Yellow Pages thunder only grows

When he walked past the apartment door, dread hit him like a brick. Two days. The reminder repeated in his head like a broken record. Memories of his parents, the stress, the fear. It plagued him. He couldn’t stop thinking about it no matter what he did.

The woman from the ice cream parlor came to mind in the middle of his hundredth mental breakdown of the week. “ I can tell you a safe place to go for that night.” The offer wasn’t very comforting. He wanted to forget about it, but like every other worry it stuck in his mind. He grabbed the note from the pants he’d tossed at the foot of the bed and stared at the number for awhile.

If he was going to turn soon, he couldn’t do it here. And he had no other ideas so what the hell. He’d reluctantly give in. Cupid took the phone and paper to the bathroom where Alarian couldn’t see him and leaned against its cool wall.

hey.

you said there was a place I could go?

A few minutes passed before he sent another message.

it’s the guy from the ice cream place btw

She'd told herself not to hope too hard for this.

Since their brief interaction, Vidya had agonized over everything she'd said. Or, really, over everything she didn't say. She should have tried a little harder, asked more questions. Maybe he would have been annoyed with her, but she could have at least imparted something more than an easily discardable piece of paper with her number on it. She hadn't even gotten his name!

It wasn't as easy as putting him out of her mind and just moving on. There was a jaguar out there that seemed like he needed help, and she didn't feel like she'd done nearly enough to help him. So call her overbearing and obsessive, but she found herself checking her phone more often than usual.

Still, she was a little surprised when the texts finally came.

Grinning ear to ear, she typed about a hundred different things, deleting them each time before sending. He wasn't asking about her or the jaguar or anything like that. He just wanted her offer of a safe place to shift. If that was all he was willing to ask for, then that was what she was going to deliver. This was still good. She had his number now. A doorway was open, she just had to be careful about how she walked through it.

Yes! Hi :) There's a place called the Sanctuary in Camp Baron. It's fenced off and has a lot of space to roam. My friends and I go there often :)

That wasn't an invitation for him to join! Just, you know, casually mentioning. No expectations, though.

you text a number and it gives you a gate code to enter in, no contact with anyone if you don't want to

Alright, maybe being a little over-cautious now.

He couldn’t bring himself to do anything but stare at the messages he’d just sent. He wondered if he’d ever get a text back. Briefly he began to believe this was stupid and a waste of time. But just before he could turn his phone off, he saw three dots bounce at the bottom of his screen. Well that was quicker than he expected. He anxiously awaited a reply, then got it after a couple minutes.

okay. how many people are gonna be there?

The idea of being surrounded by them made him nervous. Just the thought of it gave him a phantom pain in his arm. He’d avoid them as best he could.

She couldn’t help the second shock of surprise that he answered. What was more, he seemed willing.

well there’s four of us in my group that goes out. But zero pressure to go with us! Not sure how many people use the place in total, but it’s big enough to avoid others

She worried the inside of her lip. It might be harder for him, with his Jaguar off the proverbial leash. He wouldn’t have control of what the cat did. It was safer to be with others.

She went out on a limb.

you can tell me no, but what do you think of just me going out with you? I can make sure your cat doesn’t get into trouble :)

More than four, he noted to himself. That wasn’t a very reassuring answer, but it didn’t need to be. The spot was big enough, she ensured. There had to be at least one place to hide away for however long this would be.

No. No, no, no. It wouldn’t be that long because it wasn’t going to happen. Cupid tried to assure this to be true, but the woman’s next message said otherwise. She seemed so sure he was going to turn into a monster, even down to what type he’d be. Her certainty planted seeds of doubt within him.

yeah sure. i don’t mind

He did mind. But he also didn’t want to ‘get into trouble’ as she put it.

God, this felt so unreal.

ur name’s v? what about your friends?

He really didn’t care, but he had to try to change the subject. Breakdown #101 was about to attack.

And the limb held.

Validation swelled in her. This felt good. This felt like something she was meant to do. She’d done well with Blair, she could do well with him.

His name was still lost to her, but he opened a door to ask.

it’s Vidya but V is good :) my friends are Frank, Blair, and Andy.

what is your name? I didn’t get to ask

He silently repeated the names. There was no guarantee he’d remember the latter three’s, but V’s was practically etched in his mind. After their first encounter it was difficult to forget.

cupid

Wait! That was cute.

nice to meet you cupid!

lets plan to meet at the front gates of the sanctuary around seven. it'll give us some time to hike out. you should pack a bag with extra clothes, some snacks like jerky or even a couple sandwiches, water, some baby wipes, and a blanket.

*sanctuary address*

Clothes, food, water…

… baby wipes?

Cupid squinted at the screen, completely dumbfounded. That was a strange addition to say the least. He was too tired to question it. Just add it to the list of weird things of the month.

got it. ill be there tomorrow

okay! see you then :)