Madelynne Ellis - Come Together

‘Can I help it if the world is full of thieves?’

The bus pulled to a stop and Spook wandered up from the front. ‘New phone,’ he remarked. ‘You must have had nearly as many as you’ve had women.’

A man the size of a forklift truck, with a buzz cut and a moon-shaped face, followed him. Dani gathered that this must be Cave Troll, their driver. She could see where the name came from. He did bear a certain resemblance to a man-eating giant.

‘Time for some shut-eye,’ he mumbled, pushing his way past Spook, and Ash, who’d stood. He paused only long enough to check her out before wading into the lower bunk room and diving onto the nearest empty berth. ‘Cute chick,’ he called. ‘Didn’t think we allowed birds on board. Did the rules change?’

‘They did not,’ Xane hollered back.

Ash returned to the table. Rather than sit, he leaned over it, propped on his elbows, so that he was only a few inches away from Dani. ‘What do you think? Is it fair that only Xane’s allowed to party on the bus? Shouldn’t we all be allowed our fun?’

‘I … well … it’s not really up to me.’

‘But you’re here. Don’t you think it’s unfair that you guys get to hang out, but the rest of us have to stare dreamily at each other?’

‘Don’t even think about staring dreamily at me,’ Spook muttered.

‘Well, if you were going steady with someone, then I guess it would be fair for them to be here too,’ she replied, seeking Xane’s approval with her eyes.

‘Ash can’t even hold his guitar steady, let alone a relationship,’ Rock Giant remarked, coming through from the bedroom. Now that the bus had stopped, everyone seemed to be congregating. Seeing that there was no space at the table, he hunched down on the floor with his back to one of the kitchen cupboards.

Dani stared at him. Of all the members of the band, Rock Giant was the one she found most intimidating. He scared her even more than Elspeth, who, to her relief, didn’t appear from the bedroom. He looked different this morning, less frightening without his hair styled into spikes, kind of adorable actually with his thick growth of stubble and his loungewear pants.

‘I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed,’ he continued, ‘but he does this funny jiggly thing while he’s playing, like he’s being electrocuted and can neither grip nor let go of his guitar.’ He simulated Ash’s stage pose.

‘What is this? Pick on Ash day? Fuck you.’ Ash waved his raised middle fingers at them all. ‘Can we eat now?’ he asked after a moment. ‘Now we’re here.’

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