"Of course; you two are her best friends," Jericho replied. "If anyone should know what is going on, it is the two of you."

Kenneth sighed. "Then I guess bringing her the field trip announcement won't matter."

"A field trip in October? The school system is still pulling cold stunts like that?" Jericho questioned. "Make sure to dress warmly."

"Yeah," the youth replied as he forwarded the doc.u.ment to Jericho. "The field trip looks like a fun one, this time. I was hoping you and Moira wouldn't miss out on it."

Jericho looked over the announcement. "Students, the time has come for you to experience the diversity of life on our planet. See in person many living rare, endangered, and dangerous species. This experience will be worth more than just the virtual simulation of these various life-forms. This Thursday, the 16th of October 2741, we are going on a field trip to the Philadelphia Zoo. Tickets for these places will be funded by the school. Food and other additional fun activities are your own expense. Tell your guardians. Each student is allowed to bring one adult with them if they choose. The buses will be leaving promptly at 9:00 AM and will be departing back to New Castle promptly at 3:00 PM, 4:30 PM, and 7:00 PM. If adults would like to drive their own vehicles, they are responsible for their own parking fees. The school is not responsible if any child or adult does not make it to the bus on time. Students who miss this field trip will have an extra a.s.signment the day after."

Alexander sighed. "The rest of the announcement is a bit sappy. But, there you have it. We have the field trip is to go and visit the closest place where we can meet a bunch of different types of animals. It will be exciting."

Jericho glanced over at the specialized chair Gathlau had bought for Moira. "Why do they still only give such short notice for these things?" He sighed. "You are right, she likely would be sad to miss it. I'll tell Moira about it and see if she wants to go."

"But what about the danger you talked about?" Kenneth asked.

Jericho sighed. "Just because terrible things have happened, doesn't mean we should stop living," he slightly shook with anxiety. Saying it was easier than doing it this time. "There is a difference between living and living." His eyes darkened. "Living in fear of going outside your own door is not productive, especially when the threat is real."

Alex nodded. "Moira was right; you are filled with strange wisdom."

Ken chuckled. "Zen wisdom," he corrected.

Jericho hid his hand that was clenched and pale. "What people call it doesn't matter. Whether or not she will go on this field trip is her choice, but I will ask. I shouldn't make decisions like these for her."

Alexander nodded. "That's fair."

Kenneth grinned. "Soooo, Jericho, my parents and Alex's family will be busy that day, do you think that even if Moira chooses not to go that you could come as our adult?" He looked hopeful.

"I'll think about it," Jericho replied uncomfortably, thinking about the dangers of leaving Moira home alone. "Your excitement is understandable. When I was your age, seeing a lot of different life forms fascinated me too," he said with a smile to take the edge off of his nerves.

Kenneth smiled. "I have another reason for asking you."

"Yes?"

"Well, you see, there is this exchange student at our school. Her name is Elyona. A couple weeks ago, we made Moira mad at school, and your sister, she…" Ken started rambling.

Alex held out his hand to stop Kenneth from going off topic. "Elyona and Moira became friends a couple of weeks ago. While Elyona doesn't seem to trust us, she actually came over to ask us if we knew why Moira wasn't at school today. We offered for her to tag along with us to find out, but she wouldn't come."

Jericho nodded, not understanding the connection. "Moira told me about her. And this relates to inviting me as an adult on your field trip, how?"

Kenneth smiled. "She and Moira are good friends. If you and Moira come, she will most definitely hang out with her. If Moira can't come I know she will be sad. Ely really likes your music. So if you come, maybe she won't be as sad. She said your music the only music she has heard that hasn't hurt her ears. You see, she is one of those other species that we only have learned a little bit about in school. Her skin is grey and wrinkly. She has a large nose and big ears. She speaks funny and will whisper things under her breath. n.o.body can understand her. She really does remind people of an elephant."

Alex playfully punched his friend. "As long as you don't act like the other stupid kids in cla.s.s and call her Ely the Elephant, there won't be many problems."

Jericho frowned at the sound of the bullying. Growing up, he too faced the mockery of others his own age. "No wonder Elyona is cautious around you. You have picked on her as well, haven't you?"

The two boys looked down in guilt. "Yeah, but we aren't as mean as the other kids."

The bard sighed. "So, it is okay to be mean to others as long as it isn't quite as mean as another person?"

"No…"

"Then you should apologize to her. I can tell you want to be her friend; even if it is because she is Moira's friend."

Alexander frowned as he looked at the bard who started tearing. "Jericho, are you crying?"

The bard let out a soft heh. "Yeah I'm crying. Why shouldn't a man cry?"

"Because it isn't manly?" Ken questioned.

"Manliness is a dumb reason to do or not do things."

"I'll remember that," the boy replied. "Manly doesn't mean cool."

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Jericho nodded. "No wonder she is getting bullied though, people still fear things that are different from themselves. Based on your description, Elyona is a Homidream. You would be more familiar with their other name though, a Dream-Eater. Their race has a hard time with some technological frequencies which would be why she has a hard time with music that is made completely by modern technology."

Alexander nodded. "Since you seem to know more about them, can you tell us?"

Jericho nodded. "Knowing may help, but it won't change habits. Dream-Eaters are very empathic and among all of the unusual races out there, they are one of the friendliest. Because they are empaths, they will often attempt to appear similar to the races around them. However, empathy can be a wonderful and horrible thing. Imagine feeling everyone's fear of you. I just hope she can meet enough good humans. It is hard being different from others in a strange environment." Jericho sighed as he looked at the time. "We have been talking for over an hour. I'm sure your family is wondering why you aren't home yet. As for your request, I'll think about it and talk to Moira."

"Oh, right! I really should call my mom and ask her to pick us up." Ken stood, walked down the hall and gave his mother a call.

Alex looked at Jericho. "On a different topic, given the present situation with what is going on with you and Moira, I would like to request my music lessons be done in-game if that is alright."

Jericho nodded. "I would prefer to do it in person but you are right, in-game is probably the safer option. The music played in-game isn't much different than reality. You can get Moira's permission when we meet up later. I don't know what conditions she will ask of you for borrowing me."

"Thanks, Jericho," Alexander replied.

Jericho nodded. "I was a little shocked to hear about you picking on Elyona."

Alex frowned. "What's it to you?"

Jericho sighed. "How's Cori doing? Is she doing well out in the wilds of Wyoming?"

Alexander flinched at the random question. "How do you know my oldest sister?"

Jericho looked up to see Ken walking back towards the front room. "I'll tell you later."

Alex glared.

Jericho smiled at Moira's friend. "You know, if Ken's in-game character was real, he wouldn't be too different from Elyona."

Kenneth came back into the room. "What about my character?"

The kid adjusted his gla.s.ses, realizing that Jericho was staying silent because Kenneth was nearby. "Your character is a lot like Ely. I hadn't thought about it since your character isn't real and she is."

A few minutes pa.s.sed in awkward silence. Kenneth's mom pulled into the driveway. The two boys left.

"Man, that bites," Kenneth sighed as they rode home. "And here I was hoping Moira and I could dance together again later today."

Alex patted his friend's back. "At least we know she will recover. A year may seem like a long time but we have both the game and the future to hang out with her."

"Right," Kenneth replied drearily. "But what if she changes because of this?"

Alexander slapped the back of his friend's head. "Of course this will change her. Change is inevitable. Aren't you different after your simple run-in with Jericho?"

"You have a point." Kenneth rubbed the back of his head. "Speaking of him, what do you think about Jericho?"

"He's interesting. He is smarter and craftier than I would have expected. I think I will enjoy learning music from him."

***

Jericho extracted the video file of the satyrs dancing and the time Princess sung the female part of the composition from his gaming pod. He worked on compiling the pieces of his composition together. He was waiting for Moira to be almost done with her school work.

He hit the play b.u.t.ton and an enhanced and more vibrant variation of The Eternal Dance played. "Done," he said with a grin. Working on his music always seemed to allow him to forget the harshness of reality. "This will complete the third track for the alb.u.m. Compet.i.tive Kittens, A Wordless Farewell, and now The Eternal Dance; I wonder what adventures will lead to completion of this first alb.u.m? I can't take too long. I need to earn more money to pay off the debt of Moira's hospital visit and treatment. The stupid universal healthcare will only cover a small portion of it."

-Jericho,- Mingan's voice echoed in the bard's head.

"What is it, Mingan? You rarely talk."

-Why did you allow Gathlau to call out Alexander? You know his sister doesn't like us.-

"It caught me off guard. I wasn't prepared to stop it. Besides, he wasn't wrong. Even if they aren't the same species, he shouldn't have bullied her. What would she do if his human facade was ripped off one day? Would she help him or would she join the others in bullying him?"

-I see. This reminded Gathlau of that time then.-

"Most likely."

-Are you going to go and help out Moira's friend Elyona? I know Gathlau would do so in a heartbeat.–

"I want to help her," his voice trailed off as he fought with his conflicted emotions. "But I don't want to leave Moira in the house alone."

-Then tomorrow, after your music lesson with Mike, why don't you and Moira take a trip to visit her? It would be more productive than visiting the zoo. Visiting a zoo isn't a wise idea for an empath.-

Jericho thought for a bit as Gathlau excitedly replied –Do it! Or let me do it!-

"Alright, Gath; tomorrow, you can take Moira to visit her friend. But remember to keep our secret."

Gathlau smiled in their mind s.p.a.ce. – Always, Jericho, thank you for showing a tiny fleck of trust. I can't promise that I won't disappoint you. I can't promise that you won't regret it. What I can promise is that the more trust you give me, the less like The Conductor you will be.-

The chilly air caused Jericho to s.h.i.+ver. "That window needs to have more than just a trash bag covering it at some point," he said to s.h.i.+ft to a less awkward topic.

Mingan chuckled calmly. -Moira should be about done with her school work. You should log in and play with her. She will need the company after what has happened. Maybe playing the game will help ease your worrying as well. Besides, the police are watching the house. If someone attempts to break in to cause trouble, the police will know right away.-

"Thanks Mingan, I know I don't understand you half the time but I do appreciate the rea.s.surance."

-Of course. I am going to go commune the other spirits of the wild. There are a few answers I seek. Your screaming was very disruptive yesterday. Please do not come and bother me for a while.-

"Alright, sorry," Jericho replied. He booted up the game he had left alone for approximately 42 hours.

[Welcome back, Jericho the Bard.]