Chapter 5
“Man, that was great,”
Howie said as the three made their way across the Lobby. “It’s been a while
since we’ve had that much fun, huh?”
“You said it, Bro,”
AJ commented with a grin. “I thought we were done for when that brunette chick
recognized us… but everyone kept their cool. What a relief that was!”
“I’m glad we stopped
when we did, though,” Brian added. “It was fun, but you know what we have to do
tomorrow... er, today.”
They stepped into the
private elevator and Howie pushed the proper button.
“Too bad Kevin didn’t
come,” he said. “He could have used a night out.”
“Wonder what happened
after we left?” Brian said, crossing his arms.
“Kev probably went to
his room, Nick went up to the roof, and that’s it. Poor kid,” Howie said. “He
was so hopeful.”
“Maybe they’ll have
surprised us-”
“Don’t get your hopes
up, Frick,” AJ interrupted. “Ten bucks says Nick’s playing a game when we walk
in.”
“Gee, there’s a safe
bet,” Howie answered.
The elevator slowed
to a stop and the trio exited. They hadn’t quite reached the door when all
three froze, alarmed by the noises emanating from the Suite.
Brian’s eyes widened
as he registered the sound of loud voices, rapid footsteps, and muffled thunks.
Then, something that was a cross between a wail and a cry… For one horrified,
suspended moment, he visualized what was beyond the walls.
“Oh Lord, Kevin’s
finally trying to kill Nick!” he exclaimed, trying to push his panic down.
“Jeeze, we never
should have left them alone,” AJ said, springing towards the door.
Howie was close
behind, fumbling for his cardkey. The second the lock light turned green the
three rushed inside. The sight that met their wide-eyed gazes was a true shock.
A million tiny flecks
of white were whirling around the room, creating a miniature blizzard in the
Suite. In the middle of the storm were two figures that had stilled the moment
the door had opened.
In disbelief, Brian
reached a hand out to catch a fleck, then realized that it was… a feather.
From a pillow.
No… make that
pillows, plural.
He blinked in
astonishment. Beside him, both AJ and Howie had been rendered speechless as
well. For ten seconds, no one spoke as the tiny white bits floated between the
group.
“Huh,” Nick said at
last, looking at his pillow. “Guess they don’t make pillowcases as tough as
they used to, eh, Kev?”
“I believe you’re
right,” he said with a perfectly neutral statement.
“Housekeeping is
going to be really ticked,” Nick said matter-of-factly, tilting his head and
considering the mess.
“We’ll make it worth
their while,” Kevin promised. He then turned his green gaze on the still-silent
three. “Hi, guys.”
Brian recovered
first. “Hi guys?” he said, incredulous. “What’s going on here?”
“It seems as if
there’s been a pillowfight,” Kevin stated.
“We thought… from the
sound of it… you two…”
“Yes?” Kevin
prompted. He fought hard to suppress a grin as tiny feathers settled on his
astonished cousin’s head.
“We… we thought you
were trying to kill each other,” Brian managed to say around his confusion.
Kevin put on a
shocked look. “Why on earth would I ever want to do that, cuz?”
“Well, I-”
“Relax, Bri,” Nick
said, grinning broadly. “We were just playing. Everything’s okay.”
“Are you two drunk?”
AJ asked point-blank.
Kevin laughed, all
pretense of seriousness gone. “Nope. Just letting off a little tension. It’s
called ‘having fun’.”
Howie smiled. “I take
it that tonight went, um, well?”
“It did,” Kevin said,
brushing a feather from his cheek. “Definitely.”
Relief replaced the
worry and shock of moments before.
“Um… whose pillows,
exactly, did you use, Frack?” Brian asked suspiciously.
“Well, I… ah… you
see, Train was running after me, and in my haste to arm myself, I might have
grabbed, er, yours…”
“I told you he
was a known pillow thief!” AJ said triumphantly. “No one listened to me in
Arizona… but now I have witnesses! No one ever believes bad old AJ, they always
take cute little Nicky’s-”
Howie playfully
slapped the back of AJ’s head, which effectively stopped his babbling. A split
second later, there was murder in brown eyes as AJ’s attention turned to his
attacker. With a small yelp, Howie took off down the hall, trying to escape
AJ’s wrath…
“I think they have
the right idea,” Kevin said, dropping his somewhat flat pillow on the couch.
“Trying to kill each
other?” Brian asked, his eyebrows raised in question.
“No, going to bed. We
should all get some rest. There’s a lot to do later, and I’m hoping to get the
chance to talk to y’all before the concert.” He exchanged a glance with Nick.
“About some important things I could use some advice on.”
“Sure, okay,” said
Brian, not really understanding but grateful for the change.
“G’nite, guys,” Kevin
said, taking one last look at the almost-settled feather blizzard. He shook his
head, grinned, and headed toward his room.
“You realize you’re
going to have to spill every detail,” Brian said as he turned to Nick.
“What makes you think
I know anything?” Nick said, using his best ‘innocent’ voice.
“I know you, Frack.
You’re not as dumb as you look.”
“Who, me?” Nick said,
smirking. “How dumb do I look?”
“Dumb enough to use
your own pillows in a fight,” Brian said, inching closer to their room.
“Those were your
pillows,” Nick said, matching the movement.
“Not if I get there
first!” Brian shouted as he zipped down the hall and plunged into the room,
diving for the prize.
**********
Inside his own room,
Kevin smiled as he listened to the sounds of Frick and Frack’s door slamming
and their subsequent battle for pillow ownership. He gave a satisfied sigh.
For the first time in
a long time, things seemed… better. Not perfect, but better.
As he went to draw
his curtain shut he caught a glimpse of the bright moon, just visible beyond
the trees. His smile grew as he sent silent thanks to the Maker of the
phenomenon… and to the Boy who had opened his eyes and helped him to see.