by Jesse Grey
“Isn’t it always?” Abram sneered, avoiding Dagger’s gaze.
“We believe that the patient may have escaped using the under-ground tunnels that Sumner was hiding in.” Dagger explained. “Just one of my many theories.”
“But the only way out is through Shadows Manor.” Bridge added.
“That we know of.” he countered.
“You think there’s another way out of either passage?”
Dagger shrugged at Abram’s unconvinced tone. “Or another way out entirely. We don’t know. Until we do though, Arclan Asylum and Shadows Manor are under close police supervision.” He ignored the glare between the friends at that statement. “But it got me won-dering what else I don’t know about Sumner.”
Scoffing, Mercer adjusted in his chair. “You want more Greatest Hits of Sumner Shadows.”
His friends looked totally out of their comfort zones, but Dagger pressed on. “Yes. I know this is tough, with the Arclan attack fresh on your minds and all but—”
“Spring break.” Alex huffed.
Slightly off put by the outburst, Dagger honed in on him. “What?”
“Spring break, freshman year, just a couple months after he faked us out at Arclan.” Alex went on, looking at his friends. “Remember?”
“Unfortunately.” Bridge snorted.
“Great,” Dagger pulled a nearby chair up to the table, sitting down eagerly. “Tell me about spring break.”
Mercer was really enjoying Sumner’s parentless pool party, mainly be-cause he was making out with a pretty girl for the first time in his life. It was spring break and things between his friends and Sumner had been pretty great since the Arclan incident. But the fact that a girl had taken interest in him was even more of a miracle than Sumner behaving himself the past couple of months.
The beautiful redhead with him pulled away from their kiss, immersing Mercer back into his surroundings, which consisted of Sumner’s huge back-yard behind Shadows Manor. Mercer was sitting in a gazebo overseeing the pool area, which contained pretty much the entire school splashing in the water and hanging out by the perimeter of the pool.
“You okay?” Mercer asked her, hoping his kissing wasn’t as awful as he had imagined it would be.
“Yeah,” she smiled wide. “I just still can’t believe that I’m kissing one of the most popular boys in school.”
He laughed. “I’m not, really. People just think that because I’m friends with Sumner.”
“And Sumner is Westbrooke High,” she grinned, looking a little shy all of the sudden. “But he’s not the one I’ve been interested in. Would you maybe want to go out sometime?”
Mercer, a little surprised, laughed lightly at his luck. “I’d really like that, Harley.”
Harley pulled him into another kiss as they started making out again, only for a strong hand on his shoulder to pull him away from her instantly.
“Whoa, slow down there, stud.” Mercer looked up to see Sumner stand-ing over them, a grin from ear to ear on his face.
“Oh, hi, Sumner.” Harley blushed, pushing her long scarlet strands away from her face.
“Nice seeing you with my boy.” Sumner beamed. “Having fun? Besides the obvious.”
She just nodded enthusiastically as Sumner put a hand on Mercer’s shoulder.
“Mind if I borrow him? I promise I’ll bring him back in one piece so you two can continue...getting along.”
“Sure.”
“I’ll talk to you later?” Mercer smiled at her, just as Sumner steered him away from Harley and they walked down closer to the pool.
“Damn, Merce.” Sumner cackled, shoving him playfully. “Only an hour into the party and you’re already heading to second base.”
“Not at all. Harley’s cool. I think we might actually hang out.”
“Take it from me, play the field before you settle on one sport.”
Mercer just shook his head, Sumner leading them to a small gathering just by the diving board of the pool where Bridge, Lissa, and Abram were all waiting on them while a small crowd hung around.
“Heard you were interrupted.” Bridge laughed.
Mercer chuckled back. “More or less.”
Sumner and Mercer took their seats around their friends and other var-ious bystanders that looked eager to be included, even if it just meant over-looking the event.
“The masses want a round of truth or dare.” Sumner told them. “And I never disappoint when I’m hosting a party.” he purred with another smile.
“Who goes first?” Lissa wondered.
“Obviously, I do.” Sumner scoffed, as if she should have known without asking. “Bridge, truth or dare?”
“Dare.” Bridge said, not wanting to wuss out on the first round.
“I dare you and Mercer to make out.”
“Really?” Bridge sighed, not impressed by Sumner’s selection.
“We’re like brothers.” Mercer agreed.
“You had no problem making out with Harley.” Sumner countered.
“Mercer isn’t even my type.”
“Wait, why not?”
“Jesus. You’re attractive, Merce, but I’m into fellow gay guys, not open minded straight friends of mine.”
“Just do it.” A frustrated Sumner bellowed. “You said dare, so do it.”
“Fine.” They both exclaimed, scooting closer to each other to accurately perform the dare.
“Just be glad I’m even agreeing to this, considering you have fresh female on your tongue.”
“Bite me.” Mercer grinned.
“You’d like it too much.”
Mercer grabbed Bridge by the shirt until his lips collided against his own, both of them opening their mouths to make out, earning them hoots and hollers from everyone around. After a fair amount of time, they pulled away from each other, laughing at each other while people clapped for them loudly.
“More tongue, Merce.” Bridge laughed sarcastically.
“You actually could use more tongue.” Mercer admitted with another laugh.
“Now I’m gonna dare myself.” Sumner said, diverting attention back to himself, like usual. “Who dares me to jump into the pool from the roof?”
The crowd erupted with roars of approval, but his friends shared glares of worry.
“Sumner, don’t.” Abram pleaded.
“Quit worrying, I’ll be fine. I’ve done it before.”
“It’s too dangerous.” Lissa stood up, using her bubbly hazel irises to try and reason with him.
“Will you guys quit being such party poopers? I’ll be fine.” Sumner groaned. “Living safe is boring and I refuse to not excite myself. Okay? Good. I’m jumping.”
He left them then, jumping on a patio table to access the lowest part of Shadows Manor’s roof, which was the dining room, and quickly jumped on-to the roof.
“This is bad.” Bridge sighed.
“As if any of us can convince Sumner to not do something.” Abram told them, not that he had to, all of them nodding as Sumner got to a higher point on the roof overlooking the pool.
“Who wants me to jump?” Sumner yelled, instantly met with wild howls of esteem.
Without warning or asking for a countdown from the crowd, Sumner ran off the roof and dove into the pool, prompting more cheers from every-one gathering around the pool for the spectacle as Sumner penetrated the water with ease. Even his friends reluctantly joined in on the clapping, their expressions turning from grim to glee while the crowd continued their jeer-ing for their unrequited king.
But then too much time passed as Sumner remained underwater, a scary amount of time, and the applause started to subside.
“You don’t think he hit his head, do you?” Lissa croaked with concern.
“Sumner!” Abram yelled from above as the bubbles dissipated and Sumner’s form was finally visible.
He wasn’t moving.
A girl screamed so loud it caused several people to jump, chaos breaking out across the grounds of Shadows Manor.
People started running around frantically, fleeing in every direction imaginable for fear of being connected to what was happening.
“Sumner!” Lissa cried, tears coming to her effortlessly as she tried her best to keep it together.
Abram jumped into the pool without hesitation, diving in to retrieve Sumner from the water. He struggled to get to his friends once he got to Sumner, finding it difficult to carry Sumner while also trying to get himself to the edge of the pool. Bridge and Mercer helped pull Sumner out of the wa-ter, Abram lifting him up so they could get him out of the pool and onto the concrete next to them.
“Should we call his parents?” Lissa stated, already shaking from the sight of Sumner.
“No.” Mercer and Bridge said together.
“He needs CPR!” Lissa screamed.
“I can do it.” Abram told them, looking down at Sumner’s motionless chest, suddenly really afraid. “I, uh, I think.”
“Pinch the nose, tilt the head.” Bridge nodded, urgency in his voice.
“Right.” Abram did as Bridge directed, taking a deep breath before lean-ing down to give Sumner the breath of life.
But when Abram pursued his mouth, Sumner started laughing.
“I like you Abe, but I don’t like you enough to let you kiss me.” Sumner laughed. “I’ve been training myself for months for this.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Mercer exclaimed, throwing his hands up in mock defeat. “I’m done.”
“Mercer—”
“Fuck you, Sumner.” As Sumner got to his feet, Mercer shoved him, caus-ing him to stumble back towards the pool, almost falling back in. “This is not some fun game that we’re just going to forgive you for.” Mercer scoffed. “You’re crazy. You’re in need of psychological evaluation.”
“After what you did at Arclan, you said you wouldn’t do something like that again.” Bridge’s voice was getting more and more irate with every new syllable. “You fucking promised, Sumner!”
“I gave all of Westbrooke High the party of their lives tonight! When we show up at school next week, we’ll be the subject of every whisper and the reason behind every stare! We’ll rule that school even more than we already do.” Sumner smiled mischievously.
“And you’ll be enjoying that alone, because this is it for me.” Mercer said sternly. “I’m done with you.”
“Cue the dramatics.” Sumner scoffed.
Walking off heatedly, Mercer left them standing there with Sumner, heading inside to grab his stuff and go home. Bridge stepped up to Sumner, his nostrils wide with rage. “When are you going to learn that being the topic of small town gossip isn’t the most important thing in the world?”
“I don’t want to be a small town subject,” Sumner seethed back. “I want to be a national headline.”
“This just in: Psycho teenager locked up, friends don’t give a shit. There’s your damn headline.” Bridge abandoned them for the house.
“You’re such an asshole!” Lissa screeched, running up to him and throw-ing a mean right hook, hitting Sumner square in the jaw, exerting just enough force to knock him back into the pool, his limbs splashing about in the water.
When Sumner got his bearings back, wiping the water away from his eyes as he stood up, he saw anger and finality in Abram and Lissa’s eyes. “So that’s it? Everyone’s done with me after a couple of jokes?”
“Yeah,” Abram said. “That’s it.”
They started toward Shadows Manor, further enraging Sumner beyond the point of reason.
“You’ll be nothing without me!”
“A king is nothing without a kingdom,” Lissa told him. “Your reign is over, your majesty.”
Lissa spoke with as much venom as a deadly black mamba, grabbing Abram’s hand as they retreated from Sumner as he screamed shrieks of ma-levolence, making them glad they got out of the world of Sumner Shadows while they still had their lives.
Bridge finished telling the story, Dagger scoffing while his friends looked on with strained faces at the retelling of the memory.
“So, you stopped being friends with Sumner after he went back on his word for the Arclan thing?”
Together, they confirmed his question by shaking their heads positively. Dagger got up from his chair, pacing in front of them while the story rang in his ears like church bells that weren’t quite as pleasing as they once were.
“Why would he do that again, after it obviously upset you so much?”
“He’s crazy, detective.” Abram scratched at his developing beard. “We don’t know why he did anything more than you do.”
“We didn’t talk to him for the rest of the school year after that.” Alex explained.
“Why talk to him again at all?”
“He gave a pretty convincing apology.” Bridge said. “He said he went to a doctor and—”
“Detective,” The door flew open as Adelaide Llewellyn strode right in. “Time’s up. I think that’s enough for today anyway.”
Dagger regarded them, taking in their tired expressions and then smiling at Adelaide. “Maybe you’re right.” He turned back to them. “Thanks again for your cooperation today.”
They all got up to go, giving Adelaide a small smile as they left the interrogation room until just Adelaide was left with Dagger.
“Don’t make us regret allowing you to ask our kids about Sumner Shadows.”
“I don’t think they’re helping him, Ade. Really, I don’t. But there’s something they’re not telling me, something that ties this whole case together, I can feel it. I’m hoping these sessions will unlock what that puzzle piece is.”
“Why are you here, Alston?” She let the door close, moving clos-er to him. “Why did you take this case, to torture me?”
“This has nothing to do with you. I took this case because if I crack it, it’ll be the biggest case of my career. And it’s captivating and complex, and you know how much I love a challenge. It’s not about you, Ade.” he sighed. “At least, not just about you.”
Her brow bristled. “Just?”
Dagger grabbed her face and crashed his lips against hers in a sensual kiss. For about a millisecond, Adelaide leaned into the kiss, but she quickly thought better of it and ripped herself away from him. Not wasting any time after they were separated, Adelaide drew her hand back and slapped him as hard as she could.
Grabbing his cheek, he begged with his eyes to talk to her. He knew he had made a mistake, old history enabling new confidence. “Ade, I’m sorry, I—”
“Stay away from me.” she demanded.
Adelaide left the interrogation room with feverish agony, making her way to the lobby of the police station, both angry at Dagger for his romantic pursuits, but also at herself for relaxing into their kiss for even a fraction of a second.
“Mom?”
Her son reaped her attention, seeing him and his friends waiting by the front doors.
“You can go, sweetheart.” she gave him her best smile. “I’ll see you at home in a couple hours.”
“You sure you’re okay?” Alex asked.
“I’m fine. You all go.” She smiled at her son’s friends. “Have a good night, guys.”
“Thanks Mrs. Llewellyn.” Abram smiled.
She left them for other places within the police station, all of them looking to Alex.
“Your mom looks really mad.” Bridge commented. “You don’t think she talked to Dagger, do you?”
“I hope not.” Alex sighed. “Let’s go.”
“Yeah. I’ve had enough of this place.” Bridge agreed.
Together, the friends exited the Armor Falls Police Station and prepared to return to their respective homes when Kirby came up to the steps of the building.
“Mercer,” She breathed like she’d been crying, not to mention she had ditched her usual chic New York fashion for an oversized sweat-er that had Manhattan scrawled across the chest and some black yoga pants, causing a smile in Mercer’s head when he saw that she was still wearing heels. “You
r dads told me you were here. Can we talk?”
He gave his friends a nod. “I’ll talk to you guys later.”
“You sure?” Abram said, more than a little worried.
“Yeah.” he assured him. “I’ll be fine.”
Alex and Abram left for Alex’s car, Bridge hanging back for a second.
“I’ll wait in the Jeep.” Not really wanting to, Bridge left them alone to talk.
“Are you okay?” Mercer started, more worried about her than an-gry and upset, like he’d been throughout most of the day.
“No.” she admitted, sniffling. “Mercer, I’m so sorry for earlier. This week is so hard on me, today in particular, and I took that out on you and for that I’m really sorry.”
“Here.” He gestured to a bench just outside of the station, both of them sitting down with affluence.
“I owe you an explanation.”
“Kirby—”
“No, I do. I want to tell you, Mercer. You said earlier that we never made anything official, but I want us to be.” Kirby grabbed the only hand he had free, due to his sling, and squeezed his hand tenderly. “But the last time...this is just so hard for me to talk about. I spend all of my energy blocking it out most days, but this week, it’s impossible for me to do that.” New tears made themselves known on her now red cheeks.
Mercer wrestled his hand free to swipe a tear from her face with his thumb. He found it completely breathtaking that even during her most broken down state, she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever laid eyes on. “You can tell me. Like I said, I’m sort of an expert on dark haunting pasts.”
With a chaste breath, Kirby started her story, albeit with a very shaky voice. “Today is Bryce’s birthday.”
“Okay.” Mercer said, grabbing her hand once more and squeezing it comfortingly. “Is, or was, Bryce your ex?”
“No.” she dismissed, heaving lightly to keep the tears at bay. “As you know, I’m from New Hampshire originally. But I guess when my dad left, my mom moved us to Manhattan to pursue her dream in fashion. I grew up in New York and I loved it there. It was the city where I fell in love with photography, and with my dreams, I knew I could make it happen there. And that kept me happy for a while. But then, I wanted other things. Like love. Or at least the teenage version of what I thought love was.