Welcome to Helix Studios: A Short Story

A New Friend

That night, Jonathan told his siblings that he had got a very nice job offer in California.
"Are you going to get lots of money?" Eight year old Peter asked.
Jonathan couldn't help but smile. "I hope so."
Peter next added, satisfied, and resumed to attack his food.
"You sure your bags are all packed my dear?" His mother asked for the millionth time. "How long will you be there for?"
Jonathan sighed. "If it goes well, you're not going to see me for a while. If they decide they don't want me, at least I'll be home quickly."
Mrs. Martin hugged him. "Oh my boy, I'm going to miss you. Now go to bed. You've got a big day tomorrow."
"I'll help with the dishes," he said.
She tagged her finger at him. "No you won't. You'll go to bed and get an early night. Now shoo."
He smiled and kissed her on the cheek before parting to his bedroom.
That night, Jonathan could not sleep. He kept tossing and turning. And thinking.
What did he just commit to? He wondered. How was he going to survive in that way of living?
And also, he wondered what it would feel like. What would it feel like to have a pair of lips touch his own, a rod thrust through his anus.
Jonathan shuddered at the thought. He had never even kissed anyone, let alone had intercourse with someone.
And now that would become a regular routine.
Jonathan woke up early. No one else was awake except for Mrs. Martin.
"Hello dear, I made you some cucumber sandwiches for the train ride. Is there anything else you'll need?"
Jonathan shook his head. "Thank you mum, but no." He reached for the cereal cupboard but was arrested by his mother's hand on his shoulder.
"No, no, no son. I made you a special breakfast- eggs and toast."
Jonathan chuckled. "You really didn't have to go to the effort, mum."
"Of course I did. This might be the last time I see my beautiful son, of course I have to go to the small effort of cooking eggs."
Jonathan hugged her. "I'll miss you to, mum. I'll call you as often as I can."
One hour later he was standing at the door, suitcase in hand, hugging his family goodbye.
"I'm going to miss you all," he said softly. "Mary, Peter, and Joshua, make sure you help mum in every way you can. And mum, take care of yourself and our family. I love you."
His mother's face was covered in tears. Thankfully, they were tears of joy. If she knew what he was really doing, they would not be.
And with a kiss to each sibling, and a final hug to his mother, Jonathan departed, travelling to a new world that awaited him.
It was a one mile walk to the train station, where Jonathan bought his ticket and boarded the train. He had chosen the cheapest train, so it was rickety and the benches were a rough, unsanded wood.
The journey would take two days. This was the farthest Johnathan had ever traveled. In fact, he had never ventured past Brookings, the town where he lived.
He was glad for the eggs, because they would fill him up until morning. Then he could eat one of the sandwiches for breakfast and the other for dinner.
This train had no compartments. It was loud and rattley, and there were no windows.
To kill time, he decided to think about the interview. What was he going to have to do? He had searched for examples of Helix interviews before, but they were all restricted.
Jonathan shrugged to himself. He was too tired to wonder about these things that were unknown. And besides, it didn't matter what happened, what he had to do. As long as he got into Helix Studios.
Helix seemed to offer everything. Sure, it didn't pay well, but Jonathan didn't need to worry about finding a home and food because Helix provided that, and it was free. The fact that he had to be videoed making love to another man, his private parts displayed for old hairy men to masturbate to, seemed a small price to pay for a $30,000 a year job, especially for a family with no income.
Jonathan slowly drifted off to sleep. When he awoke sometime later, he couldn't figure out what time it was. He never owned a watch. A phone was out of the question- much too expensive. So he glanced over to the right to check if there was anyone who might know the time.
There was a boy sitting a few yards to Jonathan's right that had a watch. And a phone.
He studied the boy for a moment. He was tall and lean. He reminded Jonathan of a cat. Not a house cat. More like... a tiger. He wore dark blue skinny jeans and a black sleeveless shirt that hugged his torso. He wore black Converse sneakers and one of the places was undone. His dusty gold hair was swept across his forehead.
"Excuse me sir," said Jonathan.
The boy looked up and smiled. "Yeah, kiddo, can I help you?"
Jonathan inwardly flared up at being called kiddo. Yeah, he was short, but he was still eighteen.
"What time is it?"
The boy checked his watch. "Six pm."
Jonathan's eyes widened. He'd been asleep that long? Wow.
His stomach rumbled. Loudly.
"Er, sorry," he said turning slightly red.
The boy chuckled. He had pale, electric blue eyes, and a narrow, longish, yet charming face.
"There's no reason to be sorry for being hungry. Here, let me grab you something."
As the boy started to rifle through his backpack, Jonathan shook his head. "No, no. I'm good. I've got a cucumber sandwich."
The boy raised his eyebrows. "A cucumber sandwich? Kid, there's still a whole other day to this journey. All you got is a cucumber sandwich? That's not gonna last you long."
"I have two," Jonathan said defensively.
The boy rolled his eyes and tossed him a protein bar. "Here. Have this and your cucumber sandwich. That'll fill you up for the night."
Jonathan realized there was no point in arguing, so he accepted the protein bar.
"Thanks," he said.
The boy grinned. "No problem, kid. What's your name?"
"You know what they say about giving names to strangers," Jonathan blurted out.
"That's only on the internet, kid. Just tell me your name so I don't have to keep calling you kid."
Jonathan sighed. "It's Jonathan. And I'm not a kid. I'm eighteen."
The boy looked surprised, but he hid it quickly. "Well, nice to meet you Jonathan." He scootched closer and held out his hand. "I'm Kody Knight."
Moody's hand was warm, his grasp, firm and confident.
"Nice to meet you, Kody," Jonathan said quietly.
Kody sat back on the wooden bench. "So, what brought you to this crappy train?"
Jonathan hesitated. "I have a job interview in California."
"Oh really? What as?"
"Um, paralegal assistant," Jonathan manage to force out. He hated lying.
"I have no idea what that is," Kody said, chuckling.
Jonathan smiled. "Its just someone who does legal research for cases."
Kody nodded. "Cool. Best of luck."
"Thanks."
There was a moment of silence. Then Jonathan asked, "So what do you do?"
"I'm a model and actor for Helix Studios."
Jonathan gasped.
"You've heard of Helix Studios before?" Kody asked.
Jonathan shook his head quickly. "No, never heard of it. I had a side stitch."
He didn't know why he said he didn't know. If Kody worked there, all the more reason to say he was being interviewed. But, then again, he was still ashamed of what he had to do. He just didn't feel comfortable sharing it with people.
Kody looked at him not weirdly, but like he could see straight through his lie. It was like he understood everything that had brought Jonathan to that crappy train.
Jonathan took a deep breath. He needed to stop worrying about what might happen. Whatever happened, happened, and as long as he got the job, he would be ok.
Kody patted Jonathan's shoulder. "Eat up, kid. There's still a long way to go."
"I'm not a kid," grumbled Jonathan as he tore open the protein bar. It had chocolate, nuts, and dried fruit. It was good, but it made him miss home even more. Even being poor, his mum still managed to make amazing meals. "What about you?"
Kody grinned. "I've got my protein bar, don't worry." He pulled out a similar bar and began munching.
"So why were you in Oregon? Do you live there?" Kody asked.
Jonathan nodded. "And what about you?" He asked after swallowing the last bite of protein.
He seemed to pause, then shrugged. "Just passing by. Ran some errands."
Jonathan had only known Kody for an hour, but he could still easily tell that he was lying. However, he didn't want to pursue it further in fear that Kody would be offended.
He shoved the wrapper in his pocket and munched on his cucumber sandwich thoughtfully.
If he got the job, he was bound to run into Kody. What would he say?
Jonathan pushed those thoughts out of his head and rested his head against the cold, hard wall. He had just realized how tired he was.
He stole one last glance at Kody, who was sitting next to him, scrolling through his phone, and then drifted to sleep.

Jonathan woke up with his cheek nestled on something warm and soft. For a moment he was back in his own room in his own bed, waking up from a long, peaceful sleep.
Then he was jolted forward by the train's sudden movement and everything came rushing back to him.
His eyes opened wide and he blinked a few times to discern his surroundings in the dimly lit vehicle.
Jonathan realized that he must have fallen asleep on Kody's shoulder, though he didn't seem to mind. In fact, Kody had fallen asleep with his arm wrapped around Jonathan's shoulders.
Jonathan turned red, embarrassed. He attempted to wiggle out from under Kody's arm, but Kody stopped him, tugging Jonathan closer while muttering something in his sleep.
He sighed and looked into the other boy's face. Well, probably not a boy. Kody looked about twenty. He had a hint of stubble- so little it was barely visible. He was a very attractive boy, even from an objective point of view.
Stop that thinking, Jonathan told himself. He was here to make money, not to pine after attractive men.
F

inally, Kody shifted, then slowly raised his eyelids. He looked at Jonathan and smiled.
"You make a good cuddle toy," he said in a sleepy voice.
Jonathan felt heat rise to his cheeks. "Well I'm not a cuddle toy, I'm a human being."
"Mmhmmm," Kody murmured, blinking slowly. Yes, he was definitely part cat. He reluctantly unwrapped his arm from Jonathan's shoulders and checked his phone.
"It's eight o'clock. We're supposed to arrive by late afternoon, early evening."
Jonathan nodded. "K." He pulled out his second cucumber sandwich.
"Do you have a ride?" Kody asked him.
Oh shit. Jonathan mentally kicked himself. He'd completely forgotten about a ride, and he was out of money for a taxi. The train landed in San Diego, which was where he needed to go, but he didn't know how far Helix Studios was from the station, but he suspected it was much farther than walking distance.
"Er, no. I don't," Jonathan muttered.
Kody shrugged. "That's okay, I can take you. My friends are picking me up. You can come with us."
"No," Jonathan said quickly. "I mean, no thank you." He couldn't very well tell Kody...
But he could twist the truth, couldn't he?
The lie popped up into his head. It made perfect sense. He was getting rather good at this lying business.
"Actually," he said before Kody could say anything. "That might work. You see, there's something I haven't told you?"
"Yeah?"
Jonathan took a deep breath. "I've actually been asked to work as a paralegal assistant for Helix Studios. There wasn't anyone else who wanted the job, so, yeah."
Kody didn't bother to hide his surprise. "Seriously?"
Jonathan nodded.
"Wow, dude, that's awesome!" Kody exclaimed. "You can save us from all the republicans!"
Jonathan grinned. "I won't be that powerful."
Kody scrutinized him. "So you know what Helix is, then? What we do?"
Jonathan nodded.
Kody laughed. "Well, that's settled then. Our very own lawyer."
Jonathan smiled. "Paralegal assistant."
"Whatever. Now, let's celebrate." He reached into his bag and pulled out two cans of soda.
"Here," Kody said popping open a can and handing it to Jonathan.
Jonathan took it an looked at it. He had never had soda before. He'd always wondered what it was like.
He tentatively took a sip. The liquid was slightly warm because it had been in Kody's bag for so long, but it still tasted good. The fizz teased Jonathan's throat as the soda slid down.
"Thanks, Kody," said Jonathan softly. "You've been really good to me, and I appreciate it."
His blue eyes seemed to sparkle. "I try, Jonathan, I try. And by the way, can I call you John? Jonathan takes too long to say."
Jonathan raised his eyebrow. "No, definitely not. My name is Jonathan, not John."
Kody chuckled. "Fine, fine. Have it your way."
Jonathan smiled slightly and knelt down on the floor to unzip his suitcase. He rummaged around a while, then finally found what he was looking for- his book.
It was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, his favorite of the Harry Potter series.
Zipping up the suit case, he sat back down and read next to Kody. They sat next to each other in silent content, though there were times were Jonathan had to slap Kody away from peeking over his shoulder at the text.
Soon enough, he had to stop reading because of motion sickness. The two killed time by talking, playing checkers on Kody's phone, and talking some more.
It seemed to Jonathan that he had never known someone in such little time so well.
Kody, he realized, was really the first true friend Jonathan had ever had.

*Picture is Kody Knight- the actual Kody Knight from Helix Studios

*Pretty much replacing my earlier disclaimer, I don't know about any of the Helix Studio models' personal lives, or anything about Helix Studios, other than that it's a gay porn industry in California. Some of the characters I use are from Helix Studios, but they're just names. The personalities do not match at all probably. The plot is entirely fictional!

*If you like it, please comment! Also, constructive criticism is much appreciated!

Love you all!