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Description
The roar of the crowd filled the small square.  In the middle of a chalk circle were two boys of about 16. They rotated slowly around the circle, watching each other.
“Yo, Sheen, hurry it up, lunch break’s over in 5 minutes,” a tall, brown skinned boy yelled at one of the fighters.
The boy with dusty brown hair, Sheen, smirked.  Thinking his opponent was distracted, the other fighter launched himself at Sheen.  Sheen dropped so that his feet were outstretched and to his right and all his weight was on his hands, then spun his legs in a circle, sweeping his opponents feet off the ground.  The boy smashed into the ground with a cloud of dust.  When the dust cleared, Sheen had his foot on the boy’s throat.
“Fast enough for you, Roz?” Sheen said with an eyebrow raised cockily.  He helped his opponent to his feet.  “Ten munny, hand it over,” he said, addressing his former opponent.
“Bullshit, you just got lucky, I want a rematch.”
“Come on man, I beat you fair and square”
“Dude, three minutes!” shouted Roz worriedly.
“Come on, double or nothing,” said the boy anxiously
“Ok,” said Sheen smiling.
“No way!  We don’t got the time, man!  We gotta go! Now!” Roz shouted, while starting to walk away.
Sheen sighed.  “All right, all right, I’m coming.  I’ll rematch you some other time, dude.”  Sheen turned to leave.
“What? Come on, man…”the boy said disappointedly as he handed over the munny.
“Come on, we gotta run!”  Roz started to sprint down the alleyway.
“Race you!” replied Sheen.
Behind them the crowd closed in and two new boys entered the ring.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A tall, skinny, balding man stood in front of a filled classroom.
“Now you see, if we combine the carbonic acid with-”
The door slammed open and Sheen stumbled into the room panting.
“Nice of you to join us, Master Kiylent, I didn’t realize you needed a personal invitation to attend my class.  I believe I can give you one for the detention hall, however,” said the professor sarcastically.
“Damn,” Sheen muttered, “Late again.”
He took his seat in the fourth row of desks.  As the professor turned to continue his lecture, the black-haired girl who sat next to him leaned towards him and whispered in an angry voice.
“You’re late again.”
“Really?  I didn’t notice.”
“Very funny.  You said you’d meet me after school today.”
“I’ll be there.”
“You’ve got detention.”
“Nah, Professor loves me, I’ll be out real fast, I promise.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Met you at the square all right?”
“No.  You said you weren’t going to be late anymore.”
“I said I wouldn’t be late for no reason anymore.”
“Staying too long at that stupid arena isn’t a good enough reason.”
“That’s not the whole reason.”
“Oh yeah?  What is?”
“I’ll show you after school.”
“It had better be good.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For the second time in a day Sheen stumbled into the Chemistry room, out of breath.  The professor didn’t look up from the desk where he sat.
“All right, Tia, what’s your excuse this time,” he said in a tired voice.  “Or do you not even have one.”
Tia Kiylent was Sheen’s real name.  His parents had expected a daughter, and refused to change the name after they found out he was a son.
“Um….I had to pick up these.  I really have to go, sir.  I need to deliver them,” replied Sheen in a humble voice that clashed with his usual personality.
The professor took the small white box from Sheen’s hands and looked at the contents.
“Well that is a reason isn’t it?” said the professor surprised.
“Could I do my detention tomorrow, please?  I really need to give this to her.”
“Very well, I’ll let it slide this time…but I’m you’ll be back to normal tomorrow, wont you?”
“Why, whatever do you mean by that, sir?” replied Sheen with a perfectly straight face.  The professor gave a little laugh.
“Get out of here, I don’t think Melissa is going to be as forgiving as I was if you’re late for her.”
Sheen blushed then darted out of the room.  It took him about 5 minutes to sprint from the campus to the square where he had eaten lunch.  Melissa, the black-haired girl, she sat on the edge of a fountain away from the crowd.  Sheen sat down next to her.
“Well I guess you made it this time,” she said in an emotionless voice.”
“Yeah, guess so.”
“You understand this means we can’t go out anymore.”
“Huh?”
“I told you, remember?  I…can’t love someone I can’t trust.”
“Oh.  Ok.”
“Please understand.”
“Don’t worry, I do.”
“I didn’t think you’d take it so well.”
“We just can't be…..go out anymore right?”
“Yeah.”
“Ok, I was going to end it today anyways.”
She stared at him.
“Why?  What did I do?  I thought you- I mean I-”
“Here it is,” he said, interrupting her.  “This is why I was late.”  He held out the small white box with the lid removed.  Inside was a ring with an intricately carved sapphire rose on the head.  Behind the ring was a card that said simply “Will You Marry Me?”
“Oh…”  She stared at it, speechless.
“Like you said, we really shouldn’t be going out anymore.”
“We’re 17….”
“Really? I thought I was five.”
“Don’t you think we’re a bit young?”
Sheen smiled mischievously.
“It doesn’t say when we’re going to get married.  I was thinking…3 years?  Maybe four?”
She stood stunned for another moment, and then threw her arms around him.
“Thought we couldn’t do this anymore,” he teased.
“Mmmmmmm”
“So I was right?” he continued.
“Do you want me to stop?” she asked
He shut up.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The sun set slowly over the ocean, turning the waves vibrant shades of pink, green, and red.  The sky was a cloud-filled eternity of ever-changing color.  Sheen lay propped up with his eyes closed against the off-white wall of a bar above the coast.  His left hand held loosely a half-drunk glass of lukewarm chocolate.  His right hand held Melissa’s left.  She lay beside him with her head resting on his shoulder, staring out into the distance.
“It’s beautiful,” Melissa said dreamily.
“I’m glad you liked it,” replied Sheen.  “Sapphires are my favorite, too.”
Melissa laughed.
“I was talking about the sunset, silly.”
“Oh.”
She snuggled closer to him.
“But don’t worry, the rings nice, too.”
“Mmm.”
Sheen took a sip of the chocolate.
“It’s really good, you want another sip?” he asked her.
“Thanks.”
He handed her the glass.
“Mmmmm, you were right, it is good.”
“We should thank the bartender.”
“I’ll thank the bartender, thank you.  I saw the way you looked at the serving girls.”
“Ooooh, was that jealousy?” asked Sheen mockingly.
She stuck her tongue out at him.  He kissed her.
“That’s funny,” she said.
“What?” he asked.
“You taste like chocolate.”
He smiled.
“Want another taste?”
She laughed.
“Sure.”
She closed her eyes and leaned towards him, only to find herself kissing the glass.
“Oh, you….”
“What?  You said you wanted another taste,” Sheen replied, his deep blue eyes twinkling.
Melissa raised her fist threateningly.
“All right, all right,” Sheen said laughingly.
They kissed again.
“I love you, baby,” Melissa said dreamily as she put her head back on Sheen’s shoulder.
“Love you too,” Sheen replied as he leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.
They sat there for a while, both totally in bliss.  Then Melissa saw the tiny black dot at the center of the setting sun.  She drew her breath in quickly, and her eyes widened.  She raised her head and stared at the sun.
“Everything all right?” Sheen asked slowly in a concerned voice.
“Hey, baby?  Can you please promise me something?” asked Melissa, her voice wavering with fear.
“What’s wrong?” asked Sheen worriedly, his eyes now open and staring.
“Don’t ever leave me, ok?  Not forever,” she said now visibly shaking
“Of course not.  But what’s wrong?”
“Promise?”
“….yeah…..now tell me what’s wrong.”
She shook her head as if to wake herself up.
“It’s nothing.  Just………bad memories,” she lay down again, very pointedly not looking at the sun.
“Oh.  …okay….”
Sheen squinted at her for a second, then lay back down again and closed his eyes.  He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and waited for her to calm down.
“Bad memories” meant something from Melissa’s past, which was an off limits subject.  All Sheen knew was that Melissa came from a different world and her family left in a rush.  He left her alone about it, which was one of the reasons Melisa had originally gone out with him.  Everyone else either shunned her for being a foreigner or thought she had some dark secret.  She hated people with closed minds, and despised the people who made assumptions about her past.  Unfortunately for her, they were often right.
“Baby, look….” She said worriedly.
Sheen opened his eyes.
“The clouds are purple.  That’s kinda pretty?” he guessed.
He sighed.
“I’m sorry; I’ve never been good at understanding people.  You know that,” he said sadly.
She shook her head.
“It’s not your fault.”
“If you want to talk…”
“No.  No, I’ll be fine…just….pass the hot chocolate.”
“Ok……”
They sat in silence for a while again.
“It isn’t going away, its getting bigger….”
“Hm?”
“Look at the sun.”
“I don’t see…..wait…..there’s something black in the middle….”
“Oh my God, it’s happening again!”
The shaking got worse.  Sheen put his left arm around her and pulled her close.
“It’s going to be all right.  I don’t know what it is, but it just looks like a black circle from here.”
A fearful whine emitted from the head he held tight to his shoulder.
“I need you to tell me what it is. I know you don’t like to talk about…..you know….but this is ridiculous.”
Melissa took a deep breath.
“I know,” she said.
“You know I’m from another world, right?”
“Yes.”
“We left because it was destroyed.”
“Wait, what was that?”
“By little black monsters.”
“…”
“That appeared from nowhere.”
“Melissa…”
“See?!?!” she shouted.  “This is why I never told anyone.  Now you’re going to tell everyone I’m crazy and-“
“No I’m not.”
“What?”
“First of all, I’ve been going out with you for how long now?  4 years?  I think even I would be able to tell you aren’t crazy after that long.  And….”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
“No, what?”
“Well… you know how we were supposed to do that interview for English…”
“Yes….”
“I did Dell.”
“You mean Dell Arness?” Melissa asked.
“Yeah,” replied Sheen sheepishly.
“The crazy old drunkard?” she questioned disbelievingly.
“Well he wasn’t drunk…”
“You actually believe the stuff he says about the hark-mess or whatever he calls them?”
“Well I didn’t then…”
“Look, my world was destroyed.  Maybe he’s right about the hark mess things.  But I don’t know….some of the stuff he says is just…crazy.”
“What do we do now?” asked Sheen.
“We die,” replied Melissa, who had still not raised her head from Sheen’s shirt.  She had stopped shaking, however.
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“We escaped last time because we got on a gummi ship.  There aren’t any here.”
“The police have some, we can just get onboard one of theirs.”
“There isn’t enough room for everyone.  They won’t let us on.  The seats go to those who can pay, or those who are strong enough or lucky enough to steal one.”
Melissa’s voice had gone totally emotionless.
“There has to be something-”
“There doesn’t and there isn’t.  Please stop.  It hurts too much for me to think about.”
She took a deep breath and blinked back her tears before speaking in the crackly voice of someone who is about to cry.
“I want us to be together.  Please?”
She looked at the sapphire ring on her hand.
“You promised…”
Sheen pulled her tight against him.
“I promise you, we will get through this.  I don’t know how….but….”
“I know,” she replied.
“Shouldn’t we warn somebody?”
She shook her head
“What would it matter, it’ll only cause havoc.”
“How much time do we have?”
“I don’t know; I was a little girl then.”
She started to cry again.
“How many days?” he asked.
“None,” she cried.
He held her silently as the dot on the horizon slowly grew, its purple glow illuminating the sky.
Eventually her breathing slowed.
“Melissa…I have an idea,” Sheen said cautiously.
Melissa groaned.
“No, hear me out; Dell knows a lot about this stuff right?”
“I told you, it’s just a coincidence, he’s got to be crazy.  I mean what about that thing with him not existing?”
“It’s got to worth a shot, right?”
“I suppose….”
She laughed, wiping her tears on a sleeve.
“That’s what I love about you, honey, you always give me hope.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In a dimly lit corner of the bar a cloaked figure sat alone, hunched over an empty pint sized mug.  A group of teenagers at the other side of the bar who had all had far too much to drink suddenly stood up and slowly began to move across the room.  The figure sighed.  He raised his hand with one finger extended in the direction of the bartender.
“Another round, Dell?” The giant, red bearded man who was the bartender asked.
Dell Arness grunted his approval and waited for the mob to make their way over to him.  A skinny, blond haired youth stepped out from the mob and leaned on the table where Dell was sitting.  He began to speak with the drawl of the heavily drunk, his breath reeking of alcohol.
“Name’s Toby,” said the boy in what might have been interpreted as a friendly voice.  A few minutes passed.  “What’s yours?” asked the boy helpfully.
“I do not believe I invited you to sit at this table,” said Dell in a cold voice.
“Ah. Now ya see, you’ve saved me a lot of time, here, seeing as this table be what I came here to talk to you about.  Very nice of you that was.”
Toby tried to sit down, but missed the chair by a few feet.
“Damn things keep movin on me,” he muttered to himself.  He staggered to his feet, then clasped down onto the chair opposite Dell.
“Now ya see, me and my friends here,” he gestured towards the wall, “have been thinking.  And we decided, seein how there are…” he turned towards the wall and swayed back and forth, looking between the wall and his group of supporters.  He gave up.  “…a lot of us and,” he stared towards Dell, “slightly less of you, we deserved this here table more.”  A few minutes passed again.  This time when the boy spoke, all traces of kindness were totally gone.  “So we’re gonna take it.”
Dell raised a different finger in the direction of the boy.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Description
The roar of the crowd filled the small square.  In the middle of a chalk circle were two boys of about 16. They rotated slowly around the circle, watching each other.
“Yo, Sheen, hurry it up, lunch break’s over in 5 minutes,” a tall, brown skinned boy yelled at one of the fighters.
The boy with dusty brown hair, Sheen, smirked.  Thinking his opponent was distracted, the other fighter launched himself at Sheen.  Sheen dropped so that his feet were outstretched and to his right and all his weight was on his hands, then spun his legs in a circle, sweeping his opponents feet off the ground.  The boy smashed into the ground with a cloud of dust.  When the dust cleared, Sheen had his foot on the boy’s throat.
“Fast enough for you, Roz?” Sheen said with an eyebrow raised cockily.  He helped his opponent to his feet.  “Ten munny, hand it over,” he said, addressing his former opponent.
“Bullshit, you just got lucky, I want a rematch.”
“Come on man, I beat you fair and square”
“Dude, three minutes!” shouted Roz worriedly.
“Come on, double or nothing,” said the boy anxiously
“Ok,” said Sheen smiling.
“No way!  We don’t got the time, man!  We gotta go! Now!” Roz shouted, while starting to walk away.
Sheen sighed.  “All right, all right, I’m coming.  I’ll rematch you some other time, dude.”  Sheen turned to leave.
“What? Come on, man…”the boy said disappointedly as he handed over the munny.
“Come on, we gotta run!”  Roz started to sprint down the alleyway.
“Race you!” replied Sheen.
Behind them the crowd closed in and two new boys entered the ring.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A tall, skinny, balding man stood in front of a filled classroom.
“Now you see, if we combine the carbonic acid with-”
The door slammed open and Sheen stumbled into the room panting.
“Nice of you to join us, Master Kiylent, I didn’t realize you needed a personal invitation to attend my class.  I believe I can give you one for the detention hall, however,” said the professor sarcastically.
“Damn,” Sheen muttered, “Late again.”
He took his seat in the fourth row of desks.  As the professor turned to continue his lecture, the black-haired girl who sat next to him leaned towards him and whispered in an angry voice.
“You’re late again.”
“Really?  I didn’t notice.”
“Very funny.  You said you’d meet me after school today.”
“I’ll be there.”
“You’ve got detention.”
“Nah, Professor loves me, I’ll be out real fast, I promise.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Met you at the square all right?”
“No.  You said you weren’t going to be late anymore.”
“I said I wouldn’t be late for no reason anymore.”
“Staying too long at that stupid arena isn’t a good enough reason.”
“That’s not the whole reason.”
“Oh yeah?  What is?”
“I’ll show you after school.”
“It had better be good.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For the second time in a day Sheen stumbled into the Chemistry room, out of breath.  The professor didn’t look up from the desk where he sat.
“All right, Tia, what’s your excuse this time,” he said in a tired voice.  “Or do you not even have one.”
Tia Kiylent was Sheen’s real name.  His parents had expected a daughter, and refused to change the name after they found out he was a son.
“Um….I had to pick up these.  I really have to go, sir.  I need to deliver them,” replied Sheen in a humble voice that clashed with his usual personality.
The professor took the small white box from Sheen’s hands and looked at the contents.
“Well that is a reason isn’t it?” said the professor surprised.
“Could I do my detention tomorrow, please?  I really need to give this to her.”
“Very well, I’ll let it slide this time…but I’m you’ll be back to normal tomorrow, wont you?”
“Why, whatever do you mean by that, sir?” replied Sheen with a perfectly straight face.  The professor gave a little laugh.
“Get out of here, I don’t think Melissa is going to be as forgiving as I was if you’re late for her.”
Sheen blushed then darted out of the room.  It took him about 5 minutes to sprint from the campus to the square where he had eaten lunch.  Melissa, the black-haired girl, she sat on the edge of a fountain away from the crowd.  Sheen sat down next to her.
“Well I guess you made it this time,” she said in an emotionless voice.”
“Yeah, guess so.”
“You understand this means we can’t go out anymore.”
“Huh?”
“I told you, remember?  I…can’t love someone I can’t trust.”
“Oh.  Ok.”
“Please understand.”
“Don’t worry, I do.”
“I didn’t think you’d take it so well.”
“We just can't be…..go out anymore right?”
“Yeah.”
“Ok, I was going to end it today anyways.”
She stared at him.
“Why?  What did I do?  I thought you- I mean I-”
“Here it is,” he said, interrupting her.  “This is why I was late.”  He held out the small white box with the lid removed.  Inside was a ring with an intricately carved sapphire rose on the head.  Behind the ring was a card that said simply “Will You Marry Me?”
“Oh…”  She stared at it, speechless.
“Like you said, we really shouldn’t be going out anymore.”
“We’re 17….”
“Really? I thought I was five.”
“Don’t you think we’re a bit young?”
Sheen smiled mischievously.
“It doesn’t say when we’re going to get married.  I was thinking…3 years?  Maybe four?”
She stood stunned for another moment, and then threw her arms around him.
“Thought we couldn’t do this anymore,” he teased.
“Mmmmmmm”
“So I was right?” he continued.
“Do you want me to stop?” she asked
He shut up.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The sun set slowly over the ocean, turning the waves vibrant shades of pink, green, and red.  The sky was a cloud-filled eternity of ever-changing color.  Sheen lay propped up with his eyes closed against the off-white wall of a bar above the coast.  His left hand held loosely a half-drunk glass of lukewarm chocolate.  His right hand held Melissa’s left.  She lay beside him with her head resting on his shoulder, staring out into the distance.
“It’s beautiful,” Melissa said dreamily.
“I’m glad you liked it,” replied Sheen.  “Sapphires are my favorite, too.”
Melissa laughed.
“I was talking about the sunset, silly.”
“Oh.”
She snuggled closer to him.
“But don’t worry, the rings nice, too.”
“Mmm.”
Sheen took a sip of the chocolate.
“It’s really good, you want another sip?” he asked her.
“Thanks.”
He handed her the glass.
“Mmmmm, you were right, it is good.”
“We should thank the bartender.”
“I’ll thank the bartender, thank you.  I saw the way you looked at the serving girls.”
“Ooooh, was that jealousy?” asked Sheen mockingly.
She stuck her tongue out at him.  He kissed her.
“That’s funny,” she said.
“What?” he asked.
“You taste like chocolate.”
He smiled.
“Want another taste?”
She laughed.
“Sure.”
She closed her eyes and leaned towards him, only to find herself kissing the glass.
“Oh, you….”
“What?  You said you wanted another taste,” Sheen replied, his deep blue eyes twinkling.
Melissa raised her fist threateningly.
“All right, all right,” Sheen said laughingly.
They kissed again.
“I love you, baby,” Melissa said dreamily as she put her head back on Sheen’s shoulder.
“Love you too,” Sheen replied as he leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.
They sat there for a while, both totally in bliss.  Then Melissa saw the tiny black dot at the center of the setting sun.  She drew her breath in quickly, and her eyes widened.  She raised her head and stared at the sun.
“Everything all right?” Sheen asked slowly in a concerned voice.
“Hey, baby?  Can you please promise me something?” asked Melissa, her voice wavering with fear.
“What’s wrong?” asked Sheen worriedly, his eyes now open and staring.
“Don’t ever leave me, ok?  Not forever,” she said now visibly shaking
“Of course not.  But what’s wrong?”
“Promise?”
“….yeah…..now tell me what’s wrong.”
She shook her head as if to wake herself up.
“It’s nothing.  Just………bad memories,” she lay down again, very pointedly not looking at the sun.
“Oh.  …okay….”
Sheen squinted at her for a second, then lay back down again and closed his eyes.  He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and waited for her to calm down.
“Bad memories” meant something from Melissa’s past, which was an off limits subject.  All Sheen knew was that Melissa came from a different world and her family left in a rush.  He left her alone about it, which was one of the reasons Melisa had originally gone out with him.  Everyone else either shunned her for being a foreigner or thought she had some dark secret.  She hated people with closed minds, and despised the people who made assumptions about her past.  Unfortunately for her, they were often right.
“Baby, look….” She said worriedly.
Sheen opened his eyes.
“The clouds are purple.  That’s kinda pretty?” he guessed.
He sighed.
“I’m sorry; I’ve never been good at understanding people.  You know that,” he said sadly.
She shook her head.
“It’s not your fault.”
“If you want to talk…”
“No.  No, I’ll be fine…just….pass the hot chocolate.”
“Ok……”
They sat in silence for a while again.
“It isn’t going away, its getting bigger….”
“Hm?”
“Look at the sun.”
“I don’t see…..wait…..there’s something black in the middle….”
“Oh my God, it’s happening again!”
The shaking got worse.  Sheen put his left arm around her and pulled her close.
“It’s going to be all right.  I don’t know what it is, but it just looks like a black circle from here.”
A fearful whine emitted from the head he held tight to his shoulder.
“I need you to tell me what it is. I know you don’t like to talk about…..you know….but this is ridiculous.”
Melissa took a deep breath.
“I know,” she said.
“You know I’m from another world, right?”
“Yes.”
“We left because it was destroyed.”
“Wait, what was that?”
“By little black monsters.”
“…”
“That appeared from nowhere.”
“Melissa…”
“See?!?!” she shouted.  “This is why I never told anyone.  Now you’re going to tell everyone I’m crazy and-“
“No I’m not.”
“What?”
“First of all, I’ve been going out with you for how long now?  4 years?  I think even I would be able to tell you aren’t crazy after that long.  And….”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
“No, what?”
“Well… you know how we were supposed to do that interview for English…”
“Yes….”
“I did Dell.”
“You mean Dell Arness?” Melissa asked.
“Yeah,” replied Sheen sheepishly.
“The crazy old drunkard?” she questioned disbelievingly.
“Well he wasn’t drunk…”
“You actually believe the stuff he says about the hark-mess or whatever he calls them?”
“Well I didn’t then…”
“Look, my world was destroyed.  Maybe he’s right about the hark mess things.  But I don’t know….some of the stuff he says is just…crazy.”
“What do we do now?” asked Sheen.
“We die,” replied Melissa, who had still not raised her head from Sheen’s shirt.  She had stopped shaking, however.
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“We escaped last time because we got on a gummi ship.  There aren’t any here.”
“The police have some, we can just get onboard one of theirs.”
“There isn’t enough room for everyone.  They won’t let us on.  The seats go to those who can pay, or those who are strong enough or lucky enough to steal one.”
Melissa’s voice had gone totally emotionless.
“There has to be something-”
“There doesn’t and there isn’t.  Please stop.  It hurts too much for me to think about.”
She took a deep breath and blinked back her tears before speaking in the crackly voice of someone who is about to cry.
“I want us to be together.  Please?”
She looked at the sapphire ring on her hand.
“You promised…”
Sheen pulled her tight against him.
“I promise you, we will get through this.  I don’t know how….but….”
“I know,” she replied.
“Shouldn’t we warn somebody?”
She shook her head
“What would it matter, it’ll only cause havoc.”
“How much time do we have?”
“I don’t know; I was a little girl then.”
She started to cry again.
“How many days?” he asked.
“None,” she cried.
He held her silently as the dot on the horizon slowly grew, its purple glow illuminating the sky.
Eventually her breathing slowed.
“Melissa…I have an idea,” Sheen said cautiously.
Melissa groaned.
“No, hear me out; Dell knows a lot about this stuff right?”
“I told you, it’s just a coincidence, he’s got to be crazy.  I mean what about that thing with him not existing?”
“It’s got to worth a shot, right?”
“I suppose….”
She laughed, wiping her tears on a sleeve.
“That’s what I love about you, honey, you always give me hope.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In a dimly lit corner of the bar a cloaked figure sat alone, hunched over an empty pint sized mug.  A group of teenagers at the other side of the bar who had all had far too much to drink suddenly stood up and slowly began to move across the room.  The figure sighed.  He raised his hand with one finger extended in the direction of the bartender.
“Another round, Dell?” The giant, red bearded man who was the bartender asked.
Dell Arness grunted his approval and waited for the mob to make their way over to him.  A skinny, blond haired youth stepped out from the mob and leaned on the table where Dell was sitting.  He began to speak with the drawl of the heavily drunk, his breath reeking of alcohol.
“Name’s Toby,” said the boy in what might have been interpreted as a friendly voice.  A few minutes passed.  “What’s yours?” asked the boy helpfully.
“I do not believe I invited you to sit at this table,” said Dell in a cold voice.
“Ah. Now ya see, you’ve saved me a lot of time, here, seeing as this table be what I came here to talk to you about.  Very nice of you that was.”
Toby tried to sit down, but missed the chair by a few feet.
“Damn things keep movin on me,” he muttered to himself.  He staggered to his feet, then clasped down onto the chair opposite Dell.
“Now ya see, me and my friends here,” he gestured towards the wall, “have been thinking.  And we decided, seein how there are…” he turned towards the wall and swayed back and forth, looking between the wall and his group of supporters.  He gave up.  “…a lot of us and,” he stared towards Dell, “slightly less of you, we deserved this here table more.”  A few minutes passed again.  This time when the boy spoke, all traces of kindness were totally gone.  “So we’re gonna take it.”
Dell raised a different finger in the direction of the boy.
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