The Lemon Meringue Boy

Part 44

We were sitting in the basement. Just sitting. What else could we do? Mabel and Ford were still upstairs. The last time they saw me I was angry and running around the house. They obviously thought it best to leave me be a while, thank goodness, but for how much longer?

"Okay Bill. What's our plan of attack?"

"Attack?!"

I saw the excited glint in his eye and internally face palmed. Had to watch my figurative speech around the psycho-killer.

"It's an expression, idiot. You've already done enough attacking for one day. I meant what are we going to do? I can't leave you in the basement anymore, and we don't have much time before the others come to check on me. They probably think I'm upset about something, the way I was looking for you. Hey, can't you go into the mindscape? That way you'd be invisible to everyone else."

"It wouldn't work. The only mind I could enter would be yours, which would mean you would have to be asleep. I'd be invisible, but you couldn't walk around and socialize. On second thought..."

"Never mind!" I cut him off. "Is there some way to disguise yourself? Like, something that would make you seem natural? What about a mouse or something?"

"A MOUSE?! I don't think so! But yeah, I guess something like that would work. I could change my physical appearance to something a little less noticeable. As for what to, you can bet your ass I'm not ending up a fish or squirrel or anything tiny! I've already spent too much time too close to the ground for my liking."

"Well what else? It's not like I could just walk around with a bear or dragon or whatever. That wouldn't really fit the 'less noticeable' thing if you forgot about that."

So we had the beginnings of a plan. Bill would transform into something. That something had to be able to follow me around naturally and not seem out of the ordinary. And it apparently couldn't be small. It looked like Bill had developed some sort of beingsmallophobia.

The solution hit me like a cannonball to the stomach.

"Bill. You have to be human."

"Human?!"

"Just think about it for a sec. You wouldn't be small. You wouldn't be like a pet. You wouldn't even be an animal. I could say that you're my friend from... the internet? Some gaming site or something? The details can wait till later. You could eat with us and sleep in a bed. Maybe even get to know my family."

"I'll just kill em' all. You know that."

"Not according to our deal. Look, you're obviously going to be here a while. I can't keep you a secret much longer. It'll be easier if it seems like you're supposed to be here."

Bill thought it over. I was hoping he agreed, but at the same time I hoped he didn't. Bill as a human. We'd have to act like friends. He'd be around my family, talking and joking or whatever he would do, and I wouldn't be able to tell them that the kid they're talking to is in fact their worst enemy.

"You've got a point. This'd better work. I'm not that hot on the idea of parading around as a worthless fleshpile for nothing."

Despite his harsh words, I could've sworn I saw a sheen of excitement in his single prominent eye. Soon to be two. I remembered his dream about the blonde kid. He had seemed happy then. Would he look like that? I felt an odd rush when I came across the thought. I'm just nervous, I told myself. It's natural.

"Okay Bill. Now? What do you have to do to transform? It there like some sort of_"

Bill started glowing, his features blurring and warping. The yellow light grew to an orb, filling the bubble field and causing me to squint and shield my face.