Pitch: Second Season

With six weeks left of Summer break, I finally put my two halves back together. Fusing two versions of myself that had grown so much over several weeks was oddly satisfying. I expected the process to be painful or uncomfortable because I got the spell from my mother, but in the end, it was harmless. It was hard to understand what it felt like being divided until I was my whole self again. I couldn"t believe I managed to get away with my scheme either. I felt like a mastermind. I felt invincible. I felt the worst full-body pain in my life.

I should have waited a few nights after the showcase before putting myself back together. I was a veteran when it came to taking hard falls, but falling through a stage floor only to have Santa Claus land on my back was a new one. All I wanted to do was sleep in. Unfortunately, I had plans for early the next morning. I was supposed to meet up with Beth to start the second half of the internship. With the showcase behind us, I wasn"t sure what else we"d work on exactly.

On top of that, I knew Beth couldn"t cure me. My showing up wouldn"t have anything to do with deals or arrangements. Was I invested enough to continue working with Beth even with no strings attached? Regardless of my verdict, I had no choice but to wake up because Wes came to see me.

I was dating my best friend. The thought of Wes and I together that way still confused me a little, but not enough to turn me off from the idea. It was Monday morning when he stopped by to check on me. We hadn"t talked much since we made it back to town. To make matters worse, I was late and in a hurry to make it to the theater.

"What do you mean internship," Wes asked as I stepped outside the house.

"I have to go see Beth today," I said, forgetting he didn"t know who Beth was.

"Beth, who?"

"I"ll explain later, but I"m about to be late," I said.

"Pitch," he said, asking me to slow down with the sound of my name.

I didn"t mean to brush him off, but I didn"t know how to tell Wes about the internship without letting him know about my adventures as half a rabbit. I tried to do better.

"Why don"t you come with me," I suggested.

"To a "magic" internship?"

The way he asked me to reiterate myself told me he wasn"t interested.

"Yes," I said.

"You know I don"t do magic, but since when do you?"

"I don"t think it"s so bad anymore," I said.

"We don"t need magic. We are magic," he debated.

"That"s really cheesy," I tried to joke, and it got a half laugh out of him.

"It"s true," he pressed.

He gave me an entire speech like a motivational speaker, and it touched me. It touched me deeply until I remembered who it was coming from and looked down to see he was pantsless like usual.

"You might have fun," I tried to convince him.

"I doubt it."

"So, you"re not coming?"

"I"ll see you when you"re done," he said.

"Are you sure?"

He scratched the back of his head and looked away before he answered me.

"You aren"t doing this magic stuff to get away from me, are you?" he asked.

"No. Of course not. If I could, I would spend as much time as possible with you." I tried to be convincing, but selling it might have made me come off as sarcastic.

"It just feels sudden," he said.

"Wes, I"ll see you after I"m done, I promise."

"And you"re not avoiding me?"

"Why would I avoid my favorite pantsless gym partner?"

"I don"t know. You haven"t said much since we got back from STR, I haven"t seen you in two days..."

I had to look away. He wasn"t wrong, but I wasn"t avoiding him.

"I"m not being clingy, am I? I"ve never been in an actual relationship, so," he started to say before I cut him off.

"Wes," I said.

"Yea?"

"I"m not avoiding you, and you have nothing to worry about... except maybe public indecency," I joked.

"You"re really pushing for pants, aren"t you," he said with a grin.

"Is it working?"

"No, but at least I know we"re still good," he said as we walked down the driveway to the sidewalk.

There was an awkward moment when we were both obviously trying to decide how to say "see you later" to one other. Thanks to our agreement, instead of doing an awkward hug or misplaced fist b.u.mp, Wes pulled me into a kiss reminiscent to the one we shared in the car.

The way he kissed me was always rough and hands-on. In a way, I appreciate the approach. He didn"t make me feel soft or fragile or babied. There was never a moment I thought he saw me as a girl, that"s for sure. Come to think of it, Wes may not have known what he was doing, but the same could have been said for me as well.

Little by little, the act was becoming less taboo, but we were standing outside. The awkwardness of being on display was enough to make me part. He let go around the same time that I did, so it wasn"t a big deal. After every kiss, Wes always gave me this grin like he was physically saying, "I told you so," or "I can see you liked what I did there, " and I didn"t mind because, in all honesty, I did like it.

At the peak of the moment, we shared an intimate, dare I say, romantic gaze in each other"s eyes that was quickly broken when a voice startled both of us.

"You"re f.u.c.king Danger Rabbit," exclaimed a girl across the street with her friends standing close behind her.

"f.u.c.k," I said as the moment died.

The group of girls continued to yell from across the street, and when Wes and I started to walk away, they followed.

"Do you know those girls?" I asked as Wes and I turned a corner.

"Those are The Triplets, they might have given me head, I forget," Wes said with such casual energy I almost thought he was joking.

"What happened to "waiting for the right dude"?" I asked as we got further down the street.

"Head isn"t s.e.x... is it?"

"Wes," I said.

"What? It wasn"t anything serious, don"t worry about it," he said, trying to persuade me.

"Whatever, I need to get to the theater," I restated.

Eventually, The Triplets gave up their chase, and I went on my way. I left Wes to do his own thing without getting into the history of whatever those girls shared with him. If we were keeping things below the radar or trying to take things slow, then that plan was definitely over.

I was so late. I should have given up and went home, but I already put in the effort of getting out of bed, so I stayed the course. By the time I made it to the theater, the town was up and alive. Construction workers were working to fix the damage Santa and I made during the showcase, so it took some maneuvering around to get in the building then backstage to Beth"s office. She was sitting at her desk reading a book when I walked in.

"I"m sorry I"m late," I said.

"I wasn"t expecting to see you," she replied.

Nothing more than my own motivations convinced me to show up, and those weren"t always the most reliable.

"I said I"d be back."

"Yes, you did," she said.

She put down her book while I took off my backpack to have a seat across from her.

"So, what are we doing today?" I asked.

"Today, you"ll learn a critical skill."

I waited for her to tell me what it was, and she made me hold my breath waiting for it.

"How to take proper notes," she said.

"That"s all?" I questioned.

"After your performance Friday night, several interested parties were looking to purchase your spells."

"That"s awsome," I exclaimed until she continued.

"Until I was forced to inform everyone that you are not yet a licensed magician," she said.

"What difference does it make?"

She woke me up and knocked the wind out of me just as quickly. Why couldn"t things ever just be simple?

"Without a license, you can"t legally distribute spells. Furthermore, you would be liable for any damages or misuse of spells you sold without a contract."

"Then I"ll get a license," I said confidently.

After beating Santa, a world-cla.s.s magician, in a fight, I guess my ego was a bit puffed up.

"You think you"re ready for a license," Beth asked as though I were suggesting nuclear codes.

"I know how to write a spell now, I know how to do bindings," I said in an attempt to persuade her.

"But have yet to complete any," she refuted.

"I will...eventually, I"m better than all the other interns, Friday night proved as much," I debated.

"You know nothing about handicap spells, potions, natural or unwritten magic, and you know only a single language."

I rolled my eyes but understood the point she was making.

"Fine, I get it," I said.

She chuckled at my being humbled.

"There is a way for you to make a profit before having a license," she added.

Again I waited for her to continue, but she didn"t sense the rhetorical element of her informing me until the silence was thick.

"Become my "official" a.s.sistant, and any magic you create will be sold through me," she said.

"I thought I was already your a.s.sistant?"

"You"re an intern, becoming an "official" a.s.sistant would come with further responsibilities and benefits."

"Like a paycheck," I asked.

Don"t get me wrong; I was getting into the idea of magic being a part of my life because it felt good. The prospect of making money was just an even greater incentive to pursue the career path. If I made enough money, I could have helped dad so he wouldn"t have to work as much. We could have fixed up the house, got a new car, or maybe something small like getting a bigger TV for the living room. Dad would never outright say he wanted or needed help, but it was just us, so I wanted to.

"Among other things," Beth said.

"Alright, that doesn"t sound too bad," I replied as I sat up in my seat.

"Don"t take this lightly. Becoming a magician"s a.s.sistant, a real a.s.sistant, is a big commitment. There are things magicians do that the public eye is unaware of. To sign your name under my own would be to delve into a world you"ve only begun to see."

She was vague and a little ominous, but I chalked it up to people her age always having to speak in riddles and metaphors.

"Well, I still have high school, but if its gonna be more of what we"ve been doing, then I think I can handle it," I said.

"Splendid," she said before getting to her feet.

We left her office together just in time to see the repair crew starting to fill the hole made through the stage.

"So, what am I taking notes for?" I asked.

"We have buyer"s coming. I want you to sit in the back and learn how to negotiate," she said.

I was excited until logic struck me.

"Wait, so you were sure I"d take your offer?"

"More or less," she said.

"What if I hadn"t shown up?" I added, but she seemed to ignore my insinuation.

"Beth?" I said.

She walked away, definitely ignoring my question.

After spending most of the day with Beth at the theater, I met up with Wes at Mabel"s. They closed early on Monday nights, so we couldn"t get inside. Still, we got to walk home together from there. I was so excited to share the good news about making money selling my spells. I landed a job. I thought Wes might have been excited for me, but he seemed, at best, indifferent and at worst disapproving.

"It"s cool they still took you after you missed the first few weeks, but you"re already so into it. It"s weird," Wes said.

I didn"t like keeping secrets from him, but something told me Wes wouldn"t respond well to finding out only half of me went with him to STR.

"I"ll be making actual money, and I can help my dad," I debated.

I was beginning to think he didn"t care. Instead of focusing on all the good my new opportunity could bring, he kept trying to convince me to change course.

"Why not get a real job, or do something less dangerous," he said.

It was ironic hearing Wes suggest I do something less dangerous after we spent weeks on our own in a desert full of drugs, creatures, and Santa Claus.

"It is a real job," I said

"I don"t think people like us should use magic, and you know that."

"I do," I said before he cut me off to continue.

"But I get wanting to help your dad, so why don"t we agree to disagree for now."

"Sure," I said, somewhat surprised to find Wes willing to drop it so quickly.

I would have preferred he be supportive, but I could settle for leaving the conversation before it turned into an argument.

"Cool, I actually wanted to ask you something," Wes added as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

He wasn"t being shy about our being together. Our arrangement made it easy to follow his lead, but at times he moved so fast I might have hesitated to go along.

"I"m all ears," I said as he paraded me around town on our way home.

"How hard would it be to get your parents to meet mine?" He asked.

"Your parents already know my dad," I said.

"But not your mom," he corrected.

I had to stop walking.

"Why would they need to meet my mom?"

"Well, humans have their traditions, elves have theirs, and satyrs do too," he said.

"You"re losing me."

"We"re together now, and it"s customary for our parents to meet and break bread and stuff," he said.

The way he described his traditions made them seem inauthentic or made up on the spot.

"You"re serious?"

"You know how my mom feels about you. Meeting your parents, both of them, would help smooth things over," Wes added.

"Do you have to tell your parents?" I asked.

I wasn"t ashamed of Wes, but as I said, it felt like he was moving fast.

"They"re gonna notice something eventually, better to be upfront about it," he said.

We cut down a back road close to the woods, and the natural forest ambiance gave our conversation cover.

"Well ... I"m not sure about telling my dad about "us" yet," I admitted.

"Oh," Wes responded with his whole body almost immediately slumping over with what might have been shame or embarra.s.sment I caused.

"I don"t mean it like that, it"s just," I started to say.

I searched for the right words to say, but Wes put it bluntly.

"I"m a dude, and you"re a dude, we"re both dudes."

"I"m not sure if we should jinx things by declaring it yet," I added.

"Well, it doesn"t have to be now, just soon."

"I"ll think about it," I said, attempting to table the conversation.

We walked a few steps before Wes found our next dilemma of discussion.

"About the Triplets," he started to say.

"I don"t even want to know," I said, laughing at the thought of Wes with those three girls in any capacity.

It was getting dark out. We didn"t talk about much else after that, but when your friends with someone for long enough silence doesn"t have to be awkward. I wish we"d been talking about something, at least then I could have blamed what happened next on my being distracted.

We were entering the neighborhood when I took a step too far. The sidewalk collapsed under me, and I fell underground into sewer water.

"f.u.c.k," I said as I splashed down and nearly impaled myself on the rubble.

Above me, Wes stood outside the hole looking down at me. His face said it all.

"You ok?" He asked.

"I"m fine."

I was wondering when my streak of bad luck would kick back in. While I was split into my halves, something kept my lousy streak of accidents from rolling. Naturally, I expected after putting myself back together, my incidents would come back if not worse than before.

I started to climb out but quickly noticed something that made me freeze. There was a sound growing in the distance. Running water. There was a wave of sewage heading in my direction. With no ladder or rope at my disposal, I couldn"t get out fast enough. I might have used my floating spell if I weren"t afraid of using it outside. I jumped and tried to reach Wes while he reached out to grab my hand. The wave grew near enough for Wes to hear it as clearly as I did. He caught my hand, but it was too late. The tide pulled me under, and I pulled Wes with me. We were washed through a man-sized pipe with no sign of the filth infested water slowing down. I couldn"t see anything. I couldn"t hear anything. All I felt was Wes gripping my hand, and the water engulfing us while trying to shred our bodies. Things went dark for a moment until Wes managed to grab hold of something. He held on long enough for the water to pa.s.s us, and finally, we were able to breathe.

"Find a way out," I exclaimed breathlessly and hardly able to move.

Wes being abnormally strong for his lithe size, managed to stand upright enough to drag me along. We didn"t know where we were going, but we couldn"t standstill. There was another wave coming, and I wasn"t sure we"d make it through a second round. We took a number of lefts and rights searching for an exit, which wasn"t easy considering it was pitch black. We didn"t know where we were underground. If not for Wesson"s tight grip of my hand, we would have lost one another moving so quickly through the maze of pipes.

We found an exit.

It was in the distance, but even with it being dark out, light shining through from the outside made it clear we were almost out. Wes picked me up and carried me all the way over until we were met with a single obstacle. The exit was blocked off by a set of metal rods similar to that of a jail cell. Wes tried to bend them, but he wasn"t strong enough. On the other side of the bars was a wooded area. If we could have gotten through, we would have been safe.

If nothing else, we were away from the rushing water enough to avoid it sweeping us away again.

We tried calling out for help, but no one came. Wes tried to punch and bend the bars until he wore himself out. All we could do was wait unless I did something I really didn"t want to.

"I guess now you get your wish," Wes said.

"What wish?" I asked, exhausted.

"You get to spend more time with me," he joked before joining me on the wet, warped floor.

We were laid out on the ground like a couple of corpses. The smell of raw sewage becoming the fragrance of our clothes kept us awake when we were too weak to move.

"There"s something I can do," I said.

"Then do it," Wes responded quickly but with sluggish demeanor.

"Maybe someone will come along though," I tried to be stupidly optimistic.

"Pitch, if you can get us out of here somehow, please just do it," he said.

"Fine...I have to call my mom."