by C. S Luis
Above, a mist hovered, always looming like a dark and icy welcome, lingering throughout the halls and through the slight spikes of light that had managed to enter. Above, a slight echo and a vibration in the ceilings resounded like a rumbling, the pipes were moving and cracking, and it seemed the building was coming alive, and then it seemed to settle and moan as if in disagreement. Dr. Edwards always thought old buildings had a way of making themselves heard.
The empty building was silent this afternoon except for the irregular clack of pipes from somewhere in the walls, and it seemed at peace. Above, the lamps flickered, and some were completely out. The school year had yet to begin, and for now, the hallways lay empty, but soon they would be crawling with students and teachers.
"Creepy," Claudia softly whispered to herself.
"It is, but it’s beautiful in a way too, isn't it?" Dr. Edwards asked. She slightly glanced back at him, uninterested in his comments.
"It’s a very old building. It used to be a government building of some kind back in the twenties. There’s been a bit of remodeling since then, but it still has all the original craftwork on the molding. With luck, we hope to keep it intact."
Silence. Claudia didn't look up at him; her look of disinterest reminded him of others' disapprovals. She seemed far less interested in his history lesson and more interested in trying to avoid him.
"Perhaps we should go home," Dr. Edwards suggested before she walked back to the entrance alone.
He had meant to follow her, but the extended dim hallway in front of him distracted him. The bulb flickered at one far end of the hall; shadows caught his attention before he focused his eyes on it. Was he seeing things?
Things were often seen in the darkness, things he’d rather not think or talk about. There was no money in the budget to make the repairs Milton needed. Upon another glance, he saw nothing but the shapes on the wall reflecting off the lights at the other side of the hall. A gentle tap from behind spun him around, his heart at full beat seized only when Michael's blue eyes stared back at him.
"Neil, are you alright?" Michael whispered.
Dr. Edwards took a deep breath and smiled before patting Michael on the back.
"I'm fine.”
6
A New Home
Dr. Edwards lived in a modest two-story house. It was far too big for him and far too big for two people, but it was settled in the kind of friendly and warm neighborhood that everyone desired, with the occasional white picket fence and colorful flowers in the front yard. Kids were riding their bikes and tossing the ball out on the streets. There were joggers and people walking their dogs. People here knew each other, and their children had grown up together and lived in the same houses for a long time. The neighbors were friendly, but he preferred alienation from those around him.
Loneliness had been his friend for a long time.
The trip home was a quiet one. Claudia remained silent the entire time. They entered the house and Claudia stumbled behind him, barely looking around at her new surroundings. The house was quite big. A staircase greeted them at the front of the entrance, leading to the second floor with three bedrooms and a bathroom. The living room was located just off of the entrance, and the dining room was near the kitchen on the other side of the house. The attic and a basement were filled with old items: newspapers, ancient clothing, and boxes filled with old albums, everything cluttered and rotting.
Dr. Edwards led Claudia to one of the rooms on the second floor. The room was small but big enough for a young girl. In the corner there sat an old-fashioned dresser with a mirror. The items seemed as old-fashioned as the inside of Milton High, and it had appeared they had been in the room for a long time. The bed was simple with a mahogany frame and a blue comforter. On both sides of the bed was a bedside table and antique lamp. It was like the inside of an old motel.
"I hope this room isn't too small," Dr. Edwards said. "It’s not much, but it is home."
"It's not my home," Claudia replied with a challenging stare. Dr. Edwards glanced over at her.
"But it will be. It can be," Dr. Edwards said with an assuring smile.
"Why now?" She rudely snapped. "I haven't met you all my life, and now you show up claiming to be my grandfather? Just because some document says so? That doesn't make it true. I don't even know who you are. For all I know, you’re just someone after my parent’s inheritance." She boldly looked up at him.
He was surprised by her comment. The fury in her eyes demanded to hear the truth, but it seemed he couldn't offer it to her. At least not yet, she wouldn’t understand.
"If you’re not…then you abandoned my father…you abandoned us. Is that what I should assume?"
Dr. Edwards paused before answering. "Claudia, there's so many things I wish I could explain to you, but I want you to understand I didn't abandon your father. I was protecting him and you."
"That makes no sense,” she snapped. "So then you’re after our money?"
Dr. Edwards took a deep breath, and Claudia moved away towards the window. Outside the wind blew slightly, and the evening seemed alive with movement. The sound of the wind had never bothered him, but now it did. The breeze seemed alive with their emotions. He felt the truth in that. When he was sad, the skies wept, and when he was angry, lighting and thunder would light the heavens. And now he could sense the winds outside come to life by her mere confusion. She had the strength and the gift, but was she even aware of it? And if she was, why couldn’t she see him? Had her anger or emotions clouded her inner abilities?
"You were never in our lives, and now you expect me to accept that you're my grandfather? I don't know anything about you. Or what I'm doing here. I just want to go home." A sigh escaped her pale mouth, and she dropped on the side of the bed. It appeared she was fighting the urge to cry. Dr. Edwards sensed she was strong-willed.
"You know that can't happen,” he said.
“I didn’t even get to say goodbye.” she whispered.
Dr. Edwards gazed over at her, “I know Mr. West explained to you the circumstances and arrangements in regards to your father’s last wishes. I’m so sorry…”
She held the tears back as hard as she could until they welled in her eyes and forced their way out. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know how.
"Why did this have to happen?” She softly uttered to herself. She lowered her head, curling into a ball with her hands on her lap, tears tracing the side of her face. She wiped them away, ashamed she had revealed this part of herself to him.
"Everything was just perfect." She became silent, wiping occasionally at her face. "But it doesn't matter now, does it?" She lifted her angry eyes to his.
"I'm so sorry, Claudia. I know your parents loved you very much."
"You don't know anything," Claudia snapped, glaring back at him. "You don't know my father. You don't know anything about us. Why should it matter to you?"
Dr. Edwards was speechless.
Claudia turned away when he didn't answer, perhaps disturbed by his lack of words. But he knew better than to challenge her. He didn't want their first meeting to be an argument.
"School starts tomorrow,” Dr. Edwards finally said for lack of anything else. “You don't have to go if you don't want to. I'll understand if you’re not ready. In fact, I don’t think you should. You need time to grieve."
"What difference does it make?” Claudia whispered. She'd given up. Outside, it began to rain. The lightening lit the sky, thunder like a growling hound followed soon after.
Unable to think of what to say, Dr. Edwards moved to the door. He looked back at her, took a deep breath, and slowly opened the door.
Before he walked out, he said, "I just want you to know that I'm very happy you're here."
She didn't say anything, and he walked out in silence.
The morning came and Dr. Edwards dressed for the part of the principal. A suit and tie were the appropriate apparel for the job. Today was going to be a busy day, the beginning of a new year
always was.
He came out of his room holding a briefcase and glanced towards the room that Claudia occupied across from his own. He walked up to the door and stood there, he lifted a hand to knock but stopped. He thought of just leaving but he didn’t want to, that wasn’t an option. He couldn’t just do that. For a moment, he didn’t know what to do. Then, after taking a breath, he forced himself to knock, there was no answer. Sure she was inside, he stood motionless in front of the door contemplating whether to enter or not. Finally giving up, he called for her from the other end.
“Claudia? Claudia, I’m going to work now.” His voice sounded shaky and nervous.
“I’m going to school—to Milton. I understand if you would rather just stay home. I’m fine with that. I’m fine with you staying at home today or for as long as you need.” He listened for any sounds from the other side but he heard nothing.
He grabbed his briefcase, took out a pen and wrote a number on a notepad then stuck it on the door.
“I’m leaving my number just in case. Use the landline if you don’t have your own cell phone.”
He walked to the stairs and stood there for a moment, hoping to hear anything from the other side of the door, but again, there was only silence.
“Okay, I’m leaving now. There’s plenty of food in the fridge if you get hungry.” He began his descent down the steps, stopped, and walked back up. Took a breath, then back down the stairs again, stopping at the entrance of his house. He looked up but there was only silence once more.
He took another breath and opened the door and walked out of the house.
For the remainder of the week, the mornings came and always seemed to start the same way. He left and she would be in her room; she wouldn’t answer his knocks no matter what time of the day it was. At least she was eating, that much was true. He’d come home to a ransacked fridge and dirty dishes in the sink.
At dinner, he’d leave a tray with her supper outside her bedroom, while he stayed away in the kitchen cleaning up. He’d hear the bedroom door upstairs open, her taking the tray he’d set out, but the minute he ran up the bottom of the steps to say something, she would be gone. The only thing to greet him would be a slamming door.
That night before bed, he came to her door once again. He stood outside and thought of what he could possibly say to her but it wasn’t easy. He knew very little about her and what little he had discovered on his own was their peculiar connection. He wanted to tell her more, share with her the truth of his gift and hers. Share with her their curse, but he feared it was too soon to tell her anything without frightening her. He wondered if Nicholas had shared his strange abilities with her as he had with his own mother.
Dr. Edwards moved away from the door. Perhaps it was best to let her come out on her own. She had gone through so much. Her parent’s death had been a great shock to both of them, and she hadn’t even been able to say goodbye. His son’s request to have their bodies immediately cremated was strange, but he was sure he had his reasons for doing so.
Dr. Edwards let it be, he walked towards the open door of his bedroom and stood at the entrance looking back, then turned the hallway light out. Tomorrow would be another day, the weekend had finally come and perhaps they would be able to talk. Perhaps get to know each other a little bit more, and then he could tell her what she needed to be aware of.
People with abilities like their own were hunted by things in the darkness. He didn’t want to scare her but she needed to know in case…no, he didn’t want to consider it. Yet that wasn’t the worst part to fear, the darkness is always frightening but it was the people in the world that were far more dangerous. The ones you couldn’t see coming. The ones they called the Venators.
I sat in my room; I think it rained the entire week. The rain hadn’t stopped; the darkness hadn’t completely gone away. Clouds had never cleared the beautiful sky, yet something about this day was different, there was a little ray of sunshine now coming through the blinds in the room. The room that was not familiar to me, the room that was just another room.
It was later in the morning, perhaps 10 am; the clock in the room was an old-fashioned piece where the numbers flipped instead of blinked.
I awakened morning after morning to Dr. Edwards or my grandfather, I guess I should call him that, knocking at my door. I didn’t know what to say to him. I knew what he had revealed was the truth; he was my grandfather from my father’s side. As hard as it was to believe when I had first met him, it was now the undeniable truth.
Why hadn’t father ever told me? Did Mother know about him? Why hide him from us? I thought he had abandoned us since I knew nothing about him. Or did Father and he have a falling out that had caused their distance?
I had seen the entire scenario play in his mind, his encounter with Father. Father wanted me to come and live with my grandfather, and Father was afraid, but of what, who, or why was he afraid? Did it have anything to do with work? Father wasn’t the kind of man that was ever afraid. If anything, he was the kind that others feared.
I grabbed my backpack, I’d spend the week drawing light sketches of my parents, I didn’t want to forget their faces, I wanted to make sure I always remembered them. Fearing now as I did, that I had forgotten small details of my father’s face, I turned back to look at the picture on the bedside table. I had placed that there the day I had arrived for comfort. The only picture I had of both of them.
My father’s large blue eyes stared back at me from the picture. He was the eye of perfection; so boldly blond were the locks of his handsome golden hair. I often wondered why I hadn’t gotten any of his beauty. I was more like my mother, whose dark eyes stared from the same frame back at me. She had long, waist length brown hair and bronze skin like mine. My father seemed so pale beside her, but he was so handsome it didn’t matter. I never realized how perfect they looked together. And now they were gone forever. I kept thinking I would see my father, that he would come through that door any moment and tell me he was sorry for frightening me.
But that was only wishful thinking; I would never see them again. And the sooner I could come to terms with that, the sooner I could start to live.
I spent a few more minutes drawing and rose off the bed towards the window of the bedroom I had been so lucky to now call mine. There, I pulled open the blinds and looked out the window. The day was bright and sunny; there were people, kids mostly playing across the street, others riding their bikes on the street. It looked like a very pleasant and normal day. The neighborhood was beautiful, but nothing in comparison to the large expensive mansions lining each side of the street and metal access gates that needed entry codes to enter.
I walked away from the window, I felt like a prisoner but that was mainly my fault. Perhaps it was time to get out of this prison and get to know my grandfather. I dreaded the idea of doing so, but then I had no choice.
I took a breath and walked to the door of the room looking back at the picture of my parents, then opened the door.
I was in the kitchen having a late breakfast when I heard the upstairs door open to Claudia’s bedroom, then I heard footsteps coming down very slowly. I didn’t move, for fear of frightening her away like a scared little mouse back into her burrow. Of course very slowly she emerged into the doorway of the kitchen dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a flowery top, her long hair cascading down the side of her face and alongside her arms as she approached the table.
I rose, a smile spread upon my face, and slowly, I thought of what to say. She looked timid, almost embarrassed and uncomfortable.
“Would you like some breakfast?” I asked. She gazed up at me and nodded slowly. Immediately, I took a few items out of the fridge; eggs, bacon and hash browns.
“Would you like some eggs and bacon?” I asked politely turning back with the egg carton already in my hand.
“Bacon?” she looked unsure.
“Turkey bacon ok?” I asked, she nodded and I grabbed it putting it aside on the counter. I grabbed a bo
wl and whipped two eggs. Then grabbed a pan from the side shelf and placed it down on the burner. I already had a pan set aside for the bacon I had prepared for myself so I simply added a few slices into it and turned on the burner.
Claudia took a seat almost immediately on the opposite side of the table, and I took out the orange juice and asked her if she wanted some.
She nodded and I grabbed a glass from the upper cabinet. I poured the juice into a glass for her and placed it near her hand. All this time I could sense her mind wondering, searching discarded thoughts, lost threats I called them in one’s own dazed and distracted mind. I could easily lose my thoughts and get distracted with what I was doing, but this time, I think I had control. It was strange, for I normally never did. I glanced back at her and she was looking at me, watching me. But it wasn’t that she was watching, she was trying to read me.
There was something different about our connection, and I wondered if she had felt it as I had. I couldn’t quite explain it but if I had to, I’d say I felt stronger around her. Like I could control my mind far better than I normally did. That made me both happy and frightened.
There was an idea that the source, the energy was greater in a special kind of mind reader. I had never believed it, but now I wasn’t so sure the tale was a mere idea. For one reason I felt stronger, and unusually I was dragging myself everywhere. There was energy flowing out of her that I’d never felt, and it had its up and downs. I had felt it the moment I met her. It never drained, it only inspired; it only energized one’s body.
I turned the bacon over as I grabbed a plate off the shelf and added the eggs into the second pan. With the items cooking on the stove, I thought of what I could say to break the unusual silence.