Thanks to a lovely email from a reader, I remembered that I have long wanted to post some of what was deleted from This Is Shyness during the editing process. In my original manuscript, I included seven chapters told from the points of view of characters other than Wolfboy and Wildgirl, namely: Ortolan, The Kidd, Guadalupe, The Dreamer, Paul, Blake and Diana.
Wolfman is holding my monkey don’t make mistakes. Monkey tap his head like that and grin with holey monkey teeth and it only mean one thing.
Sugar.
`You holding’ I says to wolfman.
`Not me. I know better than that.’
I expect him to growl but he talk proper even though he kind of beast looking. Past age but not wrinkly yet. Probably he did school before the Darkness.
They kind of rare these wolf dudes but I seen them before. Big guy hairy like a monster under your bed teeth all pointy and hungry. Wonder if he know a colony of wolf people by the old velodrome they sleep in the clubhouse. Sometimes we take our bikes over and see who can go the steep part without falling off and wolf people don’t bother us. Not scared just know what we can do for them. Don’t bother not even when we roll over the drunk ones like speed humps. We get them things for their parties bloody things from the hospital that make their eyes pop and they don’t come down for days just run and howl around the bike track til they fall over. Wonder if he know about that.
Monkey jump up and down on my shoulder and point. Her.
She the one holding I know it now. It make sense she full of juice. Wolfman know the score but cola-colour City girl don’t.
I turn to her. She barely past age. I’m razor sharp at this time sticky blood racing around my body I am fast fast faster. I been sneaking from my little stash and I flying on every crose in DG’s book.
`You. City girl.’
`What the fuck is your problem, you little shit?’
She jumping and swinging her bag ready to fight fast feet and all. Nightmare mouth. You’d swear she on it. If she not past the line she be killer I might have pinch her for my team.
`Hold your bag out.’
`What are you gonna do if I don’t?’
All around me I got my unit the Four-Threes five strong. From ground to head guy me. Furry friends in the power lines on top of houses ready when I whistle.
So what I gonna do if she don’t give me goodies is furries gonna knock her to the ground and put their sneaky little fingers on every part searching for treasure. Then we gonna ride over her with our wheels all spiky take her sugar and write all over her Kidds Rush In. Sometimes we use textas sometimes knives sometimes cigarettes.
Wolfman just take the bag out her hand and drop it in front. She can’t believe it. He grab her and keep her still. Good dog.
`Baby’ I say hustle Baby Glaze forward with one hand. Baby Glaze is so jumpy he got drool falling from his chin streaking down his t-shirt. I gave him good stuff this time hospital grade in a plastic baggie syrupy medical junk for fast sorption.
Baby don’t want to search her bag his eyes go all pleady cause you know he still believe in girl germs. It suit us to keep him believing. We can make him do almost anything with the girl germ angle.
`Party after this Baby’ I tell. `All the junk you want.’
We almost piss ourself as he go through that bag like it crawling with photo virus. Baby got an open chocolate milk in his pocket and when he bend over it spill everywhere and make him look like he shit his pants. Eventually he find jelly beans and chewy and cough lollies and he so relieved.
`Thank you for doing business’ I bow to the wolfman and the city chick most polite before I get back on my bike. I don’t do mistakes me. I been training for years. Waited my years til I was age enough to have my own unit.
`Don’t know why you bother with the small stuff’ says wolf dude, and I got to agree with him. I gonna get places get to the top of my building and then across to work with The Man.
We cycle off and close my eyes and pump legs and might be flying. We high and laughing and roll to the old bowling alley and see what hides there. Can’t stand the thought the night keep going and I’m not out there in it. We fly and we high and the night the night just keep speeding up.