***Alastair***
Alastair faintly heard the rustling of the curtains beneath his covers. He put one of his pillows over his ears. Did he leave the window open or something last night? Wait. Why would he have even opened it? He didn't do that when he lived at home.
"Morning."
Oh... Cyan must've opened the curtains. Not sure why she bothered when he had to shut them when he got a bad headache, anyway.
"I'm going to go out in a little while." Cyan spoke softly. "It'd be nice if you and Honey came with me."
"Go by yourself!"
Who in their right mind wanted to leave a warm, comfy bed?
Honey whined. She wanted to leave the house. She liked being outside and exploring new smells.
"Ramona," Alastair whispered. "What time is it?"
"It is 9:33, Wyatt."
Cyan pulled the covers back slowly. "They're giving out free muffins. That's why I'm going."
"Well, have fun with that."
"You really don't want a free muffin?"
Alastair rolled over and buried his face in his pillow.
"Oh, come on. I was just outside. It's nice today." She sighed. "It might do you good to get some sun."
"I don't like crowds."
"Honey, I will beg if I have to. It's not good to stay home all the time."
"Why don't you see if that guy you went to the dance with wants to go?"
"He's probably going, anyway." She sighed. "Is there really nothing I can do to convince you? I think you'll be fine if you just put on a hoodie and shoes."
Alastair sat up. "Out, please. I wanna change."
Cyan smiled. "You got it."
Honey went with her since the cranky puppy wanted to eat. She claimed to be starving. Alastair thought that was a gross exaggeration, but he didn't feel like arguing.
He put on a pair of En's old clothes and and his mask before he met them in the kitchen.
"Sweetie." Cyan's face softened. "You really do look better without that thing on. But honestly I'm more worried that you're going to get a rash or something if you keep wearing that thing all the time."
"I'll be fine." Alastair turned to leave. "Let's go."
Honey brought him the leash Cyan bought for her. Thankfully, her old family taught her how to walk on one before she left. Alastair didn't like the idea of losing her in a crowd.
They went their way after that.
***
Cyan brought him to an open space that seemed to be... paved... with cobble stones. People were crowding around three folding tables. Free food wasn't enough to get him excited to join them.
Crowds were one of his least favorite things. It was almost hard to breathe if they got big enough.
A blond boy came over with a black tray. "Would you like a snack?"
Alastair slowly took the snack. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
The boy then ran off.
Alastair sat on a nearby bench.
He lifted the mask but only enough to be able to eat the muffin.
The muffin was good. It made him glad Cyan convinced him to come. Still, it wasn't as good as the thing Cyan made for him at her stand. He'd have to convince her to make it for him again.
"Did you enjoy that muffin?" Matt asked.
Alastair set the muffin down and fixed his mask back into place, finding that Ritchie had sat down beside him.
"It was good."
"Did you enjoy the ball we went our separate ways?"
"Yeah, I did."
Alastair's terminal lit up and he hit a button to let Ramona speak. "You have a message from Cyan, Collin."
He held the terminal to his ear. "Please read it to me."
Cyan wanted to know if he had gotten a muffin since she was near the front of the line.
"Ramona," he whispered, "tell her that I did."
"Did you come here with someone?" Matt asked.
"Yeah, my roommate is getting a free muffin and she has my dog with her."
"It must be nice to have a pet," Matt said. "I'd love to get a cat myself."
"I'd like a kitty." Alastair hung his head. "But I can't have one..."
"Why not?"
"They make my naggy brother sneezy."
"That must not be fun."
That was when Alastair noticed. Ritchie was wearing glasses. The frames were thin, so that made them hard to notice. Still, Alastair was surprised. He figured they'd have contacts or something that'd make glasses obsolete in this world.
Electricity pooled in his cheeks when he realized that he was staring.
"You're fine." Ritchie stifled a laugh and smiled. "Most people are surprised when they see my glasses for the first time since contacts are so popular nowadays. I don't like them because they irritate my eyes badly."
That made sense. They weren't for everyone. Even people who wore contacts usually had glasses, too.
"Do you wear them, too?"
"I-in my mask."
"Have you done anything exciting since the ball?" he asked.
"Not really..." Alastair found himself smiling. "I've mostly just been trying to relax at home."
"Well, I can't blame you." Ritchie had the biggest smile on his face. "If I could, I'd hole myself up in a library and just sleep there."
Alastair could see En saying something like that. He was always fixing or building some new gadget. Sharing his room with him, Noah always got early access. Star would often try to sneak in, but it was useless as En was usually there. Like a dragon guarding his treasure.
"I'm not big on books, but that sounds nice."
"Not many people are since they're bulky and 'a waste of space'." Matt smiled. "I still like them, though. I'd do what I can to protect them from the sands of time, so others can enjoy them if they like."
That was a nice goal. Alastair hoped he could continue to reach for it.
His head began to hurt. He didn't know why. He wanted to cry. He cradled his head in his hands. It was like somebody let a jackhammer loose in there. He wanted to cuddle up with his cub, but he couldn't.
Honey rubbed against his pants leg. 'Do you feel yucky, Coco?'
Maggie sighed as she approached him. "You should go home."
Alastair forced himself to jump off the bench. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
Alastair fell when he ran into someone.
His eyes widened. It was the man from his dream.
Alastair yelped when the man lifted him onto his feet. "You should listen to your friend. Go home before you get more than your arm broken. These people are capable of far worse."
Star zapped the man's hand and ran off. Stupid Lock! Like he needed to tell him that! He knew where he wasn't wanted...