingredients into potential meals. After making a plan, I got to work cooking. Lucy helped me for a while but eventually got bored, opting to sit down and watch music videos on her phone instead.

The sudden sound of the doorbell startled me, and I almost dropped a frying pan on my foot. When Lucy opened the door, Naser was standing there, holding a guitar case. Her eyes lit up the instant she saw it, and she immediately tore it from Naser's grasp, hugging it like a long-lost friend.

"Hi," Naser greeted awkwardly.

"Hi," Lucy replied, just as awkwardly.

The two siblings stared at each other briefly before Lucy finally broke the silence. "Naser, please. I really need you to keep quiet about this! Dad would kill Anon if he knew!"

Naser grimaced, looking uncomfortable. "I… Yeah… About that…"

A shiver ran through my spine, and I stopped cooking immediately. "Naser? Do I need to run?"

He scratched his neck, avoiding eye contact. "Mom caught me sneaking out with the guitar. She asked about it, and I tried not to say anything, but… she already knew?" Naser winced and stared at the ground, extremely conflicted. "She wanted me to tell you that you two should enjoy yourselves, but… that you're still young and… that you… shouldn't do anything you might regret later."

The tension in the room evaporated in an instant. I couldn't hold back a laugh while Lucy blushed and covered her face in embarrassment. For a brief moment, Naser bared his teeth and shot me a look that screamed he still wasn't happy about me dating his sister.

That overprotective side of him isn't going away anytime soon.

I'm dating your sister, buddy! Better start getting used to it!

But there was still another troublesome Aaron on the loose. "And your dad?"

"He overheard Mom saying… that ." Naser grimaced once again before continuing. "I've never seen him so angry, but Mom grabbed him by the snout the moment he tried to leave. She looked him dead in the eyes and told him he was lucky the first time and that he shouldn't be stupid enough to mess up again."

It was only a matter of time before Samantha learned about Ripley's unlawful imprisonment stunt. After all, the settlement money came from their shared account. I couldn't help but marvel at Samantha stopping Ripley in his tracks just like that.

I thought she was just a cheerful, gentle housewife. But judging by Lucy's wide-eyed reaction, there was a side to her mom I didn't know about and wouldn't ever want to experience. I was deeply relieved she was on my side.

After recovering from the emotional ride, Lucy still looked incredulous. "Mom knew I was staying with Anon?! And she was okay with it?!"

Naser shrugged. "For some reason, Mom actually trusts him."

I frowned. "Why wouldn't your mom trust me?!"

Lucy deadpanned. "You live in a run-down apartment in Skin Row."

"And you have an awful reputation," Naser added.

I crossed my arms. "Screw both of you! I'm the most trustworthy person here! I'm literally making dinner right now!"

Naser smirked, turning to Lucy. "Your boyfriend's kind of a housewife, huh?"

Lucy nodded thoughtfully. "Appearances can be deceiving..."

I gave them both The Stare, but neither seemed remotely intimidated. I huffed, lifted my chin, and went back to cooking.

The two of them talked for a while after that. It was still a bit awkward, but less than when Naser first arrived. Their conversation bounced between random topics, but it was cut short by the blaring sound of a car alarm from the street.

"THE NASCAR!" Naser bolted out the door, panicking about his beloved car.

After he left, Lucy opened the guitar case and carefully removed her instrument. Her mood shifted almost instantly, and with her guitar in hand, Lucy's usual spark returned.

I spent the rest of the afternoon cooking while listening to her play. Her music was beautiful and uplifting.

For a little while, everything felt perfect. The chaos of everything was finally behind us.

Chapter 54: Last chance at redemption

Chapter Text

Lucy was feeling a lot better after making up with her brother and spending the afternoon playing guitar. Better enough to go to school with me. We chatted about random things on the way there while she helped me with the bags I was carrying.

Yesterday's cooking session had been extremely fruitful, leaving me with so much food that I couldn't even Tetris everything into the fridge. Since I didn't want it to go to waste, I packed the extra to bring to school and share.

IN INDIVIDUALLY SEALED AIRTIGHT CONTAINERS.

Yeah… being chased by hungry dinosaurs last time wasn't a fun experience.

Since I was already carrying a mountain of food, we skipped dropping by the cafeteria. We headed straight for my usual garden spot to have breakfast. But when we got there and saw that the bench hadn't magically repaired itself, we had to find another quiet corner nearby. The gardens were huge, though, so there was no shortage of great spots.

While we ate, Lucy mentioned she was planning something for lunch and that she would need my help. When I asked for details, she only told me to wait and see. I was a bit disappointed she wouldn't tell me. However, after breaking her trust by talking to her brother without asking first, I figured it was a reasonable consequence.

We said goodbye with a quick nuzzle before heading to our respective classes. My bullying senses were still tingling, expecting something to happen. But that something never came. Even after getting humiliated in front of the entire school, no one seemed to care enough to keep it going. Maybe they felt bad because of my dislocated arm, or perhaps this world was just that chaotic. Either way, I had a calm and surprisingly relaxing morning.

By the time lunch rolled around, I made my way to the cafeteria to meet up with Lucy. She looked tense. Extremely tense. Without explaining anything, she told me to follow her.

I did, and soon, we were standing in front of the massive auditorium doors.

I raised an eyebrow, unsure where this was going. "So… what are we doing here?"

Lucy took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "There's something I want to say to Trish. Just… stay with me, okay?"

I gave her a salute. "I have your back, ma'am."

She took one last deep breath and pushed the doors open.

Trish and Reed were inside, sitting in the front row seats and having lunch. They stopped talking the moment they noticed us.

Trish forced a smile though she was practically trembling. "Hey Fang! Your text freaked me out a little…" She let out a nervous laugh. "What did you want to talk about? Are we hanging out on the weekend like usual?"

Lucy shook her head.

Trish's composure cracked almost immediately. "Fang, please! I'm sorry! I-"

Lucy raised her hand to stop her, staring at Trish with anger and sadness. "Stop. I… I don't want to talk about that right now." Her voice softened. "I just need more time, okay, Trish?"

Trish opened her mouth, but the only sound that came out was a barely audible squeak. The tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Reed intervened, "So, like… What did you want to talk about?"

Lucy exhaled slowly, gathering her thoughts. "I've been thinking about things and… I figured out that music is really important to me. No matter what happens, I still want to play. Being in our band was one of the few things in my life that actually made me happy, but I still have nothing to show for it." Her eyes drifted. "I just want to have a fucking good show for once."

Trish's face lit up. "So the band is back together?!"

"No!" Lucy blurted out, then hesitated. "I… I'm still not sure, okay?!" She rubbed the back of her neck, clearly frustrated. "I just want to play a fucking show where we don't get booed off stage the moment we start playing." Her gaze snapped to Trish. "And that means no more 'marketing strategies'. We use a normal band setup, we play our shit, and then we leave."

Reed smiled and nodded. Trish, however, looked conflicted. She cycled through a whirlwind of emotions before settling on a neutral expression, though it was clear her mind was a real mess.

"Where are we going to play, though?" Reed asked. "Like, we're kinda banned from doing another concert at school."

Lucy made a face like she'd just eaten something rotten. "Jesus Raptor, not here again… We need to find an actual venue with an actual audience."

Reed was doubtful, "Are we… really ready to play in public?"

"Yes." Lucy's response was immediate, though her voice had a slight tremor.

How the fuck is she nervous? Lucy is a beast at music!

Now's our time to say something.

"I only heard you guys play once with a normal setup," I said casually. "But I'm sure you three can rock whatever venue you find."

Lucy, boosted by my words, spoke with more confidence. "Yeah, we've rehearsed enough. We only need to find a place. You two can search together, and I'll look with Anon."

Trish immediately protested. "But we work better together!"

"No, we don't," Lucy shut her down. "We'll decide on a venue once we have options." Then she looked Trish dead in the eyes. "Now, I'd like to have lunch with my boyfriend . Alone."

And with that, she turned around and walked out of the auditorium while Trish was still processing everything.

Before following her, I handed one of the bags to Reed. "There's some meat for you and some veggies for Trish." Reed looked inside and let out a woah of surprise and a quick thank you.

I caught up with Lucy outside the auditorium, leaning against the wall and staring at the ground.

"That hurt…" she muttered.

I gave her a one-arm side hug. "You did really well. You should be proud."

She looked up at me, still unsure. "What you said in there… Do you really think that we're good?"

"Lucy, I don't think you realise just how talented you are. Like seriously. What the fuck." I was completely serious. "Let me put it this way. I've met plenty of people who play music, but you're the only musician I know."

The way her tail was moving side to side and her blushing smiling face told me that I'd nailed it.

With the weight of talking to Trish off her shoulders, Lucy's grumbling stomach became priority number one. "Lunch?"

I pointed to the rest of the food bags. "First, I have to hand these out."

I had prepared five bags. The first was for Spears, so I dropped by the principal's office. He was pleasantly surprised by the gift and proud that Lucy and I were doing better after the doxxing. However, he did warn me that food wouldn't be enough to bribe him into upping my GPA.

I told him I didn't even know what a GPA was, which deeply concerned him. Though he let me go without a lecture since my grades were fine.

The next stop was the cafeteria, where I handed one of the bags to Rosa and Stella. Stella was thrilled, while Rosa took it as a personal challenge, warning me she wouldn't lose to anyone at cooking. I didn't know this had suddenly become a competition. Still, if it meant eating homemade Mexican food, I was all for it.

The next two bags were for Heather, Shizo and Judee. Since Heather was the one who gifted me the ingredients, I'd prepared an entire bag just for her. I dropped by their table cautiously, bracing for whatever Shizo nonsense was happening today. Surprisingly, she was just sitting at the table, eating her lunch like a normal person.

She must be having a really rough day.

When she saw me, she crossed her arms and glared at me. "And you weren't even an alien! If you came from a parallel world, why the fuck did you act like that?!"

Judee immediately started humming a song, looking straight at the ceiling.

So… Judee didn't keep our secret.

Honestly, I don't even care anymore.

I sighed, not having enough energy to engage, and just handed everyone their share of food. Heather tackled me into a hug that absolutely counted as a command grab from a fighting game. After barely escaping from her grasp without any new injuries, I walked away.

Only one bag left. And no, it wasn't for Naser and Naomi.

It was for Lucy and me.

I refused to give any food to N&N. Not after the way they disrespected my cookies. They could starve for all I cared.

As I handed Lucy her portion, I noticed she was staring at me, extremely confused. She pointed toward the Puppet Pal's table. "What the fuck was… all that? I didn't know you were friends with those weirdos."

I took a bite of my ensaladilla, utterly unfazed by their shenanigans. "They're a bit weird, sure, but they're really good friends. Heather and Judee helped me a lot while I was still too scared to talk to dinosaurs." I hesitated. "Shizo… well..."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

I struggled to find something positive to say. "She's… funny. I guess?"

Lucy was not impressed. "You have to be a real nutcase to believe those crazy conspiracies about aliens and parallel worlds."

Babe, please. You're a talking anthropomorphic dinosaur.

I nearly choked on my food.

"It's nice to believe, though," I said after catching my breath. "Who knows? Maybe some of those stories are true."

Chapter 55: Explorator interruptus

Chapter Text

Lucy insisted we search for a venue as soon as possible, so we wolfed down our lunches and headed out.

However, just as we were about to step outside, Lucy's phone rang, halting our quest before it even began. She groaned, pulling out her phone, fully prepared to hang up. But the moment she saw who was calling, her expression completely changed.

"Mom?"

I couldn't hear Samantha's words, but her tone was warm.

"Right now?" Lucy's hands started gesturing as she tried to argue. "But! We were planning a concert! And we need to find a place soon! And we also-"

A long pause. Samantha's response was firm, letting Lucy know there was no room for discussion.

Lucy's shoulders sagged slightly, and her smile faded. "Okay, Mom... I'll pick up my things and be there soon."

She hung up with a groan.

I placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm guessing we're not searching for a venue just yet."

Lucy sighed, looking disappointed. "Mom says I can't keep staying at your place. I really want to stay with you, but…" She shuddered as if reliving some past trauma. "You do not want to see my mom when she's mad."

Remember when we thought Samantha was just a kind, simple housewife?

She's also the only thing standing between us and a raging Ripley. We better hope she likes us.

We returned to Anon's apartment and grabbed the guitar Naser had smuggled out. I also packed up all the best meals I had cooked while Lucy was staying over. Now that her parents knew that Lucy and I were more than just friends, I figured a good second impression wouldn't hurt.

After a short bus ride, we arrived at the Aarons' home. Lucy stepped forward to unlock the door, but it swung open before she even had the chance.

Ripley stood there, staring us down. I was certain he had been standing right behind the door, waiting for us all this time.

"Inside. Now," Ripley barked at Lucy. Then he turned his attention to me with a clearly strained, too-wide smile. "Hey, Anon! Welcome to our home. Again." His grinding teeth and clenched fist revealed how much he hated saying that. "When are you leaving?"

Lucy was about to snap back, but Samantha appeared behind her husband before she could. Without even looking, she casually stepped on her husband's foot. "Not scaring potential suitors, dear." Then, with a bright and genuine smile, Samantha ushered us in.

Lucy headed upstairs to drop off her guitar while I handed over my humble offering. "I cooked a few things while Lucy was staying over," I explained. "I didn't want them to go to waste."

Samantha peeked inside, inspecting each meal one by one with an approving nod. "Oh, my! These smell wonderful." She beamed at me, carrying the bags to the fridge and neatly arranging them. "It's nice having another great cook in the family."

We've been dating for three days, and we're already part of the family?!

Isn't this moving too fast?!

Samantha kept talking, completely oblivious to my momentary panic. "My little Naser is hopeless in the kitchen. I was really hoping Lucy would pick up my amazing family recipes, but instead, she just eats those awful nuggets every day." She let out an exaggerated sigh. "Honestly, I was worried she'd eat nothing but fast food for the rest of her life…"

She suddenly gasped, cutting herself off. "Oh! Don't worry about me! Make yourself comfortable! Naser and Naomi are in the living room. Go join them while I prepare a few things to eat!"

Before I could react, she started nudging me out of the kitchen.

Why do people always start cooking the moment we bring them food?

Samantha doesn't want to be outdone by a guest in her own home.

I understand now! This is a matter of pride! We won't lose!

I left Samantha to try her best to match my cooking and headed to the living room. Naser and Naomi chatted on the couch while Ripley sat in his armchair. The moment he saw me, his expression darkened. That fake, tight-lipped smile returned. That smile screamed he wanted me dead.

"Oh, Anon! Do you enjoy hunting?" He gestured toward the numerous hunting trophies hanging on the living room wall, each one more exotic than the last. "I do a bit of hunting for sport, you know." His narrowed gaze sharpened. "Barehanded, of course."

I just stared at him, unimpressed.

When his hunting flex didn't work, he picked up a golf club and started doing slow, deliberate practice swings.

Why does he even need a weapon for intimidation? His claws and teeth are more than enough.

I would be scared, but everyone keeps trying to intimidate us, and nothing ever happens. It’s all bark, no bite.

You know what? Let's do some intimidation ourselves.

I put on an equally fake smile and matched his tone. "Humans don't really hunt like that, though. We do something called persistence hunting." I paused for effect. "Imagine you're prey, and suddenly, a human starts chasing you. You manage to scare him off, of course. You're stronger. But after a while, the human just… shows up again. And again. And again. You can run, but you can't hide, and you can't rest. This goes on until you have no energy left and collapse from exhaustion. Then, the human calmly walks up and-" I made a stabbing motion with my good arm. "Finishes the job."

The room went dead silent.

Naser and Naomi looked at me with a face of surprise and mild horror, respectively. Ripley's fake smile was gone. He locked eyes with me, no longer bothering with the act. His stare was pure, unfiltered hatred.

I met his gaze head-on, initiating a staring contest.

Lucy poked me from behind, making me flinch and lose the contest immediately. "That's metal as fuck! Is that actually true?!"

I blinked and nodded, snapping out of it. "Yeah. Humans are ridiculously efficient machines. We can last a long time without food or rest."

Ripley grumbled under his breath. "Just like cockroaches…"

"DEAR!" Samantha's voice rang like a warning shot. She entered the room carrying a plate of snacks, setting it on the table before grabbing her husband by the wing. "Come help me in the kitchen for a moment." Then she turned to us. "You kids stay here. We'll be back in a jiffy."

Someone is in trouble.

Serves him right.

"But Mom, we have to leave soon, or we won't find anything!" Lucy protested.

"Oh, right, your date..." Samantha gave her a knowing smile before releasing Ripley. "But you've been out so much lately. Don't you think you should spend some time with your family?"

Naomi chimed in with her characteristic plastic smile. "Why don't we have a double date?"

Samantha's face brightened. "Now, that's a lovely idea!"

Lucy didn't hesitate. "Absolutely not."

The back-and-forth discussion between Lucy and her parents was quite the display. It felt like a bizarre bad cop, good cop routine. Except the good cop felt the need to bring up embarrassing childhood stories, like the time Lucy and Naser used to bathe together. And when intimidation didn't work on Lucy or me, the bad cop switched tactics and dragged Naser into a separate room instead.

When Naser returned, his eyes were wide as dinner plates.

Poor Naser…

After what felt like an eternity of this elaborate tug-of-war, Lucy finally gave in with a heavy look of exasperation.

Before leaving, following my 'never waste food' principle, I stuffed myself with the bites Samantha had prepared.

These are amazing! We HAVE to learn her recipes.

We won't admit defeat yet! We'll come back with something better to prove our worth!

Our strong suit is baking, not cooking. Next time, we bring dessert.

At the very least, having Naser and Naomi with us meant not having to trek across the entire city on foot. Naomi, eager to take control, hijacked the search immediately and led us straight to one of the richest, most uppity parts of the city.

Unsurprisingly, none of the fancy venue owners were thrilled about letting a group of misfit teens perform a rock concert at their 'fine establishments'. At first, I thought Naomi was trying to sabotage us, but her increasingly bratty and frustrated reactions to the rejections made it clear she genuinely thought her plan would work.

Once Naomi finally gave up, Lucy took over and led us to a few well-known concert halls and bars she'd heard of. Some were interested, but their answers were always the same: Without any previous experience or professional recordings, they wouldn't risk letting an unknown band on stage.

Tired, dejected and hungry, we decided to take a break and find somewhere to eat before continuing the search.

As we were walking through Little Troodon, I was the one who took the lead this time.

I knew exactly where to go.

The best Italian restaurant in town.

Chapter 56: Service with a smile

Chapter Text

Jenny POV

Write down the order from table eight.

Table three is done. Clean it and reset it.

Seat the waiting customers at table four.

Serve table five their order.

The woman from table two needs something.

"This ice water is too cold! It's hurting my teeth! Don't you have room-temperature ice?"

That stupid question completely broke my rhythm. Who was the idiot that said the customer is always right? Customers were the worst thing to happen to the world. They were dumb, and their requests never made sense.

"Right." I picked up the iced water that she SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED and popped it into the microwave for a few seconds. When I brought it back, she sipped it with a pleased smile. Whatever.

Back into the flow.

Write down the order from table four.

Serve table seven.

Bring table one their check.

Finally, take the order from table two.

After 15 minutes of staring at the menu, she ordered… a single Margherita.

I officially wanted to murder this woman.

Seat waiting customers at table-

Wait.

"Hey, Julio!" I was relieved he was here. "The place is packed. Give me a hand here."

He shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but it's not my shift." Then, he smirked and added. "In fact, table for four, please."

One of his friends, a brown pterosaur in a tacky shirt, blinked in confusion. "Wait… you work at Dino Moe's? Also, why did she call you Julio?"

Another friend, an orange parasaur with nerdy glasses, gave a perfect fake customer service smile. "Anon's financial situation isn't great, so he works part-time on weekends. He's a real go-getter!"

"This is Jenny, my coworker," Julio said, gesturing to me. "She's a lovable asshole."

I gave him a fake smile, withholding a snarky response. I really needed Julio's help.

It was time to deploy my special weapon. "If you help me, I'll convince Moe to double your salary."

Julio's eyes lit, and he looked at the white punk pterosaur in his group as if asking for permission. She shrugged.

"I can help for a little while," he agreed. "But I'm done the moment our food is ready."

"That works." I pointed Julio towards the bathrooms. "You're on cleaning duty. Good luck."

I breathed a sigh of relief, having managed to avoid dealing with the bathroom disaster that table seven's babies had caused.

Now in a much better mood, I took Julio's friends to the most fancy spot in the restaurant. It was a table made from mahogany wood, with candles and intricate decoration, usually reserved for special occasions.

Just then, Moe walked out of the kitchen with the order for table one. His grin widened when he saw the group, and he rushed towards them.

"Ayyy!" His toothy grin stretched even wider. "If it ain't little Lucy and my guy Naser!"

He pulled White Punk and Tacky Shirt into a surprise bear hug. Well, as much of a bear hug as his tiny arms allowed.

White Punk blinked in surprise. "Uncle Moe? What are you doing here?"

"I'm workin', toots! Dis is my restaurant!" He spread his arms proudly. "Hahaha! You kids ain't swung by in ages! An' who's dis lucky dame, Naser? What, you hitched up already?"

Nerdy Glasses smiled cheerfully. "My name is Naomi, mister. I'm Naser's boyfriend."

Moe threw an arm around White Punk and Tacky Shirt. "I'll get you two's favourite, don't worry." He then turned to Nerdy Glasses. "What would the lady like?"

"Something vegan, please."

Oh no. Nerdy Glasses was one of those people.

"Vegan? No cheese? No nothin'? Ah, ya killin' me ova here!" He threw his hands up but then stroked his chin with his tiny arms, thinking. "Alright, alright… lemme see what I can do."

"Julio is also here," I pointed out. "Get him the spicy pasta he likes. Believe me, he will need it."

As if on cue, Julio stomped back from the back of the restaurant with a makeshift hazmat suit and a bucket of cleaning supplies. He shot me a glare. I smirked at him and waved.

"You're all friends of Julio?" Moe chuckled, shaking his head. "Com’è piccolo il mondo!"

Nerdy glasses chimed in, gesturing to White Punk. "He's their boyfriend. But his name is Anon."

Ah. The pronoun thing clued me in. "Oh, so you're the famous girl-not-girl-not-girlfriend girlfriend, huh."

White Punk looked nervously at me, clearly caught off guard.

"I finally got to meet the oddball Julio keeps babbling about," I continued. "Glad you two made up."

Tacky Shirt raised an eyebrow. "But his name was Anon, no?" His eyes suddenly opened. "Wait, is he- I mean, are they now non-binary too? Does it spread?"

White Punk shot him an intense glare.

I would've loved sticking around admiring the zoo animals that were Julio's friends, but I had work to do. I left them to their shenanigans and got back to earning my college tuition.

Pick up the payment from table one. Remember to treat them well next time since they tipped extra.

The guy at table five wants yet another bottle of wine.

Serve table eight their order.

Table one is done. Clean it and reset it.

Serve table four their order.

Bring table seven their check.

Serve table two their order. Restrain myself from spitting in it because I'm professional.

"What is this? Where are the rest of the pizza toppings? And the drink?!" The woman snapped.

I answered in my calmest and most monotone voice, "It's a pizza, Margherita like you ordered."

"That's not what I ordered at all! I told you I wanted a pizza and a margarita!"

I felt my soul leaving my body in real-time. "That's not-"

"Sweetheart, I know what I ordered!" She huffed and raised her chin. "Why do they even let dumb people like you work here? Is there a manager I can talk to?"

Deep breaths.

Calm down, Jenny.

Remember how much this job pays.

"MOE!" I shouted. "Code K on line two!"

Moe arrived, asking what was wrong. After a brief back-and-forth with the woman, during which she had the audacity to question his Italian heritage, Moe packed the pizza to go and firmly escorted her out, cursing under his breath in Italian the whole time. I regretted not spitting on her food when I had the chance.

Back to work.

Seat two waiting groups at tables three and one.

Get another round of drinks for table seven.

Bring table five their check. The wine guy is completely hammered.

His friends convince him to pay for everything. Sucks to be him.

Table two is done. Clean it and reset it.

Julio grabs my shoulder from behind.

"Jesus Raptor!" I turned around, nearly slapping him. "Don't do that again."

He looked furious. "I want you to know that I despise you. I didn't even know what half of those fluids were, and I don't think I want to find out. Why didn't you warn me it was so bad?!"

I shrugged. "If I had warned you, you wouldn't have agreed." I gave him a thumbs up. "Congrats on surviving, though. The hazmat suit was a brilliant move."

He sighed slowly, locking eyes with me. "I really hope you weren't kidding about convincing Moe to double my salary."

"Don't worry. Come with me." I motioned him to follow me as I headed for the kitchen.

Moe was cooking with his usual diligence and precision, sliding pizzas in and out of the oven. He glanced over his shoulder when he noticed us.

"Hey, Moe," I said. "Julio's looking to earn a little extra for college. Could you pay him more if he helps with lunch prep and cleanup?"

"Sure thing, kid! No worries! Studying's important." Moe grinned widely. "And thank you for lending Jenny a hand!"

We exited the kitchen, and Julio stared at me with a mix of betrayal and disbelief.

I spoke before he could. "I said I'd double your salary, but I didn't say you wouldn't have to work for it."

He stared at me for a long moment. I thought I'd broken him. Or that I'd gone too far.

Did I mess up? Was I too harsh?

What if he quits because of me? I cannot do this job alone again.

But then, to my relief, he clapped slowly and shook his head. "I want to hate you… but I've got to admit, that was impressive. Well played."

I smirked. "What can I say? I know the hustle better than anyone."

"How did you convince Moe so fast, though?" Julio asked. "He already pays us more than most places."

I decided to throw him a bone. "Moe's a retired gangster. This area used to be his old gang's territory. He left the business, and a bunch of guys tried to take advantage, running drugs and causing trouble." I made a finger-gun gesture. "He took care of them. The rest scattered like rats. Now his territory's clean again, and Moe's happy."

Julio's eyes widened. "I… get the feeling I wasn't supposed to know that. So I'm going to pretend this conversation never happened."

I shrugged. "What can I say? The service industry's really cutthroat."

Julio grimaced. "I don't think they mean it that way, though?"

"They're gangsters," I reminded him. "Italian mafia."

He held up a hand. "Stop talking. Whatever. I don't care. I'm just a delivery driver, okay? I don't want to get into that kind of trouble again."

Again? That kind?! My curiosity was instantly piqued. I was dying to ask what that was about, but I'd already pushed Julio enough for one day, and work was calling.

Still, I was an expert at digging things up. It was only a matter of time before I uncovered whatever secrets Julio was hiding.

Chapter 57: Schemes behind our backs

Chapter Text

I returned to our table, where Naser and Naomi were waiting diligently, anxiously eyeing their food but refusing to start without me out of politeness. Meanwhile, Lucy was already wolfing down her second slice of pizza, thoroughly unbothered. I didn't remember ordering anything before helping Jenny. Still, there was a massive plate of spaghetti puttanesca waiting for me at my spot, for which I was extremely grateful.

Even though cleaning that biohazard-level bathroom should have killed my appetite, my mind had apparently filed it under 'traumatic events to be ignored'. The heavenly smell of the pasta sealed the deal, making me forget about it entirely.

"By the way, Anon- I mean! Julio," Naser quickly corrected himself, more confused than anything. "Should… Should we call you Julio from now on?"

"I'm trying to reinvent myself," I explained casually, already having prepared for this question. "That's why I thought about starting over with another name, you know? I'm not exactly proud of my previous life, so… I'd like to leave it behind."

That sentence fits Anon and us both.

I'd say Cringe antisocial loser is probably a better origin story than Terrorist.

Even if our life was full of mistakes, we need our identity back.

Plus, no one here knows anything about what we did. No need to worry about our name ringing any bells.

In that sense… this transmigration might have been a blessing in disguise.

Naomi chimed in with one of her signature empty smiles. "It's commendable that you want to make a change for the better, Julio! I'm happy for you!"

Naser was still worried, though. Probably because a name change hit close to home for him, being the start of the many arguments that eroded the relationship between the two siblings.

Lucy, however, didn't seem to care about the conversation. She was more focused on the huge meatball pizza in front of her. Well, the only remaining slice, that is. She folded it, tossed it in the air and wolfed it down with a single bite.

Moe arrived just as we were finishing. "So, whaddaya think, kids? Uncle Moe still got it, huh?" His toothy grin stretched wide as everyone nodded enthusiastically. Even Naomi, the wannabe food critic, was impressed. Moe puffed up with pride. "And hey, there's dessert, too! I got some panna cotta so good, ya won't even believe your tongues!"

Lucy shook her head regretfully. "Sorry, Uncle Moe, but we gotta keep searching for a place." She stood up, and we all followed.

"What kinda place you kids lookin' for?" Moe asked. "I know dis neighbourhood like the back'a my hand. Maybe I can help."

"We're looking for a venue," Lucy explained. "We have a rock band. We want to find a good place for our debut."

"A band, huh?" Moe rubbed his chin thoughtfully with his tiny arms. "Eh, why not play here?"

Lucy's eyes lit up. "Really?!"

I glanced around, gesturing to the small, though well-used dining area. "Is there even enough space for a band?"

"Eh, don't sweat the small details, kid," Moe waved it off. "We'll figure it out."

Jenny, who was collecting our empty plates, shot me an unamused look. "So you came in here, on my shift, just to make me work extra?"

I met her stare, unblinking. "After what I went through, you have absolutely no right to complain about anything."

"Fair enough." She shrugged and walked away.

Moe laughed heartily. "I'll get you four some panna cotta ta celebrate!"

Lucy froze for a second, enough to make us question if something was wrong. Then, she suddenly started vibrating, becoming a blur of motion. She talked me into a hug, surrounding me with feathers. "YES! WE HAVE A VENUE! WE HAVE A VENUE!"

Then, she kissed me on the cheek.

I smiled like an idiot.

Around us, people started clapping, clearly misinterpreting the situation. Moe, Jenny, and even Naomi joined in. Naser, meanwhile, looked like he was having an aneurysm.

Blushing and a little embarrassed, we sat back down and waited for Moe to bring our dessert.

Naser finally snapped out of his shock, pleading at Lucy. "Why did you do that?! You're not supposed to do anything weird!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Dude, we're dating. It was just a kiss."

"You don't get it, man!" Naser leaned closer, panicking. "Dad said he'll do to me anything you do to Fang!"

I blinked, glancing at Lucy, who was now raising her eyebrow at Naser too. Slowly, she turned to me with a mischievous look that screamed she was about to cause a lot of trouble.

"I mean it, Fang! Please, don't do anything weird!" Naser begged, visibly sweating.

"I don't know, man," I smirked. "That just sounds like incest with extra steps."

Naomi's composed expression cracked completely, completely taken back by my response. Naser shot me a glare.

Lucy, however, burst out laughing.

"It's not funny!" Naser insisted, angry and flustered.

"Julio, by the way." Naomi adjusted her glasses, regaining her composure. "Would you mind coming with me for a second? I need to discuss some… school-related matters."

Lucy stopped laughing as soon as Naomi spoke. "What are you planning?"

Naomi shook her head. "I'm not planning anything. It's related to the projector incident. I… think it's best if it's just Julio."

What now? We cleared everything up with Spears!

Maybe they found something worse than the photos. Or maybe Anon's parents got involved.

O shit, that would be really bad.

I followed Naomi outside, dreading the consequences of whatever she had to tell me. She took me to the alley between the restaurant and the small shed where Moe stored what I now knew were his former gangster tools.

"So… how are things with Fang?" Naomi asked casually, wearing her usual plastic smile.

"What?" I blinked, thrown off by the sudden change of topic.

"I'm just asking if everything's peachy between you two." Her fake smile widened.

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" My shoulders relaxed slightly. "We're doing fine. Why are you asking?"

"It's nothing," she replied. "I was just curious, that's all."

You dragged us out here and almost gave us a heart attack for this?!

No. I get the feeling Naomi's got something else in mind.

Well, I'm not in the mood to play any games.

I narrowed my eyes. "Just curious, my ass. You pulled me out here for a reason."

Naomi sighed, dropping the act. "Ugh, why are you always this stubborn… Fine, I'll be direct. I'm worried about your relationship."

"Why?" I was genuinely curious.

She counted on her fingers. "You didn't help much with the search. You left her alone at the restaurant while you hung out with another girl. And now you're making incest jokes about her dad? That's really inappropriate."

I frowned, ticked off by her tone. "Shouldn't you be worrying about your own relationship?"

Her sweet, caring mask dropped entirely and was replaced by an annoyed scowl, revealing her true opinion of me.

"My relationship is perfect, thank you very much," she replied. "I just wanted to give you some advice so your relationship could at least try to be half as decent."

I raised an eyebrow, calling her out. "Didn't you complain that Naser wasn't giving you enough attention just a few days ago?"

Naomi's eyes flashed with irritation. "Naser doesn't have time because he's always worrying about her sister!" She crossed her arms, leaning in closer. "Now that Fang's your girlfriend, you should be trying to help fix her, not make her worse!"

I finally saw Naomi for what she was.

Missguided?

A bitch.

I was going for a control freak. But yeah, those work, too.

"Lucy's not a puppet, you know," I said, keeping my voice calm.

"You're right, she's not." Naomi frowned even harder. "She's an absolute disaster. A weird punk-goth mess that causes trouble for everyone around her."

"Right." My eyebrow twitched.

"When I first saw you, you were an absolute wreck too." She pressed on, relentless. "You looked like a socially inept loser, and after seeing those awful pictures of you, I knew I had the right impression from the start."

"Go on," I said dryly, crossing my arms.

"Listen, Anon. This is serious. You needed help, and so did Fang. That's why I pushed you two together: to fix each other." Naomi adjusted her glasses, shifting gears into lecture mode. "It's good you're finally doing better for yourself, but now you need to step up as a boyfriend and fix Fang, too. Otherwise, it's just going to become a bigger problem."

"A bigger problem for you, right?" I narrowed my eyes.

"A bigger problem for everyone ." Naomi's fake sweetness was completely gone at this point, replaced by cold calculation. "I worked very hard to get you two together, you know. I'd hate for all that effort to go to waste."

What is she even on about?

She didn't do anything! We built this relationship ourselves!

This is some real supervillain monologue shit.

"I would be angry- Well, I am angry. But I'm also really confused." I scratched my head. "What do you mean you worked hard? You didn't do anything."

"Do you really think you stumbled into this relationship alone?" Naomi scoffed. "Please, take a good look in the mirror. It took an actual miracle to get you two together."

"Naomi?! What do you mean?!"

Naomi froze when she heard Naser's panicked voice from behind her.

She turned around to find Naser and Lucy standing there, both wide-eyed. Naser looked confused and hurt, while Lucy's expression was nothing but pure, unfiltered rage.

Chapter 58: Actions have consequences

Chapter Text

Naomi scrambled to return to her fake persona to rescue the situation. "Oh! Naser! I was just… practising my acting skills!" She let out a nervous laugh. "You know I have to help the drama club with their rehearsal, and I asked Anon for some help reading the lines. Just to practice, you know-"

"Cut the bullshit!" Lucy barked, interrupting her surprisingly decent excuse. "Julio, what is going on?!"

"As I told you-" Naomi tried to talk, but Lucy growled at her to stop.

Lucy was bending her body slightly, threatening to lunge at Naomi at any second, aggressively baring her teeth and staring into her soul.

I've never seen Lucy this pissed off.

She turned into a fucking feral animal.

It's a mean comment, but…

Let's keep our distance. Naser can handle things if they get physical.

Since I didn't want to start any conflict, I was extremely careful with my words. "Naomi pulled me out here because she thought I was doing a bad job as a boyfriend. She was giving me some pointers, that's all." I admitted.

"No one asked for your fucking opinion, you bitch!" Lucy growled.

Naser threw Lucy a reprimanding stare after insulting his girlfriend. She answered his brother with a middle finger and a scowl.

Naser then turned to Naomi. "You shouldn't do those things, boo. I know you're trying to help, but…"

Lucy interrupted him, turning to me. "What was that last fucking comment about?!"

Naomi began explaining. "Oh! That was-"

Lucy stopped Naomi mid-sentence with a shout. "Shut the fuck up! I wasn't asking you!"

I answered sheepishly. "Well, Naomi also said that she helped get us together."

"WHAT?!" Naser replied in complete disbelief. "Naomi, is this true?! What is going on?!"

She started sweating, stuck between an anxious Naser and a now growling Lucy. "I just thought Anon and Fang would make a great pair! This whole thing is just a misunderstanding, really!"

I tried to defuse the situation by painting Naomi the best way I could. "Look, Naomi. Thanks for worrying about us, but Lucy and I can handle our relationship ourselves." Naomi smirked, thinking I was on her side, not understanding I was just trying to avoid Lucy committing murder. "Also, I like Lucy a lot. Even if that whole thing about getting us together was true, I would just be thanking you."

I hoped Lucy could understand that our relationship was genuine, even if Naomi had somehow been involved. Even though we met for just a few weeks, we had been together at our best and most vulnerable moments. We had shared emotions that we hadn't shared with anyone else.

Lucy went from feral animal about to tear Naomi apart into extremely pissed-off teen about to punch her in the face. It wasn't much, but it was an improvement. We were on track to solve this situation without any violence.

Naser was looking at the ground, still in disbelief. "But why Anon, of all people?!"

Ouch.

Naomi returned to her cardboard cutout persona, pouting slightly. "When I saw Anon, I saw how out of place he looked and how much trouble he had fitting in. It reminded me of Fang, and I thought they could make a really good pair." She smiled. "I just gave them a little push."

Lucy hit her limit, and she suddenly started crying. She began walking towards Naomi, ready to beat her up. Although Naser was still extremely confused about the situation, he noticed Lucy's intentions. He got between the two of them, stopping Lucy in her tracks.

As she couldn't reach Naomi, Lucy opted to insult her instead. "Fuck you! You two-faced bitch! I am not a fucking tool! Stop messing with my fucking life and throw yourself off a cliff!"

That's why she's so mad! Lucy believes she was manipulated into a relationship!