Vivid (BoyxBoy) {Pipe Dream: Book I}

Chapter Twenty-One: Kite Flying

I hesitated. Markus was still here. But if I say anything about him, would they try and dig him up? I wouldn't put it passed Hanna. I mean how many times do you come across a boy who turned himself into a tree? They wouldn't leave him in peace.

"What's the hold up?" Hanna turns back. "Did we forget something?"

I look towards the gate, with a silent promise and resolve to come back to him, "No." When I have both Anne and Cody...could we reverse what he's done?

'Feels wrong!'

The mental protest grinds me to a halt and to turn back to see Lady who was hesitating to put her front paw onto the ramp. I go back down to her and hold my hand out to her face and she nuzzles against it.

I try to convey to her, 'You don't have to come with me...you can stay here if you want to.' I had no right to ask her to come with me.

'Dreamer is going!' She bares her teeth, almost like she was pouting and I had to smile, despite myself.

'I want you to come with me.' I really do.

'Then I go with Dreamer!'

'But you need to get onto the airship. We are going somewhere that looks like it will be too far to travel on foot.'

She makes a soft whiny noise but then puts her foot on the ramp, then the next, unsure as if she wanted to bolt in the other direction.

'I'll be with you' I try to reassure her, my hand never leaving her head as I walk backwards up the ramp.

I felt someone behind me and turn to see the mismatch eyes that look down to stare into mine. I feel myself blush remembering what he did and quickly turn back to face Lady. That was when I felt a slight touch on the hair on the back of my neck. I whir around, my hand slapping to my neck, only to see his back to me as he walks up the ramp. Was that my imagination?

It took a bit to get Lady up the ramp and onto the ship, which stuns me. The interior was all space-tech corridors, doors and ramps. The area that I was standing in was large and open. Obviously the storage/deployment of anything (and anyone) that they were carrying.

"This way, starry-eyes," Hanna calls from atop of a flight of metal stairs.

I look down to Lady and back up to her, unsure if I should push Lady any more than I'm already doing.

'Want to go further?' Lady asks, but I could sense her anxiety. 'Can go a little further.'

I bite my lip but lead her to the stairs anyway. As we go up, I see the coloured glass that let us see the sky and a little ways down, it eventually becomes a viewing platform for the pilot at the very front and in the middle with all the flying gadgets that I wouldn't have a clue how to use. A number of buckled passenger seats with their own board of buttons and screens lines either side of the main seat.

Pirate-man presses a few buttons as he lounges over his seat, "Everyone buckling in?"

I sit down in the seat three chairs behind him on his left, the furthest point from anyone. Lady sits beside me, her eyes wide and shifting around, her emotions are still anxious but there is a little wonder and curiosity as she looks out the blue-tinted glass that swallowed the entire ceiling and walls of the platform. I saw X was sitting in the front left seat, silently looking ahead.

Hanna took to the closest seat at the front, to Oz's right, picking away at the buttons and touchscreens like she knew what she was doing.

"Stop doing that!" Oz moves her hands from the controls.