Chapter
5
“Man, that
was great,” Howie said as the three made their way across the Lobby.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had that much fun, huh?”
“You said
it, Bro,” AJ commented with a grin. “I thought we were done for when that
brunette chick recognized us… but everyone kept their cool. What a relief that
was!”
“I’m glad
we stopped when we did, though,” Brian added. “It was fun, but you know what we
have to do tomorrow... er, today.”
They
stepped into the private elevator and Howie pushed the proper button.
“Too bad
Kevin didn’t come,” he said. “He could have used a night out.”
“Wonder
what happened after we left?” Brian said, crossing his arms.
“Kev
probably went to his room, Nick went up to the roof, and that’s it. Poor kid,”
Howie said. “He was so hopeful.”
“Maybe
they’ll have surprised us-”
“Don’t get
your hopes up, Frick,” AJ interrupted. “Ten bucks says Nick’s playing a game
when we walk in.”
“Gee,
there’s a safe bet,” Howie answered.
The
elevator slowed to a stop and the trio exited. They hadn’t quite reached the
door when all three froze, alarmed by the noises emanating from the Suite.
Brian’s
eyes widened as he registered the sound of loud voices, rapid footsteps, and
muffled thunks. Then, something that was a cross between a wail and a cry… For
one horrified, suspended moment, he visualized what was beyond the walls.
“Oh Lord,
Kevin’s finally trying to kill Nick!” he exclaimed, trying to push his panic
down.
“Jeeze, we
never should have left them alone,” AJ said, springing towards the door.
Howie was
close behind, fumbling for his cardkey. The second the lock light turned green
the three rushed inside. The sight that met their wide-eyed gazes was a true
shock.
A million
tiny flecks of white were whirling around the room, creating a miniature
blizzard in the Suite. In the middle of the storm were two figures that had
stilled the moment the door had opened.
In
disbelief, Brian reached a hand out to catch a fleck, then realized that it
was… a feather.
From a
pillow.
No… make
that pillows, plural.
He blinked
in astonishment. Beside him, both AJ and Howie had been rendered speechless as
well. For ten seconds, no one spoke as the tiny white bits floated between the
group.
“Huh,” Nick
said at last, looking at his pillow. “Guess they don’t make pillowcases as
tough as they used to, eh, Kev?”
“I believe
you’re right,” he said with a perfectly neutral statement.
“Housekeeping
is going to be really ticked,” Nick said matter-of-factly, tilting his head and
considering the mess.
“We’ll make
it worth their while,” Kevin promised. He then turned his green gaze on the
still-silent three. “Hi, guys.”
Brian
recovered first. “Hi guys?” he said, incredulous. “What’s going on
here?”
“It seems
as if there’s been a pillowfight,” Kevin stated.
“We
thought… from the sound of it… you two…”
“Yes?”
Kevin prompted. He fought hard to suppress a grin as tiny feathers settled on
his astonished cousin’s head.
“We… we
thought you were trying to kill each other,” Brian managed to say around his
confusion.
Kevin put
on a shocked look. “Why on earth would I ever want to do that, cuz?”
“Well, I-”
“Relax,
Bri,” Nick said, grinning broadly. “We were just playing. Everything’s okay.”
“Are you
two drunk?” AJ asked point-blank.
Kevin
laughed, all pretense of seriousness gone. “Nope. Just letting off a little
tension. It’s called ‘having fun’.”
Howie
smiled. “I take it that tonight went, um, well?”
“It did,”
Kevin said, brushing a feather from his cheek. “Definitely.”
Relief
replaced the worry and shock of moments before.
“Um… whose
pillows, exactly, did you use, Frack?” Brian asked suspiciously.
“Well, I…
ah… you see, Train was running after me, and in my haste to arm myself, I might
have grabbed, er, yours…”
“I told
you he was a known pillow thief!” AJ said triumphantly. “No one listened to me
in Arizona… but now I have witnesses! No one ever believes bad old AJ, they
always take cute little Nicky’s-”
Howie
playfully slapped the back of AJ’s head, which effectively stopped his
babbling. A split second later, there was murder in brown eyes as AJ’s
attention turned to his attacker. With a small yelp, Howie took off down the
hall, trying to escape AJ’s wrath…
“I think
they have the right idea,” Kevin said, dropping his somewhat flat pillow on the
couch.
“Trying to
kill each other?” Brian asked, his eyebrows raised in question.
“No, going
to bed. We should all get some rest. There’s a lot to do later, and I’m hoping
to get the chance to talk to y’all before the concert.” He exchanged a glance
with Nick. “About some important things I could use some advice on.”
“Sure,
okay,” said Brian, not really understanding but grateful for the change.
“G’nite,
guys,” Kevin said, taking one last look at the almost-settled feather blizzard.
He shook his head, grinned, and headed toward his room.
“You
realize you’re going to have to spill every detail,” Brian said as he turned to
Nick.
“What makes
you think I know anything?” Nick said, using his best ‘innocent’ voice.
“I know
you, Frack. You’re not as dumb as you look.”
“Who, me?”
Nick said, smirking. “How dumb do I look?”
“Dumb
enough to use your own pillows in a fight,” Brian said, inching closer
to their room.
“Those were
your pillows,” Nick said, matching the movement.
“Not if I
get there first!” Brian shouted as he zipped down the hall and plunged into the
room, diving for the prize.
**********
Inside his
own room, Kevin smiled as he listened to the sounds of Frick and Frack’s door
slamming and their subsequent battle for pillow ownership. He gave a satisfied
sigh.
For the
first time in a long time, things seemed… better. Not perfect, but better.
As he went
to draw his curtain shut he caught a glimpse of the bright moon, just visible
beyond the trees. His smile grew as he sent silent thanks to the Maker of the
phenomenon… and to the Boy who had opened his eyes and helped him to see.
FIN
***
