Page 4 of Once Upon a Rec Center Wish
Carefully sitting up, I decided to chat with him. “My name is Falco.”
He startled, dropping his wood and tools. “Oh, I didn’t know you were awake. You were in such a deep sleep and for so long, I didn’t know what to do except stay with you and wait for security to arrive.”
Security? Because I was the problem? “Um, what will they do when they get here?” All I did was sleep, apparently. I didn’t understand why that required security.
The beaver shifter stood and brushed off his firm, round ass and thick thighs. “Oh, Holden will just show you around. He’ll probably introduce you to Nelson, his mate, or Walter or Lonnie, who are all outer-worlders like you. They’ll explain how things work here. Then you’ll get a tour of the village. Chauncey will do the same thing, but he won’t be happy with me. I wasn’t supposed to find you. Please don’t tell either one of them that I ran into you.”
So, I wouldn’t be locked up somewhere. A plus for the fantasy my brain played out. “And what happens after the tour? Where do I go then? Do I go back to my world?”
The man’s face paled. “Oh, I hope not. We really need your kind to stay. After the tour, you’ll get a house assigned to you while you choose who you want to be your mate.”
“Wait, wait, wait. I get a house of my own and get to pick a boyfriend?” Yep, I had to be on some good drugs at the hospital. Because that wasn’t a reality that was ever possible since leaving my abusive alcoholic parents who tried to “beat the gay out” of me. Or maybe even earlier in my life than that. I wasn’t born into a family that would allow me a happy ending. Though I planned to enjoy this one as long as it lasted.
“Yes.” He leaned forward and nodded like a bobblehead. “Us beaver shifters build the houses. You can pick one that’s already built for now, and, if you want, I can make sure one is built exactly the way you want it. We really need outer-worlders like you to stay.”
I pointed both index fingers to the forest. “Well, sign me up. Take me to Holden so we can get started.”
“Oh, well…” The man shuffled in front of me before heading a different direction. “Holden actually lives this way. I don’t know if he’s on duty, but we can check his house first.”
“Great.” I caught up to him, feeling surprisingly rested and anxious to find the new home I desperately needed, even if only in my head. “By the way, what’s your name?”
“Oh.” He paused, tapping his fingers on his tool belt as he stared at his feet. “I’m Vern, but my name is not important. There are many others in the village who need mates.”
“Vern.” I liked the way it sounded coming from my mouth. “Well, Vern, it is important to me, and I’m glad to know your name and to know you.” I was sure there was a reason he was the first shifter I met in my fantasy.
His cheeks flushed. “I really need to get you to Holden. He lives with Nelson and their children just up ahead, by the pond.”
We followed a well-worn path along the edge of the forest, with wild grasses on the other side of us. The sun shone down on us, but it wasn’t too hot like I was used to. There was a strange lack of insects. On the ground and in the sky. Even in the city parks, there were masses of the pesky things, and I was always swarmed by fruit flies when I took the garbage out to the steel bin behind the fast-food restaurant I worked at. With a sigh, I smiled. I never wanted to wake up from this dream world.
The path ahead widened, and the grasses cleared, revealing a pond and a large log cabin. Had Vern and his fellow beavers really built that place? With its intricate wooden inlays aroundthe entrance, it seemed like something only possible to be built by a decades-skilled carpenter. The guy leading the way seemed so young, even with his facial hair.
Before we reached the door, three boys burst out of the entrance, pushing each other out of the way and shouting. They ran past us toward the pond, and right before they reached the water, their bodies shrunk. I squeezed my eyes shut before opening them again, to be sure I really saw their bodies changing. In another couple of moments, they were turtles, swimming over the surface before diving down until I could no longer see them.
I shook my head. “Turtle shifters?”
Vern nodded. “Yes, Holden is a turtle shifter. They are from Holden and Nelson’s first clutch. But there are rumors going around the village that Nelson is eggbound again.”
A human laying eggs? And a person assigned male at birth at that. There was no way any of the magical world could be real, no matter how much I wanted it to be.
A blond-haired man came to the door shortly after. He seemed to be there to shut the door behind the kids but paused when he saw us. “Oh, hi. Hi, Vern. It’s good to see you. Who’s this?” He quickly looked me up and down. “Wait, are you an outer-worlder?”
I shrugged. “Apparently.”
Vern fumbled his hands together. “His name is Falco. I was walking past the meadow, and I found him there. No one came to greet him, so I brought him here.”
“Well, I’m glad you did.” The man’s kind smile moved from the beaver shifter to me. “I’m Nelson, a former outer-worlder. It’s good to meet you.”
I shook the hand he held out for me, shocked by how real his touch felt. Dreams weren’t supposed to produce the same nerve response in my skin as reality. Something wasn’t adding up.
“I know I’m not supposed to be out there, but I like to wander on my own sometimes.” Vern chittered beside me, anxiously twiddling his thumbs. “I’m not trying to steal anyone’s job. I really didn’t mean to find him.”
“It’s okay.” Nelson patted his shoulder. “You did good in bringing him here.”
“I just don’t want Holden to be mad at me. Or to tell Chauncey or even Banir. I don’t want to get into trouble.”
With Vern’s anxiousness, I worried what kind of reaction he expected from the other shifters of this world. Was it really somewhere I wanted to be? Maybe my dreams were about to turn into nightmare territory.
Nelson chuckled. “You’re not going to get into trouble, Vern. They will all be thankful you were there to greet Falco.” He turned to me as he released a heavy breath, still brandishing a warm smile. “Can I offer you anything to drink? To eat? I know how confusing and unnerving arriving in this world feels. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and I’ll answer them in a few moments, but if you want anything, please just ask.”
