On the Fringe

by Courtney King Walker

  “Matthew!” I yelled, drifting in close by his face. He was in trouble, and Felix wasn’t stopping any time soon. “Mrs. James! Someone!” I yelled, but nobody could hear me. No one was even close by. They were all down at the shore, still focused on Claire and Addie in the lake. The world was falling apart around me, and I was helpless.

  Matthew’s eyes fluttered closed—I could tell he was losing it. Felix pounded his fist into Matthew’s stomach, and then brought his other hand to his face, swinging hard. Blood sprayed from a slit beneath his eye.

  This was not happening. I couldn’t let Matthew die.

  I looked into Felix’s crazed face smeared with dirt and blood, then back down at Matthew’s bleeding head. It took me back to a different night, to an explosion ringing in my ears, expanding through my head. Matthew was screaming for me, holding my head in his lap…I could feel the slick warmth spilling out of my head. I tried to wake up, to keep my eyes open, but the world was so dark, the pain was too much, Felix had killed me…was killing Matthew…

  No.

  NOOOO!

  I dove full-force at Felix, creating a gust of air that seemed to knock the wind out of him, a whistling sound coming from his throat. With a look of confusion, he pulled himself off of Matthew and looked around, his wheezing quickly getting worse. “Who’s there?” he asked, shaking. Maybe he thought Aden was attacking him.

  Flying at him again, I drove straight through his chest. He shivered, shrieking, “Get away from me!”

  I rushed him again, and he stumbled backward, landing in the lake with a loud splash. Hopefully, he couldn’t swim.

  I turned to Matthew. Blood was smeared across his face, his nose gushing. He was limp. Quiet. Too quiet.

  “Matt, wake up, Bro.”

  Nothing.

  “Matthew!”

  Screaming. Sirens in the distance.

  “Matt, come on! You’re going to be fine,” I said, shaking him, trying to ignore whatever was happening in the water, hoping somehow Claire was okay. I couldn’t leave Matthew yet. “You have to help Claire now. You have to live for her. Please.” Something like a sob was climbing up my throat. “I need your help. Claire needs you, Matt. Felix…Felix is still after her. Felix was the one who shot me. You have to hear me. Wake up, Matthew please!” I begged, somehow placing my hands on his face and pulling his head into my lap.

  Matthew’s body jerked and he inhaled, slowly crawling to his knees. He turned his head and looked up, his eyes blinking and then widening. He froze, like he was afraid. Afraid of what? Matthew wasn’t afraid of anything. Then I realized he was staring at me, looking me straight in the eyes.

  I didn’t know what to do. I just watched him watch me, wondering what was going through his mind. He sat up, holding his head, hesitantly reaching for my arm, his fingers gripping me solidly. A faint smile emerged from his bloody face. “Daniel,” he whispered.

  There was a shout from below. Something was still happening in the water. We both turned. Addie was standing at the edge of the lake, screaming.

  Matthew jumped to his feet, but almost toppled over. “Dizzy,” he said, still holding his head.

  “I’ll help you.” I draped my arm across his shoulders and walked with him a few steps, his weight leaning into mine. Suddenly, I lost hold of him as my arm sailed through him, and he fell. “Matthew?” I asked, in front of his face.

  He just looked at me, like he was trying to read my lips. “Help me up,” he said, his hand extended.

  I reached for his arm again, but our connection was gone. I shook my head as he hobbled over to the rocks, down to the edge of the lake, tripping a few times, but still managing to reach the shore.

  Addie turned and ran to Matthew when she saw him, throwing her arms around his neck. She quickly pulled back, her eyes wide. “Your face, Matthew! Oh my gosh. And your eye…you’re bleeding. Are you okay?”

  “I think so,” he said, looking past her to Mrs. James, who was standing in about two feet of water. “What’s going on? Where’s Claire?”

  “She’s still under the water,” Mrs. James yelled hysterically. “Your dad dove in to find her.”

  Matthew was already splashing through the water, stumbling over the rocks and picking himself up each time he tripped. He seemed to be regaining strength with each step. Spinning lights and sirens were making their way down the hill, but Matthew wasn’t waiting for anyone. As he swam, I shifted beneath the surface to search for Claire. The water was hazy and dark, but the moon glowed through the fog, softly illuminating shadows and a fighting Claire.

  She was near the bottom, still holding her breath while trying to break away from some kind of whirlpool that appeared to be keeping her under. Just behind her, a faint outline rippled through the water. I zoomed closer to find Aden there, his arms extended in front of him, somehow using the water’s force to hold Claire under.

  I shifted back to the surface, where Matthew had met up with his dad, their heads bobbing up and down in the moonlight. Just as I reached them, Felix came out of nowhere and jumped on Mr. James’ back, pushing him under the water, leaving a pool of bubbles in their wake.

  “Get Claire,” Mr. James choked out to Matthew when he resurfaced, his arm around Felix’s neck in a chokehold.

  While Mr. James grappled with Felix, Matthew turned my way, his eyes catching mine. Everything seemed to stall, like the world was crawling, when he looked at me and pleaded, “Do you know where she is?”

  I nodded, moved by the intensity in his eyes. “Follow me.”

  He dove under as I led him down to Claire. She was still caught in the freak whirlpool, which Matthew was already trying to breach. No matter how hard he kicked, he couldn’t break into the vortex of water that encaged her. Her eyes had lost focus, and I could tell she was out of air. Matthew knew it, too, and propelled himself forward again. I looked for Aden and rushed at him the same way he’d attacked me—but he remained unfazed as I flew through him.

  Circling to try again, I turned around just as a flash of red zoomed by, knocking me off balance. The water rippled as the light barreled straight into Aden, knocking him backward several feet. The whirlpool instantly dissolved, releasing Claire. She weakly kicked for the surface, but stopped. She’d run out of breath.

  I went to her and tried pulling her up, but she floated through me—her body limp and her eyes empty. Matthew’s watery scream matched what I felt seeping out of me, floating through the lake around us. He pulled Claire to him and raced to the surface, leaving me all alone. Claire didn’t need me this time. She needed them.

  Feeling the pull of the water glide through me, I drifted through the lake in search of Aden, or for some explanation for what had freed Claire. Making out a faint outline of something in the distance, I drifted closer, soon recognizing the face belonging to all that hair.

  Crazy Hair Lady. Nico. Claire’s aunt.

  She was still under the water, floating a few feet in front of Aden, wearing a red floral dress, her eyes swirling turquoise and yellow.

  Aden was seething. “Why did you do that? You ruined everything!”

  They were facing each another, circling like animals. Nico seemed to be enjoying herself, a triumphant smile forming on her lips. “You need to quit bugging the living,” she said, flicking her hand against Aden’s shoulder and shoving him backwards through the water. “It’s not very fun when you’re the one getting pushed around, is it?”

  Aden tensed his shoulders and crouched low, making some sort of strange growling noise. Then he rushed at her, like he was going to wring her neck. “You need to mind your own business, Witch!”

  Nico turned and winked at me just before he reached her—and this time I saw it coming. For once. I felt myself smiling when I heard a soft metallic clink the second Aden made contact with her.

  “You need to learn to think before you act, Aden. Now I’ve got you,” she said, mimicking Aden’s earlier words to me, making me wonder if she’d been eavesdropping the entire time.r />
  Aden fought. He punched. Screamed.

  “Hopefully now you’ll realize you can’t change the past,” she said, pulling him with her as they began to drift away. “Next time try focusing on the future. It’s much easier.”

  Aden’s shrill screams flooded the watery world. I tried covering my ears, but the noise reverberated through the lake, the water magnifying the sound waves, multiplying and engulfing my senses.

  Finally it stopped.

  Aden’s broad shoulders slumped in defeat. He turned to Nico and whispered, “Where are you taking me?”

  “I’m going to teach you a few lessons.”

  They started to fade away. Just before the water appeared to swallow them up, Nico turned back to me and winked. Her eyes were a cool green. “Don’t forget our date. How about this Thursday night at the Galleria? Eight-o’clock, sharp. I’ll bring the popcorn.”

  “Wait. Do I…?”

  But they were gone, and the lake was suddenly quiet.

  I shifted to the shore, where Claire’s cold, pale body lay in the mud. Compared to the still quiet beneath the water, the rest of the world seemed alive and angry, sound waves bouncing around me like a rubber ball—sirens, walkie-talkies, voices yelling, screaming, or crying.

  Felix lay face down on the ground, his arms cuffed behind his back. The paramedics surrounded Claire and pumped her chest as Addie, Matthew and her parents huddled over her, crying, calling her name, begging her to live. I drifted through the circle of people surrounding her, and sunk next to the guy trying to save her life.

  Matthew looked up at me, then grabbed Claire’s hand and leaned into her ear. “Claire. Claire, it’s me, Matthew. You have to come back. For Mom and Dad, and Addie. For me. For Daniel. Please, Claire, you have to come back.”

  We waited, but she still didn’t move. Matthew gasped, choking hard before he found me again. I could see panic inside his eyes as they pleaded with me to save his little sister. That was when I realized Matthew needed Claire, and she needed Matthew. And because of that, I was going to be okay. She was going to be just fine.

  I kissed Claire’s forehead, and placed my head on her chest, hoping the soft rhythm of her heartbeat would start. At the first muted thump, I looked up at the swollen lump of serrated flesh beneath Matthew’s blood-shot eye, the purple and black patches spreading like a disease beneath his skin, and I smiled—because he was going to be all right now, too.

  I turned back to Matthew’s little sister and whispered in her ear, “Claire. I love you. I think I always have.”

  Claire

  I could feel my heart beating and the rush of blood waking me up. Slowly, I opened my eyes to a crowd of strange faces looking at me, to the feeling of wet and cold seeping through my skin into my bones.

  My skin…my bones…

  Startled, I reached out for Daniel. He was there, somewhere. I could feel him near me, but couldn’t find him.

  “Claire,” I heard familiar voices talking amidst the swirl of commotion encircling me as Matthew came into view, followed by Addie and my parents, the neighbors, and a bunch of other strange faces.

  “Daniel,” I called out weakly, trying to sit up as a dozen hands pushed me back down into the grass.

  “Take it easy, there,” said a deep voice.

  I wanted Daniel, but the overwhelming mass of faces smothered me. I finally located Matthew’s face, and looked at him hopefully. “Daniel?” I squeaked out. Matthew only smiled, his relieved eyes hiding any answers.

  Everything felt upside down as the crowded world spun around me like a merry-go-round, my eyes growing heavy again. When I tried to lift my arms or move my body, I felt constrained like there was a weight pressing on my chest, and I sunk back to wherever I’d been…

  …back to Daniel.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  NOT THE END

  Daniel

  The moonlight shone down on us as we lazily drifted around in circles, her head resting against my chest as I held her, one arm along her waist, the other brushing her hair.

  “This isn’t so bad,” she said, looking up at me.

  I leaned down and kissed her forehead, letting my lips linger on her skin. She reached for my hand, her fingers interlaced through mine.

  “I never said it was bad.”

  “Then why don’t I just stay?”

  “This isn’t a place where you should stay, Claire—you know that.”

  “But I don’t want to leave you.” Sitting up suddenly, she gasped, “My ring, Daniel! Where’s my ring? It must have fallen off in the lake…”

  “Shhhhh,” I hugged her…. “I’ll find it for you.”

  Dusk or dawn filtered in through slatted shades, sending blurry patterns across the room. People came and went—some familiar, some not; some with flowers, some with cards or hugs. Claire’s face looked so peaceful on the pillow near mine. For hours at a time, I would get lost in her silhouette while dragging my fingers across her eyelids, then along her cheek, pretending I could feel her again.

  When she had company, I usually stood off in the corner, burying myself in a small patch of sunlight.Even though no one could see me, I still felt like an intruder. Sometimes she would stir, her moaning cause for excitement as they all eagerly waited. When she didn’t wake up, their faces and heads would droop as they all tried to hide their disappointment after she eluded them once again.

  “You can’t keep doing this to them,” I told her the next time she came to me.

  “But I’m not ready.”

  We’d found refuge at Hidden Lake again. The leaves were falling around us as we stood at the edge of the dock, this time in the shadow of a golden sunset. We faced each other as I brushed my hands along the sides of her arms. Her skin felt so delicate, though my memory could never do it justice. Soon, I was holding her face in my hands, closing my eyes, and letting my head fall forward until our noses were barely touching, her cheek grazing mine as our lips met….

  “Claire. Claire,” we could both hear her mom calling her. “I’m so sorry, honey. Please come back…”

  Claire’s lips stayed on mine.

  I pulled back.

  She hesitated, a look of confusion on her face.

  “You need to go,” I urged, for her sake.

  “But I’m happy here with you.”

  “I love you, Claire,” her mom’s voice broke in.

  Claire looked at me, her eyes sad, then scared, then uncertain. “I don’t want to leave you, Daniel,” she sighed, looking out across the lake.

  “Say hi to Daniel for me,” Matthew’s voice intruded. “And then you need to wake up.”

  Claire gulped.

  I held her hand, even though I could only feel subtle pressure. Looking down, I tried to imagine or remember what it felt like to hold her. The memory weakly returned, but I couldn’t make it last. Suspecting the same for her, I squeezed her fingers as tightly as I could, and then released them.

  “We’ll have our time.” I attempted courage. “Just not right now.”

  Her eyes told me tears wanted to fall, but here they only brimmed with sadness. “I know.” She bowed her head, unwilling to look at me anymore, but still unable to let go. “I know,” she repeated.

  Lifting her chin with my finger, I forced her to look at me, and then kissed her one more time, trying to remember how she felt in my arms, as numb as I was, insistent on retaining one final memory that would have to last years, or decades, or more.

  And then she left me—to return to her life that still waited for her, to the life without me.

  I was glad it had been her decision, and not mine.

  Claire

  Day and night blurred together, composing a continuous span of dripping, fading time. Mom and Dad were there when I opened my eyes. I first heard Mom’s gasp, then looked up to find Dad’s crooked smile.

  “Claire,” he sighed in relief and squeezed my hand, his eyes brimming with emotion. Mom smothered my face with kisses and tears, and I felt my h
eart growing warm.

  I’d missed them.

  Over the next few days my foggy mind fought for awareness, unable to keep track of time. My life consisted of never-ending visits from family and friends who peppered me with a million questions interspersed with long naps and bland hospital food, both, which left me exhausted. I felt paper thin, my lungs weak as a butterfly at first, my mind shouting from the inside for my body to move. Eventually the beeping and whirring of machines were abandoned until all that was left were a few annoying needles I begged to have removed.

  The only thing I couldn’t get rid of was my insomnia. Night after night I tossed and turned, sometimes only sleeping an hour or so, my daydreams blurring with reality, thanks to the various drugs taking up residence in my mind. Visions of Daniel seemed to come and go. As long as I was dreaming he was never far away, so I wanted to sleep as much as possible.

  Everyone was afraid to speak of that night; they all avoided it—even Matthew, though occasionally he looked at me like he was bursting inside. The doctor had probably ordered everyone’s silence. That was fine by me, because not only did I prefer not to have to think about Aden and Felix ever again, but I also didn’t want anyone to see me cry. Being stuck half-naked in a hospital bed was bad enough.

  After almost a week in the hospital, I finally got to go home. It felt good being surrounded by familiar walls, smells and sounds, and even better being fattened up by Mom’s cooking. She pretty much made whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, which opened it up to just about anything when your mom could make absolutely everything. I never really noticed before.

  I had been home only a few days, and was sinking my teeth into a warm pumpkin scone slathered in butter, when Matthew invited himself in my room and sat beside me on the bed. He still looked pretty bad, with two huge bandages on his face and head, and another on his arm. At least his eye was almost down to its normal size.

  “How are you doing?” he asked, smiling.