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Part Eighteen

   "Sure," He said, and prepared to crawl inside.
 
   Leo tipped his palm so the fingers the previously stroked behind Sam's ear were now facing Elijah's neck, and Eli waited with faux patience until he felt a tiny plop of hair and skin land inside his scarf. He was just minuscule enough to burrow deep inside without making a noticeable dent, so Eli carefully arranged the fabric back onto his neck and didn't take a single breath until he was desperate for one.

   "Are you okay, Sam?" Leo said, but it sounded much more like muffled whispering from inside the scarf. In fact, Sam came to the conclusion that it sounded very similar to when he was back home. Safe in his walls, no humans in sight, and the rustling of the nest he grew up with. Sam let out a sigh of comfort, kicking Eli with a mini foot to assure him he was fine.

   "He- did you just kick me?"

   "It means yes," Sam called out, though he knew his small voice might not reach everyone in the car with a muffler on. 

   "Did he say something?" Skip asked from the front seat, switching the keys to turn off the ignition.

   "He said he's good, let's just get inside before we look suspicious for staying in the parking lot too long."

   The three humans and one evolved borrower hopped out of the truck, coming closer to each other with each step forward in hopes of body heat drawing out the cold in the air. Sam, however, was fit snug against Elijah's neck, curling as close as he could while the temperature outside had yet to affect him.

   Once they finally reached the inside of the movie theater, the smell of butter and salt wafted through the air, forcing Sam to take huge gulps in through his nose of a scent he never had before. He heard loud bustling of humans walking near him, crowds speaking over each other, soda being poured, all noises he was new to. And without his humans, he never would've been able to experience anything close.

  
   Skip was the first to get to the counter, leading his friends behind him as if he were the mother duck leading a swarm of babies behind him. The incredible height difference didn't help their little parade, either, but he decided to ignore it and instead focused on ordering three tickets for the next screening of a horror movie that had been released the previous week. The tickets were expensive, sure, but Skip considered himself lucky that he didn't need to buy four considering the little passenger inside Elijah's scarf. Besides, Eli was paying for everything with the fortune he was given from his parents.

   "Your theater is number fourteen on the right," the employee stated with a kind voice and a monotone expression. He didn't seem happy working the counter, but Skip had dealt with countless customer service jobs in the past, and he doubted he would enjoy the one very much either.

   "Thanks..." He grunted, leading his friends to the theater as he pulled out his phone and began typing away at something unknown to Eli and Leo, who weren't paying much attention to begin with. All of the focus was on Eli's scarf, and making sure it wasn't as noticeable as their paranoia suggested it to be.
   Once in the clear of any employee or movie-goer, Eli whispered down a quick "are you okay?" To Sam, to which he responded with a lazy kick and a squirm in the warm fabric.

   To Sam, the heat of Elijah's neck pulsed into him with such a calming velocity, he nearly fell asleep as he curled deeper into the scarf. It's bright orange walls blurred into something resembling his nest back home, coating him with layers of comfort and protection from whatever the outside world had to offer, and Sam felt gratitude for his friend for keeping him safe. It was a nice feeling, knowing he wasn't in any danger, but felt foreign to him with the continuation of loud voices and machinery outside the scarf. Thank god for Eli's heartbeat, which was racing more than usual, for blocking out most of the sound, except for his repeated and sympathetic voice asking if he was alright every few seconds.
   Sam had to keep reminding himself that he went with his humans to watch a movie, not take a nap, but the ever growing heaviness in his eyelids threatened to take control as he snuggled deeper into the fabric bundle.