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“What?” asked August.
“You know,” said Kate, the smile from her joke fading slightly. “Like from Mulan?”
August stared at her blankly.
“…The old cartoon?” she tried. “About…you know… the girl…”
Her voice faltered and came to a stop as August stared at her blankly.
“I’ve never seen that movie,” he said with a tiny shrug.
“Seriously?” she asked. She opened her mouth to ask him what the hell kind of a childhood he had, but stopped herself, remembering suddenly that he hadn’t had a childhood.
“How old are you, August?”
“Sixteen…?”
“No- I mean- Like really how old are you? How many years since you were…” She wasn’t sure how to say it. Born? Created? Catalyzed?
He understood what she meant, though.
“Four.”
“You’re four years old?” she asked quietly.
“I guess, technically.”
“You were just… twelve? When you were…?”
He nodded and then looked away. A heavy silence settled between them as they were reminded for the umpteenth time that August was not human.
“So you’re telling me I’ve been hanging out with a four-year-old this entire time?” she asked.
He looked at at her again, a faint expression on his face that could have been amusement or confusion or exasperation, and was most likely all three.
“‘Cause I have a reputation to uphold,” she said. “I can’t be seen spending time with some kid.”
August’s expression became more solid, until it almost seemed like he was smiling. Kate felt her own mouth works upwards.
“Sorry to damage your cred,” said August.
“You should be.”
August exhaled slightly out of his nose.
“Seriously, though,” said Kate. “You gotta see that movie.”
“I don’t really watch a lot of movies,” he said.
“So what do you do.”
“Read, mostly.”
“Laaame.”
“Kate, I had to do ten years of school in four. That involves a lot of reading.”
“What?”
“Like you said, I’m four. I was enrolled as junior at Colton. That’s a lot of catch-up.”
Kate went quiet, confronted with the reality of just how strange August’s life was.
“You did ten years of school in four?”
“Yeah, that’s what I just said.”
“That’s… so nerdy,” she said.
“I- What?”
“Unbelievable,” she said, shaking her head. “Not only am I hanging out with a four-year-old, I’m hanging out with a four-year-old nerd. I so have to step up my game…”
August was almost laughing now, a small smile on his lips and his breathing irregular. Kate felt victorious.
“Well, since I am such a good person, I will take it upon myself to get you up to speed on the really important stuff.”
“What do you mean?”
“You spent four years in a military compound reading, August. You’ve missed out on a lifetime of pop culture. What music do you even listen to?”
“Mostly classical…”
“Oh my god, August. Oh my god.” She took a deep breath, as if to compose herself. “It’s okay. I will fix this.”
August half-smiled at her, an odd look on his face.
“I play the violin. You should have known I wasn’t cool, Kate.”
Kate sighed.
“You know what? You’re right. I should have seen this coming.”
“Step up your game, Harker,” he said with a smile.
“Shut the fuck up, Flynn,” she replied pleasantly.