A/N - As I mentioned in the announcement, sorry this chapter was delayed. My cat got sick. He's doing better now, but he's old so every ailment is a scare.

BUT! I got it posted this weekend, so that's got to count for something, eh?

*****

Patrick, Aidan, and Farid are meeting up in the former stables, now turned car garage, at the back of the Academy property. Headmaster Pierce has given them the keys to the "company car" so they can get themselves to the Kikatuwa tribal compound.

Farid approaches the other two boys with a motorcycle helmet tucked underneath his arm.

"Hey," he says, louder than normal since Aidan and Patrick are both leaning back against a garage pillar, but far apart and hunched over their phones, not talking to each other.

Both their heads rise when they hear Farid's voice.

"Hey," Patrick says. Aidan, for some odd reason, waves.

"So, listen," Farid says, "I'm gonna ride my bike up to the Kikatuwa compound, if you guys don't mind. I haven't ridden it since..." his voice trails off. Since Sebastian and I buried a Shifter out in the woods.... His throat constricts and he coughs as the thought of that night invades his mind.

"You okay?" Patrick asks, brows furrowed.

"Yeah, yeah. I just--" Farid thumps his chest until the cough subsides. "Yeah, I just gotta get some fresh air."

"Fresh air is good," Aidan offers, somewhat nonsensically. He doesn't want to show it, but even though he's excited, he's also nervous about being successful on this very first mission. He tries to play it cool. "Yeah," he says, his head bobbing casually as he speaks. "We'll probably drive the company car with the windows rolled down," he adds, communicating the first thing that pops into his head... as he is wont to do.

Confused, Farid's smile wavers while Patrick just gives Aidan the side-eye.

Just then, Aidan notices Farid's motorcycle and gasps. "Oh, wow!" he says, rushing over to it. "This is a kickass bike, dude!" He lets out a slow whistle as he leans back to take it all in. "Is this a 1958 Honda Benly with a 9.5 horsepower/7000 rpm engine?" he asks eagerly.

Farid's eyes go wide. He's impressed. Aidan's knowledge of vintage motorcycles is excellent and surprising, even though he did get the make and model wrong.

"Uh, no..." Farid gently corrects him. "It's actually a 1956 BMW R50. However..." He adds enthusiastically. "That's a really good guess! I didn't know you were into vintage bikes. What do you ride?"

"Well, technically, I don't ride," Aidan admits as he drags his hand slowly and reverently over the sexy curves of the classic motorcycle. "I mean I would," he adds, "if I had the cash for a really sweet ride like this, or..." he pauses to consider the question more thoughtfully, "... or if I liked going fast, which I don't because high speeds make me nauseous, or..." he stares up at the ceiling, as if gaining new insight from the heavens above, and suddenly adds, "or if I didn't have a deep-seated, bordering on the phobic, fear of getting bugs in my teeth."

He smiles awkwardly.

A beat of silence, then...

"Yeah, okay..." Farid nods politely, "I could see how that might be a hindrance."

Patrick slides Aidan a quizzical glance. "Wait, so, if you don't ride and you don't own a vintage bike, how do you know all of this random shit?"

"Oh, well, you see..." Aidan looks coyly from Patrick to Farid and then blurts out, "I don't have many friends in real life, so I spend a shocking  amount of time on the internet." He smiles awkwardly, again.

Farid and Patrick exchange glances, not quite sure what to do with that admission. Farid gives Aidan a sympathetic smile. Patrick, on the other hand, squints suspiciously, not sure why anyone would ever admit to something like that in public.

In Shifter culture, you never put your weaknesses on display. Maybe it's an Enchanted thing? Or maybe this kid is just really, really odd.

"Sooo..." Patrick drawls as he turns his attention from Aidan back to Farid, "That sounds like a plan. We'll meet you there. Just text if you run into trouble."

"You got it." Farid nods, then he gets on his bike and takes off.

In awkward silence, Patrick and Aidan go searching for the "company car."

After awhile, as if finishing a conversation he'd been having in his head, Aidan suddenly crows, "Man, oh, man! I am so excited for this! Aren't you Patrick? Aren't you really excited?!"

Patrick doesn't respond.

"I mean, finally," Aidan continues, "we get to put all of this spy trainin' to work, you know? And who knows, maybe we'll even run into a demon!" he gushes.

Patrick stops and turns to Aidan, an incredulous expression on his face. Who does that? Who gets excited by the thought of encountering a demon?!

He shakes his head slowly. Okay, this is not an Enchanted thing. This kid is just weird.

Patrick opens his mouth to say something to try and knock some sense into Aidan's head so he realizes that this is not a game. But then he sees the sheer unadulterated joy and excitement on Aidan's face, and he reconsiders.

He's seen this kid work his butt off trying to become a good warrior, as painful as it's been to watch. And he can remember what it was like for him when he'd first started combat training. He was so eager, young, and naive. You sort of had to be to push yourself beyond what you thought was possible so you could build up enough physical and emotional strength to endure the kind of danger they did and risk all manner of injuries and possible death.

You don't have to like someone in order to work with them. You don't have to understand someone in order to work with them. Just find some way to work with them. Patrick lets the refrains run through his head before he chooses how to respond.

Instead of lecturing Aidan, he simply turns away and keeps on walking.

Aidan, oblivious to Patrick's concerns, follows behind, craning his neck so he can scan the long line of cars stretched out before them and see if he can pick out the "company car."

There's a white Jaguar, a silver Porsche, a black Range Rover, and an Army-green Jeep, as well as many other cars of different makes and models, stretching out as far as they can see.

So many cars! Aidan rubs his hands together, gleefully. "So," he says, "which one do you think it is, huh? Which car do we get to drive so we look like badass, sexy superheroes?"

Patrick restrains himself from giving Aidan the side-eye again and decides to ignore his question. Instead, he clicks the button on the key fob. A car towards the back beeps. But with the echo in the garage, it's hard to tell exactly which one. So, he keeps moving towards the back of the garage and clicks the button again. Then, he stops at the end of the line and frowns. "Okay..." he murmurs.

"What?" Aidan runs to catch up with him. "What's wrong?"

"Uh, the company car." Patrick purses his lips. "Well, it's a Prius."

"It's a what?!" Aidan screeches as he rushes to Patrick's side.

Standing in front of the decidedly unsexy, eco-friendly car, Aidan's bag slides off his shoulder and plunks to the ground. "How can they do this to us?" Aidan asks Patrick, woefully. "They must  be joking right? I mean, seriously. How can you possibly  be badass in a Prius?!"

*****

A/N - I love it when Aidan takes over his own dialogue in my head! He's such a goofball! But he's also my cheeky monkey, so I love him.

For Patrick, though, I fear this mission is going to feel, very, very loooong. 😁

~ Paula ❤️