A World of Discovery

I hope you’ll pardon the lack of updates, dear reader, but I’ve been away. Traveling in the vast underground animal network is beyond my wildest imaginings and I will try to catch you up to my adventures as quickly as I can. There is so much to tell.

Things had just begun to settle into a normal rhythm with Kelly and Brandon. Kelly was teaching me how to make bread, and Brandon was working away in his study, prepping for his big presentation to The Order. Every time we pulled him out for a meal or a tea break, he would mutter about Oracles and theorems and wander back to his notes, a half-eaten piece of toast in hand.

Meanwhile, the misdirection charm allowed me more freedom, even if it kept me pretty isolated. Kelly had tasked me with picking up the mail at the post office, and I am happy to report that I was most successful in my duties. It’s a small thing, but it felt good to contribute to our little de facto family in some way. Thanks largely to Kelly’s efforts, the lab was starting to feel more like home than anything I’d experienced since leaving the Overworld—maybe longer.

Brandon’s big day arrived, and I’ve never seen him so excited and nervous. He bundled into the kitchen with his arms full of files and rolled-up posters, laptop crammed under his chin. Dumping everything on the table, he rubbed his hands together, his smile crackling with anticipation.

“This is it,” he said, grabbing a mug and flipping on the kettle. “In four short hours, yours truly will be presenting my life work to the Order Special Council.”

I smiled and poked at the pile of materials on the table.

“Do you want a bag for these things?” I asked, opening the cupboard where Kelly kept the cloth bags for shopping.

“No need,” Brandon said, rummaging through tea canisters and tapping his foot. “I have it well in hand.”

I nodded. It didn’t look well in hand to me, but what do I know? I turned to close the cupboard, and that’s when I noticed Kelly standing in the doorway, looking morose and clutching a piece of paper. My heart dropped. Something about the way the paper drooped toward the floor promised unwanted news.

“Kelly?”

Brandon stopped scooping tea into his cup, looked up at Kelly, looked down at the letter, and then froze. A clock ticked somewhere, counting down the seconds until whatever had written worry all over Kelly’s brow became a reality for the rest of us.

“It’s from The Order,” Kelly said, holding the piece of paper out like it might suddenly grow teeth and bite. “Brandon, I’m so sorry.”

Brandon deflated as he read, pulling out a chair and sinking into it. By the time he lowered the paper to the tabletop, his head was in his hand. He sat like that for a while, re-reading the letter in silence. I looked at Kelly, brows raised. The look I got in return didn’t invite questions or conversation. So, I waited, trying to breathe quietly and be patient. Finally, Brandon raised his head, dropped the paper to the table like a used napkin, and sat back in his chair. Kelly looked at me, then slid into the chair across the table.

“Are you okay?” Kelly asked.

“I guess I have to be,” Brandon answered, staring at his limp hand on the table. “It would have been nice to have more notice.”

I inched my way over to the table and sat down, doing my level best to read the paper upside down without being obvious.

“Cancelled,” Brandon said, pushing the piece of paper across the table to me. “No reschedule date, no apologies. Just canceled.”

I read it over quickly.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we regret to inform you that your presentation to the special counsel has been canceled. Thank you for your service to The Protective Order of Denhaven.

No signature, just an official-looking stamp.

Brandon abruptly stood up, gathered his materials, and disappeared into his study. For three days, he didn’t leave that room. Kelly brought him soup, bread, little fruit bowls, and even baked him his favorite cookies.

“Give him time,” Kelly said, emptying a tray of half-eaten morsels onto the counter. “He’ll be okay.”

I busied myself with other things, helping with chores and reading whatever I could get my hands on. Kelly was happy to provide resources but was hesitant to let me help with the portal work. The last time I was in the same room with a portal, things got pretty weird, and I sensed that Kelly was intentionally steering me away from that area of study. We were also experiencing long spells of network outages, which Kelly was keen to fix sooner rather than later.

“I have some errands to run this evening,” Kelly said, sweeping into the living room where I was pouring over a large tome titled Transmogrification: Pitfalls and Practical Applications.

“I won’t be back until late.”

I nodded, nibbling on a carrot stick and musing over a table of common forms for shape changers listed by difficulty. Human was high on the list. In the notes column it said: fingers and toes are very tricky to get right, facial features must be symmetrical (see diagram).

“Would you make sure that Brandon eats something?” Kelly asked, nodding to the kitchen. “I left a salad and bowl of mixed berries in the fridge for both of you.”

“Sure,” I said, setting down my book. I hadn’t seen Brandon since he got the cancellation letter, and I had to admit that I was very curious about how he was holding up.

“Great,” Kelly said. “Don’t wait up for me.”

I laughed. Kelly had been out a lot lately. Not that it was any of my business. I admit that I lost track of time pouring over the diagrams of what humans should look like and how to achieve a believable similarity. Roused by the complaints of my own stomach, I headed down the hall only to note that the study door was open. I poked my head in, expecting to see a mess of presentation materials, only to find a neat and tidy study with Brandon nowhere to be found. Mildly alarmed, I made my way down to the kitchen only to find him sitting at the table, idly picking through the bowl of berries. He looked up at me and smiled.

“Everything good?” I asked lamely.

He nodded.

“You sure?” I sat down across from him, feeling awkward but somewhat relieved. He really did look okay.

“I’m leaving tomorrow,” he said, popping a blueberry in his mouth. “And I’d like you to come with me.”

I gaped at him across the table.

“What do you mean you’re leaving?” I asked, my pulse spiking. “Where are you going?”

“Let’s call it field study,” he said, measuring me with his eyes. “I have some friends in Seahaven who are conducting research I’d like to get a closer look at.”

“And you want me to come with you?” I wasn’t sure how to feel about this new development. The idea of travel excited me, but it was overshadowed by the potential complications that came along with being a human abroad in the animal world.

“You’re worried about traveling,” Brandon said. It wasn’t a question. “Do you trust me?”

I thought about everything we’d been through since he found me starving in that underground tunnel, trying to make my way to Denhaven and in way over my head. He hadn’t just helped me; he’d treated me like family. And he’d risked his own safety to do it.

“Yes,” I said, smiling. “I absolutely do.”

-JPS