by Elen Chase
"So, what are you making?" I asked her when Dan went to the living room and we were left alone in the kitchen.
"Spaghetti with mushroom sauce and cheese, tomato salad and fruit and cream for dessert."
"That's a lot of stuff."
"Well, they're all Dan's favorites."
"Oh, I see. You're so happy he came back that you want to celebrate, right?"
"There's that too, but mostly I'm worried about him. He's way too skinny, and always looks tired. I want to do something to make him feel better."
She really was cute. "Don't worry," I said, serious, "I'm sure that if you cook for us like this every day he'll gain back all the weight he lost."
"You just want me to make your meals, don't you?" We stared at each other for a long instant and we couldn’t suppress a chuckle.
"You got me," I confessed. We had to wait for the pasta to be ready, so she joined me on the other side of the kitchen.
"By the way... These clothes are Dan's, right?" she asked.
"Oh yeah, I borrowed them."
"Must be nice being the same size... I'm jealous."
"Trust me, if as a girl you were this size you would have other problems to deal with."
"Who cares, I could smell them all the time."
"That's kind of creepy."
"Can I?"
"Wha—? No way, go smell him if you want to."
"There's no way I could do that. Pleaseee!" She tried to pull the arm of the shirt to her face.
"Nope." I said, and blocked her by putting my hand on her face.
"It's unfair, you just want to enjoy his sexy smell all by yourself!" she screamed.
"I'm not enjoying absolutely anything, I'm not a pervert like you!" I said back.
"Ahem... Sorry to interrupt you. When you're done flirting, the food is ready." Dan's voice came from the other side of the kitchen.
"SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU BEEN THERE?" we screamed at the same time.
"Since the timer rang. Then I seasoned the pasta and the salad."
My eyes dropped on Sara, knees on the floor, her hands on her face. "He saw everything. He saw everything," she was repeating with a feeble voice, over and over. I looked at Dan with the face of the “do something about it,” and he sighed and said, "Sara, can we go eat now? I can't wait to try this."
She got up in a flash and went to help him bring the plates to the table.
The food was great. I hadn't eaten anything so good in a long time, or perhaps I should say I hadn't been able to enjoy a meal in months. Both Dan and I asked for more, and Sara was so happy we liked it that she offered to bring us more food the next few days. Dan was about to turn her down, but I said yes before he could do anything.
"We should go now," he said when it was almost time for us to go out.
"Already?" asked Sara with a sad face.
"Yeah, we have somewhere to go."
"Tonight? Where?"
Dan didn't answer. It was clear her question irritated him.
"Dan wants to introduce me to a friend," I said, trying to break that tense silence. It wasn't too great of an excuse but I hoped she would understand.
"I see… So, I'll see you tomorrow," she said.
"Yes, see you tomorrow. Thanks for tonight," I replied. Dan did the same and we went out directly from her place.
This time Dan drove us to the club on his motorcycle; it was about five districts away. In front of the club a bunch of people were waiting in line to enter. I was about to get in line too, but Dan stopped me.
"Not from there, we're going this way," he said, and led me to another entrance, guarded by a bouncer. Dan showed him what looked like a membership card.
"I'm here to see Jim. He's with me."
The big guy looked at both sides of the card, then back at us. After a short while, he allowed us to enter. "Jim’s in the VIP area. I'll tell him you're going up."
The entrance of the building was leading to a staircase. We went up and passed an open corridor from where we could see the first floor, where people were already dancing and drinking. The music was high and colored lights were flashing at the same beat. At the end of the passage there was a glass door leading to a private area, which Dan opened with his card. Inside there was a room with a bar, a dance-floor and a hydro-massage bath surrounded by sofas. On one of them, a man was sitting and drinking liquor while chatting with two sexy girls. There was no music on, and behind the bar, a bartender was preparing several cocktails. The man turned around when he heard the door open. He was a man in his twenties with short black hair with a pink tuft falling on the left side of his perfectly shaved face and big glasses with black frames. He was dressed nicely with a white silky shirt and black pants. On his wrist, he boasted a watchpad worth at least six thousand credits.
"Look who's back in town! Ha-ha-ha, Dan, it's nice to see you again!" He got up and hugged Dan like a friend, patting his shoulder. The girls stayed on the sofa, saying nothing and looking at us with judging eyes.
"Nice to see you too, Jim," Dan smiled back at him. "This is Andrew, an old friend of mine." It felt kind of strange being introduced like that, but I guess that's what I was after all, an old friend. Jim and I shook hands.
"Nice to meet you," I said, even though in fact it wasn't nice at all. I didn't like him one bit. All I could see in him was the ostentation of a lot of money made not simply illegally, but with drugs, so basically by killing people.
"So, what happened to you? Did a zombie suck all the life from you? You look totally worn out," he said to Dan.
"Yeah, something like that," he replied. We sat on the sofa next to the bath, while he sat back between the two girls. Their presence was making me uncomfortable.
"Want something to drink? I'm having Mike there try out new cocktails."
"No, thank you. Honestly, we're here to ask you about something serious," said Dan. The guy's expression became suddenly dark, and he smirked. Then he sent away the bartender and the girls so we could talk alone.
"Straight to the point as always. Okay then, I'll listen to you."
"A couple of months ago Drew's girlfriend was kidnapped and killed. When the police found her they said she might have been dosed, but there was no trace of drugs in her body. We want to know if something like that is even really possible."
Jim listened carefully to him and seemed to think about it for a while, then he said, "Dan, you should know better than anyone else how drugs work. They are made to alter your physics and brain in the first place, so of course they will leave traces on your body, especially if you die of an overdose. Are you sure there was no trace?"
Dan looked at me, seeking more information on the matter, so I explained, "The autopsy was made right after they found her and there was a friend of my father in the medical team who did it. I'm a hundred percent sure of its result."
"I see," said Jim, "then I can assure you it was no drug. If something so powerful had been produced, I would know for sure. I’m a leader in the business, something like that cannot pass unnoticed." He observed us again for a moment, then he continued, "I can assure you it wasn't a drug. But I heard rumors about another thing that may be it."
"What?" asked Dan, instantly.
"Poison, a new type that leaves no traces." That word caught all my attention. Poison? Is there really something like that? And how is it any different from drugs? "It's something I heard quite some time ago. Well, Dan already knows, but I have a little sister, eleven years old. She's adorable."
"What?" I said. Why would I care about that at all?
"Oh, sorry, I was losing focus. You see, my little sister loves animals; she picks them up on the street and brings them home. Of course, it's impossible to raise all of them, and after a while we leave them to a volunteer association. The last time we went there, they were in the middle of a campaign because many dogs had been found dead apparently for no reason. No illness, no violence, they were just dead. The volunteers were sure they got poisoned. It's not so unusua
l to poison a stray that messes up your garbage. I've never been interested in such things, so I don't know who produces this poison or how they do it, but I think the situation kind of resembles the one you told me about." Are you comparing my girlfriend to a stray dog? The look I gave him must have reflected my thoughts, since he immediately added, "Still I have no idea why somebody would do that to a young girl, it’s awful. If you want I can put one of my men in search of more info, just in case."
"Yes, we really need to know more about this," said Dan.
"Alright. I'll contact a few people, ones I can trust. Of course don't worry, none of your names or reasons will come out. I'll call you if I ever find anything useful. I'm sorry if I haven't been of much help tonight."
"No, talking to you was very... constructive," I said. I didn't like him, not for any apparent reason, but it was hate at first sight. However, I was sure what he had said about the drugs was the truth. I was glad to know Shallie wasn't drugged, but at the same time I was afraid something even worse could have happened to her. Being poisoned... for what reason?
"Thanks Jim, we'll be going now," said Dan.
"Feel free to go downstairs, drinks on me," added the guy and put a hand on my shoulder. I looked at him, and I understood he was sympathizing with me. I suddenly felt like drinking for real.
"Yeah, I think I'll take the offer," I replied. Of course, I still hated him. Was it going against all my principles? Yes, but fuck everything, I seriously needed a drink.
Dan came with me to the bar, but he didn't order anything. I got a vodka based cocktail and then another one. We didn't talk at all, but the pounding of the music was too strong anyway. When I was getting my third glass, Dan stopped me.
"Enough," he said, "I don't want to drag you home after this."
The alcohol had already gotten a bit to my head, so even if I knew he was right, I didn't feel like stopping. "No way, I was just getting started," I laughed. "Why don't you drink with me? Just like the old days."
"We never did such thing."
"Right, I almost forgot you disappeared from my life for seven fucking years." I was probably getting out something I wasn't supposed to. Was I already so drunk?
"You can't hold your liquor at all, can you?"
"Of course I can, know-it-all."
"Fine, keep drinking then. But do it at home."
"Do you have something strong?"
"Yes, come on," he pulled me off the bar stool, talked to the bartender and pushed me out. Somehow, I couldn't stop laughing.
"This place is fun, Downtown is fun!" I said, looking at the blurred lights of the lamps on the street. "No wonder you left me for this… I wouldn't be surprised if a ghost came out." I closed my fist, trying to catch the lights. "Now I get it, Dan! You're a ghost!"
"Am I?" he talked to me in an accommodating way, like anyone would do with a friend too drunk to think clearly.
"Yes! There's even two of you now."
"Of course, that would be the only possible reason." We reached the parking lot.
"Say Dan, have you come back to help me with Shallie? But if you're a ghost, can you just call her for me?" I grabbed his arm. "Can you? Can you bring her to me?" Suddenly all the fake happiness I was feeling before left me in a deep, black desperation. Dan's expression changed too, and got darker.
"I'm not a ghost, Drew," he said, calmly, securing the helmet under my chin. "I'm sorry," he added. Slowly, hot tears fell down my eyes in contrast with the cold air of the night. I let it fill up my lungs and stayed quiet until we got back.
"Do you still want to drink?" asked Dan ironically, as he opened the apartment door. I wasn't completely sober yet, but I was way more conscious than before, and began to feel sick.
"No, sorry about that," I opened my new bed and sat on it. There, while I was trying my best not to throw up, I noticed him taking a pill in the kitchen.
"What is that?" I asked him once he came to sit next to me, still holding his glass of water.
"Something I take to sleep," he showed me the cover of the medicine.
"Is this why you didn't drink anything?"
"Yes, it's better not to mix it with alcohol."
"Why do you need this? Insomnia?"
"It's complicated; they gave it to me in that center I told you about."
"… Do you think it's possible? What that Jim told us."
"I think anything is possible."
"What does he owe you? He didn't seem the type to give out help for free."
"I don't really feel like talking about it now. I'll tell you, eventually," he said, getting up. "I'm beat. You should go to sleep too, I'm sure tomorrow morning you'll feel better. Goodnight." I was too tired to resist, so I got changed and sat in front of the window until my stomach stopped hurting.
Chapter 9
"Guys, this is the best present I've gotten in my entire life," said Ange the day of our fourteenth birthday party, with tears of joy in her eyes. We had decided to give her the earrings in the afternoon, so she could wear them that night.
"Try them on, I'm curious," said Dan.
"No, I don’t want you to see how they look on me until tonight," replied An.
Our present really was a success; she loved it. After that conversation, she ran to her room with her friends, three girls that had come over, saying they would be getting ready until the party. Dan and I spent the rest of the evening playing a strategy game on our watchpads until my mother came in bossing us around to get ready. Our classmates arrived soon after that; An had made our birthday party the most anticipated event at school, and it didn't fail anyone's expectations. Our living room had been transformed into a buffet restaurant, music was on and every kind of entertainment was ready: board games, karaoke, and a dance floor. Our friends' parents were staying too, having dinner in the dining hall with the adults. It was strange for me to see all our classmates, whom I had seen only in their uniform or casual clothes, all dressed up for the occasion. It was all more formal than I thought, and I felt uneasy in that situation. Dan, on the contrary, looked perfectly confident in his jacket, talking and smiling to everyone, like a perfect host. He was keeping an eye on each guest, making sure they were all having fun. Like always I admired him and I was envious of him at the same time. And like always he understood how I was feeling right away, and came talking to me. "Hey, stop overthinking and go talk with the others," he said.
"I'm nervous, I can't even recognize my own house."
He looked around. "The catering guys really did a great job. This must have cost a fortune."
"Right? And you look way too comfortable in it."
"It's just for one night, why shouldn't we enjoy it? After all the effort An put into it, it would be a waste."
"Speaking of An, have you seen her?"
"No, she still hasn't come down."
Benjamin, a classmate who was devouring the buffet right close to us, suddenly joined the conversation saying, "Guys, speaking of the devil, look!" We turned around toward the staircase to see An coming down to the hall. Her hair, usually straight, was wavy and tied on one side. She was wearing a red dress to her knees, tight at the waist with a wide skirt, and for the first time she was wearing high heels. Her makeup was natural and delicate, made to underline her green eyes. She was beautiful, the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. My heart skipped a beat, for a time that felt like eternity. I might seriously be in love with my sister, I thought, and thinking back at my feelings from those days, I can now say that I really was.
She politely greeted everyone and apologized for being late, and she walked toward us while getting compliments and birthday wishes.
"Hey you two, what's with those faces?" she asked, smiling.
Dan and I looked at each other and realized we were making the exact same dumb expression. So he felt the same as me when he saw her. We immediately looked away from each other.
"So, what do you think?" she said with a timid smile.
"You are..." Dan could
n't finish the sentence, abashed. And he was the one that until two minutes before was wasting compliments on anyone.
"You’re beautiful," I said, serious, looking into her eyes. It was my first time complimenting her; up until now I had always played the part of the annoyed brother who was forced to stick with her, but the truth was that I loved being by her side. She discreetly smiled at the ground, happy. That was my win, Dan, I thought.
The party was a success. We ate a lot, played with the others, got tons of presents and finally cut the cake together. All the awkwardness I felt before vanished with my beautiful sister next to me. I walked the guests to the door when the party was over. Then, when I got back to the hall, I saw An and Dan slow dancing and laughing. I stopped by the door and looked at them. For several months now, I had been having the feeling that they liked each other; they had always been incredibly close, since we were seven, but now when they were together the natural chemistry between them often made me think of a married couple. I wanted to go in, but I wondered if that was the case. Should I leave them alone, even though I don't want to? I was jealous of him, for being free of liking her without feeling guilty or gross, like I was feeling instead. Yet at the same time I was also jealous of An, for always stealing his attention; Dan was more than a friend or a brother to me, he was the one I could open up to completely, the only one who would completely accept me, including my distorted feelings for my sister. I loved them, and I loved seeing them so happy together. I thought that more than anything else, and I wanted to keep them smiling forever, even if I had to back off and leave them alone.
"Annie!" An saw me and ran to the door where I was standing. She grabbed my arm and brought me to the center of the hall, where Dan was waiting for us, smiling. Then the two of them got close to each other in front of me and said together, "Three, two, one... Happy Birthday!" and reached behind their backs for a small package for me. I had completely forgotten that I hadn't received a present from them yet. It was a carillon pocket watch, with a picture of us inside of it, behind the clock hands. The music it was playing was a song we had composed together that year for a competition in school. I was happy. So happy I could have exploded. I hugged them, trying to hold back the tears.