Winning, annoyingly, did not resolve all problems. Al still had to pay legal fees and sure, Mr Tunstall had given him his old job back, but things were tense and awkward at work. After all, Mr Tunstall had fired him, rather than take his side. Now there was a friction between employee and manager. Actually, employees and manager. Mr Tunstall had lost the trust of his employees.

Aubrie would hate to be in Mr Tunstall’s shoes.

But Aubrie didn’t pity Mr Tunstall too much. He’d known that Al was innocent and fired him anyway, abandoning Al to a bad situation. One that Aubrie and Fay were trying to help him out with – one that they wanted to help him out with, if it didn’t mean putting the Sanders family in serious financial difficulties.

At least she had found something to do with the red vinyls. There were plenty of men like Bishop out there. She could make it her mission to seek out people like Bishop and get justice for their victims.

… Where were the red vinyls that should have proven Al’s innocence? The ones that should have been at the scene of the crime, that should have revealed what had happened. They couldn’t have grown legs and walked off by themselves.

Well. Maybe they could have, but Aubrie was fairly certain that broke the internal logic of Soporifick.

Lost in thought, pondering this very question, Aubrie didn’t notice anyone approaching her desk. It was Tuesday, so neither Geno nor Rella were in class and while on friendly terms with the other teenagers, she hadn’t really befriended anyone else attending night classes. She did not expect anyone to talk to her during the break.

“You’re Aubriella Sanders, correct?”

Aubrie looked up and saw Ms Ridgeway’s assistant standing in front of her. The son of Billy Westend, the first Soporifick victim she had ever saved. His name was Liam Westend, an official teen genius that prior to the night classes had not stepped inside a high school in years and was currently doing a doctorate in… something. She wasn’t sure what, she just knew that Liam made a point of almost being a doctor.

He had a lot of short comings, being rude, dismissive and uncaring.

In her hometown, people called that kind of behaviour socially stunted.

“Yeah. I’m Aubriella. Friends call me Aubrie,” Aubrie told him with a smile.

“Didn’t ask. Are you related to Alvin Sanders, the bellhop?” Liam asked.

She looked him over. If this had been Wendy or Jeff, she’d be suspicious of gossipers and badmouthing. But this was Liam Westend. And although she hadn’t really had much contact with him, after several weeks of spending roughly four hours a week in the same room, she figured Liam Westend really was not the type to take enjoyment out of other’s suffering. He’d have to care about it first.

“Why do you want to know?” she asked without any hostility. Just genuine, innocuous curiosity.

“Uh…” Liam stuttered, then fell silent, as if he hadn’t expected the question. After a few moments of silence, she decided to answer his question, rather than let more smoke rise out of his ears.

“Alvin Sanders is my older brother,” Aubrie told him. “His friends call him Al.”

“Didn’t ask,” Liam responded, almost automatically. “So, you are his younger sister.”

“One of his younger sisters. He has five.”

“I didn’t ask- Your parents had six children?”

“Seven. I have a younger brother too.”

Although large families were common in the countryside, in Orthank such big families were a thing of the far past. It was amusing how much the size of her family threw off city folk. Liam looked like his mind had gone blank. Then he blinked rapidly, as if coming to a conclusion.

“You’re not from Orthank.”

“No. I’m not.”

Liam seemed to briefly consider this, then carried on with what he actually wanted to talk about, “Can you attest to your brother’s supposedly good character? Was the portrayal by radio personality Pamela Hambleton, more commonly known by the ridiculous moniker of Pamham, authentic and accurate to your brother?”

“I think he’s a little more pathetic and a little less heroic than portrayed,” Aubrie answered with a shrug. “Then again, he is my older brother, so my opinion might be a little skewed.”

“But is he-”

“Liam, sir,” Aubrie interrupted.

“What?” Liam demanded, frowning at being interrupted.

“Isn’t it a little rude to talk to me, just to learn more about my brother? When we haven’t exchanged so much as a handful of words between each other since August?” Besides, what was someone working on their doctorate going to want from her brother? There was no reason for PhD student Liam Westend to take an interest in the bellhop Alvin Sanders. “At least invite me out to coffee or something first.” She knew inviting to coffee was usually used as pretext for a date or something more, but she sensed that secondary meaning would fly over Liam’s head.

“I see,” Liam calmly said. “What are you doing after class?”

“I’m hanging out with my friends,” Aubrie replied without thinking or so much as hesitating. She winced, wishing she could have stopped herself.

“Excellent. I will join you then,” Liam decided.

“Wait. No, I didn’t-” Aubrie started, but Liam had already walked away.

That hadn’t been intentional. At all. She was supposed to meet with Rella and Geno to go back into Soporifick and do their usual patrolling. But if Liam was going to tag along, that ordinary, mundane plan went straight out the window.

She hoped no one fell into Soporifick tonight, because she doubted they’d make it there.

— 📀 —

As a result of Liam unexpectedly tagging along to their hangout, the trio of friends decided to go to the diner that Geno and Aubrie had first gone to after successfully rescuing Liam’s father. An all-night diner known as the Luftmensh.

The Luftmensh was quiet. Geno was eating chips while glaring daggers at Liam, while Rella just smiled, amused by the situation. Aubrie still didn’t know what to make of it.

“Is this what other teenagers do on a Tuesday night?” Liam questioned, as he took a sip of water.

“Why? What do smart guys like you do?” Rella asked.

“I would ordinarily be at home with a book. I’m currently reading Dr Linton’s analysis of the evolution of fantastical creatures man disregards for imagined fancies.”

“Sounds like something you can’t put down,” Rella replied.

“Quite! I find it so intriguing and captivating! It informs my own work you see. I’m creating a unified theory of cosmic juxtapositions.”

“What does that mean?” Aubrie asked, leaning forward.

“Well, you see, it builds on the work started by Dr Liddell. A theory that our reality as we perceive it is a place composed of many ideas kept together by the sub-realities which inform our reality by what the sub-reality lacks. Of course, my theory touches upon a very hypothetical idea that sub-realities do not run parallel, instead trying to-”

“Yawn. What a snoozefest,” Geno interrupted.

“Eugene!” Aubrie reprimanded, shooting him an irritated look.

“What? He’s using a lot of big words for something what we don’t need to know. Oh. And don’t care about.”

Liam glared at Geno.

“I wish you were part of a sub-reality instead of ours.”

Aubrie frowned. That sounded cold and unnecessarily hateful. Then again. If Liam really was socially stunted, such blunt expression wouldn’t be odd. And, of course, Geno was too full of himself to get what Liam was actually saying.

“What if I already am?” Geno asked.

“Then you would be a force of antagonism.”

“Jokes on you, antagonists don’t have to be bad guys. Pff, and you’re supposed to be a genius.”

“Hey, Geno, how about you grab me a banana shake?” Rella suggested, shoving him off the booth.

“Hey, what the heck-” he started complaining.

“Oh, can you get me some onion rings?” Aubrie asked, looking at him with her big eyes. All the fight left him and he dragged his feet over to the counter.

“What an arrogant ignoramus,” Liam complained.

“Oh, he’s not so bad once you get to know him,” Aubrie defended. Yeah, he was childish and rough around the edges, but as Red Gent, he… He was a hero. Liam didn’t care and continued ranting.

“I’m so grateful he never turns up to the night classes I assist in. I assume someone that foolish takes night classes? I cannot imagine him passing anything with that much…”

“Liam, sir, he’s my friend,” Aubrie warned, perhaps a little sharper than she intended. “I will talk to Geno later, but please try to understand-”

“He doesn’t like another guy crashing our hangout,” Rella interrupted, as she began eating Geno’s chips.

“Why would that bother him?” Liam asked, confused. Aubrie smiled helplessly.

“Never mind that,” she said. “You wanted to know more about Al, right?”

“… Yes.”

“I can confirm that everything Pamham has said about him is true,” Aubrie told him. “He’s a good guy.”

“But that was what we believed of Mr Bishop as well. Now the roles are merely reversed.”

“You mean Bishop's a proven bad egg now,” Rella pointed out. “You think Alvin could do anything against a man with that much money and power? It’s so easy to paint a nobody in a bad light. Now, to prove someone with power like Bishop is bad? That takes some effort.”

“Hm. I see. I think this is acceptable,” Liam said under his breath. “Thank you for confirming, Aubriella.”

“Please call me Aubrie.”

“Only your friends call you that,” Liam replied.

“We can be friends,” Rella said. Liam sneered.

“I rather think not,” he told her. “Although, you both are promising, willing to take an interest in more cerebral conversation…”

“Pardon if I sound harsh, but do you have any idea how rude you are?” Aubrie abruptly asked him. Liam looked at her surprised. Then confused. Then silent. “I’m not offended, I’m just wondering.”

Liam didn’t answer, head looking down at his hands. His face had flushed red.

“And you’re right. We don’t have to be friends. But it’d be nice to be on good terms,” Aubrie continued.

“Yeah. And it’s not like you’re the only rude person at the table. Well, I guess you are, now that I’ve sent Geno away,” Rella continued jokingly. When that fell flat, she looked to Aubrie desperately.

“You know, I have a friend that’s pretty smart,” Aubrie told Liam. “And he could do with more friends. He’s called Alarie.”

“Alarie… As in Jethro Alarie?” Liam questioned.

“Um. I- I couldn’t say,” Aubrie stuttered. She realized with a start that she didn’t actually know Alarie’s full name. She’d never asked. It was like how Alarie didn’t know that ‘Aubrie’ was a nickname, rather than her given name. Liam rubbed his arm.

“I think Eugene is coming back. I’m just- I’m going to the bathroom,” he said. “Excuse me.”

He got up, slinging his bag over his shoulders and left, just as Geno returned with their order.

“Rell! You ate my chips!”

“Pff, I’ll buy you more, you baby.”

“Rella,” Geno seethed.

“Eugene Keyes, you sit your sorry butt down right now,” Aubrie ordered. Geno sat down. “Why were you so mean to Liam? What’s wrong with you?”

Geno flushed red, glaring at her angrily. “Well- he- you-” He crossed his arms. Aubrie frowned at him, folding her own and waiting for an answer. If she waited long enough, he’d talk again. It was a trick she’d learnt from Fay, when her older sister had dealt with the Sanders twins. It would have ordinarily worked, if Rella hadn’t reached for Geno’s chips once more. He immediately slapped her hand.

“Geno-”

“Rella-”

“Children,” Aubrie interrupted. “Rella, stop eating Geno’s food. Go buy him some more.”

“Yes, mother,” Rella sarcastically replied, getting up to do just that.

“Geno. Why are you being mean to Liam?” Aubrie calmly repeated.

“He just rubs me the wrong way, ok?” Geno answered defensively. Aubrie tilted her head to the side. “Firstly, we were supposed to go into Soporifick tonight. Only that brainiac decided to invite himself to our hangout. If someone falls into Soporifick and we’re not there to stop it, it’s his fault.”

“We can’t be there every night,” Aubrie pointed out.

“Where’s your sense of responsibility?” Geno demanded. Aubrie rubbed her forehead. He was right, kind of.

“That doesn’t give you the right to treat him like rubbish,” Aubrie rebuked. Geno glared at her, but then his will began wavering.

“Sorry…” he mumbled, slumping in his seat.

“It’s ok, but you need to say it to Liam too,” Aubrie gently told him. He sighed and leaned his head back, looking up.

“Yeah. Ok. Sure. I’ll even give him a chance.”

“We don’t need to be friends, but… I don’t know. He seems like he could do with friends,” Aubrie told him.

“What is it with you and lonely people?” Geno asked, looking up. “First me, then that Alarie guy, and then Rella, now Liam…”

“I don’t know. But it’s nice, right?” Aubrie asked, helping herself to one of Geno’s chips. He grabbed a handful of her onion rings.

“Yeah. I guess you’re right,” he agreed.

Rella returned with a new portion of chips.

“Milord,” she said as she placed the chips in front of Geno.

“Thanks, Rella. Do you gotta be a jerk?”

“Do you?” she retorted.

“I’m gonna apologize to him, all right? Lay off.”

“Yeah, lay off Rella,” Aubrie agreed, smiling teasingly.

“Ugh, you two are tag-teaming again, so not fair,” Rella complained, sitting back down and grabbing an onion ring. “Um… Is Liam still not back?”

“You starting to think it’s been too long?” Aubrie asked.

“I’ll check on him,” Geno said, getting up. “Be right back.”