Journey to the Unknown
Jacqueline A. Francis
Journey to the Unknown
Copyright © 2016 by Jacqueline A. Francis
Kindle Edition
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Epigraph
Part One: Newton’s First Law of Motion
That night: Three months ago
November, 5
November, 6
15 years ago
November, 7
November, 8
November, 9
3 years ago
November, 10
November, 11
November, 12
November, 13
8 years ago
November, 14
November, 15
November, 16
November, 17
November, 18
Part Two: Newton’s Second Law of Motion
November, 19
November, 20
That night: Three months ago
November, 20
November, 21
November, 22
November, 23
November, 24
November, 25
November, 26
November, 27
November, 28
November, 29
Part Three: Newton’s Third Law of Motion
December, 1
December, 2
December, 5
December, 9
December, 10
December, 13
December, 16
December, 19
December, 20
December, 23
December, 25
December, 26
Part Four: Newton’s Law of Gravity
June, 10
June, 28
One year later…
Get in My Head
Saint Christopher
Holy Patron of travelers, protect me and lead me safely to my destiny
There’s no need to be so delicate with your heart. It has the stamina to last a lifetime, not a single bone to break, and is bound securely, red with fury, in a set of ribs like a cage match – it’s never required your concern or protection, the heart was built to take a punch.
– Beau Taplin // The Ronda Rousey of the Human Body
Part One
Newton’s First Law of Motion:
An object will continue at a state of rest, or uniform motion, unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
THAT NIGHT
Three months ago…
“We’re gonna be best friends forever, right, Kev?”
Kevin rolled his eyes as a lazy arm was strewn across his shoulder and a wet kiss was slapped on his temple. Perry was drunk as fuck again and he always started sprouting this sentimental shit when he was pissed. After fifteen years of friendship, Kevin should’ve been used to it by now…but he wasn’t.
Although a little on the skinny side, Perry was a good four inches taller than Kevin and it was becoming difficult to keep his heavy body upright. It was a little after midnight and it didn’t seem like Perry was going to last much longer. The beginning of August brought the start of the countdown. The fall semester would be starting in a few weeks and they were enjoying their time off from college a little too much. There was an abandoned building on the outskirts of their hometown and drunken nights in this quiet parking lot were becoming a regular occurrence. However, getting drunk came with the side-effect of dealing with the inebriated antics of his crazy friend.
“Let’s just do it,” Perry said, swaying as he leaned closer. “Let’s make all those rumors people say about us true. Pucker up, big boy.”
Kevin laughed and pushed his face in the other direction to avoid his approaching lips. “The only reason there are rumors about us in the first place is because you always do this stupid shit every time you get wasted.”
Perry was straighter than an arrow. His girlfriend was talking to Clayton a mere ten feet away, but being hit on was another thing Kevin had to entertain whenever alcohol ran through his friend’s veins.
“If you had a pair of tits and a big, juicy ass, I could definitely see myself being attracted to you. You’re just that pretty.”
“Oh, God, Perry. You know I’m a sucker for compliments; it gets me so horny. Tits are overrated.” He licked his lips in a way that was borderline repulsive and inched closer. “Take me, you hunk of a man.”
Perry pushed him away this time, snickering through his lethargic drunkenness. Kevin wasn’t even half as drunk, but he cracked up as well.
He opened another can of beer and it was snatched out of his hand before he could even take a sip. It was the sixteenth one he’d opened and the sixteenth one that had been stolen. It was the reason why he was still semi-sober.
“I love you, man,” Perry said before chugging down half the can. “You know who else I love? That girl right there.”
Kevin looked in the direction of his wagging finger and saw Shandré leaning over the hood of Clayton’s car. Pretty sweet sight. Dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a green tank top, that girl had a body that could fulfill any man’s fantasy. She was all curves, tall yet still voluptuous. And that ass…That ass was so big, each cheek had its own time zone. She was stunning; big, hazel eyes and flawless brown skin. She was the only girl he’d ever met who could pull off any kind of hairstyle and she’d had plenty. From big afros to thin braids, even completely bald; she was simply stunning. If Perry hadn’t claimed her as his future baby-momma the second he saw her, Kevin would have tapped that years ago.
“You hear that?” Perry shouted and she turned to face them with a slow shake of her head. “Yeah, you with that fat ass! I love you!”
There he goes again, Kevin thought. Sloppy and sentimental.
“Baby, you’re so drunk,” she said, closing the gap between herself and Perry. “Let’s go home and get you into bed.”
A dirty grin lifted the corners of Perry’s mouth. “First explain to me what exactly we’re gonna do in that bed.”
She smirked. “Nothin’. You probably can’t even get it up in the state you’re in.”
“I don’t need to hear this,” Kevin said, quickly removing Perry’s arm from around his neck. He needed to get away before they started…Nope. He wasn’t fast enough. They were already making out. They were sickeningly affectionate, and even though Clayton could be a dick at times, Kevin opted to spend the rest of the night with him instead of watching the two of them tongue each other.
Clayton was the last addition to their small circle of friends. He lived one block away from Kevin and Perry. They’d all been in the same school since first grade, but Clayton had only started hanging out with them in their freshman year of college. It wasn’t even by choice. It just
so happened that a few of Clayton’s classes coincided with Kevin’s. Studying together led to socializing and somehow he became part of the crew.
“You’d think after four years together, they’d be able to keep their hands off each other,” Clayton said as he reached the car.
“I don’t know how they do it,” Kevin agreed. “I can barely last a month with a girl.”
“I’m averaging a week and a half.”
He chuckled and opened another beer. “That’s because you’re a man-whore.”
“Just ’cause you have a designated fuck-buddy, doesn’t mean you’re not a whore,” Clayton retorted and with his slurred words, Kevin realized how wasted he actually was. “I can’t believe you’ve been boning the same girl for years and you haven’t made an honest woman out of her yet.”
Kevin rolled his eyes. It was his standard response whenever the topic of Claire came up. “We don’t like each other like that.”
Clayton took the beer from his hand and took a good, long sip before returning it. Kevin finished the can and decided he was done with this night. If it carried on for much longer, he’d be the one cleaning up vomit and he’d much rather get laid.
“Clay, drop me off at Claire’s house.”
“Sure, man.”
“Yo, Perry!” Kevin shouted, forcing the lovebirds to finally come up for air. “C’mon, man. We’re leaving.”
“So, Kev, I’ve been thinking,” Perry said, using Shandré as a support beam as he hobbled towards the car. “We should go to Florida.”
Kevin rolled his eyes for the five-hundredth time that night. Perry had been talking about a trip to Florida since they were twelve and Kevin still couldn’t see what his fascination with the state was. And he especially didn’t care at this time of night. He was thinking with his dick right now. He just wanted to go to Claire’s house and let her wrap him up in every part of her that was warm and wet. “Perry, what the hell is in Florida?”
“Di’ney World, motherfucker!” he replied, putting on his best Adam Sandler impersonation. “I want Ariel to sit on my lap and play with my afro.”
“You don’t have an afro.”
“I’ll grow one for the trip.”
Shandré snorted, looking up at him. “Bitch will get her flippers torn off if she sits on my man.”
“You jealous, baby? She may get to sit on my lap, but you are the only one…the only one who gets to sit on my face.”
“You’re so romantic,” she said with a giggle.
They rubbed their noses together in the sickening way they always did and Kevin had to suppress a gag. He was becoming more irritable. “Both of you just get in the car.”
“It’s not a bad idea,” Clayton piped up. “We could go next year during Spring break. Party in Miami then stop in Orlando. It’ll be epic. The beaches are beautiful there and the women…”
“Fine,” Kevin agreed. “Parties, beaches, women…and Ariel. We’ll do all of that next year. Right now, can we all just get in the car!”
Clayton laughed and straightened, but without the support of his car, Kevin could see how unsteady he was on his feet. “You sure you’re okay to drive, Clay?”
“Yeah, man.” He gave a lazy smile. “I’m fine.”
November, 5
Great Falls, Montana
The beeping of his alarm pulled him out of his thoughts. It was a reminder that another day had passed, another day was now here. Kevin didn’t need the alarm to wake him up. He never really fell asleep, not since that night. This was the life he’d come to know, a life of feeling too much and yet nothing at all. He was in a constant state of semi-consciousness, a state where he was not asleep, but not fully awake either. It was a potent blend, a place where dreams mix with reality, a place where what-ifs were confused with what is.
He was the only one who came out of that car crash unharmed. He’d watched as they zipped up Perry and Shandré in black body bags. Clayton had been rushed to the ICU only to discover that his legs couldn’t be saved and had to be amputated. And here he was, perfectly fine with nothing but a scratch down his forearm. Life was using guilt as the dick to fuck his mind.
He’d replayed that night in his head a million times, thinking of all the things he could have done differently to prevent this eventuality, this existence.
A lot can happen in fifteen years. From kindergarten to college. From learning to read to learning to drive. First day at school. First Batman figurine. First PlayStation. First crush. First kiss. First boner. First porn movie. First chest hair. First taste of alcohol. He’d had his firsts of almost everything in the last fifteen years, and even though Perry may not have been part of every experience, he was always there.
And now he was gone.
There was nothing left, nothing except memories and habits. He hated this room, and yet he hardly ever left it. After his brother, Max, left to study in California, his parents had knocked down the wall between their bedrooms and turned it into a man-cave for Kevin and Perry. Everywhere he looked there were more memories. The pool table where they’d taken turns trying to beat his sister. They never got it right. The gaming console and flat screen TV where they’d sat up until early parts of the morning trying to beat a new game. There was even an extra bed for all the times Perry had slept over. It was just the right size for two people. But for Kevin alone…he was drowning in the space and emptiness.
This was the life he’d come to know. Every day he sat staring out his bedroom window, waiting to see Perry walking up the pathway. Every time he answered his phone, he expected to hear that familiar voice telling him to get his ass in gear. He hadn’t heard that voice in three months. He would never hear that voice again.
Death is so final. It comes without warning. It shatters and destroys and leaves behind only a longing for what used to be.
He heard a light tap on the door and then she walked in. She was the only person who could get a smile out of him these days and it was already on his face before she reached the bed. He wasn’t expecting her so early. Dom usually dropped off a sleeping bundle each morning before he went to work and she only woke up at around eight. It was just past six and she was already ready for action.
A chubby hand brushed her brownish-blonde hair out of her eyes. “Good morning, Uncle K,” Makayla greeted, patting his forehead like he was a puppy.
“Good morning, Princess Kay.”
She let out an exasperated snort. His niece was a feisty one and she didn’t like it when he didn’t follow orders. “I told you, I’m Princess Anna.” She pointed her tiny forefinger at him. “And you are?”
He let out a small groan. When a three-year old tells you you’re a princess, you’re a princess. “I’m…Princess Elsa.”
“And today we’re gonna have a ball and invite the whole kingdom.”
There was a ball every day and unfortunately Kay thought it was her responsibility to provide the music. The songs she chose to sing in her squeaky, off-key voice were usually a remix of every song on the Frozen soundtrack and she almost always incorporated her own lyrics. He didn’t mind, though. It was cute as hell.
Shane’s boys were brats, little jerks in the making, and even he would agree with that statement. But Dom’s girls…Dom’s girls were the most precious things to hit this planet and tiny Makayla was his favorite. Playful and cheeky, she was just a chubby ball of fun.
He kicked off the covers, scooped her up, and carried her to the bathroom. “Well, first we have to brush your teeth and ask Grandma to change you out of your PJs. We can’t have Prince Hans seeing you like this.”
“I don’t like Prince Hans,” she said as he placed her on the tiled counter beside the basin. “I’m gonna marry Prince Tyler.”
Kevin smiled, squeezing the toothpaste onto her brush. He’d heard a lot about this Tyler. From the very unstructured stories of a three-year old, he figured Tyler was his sister’s new boyfriend. Jordan had never brought a guy home, so when she brought him along for Perry’s funeral,
it was the obvious assumption. Kevin hadn’t met him, but Tyler had certainly made an impression on Kay.
“Open up,” he said and when her mouth dropped open, he carefully began brushing her teeth. She giggled through the white foam. “You look like a bear,” she said, tugging on his beard.
He chuckled, but looked up to catch a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror. Staring back at him was someone he didn’t recognize. The brown beard he’d been growing for three months was a sign of laziness and neglect. His blue eyes held nothing beneath them. He turned away from the person he hated seeing and handed her a plastic cup of water. “Rinse and spit.”
She did, and after washing her face, he picked her up and carried her to the living room. This was his new routine. No more morning classes. No late afternoon tutorials. He’d dropped out of college, just gave up studying towards a degree in electrical engineering. He’d been damn good at it. Both he and Clayton had aced the last semester. But now Clayton couldn’t walk and Kevin couldn’t bring himself to go back to class knowing that he was the only one who was able to return to class.
Instead, he chose to sit at home like a bum. He wanted to feel like the accident had destroyed his life in the same way it had destroyed the others, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach that level of destruction. He hadn’t left the house since that night. He would probably never leave his room if it weren’t for Kay.
“Wait here,” he said, setting her down on the couch. “I’ll go get you some breakfast.”
He walked down the corridor to the large kitchen and was reluctant to step in when he saw his mother and brother, Dominic, chatting at the wooden table on the other side. He didn’t greet, simply ignored them as he walked to the cupboard that contained Kay’s favorite cereal.
“Morning, baby,” his mother greeted.
“Morning,” he grumbled back, taking out the cereal box and pouring the crispy chunks into a bowl.
“You hungry? I can make breakfast for you.”
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