Young Writers Society

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, giving Bo a shrug and smirk when I saw the look he was giving me. Then I dug in - I loaded my plate with as many buns as I could fit onto it, and wasted no time in getting started.

"They taste great," I said - though it was a little hard to understand me with all the food in my mouth. "They're better than the ones from the machine."

"They are good," Asmira agreed. "I've never had anything like them before."

I looked over at Nathaniel as I took a brief break from eating; instead, I was chugging down my glass of milk. But I paused when I saw the look on his face. It was the same look from earlier, but I knew for sure now: something about the buns was upsetting him.

"They're delicious," Nathaniel softly said. He wiped the syrup off his face with his napkin. "It's...been a long time since I had food like this."

Bo had forgotten to eat anything as the other dug in. He’d had an apple and some cheese, and had sampled so many things while baking that his appetite had been spoiled anyway. It was fine.

He watched the different reasons. Asmira, utterly fascinated. Skull, happy and gorging himself. But Nathaniel had the wistful sort of look in his eye... akin to the food critic when he tasted ratatouille in the movie, Ratatouille. Like it reminded him of a memory, but almost sad.

Bo smiled softly at Nathaniel’s comment.

“I’m glad you like them. Any time I get to make food for people it’s a joy.”

Nathaniel gave a tiny smile and went back to eating.

I, on the other hand, paused. I hadn't thought about it like that, but it had been a long time since I had homemade food. Longer than it had been for Natty boy, at least. I couldn't even remember the last meal that I had with my family - not that I wanted to think of them right now. I never wanted to. Everything with them was so long ago, and I was different now.

No one even knew my real name anymore.

I regained my composure and went back to eating.

There was no point in drawing attention to things I couldn't change.

Bo nodded back at Nathaniel, and as they all went back to eating, he got up and drifted back to the kitchen counter and the sink, starting to tidy up - putting away ingredients and then getting started on cleaning utensils and bowls and the like.

"We should probably be going soon," Asmira said. She was speaking loud enough for Bo to hear, but I knew her words were directed towards us. And she did have a point - we couldn't stay here forever.

"That sounds like a great idea," I pointed out, "but there's just one problem - we don't know how to get back. It isn't like we have the guy who sent us here."

Nathaniel gave a small nod in agreement. "I doubt they followed us. They probably consider us dead; it was hard enough adjusting to the world we just came from."

I groaned.

"I hate how ridiculously complicated this whole world travel thing is," I said, "and I hate how many ridiculously overpowered enemies you have, Natty boy."

Nathaniel frowned. "It's not my fault they have those powers."

"Yeah, but it's your fault that they hate you," I said.

Nathaniel gave Asmira a desperate look for support, but she just shook her head - she knew I was right. And while all of the people we had run into weren't exactly nice, they wouldn't have attacked us if Nathaniel wasn't part of our group.

Bo looked up from the dishes, turning off the faucet for a second.

“Uh... about getting back. I have a friend I messaged who said she’d be willing to help whenever you guys are ready to return.”

We all stopped.

"...You do?" Nathaniel asked, his voice hesitant.

"What kind of world is this?" Asmira muttered. She had a shocked and confused look on her face. "I thought this was Earth..."

"I knew you were handling this too well!" I exclaimed.

Bo smiled, his eyebrows pinching and raising together. “Oh, oh, uh, no. I mean, you’re right in that this earth is pretty average compared to more fantastical versions. I’ve just been to other worlds like you guys too. But uh- this gal I didn’t actually meet on another world, per-se. I met her in an internet chatroom. It’s a crazy world out there, haha. The internet.”

The three of us stared.

"...What's an internet chatroom?" Asmira quietly asked. For once in our time together, Nathaniel and I were just as clueless as she was.

Bo blinked. He set the dirty bowl back in the sink and dried his hands with the towel hanging over the handle of the oven, humming.

“Oh, well uh - do you guys know of phones? Computers?”

"Computers sound familiar," I admitted.

"I know what phones are," Nathaniel added.

Asmira didn't offer a reply.

Nathaniel and I exchanged a look; we wouldn't tell Bo when or where Asmira was from without her taking the lead, but we both knew she had never once interacted with modern technology like that. Asmira was from a long time ago. Even the world we were in now was foreign.

"What a chatroom is doesn't matter," I said, giving a dismissive wave of my hand. "What matters is that you know how to get us home."

Bo hummed. Though they were all friends, it seemed they were all from different times and worlds too. He tried to do piece things together in his head.

Skull had said on the world he was from, people would die and get sent there - kind of like purgatory, maybe - but they'd wake up with different powers. Nathaniel and Asmira were probably people who'd ended up there too. That was why Nathaniel could go all "dark cloud" and Asmira messed with the lights. That seemed like a reasonable explanation.

Asmira was probably from an earlier time, on some other world where technology just wasn't the same. He understood why that might be complicated or too tiring to unpack.

"True," Bo said with a small smile. "Her name's Wilson by the way. I can just send her a message when you guys are ready, and she can be here real fast. So uh, just let me know. But in the meantime, feel free to take your time finishing up - use the bathroom, wash your face, get some water. Whatever you need before you go, within reason."

We took Bo up on his offer.

We each took our turn in the bathroom. Some of us spent longer than others. Asmira and I were both out quickly, but Nathaniel spent what felt like an eternity in there - Asmira had to stop me from kicking down the door when he stubbornly refused to get out sooner than he wanted to.

And then we were ready.

We didn't have much more than what we came with. We did have the snacks, and Bo was kind enough to give me another one of his painkillers - I just wish he gave me more.

But, at least, I had Natty boy and Asmira. I could also hang out in their bodies when I couldn't stand the pain.

And then it was time to go.

"We're ready," I said. "How long do we have to wait for her?"

Bo had just finished sending the text when he heard a noise from his closet in the hall, as if someone had hit a shelf, or the door. Then, there was a laugh before the closet door burst open, and Wilson came tumbling out.

"Ta-da!" she cheered, waving her hands in a celebratory manner while she regained her balance and kicked the door shut behind her.

She looked just like she did the last time he saw her: short, skinny, with long, thick hair that almost reached her hips. She had a huge, loose red and white flannel that hung like a cape over her black leggings and black crop-top underneath. All that paired with black converse.

She was beaming.

"Good to see you again, Bo!" she said, walking over to him and giving him a strong pat on the arm that didn't seem to assumed strength of her frame. "So which one of you is Skull?" Her eyes drifted over the three of them for a moment before she pointed at the one in the leather jacket.

"Jk. That was easy to figure out. You ready, Skully and friends?"

I glanced at the others.

I was still a little confused about how she had just come out of a closet, but I decided now really wasn't the time to ask questions. Nathaniel and Asmira both looked ready to go; we just had to say our goodbyes to Bo.

"Almost," I said. I turned to Bo. "Thanks for the free food - it tasted good."

"Thank you for letting us stay here," Asmira added.

Nathaniel gave a nod in agreement. "It was a good change from what we normally have."

There was a pause.

"And it was nice meeting you," Nathaniel added, giving a small smile. "I hope we can meet again in better circumstances."

"Who knows?" I said. "Maybe the next time we run into each other, I won't have a stab wound in my side!"

Asmira and Nathaniel just gave each other a tired, knowing look at my response.

I pretended like I didn't notice.

"Well," I said, clapping my hands together, "it looks like we've done everything we needed to do."