Levitan browsed the racks at the thrift shop, trying to keep their head steady and stay focussed. Their mission was to find some shirts to add to the duffel bag of clothes in the back of the car. It had been two days, and the tank top they were wearing was already gross and grimy.Once again, they were staggered by the amount of choices they had.They hadn’t counted on how much the outside world would overwhelm them with all the people and noises and colours. Every little detail from crows on the telephone lines to the fibres of their shirt were new and fascinating and required attention. As exciting as it all was, it was almost too much to deal with.Levitan had the basket over one arm. They felt the fabric of one shirt with their hand, then the fabric of the next. Jesus, how were they supposed to

Akio woke with a pounding headache and a crick in his neck. He was lying on dusty, reddish-brown dirt that stuck to the sweat on his cheek. He groaned as sensation came back into his body, namely the sensation of pain . “Ow…”“Hey.”He looked up. Levitan was sitting next to him, leaning against a boulder in the shade. Their stomach was covered in blood, there was a new hole in their shirt, and they were smoking a cigarette.“Hey,” he croaked. “What’s going…” He looked down at his body, trying to situate himself, and he realized that something was very wrong. “ Oh my god, my neck is broken! ”“Here, lemme help you with that.” Levitan reached over, took Akio’s head in their hands, and with one quick movement, snapped his neck back in place with a gross cra

There were three queen-sized beds in the motel, a deep bathtub, a minibar, and a flat-screen TV. The sheets were soft, it was nice and quiet, and the bathroom was sparkling and clean. There was even a balcony with a view.“ This is what a hundred bucks a night gets you!” said Levitan, waving their arm extravagantly. “ Magnifique! ”Ryan wore a grin like a kid on Christmas. “I call the bed farthest from the window!” He hopped across the room and threw himself onto the queen, bouncing once before settling. He grabbed the remote from the side table and switched on the TV. “Ooh, X-Files reruns! Nice!”Akio kicked off his shoes and sat on the bed closest to the balcony. It was a gorgeous view with all the neon lights and the desert in the distance, but it was bright even though it was about three in the morning. He yawned and pulled off his jeans and sweaty t-shir

The hostel was small and scummy. They got a room with three twin beds, but none of them had blankets or sheets. The woman at the front desk gave them a once-over, brow tilted in slight disgust at the dirt that covered them almost head to toe before handing them the room key. Akio picked at the threads of his jeans and traced the address that he’d scribbled on his thigh. He sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard. His feet ached from running. “Not a bad place, huh?” Ryan flopped down onto the bed with his gameboy and started playing. He lay on his stomach, with his jacket under his chin. Akio winced at the sound of a shrieking chord, and looked over at Levitan. They had a harmonica in their hands. “Look what I found in my pocket!” they said, grinning. “Thought I lost this ol’ thing!” “Oh, god,” said Ryan with a melodramatic sigh. “Not the harmonica.” Akio wondered if he should be worried when he saw Levitan cup their hands around

“There.” It was late at night, and James was helping them set up the bed, which was a mattress on the floor with a slightly dirty sheet on it, plus two pillows and a thick, fluffy quilt. They were in a tiny room, which when Levitan investigated the walls, they realized was a walk-in closet. “Sorry we don’t have more than one.”“Where’s Akio sleeping?” asked Levitan. “Ryan and I can share this.”“He’s talking to Dana,” said James. “Said he’d sleep on the couch.”“... Oh. I guess I’ll go get Akio, then.”James’s eyes all locked unblinkingly onto Levitan. Lev stiffened under this scrutiny.“What?” they asked, defensive.James held up his hands peacefully. “Hey, I didn’t say anything.”“All of your eyes ar