“You didn’t forget… did you?”
My heart began to race again. The voice was back again. It was back again and it was talking to me. The parking lot, in Briggs’ class, it was all coming back like a rising flood. I heard it again. That voice that seemed so familiar was speaking to me… and now I saw who it belonged to.
It was him. That was the boy from class. I remember it now. I knew it. It had to be. That was the guy who called himself Albert.
I wasn’t crazy! I knew it was coming from somewhere!
I couldn’t push the thoughts out. Somehow I knew him. And in a second the voice found its way into my head again with more questions.
“Can you hear me…?”
I swallowed spit. My fingers wrapped tighter around my lunch and thermos as the boy grinned wider at me. Again I heard his voice but watched as his lips made no movements to speak.
“It’s all right. This is a good thing,” he said as he was speaking to me through his mind. “It means we are very synchronized.”
What the hell did that mean? What was I even supposed to do? He was talking to me through his mind, through his freaking mind. Should I talk back? Did I even know how? Was I even capable? Was this really happening to me or was I wigging out again? There was a surplus of questions, not enough answers and too much mental vertigo. I just stared at him dumbly as my head spun with the resonating voice this kid was projecting at me.
But then the hunger of the Rowan High students saved me. As the lunch line moved forward the boy looked ahead of him. He seemed annoyed that he was forced along, but as he looked back at me his smile returned to his face. He ushered a mental promise towards me.
“Don’t worry. We’ll talk again soon.”
I didn’t like the sound of that.
No… no, no I just got over this! Damn it what was going on today? These episodes never happened so often, so numerous in a single day! Was I dreaming this? No. No he smiled at me. He smiled right at me. He knew I heard him. He knew what I was feeling right now and he knew what he was doing to me. The panic, the vertigo, the rising pulse and the heaviness in my chest, he knew he was doing this. He had to know what he was doing to me.
A hand came onto my shoulder and I almost jumped out of my skin. My head snapped to Lyle for a second follow-up of whiplash as he reared his head back slightly with eyes wide open.
“Holy crap,” he said in shock. I must have seemed like the girl from The Ring to him. “You okay? It’s like you just saw a ghost, Casper.”
My eyes just kind of spaced. There was a bit of difficulty forming words at the moment. Not that I had the understanding of what I felt or the skill to describe it accurately anyway. This… this was going to be hard to brush aside.
This was going to be hard to ignore.
But Lyle’s look got even more serious. “Avalin?” He shook me by the shoulder as I blinked and licked my lips.
“Hmm? Yeah, what? Sorry.” I faked a small smile despite my head computing thoughts at ten miles per second. “I was just wondering… about the microwave.”
“About…” he raised an eyebrow, “What about it?” He looked over to where I was staring. Finding nothing, he turned his gaze back at me.
My sentences were breaking apart. So I used physical action and raised my thermos. “Tea,” I said like an invalid, “I was… hoping I could heat up my… tea.”
“Are you all right Ave?” he asked again. “You’re looking pale, even for you.”
I nodded my head and slicked my hair back again, sighing, “Yeah, yeah I’m good. Just feeling a little dizzy.”
He put his hand to my forehead, “Do you want to go to the nurse?”
I waved my hand, “No. I just didn’t eat breakfast, that’s all.” I shook my head and patted him on the chest. “I’m fine,” I said softly.
But even as my head just started coming back to reality, it seemed that Lyle wasn’t convinced of my well-being. Instead his face donned that look, that protector look he always got whenever I felt down. It was like he was telling me things were going to be alright even though he had no clue what was really going on with me.
Although he suffered from a lack of information he still managed to get a partially correct hypothesis.
“You’re thinking about your mother, aren’t you?”
I blinked like I just got hit in the face. I turned my head slightly and eyed him wildly as my mouth grew an unexpected smile. “That was direct.”
“With you I have to be,” he said simply. “Or else I’m never going to hear what’s really going through your head.”
That was brotherly and very sweet, but not even Lyle would be allowed to cross that territory. “I appreciate the concern. But no, that’s not it. I’m…” I shook my head, “No, I’m not thinking about my mother.”
“You don’t want to talk about… anything?” He said that last word strangely. Like he meant less “anything” and more “that specific something I know is bothering you”. He was a smart kid and he read me a little too well for my taste. But I had survived for six years purely off the drive not to talk about the past. Because that’s exactly what it was. It was the past and it’s not worth bringing up every two minutes. It wasn’t important. Gray said that my mother’s… condition had no impact, no effect on me. So what could her issues possibly have to do with what was happening now? It didn’t. I was just… experiencing some unique episodes regarding my senses. Maybe I wasn’t getting enough sleep or something, I don’t know.
So I decided that I was alright. And that kid in line was just that: a kid in line. There was nothing strange about anything in this school. It was probably because I was so bored here. My mind was making up twists and thrills just to try and keep me on my toes. That was my hypothesis and I was sticking to it. So I smiled lightly and just shook my head at my friend as he nodded back to me. I thanked him mentally for knowing when not to push.
“All right Avalin.” I almost expected him to say “if you say so”. But he didn’t, he just looked back at the lunch line and I crossed my arms with my lunch bag still gripped between my fingers. I had to remind myself to loosen my grip. My knuckles were turning white.
“So,” he sighed and crossed his arms to match me, “That’s six minutes wasted.”
“Yeah,” I laughed to myself. “Maybe if you put your red heels on and click them three times, it’ll take you to the front of the line.”
He shot me one of those Lyle looks and I grinned back at him. “That’s not funny,” he said as I laughed and pushed him by the shoulder. “How do you know I have red heels anyway? Stay out of my closet.”
We laughed together and, in a rare moment of affection on my part, I placed my head on his shoulder. Hey, even through all of these crazy happenings at the very least I could say the humor was real.
CHAPTER 4: TWINED AND TAUGHT, FROZEN THOUGHT
“Avalin!”
I slammed my locker shut as yet another soul wanted a piece of me today. Why was I so popular lately? I’m not appealing and I don’t have that rise and shine personality. But regardless the shouts keep coming.
I shouldn’t complain. At least I recognized that this voice was Prajna, and I had heard it with my ears instead of my mind. But regardless of whom it was I just wanted this day to be over. Lunch sucked and I was still starving, plus the fact that I spent the whole time scanning the entire cafeteria for that boy who sent chills down my spine. But the day was done. School was over; this bitch was free and had no more responsibilities for the rest of the day.
Well just one. I had the responsibility of telling Prajna why I didn’t feel like hanging out today. And as I looked at her while she bounced down the hallway towards me with that “don’t you dare say we can’t hang out and break my heart” smile, I cringed with the bitter taste of guilt in my mouth. I know she really wanted something to do
because she never got to have any fun with all her studying and whatnot. But I just couldn’t do it. Not today with everything that’s been happening of late. I don’t even think I’m particularly good company to be keeping to begin with.
So I needed to reach in that big vault of excuses right about now. Well until the Gods of last minute luck smiled down upon me and offered me a way out.
“Hey,” she said as her smile turned into a look of sadness. “Hey I have something I have to tell you.”
I knew what she was going to say. I swished my hair and took out my book bag, slamming the locker behind me. Being the devious little punk that I am, I spouted out this next line with more than enough emotion. “What’s wrong my friend?” I asked with intense eyes and overdramatic tone.
She didn’t even pick up on it. She just sighed and said, “I’m so, so, so sorry. But I can’t hang out today. Mom needs me to go to the store with her and Reti to get a new laptop for her work.”
I bit my lip as it fake quivered, “Oh… well… that’s alright. I still love you with all my heart, Prajna.” I winked at her, “And don’t you forget it.”
Now Prajna knew something was wrong. She eyed me strangely, “Are you ill?”
Ruse over. I grinned and shook my head, “I’m just screwing with you Prajna. It’s okay that you can’t hang out.”
She exhaled in relief, “Oh. Good.” The sigh of relief was expected because I know that the poor girl was probably freaking out about breaking plans since the moment she found out she would have to cancel on me. She just had that kind of personality. I mean sure she was a little eccentric. But she was always a good friend, so I couldn’t ask for better.
“I was going to have to tell you I couldn’t hang out today anyway,” I replied back to put her at ease.
And it did. “Really? Why? To tell the truth you do look a little flustered. Are you a sheep today?”
“I- what?”
She got that coy little smile on her face again. The one where she could tell that she knew something you didn’t which unfortunately for me means she was smiling often, “The Greek God Pan, in mythology, took amusement from frightening herds of goats and sheep into a frenzied terror, giving us the word panic. I’m asking if you are a sheep today?”
I patted my unusually heavy bag. “Uh, no. I’m not a sheep you strange little woman. I’ve just got a lot of homework today, the usual.”
That was way too close to the mark. Despite my secrecy she got a little too much right with that “panicked sheep” theory. I wonder if she knew about my episodes today. She doesn’t know about my past like Lyle does. Maybe she noticed. If she did then she’s kept quiet about it, which was unusual for Prajna.
And then I heard another voice. It was also directed at me, but for some reason this one sounded like it was screaming the halls with my name. Like someone was frantically searching for me.
“Avalin! Avalin!”
I gritted my teeth as Prajna looked into the hallway. “I swear to God I’m changing my name,” I complained.
But it was Lyle and some friend of his running through the bustling school kids. The two of them shot over with their backpacks bouncing behind them as other students began to race towards the exit doors. I looked over and tried to see what all the commotion was about.
I didn’t like what I heard next.
“There’s been another senior prank, Avalin,” Lyle said, exhausted from running.
Not this again. “No, come on! If it’s Alan again I swear I’m going to kill him.” I sighed and slapped my hand against my thigh, “What’s drawn on my car this time? Breasts? Because if I go out there and find one more cupcake-shaped set of-”
Lyle shook his head a million times, “No, no it’s worse Avalin.”
And as I eyed him as he spoke the next words that would etch themselves into my very soul.
“There aren’t any cars out there, period!” He said with wide eyes, “Someone moved them all.”
For a second that didn’t register with me. Not until I saw Prajna looking at me like she was terrified I was going to go super nova. And when the news finally began sinking into my little brain, her fears became justified. So that means some sweaty, grubby and disgusting little senior fingers put their prints all over my baby? Oh hell no.
Enraged as I was, I just calmly shouldered my bag, “Shit’s hit the fan,” I muttered as I stormed out the doors to the parking lot. Lyle, his friend and Prajna looked at each other briefly and then followed after me as I stomped down the steps, shoving anyone I wanted out of the way.
You say I hear voices, fine. I see morphing demonic faces? That’s just hunky. You draw inappropriate pictures on my car and I can accept that with a squeegee and a bottle of soap. But you get into my vehicle and move if from the god-given space that I parked it in without my consent?
We have a problem Houston.
I pushed the doors open so hard they hit the brick walls to the side. I walked out of that school building and towards a large mob of kids looking out at the empty student parking section before them. I pushed, pushed and pushed my way through the crowd and stood at the very front, searching for my car. But there wasn’t a single damn one in the parking lot. None of them were left. It was like they never even existed in the first place.
Everything was gone. Only phantom automobiles between lonely white lines remained.
I shook my head. That’s all I really could do. “How… did they even do this?” I asked myself.
I heard a scoff next to me. My head spun to see my favorite cheerleader ever. “This was probably your doing Marsh. You’re always claiming on how to be the prank queen.” Connie spat at me like venom.
I just shook my head at her. “Even I’m not this good, so calm your tits. Pranks are pranks when they’re fun and creative. This…” I scanned the entire parking lot. “This is just screwed up. And borderline impossible.”
Connie shrugged, “We agree for once.”
“Yeah,” I said back. “Let’s find our cars before it happens again.”
Okay, I hated Connie. But I did feel her pain. Her car was gone too. All of ours were. And I didn’t even understand how all of this could have happened. Even if all the seniors in the entire school banded together, not even counting the ones who went on the tech center bus this morning, they couldn’t move EVERY car in the lot in the past hour. But the parking lot was filled with cars from all grades. Why would we prank our own grade? And it couldn’t have been done more than an hour ago because I looked out into the parking before lunch.
And on top of that, where did they even move them to? It was baffling, which just added to my infuriation.
I shoved my way again through the bunch of kids until I met back up with Lyle, Lyle’s friend and Prajna. They were at the back of the crowd trying to get a closer look at the… lack of vehicles. I adjusted my bag and sighed as they all looked at me with questioning eyes.
“Gone,” I simply said. No need to sugarcoat it.
Prajna put a hand to her forehead. “This is beyond troublesome. I have to be home in an hour to drive mom and Reti to SuperCircuit.”
“Your Camaro, my Pinto, Prajna’s Volkswagon, all of them?” Lyle said as he crossed his arms in worry. “How is it… Prajna you have any ideas how they pulled this off?”
“I…” she didn’t wear her smile this time, “I don’t know.”
Never thought I’d hear Prajna mutter those words. How bittersweet.
I shook my head, “Doesn’t matter. I don’t care how they did it. I don’t want to know. I want to find them.” I emphasized that last part. “And get my damn car back.”
Prajna and Lyle seemed to agree with me here. The drawings are one thing. Cute, haha funny, yeah, we get it. But jacking my car is one step to far. Yeah. I’m so pissed I rhymed it.
I nodde
d. “All right, here’s what we’re going to do.” I clapped my hands together, “We’re going to rally everyone we can. Teachers, students, the works, and storm the school asking every senior what happened to these cars. If we target the weak ones, the spineless tattle-tales, then we may find out who did this and where the cars are.”
Prajna and Lyle just stared at me with blank expressions, looking as if they weren’t quite sold on the details of my suggestion. I sighed and crossed my arms, “What? You don’t like my plan? Fine. Call the police.”
They still just stared at me with blank expressions. Actually their expressions weren’t changing. They merely stood still and stared at me. I gave them both strange looks. “Guys?” I said, waving my hand, “What’s wrong with the two of you?”
Still nothing… they only stared at me. I noticed at about this time that it got quite chilly. “Will the two of you say something? Give me some feedback here.”
But they stood there staring at me like mannequins posed into upright positions. It didn’t even look like they were breathing. I walked forward a little with fear creeping into my face. They were immobile, motionless. They hadn’t moved an inch since I started talking. I looked to Lyle, his brown eyes frozen in place. And Prajna, mouth open like she was about to speak, yet no words came from her at all.
My mouth twitched in a nervous smile. “Lyle?” I stuttered, “Lyle? What are you doing you freak?”
I touched Lyle’s face. His skin never indented, like I was pressing my finger against stone. It was ice cold.
It was like he was dead.
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