Chapter Eighteen
~
I should change my general ring tone to a grumpy groan, ’cause the contraption goes off mostly when I just want to sleep. Then I realized I’m not at home, but not in my dorm room. I was on the West Coast. Oh jeez, did I oversleep? I answered quickly.
“No ya didn’t oversleep.” Mama. How’d she know I was asleep, but not late? Maybe I get my majic from her.
“Then why are ya wakin’ me up?” I asked.
“Didn’t want to disturb ya later in the day when ya were involved in important thin’s.”
I looked at the time. Oh. It was past the time Kla woke us yesterday.
“Don’t worry,” Mama said. “The second day always starts mid-mornin’ so drunken fools can get past the worst of their headaches. Didn’t ya study the agenda?”
I told her I was mostly overwhelmed by the number of topics and speakers.
She cackled. “Can’t believe yar Aunt Nuel made me go to that hoedown with her down South years ago, ’cause Ike wouldn’t go with her. Don’t know how those two have remained mated. I was relieved there were a lot of troll clans gatherin’ with us. Didn’t have to be to odd duck out.”
“Hale and I—”
She didn’t let me finish the thought. “I’ve already heard the two of ya dusted off yar dancin’ toes with vim and vigor last night.”
I gave that a second thought. How would she have—maybe she’s been out of sight the last few years since we’ve been at TIT, doesn’t mean she hasn’t kept her ears open about us. As Ike joked once, “Yar Mama has spies out the wazoo watchin’ out for ya.”
“Folk said—”
Like more than one had reported on us already?
“—they worried Hale wasn’t havin’ a good time, but that he didn’t seem to ever leave the dance floor.”
I let out a big eeeeh. “Did I tell ya about the cute orc hen who gobsmacked yar bull youngling?” How did that not come up yesterday?
“What?” She drew the word out to what could have been five syllables. “An orc hen, ya say. Whoa. That would be—”
“Yar tellin’ me.”
“Ya didn’t give me time to tell ya nothin’.”
“’Cause ya talk too slow, ya old troll,” I teased.
“Don’t think ya’re too old to turn over my knee.”
That made me cackle like a loon. She joined me after a second.
~
Hale
~
She had to be talkin’ with Mama, what with all the cacklin’. No way I was getting’ back to sleep. I visited the little bull’s room, then pounded on her door, since she might not hear me with all the cluckin’ the two hens were doin’.
I expected to hear a shouted, “come in,” or maybe a “go away,” my usual refrain. Instead she opened her door, wore nutin but a tee that barely covered what a bull never wants to see on his hen sibling, and an enormous smile. That, with her eyes bulgin’, she and Mama had to be talking about me. I considered turnin’ around and goin’ back to my bedroom. Don’t know why I didn’t.
“Tell her how many times ya’ve texted with her.” Bele shook her phone at me.
I lamely asked, “With whom?” Just barely under Bele’s ridiculous cacklin’ I could hear Mama’s.
“Here. She wants to tell ya good mornin’.”
Liar. Mama wanted to tease me about likin’ an orc hen.
“Don’t call me a liar,” Bele hissed.
I took the phone, but didn’t feel like talkin’ about—okay, I’ll call her my crush. Considerin’ she was on my mind regardless of who I danced with last night. Didn’t really matter anyway, since very few of ’em were unattached. Most older than Mama. Just appreciated my spectacular dancin’ ability. Could I dance with Beky if I wanted to? There’s a considerable height difference. I’m a bit taller than the garden-variety ogre, and she’s—well, an orc. I could barely tickle her ear if she stood next to me. Pretty sure.
“Ya have any witches on yar side of the family?” I asked instead.
Bele’s face turned crimson. What? They hadn’t talked about it yet? She hissed a shut up at me.
“Witches?” Mama mumbled. “Why’re ya askin’ me such a silly thin’?”
“Sounds like ya and yar hen youngling have a bunch to talk about.” I handed the phone back to Bele and ran for my life. That’s an exaggeration. I just headed for my room to exchange my pajamas for the day’s jeans and polo.
Odd, Bele hadn’t had that conversation yet. Almost tempted me to call Papa to ask him if we had any witches on his side of the family.
Ten minutes later I was polishin’ my tusks when Bele strode into my bathroom.
“That was not cool,” she said.
What?
“The witch remark,” she hissed. “How could that slink out of yar itty-bitty little brain cavity? She’s not gonna let it go now. She’s probably on the phone with Grandma Eacy as I speak.”
Why didn’t she want Mama to know?
“Are ya insane? We’re weird enough as it is. It’ll be all over the Range in an hour.”
Oh. That’s a good reason to have kept it a secret. And her weirdness would reflect on me.
She slugged me in the chest. A bit of polish, and a few bubbles, puffed between us. Made me lick at a tusk. Got small tusks, but at least I could work to keep ’em shiny white.
“Don’t change the subject,” she hissed.
I hadn’t said a word. But I sure wish she’d go and put on more than a tee. What time were we supposed to be meetin’ today? Did Bele know where she was supposed to drop me off?
“We’re talkin’ about Mama,” Bele said, fist flutterin’ as though she considered hittin’ me a bit harder this time. Instead she poked me hard in the forehead with her stinkin’ fat ogre-troll finger. She coulda put out my eye if I’d twitched.
“Focus, fool. This could be a problem.”
Why didn’t she tell me this was a secret?
“I figgered ya’d be smart enough to figger it out yar ownself.”
The witch.
~
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