#like. wirt was slipping from the beginning towards giving up

[dirt-grub]

oh god if you look at otgw the like objective way of the unknown being an in between of life and death that they experienced in the water that means wirt absolutely was just gonna give up but the thought of greg in his subconscious mind was what made him wake up and bring them both to safety

[dumdumsun]

The Loveliest Lies of All

A/N: Accidentally made this the longest chapter in the entire story. Oops ❤️

Warnings: slight violence

Word Count: 5282

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Chapter Three: Schooltown Follies

“I don’t know who she is or how she is, or when or why she is

But as for where she is, she is where we will go

To Adelaide, to Adelaide

Come on and join the Adelaide Parade-”

“No-”

“Adelaide, to Adelaide

Let’s go to Adelaide’s house…”

Greg’s joyful marching melted into a simple walk at the flat ending of his song, glancing up at Scout with raised brows. “I need to fix that last part, but that’s the idea.”

“Yeah, of course.” Scout chuckled.

“So,” He pointed to each person as he addressed them. “Beatrice, you sing the high part. Wirt, you sing the really high part.”

Wirt raised a brow. “What?”

“And Scout will direct us.”

Scout hummed with squinted eyes. “Conduct.”

“Scout will conduct us. And-”

Beatrice sighed irritably, causing Scout to frown in confusion. “No one is singing anything anymore. And Wirt, keep moving.”

The group turned to said teen, who had stopped a few paces away to kneel down, tying the laces of his mismatched shoes. “But I-I have to- ugh. Alright…” He stood to his feet defeatedly and joined them again.

“But we have to do something fun.” Greg insisted.

“You know, we really don’t,” Beatrice shrugged. “We can just keep walking silently, you know? And- ugh. Wirt, let’s go! Come on!”

Wirt stood to his feet again. “Sorry, sorry!”

Scout’s irritation towards their winged companion only seemed to grow the more she watched Beatrice push her friends around. Personally, she was not a fan of Debby Downers, and Beatrice happened to be the downest Debby she’d ever met in a short amount of time. Greg tried to insist on the group having fun on their journey yet again, but the bird cut him off. “Greg, don’t you wanna be more like your brother? Just always doing what you’re told-”

“Huh-”

“Just a pathetic pushover who relies on others to make all his decisions?”

“Hey! What?! I’m not a pushover.”

“Hold on, Wirt. Let me get to my point.”

Wirt scoffed, unsuspecting. “Fine.”

“See, Greg? No willpower whatsoever.”

Embarrassed to have been so gullible, Wirt turned forward with a huff. Scout sighed and moved closer to the boy’s side. “Greg, don’t listen to her. I think it’s important you have fun on this journey,” Her eyes then snapped up to Beatrice. “And you shouldn’t discourage a child like that.”

Beatrice rolled her eyes. “He needs to learn from a young age that he can’t be like… this forever.”

“Like what? Like a normal, sweet, loving kid? A-And what do you even know about kids, huh?”

“What do you know about kids?”

“I know enough.” Scout crossed her arms and turned her head forward.

Sighing, Beatrice flew to the boy’s other side. “The world is a miserable place, Greg. I know it doesn’t sound fun, but life isn’t fun.”

Exhaling deeply, Greg frowned sadly. “Then I’ll do what I need to do, I guess…”

As Beatrice continued on whatever negativities she had focused so intently on, Scout felt a tug at her jacket. Glancing down, she saw Greg standing still, holding the tea kettle on his head, his frog lounging on top. Slowing her pace to a stop, she quietly joined him. “Greg? What’s wrong, bud?”

He grinned and took one hand off his “hat”, slipping his fingers between hers and leading them through an opening within the woods. “We need to do our part to make the world a better place!”

“We couldn’t have at least told Wirt? He’ll be worried about you.” She glanced over her shoulder, Wirt’s figure growing smaller the farther they ran. Greg hummed before shrugging.

“Wirt trusts you, right? He knows we’re in the best hands in the whole world.”

“Oh? You mean these hands?!” Scout mischievously grinned and scooped him into her arms, huffing as she struggled to keep the giggling boy up. Perhaps she had underestimated his weight. It had been awhile since she’d carried him.

Greg cackled, holding his frog close to his chest before his eyes caught something in the distance. “Whoa! What’s that?” He pointed forward. Scout’s laughter quieted as they reached a clearing. Stepping out of the shadowed wood, she moved closer to the small red house, a giant bell hanging above it to alert those around of the time.

“Ah, this, Greg, is a schoolhouse. The oldest of these date back to-”

“School?!” He scoffed. “Not today!”

Scout chuckled and set him down on his feet. “Well, I think we should check it out. If you hate school that much, go find a log to sit on and wait for me.”

“Yes, sir!”

He saluted before scampering off. She watched him for just a second to make sure he hadn’t tripped and fallen before turning back to the schoolhouse. From where they had just come from, she could hear Wirt’s calls. “Greg! Scout! Greg?!”

“Over here!” She called back, smiling softly as he and Beatrice emerged from the darkness. She pointed off to the side as they approached her. “Hey, so Greg went that way to find a place to wait. He’ll be fine. But I do wanna check out this place. You know, maybe find someone else to help us sooner than some rando lady with supposed powers?”

Scout ignored the glare Beatrice sent her way. Wirt only blinked at her, so she continued. “Anyway, we only need one person to go in. Which one of us should go inside and who should stay with Greg?”

Yet again, she received no response, just a blank stare from her friend. Glancing between him and the bird, the latter only shrugging, Scout rapidly blinked. “What is this? Why are you staring at me like that? Is this a game?”

…..

“Okay, Greg will be fine. Let’s both go.” She threw her hands up in the air before spinning on her heel and leading them up to the schoolhouse. “But you’re gonna need to talk soon.”

As if that had flipped a switch, Wirt nodded and strode to her side. “Right. Okay.”

Scout widened her eyes at him as they stood in the opened doorway of the house. Tearing her gaze from him, she settled it on the room inside. Standing in front of a blackboard decorated with delicate and cursive calligraphy was presumably the teacher, her cheeks red and rosy and the nest of chocolate brown hair was put into a bun at the top of her head. She looked something straight out of a children’s book. Before her was the… class.

They were animals. Literal animals in school clothes. Cats, bunnies, pigs, dogs, the likes, all dressed as 1800’s school students. In fact, Scout observed, every stop they made felt as if they had travelled two hundred years back. The attire, the lack of technology, the use of language. It was all a dead giveaway.

“Excuse me?” The teacher softly called. “Please, take your seat, children. You’re late. You know the rules, ‘Once the bell has rung, class has begun’.” She gestured to the saying on the board.

Beatrice snickered. “Oh, sorry, everybody. Sorry. No, this boy doesn’t have a brain. He can’t learn anything. Let’s go, Wirt. Come on! Here, boy!” She called and whistled to Wirt as if he were a dog. Scout fumed at the nerve of this bird, opening her mouth to tell her off before Wirt spoke up for himself.

“What? Did you say something? I can’t hear you because I’m too busy doing what I’m told.” He shrugged before walking into the room, taking a seat at one of the desks.

“Atta boy, Wirt.” Scout chuckled and took the seat beside him.

Beatrice hurriedly flew over to him. “What? What are you- No, no. Let’s go.”

“Oh, no. See, I’m a pushover, remember? I have to do what she tells me to do.” He shrugged. Beatrice widened her eyes and turned to Scout.

“Hello?! Knock some sense into his conehead!”

Scout quietly shushed her, her amused smile directed forward at the blackboard. “I’m trying to focus on class.”

“Wirt, your brother could be… in trouble somewhere!”

Tapping on the window just beside Wirt gained the trio’s attention. Greg stood outside, as happy as can be, waving at them with a smile. Then, in a mocking manner, he pointed to each “student” in the room before giving a thumbs-down. Scout lovingly shook her head as he giddily ran after his croaking frog, cheering and whooping as he went. Beatrice let out a deep and long sigh. “Bluebirds have a short lifespan. You three are literally killing me every moment I’m forced to spend with you.”

Scout quietly laughed when Wirt simply let out an “oh”.

“Young man,” The teacher sternly started. “I will not stand for such nonsense in my class room,” A shadow casted over her face as her expression turned gloomy. “I got enough nonsense from that no good, two-timing, low-down handsome man of mine! Oh, Jimmy Brown, why did you have to leave me so-”

Wirt and Scout glanced at each other as if to ask if this were actually happening.

“-And now with my father threatening to close the school and that wild gorilla on the loose, why, Jimmy, I just have one thing to say…”

What they hadn’t expected was for her to turn around with a bright smile and begin singing,

“‘A’ is for the apple that he gave to me, but I found a worm inside.”

Beatrice didn’t bother lowering her voice, “Ouf, that lady’s got some baggage.”

“What’s that?” The woman abruptly stopped her singing and pointed to a slim and tall box with one small opening in the corner of the room. “Young man, go to the dunce box!”

“Oh,” Wirt glanced down before standing to his feet. “Sure, okay! Sure!”

Scout watched her friend hum to himself as he situated himself into the box, closing the door to seal himself in. She furrowed her brows as Beatrice facepalmed. “And you’re not gonna stop him?!”

“No, he can do what he wants,” Scout shrugged. “This lady’s no help, anyway, so I’ll wait until he’s done here.”

“Now, where were we? Oh, yes- ‘G’ is for the gentleman I thought he was, when he first said ‘hi’-”

The young girl stood from the desk. “I’ll just wait outside. Tell me when the dunce is released or whatever.”

“Wait!” The bluebird called out. “Don’t leave me here with him!”

-------------------------------------------------

Greg and his frog found themselves amongst a racoon, a possum and a deer, all dressed in tattered clothing. Some of them were missing buttons, they had badly stitched patches, and their clothing was either baggy or too tight on them. They looked the part of unschooled street rats -- street… animals, and Greg had befriended them almost immediately. Currently, they were all sitting on a log, just as Scout had asked of him, as the boy rambled on and on to the verbally unresponsive animals. “So, my theory is hot dogs are not actually dogs, regardless of what they teach you in school. But you guys don’t go to school, huh? I’m gonna stick with you guys.” He whispered, laughing when his racoon friend picked up a black turtle and chucked it into the nearby pond.

“Hey, you found a log!” The voice of Scout caused Greg to perk up and crane his neck. The two shared a grin as she joined the group on the log, hesitating slightly upon noticing the company. “Who… are these guys?”

“Scout! These are my new friends!” The boy turned to the animals and gestured to her. “Gentlemen, this is Scout. She’s probably the smartest person in the world. Who needs school when you have Scout, huh?”

She snorted and set a hand atop his hat. “What is this, the Anti-School Club?”

“Huh… Yeah! That’s a great club name! Good job, Scout! And as founder of the ASC, I elect you president.”

“What an honor.”

“So, Ms President, what is your first order of business?”

Scout hummed in thought as she kicked her feet back and forth, tilting her head up to the bright blue sky. “Well, Ms Langtree is still singing her sorrows away, and Wirt is still being a dunce… So, I guess we just kill some time until he’s done.”

Greg nodded in satisfaction and snapped his fingers. “Perfect. And I know just the way to spend our killing time,” He hopped off of the log with a smile. “We play ‘Two Old Cat’! Me and Scout came up with it last year. It’s the best game ever created! Do you guys know how to play ‘Two Old Cat’?”

When the raccoon only blinked in response, Greg pulled Scout with him to a bush. “It’s fun. We’ll show you.”

“Be careful.” She warned and crouched down to help him carefully pull out a scraggly brown cat, surely blind in one eye. It meowed as the boy gently petted its dirty fur. Standing straight, she walked over to a tree and leaned against it to rest her throbbing leg.

A weak meow had her turning her head in the direction of the deer that had just picked up another cat. This one wore reading glasses and clutched a small walking cane in one of its paws. Greg frowned at this. “Wait. No. I think that cat is too old. What do you think, Scout?”

“Hm… Yeah, he’s too old. But we should at least feed the poor thing-”

“Hey! I think there’s one behind you!”

Scout twisted her body to peer into a bush behind her. She spotted a heap of dark black fur that rose and fell with raspy breathing. A pit formed in her stomach as she cautiously reached her hand into the bush. Just as her fingertips brushed the fur, the figure shot up to reveal itself as a gorilla. A pathetic roar sounded past its sharp teeth, yellow eyes staring into hers. Scout frightfully screamed and scrambled to her feet.

“Gorilla!” Greg waved his arms before he was being pushed forward by his friend.

“Go! Run!” She ordered, quickly leading Greg and the animals away from the gorilla that now began to chase them. “Keep going this way! I’ll distract it!”

Greg gasped. “Scout, no-”

“Just go! Go!”

The small group ran towards the schoolhouse, Scout huffing out a breath before turning back to the incoming gorilla. “Hey, ya big dummy! Come and get me!” She waved her arms wildly, darting off in the opposite direction of the schoolhouse. The gorilla growled quizzically before rushing after her. Despite the hot pain in her thigh, spreading past her knee, Scout managed to reach a tree, wrapping her arms and legs around it. She used her feet to hoist herself up, grabbing onto branches to pull her body farther up the tree. She cried out in shock when she felt a tug at her shoe.

Whipping her head around, she saw the gorilla trying to pull her off. Using her free leg, the injured one, she brought her knee close and then kicked her foot out, slamming it into the gorilla’s head and causing him to stumble back.

The tolling of a bell rang from above. Scout sat upon one of the branches and tilted her chin up to see Greg and the animals in the bell tower, swaying back and forth on the bell they desperately clung to. Her heart dropped at the sight. “What the- Greg! Get down from there now! S-Safely! Get down safely right now!”

Noticing the bell tower gang, the gorilla roared again and charged its way in their direction.

“No!” Scout wailed, quietly cursing to herself as she attempted to climb down the tree. Her uninjured leg slipped off the branch, eliciting a yelp from her as she clung to the wood, since her life quite possibly depended on it. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.”

“Scout!” She heard Greg call. Tilting her head back, her upside-down vision saw the gorilla chasing them towards the tree she dangled from. “We’re here! We’re here!”

“What the heck is even going on?!” She shouted as the gorilla rounded the tree over and over in the chase. Scout closed her eyes and inwardly wondered for a second if she were living in a cartoon at this point. Her body instinctively flinched when she felt scratching at her shin. It was the possum, holding a large, thick stick in his tiny hands. “Uh- hey. C-Can you help me?”

He blinked and stood on his hind legs, demonstrating a few swings with the stick before pointing down to the gorilla below them. Her eyes widened in realization. “O-Oh, you want me to knock him out?”

He nodded.

“Okay.” She let him slip the stick into one of her hands. Very quietly muttering to herself, she allowed her arm to leave the branch and dangle just above the gorilla’s head. Each time it ran near her, she would take a swing, but miserably miss just by an inch. Swing after swing, she let out little grunts and curses when she missed.

Sighing irritably, she moved her eyes up to the possum, who stared at her in exasperation. As if the solution were obvious, it used both its hands to demonstrate a very harsh swing, stumbling around to mock the gorilla. Inhaling deeply, she reared her arm towards her chest before bringing down the branch and connecting it with the gorilla’s head.

“Aah!” He groaned before falling to the ground, unmoving. Greg peeked from behind the tree and grinned up at her.

“Scout! You did it!”

She blinked. “I did… Hey! I did it! I did it- Aah!” She cried out when the branch broke from the tree, Scout letting go out of shock and barreling to the ground. When she landed on her back, the air was knocked out of her, forcing a choked gasp from her chest. She groaned in pain and rolled onto her side, her entire body pulsing in pain. She could hardly hear the hurried footsteps over the ringing in her head.

“Are you okay?! Scout?! Did you knock out all your memories and give yourself amnesia?!”

“Ugh… W-What…?” She rasped and let Greg help her stand. He watched carefully as she stumbled forward, holding onto the tree for support.

“Come on,” He put a hand on her back and handed the top hat to her. “We gotta go.”

After leading the group into the school and past Ms Langtree to the dining area, Greg slowly sat Scout at the picnic table beside Wirt. The teen frowned worriedly at his friend as she groaned. “Greg? What happened to Scout?”

The boy peered up at his brother. “She fell out of a tree after knocking out the gorilla.”

“She what?!”

“Are you okay?!” Beatrice widened her eyes.

“She’s like a superhero. But now she needs rest. I think she might have gotten amnesia. Oh! That means we need to remind her of all our good times, Wirt! Good times!”

Wirt gingerly touched the back of her head, flinching when she hissed in pain. “I-I-I-I’m sorry. D-Does it hurt? I mean- I mean… uh-”

“I’m okay,” She whispered, placing her top hat on her head. “I think I just need to rest…”

“Yeah! Get your energy! You’re gonna need a lot of it for the trip down memory lane!” Greg scooped a spoonful of mashed potatoes and shoveled it into her mouth. Scout cringed at the bland tastelessness of it and took a sip of water. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s very bland. No taste.”

Greg hummed and assessed the room around him, watching the dismal and cheerless expressions of the animal students as they brooded over their plates of potatoes. He gasped when his eyes caught an object on the piano Ms Langtree currently played a melancholy tune on, no doubt feeding into the somber mood.

Wirt hardly noticed his brother shuffle away from the table as he picked up his spoon. “It can’t be that bland, can it?”

“Hey, nobody ordered you to eat yet.” Beatrice cut in.

“Yeah, but… Hm.”

Scout raised a brow at the pair. “Wirt, eat your bland potatoes.”

He sent a grateful smile her way. “Sure.”

Beatrice rolled her eyes. “You’re no fun…” She mumbled, scrunching up her beak at the forced smile Scout gave her. The trio jumped at the sound of wild, clashing, tuneless notes on the piano coming from Greg. Ms Langtree softly smiled and took over, playing a much more pleasant swing song. Greg’s face dropped his smile for a beat before giving a thumbs-up and climbing on a chair to grab the container of molasses. Bouncing to the beat of the song, he began to sing.

“Oh, potatoes and molasses

If you want some, oh just ask us

They’re warm and soft like puppies and socks

Filled with cream and candy rocks!”

As he sang, he pranced around the room, adding just a bit of molasses to each plate to add a bit more cheer to everyone’s hearts.

“Oh, potatoes and molasses

They’re so much sweeter than algebra class

If your stomach is grumblin’ and your mouth starts mumblin’

There’s only one thing to keep your brain from crumblin’!

Oh, potatoes and molasses

If you can’t see ‘em, put on your glasses

They’re shiny and large like a fisherman’s barge

You know you eat enough when you start seein’ stars!”

Absentmindedly, Scout tapped her spoon against her glass to the beat of the song. A wide smile spread across her face when she noticed Wirt doing the same. And as if on cue, the animals all joined in the song with their instruments. The sight and sound of this made Scout feel at home. Music was her life and band was a great part of it.

“Oh, potatoes and molasses

It’s the only thing left on your task list

They’re short and stout to make everyone shout

For potatoes and molasses!

For potatoes and-”

“That’s enough!”

The door to the dining area burst open along with the booming voice. In the doorway was a tall figure, decked out in a large black trench coat and top hat, much shinier than Scout’s. His pale skin complexion stood out against his all-black attire. His greying hair peeked from under his hat, his dark eyes were hidden behind his circular prescription glasses, and his thick lips were curled into an upset frown. “Is this what I’ve been paying for?!”

“Hey!” Greg defended from where he stood on the table. “We just wanted to have a little fun.”

“I didn’t invest in this school to have fun,” He then marched over to Ms Langtree, who cowered under his scorn. “I thought we were trying to do important work here, teaching animals to count and spell.”

“We are!” Ms Langtree whined. “Oh, please, Father, don’t close the school! It won’t happen again!”

But he only walked past her. “I should say it won’t,” As he passed the animals, he snatched their instruments from them, definitely not forgetting to send a glare towards the three human children. “This… this… and this are all coming with me. Now send them to bed!”

“You heard father,” Ms Langtree sadly motioned to another room. “Off to bed with you.”

In a single-file line, the children, human and animal, trudged into the room filled with well-made beds, one for three students maximum. On the way, they were each given a nightgown, Scout choosing to just throw hers on over her clothes along with her friends. “Wirt,” She whispered. “Are we seriously doing this?”

“Whatever you want, Scout. D-Don’t you need rest anyway? You look like you hit your head pretty hard.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…” She climbed into bed with Greg, his frog nestling under the blanket between them. Scout took their hats off and set them off to the side, frowning at the boy’s pout. “What’s on your mind, Gregory?”

Said boy tore his eyes away from the saddened animal folk. “I just wanted to have fun, change the world, and make it a better place.”

“Who says you didn’t?” She hummed and began tucking him in.

“You probably forgot because of your amnesia. I just made everything worse, Scout. Look at them…”

Scout glanced over her shoulder at the animals who were now sniffling and sighing to themselves. Exhaling through her nose, she turned back to the boy. “You know, changing the world isn’t easy, Greg. And you won’t get it right the first time. But you know what?” She gently pressed her lips to his forehead. “You change my world for the better everyday.”

“Really?”

“Really, really.”

“So, you remembered our good times! You’re cured!”

From between them, the frog croaked, causing the two to giggle. From the bed beside them, Wirt softly smiled at the interaction, his heart warming as well as his cheeks. Beatrice watched him with narrowed eyes. “Okay, Wirt, I’ll admit it. You seem like a pushover, but you’re not.”

“Oh?” He shifted his gaze to her.

“Deep down in your heart… you’re a stubborn jerk! When are you gonna give this up?!”

Wirt stared forward with a determined look. “Maybe never. Maybe I’ll never give this up.”

Greg hummed before pushing the blanket off of he and Scout, the girl quietly groaning to herself. “Yeah! Wirt’s right! Never give up!” He cheered before grabbing his sheets and tying the ends together, throwing them out the window. “C’mon! Let’s go save the day!”

“Okay, if you say so,” Wirt left his bed, halting at his friend, who painfully sat up and turned to assist Greg. “W-Wait, w-what about Scout?”

Her head slowly turned to him. “What about me?”

“You’re hurt.”

“You know what? I order you to stop being such a Worry Wirt.” She playfully rolled her eyes. He sputtered for a second before giving in and following her out of the window.

After discarding their nightgowns, the gang wandered the blackened wood, the hooting of an owl being their only source of sound beside the three sets of feet shifting through the grass. Scout wrapped her arms around her sore body for warmth. From beside her, she felt Wirt fix her hat that had been leaning atop her head. She glanced at him with a thankful smile, sending heat to his cheeks and then to hers in turn. Clearing his throat, Wirt looked to his brother. “So, what’s the plan, Greg?”

“Plan?”

Scout tilted her head. “Yeah. You need to plan to change the world, bud.”

“Oh. I don’t know.” He shrugged.

Just then, a pitiful moan sounded from behind a bush. “Oh, who would’ve thought making a primer school for animals was a bad idea?”

Upon parting the bush, the three quietly gasped at the sight of Mr Langtree crouching on the ground, surrounded by the instruments he had confiscated, talking to himself. “My life savings, my home, everything I had went into that dear, dear school. And now I’m forced to sell these instruments just to keep it open,” As he continued, he removed his trench coat to reveal a quite scrawny man underneath the threatening facade, using his coat and a trumpet to act as a sorry tent. “All the while, that loathsome Jimmy Brown is off galavanting who knows where! Not to mention that wild gorilla on the loose. If only something would go right for a change…” He defeatedly sighed as he laid on the ground.

Soon, the sound of his snores filled the area. Scout hummed and shook her head. “Poor guy…”

“Yeah,” Greg nodded. “Okay, I think he’s asleep. Let’s go steal his stuff.”

Wirt, Scout and Beatrice widened their eyes. “What?”

-------------------------------------------------

As the sun emerged and the mildew leaked from the trees, Scout checked every last detail of the area before nodding to herself. Throughout the night, Greg, Wirt and Beatrice helped build a stage and notified anyone around of their benefit concert as Scout gathered the animal students to quickly learn a single song on their instruments. The work was tiring, but nothing she wasn’t used to. Rounding the front of the stage, she found Greg waiting for her, holding a baton for her. “There you are! It’s time to do what you were born to do! Do it for the world, Scout!”

“Alright, alright.” She chuckled and took the baton into her hand. Facing the band, she raised her arms in front of her, commencing the song. Her heart swelled with pride as the students played along perfectly. A joyful laugh bubbled in her throat as her arms waved and glided through the air to cue entrances and cut-offs. From the corner of her eye, she spotted people, apparently wealthy by their fine clothes and generous donations, trickling in from wherever they came from and dumping their purses and pockets clean into buckets provided. Her grin widened as they stopped beside the stage to stand and enjoy the beautiful music.

Her smile dropped when the students slowly halted their playing. “Guys, why’d you stop?” She raised her brows. Greg jumped onto the stage and pointed past her.

“Gorilla!”

That same pathetic roar from the previous day triggered the screaming of the audience. Scout spun around to find the gorilla she had knocked out was back and charging towards poor Ms Langtree. “Young man, do something!” Mr Langtree shouted at Wirt. The teen looked around uselessly before blindly running forward to do… something.

Before he could stop or hesitate, he tripped on his still untied laces and collided with the gorilla, sending them both to the ground. When they hit the ground, the head of the gorilla popped off and rolled to the side. Everyone gasped as Wirt scrambled to his feet. The headless gorilla sat up to reveal himself as a young man with silky, blonde hair and a handlebar mustache. “Finally.” His southern accent sighed out.

“Jimmy?” Ms Langtree gaped.

“That’s right, darlin’. I was the gorilla.”

“But… why did you do it…?”

“Got a job in the circus so’s I could finally buy ya that weddin’ ring,” He struggled to stand as Ms Langtree joined his side. “But when I got stuck in the dang suit, everybody was too doggone scared to help me out.”

Scout wringed her hands together in embarrassment. Ms Langtree cupped her cheeks in her hands as she swooned.

“Oh, Jimmy…”

“Darlin’...”

The two lovingly embraced, Greg shaking Scout as everyone cheered for them. Mr Langtree sniffled and wiped a tear from his eye. “I guess the world really is as sweet as potatoes and molasses…”

As if on cue, Greg plucked the baton from Scout’s grasp and turned to the band, starting his own song once again,

“Oh, potatoes and molasses.

If you want some, oh, just ask us!”

Sensing her work was done, Scout hopped off the stage and searched for her friend. He was leaning against a tree nearby with Beatrice perched on a branch above him. Giddily smiling, she shimmied her way over to them with a skip in her step. Wirt quietly chuckled as he watched her, raising a brow when she finally reached him.

“I did pretty good, huh?”

“You did great, Scout.”

She happily sighed and leaned beside him, their shoulders brushing at their closeness. Beatrice smirked at this. “Hey, Wirt.” She softly called.

“Yeah?” He glanced up at the branch.

“Tie your shoe.”

“Hm? Oh. Mm… okay.” He hummed and bent down to do as he was told.

Peeking over his cone hat, Scout spotted Beatrice glancing from Wirt, then to her, sending a wink her way. Scout widened her eyes and blushed furiously.

—————————————

Taglist: @kirishimas-manly-eyeliner

[dhwty-writes]

The power of secrets

The following short story will be set in the world of my current WIP, “Die Kaiserin” (The empress) but it was written after a prompt that was posted by @oliviapaigewrites in her slack wirting group. 

Feel free to comment on it and tell me your thoughts!

Secrets, no matter how much people want to pretend they don’t exist, are a dangerous thing.

This is something that had first occurred to me in early childhood even though that might not have been my wording back then; I had a little conspiracy with my brother going on, planning on sneaking out, late at night, when I ought to be sleeping, to go to a friend’s tent. I escaped, that much I achieved, but I never got to play with Sema. My brother had sold me out to our mother, who promptly turned up at Sema’s house to snatch me back home.

It had been a painful experience, being betrayed in that kind of way by a person that I held and – so much has to be remarked – still do hold so dearly. It was the first painful lesson but by far not the last until I became what I am now. On the way to my current occupation lie the corpses of scattered friendships, treasonous lovers and jealous classmates, all of them eager to stab me in the back, once I had it turned towards them.

It had been hard, stepping across this with a face of stone even though tears burnt in my eyes and a silent sob stuck in the back of my throat. But my family, my parents, mother and father, mom and dad, and my brother, most of them all, had raised me to be proud. They had raised me to hold my head high, nose ever in a fresh wind that may promise the coming of better days.

“Don’t let them see your weakness”, I heard my brother whisper in my ear, as he tended to a scrapped knee of mine, “They will use it against you.”

It was – is! – the same with secrets, though. People pretend they don’t exist; say that you have got no weaknesses that you were a goddess among mortals even though everyone knows that there is no truth of it. The only protection is not to give them away.

On my childhood resembling a graveyard of friendships I had learned to keep my secrets to myself. And even more than that: while knowing how devastating, how gruesome and terrible it could be if someone knows your secrets I refrained from sharing anyone’s secrets.

A secret – that has to been known – a shared secret is the expression of the highest possible trust a person can express, presupposed that said person is neither drunk nor drugged. Giving away such a secret is the most inhumane thing our races are capable of, at least in my opinion. Exposed secrets leave you naked as torn clothes, defenceless, the subject of public interest, if wanted or not, an object, everyone may decree as they like.

And thus, I became a secret-keeper. A person, anybody may come to and spill their hearts out, knowing, nobody else will hear of it. I must confess, sometimes it feels a bit like a confessor but I don’t really mind.

I turned my head from the setting sun. It gleamed red and gold behind my closed eyelids and as I forced them open many-colored points danced in my view. “How did you find out?” I was startled, among other reasons by the sharpness of my voice.

The woman behind the desk chuckled. “It was hard, I admit that. At first I thought you just pretended to have no secrets. So many others do, don’t they?” Her smile was wide and charming, a year ago it might have sent me reeling but now I only tensed. “Then I was convinced that you truly had none. You never let anything slip, you must know. Not with your dearest friends, not with your family, not even when offered payment. I would have accepted for that sum.”

“But I am not you,” I answered coldly “I’m sure you will have noticed.”

She laughed again, this time loud and clear, like silver bells ringing. “Yes, indeed. Well… concerning your question… Partly I just guessed. There was not any evidence, at least not at the beginning. But I knew there was something. There had to be. There always is. And then, as we concentrated on that particular matter… It just became clear. Simple as that. And it was the look in your eyes, not only love but also lust.”

I closed my eyes. I was trapped, I knew I was. With evidence… they could have me killed for it. “What do you want?” I asked bluntly. It was obvious that she wanted something; otherwise I would not be here.

She rose from her seat. “Well, the first thing you will do is to keep committing adultery with the Racha. Not that it is something he won’t do anyway; I guess he is in somebody else’s bed every night. Or rather, somebody else is in his bed every night. We don’t want him to become suspicious. Secondly, you will ensure that you don’t get with child.” As gruesome paradox I glanced towards her swelling belly. “You see, maybe would the Racha allow you to keep the child if it was neither shadowless nor a changer but there is not much a chance to that, no? All of his children were one or the other until now. But if it were, and pray to god if it was to be both, he would never let you and the brat go. I am sure that you understand that.”

“Of course I do,” I snapped, “And I saw to it.”

“I fear I can’t get him to leave his hands of you and the other girls and keep them to my body. I tried it, it doesn’t work. But I swear he will grow tired of you, sooner than later, and most likely you will be permitted to stay at court. Don’t worry about that.” The woman in front of me had a soft, motherly expression on her face and I felt the longing to run into her arms and hug her so that she would protect me of all evil in this world.

“And then… the Liv’ Siru won’t stay much longer. I will convince her to go and perhaps she will never return. Most likely she won’t.” She paused. “It will hurt you. I won’t lie to you about that. It hurts every time when you lose someone you hold dear. But it will get better.”

“It can’t hurt a lot more than loving a person while knowing perfectly well that this affection is unrequited.” I sounded bitter, I realised, hurt.

“No. I suppose not.”

“You won’t tell anyone?” I asked suspiciously.

“No, I won’t. There is no need to. At least not now.”

“Why did you want to find it out in the first way, then?” I was truly confused.

“I am the Rachasa. I ought to know what is going on in my court. It is always useful to know things about people when they think you don’t. And it comes in handy to prevent them from doing stupid things.”

Casually she strolled over to a set of stools and a table. “Would you like anything? A tea maybe? Peach juice?”

The mere thought of the sweet drink made my mouth water but still I was wary. It wasn’t over, I knew that very well. “No, thank you.”

“Ah, I did not think so. You are very intelligent, are you not? So, I shall finally formulate my plea: I would like you to come to my garden once a week. You will dine with me and enjoy the time you have there, nothing unusual, I tend to do that often with the lovers of my husband. And you will answer my questions about particular people at the court.” She flipped a small biscuit into her mouth. “I guess you already figured out what would happen, if you would chose not to attend to out weekly meetings. The shame in front of all the court and the realm, the disgrace and the repudiation, exile with no hope of being-“

“I think I got your point, thank you!” I interrupted her sharply. “There is no need for further explanations.”

“No, I did not suppose there would be.” She smiled, again. “Then I will see you tomorrow at noon, if you please?”

“I am honoured, your grace,” I said stiffly “It will be a pleasure for me to attend to you.”

And thus, as I walked out of the chambers of the Rachasa, I had somehow transformed from a secret-keeper to a secret-teller, a filthy spy. I cannot imagine an occupation I would be more disgusted of; for secrets, no matter how much people want to pretend they don’t exist, are a dangerous thing.

[spinji]

Human Boyfriend 101 Chapter 4

If patience is dwindled foolish decisions and jealousy sprout in its place. It’s a real tragedy. Maybe you should’ve kept to doing nothing at all...

“Hey! Beast!” Tom waved down his friend as he ran into the woods from the clearing.

“TREES Thomas!” Beast hissed with the tone of an agitated parent. Tom slowed himself down and backed up with a bit of a stumble until he was back in the clearing. Beast huffed and calmed down as he followed the young demon into the clearing. “What is it?”

“Your advice worked! Well...kinda. Star agreed to help me get Marco to warm up to me.” Tom grinned brightly. Beast couldn’t help the soft smile that crossed his face.

“Well good job Three Eyes! I honestly didn’t think you’d make it this far.” Tom felt a cane hook around his middle as the triangle at the other end tugged him close and ruffled his hair. “Oh, hey Bill...I didn’t know you were here.” Tom pushed away to keep his personal space intact.

“Well I was just talking to Beasty about my progress with my Pine Tree. Not to brag but it’s going smoothly.” Bill attempted a modest look. Tom rolled all three of his eyes. “All you do is brag.” he commented.

The two quickly got into a conversation of their own which doubled as an argument as it often did. Once they were distracted, Beast slipped back into the trees. Hearing the two attempt to one up each other as far as their progress with their humans was getting uncomfortable to listen to.

He was still in the exact same spot he was last month with Wirt. He’d kept a close eye on the boy, who had surprised him in how well he’d been able to survive out here but he still watched him just to make sure he wasn’t hurt. Other than that there had been nothing. He hadn’t revealed himself or spoken a word to the boy. At some point he even stopped giving him gifts once the risk of being caught hiding them became too great.

Beast sighed and slumped slightly against a tree, he had to do SOMETHING soon. He couldn’t let Bill of all people get the best of him, especially when he initiated with stupid bet.

It was pathetic really. The Beast of the forest was at the whim of a human who barely understood a thing. He who ruled the forest with a chilling grasp couldn’t bring an ounce of his power against the boy even if he tried. This is not how things should be. If a beast wants something he takes it for his own! Maybe Bill was right, for once. He was being too quiet. Beast flashed a wicked grin, now was the time for the forest to claim his prince.

“Hey, where’d Beast run off to?” Tom suddenly asked, ignoring whatever their previous conversation had been. Bill shrugged. “Dunno…” Tom cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean “dunno”? I thought you were supposed know everything.”

“Lots of things.” Bill corrected. “I never said I know everything. Besides, The Unknown is his domain. I can’t find where Beast is unless he’s okay with me finding him. Or if he lets his guard down.”

Tom shivered and crossed his arms tight over his chest. “It’s getting pretty cold. It’s almost December here, right?”

“Yeah, in this dimension. Better get back home before you get frostbite little royal.” Tom shot him a small glare as he shivered and pulled up a portal back to his room. “Shut up.”

Wirt shivered slightly as he slumped against a nearby tree. He didn’t know how long it had been since Beatrice betrayed them. With no real hope of getting home time was beginning to blur, and with all the clouds overhead it was impossible to tell morning from evening. He didn’t know if it had been hours, days, or just mere minutes. All he knew was that there was no hope left.

He couldn’t comprehend how Greg was so optimistic. Was it his childish ignorance or was it for his own sanity? Wirt pulled his cloak closer, the late fall wind stung his face as he closed his eyes. He felt Greg settle down next to him, putting a pile of fallen leaves on them both as blankets. Wirt might’ve broken down crying if the breeze didn’t keep drying up his tear ducts.

The Beast loomed over the boys once they were fast asleep, a tiny twig of edlewood squirmed out of the ground and slowly wrapped around Wirt’s ankle. More sprouts formed around the boy as  he shivered and squirmed in his sleep. Beast could feel his misery and numbness, a perfect time to claim the boy. “You’re powerless now and my forest will soon take you as mine. There’s no point in fighting. Show me your mind boy…”

Wirt was at peace in his mind. All the trouble of being lost seemed to wash away. He was at peace in this tranquil bubble. The world around him was an indistinguishable blur of deep blue and violet colors, as if they were slowly being mixed on a painter's palette by an unseen brush. His body was numb but still warm as he stayed there, alone with his thoughts.

Not long after, a small sting of cold nipped his toes. It coiled up his leg like a snake he couldn't see. The silence around him was filling with whispers and incoherent muttering from voices that weren't his own and the echoing sound of a deep singing voice.

The chill along his leg turned into a twisting edlewood branch slowly moving and twitching up his limb. Wirt let out an audible yelp and attempted to shake it from his body. Shadows gathered before him and slowly took the Beast's form, his piercing white eyes locking onto the boy. Wirt backed away, his small mindscape now feeling more confining than comforting.

“Hello Wirt” Beast spoke calmly with almost a chipper tone to his voice. Wirt tried to calm the racing heartbeat pounding in his ears as he managed a response from his shaky lips. “W-what do you want from me?” Beast took a step towards the boy, his ghostly steps not making any noise. Wirt scrambled back against the wall, his feet and hands making a hollow echo noise that surrounded the small dream bubble.

“There’s no need to fear me child. You know who I am, don’t you?” Beast asked, kneeling down slightly to be closer to Wirt’s height. Wirt looked up from his curled up frame, shyly gazing into the Beast’s eyes. “You’re the Beast, right? That horrible creature everyone’s been warning us about.” Beast huffed quietly. “All superstition and nonsense. The villagers that scatter these woods used me as a warning to their children not to wander the woods alone.” Wirt released a bit of the tension in his shoulders.

Beast moved closer and Wirt’s arms became littered with goose bumps. The creature just seemed to radiate chills down the spine and Wirt quickly began to shiver. “So, what do you want?” he asked, uncurling his body and looking up to face him calmly. “The woods are more empty than you may realize child. As the caretaker, I mimic the woods. I’ve yearned for a companion for the longest time.” Beast huffed softly and sat in front of the boy.

Wirt gave the creature a sympathetic look and sat up straighter to reach his eye level. “I’ve noticed you’ve been growing impatient with your brother. Why is that?” Beast asked. Wirt huffed and turned away from Beast’s gaze. “We’re never going to get out of this forest but he’s so convinced there’s a way. I just don’t know what to believe anymore…” Wirt muttered as he absentmindedly rubbed the cloth of his cloak between his fingers. “He’s fighting a battle utterly deprived of victory. It’s fruitless to fight on if you know you won’t gain a reward in the end.” Wirt nodded slightly as Beast spoke.

“Then what do I do? It’s weird to ask but...how do I give up?” As hopeless as Wirt was he didn’t want to lose his life, not yet. “You could always be content with staying.” Beast wrapped an arm around the boy’s middle. “It can be a tranquil place to live at the best of times.” Wirt couldn’t help but crack a tiny smile.

“That sounds like something I could use right now. Ever since we got lost it’s been one crazy thing after another. I don’t even know how long we’ve been here.” Wirt laid against Beast’s side and closed his eyes. It felt warmer than before. “Good boy…”

After a minute Wirt began to squirm uncomfortably, he opened his eyes again. Beast had his eyes locked onto him, his body felt cold to the touch again. Wirt’s eyes drifted down to his own frame. Smooth edlewood branches slowly slithered around his body, the branches putting ever growing pressure on his body, like a snake preparing to drain the life of it’s prey.

Wirt let out a startled yelp and tried to struggle against the branches that had already bound his arms and legs. “B-Beast what’s happening?!” his yelled to the creature, his voice rising in pitch with every syllable as he panicked. “You said you want to stay, so you’re staying with me.” Beast spoke calmly, the feathers of his cloak ruffling from their smoothed out position as he tone of voice grew agitated. “Now stop struggling.”

Wirt cried out and attempted to kick the creature. “Let me go!” the boy broke the thin branches restraining one of his legs and swung his foot until it smashed into Beast’s jaw. The branches covering him wilted slightly and Wirt broke one of his arms free with little resistance. Beast hissed in pain and glared at the boy as he pulled the dead branches from his body. “You’ve made a grave mistake…”

Beast stood up, now towering over the boy, before letting the inky blackness of his body seep out and surround the small bubble. Wirt cowered from the darkness for only a brief moment before standing up straight. “Get out of my head! You think you scare me?” Wirt snapped. Beast flinched ever so slightly at the boy’s assertiveness.

“This is my mind and you’re not welcome in it. A heavy force hit Beast’s body as he was slammed against the edge of the bubble. Beast struggled against the force that restrained his entire body, screeching and hissing in desperation as he pulled further away from the boy he nearly had. The bubble stretched under the pressure before the creature was forcefully ejected from the boy’s mind.

Wirt bolted up, his breaths fast and shaky as his eyes scanned the surrounding area rapidly. Dead, shriveled up, branches laid across his torso until he ripped them away. Greg stirred next to him and sat up with drowsy eyes. “Wirt..?”

Wirt looked to his brother and sighed in relief, falling back to lay on the tree again before pulling the smaller boy closer. “Let’s get out of here, Greg. It isn’t safe…” Wirt stood up and pulled Greg to his feet. “Why? What happened?” Wirt squeezed his hand slightly. “It’s nothing. It;s just too cold to be out here. Let’s try and find a warmer place to sleep.” Wirt looked around the area again, no sign of the Beast. He sighed and pulled Greg towards the woods as snowflakes fell from the dark sky.

Beast laid on the ground beside the foggy lake, the cold weather not seeming to bother him at all. “What’s with the long face Antlers? Heh, or lack of face for that matter.” Bill chuckled and floated over to the creature.

“Leave me be Cipher…” Beast huffed out and turned away from him. “Aww, come on. What’s on your mind?” Bill nudged him lightly. “You mock every motion I make. Why should I?”

“C’mon, Beasty! I thought we were friends.” Bill whined dramatically.

Beast huffed and gave in. “I’m an utter fool. I fell under a spell of fury cast by your comments, whether you did this purposefully or not.”

“Yeesh cut it with the slam poetree for once.” Even if it was technically impossible to tell the difference Beast knew that pun had wriggled its way into Bill’s response.

“This is the exact reason I did not want to speak with you…” Beast muttered grumpily.

“Fine! Then I’ll just go. You’re no fun today.” Bill disappeared without giving time for Beast to respond. The creature sighed and continued examining the cold and dead grass around him. Centuries of being feared and alone had nothing on the misery that overwhelmed him.

Someone seems to be struggling. To be fair  Bill isn't having as much luck as he claims. ;) (sorry for the sad chapter. We'll get back to the silly stuff next time)

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Chapter 3 <===> Chapter 5