Dragon Boy

18: Gargoyles

Kyle stumbled off the Ferris Wheel. "Someone looks a little motion sick!" the operator joked as he handed Runt back to Akora. Kyle ignored him and continued across the boardwalk.

At this time, Aoife and Asim had made their way back to the rides. Aoife had won a plush dragon in a game and wanted to give it to Kyle. She noticed at once that something was amiss.

"What happened?" she asked.

He was quiet at first, but then found his voice and said, "You knew."

Both Aoife and Asim furrowed their brows. "Knew what exactly?" Asim asked.

"Y-You know," Kyle said. He felt stupid saying that, but there was nothing else he could force out. He had yet to recover from the realization that his life had been built on a lie.

The two exchanged glances. Akora joined them. "What happened?" they demanded.

"I have no idea," Akora grumbled. "He just started acting weird."

"Tell the truth!" Kyle ordered. "Just tell them the truth!"

They looked back to Akora, eyes narrowed.

"I don't know what he's talking about!"

Elvia and Nixie rejoined the group. "What's going on?" Nixie demanded.

"We heard arguing."

Akora made a grand sweeping gesture to Kyle. "Your friend here just started pitching a fit and somehow is blaming me for it!"

Kyle shook his head. Either she was very good at playing dumb, or she had absolutely no idea what impact her words had. Either way, it was frustrating. "It's what you said!"

Akora turned back to him, eyes flashing with irritation, brow furrowed and teeth bared. "What did I say?"

"Calm down!" Sean ordered as he emerged from the crowd. "You're going to get us kicked out!"

He knew, too. They all knew. They all knew and didn't tell him. Everyone knew. "You knew, too! You all knew!"

"Kyle, could you please just tell us what we know?" Asim asked in his usual calm, cool, and collected tone.

Kyle struggled to regain control of his voice. If there was anywhere to shout about being an alien, a crowded boardwalk was probably one of the worst places. He drew in a sharp breath and very slowly spoke, "You knew I wasn't from here."

Everyone but Akora and Nixie became stone-faced. Their eyes went wide with surprise, and their jaws hung open, lips trying to form words but remaining silent. Nixie looked from person to person in confusion, while Akora seemed more irritated.

"Y-You didn't know?" Aoife asked.

"We thought you already knew," Elvia said.

"What's going on?" Nixie asked.

Kyle turned to her. He was still angry and hurt, but she was just as clueless as she was. He wanted to tell her but his words failed him once more, and his mouth could only contort as though it were speaking. He turned away and walked. He did not know where he was going, but he needed to be away from them.

"What's going on?" Nixie asked again.

"He just found out he's..." Sean took a breath, "not from around here."