A grown man like Percy reduced to tears wasn't something I was prepared to see. He was making these little gasping noises that made me think he was trying to keep from breaking down into sobs. He was attempting to hide his face, but I could see his tear-stained cheeks, and his fingers were knotted in his hair.
The sight immediately made me feel uncomfortable. I'd spent the majority of my life with two older brothers and a single father, so I wasn't used to seeing such an open display of emotion. There was still this deeply ingrained instinct to comfort Percy somehow, for him to stop crying, but I didn't know what to do.
I glanced toward Ian, and he was watching Percy with the same uncomfortable expression as Mikey was.
"I really don't think he's lying about this," I whispered to Ian, turning my back to Percy.
"Yeah, but come on, Callie," Ian protested, lowering his voice. "How is any of this even possible?"
"The study of science is ever expanding, you know," Mikey cut in wisely. "And can you ever really define the line between fiction and reality? Who's to say that he really isn't from the nineteenth century?"
"Thank you for your philosophical input, Michael," Ian snapped, glaring at his little brother.
Mikey shrugged, slouching back in his computer chair. "Either way, there's obviously something wrong with this guy. Callie, be a dear and get him to stop crying. I don't want him dripping snot all over my Pokemon sheets."
Ian slapped Mikey upside the head as I awkwardly shuffled over to the bed. I thought about putting my arm around him or something, but since he just about spontaneously combusted the last time I dared to touch him, that probably wasn't a good idea. And asking him if he was okay was another dumbass idea, seeing as he was not okay. Whatever the hell happened to him was clearly having some lasting effect.
"Percy?"
His head quickly shot up and he loudly cleared his throat, wiping at his cheeks with the tattered sleeve of his shirt. "I, uh, do forgive me, Callie, for - "
"C'mon." I offered him a hand to help him to his feet. "Let's get you cleaned up."
Percy pulled himself upright and awkwardly took my hand, his palm all clammy. I led him across the hall into the bathroom, stopping to grab a towel out of the linen closet. I'd spent so much time at the Caldwell's over the years that I knew where to find almost everything.
I swung the bathroom door shut with my foot and pointed to the edge of the bathtub. "Sit."
Percy immediately acquiesced, and I realized for the first time just how tall he was, seeing how he had to stretch his legs out in front of him to be able to sit comfortably.
I pulled open one of the sink drawers and found a tube of Neosporin for the gash on Percy's forehead. I grabbed a washcloth from the shelf above the toilet and ran it under hot water to clean Percy's cut. He didn't protest as I cleaned the cut and only winced once when I applied the Neosporin.
"What now, miss Callie?" Percy asked quietly when I'd finished.
That was a fair question, and one I had no idea how to answer.
"You know how to use a shower, right?" I blurted.
That pout took over Percy's face in about five seconds flat. "I am familiar with the concept of bathing, thank you very much."
I choked back a laugh. "Um...great. So, help yourself, then," I said, gesturing to the shower. "I'm going to go find you a change of clothes."
For the first time since I'd stumbled across him, Percy actually looked relieved. "Thank you."
"Um. Yeah." I cleared my throat, feeling overwhelmingly awkward again. "Take your time."
I left Percy in the bathroom, shutting the door behind me, and went back to Mikey's bedroom.
Ian's sour mood had only worsened in the five minutes I'd left him. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest, his jaw locked, a deep frown etched on his face. "Well?"
"He's taking a shower," I said.
"Right. And I expect you want me to lend him some clothes, too?"
"Hey, you read my mind."
Ian let out a disgusted huff while Mikey spun around in his computer chair with a snicker, getting back into the world of Google.
"Callie, this is bullshit. I say we drop him off at the nearest homeless shelter and call it done. There is no possible way this guy can be telling the truth."
I opened my mouth to respond, but Mikey beat me to the punch.
"I, uh...wouldn't be so sure about that, bro."
Ian turned to Mikey with an incredulous look. "Sorry?"
Mikey flapped a hand at us, beckoning us closer. He'd pulled up a picture on his computer, a black and white one of two men obviously straight out of the Victorian era with their stiff black suits and bowties. The older gentleman looked rather severe, his mouth a tight, sharp line, his eyes expressionless, his hands clasped tightly in his lap as he sat in an extravagant leather chair beside a massive desk.
The man standing behind the gentleman in the chair was much younger, more relaxed, one hand on the man's shoulder, his other arm positioned respectfully behind his back. His dark hair was combed back neatly and his suit looked perfectly pressed and everything, but the expression on his face, the way his lips were curved upward, made it seem like he was trying very hard not to laugh.
It was Percy. Or rather Percy happened to look frighteningly like the young man in the picture. The resemblance was just...freaky.
"No. No way." Ian shook his head, backing up from the computer. "Dollars to doughnuts that's just Percy's great-great-great-grandfather or something and he just so happens to have the same name."
"I don't know, bro," Mikey said. "They look scarily alike."
I moved closer to the computer screen to further inspect the picture, trying to find something that would distinguish Percy from the young man I was looking at. As good a quality as the picture was, it was difficult to tell. They looked exactly alike.
"Wait a second." I leaned even closer, narrowing my eyes. "Look. He has a scar." I pointed to the young man's left eyebrow, where a thin, delicate scar cut through the skin just above his eye. "Percy doesn't have a scar like that, does he?"
"Well, gee, I don't know," Ian said sourly. "Why don't we examine him with a magnifying glass when he gets out of my shower."
"Sounds good," I said coolly. "He'll need a change of clothes, too, don't forget about that."
Ian threw up his hands and stomped from the room in a very dramatic fashion. I would've laughed if I wasn't so disturbed by the picture.
Mikey looked over at me as soon as Ian slammed the door shut behind him. "What do you think?"
"I don't know," I answered honestly after a beat of silence. "Percy doesn't seem like that good of an actor."
"And this picture is way too similar to just be a coincidence," Mikey added, gesturing to the computer.
I had to agree with him. The picture was unsettling. It wasn't ideal, but the only thing I could think of was to do a side-by-side comparison once Percy was out of the shower. What other choice did we have? Drop him off at a homeless shelter, Ian would say.
Ian returned a few moments later with a pair of jeans and another Cherry Creek football t-shirt. "Here," he said, thrusting the clothes at me. "For Percy. You can go ahead and deliver."
I scoffed as I left the room, walking across the hallway to the bathroom. I didn't hear the shower running, so I figured Percy must've finished by now.
"Percy?" I called, rapping my knuckles on the door. "I've got a change of clothes for you."
Percy carefully opened the door a crack, wide enough to stick his hand out, and I heard a quiet, "Thank you."
Percy joined us in Mikey's room a few minutes later, and I had to choke back a laugh when I looked at him. The clothes Ian picked out for him really weren't the best fitting. Percy was just too tall. The jeans stopped a few inches above his ankles, and the shirt was a tad bit too small. Ian was shorter and more muscled, but Percy's shoulders were broader, and the shirt was noticeably tight across his chest.
Mikey let out a low whistle as he sized Percy up, and I could hear Percy grinding his teeth. It was obvious he was uncomfortable in the clothes.
"Thank you for the spare clothing," Percy said to Ian, as polite as I'm sure he was capable of.
"Hey, man, no problem," Ian said with a wide smirk on his face. "Much better than those rags you had on, right?"
"Oh, yes."
I bit the inside of my cheek, fighting another laugh. Percy's attention fell to Mikey's computer then, where the picture was still pulled up.
"Where did you get this?" he demanded sharply, not-so-delicately shoving Mikey to the side to inspect the photo.
"Is that you?" I asked anxiously, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Yes, of course it is," Percy snapped. "This photograph of my father and I was taken just this past year."
"And by this past year you mean 1887, right?"
"Yes!"
I tapped Percy on the shoulder, and he gave sharp jerk, turning quickly to face me. I ignored his glare and focused on his left eyebrow. A thin but visibly deep scar cut through the skin there, causing his eye to droop just the slightest bit. You wouldn't notice the imperfection if you weren't looking for it. But I was, and I didn't know how to feel, seeing this evidence before me.
Percy was telling the truth. He really was from the year 1887.
"Okay."
Percy opened his mouth to no doubt start another round of protesting, but he stopped mid-sentence, startled. "Excuse me?"
"Okay," I repeated. "I believe you."
"Oh, thank heavens!"
For one wild second it looked like Percy was about to throw his arms around me in a hug or start jumping for joy, but he managed to cool his expression in a matter of moments.
"I...thank you very much," he finally said, clearing his throat.
Ian let out a very loud scoff. "Well, I guess that's just it then, isn't it? We're just going to take Percy under our wing and - "
"Ian! Michael! Callie, too, I know you're up there! I see your car at the curb! Aren't you going to come down for some food? It's polite to socialize, you know!"
"Shit!" Ian, Mikey, and I all gasped in unison.
Nora Caldwell, the matriarch of the household, was making her way up the stairs, her footfalls loud and heavy. I loved Nora, saw her as a maternal figure of sorts, but the woman was astute - nothing escaped her. The second Percy opened his mouth in front of her, she'd know there was something off about him.
"Who is that?" Percy asked me, looking frantic.
"My mother," Ian and Mikey said together, sharing horrified looks.
The door opened right as I told Percy as quietly as possible not to say a single word unless absolutely necessary. Nora stood in the doorway, wearing capris and a bright yellow shirt, far too cheery for Mikey's pigsty of a room. She tucked her brown chin-length hair behind her ear as she stared around at us all, and her eyes narrowed just the slightest bit when her gaze landed on Percy.
"Hello," Nora said politely. "My son didn't mentioned he invited other people over. I'm Nora Caldwell."
Percy looked to me with a stricken expression, and I gave him a discreet nod, letting him know it was okay to reply.
"Um. Hello," he said uneasily. "Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Caldwell. I'm Percy."
"And you're from England," she said bluntly.
"Ah. Yes."
"Foreign exchange student?"
"Yeah, he is," I cut in quickly before Percy could speak. "I ran into him at school when I went to pick up my schedule the other day. I thought he might like to make some friends before school starts."
It was probably the stupidest lie I could've told at this point - the thought of Percy in a twenty-first century classroom was ludicrous - but Nora actually seemed to buy it. I just hoped she wouldn't dig into it and see that this particular Percy from England was documented as having died in 1891.
"Well, of course you're welcome here, Percy," Nora said, now smiling warmly. "I'm sure you'll like Cherry Creek. It's a great place."
"Yes, of course," Percy agreed quickly. "Thank you for your kind welcome."
"Sure thing," Nora said with a wink. "Now come downstairs for some food! Mingle!"
She shut the door behind her as she left, and Ian rounded on me the second she was out of earshot.
"Oh, so now Percy's going to school with us? Great idea! What's next? You want me to see if my dad can get him a job at his office, too?"
"It'll be fine, Ian!" I snapped, but even then I wasn't so sure.
It proved a valid point, however. What was Percy going to do while we were at school all day? It wasn't as if we could just ditch. Miss more than a few days and truancy courts would be after you.
"We'll worry about this later," Ian said, pointing a finger at me. "I need to go to pig out on ribs."
He stomped from the room in a very dramatic fashion, and after a shrug, Mikey followed suit.
"He seems quite put out, does he not?" Percy said, turning to me when we were alone.
"He'll come around," I said, trying to convince myself just as much as Percy. "But there's no point in hiding out up here. We might as well go downstairs and have some food."
"I must confess I am rather famished."
Percy looked anxious at the prospect of heading downstairs and mingling, but at this point, what other choice did we have? If Percy was stuck in this time until further notice, he might as well start learning how to pass as a twenty-first century high school student.
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Hello, all you fabulous readers!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was pretty fun to write! I can't wait to write more of Percy and Callie's adventures, but of course, as with any story, groundwork must be done. So stay tuned! I hope to have another chapter posted as soon as I can. I've only got a few more weeks left before Thanksgiving break, then finals, and after that, a whole month of freedom before my very last semester of college!
So drop a comment with your thoughts or maybe even a vote and let me know what you think!
Lots of love,
Ally