Page 85 of Can you take it?

A large door, matching the stone of the wall, opened with a great creak and thud. We followed the man inside blindly, too tired to be fully prepared for what could be on the other side. We entered what appeared to be an old-style gothic manor—apparently equipped with a boat ramp. Inside, we were greeted by light chimes of laughter. Anna and I exchanged a look, recognizing it.

“Eletha?” Anna asked, picking up her pace.

We turned the corner into a dark, poorly lit living room. Walter and Eletha were cuddled up on the couch, with half of Eletha’s body draped over Walter and their faces only an inch apart. A small bar stood in the corner, where it sounded like another servant was telling Bexley a hilarious joke.

“Oh no,” Anna said, noticing the drink in front of Bexley. “I kind of thought he might have given that up. It was sort of amazing when he threw the flask in the sea and saved Walter.”

I shrugged and silently cursed the man. I knew he had potential, and if he wanted to, he could change a lot of lives.

I looked around the room, feeling uneasy about how calm it was. I nodded to Walter but kept walking toward Bexley at the bar. I couldn’t hold it in anymore—I was frustrated and disappointed. How could he not want something better?

“Hey, man,” Bexley said with a smile.

The smile surprised me. “I wasn’t sure you knew how to smile,” I said, and the light faded slightly from his eyes.

“Yeah, me neither. Did you see what happened back there?” he asked, sounding excited and lighting up again.

The servant interrupted us. “Sir, would you like another one? Perhaps something stronger?” The waiter held up a tall already-poured glass of a dark emerald-green liquid. I had no idea what it was, but Bexley seemed to recognize it immediately. “Six barrels,” he muttered, staring at the glass. “I’ve been wanting to try one of those for decades.”

I rolled my eyes, about to walk off, thinking my words would be useless on him. But his next words surprised me.

“No, I’ll stick with my water,” he said, sounding somewhat sad and proud at the same time.

“Water?” I asked, looking into his drink.

It was a short crystal glass, giving the impression that it was something much stronger.

“Yeah, water,” Bexley affirmed. “I decided maybe I should give up drinking and dust for a little bit. Maybe I could do something more useful.” He said the last part with a hint of a question, and though we hadn’t been friends for long, I knew he was waiting for my opinion.

“I think that’s a great idea,” I said, ordering myself some water. “What you did back there was really impressive,” I added, slapping him on the back a few times. On the last slap, I felt him straighten, his chest swelling with pride.

“Yeah, I’ve never done anything like that,” he said quietly. “You saved Walter’s life. For that, we’re all incredibly grateful to you. You did a good thing, Bexley. Maybe there’s hope for you yet,” I said with a grin, half joking.

But as soon as the words left my mouth, he lit up visibly as if he’d never been praised for anything in his entire life…and maybe he hadn’t.

I sat down on the stool next to him. “Yeah, how’d you do it? Tell me everything. What were you thinking when you threw your flask in the water?”

“You saw me throw it?” he said excitedly, and I couldn’t help but grin at his enthusiasm. “Then I just grabbed him. I don’t know how it all worked out,” he said after he had finished recounting the story.

“So, what now?” I asked. “Are you really done with drinking for good?”

His face grew serious, and again, that sad look appeared in his eyes. “Yeah. I know it’s going to be difficult, but there’s a lot of things I can’t do drunk and fixing myself is one of them.”

I nodded slowly, unsure of what to say.

“Besides, drinking and me don’t really mix. I think it’s gonna be really hard at first, but I’m thinking…” He trailed off.

“What?” I asked.

“I’m thinking about going to the human realm.” My eyes widened in surprise. “Really?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said, glancing around to see if anyone else had heard him. “I’m thinking maybe I might be able to do more in the human realm, like what I did for Walter.”

“Save him from drowning in a bloody sea?” I asked with a smile.

He rolled his eyes. “No, help them.”

“You think you’d like to help the humans?” I asked, somewhat surprised. Not sure why, though—Bexley had been helping us the entire journey.