Chapter 10
A Pleasant Misunderstanding
Jayce pours the kernels into the kettle, the smell of buttered popcorn filling the air as he presses a button to start the cycle; oily butter cascading through a metal pipe into the top of the machine to lubricate the heated plate and corn at the bottom. He closes the lid with a satisfying clang, turning around to see a general lack of anything interesting in the cinema foyer.
Today was the man's least favourite shift; no Mia to keep him company, and the whole day spent shuffling around the candy bar making popcorn for the night shift. He looks up at the clock on the register.
*10:19*
He was sure it said 10:19 ten minutes prior, flicking the touch sensitive plastic screen to make sure. Jayce sighs; no change. He grabs a paper towel and begins to wipe down the surfaces for what seems like the billionth time this morning. Turning around he comes eye to eye with an arms-crossed Megan. Her work uniform revealing that while there was certainly a woman underneath, the essence of a tomboy lurked within; slack black pants and a black button up shirt untucked sit below the steely gaze of the woman, eyebrow raised as she stares intently.
'Something wierd happened yesterday.' She states, gaze uninterrupted. 'What was it?' Megan was now tapping her foot in frustration.
Jayce looks her up and down 'You know people only tap their foot in the movies right?' He says wryly, trying to push past her. But the voluptuous woman doesn't budge. 'C'mon... Not now, I have a headache.'
'You'll have a bigger one if you don't tell me what happened.' Her eyes change somewhat, glazing over with the look of someone trying desperately hard to piece together a long forgotten memory. 'We were here, then we were somewhere else, then somewhere again. And why was Monique-'
'Okay, okay!' Jayce shouts, arms up in surrender. 'No need to relive that one, alright?' He says, sighing. He glances about. The popcorn timer counting down from ten minutes is barely at the halfway mark, the foyer is empty of customers and management are having a meeting. 'No time like the present,' he says, offering his free hand to the woman 'Grab ahold and think of England.'
'Isn't it "Lay Back"?' She says, reaching out to grab his hand. Jayce just grins mischievously as the world spins into darkness.
Blinking awake, Megan finds herself in a field, on her back, staring up at a blue sky filled with nice puffy clouds. Jayce is laying next to her. The air is sweet and the wind warm. Sitting up, she looks around; grass extending nearly a hundred feet in all directions until meeting the edge of a forest on three sides, and what appears to be an unusually blue stream before an idyllic snow-topped mountain. Megan's head whips from side to side in disbelief as Jayce sits, propping himself up lazily on his elbows.
'Pretty groovy, huh?' He gazes into Megan's eyes, a mischievous smile crosses his face, preceding the next question with such force, Megan beat him to it.
'How, then?'
Jayce's grin remains, though he turns his attention to the world around them. 'Remember when I got shot? Wait, you weren't on...' He muses for a moment before continuing '-never mind. That shot to the head crossed some wires somewhere and jump-started my brain.' He raps his head with a knuckle, the *thunk-thunk* just audible over the breeze. 'I could either bring you to my mind, or take a trip to yours. I still haven't figured out exactly-'
'We're in my mind?' Megan interrupts, a stern expression crossing her face.
'Yes?' Jayce replies, his voice trailing up at the end; now worried about the ramifications of such an act.
'Without asking me first?'
Jayce thinks hard about the appropriate answer. Nothing better comes to mind, so he simply utters 'Yes?'
Megan's fist flies fast and true, collecting Jayce's shoulder with an almighty *THUMP*! He's flung across the field and impacts one of the pine trees... upside down. Megan's hands fly to her mouth in shock as she hurries over to him. 'Sorrysorrysorrysorry....'
Jayce pulls himself up off the ground, dusting himself off as he cracks joints. 'Dont worry, I'm okay.' He says, straightening his clothes. 'I didn't get a chance to go over the ground rules.'
'Rules?'
'More like guidelines...' The man replies, hand on her shoulder as he leads Megan over to the stream. 'You see, we're in your mind so you pick and choose the setting. You effectively make the rules of this world; gravity, consistency of matter, how fire works, it's all alterable by yourself.' Jayce reaches into the water, scooping up what should have been liquid, but instead appears as-
'Jelly?' She stares in amazement.
'Jelly, Jell-o, whatever you call it, it ain't water. But that's fine, this place isn't real. The mountain could be made of fudge, the trees marzipan. I thought I smelled cake anyway.' Jayce spins around arms outstretched. 'Isn't it amazing?'
'But...' Megan begins, still lost for words.
Jayce walks up close to her, a hand on each shoulder. 'There is only one real rule; no matter what we do, no matter what happens, we cannot die. We can barely even hurt each other. If you want to feel pain, you'll feel pain. If you want to breathe, you'll breathe. Think it and it will happen. But death,' Jayce moves his head closer to hers, his eyes focused intently on Megan's '-death cannot happen. Neither can permanent injury or pregnancy.' He adds speedily under his breath.
Megan's ears prick up at that last comment. 'Pregnancy?' She asks, wry smile cracked.
'Lets just say that some people have used this place - well, their own place - to relieve tension. And, well... yeah.' Jayce's vagueness speaks volumes, as he scratches the back of his neck with his best "innocent" smile.
'So that's why Monique was wearing... That!' Megan blurts out.
'Nope, that's all her.' Jayce, surprised, slaps a hand across his mouth. 'Forget I said that.'
Megan stares in disbelief, so very close to hysterical laughter. 'You two?' Jayce nods sheepishly 'In her...?' He nods again, shrugging 'You sly bastard!' She thumps him on the shoulder again, this time without the Dragonball-style acrobatics on his part.
'It started as a mistake, and... Well...' He runs nervous fingers through the hair at the back of his head, shrugging '...it still kinda is. A mistake that is. Though she instigated it last time.'
Megan thinks a moment, staring off at the scenery while she takes it all in. 'Wait, if we're here, then...'
It was Jayce's turn to beat Megan to the punch 'About one second out there is one hour in here; when we snap back to reality - depending on how long we stay here - virtually nothing will have happened. We should even beat this cycle of popcorn.' He says with a grin and raised eyebrows.
'And what exactly should we do in the meantime?' Megan says, hands placed sultrily akimbo upon her hips. The ground behind her breaks open, the grass and dirt appearing as though part of a cake as a huge chocolate log pushes it's way diagonally out of the ground, more silent than it had any right to be. Megan doesn't seem to notice. 'I suppose you've got a plan?'