In Exchange for Magic
08
I woke up, however, two hours later, shivering my ass off.
"S-So c-c-cold..." I whimpered, my jaw clenching up. I rolled around in my blankets, creating a Rose-taco... But it was no use. There was no escaping the bitter, frosty air that bit my nose and fingers.
"E-Ez?" I asked out loud.
There was no answer.
"Ez?" A little louder.
Silence.
"Ez!"
The blankets rustled from inside the tent, and I could hear my elven friend grunt in reply.
I threw back my blankets, and scurried into the tent with him. His breath and body heat had already warmed the interior, and I breathed a sigh of relief when my teeth stopped chattering.
"Hey," I greeted him. "I'm going to have to sleep in here. It's effing freezing out there."
I snuggled under some of the blankets, and he scrambled away from me, backing into the furthest corner of the vinyl tent.
"Here?"
"Yeah. Why not?"
"Y-You can't sleep here!"
I scowled. "Why not?"
"Because it's... Because... Well, it's immoral for a man and a woman to share the same-"
"Oh my God!" I cried. "Get over it! You're not even a man! You're like some... Boy-creature-thing. Go to sleep."
I flopped over and closed my eyes, signaling that the conversation was over.
"Rose. Leave," Ez warned.
"No."
"Well, I can't go outside!"
"Why not?" I demanded.
He mumbled something about the moon, but gave up and angrily tossed a thick blanket over himself.
"Just... Be quiet, okay?"
"When am I ever not?"
He sighed.
There was about five minutes of silence before I blurted:
"Hey..." I whispered. "Is Ez your full name? Or does it stand for something?"
He sighed. "Seriously. Go to sleep."
"What? I'm curious!"
He was clenching his jaw. I could tell by the tightness of his voice. "Rose... I'm warning you. I'm trying very hard to concentrate on not... Well... I'm trying to concentrate. It's hard to focus when you keep asking me questions."
"Focus on what?"
"Go to sleep."
"Focus on-"
He sat up and punched the ground with his fist. The tent seemed to vibrate with the radiation of his anger.
"Go to sleep!" he roared.
I rolled my eyes and turned so that my back was facing him.
"Fine! Don't talk to me," I spat. "You're a jerk! Has anyone ever told you that?"
He rubbed in forehead in anxiety. "Look, Rose... I'm sorry, okay? I'm really tired and-"
"Don't talk to me!"
"Rose! Be reasonable! I'm trying to-"
"You're stupid and mean, and I wish I hadn't told you that you smell good!"
He heaved a sigh. "Ez stands for Ezekiel."
We were silent for a moment.
"Ezekiel Sullivan," I said, committing the name to memory.
"Mmm," he grunted in reply.
I fidgeted, and tried to bite back a laugh. "Your parents named you Ezekiel?"
He blurted out a small laugh before controlling himself. "Yes, as a matter of fact, they did."
I giggled. "Ezekiel is an old man's name!"
"What about Rose? What old lady doesn't have a friend named Rose?" he teased.
"Okay, that may be true, but Rose isn't as bad as Ezikiel!"
"Hey!" he protested with a grin. "It was my father's name!"
I snorted. "How old was your father? Eighty?"
"Three-hundred and twenty-seven."
A thick silence descended over the dark tent.
"And..." I asked through the denseness. "How old are you?"
"Go to sleep, Rose."
I sniffed, disappointed.
He grunted, nonchalant.
And we were silent.
-_-_-_-
"Get away... Get away from me... Get away!"
I sprung awake as Ez began shouting in his sleep. He was thrashing about, swimming in the blankets, and sweating profusely.
I sat up.
"Ez? Hey... Ez, are you okay?"
"No... No... No! NO!"
I crawled towards him, concern lining my face. He stopped shouting and just began making these heaving noises. Between the dry sobs, he choked out fragments of words and sentences, all having the common theme of either "No!", "Get away!", or "Don't!"
For lack of a better plan, I slapped Ez across the face. He gasped, opening his eyes wider than I've ever seen a person do. His breathing was ragged, and he looked confused as to where he was.
"Ma?" he asked me, blinking.
"No... It's me, Rose," I answered.
His pointed ears twitched and, for a stony moment, he stared only at my neck. His jaw clenched and his muscles tensed. Then, suddenly, he squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away.
"Go to sleep," he ordered.
"What the hell was that?" I asked him.
"A nightmare. Go to sleep."
"About what? That was intense!"
"It was about none of your business!"
"Was it sharks? I always have nightmares about sharks. Do you even have sharks here? The big grey fishes that-"
"Goddamn it, Rose Collins! If you don't go to sleep this instant, I'm going to turn you into the Shades myself!"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why would you say something like that to me? That's just about the rudest thing in the whole entire-"
"Rose," he hissed dangerously. "You have no clue what I'm... Your life depends... Please?"
"Alright, alright," I muttered, and flopped back down on my pillow, opting for the corner furthest from our crazy dreaming friend.
"S-So c-c-cold..." I whimpered, my jaw clenching up. I rolled around in my blankets, creating a Rose-taco... But it was no use. There was no escaping the bitter, frosty air that bit my nose and fingers.
"E-Ez?" I asked out loud.
There was no answer.
"Ez?" A little louder.
Silence.
"Ez!"
The blankets rustled from inside the tent, and I could hear my elven friend grunt in reply.
I threw back my blankets, and scurried into the tent with him. His breath and body heat had already warmed the interior, and I breathed a sigh of relief when my teeth stopped chattering.
"Hey," I greeted him. "I'm going to have to sleep in here. It's effing freezing out there."
I snuggled under some of the blankets, and he scrambled away from me, backing into the furthest corner of the vinyl tent.
"Here?"
"Yeah. Why not?"
"Y-You can't sleep here!"
I scowled. "Why not?"
"Because it's... Because... Well, it's immoral for a man and a woman to share the same-"
"Oh my God!" I cried. "Get over it! You're not even a man! You're like some... Boy-creature-thing. Go to sleep."
I flopped over and closed my eyes, signaling that the conversation was over.
"Rose. Leave," Ez warned.
"No."
"Well, I can't go outside!"
"Why not?" I demanded.
He mumbled something about the moon, but gave up and angrily tossed a thick blanket over himself.
"Just... Be quiet, okay?"
"When am I ever not?"
He sighed.
There was about five minutes of silence before I blurted:
"Hey..." I whispered. "Is Ez your full name? Or does it stand for something?"
He sighed. "Seriously. Go to sleep."
"What? I'm curious!"
He was clenching his jaw. I could tell by the tightness of his voice. "Rose... I'm warning you. I'm trying very hard to concentrate on not... Well... I'm trying to concentrate. It's hard to focus when you keep asking me questions."
"Focus on what?"
"Go to sleep."
"Focus on-"
He sat up and punched the ground with his fist. The tent seemed to vibrate with the radiation of his anger.
"Go to sleep!" he roared.
I rolled my eyes and turned so that my back was facing him.
"Fine! Don't talk to me," I spat. "You're a jerk! Has anyone ever told you that?"
He rubbed in forehead in anxiety. "Look, Rose... I'm sorry, okay? I'm really tired and-"
"Don't talk to me!"
"Rose! Be reasonable! I'm trying to-"
"You're stupid and mean, and I wish I hadn't told you that you smell good!"
He heaved a sigh. "Ez stands for Ezekiel."
We were silent for a moment.
"Ezekiel Sullivan," I said, committing the name to memory.
"Mmm," he grunted in reply.
I fidgeted, and tried to bite back a laugh. "Your parents named you Ezekiel?"
He blurted out a small laugh before controlling himself. "Yes, as a matter of fact, they did."
I giggled. "Ezekiel is an old man's name!"
"What about Rose? What old lady doesn't have a friend named Rose?" he teased.
"Okay, that may be true, but Rose isn't as bad as Ezikiel!"
"Hey!" he protested with a grin. "It was my father's name!"
I snorted. "How old was your father? Eighty?"
"Three-hundred and twenty-seven."
A thick silence descended over the dark tent.
"And..." I asked through the denseness. "How old are you?"
"Go to sleep, Rose."
I sniffed, disappointed.
He grunted, nonchalant.
And we were silent.
-_-_-_-
"Get away... Get away from me... Get away!"
I sprung awake as Ez began shouting in his sleep. He was thrashing about, swimming in the blankets, and sweating profusely.
I sat up.
"Ez? Hey... Ez, are you okay?"
"No... No... No! NO!"
I crawled towards him, concern lining my face. He stopped shouting and just began making these heaving noises. Between the dry sobs, he choked out fragments of words and sentences, all having the common theme of either "No!", "Get away!", or "Don't!"
For lack of a better plan, I slapped Ez across the face. He gasped, opening his eyes wider than I've ever seen a person do. His breathing was ragged, and he looked confused as to where he was.
"Ma?" he asked me, blinking.
"No... It's me, Rose," I answered.
His pointed ears twitched and, for a stony moment, he stared only at my neck. His jaw clenched and his muscles tensed. Then, suddenly, he squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away.
"Go to sleep," he ordered.
"What the hell was that?" I asked him.
"A nightmare. Go to sleep."
"About what? That was intense!"
"It was about none of your business!"
"Was it sharks? I always have nightmares about sharks. Do you even have sharks here? The big grey fishes that-"
"Goddamn it, Rose Collins! If you don't go to sleep this instant, I'm going to turn you into the Shades myself!"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why would you say something like that to me? That's just about the rudest thing in the whole entire-"
"Rose," he hissed dangerously. "You have no clue what I'm... Your life depends... Please?"
"Alright, alright," I muttered, and flopped back down on my pillow, opting for the corner furthest from our crazy dreaming friend.