“Oh, crap.” I’d have to walk right by him. Even though I knew he wouldn’t try anything, I really didn’t want to do that.
“What’s wrong, Finn?”
I nodded my head towards where Erik sat. “That’s Erik Parmely.”
“Is that the kid who beat you up?” He asked me.
“Yes, that’s him.”
“How fortunate, I want to have a talk with that boy.”
As soon as Erik saw my dad looking at him, he got up and walked away. It didn’t look like he hurried, but he moved away faster than I would have credited.
“It looks like he doesn’t want to talk to you,” I said, somewhat relieved.
“I guess not.” We watched Erik walking quickly through the parked cars until we lost him.
We continued our walk to the car in silence through the muggy Ohio summer heat. By the time we reached the car, I was sweating and exhausted. I had felt great that morning, but obviously, I still had some recovering to do.
We got into the car and rolled down the windows to cool it off while the AC got going. When you have a one hundred percent humidity and ninety-five degree heat, rolling down the windows is of almost no use, but hope springs eternal. We navigated through the parking lot, and my dad turned onto the main thoroughfare. As we headed home, I wasn’t paying much attention to anything, but my dad was. “It looks like your friend Erik is following us.”
I craned my neck around and looked behind us. Sure enough, Erik’s beat-up old car snuggled up right behind us.
“Maybe it’s just coincidence,” I said hopefully.
Dad shook his head. “I don’t think so. He has followed us through the last two turns.”
“Crap!” I said.
He shot me a quick hard look. “Why is this boy so intent on you?”
“I don’t know, Dad. I really don’t.”
He looked at me sideways with the kind of look that I knew meant that he was searching for the truth in my words.
I shook my head in wide-eyed innocence. “Really, I’m serious. I don’t know what is going on with him.”
“Well, whatever the reason, this has got to stop. I’m going to call his dad, and we are going to sort this out.”
“I don’t know if his dad cares,” I said. “Erik claims that his dad beat him pretty bad when he got thrown out of school for picking on that other kid and fighting with me”
My dad shook his head. “That’s a bad business all around.”
I had to agree. “I think he blames me for everything that happened.”
Once we turned off Granville Road, Erik stopped following us and continued down Granville. As we drove through our neighborhood, I asked, “Dad, what freaked you out so much when the doctor was talking to us about Jen?
His face turned hard again. “We can talk about that when we get home.”
Uh oh! I had a bad feeling about that talk.
Home Again
I forgot about “the talk” when we pulled into the drive and saw a police car parked on the cracked pavement. My heart couldn’t decide which way to leave—up through my throat or out through my stomach; it just wanted out. My brain instantly sprang to paranoid alert. I didn’t want to go to jail, and I briefly considered turning around and running. Either common sense or fatalism finally helped me decide to go in. We walked in on Detective Hunter and my mom standing in the kitchen talking over cups of coffee. Victoria's fine-sculpted features came across a bit more ragged and tired, but she was still quite lovely.
My dad walked up to the detective. “Victoria, what a nice surprise!” She stood and gave him a strong hug.
Envy coursed through me. How come he gets to hug her?
“Finn, you remember Detective Hunter, don’t you?” said my mom.
“Uh, yeah, of course.” I tried to decide how to play this. I could go with bright and inquisitive or serious and sober. I didn’t manage either. “Hi, uh, hello, Detective Hunter.”
She greeted me with warm eyes, a killer smile, and a hand on her hip. “Hi, Finn.”
Then, my mom said, “Finn, Detective Hunter came here with some good news.”
“Ricky Granger and Chester Keating recanted their earlier testimony and confessed that Erik had beaten them and forced them to come forward with their story against you. At this point, I’m sure the prosecutor won’t pursue any charges against you.”
Wow. I had been nearly positive I would end up in prison over the mess with Erik and his goons.
My mom said, “Close your mouth, Finn. Isn’t that great news?”
Dazed, I said, “Yeah! That's awesome!”
Victoria took her cup to the sink. “Well, I can’t stay too long. Sorry. It was good to see you again. Finn, I’m glad you’re doing better. Take care, everyone.”
As she passed me, I took a whiff and reeled under the smell of cinnamon and apples. Dang it, she smelled good.
After Detective Hunter left, my dad followed me up to my room. I sat on the bed as he dropped my satchel on my chair sporting a clenched jaw and a grimace. He silently turned to go.
“Dad? Are you okay?”
He turned back to me, anger breaking the set of his face. “We can talk about this later, when you’re feeling better.”
“Talk about what?”
“Just lie down and rest. I’ll bring up some water and sandwiches for you.”
“Dad, I’m fine. What’s going on? I don’t need to lie down.”
“Just lie down!” he shouted. The anger in his voice struck me like a viper; my dad never got angry like that. Fear shot through me, and reflexive protective rage made me yell back, “No! I’m not going to lie down! What’s going on?”
“What's going on? I’ll tell you what’s going on. My son just spent four days in the hospital after falling into a coma and is being stalked by a psychopathic boy for no reason. My son, who I thought I knew and trusted, is falling apart, keeping secrets, and almost died, and he won’t tell me why!”
He paused, caught a breath, and lowered his voice. “Finn, you’ve been acting erratic and unbalanced for the last month. I don’t feel that I even know you anymore. On top of that, I find out that you broke into my private things, ransacked my most private thoughts, and then turned them into a game!”
I had no clue where that came from. Astonished and alarmed that I had done something without knowing it, I asked in a lower voice, “What do you mean?”
This only made him angrier, and his face turned red. “Finn, I know you went through my diary! You went through my diary, and then you insulted me and the memory of your mother by putting what you read into that ridiculous game!”
“Dad, I didn’t even know you had a diary. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He raised his hand as though to hit me, and I flinched away. He had never struck me before, but his reddened face and narrowed eyes convinced me that he would do it now.
He stopped. Realizing where his hand was and what he was contemplating, my dad deflated; his cheeks paled and he stood still for a moment. He took a shaky breath, and his expression went from rage to suffering.
“Finn, I heard what that psychiatrist said. He mentioned names and words that I wrote in that diary, things that your birth mother only said to me. I cannot believe you betrayed me like that and then have the gall to deny it.”
“Dad, I don’t—”
His rage returned. “Don’t lie to me anymore, Finn! I’ll not stand for it!” He snapped, “Now get in bed, and stay there.”
With that, he turned, slammed the door, and stomped all the way downstairs.
I collapsed on the bed and fought back tears. I didn’t know if they were tears of sorrow, anger, fear, or shame, but never had I felt that awful before. My dad and I had always been friends. We had come to an understanding early on that none of my friends had ever reached with their fathers. Now, that relationship fell apart like the rest of my life, and I couldn’t even understand why.
I heard the muffled thump of the ca
r door slamming and then the tires toinking on the gravel as it drove away.
Tears running down my face, I curled up around my big pile of pillows and the big, empty space in my world.
Distress Call
I woke up to my mom stroking my hair. “Hey, sweetie. It’s dinnertime. Can I get you something to eat?”
I turned to her, feeling lost. “Oh, Finn, what’s wrong, honey?”
“Mom… I don’t know. Has Dad talked to you?”
“No, he’s working in the garage and won’t come out. Did something happen between you two?”
“I don’t know. He’s really mad about something. He thinks I read his diary.”
“Oh,” she said, drawing back a little. “Did you?”
“No, Mom! I didn’t even know he had a diary. Why would he think I read it?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. He’s very protective about it. He’s never let me read it. Did you go through his bedroom chest of drawers? Maybe move something?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Well, I’m sure that some of this comes from the stress of the last few days, sweetie. Your dad became frantic when he found out you had collapsed.”
“Oh. I hadn’t heard about that.”
After remaining silent for a moment, she said, “I’m sure this thing with your father is just a misunderstanding. Talk with him tomorrow. I’m sure you can work it out.”
She stood and patted my shoulder. “Now, what can I bring you for dinner?”
My mind whirled drunkenly, and I asked, “How about a PBJ and Doritos?” (Food of the gods when you’re down.)
Of course, she cut up fruit, added a salad, and threatened to feed it to me as a smoothie if I didn’t eat everything. She didn't have to say anything. I was still famished. I scarfed it all down. Food can effect miracles. Suddenly, it was good to be home again. I started feeling as if I’d be able to patch things up with my dad in no time. Like mom said, it was just a misunderstanding, one that I couldn’t fathom at the time. It was soon to become unpleasantly clear.
That evening, I relaxed onto my stack of pillows, watched a movie on my iPad, texted my friends, and worried about my planned confrontation with Spring. I couldn’t decide if I should lock my window or open it wide.
The text from Jen took that decision from me
Jen> Finn, I need to see you.
I texted back and started a strange conversation.
Me> Jen! I’ve been so worried about you! Are you alright?
Jen> Things are bad here, Finn. No one understands the danger we are in!
Me> What danger?
Jen> That’s what I need to talk to you about. I need you to come see me right now.
Me> I don’t know if I can, Jen. I don’t think your family wants me to see you.
Jen> That’s because they don’t understand! I know you will!
Me> Understand what?
Jen> I cannot tell you that over the Net. I need to speak to you privately.
Me> I don’t think that’s a good idea…
Jen> You have to come! We have to talk. Just you and me. I sent my parents away.
Jen> Please. I’m begging you! No one else will understand.
I stared at that last message, and I knew I was hosed. She was giving me no choice.
Me> Okay, I’ll come tonight.
Jen> Bring the dreamstone.
I jerked. I hadn’t seen that one coming.
Me> The dreamstone? Why?
Jen> Yes, it’s the key.
Me> The key to what?
Jen> The key to releasing me, the key to the answers.
I sighed.
Me> Okay, I’ll get there as soon as I can get away. What room are you in?
Jen> 806.
Jen> DWPK.
Whoa! That last one—deep wet passionate kiss—made me squirm. Given the circumstances, it just seemed wrong.
What have I gotten myself into? My parents would never let me out of the house. That meant I couldn’t let them know.
It didn’t get dark until almost nine o’clock, but if I waited that long, I wouldn’t be able to get into the hospital, which locked up around eight. Besides, Dave was out bowling again, so I’d have to catch the bus. I started to formulate my master plan.
Distressed Damsel
I stood in front of the door to Jen’s room sometime after nine and took a deep breath. I had been so intent on getting there and dodging security that I hadn’t had a lot of time to think about what I’d say. Nervousness dried my mouth, so I knocked lightly and went in before I could lose my nerve.
I closed the door behind me. A handful of different LEDs on the equipment in the room was all I could see through the darkness.
“Jen?” I whispered. “Hey, Jen?”
Her reply was sleepy. “Who? Finn?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“What happened to you?”
“Uh, well, I had to sneak out of the house, and then I had to catch a bus—”
“You’re glowing!” Wonder lit her voice.
“I am?”
“You’re beautiful!”
Remembering the DWPK, I started feeling uneasy and fidgety. Was this her talking or was it her craz… problem? This was not in any script I had imagined. My eyes had adjusted somewhat to the gloom, and I could see an outline of things in the room as I moved toward the bed. Of course, I picked that moment to fall over a chair that had been almost the same shade of gray as the wall. I crashed to the floor, sending the chair across the floor with a loud skurk.
“Damn!” I breathed into the pain in my shin and knees.
“Finn? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, nothing broken but my pride. I hope.” I rubbed my shin as I stood. “Is there a light here somewhere?”
“Oh… yeah… just a second.” A light over her bed turned on and blinded me.
When my sight cleared, what I saw shocked me from my eyes to my toes. The bed she lay in appeared more like a normal bed than mine had, and the room had been decorated like a nice hotel. The chamber was nice, but she didn’t look like she belonged here. She should have been in a real hospital bed.
The drawn circles under Jen’s eye stood out against the sickly grayness of her skin. Her skin color, matted, tangled hair, and vague unfocused eyes made her look like a cancer victim. She sat in a white nightgown on the edge of her bed, looking at me with a crazy intensity.
“Oh my god, Jen, what happened?” I blurted.
Confusion scrunched her face for a minute. “They give me medicine to help me. It helps with the panic, but it makes me tired.” She paused and then furrowed her brows and added, “It’s hard to think.”
I walked over to stand next to her bed, uncertain what to do, when she reached out and grabbed my left hand.
Her eyes shone as she peered up at me from behind thick eyelashes. “Oh, Finn! I’m so glad you’re here. You are the one we have been praying for. I’ve waited so long!”
That freaked me out. “Uh, Jen,” I said, putting my other hand on hers in a double grip, trying to comfort her. “You’ve known me for a long time. It’s only been a few days since we saw each other.”
Her eyes shifted back-and-forth as though searching for a memory. “Oh, that’s right. We game together.”
I nodded. “Yes, we do.”
“And we ride to school together.”
“That’s right.” Maybe she had just been dreaming or something.
“They’re keeping me here…” The shining in her eyes welled up into tears. “Oh, Finn, I want to go home!”
“I’m sure they'll let you go—”
“They won’t listen to me! They don’t believe that we’re in danger, Finn! They’ll wipe out the whole clan of humanity and destroy all of Seru. You have to save us!”
“Jen, what is going to wipe us out?” I had an inkling of what she would say.
“The trees, Finn! They’re evil and want to destroy us.”
What could I say to that? After a
few moments, I asked in a soft, even voice, “Why would trees want to destroy us?”
The tears had stopped, but had not dried as she grew more animated. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I figured it out. We’ve been cutting them down for centuries. We’ve almost wiped out the great forests. Now they want revenge.”
I swallowed hard and asked the question that had been burning in me so long. “Jen, what did you see in my room?”
“Your room.” She focused again. “It attacked me. That evil tree attacked me. It wanted to kill me and you, too. It’ll lead the others here to destroy us!”
I stood, stunned, trying to think what to say or do.
“Jen,” I started hesitantly. “Jen, what you saw wasn’t evil. You saw a tree spirit. She was just jealous.”
Her eyes rounded and widened. “Didn’t you kill it? You have to kill it, Finn, before it kills you. They can be beautiful and make you fall in love with them as they kill you!”
“Jen, you’re wrong. She’s not evil,” I almost begged. “She doesn’t mean anyone any harm. I’m going to talk to her tonight and see if she can somehow help you.”
“Oh, Finn! You have to snap out of it. You’re under its control. If it kills you, then we’re all lost! Don’t you see? You glow so brightly! If we lose you, we’ll all fall into the darkness, and it’ll devour us!”
At this point, my heart pounded and the urge to run away hit me hard. I was sick with fear for Jen. I searched for something to say, something to make her better, but she changed subjects.
“The crystal! Did you bring the dreamstone?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Take it out; let me see it.”
I eased the dreamstone out of my pocket by the chain, silently hoping she would see it was just an amethyst and come back to reality.
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