BZRK (BZRK 1)

“What have we got ourselves into?” he asked.

We.

Ourselves.

Plath had no answer. Words seemed too small.

“I guess we’re not supposed to tell our real names,” Keats said.

She shook her head. No.

“I’m from London.”

“I love London.”

“You’ve been?” He smiled shyly, delighted to find something they had in common.

“My mother was English.” She watched to see if he noted the past tense. He did.

“Wish we were there?” he asked.

She let go of a small, abrupt laugh. “God, yes. Or anywhere.”

“Euro Disney?”

The suggestion was so perfectly absurd she started giggling. And that brought a smile, a real one, to his lips, and his blue eyes lit up even brighter than before.

“Really, any of the major theme parks,” she said through laughter. “I’d go see the giant ball of twine in Kansas.”

“Is that real?” he asked.

Suddenly serious she said, “Dude, I no longer feel qualified to say what’s real and what isn’t.”

He looked down. “Dude. Well, my America visit is complete. I’ve been called ‘dude.’?”

She took up the bantering tone. “How have you liked America so far?”

“Oh, it’s about what I expected,” he said.

That unleashed an almost hysterical burst of laughter from both of them.

“You suppose they’re watching us?” Keats asked, looking up at the ceiling.

“I hope so. That way they’ll be able to see this.” She held up the middle finger on both hands and stuck them in the air.

“So,” he said, faltering a little, “would you go out with me sometime?”

“That depends. What did you have in mind?”

“We get something to eat. See a movie.”

“I shot that man.” The words were out before she knew they were coming. A sob escaped behind them. And quiet tears.

“Yes.”

Neither had anything to say for a long time after that. Both sat in the dark, perched awkwardly on the edge of chair and bed.

Finally Plath yawned. “If I asked you to stay with me tonight … I mean, if I said I wanted you to lie next to me and sleep. Could it be just that? Could it just be that we—” Her voice broke and she couldn’t speak.