That's not salad, part 5

If you’re just joining us, jump back to part 1 before reading the finale.

Em poked Tansy with a claw. “Is she dead?” She peered at Sal with her ruby-hued eyes. “Did we kill her?”

“Stop poking her,” Sal said, gently batting Em’s fingers away. “She’s not dead. I think.”

Em ignored her and prodded again, but Tansy remained motionless on the floor. “Are you sure? They are fragile creatures.”

“Not our Tansy. She’s got some titanium in her.” Sal leaned over Tansy and placed a hand over her mouth, using the other to pinch her nose.

Em swatted her. “What are you doing?”

“If she’s dead, she doesn’t need to breathe.”

“But you said she isn’t—”

Tansy’s limbs flailed, interrupting Em. Sal let go and jumped back.

“Is that really the best way to test if she’s dead? She’s already terrified enough of us to faint without thinking we’re trying to suffocate her.”

Tansy peered at them, her round eyes flitting from Em to Sal and back. She lifted a finger and reached it slowly towards Sal.

“You—” The finger veered towards Em and her rainbow of scales. “I—”

Em blinked her nictitating lenses at Sal. “We might not have killed her, but I think we broke her brain.”

Tansy’s swallow was loud in the quiet room. “You’re real.” Her finger still drifted between them.

Sal simply nodded in response.

“I mean, like, really aliens?”

“Yes,” Em said. “Would like to touch us?”

“Whoa, no.” Sal shook her head.

“You can suck it up, my darling buttercup.” Em’s voice was sharp, but softened when her attention returned to Tansy. “It’s okay. You can touch us.”

Tansy poked Em’s cheek, then lightly stroked the jewel-toned scales. Some of the fear drained from her eyes. “Wow.”

Her tentative gaze shifted to Sal.

“Fine.” Sal leaned closer again, eliciting a slight flinch from Tansy, but the other woman reached out and prodded her beak before running her hand over the feathers on her forehead.

“You’re beautiful, both of you.”

Beside her, Em’s scales changed colour. “Thank you, dear.”

Tansy straightened. “Why would a bounty hunter be after you?” She peered at them sidelong. “Are you sure you didn’t kill someone?”

Sal and Em shared a look.

“Sure.” Sal sighed. “I’m Passerine. She’s Agami. In our society, well, never the twain shall meet, separate but equal, yada yada.”

Em snorted. “And some are more equal that others.”

Sal reached for Em’s hand. “As a member of the Royal Guard, I was tasked with maintaining that order.” Sal felt Em’s velcro fingers clutch her arm. “And for years, I did, tracking down dissidents.”

“I was that dissident.” Em’s lenses blinked again. “I know, surprise, right?”

Finally, a smile played at Tansy’s lips. “It’s always the quiet ones.”

Silence took them again. The only sounds were their breathing and the clock ticking away the seconds.

Finally, Tansy shifted and spoke. “So, that’s it? Enemies to lovers?”

“No—” Sal’s crest ruffled. “Well, yes. Sort of.”

“And they sent a bounty hunter after you, just for that?”

“Not just that,” Sal continued. “We’re dangerous to the social order. We know there are others like us.”

Em’s cheek scales flushed a peach colour. “Both those who’ve run away, and those who’ve stayed in hiding.”

“And those who didn’t get away.” Sal’s voice sounded muffled to her own ears. Ghosts of the past haunted her.

Em’s fingers squeezed her arm. “But none so high-profile as Sal.”

“Bork, what do we do then?” Tansy asked.

“We do nothing.” Sal shook her head. “You need to take some vacation. Paid, of course.”

“What? No.” Tansy shook her head.

“He’s dangerous, dear.” Em patted Tansy’s shoulder. “We can’t let him hurt you.”

“But what about Fall Fest? You’ll be swamped.”

Sal made a sound in her throat, and Em’s tongue flicked out.

“After the block party,” Sal said.

Em nodded. “One more day won’t hurt.”

Subscribe now

Sal slumped against the lamppost and fanned herself with a pamphlet. Her native land was tropical, but this body seemed unable to regulate its temperature.

Autumn might be lurking around the corner, but summer had her claws in today. Which meant the festival was busy. She barely had a moment to scarf down the lunch Em had foraged for.

But the day had been great. People stocking up on reading for cooler days and darker nights meant they had a lot fewer books to move inside than they’d brought out. And so many members of the community had stopped by to chat.

But the market portion of the day was winding down, and Sal looked forward to getting off her feet. The festivities were moving to the park for an evening of music and magic, and she was sure Em would want to go.

She straightened. “I think we can start packing up,” she said as she turned to Tansy, who was chatting to a young man. Dimples formed when he grinned, and it took a second for Sal to recognize him as the angry man from the day they’d first met Tansy. “Or we can wait until you’re done talking.”

Tansy smiled at her. “It’s fine. We’re just making plans for later.”

The young man gave an awkward wave and headed off, backward, still smiling as he wove through the thinning crowds.

“Watch out.” Sal raised her hand as if that would prevent him from hitting the person behind him. She grimaced as they collided. Luckily, it seemed no one was hurt.

“What did I miss?” Em asked, coming up beside her. She didn’t pause for an answer though. “Look what I found.” She pushed a cup half-full of pink liquid towards Sal. “Rhubarb lemonade. I didn’t know such things could exist.”

Sal took a sip, and her face scrunched from the sourness.

“Delicious, yes?”

“Yeah.” Sal coughed. “Any sign of our friend?”

The smile on Em’s face faltered. “No.” She sipped the drink. “What’s worse? The bogeyman you see or the one you don’t.”

“Definitely the one you don’t.”

“Yeah.” Em siphoned more of the sour liquid.

“A little help?”

The two of them turned in unison to find Tansy had already loaded the remaining books onto the cart and was struggling to pull it inside the shop.

Sal jumped forward, and between the two of them they navigated the sidewalk.

They nestled the cart inside, ready to deal with in the morning before the store opened for the day.

Sal returned to the booth and froze.

“Rotham,” Tansy said from her shoulder, but it wasn’t a question.

Even though he wore a human suit, Sal knew it was him. From the too-wide grin to the too-smooth skin to the too-slick hair. Even the leather chaps he wore over faded denim had an oiliness to them.

She didn’t need to see the hand clutched around Em’s arm or the zapper pointed at her partner.

“Come without a fuss, and no one else gets hurt.” His voice was quiet and sibilant, but hard as crystal. He spared a brief glance at the street, the yellow of his eyes bleeding through his guise. His grin spread even wider at the innocent bystanders. But Sal had a spark of relief to see most of the attendees were already heading home or towards the park.

“Let her go, and I’ll come. It’s me you want anyway.”

“No!” Em pulled towards her, but Rotham yanked her back.

“You have nothing to bargain with. I could kill you both here still come away with a good payday. Now, get in the car.”

He stepped aside, and Sal noticed for the first time the vehicle behind him. The transporter was disguised as a human car, but its angles were too sharp, its colour too dull. She knew if they got in that car, they’d never get away again.

“I’m coming,” she said. “Just a second.”

“No seconds.”

She took a small step toward him.

“What’s going on here?”

She spun to see Meredith Beeker and her husband, Glen.

“Is this man bothering you?” Glen asked.

Sal shook her head, not wanting to endanger them.

“Yes,” Tansy said.

“Tansy, don’t,” Em said, taking a step towards her before recalling Rotham’s weapon.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

“We don’t want you to get hurt.” Sal gave her a sad look.

“It would hurt if you were taken away.”

“Taken away?” Al Douglas stepped up beside Meredith.

Worried clenched at Sal’s chest as more vendors circled around them. Even Tansy’s young man had come back. From the look on his face, he’d just noticed the zapper Rotham held to Em.

“He’s got—”

“I’ve got a gun.” He revealed his zapper to the crowd. “A fancy one.” He refocused on Sal. “Come now. If anything happens to these nice people, it’ll be your fault.”

Her shoulders slumped, and she walked toward him.

Just then, a shape flew in from the side, and Myra Douglas tackled Rotham. Em was pulled down with them, but grabbed the hand with the zapper as she fell.

Sal dove into the fray, but this form hampered her. Its aching joints and tired muscles …which would be with her whatever form.

It was a blur of limbs, and Sal was pretty sure it was Myra’s fist that hit her face. In a handful of seconds it was all over, if over meant them in a semi-circle around Rotham, and him pointing his zapper at them all. Sal clutched Em to her.

He aimed it at each of them in turn, including the humans.

“Why are you defending them?” His sneer was audible.

“Because someone was attacking them,” Myra said as she dabbed a bloody lip with a handkerchief from Charles.

“They’re aliens,” Rotham hissed, swinging the zapper around. “They don’t belong here.”

“They belong here as much as we do,” Charles said, his words crisp.

“No, they don’t,” Rotham spat and pulled out another weapon with his free hand.

Sal barely had a chance to gasp before the blast hit her.

The transformation wasn’t like when she chose to change her form. Instead, it felt as if the skin were being flayed from her muscles. But the blast froze her muscles, keeping her from screaming.

When it was over, she panted and hugged Em as hard as she hugged her. As if they’d never see each other again.

Her feathers ruffled with a confusing mix of sadness for the end, happiness for the time they’d had, and residual tingling nerves.

Her beak caressed the scales along Em’s forehead, currently shifting between red and purple.

She stiffened. Her beak. Em’s scales. She glanced at the faces of the people circling them, their mouths agape, their eyes blinking.

“What about now?” The sneer was back on Rotham’s face. “Do you still stand by them?”

No one moved. No one said anything. The only sound was a pair of crows having a heated conversation.

Sal met Em’s gaze and smiled. Words of reassurance got stuck in her throat. Em’s velcro pads squeezed her hand.

A bit of movement to her left made her jump.

Tansy stepped forward, stopping in front of them.

Rotham’s eyes narrowed. “Get in the vehicle, ladies.” He waved the zapper. Tansy shook her head at Sal and Em.

Meredith came forward to stand by Tansy. Charles and Tansy’s boyfriend followed. Al, Myra and May joined them. Soon the people of Desmond Street surrounded them.

Sal’s skin tingled, and her antennae twitched.

“Yes,” Meredith said. “We stand by them. If you want them, you’ll have to go through us.”

Rotham raised his zapper, a serpentine grin on his face. “I’m okay with that.”

Just then, something black flew at him. The crows that had been chattering in the background. Apparently, they didn’t like him either.

Rotham stumbled back, falling into his vehicle. His zapper discharged into the dash.

A ragged growl roared from the front, and a rainbow of lights flashed. A loud pop sounded.

Sal jumped, and the Desmond Street Business Association members edged away. Acrid smoke emanated from inside. Then everything went quiet.

Detangling from Em, she crept forward.

“Be careful,” Em said before letting go.

Sal nodded and continued to inch closer, trying to see through the smoke. She saw no sign of Rotham.

Slowly the air began to clear, and a nebulous shape resolved from the grey. A low keening howl rose.

Sal blinked. A grey cat with yellow eyes glared at her from the smoke.

She leaned closer. “Rotham?” she said as she scanned the inside of the vehicle, which was definitely larger on the inside.

The cat hissed.

She peered down at it, cocking her head as she studied it. “Rotham?”

The creature hissed again.

Em crouched beside her. “Oh, he’s so cute.” She reached out to scritch his head.

The cat swatted at her, claws exposed.

“He’s Rotham.”

The cat ignored her, instead lifting his leg. He paused, as if realize he was about to lick his bits.

“What are we going to do with him?” Em asked.

“We? Nothing. He can fend for himself.”

“Sal.”

“What? He was going to shoot us. Or worse, haul us back for hard labour.”

“But he’s helpless now.” Em reached towards the animal again without thinking. “Ow!” She snatched her arm back, blood welling from a scratch.

“Not so helpless.” Still, Sal knew she wouldn’t hear the end of it. She crouched beside the cat. “Obviously, you’re stuck here. You can live on the street, fighting the crows for food, or you can live in the bookshop and keep it clear of rodents.”

The cat glared at her.

She continue. “However, that’s contingent on good behaviour. Pee on the carpet, scratch up the books, try to trip us on the stairs … you’re out here with the pigeons in the snow and the rain. Deal?”

Rotham-cat peered at her for a few moments, then walked past her, swishing his tail in her face as he headed into the bookshop.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Tansy asked, joining them.

“No,” Sal said. “I’m sure it’s a bad one.”

“But we can all keep an eye on him,” Em added. “Assuming we’re still welcome on Desmond Street.”

Sal looped a limb around her as they both braced themselves.

“I wasn’t lying,” Charles said as he smoothed his tie. “You belong here as much as we do.”

“I stand by you,” Meredith added. “And this explains the strawberries.”

Sal glanced at Em and noticed the flush to her scales.

“Come on,” Al said. “The picnic is starting.”

“Oh,” Em said, that one utterance suffused with pleasure. “We should get changed first.”

They were definitely going to the picnic now. Sal sighed, but it was a happy one.

The end