Animalis by John Peter Jones Page B

the army before being promoted to captain herself,” Hank said, his voice fading to a whisper as Hurley Grimshaw came closer.
    “Jesus probably wouldn’t tell you, but apparently you’ve both impressed him,” she said.
    Jax again stifled a smile, this time at her Latin American pronunciation of Captain Hernandez’s first name, which to Jax sounded more like, “Hey, Zeus.”
    “How old are you two?” She stopped in front of them and extended her hand. The four-o’clock sun scattered amongst the wild curls of her hair, turning the outer layer into a glowing firestorm of color.
    “Seventeen, Miss Grimshaw,” Hank said, taking her hand. Her bracelets jingled with the handshake. “Hank Schneps. This is your plane?” He pointed to the pearl-white plane behind her. The design was wide and flat with curves that were graceful and ornamental.
    Grimshaw looked up at the plane and nodded. “She spoils us. I might have gone overboard with this one, but sometimes you just need to indulge.”
    “It’s an Atticus Five, right? Resplendently sumptuous. I’ve read a lot about them. I’m a big fan. Incredible to see one in person,” Hank said.
    “What about you?” Grimshaw asked, turning to Jax. She seemed like she was about to ask about the animal container he was carrying.
    Jax started to lift the cage.
    “Oh, what happened?” Grimshaw asked him. “Your lip, your ear. I’m certainly not a doctor, but I could at least help you get those bandages on properly.”
    She brought her hand up to adjust the bandage on his ear, but Jax recoiled and took a step back. He brought his own hand up to cover the ear.
    “It’s nothing,” he said. “Little accident.”
    Her act of tenderness made Jax feel strange. When her hand had first reached toward him, he’d felt the warmth of her caring. It made him feel … important to her, like he had always been her friend. But then his doubts had risen: I don’t even know her. Is she going to ask me for a favor? Expect me to care about her? It was a responsibility to allow someone to care for you, and Jax had unconsciously refused that responsibility.
    Her outreached hand turned gracefully into a handshake, and her smile never wavered. Jax took her hand, jingling her bracelets with a gentle shake. The rough surface of his hand felt to him like a knife edge against her soft, delicate skin.
    “Jax Minette. Thank you for giving us a jump. It sounds like Captain Hernandez really admires you,” Jax said.
    She smiled modestly and furrowed her eyebrows for just a moment, making it hard for Jax to gauge her reaction.
    “If he only knew …” she said, then her gaze drifted to the trees gently swaying, their autumn leaves shimmering with color.
    Jax still couldn’t reconcile the image of Grimshaw the captain had portrayed, and who she actually was. Would the captain have been just as surprised to see this person standing before them?
    A chittering sound came from the cage in Jax’s hand, and Grimshaw looked down at it again.
    “What beautiful animals!” Grimshaw said, crouching to look at the creatures better. “These are the two Jesus told me about? Hello, friends. What are their names?”
    Hank stepped closer and said, “These were rescued from an Animalis militant’s plane. It’s not certain, but I believe they are a new, and demonstrably dangerous, species that the Animalis have created.”
    “Of course they’re dangerous,” Grimshaw said. “Who wouldn’t want to protect themselves.” She popped open the cage. “You don’t like that cage, do you?”
    Hank shook his head. “I’m telling you—”
    But it was too late. Immediately, the white one leaped out. Jax set the cage down and reached for it before it had a chance to bolt, but it was too quick.
    Grimshaw shook her wrists, jangling her army of bracelets. The animal stopped and sat up on its hind legs, watching and listening to the sound. After a moment, it went to her, sniffing her knee before batting at the