CHAPTER THREE
When I left the store, I noticed the remainder of Darius’ fans had begun pitching tents in preparation for the next round of autographs. Their voices, coupled with a busy Ashton Saturday, were almost enough to mask any foot steps following too closely, but I heard them loud and clear. I stopped walking and hit the breaks a few blocks from the alleyway. The culprits stumbled over me. I was happy to find that it was Jessica and her brother, Gerry.
Jessica and her brother were one of the first people I had met after the move. Ashton didn’t have the luxury of being large enough for its own school so the few kids who did live in the town had to go to school in the wealthier city of Dahlgreen.
I typically knew our bus had made it to the much larger town when Ashton’s uncomfortably bumpy road ran smooth. My heart always sank when we got close since Dahlgreen Junior High played host to some of the meanest, vilest creatures on the planet and those were just the gym teachers. On my first day of school, Coach Cyrus, a man with a beer gut the size of six basketballs glued together, convinced the kids in my P.E. class to play dodge ball with the new kid.
Doesn’t sound so bad, right? Well, it was twenty of them against me. It took a month for those welts to clear up.
The only person who didn’t join in was Jessica who always came off to me as a bit of a girly girl due to her distaste of sports. During dodge ball, she usually opted to wear skirts and did her homework while she patiently waited for gym class to end. That being said, she was the one that helped me up that first time I was knocked on my butt while the other kids played basketball around me till the bell rang.
Jessica was my first friend at school and one of the only kids I knew who commuted from Ashton. Her dad taught social studies and took a particular interest in me due to my father’s obsession with dreams. He often would ask me to recite Dad’s stories. I never told him about the dream chasers for fear he might want to join up and put Jessica and Gerry through the same troubles Mom and I had gone through.
Jessica and Gerry followed me down the alleyway as I went to retrieve my bike. Gerry, the king of keeping to himself, was too busy playing a copy of Face Basher 36 on his new handheld while Jessica did all of the talking.
She said, “Hey, what’s up? We, uh, saw you get escorted into the store and—and—did you really get to meet Darius?”
I shrugged my shoulders. I said, “Yeah. He was pretty cool, I guess,” barely concealing my excitement.
She said, “His work reminds me of this cool show on HBO: Game of Thrones. I know my dad says I am too young to watch it, but when I hear something has knights, kings, and dragons I come running. Well, did you watch it last night? I hate giving away spoilers.”
Ok, maybe she wasn’t a girly girl. She just was not like other girls and I loved that about her.
I said, “We don’t have a TV,” but I was too distracted by the fact that something just seemed so different about her. Instead of the usual sweat shirts and skirts she favored, she wore a yellow flower dress and a fresh coat of make up.
I asked, “Are you wearing lip gloss?”
Jessica said, “Shut up,” and punched me in the arm. “Today is the anniversary of when my Mom died. This is the last dress she bought me. I like to wear it as a memoriam.”
She pulled a picture of her mother out of her backpack. I examined the similarities between Jessica and her mother. They both had emerald green eyes and amber red hair.
“She died when I was three.”
“I didn’t know.”
“It doesn’t make me sad anymore. I just like to remember.”
“Well, she was really pretty and you—”
She punched me in the shoulder again. She said, “Don’t go saying you think I’m pretty too. I’ll break your nose. So, me and Gerry are about to go across the street to get something to eat. Dad gave us some money to use while he gets his autograph from Darius the Dream Extraordinaire.”
“I would but I have to get back home.”
“It won’t take that long.” She gave me a big cheesy smile. “Please?”
“Your dad is getting an autograph?”
She said, “Of course. So, are you coming?”
We both laughed together while we walked as a trio to the Red Hearts Café across the street. Jessica and I couldn’t stop joking about the wallpaper which was covered in all of the different hearts cards from the playing cards. I never understood the towns obsession with Alice in Wonderland but they couldn’t be faulted for choosing to embrace it, thoroughly.
The three of us took a seat in a booth near the middle of the restaurant. Gerry took a break from his video game long enough to shout out that we needed service. His sense of humor was a little dry.
“Gerry, they will be with us in a moment,” Jessica scolded.
Back to his video game, Gerry said, “Could you guys quiet down, I’m trying bash all these faces.”
Jessica placed a finger over her lips, “Shhh. We wouldn’t want to disturb the prince on his quest.”
She turned to me, “So, your dad still isn’t back? I know I can’t get your mind off of him but even I’m getting worried. Come up with any theories since yesterday?”
Even though her words pained me as they wiggled into my ears, Jessica gave me a sense of comfort I hadn’t felt in any of the times my family had moved. It was nice to have someone to listen to me. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t help that I was captivated every time she spoke. It was her eyes that pulled me in.
I said, “I think my parent’s last fight was the final straw. Mom won’t tell me directly but I think they are trying to—to separate. Maybe that would be for the better.”
Jessica shook her head, “Separation is not for everybody. We have gone this long without a Mother figure, but our dad is an ace at multi-tasking. Honestly, I still wish we had her around though. Let’s just hope that your parents work everything out.”
I said, “I don’t know. It might make things more peaceful.”
Jessica said, “That’s crazy talk. So, there is this kid named Jeremy in my math class, right?”
“So?”
“Well, if you would let me finish without interruption.”
“Sorry.”
She cleared her throat, “Anyways, his parents got in a huge fight, but they noticed how it made him feel and bought him a Xbox 360. Not saying it always ends up that way, but maybe your Dad will come home and bring you a gift. It’ll work out.”
I said, “What would I do with an Xbox 360?”
She laughed, “Give it to me.”
“And me,” said Gerry, still staring at his game.
She suggested, “Maybe he has just left to give you and your Mom the benefit of a good story.”
It wasn’t poetry but it was enough to get me through the painful thoughts. It sounded exactly like something Dad would pull.
She said, “I shouldn’t have brought it up, but I hate seeing you so bummed out all of the time.”
A waitress dressed in a red and black polka dot skirt, her nametag read Martina, walked up to the table and took our order. I got a bacon cheeseburger with fries while Jessica requested a sauce-less, pickle-less chicken sandwich.
Gerry attempted to order the hot fudge and ice cream covered brownie volcano but Jessica kicked him in the shin. It quickly changed his decision to, “I’ll just have a grilled cheese,” before he shifted his attention back to his game.
Jessica studied her menu a little closer, turning up her nose when she
saw exactly what I had ordered. She said, “You know your sandwich has lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, right? Are you sure you want to subject yourself to a veggie explosion?”
“What? I’m hungry.”
Jessica said, “I’ll never pretend to understand. Be a dear, Martina, and add some Cokes to our order,” and waved Martina off like she was an heiress at a fancy Manhattan restaurant. Martina rolled her eyes, snatched our menus, and moved on to place our order with the kitchen. Jessica continued, “So, what was Darius like?”
“Why do you keep asking me that? Don’t roll your eyes at me.”
“You know exactly why I keep asking that. This town doesn’t have an awful lot to talk about but they will definitely be talking about this. Being your only friend ought to entitle me to the scoop.”
I said, “You are not my only—I said don’t roll your eyes at me!”
I placed my hands against my cheeks to conceal the pink shade that had undoubtedly overtaken them. Even Gerry who would normally rather implode then tear himself away from his own personal video game universe had his eyes wide with anticipation for my next words. To add insult to injury, the nearest tables to us had ceased their own conversations so they could eavesdrop. Being the center of attention was not on my list of favorite things, but today seemed to demand it.
I lowered my voice to keep the conversation in our booth. A little cocky, I said, “It was kind of cool. Turns out I’ve known him my whole life.”
Jessica and Gerry shared looks that made me uneasy. Jessica said, “Duh, everyone has known him for that long. This is the fourth book he’s released. You have to travel to outer space to find someone who doesn’t have a copy and even that would be a struggle.”
“It’s not like that. He was my dad’s b—”
“Your DAD’S WHAT?”
“Please keep your voice down.”
She lowered her voice to a whisper, “Sorry. He was your dad’s what?”
“Boss. He paid for us to come here and everywhere else we’ve lived. My family kind of owes everything to him, but—
“But, what?”
“I don’t know. If it had not been for his support, we probably would have stayed in one place. I could’ve grown up with—”
Jessica said, “Friends?” She gave me a face that warned me to choose my next words carefully.
I said, “That’s not what I meant. I was going to say a childhood.”
“Don’t dwell on it. We never had much of a childhood either. They are kind of overrated.”
Gerry exclaimed, “It could have been amazing.”
Jessica hit him on the arm, “Do not bring that up right now.”
I said, “What could have been amazing?”
Gerry awkwardly turned his head back to his games. Jessica cleared the air, “Well, we’re here now and you are about to eat a mush of vegetables and carbs. Things can only get better.”
“I hope so. He’s coming over to my house tonight.”
“Really? That is so awesome. You’ll have to tell me everything about it.”
“I guess I’ll have to.”
Fifteen minutes passed, Martina brought us our food albeit with a nasty frown. Jessica smiled a big cheesy grin until the waitress walked away. I heard the bell on the front door ring. Someone had entered the café.
Jessica said, “Get a look at those guys that just walked in. They look like a group of rejects from Doctor Who.”
“Doctor what?”
“No, Doctor Who,” she paused when she noticed I was serious. “How do you not know what Doctor Who is? How are we friends? HOW?”
She giggled, “I’ll let you borrow my copies of the seasons—one day. So, um, those guys are kind of staring over here.”
“I don’t have a tele—nevermind.”
I turned around to see what she was talking about and found myself only ten feet away from six of the weirdest men I’d ever seen. They all wore matching checkered long coats and pocketed vests, resembling something between a group of historians and a Sherlock Holmes fan club. Any group of men wearing identical outfits were strange to me if they weren’t dressed up in sports uniforms, but it wasn’t their clothes that bothered me. They were all wearing night vision goggles and staring directly at our booth. In a way, I kind of thought I recognized a few of them.
I imagined a few of them without their goggles. I knew exactly who they were and it took every ounce of my being not to leap out of my seat and mow the freaks down. I muttered the words out loud, “Dream Chasers? Why are they here?”
Jessica said, “You know those guys?”
Martina walked up to offer them a place, but insisted at once that they had to remove their goggles before they took another step. I was already in love.
Davison, the one leading the group in, told her, “We won’t be long,” and pushed her aside on his way to our place. He lifted his goggles up to his forehead, revealing a pair of grayish-blue eyes, “Hello, Alan. Can we talk alone?”
“Anything you have to say to Alan, you can say to us,” said Jessica.
I sighed and lamely told Jessica and Gerry I’d see them the next day at school. They reluctantly agreed as they took what remained of their food to Martina to collect to-go boxes and pay the bill. Davison and two others, Desmond and Daemon, sat down in front of me while the rest of the dream chasers went up to the counter to get some food.
Davison grinned, “You haven’t touched any of your food. It looks pretty tasty. Mind if we have a bite?”
“Depends. Do you know where my father is?”
“Boy, we have gained our appetites from hunting for your father. If we knew we would make sure he was at home with you and your mom. Now, french fry?”
I bent my head down and moved my fries around, holding my fingertips on them until the heat was too much to handle and handed a few fries to Davison. I said, “Mom wouldn’t be happy I was talking to you. That’s for sure.”
“Why do you think we are not meeting you at your home?”
Abruptly, my eyes welled up, but I didn’t let Davison and the others see. For a moment I felt like I knew without a doubt they spooked Dad into running away. They filled and nurtured him with his silly ideas and after that he was a goner.
Davison said, “Listen, we don’t know where your dad is, but if we work together I bet we could find him.”
“Is that really why you came in here to talk to me? I don’t want your help.”
Daemon, the youngest of the dream chasers at and not a day over twenty-two, interrupted us, “The real reason we are here is because we heard an evil, plotting man had come to collect followers.”
Davison said, “What my blonde feathered friend means is—”
I said, “If he’s referring to Darius, you guys are insane.”
Daemon responded, “Insane? No. Practical? Very. He wasn’t talking about him, but Darius is here?”
Martina came up to our table, but the three dream chasers waved her away. I heard her mumble, “I should have gotten a diploma,” as she made her way back to the counter.
The one named Desmond, an ancient looking man who seldom opened his mouth to speak, grumbled.
Davison patted him on the back, “Calm down, Desmond. People are watching, and I assu
re you, we all agree with you.”
Desmond grumbled again and then went back to twiddling his thumbs.
I said, “If you don’t have my father with you, where do you think he is?”
Davison said, “We don’t know. The night he disappeared, he drove up to our apartment in Dahlgreen to tell us he was starting the war to end all wars and a few comparable lunatic rants, but he warned of something greater. He said he was beginning to remember.”
“Remember what?”
“Who knows?”
The remaining dream chasers circled around the booth, forcing most of the public’s curiosity in our direction.
Davison continued, “Reese mentioned an old friend was on his way to Ashton and that same person would be attempting to harm his family.”
“Did he say who?”
“No, but we are all certain that it is the writer. He has all of the signs even if we don’t believe Reese was in his right mind. So, until your father returns we will be your eyes, ears, and anything else we are needed to be. The dream chasers are going to protect you and our first suggestion for your safety is to stay as far away as possible from Darius. I don’t like him and nothing your father told us about him makes me feel any differently about it.”
I said, “But you were not sure until a moment ago that Darius was the person you were looking for—”
Martina shoved one of the dream chasers aside and winked at me, “If you guys aren’t going to order then you’ll have to get out.”
Davison exited the booth with his goons and bowed, “We’ll be leaving, ma’am. Remember, Alan, you are safe in our hands.”
The waitress stared into their eyes until they finally agreed to leave, “And, why are you wearing goggles?”
“Just blending in,” Davison said as the dream chasers turned their backs and wondered out the door to the mass of Darius’ fans.
I thanked Martina for her help. She told me, “It’s one of the smallest towns in the world. We take care of our own. Need a box for your food?”
“I’m not hungry anymore.”
She said, “Suit yourself. Your friends already paid unless you’d like to leave a tip,” and cleared my plate from the table. I luckily had a five dollar bill in my pocket.
I gave it about ten minutes to make sure they cleared out and left the café. I could see the dream idiots at the back of the line that had begun to move back into the book store. My bike remained safe in the alleyway. I ran across the street, unhooked it from its chains and rode home as fast as my pedals would allow it.
The Silhouette (Alan Quinn and the Second Lifes) Page 3