Nocturnal Meetings of the Misplaced

by R. J. Garcia

  “I dunno, maybe a dozen. Hell, I never counted ’em. What does it matter, Tommy?”

  “It matters, that’s why. It’s like if a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, it still makes a sound. It matters. And someone should find out about the tree.” I knew it didn’t make much sense.

  Finn opened and closed his mouth, probably deciding against some sarcastic comment. He scratched his head. “Tommy, what are we talking about?” He sighed at me. “I’m more worried about real life. I’m thinking about running away with Silence.”

  I turned to face him. “You can’t. You’re fifteen. She’s twelve. You’ve got no money. You’ll be like street kids. No one likes those kids. Silence could move in with Annie or something.” Now I played the part of the reasonable one.

  He went and sat down at a wooden swing on the front porch. I followed him. Finn said, “I don’t mind homeless kids,” and looked up at me. “I got another plan, too.”

  I brushed off a little dirt and sat next to him. “What’s your other plan?”

  He cleared his voice and said, “I get Polar Bear so mad at me that he beats me up bad enough to serve time.” He dropped his arms, letting his hands hang.

  “Really, Finn? That’s your plan? That’s messed up.” I almost became angry because Finn was so stupid. “That’s the worst idea I ever heard. He could kill you. He’s a cop. He would know how to get away with it, too.” My eyes caught a glimpse of someone moving in the woods.

  Finn gave me a hard look and bolted up announcing, “Hey, you want to look around that cabin, I’ll get you in that cabin.” He started going from window to window, trying to open them and his voice got louder. “Cause friends support their friends.”

  I noticed the lawn had been mowed. The property probably wasn’t occupied, but it didn’t seem abandoned either. “It’s okay, Finn. Let’s just go,” I said, realizing this whole thing was a bad idea.

  Finn ignored me and tried unsuccessfully to open the window again. He bent down and picked up a large rock and smashed it.

  I jumped back at the sound of the shattering glass. “What’s your problem? We can go to jail for breaking and entering!” I clasped my head in my hands and paced back and forth. My eyes flashed back to see Finn reaching in through the broken glass to unlatch the lock and cutting his hand in the process. He grabbed his cut hand with the other one. Blood seeped out of the wound like red teardrops.

  “Holy crap! You’re bleeding, Finn!”

  “No kidding, genius,” he said. “Well, go in there and get me a towel or something.” He sounded calm. He rubbed a bubble of blood on his jeans.

  My panic went to anger. “Are you crazy, Finn? Because I’ve had enough of crazy!”

  “Sorry. Get something, Tommy. C’mon, I’m bleeding, man.” He suddenly looked scared and began to wince.

  “Okay.” I climbed in the window and landed feet first on the bed, the broken glass crunching under the weight of my sneakers. I pulled off a white pillowcase from a pillow on the bed and jumped to the floor. I noticed the room looked neat with only the basics as I shook the pillowcase to make sure no fragments of glass had gotten on it.

  Finn climbed in the window, and bounced off the bed, complaining, “Man, you’re taking so long, a guy could bleed to death.”

  “Here.” I pushed the pillowcase at him. He wrapped it around his hand and walked out the bedroom door.

  “Finn, let’s go now. I thought I saw someone out there.” I shadowed him into a bathroom. He started looking in the medicine cabinet and yelled, “Score!” as he pulled out a first aid kit.

  He rinsed his hand under the sink. The blood-smeared pillowcase fell to the bathroom’s linoleum floor. Finn held square gauze on the cut, which bordered his hand splint. “It’s my right hand. Can you tape it for me, man?”

  The gauze filled up with blood before I could tape it. I calmed myself. It was silly, but I played the song “Hakuna Matata” in my head as I removed the gauze, swapped it for a clean one, and carefully butterfly-taped the cut. I finished before the song was over. Drops of blood had splattered on the once sparkling, clean vanity. My adrenaline was going, but I kept it together.

  “Keep messing your right hand up and you won’t have a love life,” I joked.

  “Very funny,” Finn said, briefly squinting over at me.

  I gave him a hard look to regain my position of the annoyed friend and said, “Alright. Let’s get out of here.”

  We climbed out the same window that we’d come in when I laid it on the line. “Don’t pull crap like that. You’re my best friend.”

  “Sorry, Tommy. I dunno what’s wrong with me,” Finn admitted, his white face flushed. His eyes swam and cleared. I saw in his open face that everything had been harder for him than he’d ever let on.

  I wasn’t mad anymore. When you’re young, recklessness can be mistaken for excitement. This was something different. Finn acted out because he was on edge about Silence. He was really worried about what was going on. I was, too.

  My eyes darted all around and even up to the dark-green canopy of the treetops that surrounded us. I said, “Let’s go back” I could feel someone watching us. I was sure of it.

  Chapter 20

  Cake

  Tommy

  Things seemed cool. We had met the girls back at my house, and all sat around a lopsided cake, weighed down by gobs of chocolate frosting. Only Reese and Annie were singing “Happy Birthday” loud enough to hear. I more or less moved my lips, faking it. I noticed Finn looking starry-eyed at Silence, who smiled over at me, as I directed my gaze to Isabella who stared longingly at the cake.

  Holden was standing near the corner of the kitchen table, saying, “Let’s eat,” as soon as the song ended.

  “But Uncle Holden, Finn needs to make a wish,” Isabella shyly said.

  Reese told everyone to “Hold on, Izzy’s right,” and came back to the table, placing a single, blue candle in the center of the cake.

  Holden grabbed a lighter from the kitchen drawer. “You heard Isabella. Make a wish, Finn,” as he lit the candle.

  Again, Finn’s gaze found Silence. They shared a look before he closed his eyes and blew out the candle. Everybody clapped, even Finn, who brought his fingers to his lips and finished with a celebratory whistle.

  Holden did the honors cutting generous pieces, serving Reese and Finn first. When he plopped a piece of cake on my plate, I dug right in.

  Unexpectedly, Reese asked, “So how was the dance, girls? The boys won’t tell me anything.”

  A look of shock flashed across Silence’s face. She bit her lip and regained her composure, although her nostrils flared. “We wouldn’t know. They didn’t go with us.” She played the role of a jealous girlfriend, crossing her arms and turning her gaze to Finn. “How was the dance, Wilds?” she asked. “Who did you go with?”

  His blinks became long and exaggerated as he tried to explain, “I just went with one of Hailee’s friends.”

  “Hailee Palmer?” This time, Silence looked at me. “So, you like her, Tommy?” She sounded equally jealous and alarmed. She even had me on the ropes. “You said it got canceled. Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you were different.”

  “It turns out, um, we ended up going after all. She’s really nice,” I answered unsure until I realized it was my ticket out of the misunderstanding and the truth. “I like Hailee, but Finn was just doing me a favor.”

  “Whatever.” Silence rolled her eyes in my direction before her gaze narrowed in on Finn.

  Reese broke into an awkward smile. “I’m sure Finn went with this girl as a friend. But Tommy do you have a girlfriend now?”

  “Hailee’s really pretty,” Annie remarked approvingly.

  Silence gave her a dirty look. “You’re just too wimpy to admit you like Tommy.”

  Annie looked down.

  The next thing I knew, Silence was leaving, and Finn rushed after her, quickly explaining, “I’m gonna walk her home. Thanks, y’all!” as he bolted
out the door.

  Chapter 21

  Loving You

  Finn

  “You don’t need to walk me home. Go back to your party.” Her eyes looked straight ahead.

  “I don’t want to,” I admitted. My stomach went queasy when I thought about telling her how I felt. Wait, what was that exactly? I wasn’t sure. I settled into her fast pace.

  Her eyes zipped over to me. “Were you even going to tell me about your date?”

  A warmth settled on my face. “C’mon, Si. There ain’t nothin’ to tell.”

  We both stopped walking. Her voice was soft and cool, but an undercurrent of hostility radiated from each word. “It doesn’t matter. I couldn’t care less—I’m not your girlfriend. Why should I care?”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. I had kissed Silence a few times in the woods before Tommy joined the group. I made sure to kiss Annie, too, so Silence wouldn’t get the wrong, or right, idea. I mean, I was into her.

  She again started walking and I followed. We approached the woods. Each step filled me with a sense of urgency like I should make things right. With her being only twelve, I didn’t know what that was exactly. I needed to tell her I would be there for her and protect her.

  My feelings twisted and turned. The sun was setting. It blazed in a fiery pink. Silence continued to lead us through small spaces between the trees, instead of the path, trying to lose me. She seemed to maneuver through the trees and foliage with ease, each footfall light and almost cat-like.

  I used my arms to shield myself against low-hanging branches and stumbled over thick patches of weeds and roots.

  Just talk, I told myself. I had a vague idea of the type of things I needed to say, but I wasn’t sure I could pull it off. “I would never want to hurt you. I mean, —I don’t care about that stupid girl.” I reached out and grabbed her wrist from behind. She felt fragile, but I knew better.

  She stopped walking but didn’t turn to face me. “Stop touching me.”

  I pulled my hand away. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

  She spun around. Her green eyes narrowed. They looked smoky, like the green in fireworks before they burn out. She brought her face close to mine. I thought she might kiss me, but she started talking. “The only reason I ever bothered with you was because you were the only boy around. I’d pick Tommy over you any day. He does care about me. He told me.”

  Her words almost delivered a knockout punch. “Why are you saying these things?”

  “It’s okay if you date someone, but I can’t say things.” She closed her hand around my wrist, squeezing it, before letting go and again walking.

  Confusion set in. Maybe she wanted an apology? “I’m sorry, Silence!” I called. She stopped, and I caught up with her. A corner of her mouth lifted, but it wasn’t really a smile. Birds chirped in the distance and I detached a ladybug from the strand of her hair and set it free. I thought ladybugs were supposed to be good luck.

  Silence only scowled over at me but seemed to have another thought. “Oh shit, I left my phone at Tommy’s.” Then came the warning cry of a hawk and the flutters of descending wings rustling the leaves on the tree as it flew away.

  “You can borrow my phone,” I extended it to her, but she pushed my hand down. Still, I put it out all out there. “I would do anything for you, really. I would run away with you.”

  “I’m not listening.” She clapped her hands over her ears and began to walk. Once again, I pursued her. She kept her hands over her ears, which was kind of dramatic because I was already done talking.

  All of the sudden, a pulse, a bass, and next the distant soft rock song played. “La, la, la, la, la, la, la, loving you is easy ’cause you’re beautiful.”

  Silence stopped in her tracks. She dropped her hands to her side and fell to attention. “Where’s that coming from?” she asked.

  Looking around, the tall trees seemed to narrow in on us. The woods somehow felt strange and disturbing. We searched for the source of that song. The sweet woman’s voice had an alluring quality, yet it was crisp and honest at the same time. It was so out of place.

  Our eyes glanced around nervously. We stepped across thick ferns and over the brittle branches and twigs, but the music got softer, so we turned the other way and the music slowly rose in volume. Silence was ahead of me but stopped, turning around and impatiently waving me along.

  I tripped over a series of rocks that darted up from the ground unexpectedly. I got back on my feet and caught up to Silence. Within minutes, we spotted the large silhouette of a man, in the clearing. We peeked at him from behind a tree to get a better look. He was a tall man in brown dress slacks and a Polo jacket, slightly hunched over, dancing by himself.

  “What?” I looked at Silence.

  She leaned in, her lips touching the side of my face. Each word felt soft like a series of flutters. “He’s dancing with a woman’s dress pressed against him. Maybe it’s his dead wife’s dress.”

  The fine hairs on my arms stood up. “Yeah, and maybe he killed her,” I whispered.

  She nodded her head.

  I said, “Let’s go,” and grabbed her hand.

  She pulled away. “No, we need to get his license plate number or something. Call the police.”

  “What are we going to tell ’em? He’s just dancing.”

  She wore an angry pout and shook her head at me. “Go if you want,” and she again followed the music which was leading us to the Old Cemetery Road. I stayed close to her. In less than two minutes we left the forest and approached a black, rusted-out cube van parked haphazardly off to the side of the street.

  Closer in, the music blared. The song was deafening, and the notes drummed in my head. Tension thickened the air, and it was hard to think straight, let alone communicate. Then without hesitation, Silence opened the back door of the van and the interior light shot on. I couldn’t decide if she was brave or stupid.

  Looking in the van didn’t put us at ease, at all. There were no back seats, and a large hunting knife and shovel were among the questionable items strewn across the van’s messy floor. Even more suspicious was what looked like a person covered with a dirty quilt. Was it a dead body? It took us off guard. We both stared at it, kind of dazed. I knew we had to get out of there, but part of me needed to find out if there was really someone under that blanket.

  Silence pushed a hard look at me, her face flushed.

  “No,” I protested, knowing what she was about to do. But she climbed into the back of the van anyway. I should have known better, Silence Harper never listened to anyone.

  What could I do? I crawled in right after her. A stale smell flared in my nostrils. Adrenaline ran hot and fast through my veins. Silence kneeled over the blanket and looked at me as if she wanted me to do the honors. I picked up one of the corners of the quilt and slowly pulled it aside. It was only a female mannequin, naked, with painted-on doll eyes and a synthetic-looking, brown wig. We both exhaled in relief. Then the music stopped, and we were just about to get the hell out of there when we glanced out the front windshield at the man. I edged toward the door, but it was too late to escape without being seen. Hell, we probably still should have made a run for it. Instead, I hesitated, and Silence panicked and closed the van door, wincing after she had.

  “Oh shit,” I said.

  The interior lights flashed back on. My heart stopped as Silence and I crouched down real low. We looked at the man’s giant sloping back, and square head. He placed the dress on the seat next to him, as if it were a passenger, pulling the seat belt carefully over it. He slammed the van door shut. It got dark and my heart started back up but at a crazy fast speed. He turned the key and the worn-out thump of the engine started. The whole time, I kept thinking he would see us. It was dark, and the man never even looked back.

  Silence mouthed the words, “Now what?” I needed a few seconds to shake off the horror before I could even think. The truth was, I didn’t know what to do any more than she did. Her eyes looked desperate as she frowned
over at me.

  The man he made a funny sound like a grunt, which turned into moans. He touched the dress, smoothing it with the palm of his hand.

  “You’re mine now,” he mumbled.

  The floor was cluttered with rusty tools and garbage. We only had a small hot space with barely any wiggle room. It was like we were in a hot tin can. I started to sweat. This guy was bat-shit crazy. All I could think of was how I needed to protect Silence. I slowly edged toward the knife and grabbed it. I took a slow breath and another, deliberately remaining completely motionless. With the faint light from the street lamps and moon, Silence and I shared a long-suffering look. Before long, she maneuvered around the junk and settled next to me. I set the knife down but kept it close by my side. There we sat, on the flat, hard surface of the van floor. And my mind spun itself stupid, and I experienced the sting of each bad decision that got us here.

  I touched Silence’s shoulder, in short, comforting pats. Her eyes half-closed as she caressed my hand. All the anger was gone from her face. She looked strangely soft and at peace. I guess we made up. We didn’t exactly have a choice. The van speeded down Old Cemetery Road until it ended and merged onto the highway. We were racing, soaring into a nightmare. I thought of calling 911, but the man would hear us. I texted Tommy and Annie, telling them not to call or text me, or Silence. I shut my phone off not wanting to chance it. We tried not to make a sound. We would make a run for it, the first chance we got. That was the plan.

  Chapter 22

  Where R We?

  Finn

  He was telling an empty dress he loved her and that he was sorry. If he wanted to pretend she was real, couldn’t he have at least put the dress on the mannequin? I was thinking crazy, too. The guy stopped talking. Time crept on in painfully slow increments. The reek of mildew was nauseating.