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“There is a flower within my heart,”
It had been like clockwork all day. Caine would sing his stupid, little song, leave for way too little time, and then come back again.
“Daisy, Daisy,”
I just had to put a pillow over my head and wait for him to go away.
“Planted one day by a glancing dart,”
Maybe I could sleep through his whining long enough for him to get bored.
“Planted by…Zoobie Bell…”
My eyes popped open in a surprised rage. “What did you call me?”
“Whether they love me or love me not,”
“Hey! You can’t just-”
“Sometimes it's hard to tell!”
“Don’t you FUCKING yell over me!”
“Yet, I am longing to share the lot,”
I stomped over to the door, swinging it open with one powerful motion. My chest heaved as I glared up at him.
“Of beautiful,” he could barely speak, his voice a whisper as he stared right into me.
“Don’t.”
His mouth moved to form words, but nothing came out. It twitched, subtle yet glitchy. “Daisy Bell.”
I squinted at him as he did a little head tilt, complete with half lidded eyes. “What do you want?”
It almost looked like he was drifting off before he suddenly snapped back to attention. “Yes! Zooble! I need to talk to you!”
“I can see that.”
He clasped his hands together, rubbing them nervously. “It seems that the suggestion box was a bust.”
I scoffed, crossing my arms as I leaned back on the door frame. “I think it was fine.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Really.” I stuck out my hand to check nails that I no longer had. “Was kind of annoyed that you took out some of the best ones, though.”
“The best? Zooble, those ones I took out were…they were…”
“Not family friendly?” I glanced up at him. “Why the hell do you care about that, anyway?”
“Why do I care about that?” He asked with building agitation.
Yet, I wasn’t phased. “Yeah. Why?”
“Because…BECAUSE! The Amazing Digital Circus is a family friendly-”
I stepped closer to him. “Why?”
He froze, again taking an extra second to find his words. “Because…because, that’s what I’m made for.”
“To be family friendly?”
“Precsiely. So, if we can talk about some new ideas for adventures…”
His words turned to mindless static as he rattled on. I looked down at myself, at all of my mismatched parts. And, slowly, my gaze shifted over to the overflowing box of them in my room. “Why do you allow me to change, then?”
“Huh? What now?”
My glare was more pointed, like the bullet of a gun. I sighed, wandering back over to my extra parts and leaving the door open as a silent invitation. “Caine, I change all the time. Look at all this!”
“That’s different.”
“No it isn’t!” I threw off my arm and put on a new one, holding it out for emphasis. I was left with heavy breaths once again, staring him down like a bull.
But there was something about how he floated over to the box and gently grabbed one of the antennas that softened my anger.
He thumbed over the edge, tilting his head ever so slightly. “That’s your thing, Zooble. You’re the one that can change. Not me. Not anyone else.”
Once again, I stepped closer. “You just changed that song.”
“I changed what?”
“The song- that stupid f ucking …”
“Zooble! Language!”
I sighed loudly into my hands as I rubbed them down my face. “Forget it.”
He watched me in a way that made it pretty obvious that he wasn’t about to leave it be. In turn, I watched him process whatever was going on in his lack of a brain.
“Oh! Yes, the new lyrics!” He proudly proclaimed, putting his finger up as if he discovered something. “I guess those are new…”
“Exactly.” I muttered under my breath, grabbing the piece back from him. “No one told you to say Zoobie Bell. At least, I sure hope they didn’t.”
“Nope! That was all me! Which means…oh god, Zooble! I’m changing!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his exaggeration.
“Hey! This is serious!”
I glanced up at him, laying on the dry sarcasm thick over my words. “I’m taking it very seriously.”
“No you aren’t! I know that tone!”
I looked between him and the finger he had shoved into my space. Then, I was the one tilting my head to get a better angle. The piece fit perfectly into a groove in the top of his head.
His eyes went wide, and he rushed over to a mirror that appeared on the wall. “What have you DONE to me?”
“You can take it off,” I said as I wandered over to join him. “But I think it looks weirdly alright. If you did want to keep it.”
He raised his hand to it, his fingertips gracing the edges as he stared into the mirror. “This is your piece.”
“If it’s mine, then I get to decide what to do with it.”
“Ah, well, it looks better on you.”
It was one I rarely wore; it was golden and garish and pointy. It made him look like he had a crowned vampire tooth sticking through to the other side. And yet, I didn’t argue when he unattached it and stuck it gently onto me.
His hand brushed down my face, and I was lost for words.
“Oh, I got it! A singing competition!” He burst into the air, throwing his arms out. “That’ll wow the crowd!”
I reached up to the golden piece, clasping my fingers around it as I averted my gaze. “Yeah. Sure, Caine, whatever.”
“Oh, Zooble, don’t be like that! What should we sing then, huh?”
“Why do you think this looks good on me?”
We both froze up. He was processing the jarring subject change, and I couldn’t believe what I had asked. I sincerely hoped that the blush I felt didn’t show through in any part of my strange body.
“Nevermind. Get out.”
“But, Zooble, I-”
“I don’t care. Out.”
I pushed him out the door and leaned against it once it was shut. I slid down to the floor, tears rolling down my cheeks, all while I swore under my breath.
“F ucking Daisy Bell,” I muttered, ripping off a random piece of myself and chucking it at the mirror.
And yet, I kept the golden spike. It lodged itself into me, aching and needy.
I closed my eyes, let out a long, deep sigh, and started to sing. “There is a flower within my heart.
Daisy, Daisy
Planted one day by a glancing dart
Planted by Daisy Bell
Whether she loves me or loves me not
Sometimes it's hard to tell
Yet, I am longing to share the lot
Of beautiful…”
“Of beautiful…” Caine’s voice met mine right at the end, and the spike dug deeper as we harmonized. “Daisy Bell.”