Little Penguin Bits

WAS To Be, Now is Not:

OUTTAKE!!!

I joined a collaborative story with some other authors, and I wrote one passage that didn't make it in. But I liked it, thought it was nice, so I'm sharing it here instead. 

Hope Y'all enjoy!

UD602

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Ok. Here we go, finally; With Shellington so down in the dumps, and all these sick creatures needing his attention when even HE still wasn't fully comprehensive of his renewed health, it was a rare, happy moment when Peso could just play with his friends. He rolled over on his bed, his laptop open in front of him, for once fully grateful that his friends had made him take some time off. Everyone was getting better. He didn't like to slack, but that did mean he could at least take some time to rest his flippers, and catch up on more important things, like the people who cared about him and were WORRIED sick. "...So far, the captain, the professor, and the cubs are still sick. I guess it makes sense, since the disease seems to have some sort of inane aversion to us cold-weather creatures." Peso rolled his eyes, relishing in one of those many, yet still unnatural chances to stop being a medical prodigy and just be a teenager. His friends on his screen were the only hope of that. It was nice, sometimes, to remember he was still a kid, even if it did bite him in the butt sometimes. Star, Beca and DD made sure he remembered that. "Do NOT bring it here." Beca stated simply, adjusting his glasses with one flipper, his darkened room barely visible behind him from bounds of organized mess. "I just got a cold on Saturday, and I'm all clean." "Finally." Star exaggerated, fluttering her shoulders, making her long, thick ponytail slide over her shirt in almost practiced position. "I was wondering if you were ever going to get out of bed. Both of you." She looked at Peso with her hard, intense eyes, still holding the love they embellished every time they were aimed at the little Spaniard. They knew she worried about them. "It's no fun, just me and DD. He's insane." "Duh," DD in question responded, playing with his crazy hair. His crampy hotel room seemed even smaller in his little camera frame, especially in contrast to Star's extravagant rich lifestyle suite, clearly made for a princess. in the small, simple lighting of his bedroom window, his Adelaide heritage was much more visible in black rings around his eye, making them seem bigger, darker, and more framed than they actually were. Peso smiled. It was times like this he missed most the simple things. "Well, I hope I can see you soon." "How soon?" Star immediately wanted to know. She was the only girl in their group and the leader, and liked to make it clear that nothing meant more to her than her 'boy'-friends. "I don't know." Peso admitted. "I don't know how long it will take for all this too pass. Or what will happen after." Star was immediately alert, watching his face as it seemed to sink in, pale, sick and worried, signs she knew all to well from the years before. "Don't worry Peso. If I wanted, my daddy would fly me straight to you first-class MYself." "Yeah. She'll beat the life back into them!" DD joked, laughing at Star's face as she glared at him. Peso laughed. She knew she was strong and was not afraid to show it. "Well, she's had no one to beat up all week but you!" DD snorted. "No excuse!" "Oh, come on, man!" Beca sighed. "You jump off of roofs for fun. That's why you and Star click." Peso watched his friends bicker with timeless fondness. They always ended up in such interesting binds like this, usually due to Star's temper, or one of DD's ridiculous stunts. Or... "hey, check out my new invention!" Beca hefted something into view with a grunt, suddenly changing the subject. It was so large, Peso knew it was hopeless to wonder what it was. "Oh NO." Star beat him to it with another one of her exaggerated whines. "Not ANOTHER one!" "You got those kinks out, BB?" DD asked, looking concerned, which, for DD, wasn't often an object. "Yeah, don't worry." Beca waved them off, turning to smile at Peso. "Y'see, you aim this at a guy who has cancer, right? You're gonna love this, Dr. Do-It-All. You pish this button to see inside of them, target the tumors, and ..." BLAM!He was cut off completely. Like a sick cartoon, the blast came out the other end, and filled his face with smoke. the automatic wipers he had installed into his glasses immediately went to their rhythmic sway, while he quickly processed the failure. "Bah," he waved it off. He usually did. "Back to the drawing board, as always." "Don't worry, Beca. You'll get one soon." Peso assured him smilingly, trying to seem comforting, when in reality, he wasn't sure Beca was at that level of robotic engineering yet. Star sighed and looked at Peso. "I miss you." "I miss you too." He answered, trying not to glance at the pictures he had of them decorating his room, getting into trouble and exploring their own childish whimsy without any adults in the way. He hoped he'd get to see them soon. It wasn't often he admitted he needed a break. DD piped up. "Could be worse. With me and my six brothers and sisters, my mom says we drive her crazy." "Starsia!" The call interrupted their conversation, sounding through Star's spacious room and through the camera. She frowned, grooming her hair back. "Speaking of mothers..." "Has you mom been bothering you again?" Peso asked, his eyes already worried. Star shrugged. "You know, the usual. Wear this dress, wear that dress, take this class..." Star tried to shrug it off, but Peso knew, as her closest friend, that all she wanted was to live a life like him. "Don't worry Star." He spoke softly as Star's mother called and called, eventually forcing her off the phone. "You'll get there someday." HE had made it. And he could make it through this, too.