While waiting for the police to decide what to do with me, I started to get creative. I knew I had screwed up with the Monster Vision but I didn’t have time to think about that right then because I was in serious trouble if the police managed to make any of their wild accusations stick.

The problem was figuring out how to get away from the watchful eyes of a room full of police, not to mention the fact that my arms were bound behind my back.

Wait a second. Do they need to be?

I focused my mind on the restraints that I couldn’t see.

Item:

Handcuffs

Components

Metal

Item Rank:

F

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Jenkins

Can it be that simple?

Item:

Unlocked Handcuffs (Edited)

Components

Metal

Item Rank:

F

Item Level:

1

Item Owner:

Jenkins

I coughed loudly as the cuffs fell to the floor. That still left me sitting in a room full of police who were only marginally paying attention to me. I focused magic into my voice and addressed a female officer who was closest to me at the moment, “Excuse me, Ma’am. Take me to the restroom.”

She got up mechanically and didn’t say anything as she made her way over to me. She saw my cuffs on the floor and leaned over, “Hey, aren’t those your…”

I cut her off, whispering, “You will ignore them. Lead me out of this room.”

When we made it to the hallway I instructed, “You will go back to the squad room and forget about our conversation. If anyone asks you what happened to me, tell them that my mother arrived to take me home. If you need to fill out any paperwork, you will do so. Now go.’

She nodded and quietly made her way back the way we had come.

Finally getting a moment to myself, I pulled out the M-Phone-22 and said, “PAA, are you there?”

The phone replied in its metallic voice, “I am always here. What can I do for you today?”

I asked the phone, “Can you get me a phone number for Mrs. Hodgins. She works at my high school, Rancho Buena Vista.”

The phone was very efficient. PAA listed out the entire process, “Checking the school registry now. One faculty member with the surname Hodgins located. Would you like a home or cell phone number?”

Assuming Mrs. Hodgins would still be at home, I requested a home number. PAA replied, “Would you like me to connect you now?”

I replied in the affirmative and the phone rang. Mrs. Hodgins picked it up on the first ring, “Kalliphae? Is that you?”

I took a deep breath and said, “No Mrs. Hodgins. It’s Melvin.”

“Is Kalli with you?”, she began, “She rushed out saying she had to help you. I’ve been so worried.”

My voice was barely above a whisper when I informed the librarian, “She’s in the hospital.”

Mrs. Hodgins was silent for a moment before she spoke, “I’m sorry. What did you just tell me.”

I spoke up and said it again, “Kalli is in the hospital. I need you to go to her.”

“Where are you?”, she stammered incredulously.

This conversation was getting worse and worse. I croaked, “I’m in jail.”

“What?”, Mrs. Hodgins shrieked into the phone, “What did you do?”

The tears were flowing freely again. I opened my mouth to speak, but words didn’t come out. Mrs. Hodgins let out an exasperated sigh and asked, “Is she okay at least?”

I wanted to say she was fine and that she didn’t even need to be in the hospital. All that came out was, “Yes.”

“Do you know which hospital she’s in?”, Mrs. Hodgins was on a fact-finding mission now.

“No”, came my one-word reply.

“Very well”, she said sternly, “I’ll find her. Goodbye Melvin.”

I stared blankly at the magical phone for a couple of minutes before replacing it in my bag. I hadn’t thought it was possible to feel worse, but at least Kalli wasn’t going to be alone for much longer. I reached out to her.

Kalli, are you there?

I felt her nervousness through the connection as she replied in thought. Yes. I’m here. They are trying to stick a needle in me.

It’s okay. Doctors do that in this world to give you medicine.

I could feel her shudder. I don’t like needles, Mel.

I’m so sorry.

She reassured me again. It’s okay. We’re both alive. I thought I was going to die earlier. I’ve never fought anything like that before.

I thought you told me you had monsters in your world.

I felt her laugh a little. It was the first time I’d felt her at least a little happy since the incident. Of course, we do. I think it's because they are so common that we know better than to travel outside of town without a caravan. What you did was dangerous.

Oh.

She spoke softly in my mind. It’s really okay. Try not to worry about it. Did they take you to another hospital? Did you contact Mrs. Hodgins for me?

Something like that and yes, Mrs. Hodgins should be coming to get you soon. I told her what happened.

She replied. Thank you, Mel.

I have to go.

I could feel Kalliphae’s weariness. Okay. I’m here if you need me.

I smiled as I started to wander around the police station, looking for a way out.I was able to ward off a few people that I ran into in the halls using words of command.

I knew I was in trouble though when I ran into a man in a black robe and a fedora. I could sense the mana in his voice when he spoke, “You know, you really shouldn’t use command words on the uninitiated. It's tacky.”

“Isn’t that what you just did to me?”, I complained, giving the robed man my best glare, “Who are you anyway?”

He sort of looked like Dick Tracy, if the detective wore a robe. He took off the hat and bowed, introducing himself, “Ah, yes. Greetings. My name is Tolliver Tipps of the Boston Tipps. I am here representing the administration. I received a report of an unauthorized griffon encounter and have been sent to investigate. I am surprised to hear that a level 2 Summoner and a level 7 Pyromancer engaged one in battle and lived to tell the tale. Would you care to tell me how you managed it? More importantly, how were you able to see the beast?”

Realizing the man might have the ability to scan me, I quickly removed the Monster Vision trait from my menu. I also sent Kalli a quick thought.

Kalli, there’s someone from something called the administration investigating the griffon. Don’t tell him about the buff.

Her reply came back immediately. Okay. I won’t, Mel. Mrs. Hodgins is here.

I was grateful that she had gotten there so quickly. Now I could stop worrying. I replied to the man, “I don’t know how we survived. Something must have spooked it. I didn’t know monsters existed before that encounter.”

“Do you speak the truth?”, he asked in his mana-rich voice once again.

“Whenever possible”, I replied with a smirk.

He realized his mistake and asked again, “Are you being honest with me right now?”

Parts of what I said were true. I chose to assume he was asking about those parts, “Yes sir. It’s true.”

Tolliver folded his arms under his robes and gave me a hard stare for a moment before continuing, “It is highly irregular to come across two unregistered awakened at the same time. Especially when one of them is level 7. I am authorized to release you from this place. It is clear that you are not guilty of what you are being investigated for. I will see to it that the police do not consider you a person of interest. However, I must insist that you report to a guild office within the next 30 days and register yourself. Please tell your friend to do the same.”

I cleared my throat and asked, “What is a guild office? For that matter, what is the administration? I’ve never heard of any of this.”

The man looked down at me and sighed, “Perhaps this is a conversation best suited for the trip home. You do wish to go home, do you not?”

I nodded.

Mr. Tipps and I sat in the back seat of an old car as it drove itself down the highway. He began, “The guild is the place where a magic-using citizen such as yourself goes to register. Think of it like the DMV. Except the guild doesn’t have long queues. They offer a myriad of services such as questing and public services.”

In the safety of the car, my mind kept returning to the scene with Kalliphae lying in my arms near death. A cold weight filled my stomach at just how close I had come to getting the girl killed.

The administrator droned on, “The administration is where I work. We interact with both the guild and the unawakened public and strive to keep the peace and ensure that nobody is harmed when our worlds brush up against one another. This is the reason why monsters like griffons are typically restricted to A class adventurers. We still have not ascertained how you children were able to encounter such a creature. You may rest assured that it is being looked into.”

I yawned as fatigue suddenly hit me. Mr. Tipps stopped talking so I asked, “Does it cost money to join this guild?”

He laughed and shook his head, “Not at all. That is one of the best parts of the guild is that there is no admission fee or any associated taxes. Some of the families do charge a tax, but those are unaffiliated with the guild. Another good thing about the guild is that they mediate all quests so that rewards are issued fairly for the amount of work completed. You don’t want to know how bad questing was before the guild became involved.”

Before I had a chance to ask the man any more questions, we had arrived at my apartment. He offered me his card and said, “If you ever find yourself in need of me, please don’t hesitate to call. My assistant will get the message to me.”

Just like that, I was home. With the drama of nearly dying or being arrested out of the way, the loneliness of being alone returned in full force. I imagined Kalli was getting checked out of the hospital or with any luck already heading home to enjoy her reheated dinner with Mrs. Hodgins.

That reminded me. I had another purchase I hadn’t taken delivery of yet. I fished around in my bag for the last token and clicked it. A box that looked like an oversized jack-n-the-box appeared on the table in front of me. The box was rather plain for a magical device. It was made of material that felt like plastic which was entirely white. The only opening was a hinged lid on the top that had no handles and seemed to be locked from the inside.

A sticker attached to the device had simple instructions.

Box of Unending Fast Food (BUFF)

1. Think clearly about your desired meal.

2. Place both hands on the box.

3. Deposit Mana

4. Keep your hands clear of the hatch.

5. Enjoy your meal.

6. Please remember to rate and review our product

It seemed simple enough. I placed my hands on the box and prepared my order.

20 minutes later I sat on the couch unable to move. The BUFF was either going to be the best thing I ever bought or the last thing I’d ever buy. I hadn’t decided yet. I got cheeky and asked the box for, “The Best Pizza in the World.”

The crazy box had delivered. I couldn’t be certain that it was the actual best in the world, but it was at least the best that I had ever eaten. And eat I did. I ate so much food that I felt like I was about to explode.

I stashed the box safely behind my bed so mom wouldn’t find it, but only after leaving her another pizza in the fridge to eat when she got home.

I climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling. I knew I wasn’t going to sleep well. At least not that night. After what felt like an hour, I did eventually fall asleep.