Page 24 of Phoenix Chosen 2

10

TYLER

“By the gods,” Kalistratos says. “What is this place?”

“Welcome,” I say with a flourish of my hand. “To Bakerville’s largest outdoor mall, where all of your shopping needs are met! That was what the ads used to say, back when it first opened when I was a kid. It’s kind of become a dump since then. I should know, I used to work security here.”

But Kalistratos obviously couldn’t care less about the suspicious youths loitering in the corners with their weed vapes, the crude dicks Sharpied and scratched into the directory sign, or the smell of piss wafting from the area behind the vending machines. He takes everything in with wide, astonished eyes as I lead him past the Price-Cut Shoe Hut and the Pretzel Wagon into the mall’s main plaza.

“Incredible,” he says. “There must be a merchant for everything here.”

“Just about,” I reply. “Damn, I could kill for a slice of pizza. Why don’t we stop by the food court first?”

“Peet…sah?”

“Oh, you’re gonna love it. You’ll see.”

Fifteen minutes later, Kalistratos and I sit down with two big greasy slices of pepperoni pizza and two large Cokes.

“Go ahead, give it a try,” I tell him, eager to see how he goes about tackling the massive slice.

To my surprise, Kalistratos needs no instruction. He picks it up, folds it like a pro, and takes a bite. He nods approvingly.

“Hm. Good. But if you want my honest opinion, I’ve had better.”

“Don’t tell me Circeana has pizza,” I say.

“We call it plakous, but yes, something like this.”

“Well, shit. If there’s pizza in Circeana, I definitely feel better about leaving here for good.”

Kalistratos wolfs down the pizza in seconds. I sip my Coke, a little bummed he hadn’t reacted how I’d expected. Then he takes a drink and straightens up. I swear to God, even though he’s wearing sunglasses I can see his pupils dilating as he swallows the first mouthful. He doesn’t stop drinking. He’s like a man sucking up water from a desert oasis, and in just a few moments, he’s drunk the entire thing. The straw slurps loudly at the last few drops.

“This is the nectar of the gods!” he exclaims. “I’ve never?—”

He interrupts himself with the biggest burp I’ve ever heard, and he slaps his hand across his mouth. It seems like the entire food court has stopped to look at us. I wince.

“Sorry!” Kalistratos says, waving his hand. “Cheesus. That was unexpected.”

“Glad you liked it,” I laugh. “There are free refills. I’ll get you more.”

I go to the soda fountain and refill his drink. Kalistratos stares at the cup when I place it down in front of him.

“I don’t understand. You can drink as much of this as you want? For no further cost? How is that possible?”

“I know, pretty sweet, right?”

He takes another gulp. “Sweeter than the finest honey in all of Athenos. And socold, like a mountain stream. Delicious. By the Gods, who knew something could be so delicious? I would fill all of my water skins with this if I could.”

“Don’t drink too much of it, or you’re going to be sorry later.”

Kalistratos is already hopped up on caffeine, and I realize aside from his brief encounter with coffee earlier in the morning, he’s probably never been caffeinated before.

“Now what?” he asks eagerly. “Show me more of this wondrous place.”

We leave the food court after Kalistratos stops by the machine one more time to fill up the cup, and is fascinated when he realizes there are more options to choose from than just Coke.He drains his cup in several gulps and begins to sample each one. I have to drag him away as a line of irritated people begins to form behind him.

We’re back at the mall’s main plaza, and Kalistratos stops to gawk at nearly everything we pass as he sips his soda. A girl at a toy kiosk is giving a demonstration of a small, remote-controlled drone. It zooms around with a shrill buzz like an angry bee, and Kalistratos grabs and shoves me behind him.

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