The Church and Its Orbs - A Problem
Possible material for The Church and Its Orbs. One of my characters decided to go off in a completely unexpected direction that may or may not stay. Characters -- they do weird shit sometimes.
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“I still can’t believe you got drunk and ended up in the Divine Realm,” Wren mutters. “I’m impressed.”
My face flushes, and I narrow my eyes her. “You aren’t ever going to let me forget that one, are you?”
“Nope.” She smirks.
“It was an accident, I’ll remind you,” I grumble. “Even Brandon’s not sure how it happened.” My face must be bright red by now. I don’t want to even think about why I ended up there or why I got drunk in the first place.
Brandon nods. “It is something of a mystery.”
“It’s one impressive mystery,” Kai says. He smirks, too, as he leans against the wall. “More than any of my drunk mysteries. The weirdest place I ever found myself after drinking? In the closet, hugging a giant stuffed bear. I have no idea where the bear came from or why I would end up in a closet. I didn’t like being in the closet, let me tell you. But I kept the bear.”
How many drunk mysteries does Kai even have? Maybe I don’t want to know, but I’m not happy I’ve apparently outdone him.
“I didn’t like being in the Divine Realm,” I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest. “I thought I might be killed.” That’s not even mentioning everything I learned there -- sometimes I wish I could stay in ignorance, but that wouldn’t be right.
“I wasn’t going to kill you,” Brandon says, sounding exasperated.
“You try waking up in what everything you’ve ever known says is hostile territory,” I say. “And then try learning your Church has been lying to you in a way that defies comprehension. Forgive me for being a little uneasy.” I narrow my eyes at him.
“You have a point,” he says, looking away from me.
He and Wren sit next to each other on her large canopy bed. Since I don’t feel like looking at anyone else, either, I look around the room. Wren’s room is huge enough she has her own couch as well as an armchair -- it’s pretty much a miniature living room inside her bedroom. That doesn’t even count her fancy desk or spinning office chair. All the furniture’s black, with accents in a variety of neon colors -- the chest of drawers has bright orange knobs -- and her carpet’s made of both black and neon fibers. When I first saw her room, it startled me almost as much as Brandon’s house did -- and Wren lives on Earth.
I stare up at the ceiling next -- it’s a normal white color, but Wren’s stuck glow in the dark stars to it. When I asked her where she had gotten something so unusual, she said “special order vintage” and didn’t elaborate. The star stickers remind me of the walls in the room where I woke up in Brandon’s house. The whole place reminds me of Brandon’s room beyond both of them being startling, though I like Wren’s space better -- it’s so very her.
“Brandon wouldn’t hurt a fly, would he?” Wren said, looking at him with an expression I can’t decipher.
His eyes widen as he looks at Wren. “I wouldn’t. I don’t much like Earth insects. Especially spiders,” Brandon says, shuddering.
“Spiders aren’t insects. They’re arachnids,” I mutter.
“They’re still...unsettling,” he says, shuddering again.
“You’re a god and afraid of spiders? They’re not even that likely to kill mortals, let alone someone like you,” I say. I have to resist the urge to both roll my eyes and laugh -- how inappropriate would that be? Brandon’s fear may baffle me, but he still deserves respect.
Kai tilts his head back where he’s standing and laughs -- he has no problem with disrespect. Well, he’s on equal footing with Brandon.
The other god glares at him. “What?” he mutters.
“Spiders? Really?” Kai snorts, unable to contain himself.
A giggle escapes me, despite my best efforts. This is all so ridiculous -- my world tumbles out of control, my Church is a lie, and we discuss fear of spiders?
“Yes, really. And how is that any less ridiculous than waking up in a closet holding a giant bear?” Brandon mutters. “I didn’t start laughing at you, Kai. Maybe you should drink less. How often do you end up in the closet, anyway?”
“You do drink a lot,” Wren says, crossing one long leg over the other.
Why is she so eager to agree with Brandon all of a sudden? She hardly knows him. Wren wanted to kill Kai after she found out about him, so why’s she looking at Brandon like he can do no wrong? And spiders aren’t that scary, no matter how much ordinary mortals fear them.
When we were children and my sister Ruby wouldn’t leave me alone, I once captured several barn funnel weaver spiders and threatened to dump them in her bed if she didn’t stop harassing me. Of course, she didn’t stop, so I dumped the spiders in her bed. She couldn’t sleep properly for weeks. It served her right for doing things like destroying my homework, scribbling all over her wall with marker and blaming me for it. The gods caution against revenge, but I couldn’t stand her antics anymore. That stunt got me in a whole heap of trouble -- including unearned trouble for “destroying dear Ruby’s room.”
“Gemma, are you with us?” Kai looks over at me.
“Here enough,” I mutter.
“Okay, good -- you really zoned out there for a second,” Wren says.
She looks over at me. Right now, I don’t want all the attention. Thinking about everything still overwhelms me, and I just -- it’s all too much. I shift in my seat on her couch and twist a strand of hair around my finger.
Kai does something similar, pulling at the fringe of his rainbow scarf. He leans against the wall. “I don’t drink that much,” he murmurs.
Wren glares at him in a way that suggests Kai ought to fear for his life despite being immortal. “You stole two bottles of very expensive vodka from my parents’ liquor cabinet. And drank them on your own.”
“Your parents can afford it,” Kai huffs, glaring right back. He doesn’t let go of his scarf.
“That’s not the freaking point. Couldn’t you, I dunno, magically make your own vodka if you were that desperate, anyway?” she mutters
“It doesn’t work that way,” he says.
“Well, then, you couldn’t just stop drinking until you didn’t have to steal? That’s a little messed up. What kind of god steals vodka?” Wren says. Her glare doesn’t diminish.
“I could stop drinking if I wanted to,” Kai says. He pulls on his scarf again, staring at it and avoiding Wren’s eyes. I would avoid those eyes, too, if I were him.
Wren stops glaring long enough to roll her eyes. “Yeah, I’ve never heard that one before.”
I stare at them, blinking. What in the name of darkest oblivion is going on? Brandon catches my eye and shrugs -- he looks as confused as I feel.
“Since when do you even have a problem with my drinking?” Kai mutters. “It’s not a problem.”
“Not a problem?” Wren snorts. “Blacking out regularly is a problem. Missing school is a problem. Drinking practically every time I see you is a problem.”
Kai glances at me. “I haven’t missed school that often. And Gemma’s allowed to traverse the Realms while blackout drunk, but I end up in the closet or passed out on a deserted riverbank and it’s suddenly an issue?”
“That was once,” I mutter, crossing my arms and glaring at him. And I had good reason for drinking so much, though I don’t mention that.
“You need help, Kai,” Wren says. The air in the room goes still. “I never really thought about it before, but you do.”
Kai raises an eyebrow. “So Brandon says I should drink less, and suddenly it’s an issue for you?”
Brandon flinches at his name, but he remains quiet. I don’t have much to say, either. Kai and Wren’s argument is a surreal stage performance, come to life right in front of me.
“Maybe I...just didn’t want to see it,” Wren says.
“Maybe I just don’t want to deal with this,” Kai murmurs, his voice shaking. “It’s not like I could go see a counselor. If I had a problem, that is.”
Wren smiles and her eyes light up, which strikes me as downright incongruous. “You don’t have a problem? Fine, prove it. Stop drinking so freaking much. Just for...two months,” she says. “I’ll back off if you can do that.”
“You’ll shut up about it if I do? Fine,” Kai sighs. He pulls at his rainbow scarf again.
“Yeah, I’ll shut up about it,” she says. “We have a deal?”
Kai nods. “We do.”
“Let’s shake on it.” Wren gets up and offers her hand to Kai. He takes it, and they shake on the strangest deal I’ve ever seen.
It’s all too much. While I’m grateful none of them want to interrogate me over my impromptu and very accidental trip to the Divine Realm, the lack of discussion somehow discomfits me. Kai’s apparent drinking problem just took over. I hope he’ll be alright, but I must admit the timing’s odd. My world makes less and less sense every day.
How am I going to handle everything?
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“I still can’t believe you got drunk and ended up in the Divine Realm,” Wren mutters. “I’m impressed.”
My face flushes, and I narrow my eyes her. “You aren’t ever going to let me forget that one, are you?”
“Nope.” She smirks.
“It was an accident, I’ll remind you,” I grumble. “Even Brandon’s not sure how it happened.” My face must be bright red by now. I don’t want to even think about why I ended up there or why I got drunk in the first place.
Brandon nods. “It is something of a mystery.”
“It’s one impressive mystery,” Kai says. He smirks, too, as he leans against the wall. “More than any of my drunk mysteries. The weirdest place I ever found myself after drinking? In the closet, hugging a giant stuffed bear. I have no idea where the bear came from or why I would end up in a closet. I didn’t like being in the closet, let me tell you. But I kept the bear.”
How many drunk mysteries does Kai even have? Maybe I don’t want to know, but I’m not happy I’ve apparently outdone him.
“I didn’t like being in the Divine Realm,” I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest. “I thought I might be killed.” That’s not even mentioning everything I learned there -- sometimes I wish I could stay in ignorance, but that wouldn’t be right.
“I wasn’t going to kill you,” Brandon says, sounding exasperated.
“You try waking up in what everything you’ve ever known says is hostile territory,” I say. “And then try learning your Church has been lying to you in a way that defies comprehension. Forgive me for being a little uneasy.” I narrow my eyes at him.
“You have a point,” he says, looking away from me.
He and Wren sit next to each other on her large canopy bed. Since I don’t feel like looking at anyone else, either, I look around the room. Wren’s room is huge enough she has her own couch as well as an armchair -- it’s pretty much a miniature living room inside her bedroom. That doesn’t even count her fancy desk or spinning office chair. All the furniture’s black, with accents in a variety of neon colors -- the chest of drawers has bright orange knobs -- and her carpet’s made of both black and neon fibers. When I first saw her room, it startled me almost as much as Brandon’s house did -- and Wren lives on Earth.
I stare up at the ceiling next -- it’s a normal white color, but Wren’s stuck glow in the dark stars to it. When I asked her where she had gotten something so unusual, she said “special order vintage” and didn’t elaborate. The star stickers remind me of the walls in the room where I woke up in Brandon’s house. The whole place reminds me of Brandon’s room beyond both of them being startling, though I like Wren’s space better -- it’s so very her.
“Brandon wouldn’t hurt a fly, would he?” Wren said, looking at him with an expression I can’t decipher.
His eyes widen as he looks at Wren. “I wouldn’t. I don’t much like Earth insects. Especially spiders,” Brandon says, shuddering.
“Spiders aren’t insects. They’re arachnids,” I mutter.
“They’re still...unsettling,” he says, shuddering again.
“You’re a god and afraid of spiders? They’re not even that likely to kill mortals, let alone someone like you,” I say. I have to resist the urge to both roll my eyes and laugh -- how inappropriate would that be? Brandon’s fear may baffle me, but he still deserves respect.
Kai tilts his head back where he’s standing and laughs -- he has no problem with disrespect. Well, he’s on equal footing with Brandon.
The other god glares at him. “What?” he mutters.
“Spiders? Really?” Kai snorts, unable to contain himself.
A giggle escapes me, despite my best efforts. This is all so ridiculous -- my world tumbles out of control, my Church is a lie, and we discuss fear of spiders?
“Yes, really. And how is that any less ridiculous than waking up in a closet holding a giant bear?” Brandon mutters. “I didn’t start laughing at you, Kai. Maybe you should drink less. How often do you end up in the closet, anyway?”
“You do drink a lot,” Wren says, crossing one long leg over the other.
Why is she so eager to agree with Brandon all of a sudden? She hardly knows him. Wren wanted to kill Kai after she found out about him, so why’s she looking at Brandon like he can do no wrong? And spiders aren’t that scary, no matter how much ordinary mortals fear them.
When we were children and my sister Ruby wouldn’t leave me alone, I once captured several barn funnel weaver spiders and threatened to dump them in her bed if she didn’t stop harassing me. Of course, she didn’t stop, so I dumped the spiders in her bed. She couldn’t sleep properly for weeks. It served her right for doing things like destroying my homework, scribbling all over her wall with marker and blaming me for it. The gods caution against revenge, but I couldn’t stand her antics anymore. That stunt got me in a whole heap of trouble -- including unearned trouble for “destroying dear Ruby’s room.”
“Gemma, are you with us?” Kai looks over at me.
“Here enough,” I mutter.
“Okay, good -- you really zoned out there for a second,” Wren says.
She looks over at me. Right now, I don’t want all the attention. Thinking about everything still overwhelms me, and I just -- it’s all too much. I shift in my seat on her couch and twist a strand of hair around my finger.
Kai does something similar, pulling at the fringe of his rainbow scarf. He leans against the wall. “I don’t drink that much,” he murmurs.
Wren glares at him in a way that suggests Kai ought to fear for his life despite being immortal. “You stole two bottles of very expensive vodka from my parents’ liquor cabinet. And drank them on your own.”
“Your parents can afford it,” Kai huffs, glaring right back. He doesn’t let go of his scarf.
“That’s not the freaking point. Couldn’t you, I dunno, magically make your own vodka if you were that desperate, anyway?” she mutters
“It doesn’t work that way,” he says.
“Well, then, you couldn’t just stop drinking until you didn’t have to steal? That’s a little messed up. What kind of god steals vodka?” Wren says. Her glare doesn’t diminish.
“I could stop drinking if I wanted to,” Kai says. He pulls on his scarf again, staring at it and avoiding Wren’s eyes. I would avoid those eyes, too, if I were him.
Wren stops glaring long enough to roll her eyes. “Yeah, I’ve never heard that one before.”
I stare at them, blinking. What in the name of darkest oblivion is going on? Brandon catches my eye and shrugs -- he looks as confused as I feel.
“Since when do you even have a problem with my drinking?” Kai mutters. “It’s not a problem.”
“Not a problem?” Wren snorts. “Blacking out regularly is a problem. Missing school is a problem. Drinking practically every time I see you is a problem.”
Kai glances at me. “I haven’t missed school that often. And Gemma’s allowed to traverse the Realms while blackout drunk, but I end up in the closet or passed out on a deserted riverbank and it’s suddenly an issue?”
“That was once,” I mutter, crossing my arms and glaring at him. And I had good reason for drinking so much, though I don’t mention that.
“You need help, Kai,” Wren says. The air in the room goes still. “I never really thought about it before, but you do.”
Kai raises an eyebrow. “So Brandon says I should drink less, and suddenly it’s an issue for you?”
Brandon flinches at his name, but he remains quiet. I don’t have much to say, either. Kai and Wren’s argument is a surreal stage performance, come to life right in front of me.
“Maybe I...just didn’t want to see it,” Wren says.
“Maybe I just don’t want to deal with this,” Kai murmurs, his voice shaking. “It’s not like I could go see a counselor. If I had a problem, that is.”
Wren smiles and her eyes light up, which strikes me as downright incongruous. “You don’t have a problem? Fine, prove it. Stop drinking so freaking much. Just for...two months,” she says. “I’ll back off if you can do that.”
“You’ll shut up about it if I do? Fine,” Kai sighs. He pulls at his rainbow scarf again.
“Yeah, I’ll shut up about it,” she says. “We have a deal?”
Kai nods. “We do.”
“Let’s shake on it.” Wren gets up and offers her hand to Kai. He takes it, and they shake on the strangest deal I’ve ever seen.
It’s all too much. While I’m grateful none of them want to interrogate me over my impromptu and very accidental trip to the Divine Realm, the lack of discussion somehow discomfits me. Kai’s apparent drinking problem just took over. I hope he’ll be alright, but I must admit the timing’s odd. My world makes less and less sense every day.
How am I going to handle everything?