Chapter 152 - 153: Truth or Dare

Chapter 152: Chapter 153: Truth or Dare

They traveled for hours with the sun beating down on the wagon and the dust rising in thick clouds from the wheels and the road stretching out ahead of them like an endless ribbon of brown and green and gray, and the scenery never changed and the wagon never stopped and the boredom never ended.

Daniel sat in the wagon with his back against the rough wood and his legs stretched out in front of him and his eyes fixed on the window where the same trees and fields and trees and fields kept passing by in an endless loop that made him want to scream.

He was bored.

He looked at the others and saw that they were bored too, because Lyra was staring at the ceiling with the expression of someone who had run out of things to think about and Fluffy was curled up in a tight ball with her tail wrapped around her body and Cheeky was picking at a loose thread on her sleeve with the kind of obsessive attention that came from having absolutely nothing better to do and Mittens was watching the window with her cat ears flat and Paul was trying to sleep but failing because the wagon kept hitting bumps and Brick Head was picking his nose with the kind of deep concentration that suggested he had found something truly fascinating up there.

Daniel sighed and sat up and looked at the others. "All right," he said. "Let’s play another game."

They looked at him with curiosity in their eyes.

"What game?" Lyra asked.

Daniel thought about it for a moment. "Truth or Dare."

Fluffy tilted her head with confusion. "Truth or Dare?"

"Yes. One person asks another person truth or dare. If they choose truth, they have to answer a question honestly. If they choose dare, they have to do a challenge."

Fluffy nodded with understanding. "Fluffy understands."

"Good. I’ll go first."

He looked at the others with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Paul," he said. "Truth or dare?"

Paul thought about it for a moment. "Truth."

Daniel smiled. "Okay. What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?"

Paul’s face went red and he looked away and mumbled something under his breath.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"I said... I once tried to impress a girl by singing. But I couldn’t sing. So I just... made noises."

The others stared at him with their mouths open.

"What kind of noises?" Lyra asked.

Paul’s face went redder. "Like... like a dying cat."

The others burst out laughing with the kind of loud, unrestrained laughter that filled the wagon and echoed off the walls.

"A dying cat?" Daniel wheezed. "That’s amazing."

"It’s not amazing! It’s embarrassing!"

"It’s hilarious!"

Paul buried his face in his hands. "I hate you all."

It was Paul’s turn and he looked at the others with revenge in his eyes. "Cheeky," he said. "Truth or dare?"

Cheeky hesitated for a moment. "Truth."

Paul thought about it. "What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?"

Cheeky’s face went red and she looked away and mumbled something under her breath.

"What?" Paul asked.

"I said... I once tried to impress a boy by showing him my metal manipulation. But I accidentally made a metal flower that looked like a... like a..."

"Like a what?"

"Like a... a penis."

The others stared at her with their mouths open.

"A metal penis?" Daniel asked.

Cheeky’s face went redder. "It was an accident!"

"How do you accidentally make a metal penis?" Lyra asked.

"I was trying to make a flower! But the petals... they didn’t... they didn’t look right!"

The others burst out laughing with the kind of loud, unrestrained laughter that made the wagon shake.

"A metal penis!" Daniel wheezed. "That’s amazing!"

"It’s not amazing! It’s embarrassing!"

"It’s hilarious!"

Cheeky buried her face in her hands. "I hate you all."

It was Cheeky’s turn and she looked at the others with determination in her eyes. "Fluffy," she said. "Truth or dare?"

Fluffy thought about it. "Dare."

Cheeky thought about it. "I dare you to... do a dance."

Fluffy tilted her head. "A dance?"

"Yes. A dance."

Fluffy stood up and started dancing with the kind of wild, uninhibited energy that only a shadow cat could possess, wiggling her hips and waving her arms and hopping on one foot and spinning around in circles.

The others watched with their mouths open and their eyes wide.

"That’s... that’s something," Daniel said.

"Fluffy is dancing!" Fluffy shouted.

"You’re... you’re definitely dancing."

Fluffy stopped and looked at them with her tail wagging. "Did Fluffy do good?"

"You did... something."

"Fluffy will take that as a yes."

It was Fluffy’s turn and she looked at the others with excitement in her eyes. "Mittens," she said. "Truth or dare?"

Mittens hesitated. "Truth."

Fluffy thought about it. "What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?"

Mittens’s face went red and she looked away and mumbled something under her breath.

"What?" Fluffy asked.

"I said... I once tried to catch a mouse. But I tripped. And I fell into a mud puddle. And the mouse... the mouse laughed at me."

The others stared at her with their mouths open.

"The mouse laughed at you?" Daniel asked.

"It... it made a sound. It sounded like laughing."

"Mice don’t laugh."

"This one did."

The others burst out laughing with the kind of loud, unrestrained laughter that made Mittens’s face go even redder.

"A laughing mouse!" Daniel wheezed. "That’s amazing!"

"It’s not amazing! It’s embarrassing!"

"It’s hilarious!"

Mittens buried her face in her hands. "I hate you all."

It was Mittens’s turn and she looked at the others with a small smile on her face. "Brick Head," she said. "Truth or dare?"

Brick Head grinned with excitement. "Dare!"

Mittens thought about it. "I dare you to... do a handstand."

Brick Head stood up and did a handstand and held it for a second before falling over in a heap.

"Ow," he said.

The others laughed.

"Good try," Daniel said.

"Thanks!"

It was Brick Head’s turn and he looked at the others with a grin that suggested he had been waiting for this moment. He looked at Lyra and his grin widened.

"Lyra," he said. "Truth or dare?"

Lyra hesitated for a moment. "Truth."

Brick Head thought about it and his grin widened even more. "Do you love Daniel?"

The wagon went silent.

Lyra’s face went red and her eyes widened and her mouth opened but no words came out.

"What?" she whispered.

"Do you love Daniel?" Brick Head repeated.

"I... I..."

She looked at Daniel and he was looking at her with his expression calm and his eyes curious.

"I... I don’t..."

She looked away and her face was burning.

"I... I don’t know," she whispered.

Brick Head tilted his head. "You don’t know?"

"I... I don’t know what love is. I’ve never... I’ve never felt it before."

She paused and took a breath.

"But... but I feel something. When I’m with him. Something... something warm. Something... something safe."

She looked at Daniel and her eyes were wet.

"I don’t know if it’s love. But it’s... it’s something."

The wagon was silent.

Daniel looked at her with his expression unreadable and his eyes soft.

"Lyra," he said.

She looked at him. "Yes?"

"I feel something too."

She blinked. "You do?"

"Yes."

"What... what do you feel?"

Daniel smiled a warm and gentle smile. "I feel... happy. When I’m with you. When I see you smile. When I hear you laugh."

He paused.

"I don’t know if it’s love. But it’s something."

Lyra stared at him with her eyes wet and her heart pounding.

"Okay," she whispered. "Okay."

The game continued but the atmosphere had changed and it was softer and warmer and more intimate.

Brick Head didn’t notice because he was too busy picking his nose.

"Alright," he said. "My turn again."

He looked at the others and his grin widened when he looked at Daniel.

"Daniel," he said. "Truth or dare?"

Daniel hesitated for a moment. "Dare."

Brick Head’s grin widened even more. "I dare you to kiss Lyra."

The wagon went silent.

Daniel’s eyes widened and Lyra’s face went red.

"What?" Daniel whispered.

"You heard me," Brick Head said. "Kiss her."

"I... I can’t just..."

"You have to! It’s a dare!"

Daniel looked at Lyra and she was looking at him with her face burning and her eyes wide.

"Lyra," he said. "You don’t have to—"

"It’s a dare," she whispered. "You have to."

"But—"

"It’s okay."

Daniel stared at her with her red face and her wide eyes and her trembling lips.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She nodded with a small, quick nod.

Daniel took a breath and leaned in.