Page 66 of The Bull's Head

“Where are we going?” Byk asked. “And why do I have to be blindfolded?”

“I need you to trust me,” Teddy replied. “Can you do that? Just for a few more minutes?”

“For as long as you need,” he answered, not surprised he meant it. He would follow Teddy to the gates of the Maker’s domain and beyond if necessary. Around them people were whispering and some of the kids were tittering. Oddly, despite the visit with the doctors, Byk’s heart felt light, partly because Teddy hadn’t let go of his hand and the other reason was the sounds of the children’s laughter.

“I can hear you, you know,” he teased, and the kids gasped. “You sound like you’re having fun. Maybe later we can all watch a movie, what do you think?”

“Yeah!” came a chorus of voices, interspersed with cries for Frozen.

“Then we’ll watch Frozen,” he promised. “With lots of popcorn. And, if I add in some candy, maybe Teddy will join us too.”

The kids started pleading with Teddy to watch the movie with them, and he sighed as though he was giving so much. Then he chuckled. “Of course I’ll watch with you. And not just for the candy.”

He squeezed Byk’s fingers. It was nice to feel normal, at least for a while. After excusing themselves, Teddy continued on the journey, taking a willing Byk with him. After several twists and turns, Byk had no idea where they were.

“Close your eyes,” Teddy whispered. “I’m going to remove the blindfold.”

He did as Teddy asked, and a moment later, the sting of bright lights had him squeezing them shut even more. When he adjusted to the brightness, he opened his eyes and his heart felt too big in his chest. They were in one of the kitchens, the warmth from the ovens heating the place to where it was a tad more than comfortable. A woman stood there, hands crossed in front of her, dressed in a spotted white apron, her hair tucked under a black toque.

“Is this him?” she asked, her voice gruff, but kind.

“It is,” Teddy replied.

Then the woman smiled and warmth washed through Byk. “My name is Sonia, and today I’m going to start your baking lessons.”

Baking lessons? He turned to Teddy. “You did this?”

He smiled wide, showing off his beautiful pearly white teeth. “Of course. You told me how much you wanted them, and I will always do my best to give you what you need.”

How weird was it that after years of being ignored by his family, and of being taken by Hyde, it led him to this kind of happiness? Not that it made everything else disappear, but it did give Byk something to hold on to.

“Can I sit over there and watch?” Teddy asked, pointing to one of the tables in the lunchroom.

Sonia chuckled and tilted her head toward the door. “No.”

Teddy gave a great puppy imitation when his eyes widened and he whimpered slightly. “Oh, but?—”

“My student needs to have no distractions. Baking isn’t like cooking. It requires precision, focus, attentiveness to details. Judging by how he’s looking at you, that won’t happen as long as you’re in the room. Go on now. Leave us to our work.”

Teddy sighed and his lip jutted out. “Fine.” He turned and shuffled his feet as he trudged to the door.

“Teddy? I’ll save you something sweet, okay?”

“If it’s chocolate, I’ll love you forever,” he said, then winked. “Even without the sweets, I’ll always love you forever, Byk. Remember that.”

He left the room, and suddenly the baking lessons weren’t important. He wanted to spend the time with Teddy, especially if it was the only time he had left.

“It’ll be okay,” Sonia said, putting a hand on his back and leading him to a workstation. “We’ll make chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and cover it with chocolate shavings. That’ll fix him right up.”

Byk couldn’t help the chuckle that bubbled up from deep within. He loved this slice of normalcy that Teddy had gifted him with. For the next several hours, he listened intently as Sonia helped him to refresh the skills he’d learned years ago, then proceeded to incorporate new ones into his repertoire.

“I can tell you’ve had training,” Sonia said, a big smile on her face. “It’s a pleasure to work with you.”

“Thank you. You’re a great instructor. I didn’t have formal training, mostly just things a teacher showed me years ago.”

“Oh? You seem to know your stuff. May I ask why didn’t you pursue a career?”

She didn’t know? Byk stared at the table, his hands clenched on the top of it. “I… was one of the people who were held here.”

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