Beach Day

50: Trans Rat Rights

The trek through to the cave is just as easy as ever. It isn't mountainous and rocky like other expeditions of hers have been. The climb to the throne of the nightmare king, following Drake to the cave where the Fever Thorn Rose was growing, all of her searching for Woodland Crafters— none of it was neat and straightforward. This isn't, either, but the trip is minimal and mostly flat; it only doesn't take long to get to where the paths diverge, and it's another few minutes after that to get to the cave.

Tiff pauses at the boulder. She knows Matt is already listening for the Bone Creature, so she can afford to let her guard down for a moment.

She looks to Andy, pulls out her jacket, and hands it to him. He's still so small, in the way thirteen-year-old boys are small. It isn't going to fit him correctly, but it's going to be better than nothing.

Andy looks down at the leather in his hands— the splotch of green paint near the left cuff that Tiff couldn't entirely rub and crack away, the odd creases and stains against a portion of brown where Despina spilled something, a small burn from Janus and his lighter. "What is this?"

"It's a jacket, forehead."

"No, I mean— Why are you giving it to me?"

"So you can stay safe."

"How is a jacket going to keep me safe?"

"Superstition. Weird ghost magic a werewolf did in the woods. The chemicals I spilled on myself one time. Leather as improvised armor. Take your pick." She shrugs and takes a faux-nonchalant swig from the can Drew gave to her. "Just put it on. Trust me."

He frowns, still holding it like he isn't sure.

They don't have time for her to wheedle and wax, trying to get Andy to just put on the damn reinforced jacket. Time to do something stupid for the sake of explanation, then.

"Listen, Andy." She hikes up her shirt and points to a bruise along her ribs. "That's from the bone creature. It wouldn't be a bruise if I hadn't been wearing that. It would have gone right through me. These burns on my shoulders and chest? Fire from a sword aimed by a nightmare king at a friend of mine. I stepped in, but I wasn't protected, so I got burned. Protecting yourself is important, bud." She pulls her shirt back down and straightens it out. "The jacket will help."

"Then why don't you wear it?"

"Because I want you to be safe!"

Andy's face goes a little red. "Oh."

"Because I care about you."

Full tomato-mode now, Andy shrugs his arms through the sleeves of the jacket. It hangs loose on his body— looser than it is on Tiff's, fitting more like it did on Despina.

It's odd to think about her now. Despina's in Tennessee, right? An undead teenager haunting Graceland and the Dunkin Donuts near it.

It's Christmas Eve. She should call her. She should call Denny. Denny loves Christmas. She should just call in case something goes wrong—

She couldn't call if she wanted to. There's no reception out here. Distracting herself from what comes next is the worst idea she's had so far— and she basically repeated the action that almost killed her two days ago. She takes another swing from the can until it's empty; she smashes it against her knee. Eyeing the cave over the boulder, she nods. "Let's get this done."

Matt perks up, hearing something in the woods. "I think it's coming. We have to get going."

Tiff nods. She grabs Kepler by his middle, tosses him over the boulder, then climbs over herself. It's an odd, scampering motion— and she barely thinks of carabiners at all. Drew just goes around, through the trees and underbrush off the path, dragging Andy along with him. Matt is the only one who seems to have any trouble, but he gets over it all the same.