Page 74 of Nine-Tenths

And now I can't unknow it.

That moment of intimate confession was stolen from me.

I hate them. I hate myself, and this worry, and this griefso fucking much,that I'm up off the sofa and down at the front door of Hadi's apartment building before I understand what I mean to do.

"He's missing!" I screech at the assembled mass of paps scrambling over the lawn in front of her apartment building. How did they even know I was here? I must look like shit: hair unwashed, scruff no longer artful, bruises under my eyes and tear-tracks on my cheeks. I don’t care. The crowd strains forward to jam their phones in my face. "Do you idiots not get that? The Lieutenant Governor came andtook him away!"

Someone shouts, "Oh sure!" and they explode into uproarious laughter.

"Everyone knows you can't make a dragondoanything!"

"Was it you who broke it off?" someone shouts, and I stand there, gawping, as they barrage me with obscene, personal, terrible questions:What did I do to make Dav leave? Have Dav and I ever fucked while he was in dragonshape? Who takes it up the ass? Why was I forcing Dav to work in a coffee shop?

"He was a volunteer," I say. "We didn't break up."

Didn’t we? I press my hand against my pocket, push the pin into my hip.

He'd been so scared.

"Theykidnapped him," I shout over the noise. "I haven't heard from him in a week! He would never worry me like this, he must be somewhere, being held against his will, or… or… ordered to… I don't know. Isn'tthatthe story, here?"

Laughter again.

Another piece of the puzzle clicks into place.

The media tells us what we're supposed to think about dragons. They share—or don't share—information with the public. And they're notlistening. They don’t believe me. They don't give a shit. I need someone to give a shit.

I run back inside and grab my phone.

#MarquessNiagarais a trending topic, so I send out:#MarquessNiagara was taken by Lt. Gov. Simcoe against his will. He is missing.

The message takes forever to upload and then… blips out of existence.

"No," I whisper.

I'm the #MarquessNiagara’s boyfriend. We didn't break up. He was forcefully removed from the café by dragons.

Uploading… gone.

"No," I howl, furious.

Hello new followers! I'm Colin, and I studied Sustainable Tourism and Biodiverse Winemaking. Remember to take only pictures and leave only memories when you visit our beautiful Garden City!

Uploading… posted.

I work at @Beanevolence and the #MarquessNiagara was our volunteer bean-roaster while our kitchen was being renovated.

Uploading. Gone.

I look forward to sharing how you can promote #SustainableTourism in your own city.

Posted.

Help me. They took him, and I don't know where he is, and I'm afraid they'll hurt him. Help me, please.

Account suspended for 24 hours.

Chapter Twenty-One

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