Crazy Files

by Yvi Valentin

  I found myself sitting at a table in what I could only describe as an interrogation room. I was alone, wondering what was going on. The last thing I saw was Andy in my room just before passing out. “This must be a dream,” I said to myself. Just then, the door slowly opened and Andy walked in.

  “You watch way too many crime shows,” he teased.

  “Am I dreaming? Are you really here? What’s going on?” I asked. I felt the anger starting to build up inside me. I needed answers and had no intentions of staying in the dark.

  “You are dreaming,” he started. “I’m controlling your dream right now, so yes, in a way I am really here. It was the only way I could actually talk to you.”

  “Talk about what!?” I was no longer able to contain my anger. “Last time we talked, you said I had to go with you. Why? What do you want with me?”

  “Aimee,” Andy said in a serious tone. “You’re in danger.”

  “Danger?” I asked, my anger turning to confusion and fear. “What kind of danger?”

  “I know about your abilities. You see things don’t you?”

  “Y-yes…I do.” I was stunned by the words that came out of his mouth. “How did you know that? Never mind, you can read my mind, of course you know.”

  “My point is that this is just the beginning. Pretty soon you’ll be able to do things you never thought possible.”

  “You must have the wrong girl. I can’t do anything different. There’s nothing special about me.”

  “No, I have the right person.” Andy was so confident in himself it was a little off-putting for me. “You may not be able to do these things now, but you will be able to with practice. I can…”

  “What kind of things?” I asked, cutting him off. “And why would that put me in danger?”

  “It’s hard to explain. One thing you’ll be able to do is kind of an energy manipulation. I can show you…if you want.”

  “Yeah, sure.” I was taken aback, yet intrigued. I’ve heard about this sort of thing in books and movies, but never thought it could happen in real life. It was a dream and you could make anything you wanted to happen in a dream, especially Andy, after all, he was controlling my dream.

  “You’ll have to wake up for me to show you.” He obviously read my mind again.

  I opened my eyes to find Andy sitting on the bed next to me, holding my hand. I could feel the current in my hand and I had no desire to let go. He flashed me a look of reassurance. I knew what happened was more than just a dream. It was real; Andy really did control my dream. I looked around and noticed that Brian was no longer in the room. “Where’s Brian?”

  “He went to get some food for us. He should be back soon, so we don’t have much time.”

  “Time for what?”

  “To show you what you’ll be learning soon, to explain everything a little better. You do want to know what’s going on, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” I answered.

  “Alright, look closely.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It looked like he was trying to meditate. A moment passed before a ball of what looked like lightning appeared in his hand and in a flash it was gone and a ball of fire took its place and shortly after that, it was water.

  “Wow, what was that?” I asked in amazement. I didn’t think it was possible for me to be any more shocked and I knew it was only the beginning. There was plenty more surprise to come.

  “They’re exactly what you thought they were.” Andy had a smile on his face that made my heart skip a beat.

  “You know, this mind reading thing is really a pain in the ass sometimes.”

  “Yeah, I get that a lot,” he laughed. I couldn’t help but smile at him. I was starting to feel better about having him around.

  “So…I’ll be able to do that someday?” I had to admit, the thought of being able to do something like that was pretty cool. “And how does it put me in danger?”

  “Well, there’s been some chatter,” Andy started.

  “Chatter about what?” Brian asked as he walked through the door, food in hand.

  “About what happened to Aimee,” Andy lied. “I guess some people noticed she passed out in the middle of the street yesterday and were wondering how she’s doing.”

  “Really?” Brian asked suspiciously. “This is Chicago…most people don’t care about anything but themselves, especially when you’re out walking the streets.”

  “I’m not a prostitute Brian!” I laughed.

  “Oh, you know what I meant,” he replied, about to punch my arm. He stopped himself and his dopy grin softened into a caring expression. “How are you feeling?”

  “A lot better,” I smiled. “So what’s for breakfast or whatever meal it is you have there?”

  “I brought Italian, your favorite.”

  “Sweet deal, thanks.”

  “Do you think you’ll be able to handle eating it?” Andy asked.

  “I think so, I feel fine except for the fact that I’m starving.” I got out of bed and realized I was wearing the shorts and t-shirt I normally slept in. “Umm…who changed my clothes?”

  “I did,” Brian said. “I figured you would feel more comfortable sleeping in anything but jeans.”

  “Oh…okay,” I replied, somewhat freaked out. “Now both of you get out so I can change.” The two of them left my room and closed the door. I walked over to my closet in search of something to wear. I pulled on a turquoise dress and black tights with a pair of light brown plaid flats with a dark brown bow on them and walked into the kitchen to eat my favorite Italian meal of eggplant parmesan.

  “Where’d Brian go?” I asked Andy who was sitting alone in the kitchen.

  “He had a work emergency and had to leave right away.” For some reason I didn’t buy it.

  “It’s kind of rude that he didn’t say bye to me again.”

  “Yeah, but he was in a hurry,” Andy explained quickly.

  “Oh…okay…” I decided to let it go but was still suspicious. Was Andy the one on the other end of the phone that day I was with Brian? If so, what did it all mean for me and things to come? “So, can we get back to our previous conversation?”

  “Of course, where were we?”

  “You were about to tell me what kind of danger I’m in.”

  “Right, there’s been some talk…” he started. “Someone discovered that you have abilities and now they want to use you for their own selfish purpose.”

  “What purpose?” I asked. “And who would know about my abilities? I only see things; I can’t make a fireball like you can.”

  “It has to be someone you had contact with. How many people know about this stuff?”

  “Not many people, just my mom, sister and Brian. I don’t think any of them would do anything to put me in danger.” I froze in terror as I remembered my doctor appointment last week.

  “What is it?”

  “I went to the doctor last week,” I began. “I was curious if what I’ve been going through had a medical explanation so I told her about the things I’ve been seeing. Do you think she’s the one who’s after me?”

  “I’m not sure.” He seemed uncomfortable by my suggestion and I wondered if he knew the doctor. “Either way Aimee, you can’t stay here…it’s not safe.”

  “I can’t just pack up and go. Where would I stay? What’s going to happen?” My voice became more frantic the more I talked.

  “You could get abducted and trained to help them.”

  “Help them with what?” I asked, slightly irritated. “And who are they?”

  “It’s not safe to talk here, come with me and I’ll tell you everything.” Andy was dead serious which made me feel worse.

  “I’m not going anywhere. I think you should leave.” The situation scared me. Why would anyone have wanted to use me? I couldn’t do anything special.

  “Please, Aimee, I know this is scary but your life is in danger. Just come with me, I can help you.” He was desperate to get me to leave with him. Part of me want
ed to trust him but the other part of me had a bad feeling about everything.

  “I can’t Andy. Please, just go.” I felt like I was on the verge of crying and I tried hard to suppress it.

  “Alright,” he said as he handed me a card. “Here’s my number, if you need anything or just want to learn more about what’s going on, don’t hesitate to call.” Andy gathered his things and started towards the door as I followed. He opened the door and faced me to say, “Stay safe Aimee.” He kissed me on the forehead, sending me a jolt of his familiar energy and left as I closed the door behind him. Part of me wanted to run into the hallway to get him back but I couldn’t get myself to do it.

  I sat down and let every emotion come out. The tears flowed down my face like a waterfall. “Why is this happening to me?” I asked myself. I looked for my phone and searched through my contacts. I had to leave, but where could go? Just then, there was a knock on the door. “Who could have come up without having to ring the buzzer first?” I asked myself. I wiped my tears and quietly walked to the door. I looked through the peephole to see the man from the doctor’s office. He was tall and muscular, not so much that it was disturbing but just the perfect amount of definition. He ran his fingers through his wavy brown hair which reminded me of Andy. I shuttered at the thought and put it out of my mind.

  “Aimee, I know you’re in there,” said the stranger. “Please, open up.”

  I opened the door and looked into his flawless blue eyes, mesmerized by this perfect stranger. After a moment, I said, “I’m sorry…do I know you?”

  “Not yet,” he answered. “Can I come in?”

  I didn’t know how to answer. I remembered Andy telling me I was in danger. Was the mystery man the danger he was talking about? “Yeah, sure,” I blurted out. My mouth spoke before my brain could make the right decision. I held the door open while the mystery man walked in and closed it behind him.

  “I’m sorry to drop in on you like this, but it’s important.”

  “How do you know my name?” My mind was racing a mile a minute. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. “And how do you know where I live? Who are you?”

  “I’m sorry. My name is Evan. I know a lot about you. We actually met at the doctor’s office last week and I saw that Andy guy talking to you at the bar and then again leaving here. That’s when I realized I had to come in here and talk to you right away. Time is running out.”

  “Time for what?” I asked. The past two days had been very strange and I had a feeling it wasn’t going to get any better. “And how do you know Andy?”

  “I guess you could say we’re rivals,” Evan said.

  “Wait,” I said suspiciously. “Are you apart of this group Andy was talking about?”

  “What exactly did he tell you?”

  “He said I’m in danger,” I started. I wondered if it was a good idea to tell him anything else. “He said that people might come take me away and train me to help them. You’re part of that group…aren’t you?” Once again my mouth worked faster than my brain.

  “I am part of the group he was talking about,” he said and paused for a moment. “Aimee, this is a war, and we need you to be part of it. Both sides want you fighting with them.”

  “So you’re both recruiters?” I was in a panic. “Why would anyone want me to be fighting in a war with them? I can’t do anything special! I don’t even know how to fight!” I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. Why couldn’t I be left alone? A thought flashed through my mind and I asked, “What is this war even about?”

  “Your typical good versus evil war,” Evan said casually.

  “Can’t you describe every war that way?” I wanted answers and I was determined to get them whether it was from Andy or Evan. I wondered who was good and who was evil. Just then the door flew open and in rushed Andy.

  “You thought you could take her out from under my nose, didn’t you?” Andy seemed different from when I last saw him. It was obvious he was pissed, but there was something off about him, I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Maybe I wasn’t used to seeing him angry. After all, I barely knew the guy.

  “Like you didn’t have the same idea Andy,” Evan replied. They both went from caring and trying to help me to hating each other. It was like I wasn’t even in the room. The tension in the air was so thick that I felt like I couldn’t breathe. It seemed like my eyes were about to pop out of my head, I was so scared. I had no clue what to do. Part of me wanted to run, but I didn’t think I would stand a chance against either of them.

  “You don’t need to be scared Aimee, everything will be fine,” Andy said.

  “Stay out of my head Andy!” I exclaimed. I figured I should have started controlling my thoughts. It seemed like such a hard thing to do. “Both of you need to start giving me answers…NOW!”

  “I’m not saying anything with him around,” Andy said.

  “Me either,” said Evan.

  “You both are acting like little kids!” I yelled. “If you’re not going to tell me anything, you both can just leave…right now. And I don’t want either of you to come near me ever again!”

  Andy locked eyes with me and I felt the familiar pull towards him. I didn’t know what the connection was between the two of us but I knew that I didn’t want it to end. I wanted the truth but I didn’t know who to trust. Evan glared at Andy as he walked out the door and I thought for a moment that Andy was going to stay behind to explain everything to me but he gave me a small smile and left. I was relieved they were gone but I knew both were going to try to come back to recruit me for their team. I needed my best friend for this. I grabbed my phone and called Brian.

  “Hey Aims!” he exclaimed.

  “Brian! I really need to talk to you right now…can you come over?” I asked.

  “Umm…is Andy still there?” he hesitated.

  “No, why? What’s wrong?” I wondered if Andy was lying when he said that Brian left because of a work emergency.

  “We should talk in person, I’ll be right over.”

  I hung up the phone and heard a knock on the door. “That was fast,” I mumbled. I ran to the door and opened it without thinking. I was shocked to find that it wasn’t Brian, but another mystery man. I tried to close the door on him but couldn’t hold him off. He was twice my size and looked really intimidating but I had to fight…there was no way I was going to let him take me away easily.

  I screamed as he grabbed me by the arm and tried to drag me out of my apartment. I yelled for help but no one came. I broke free and ran only to get hit with what felt like a cell phone being thrown at the back of my head. It felt like everything around me was spinning and my vision started to go dark. I tried to keep myself from passing out and kept running as I heard the stranger run towards me, but all efforts failed. The darkness consumed me.

  Chapter 5

  I woke up with my hands tied behind my back, sitting on the floor against some sort of post. I looked around to find myself in a dimly lit room. It must have been a basement because there was only one small slot for a window in view and I could see plants outside. The room was nearly empty, with only a table and some chairs placed in the center. The walls were peeling its hideous grey paint and the floor was cold and concrete. There were ropes tied around all of the other posts but I was completely alone in this dungeon of a room. It seemed this room was never used for anything more than holding people they kidnapped. I heard voices, but couldn’t make out anything they said. I wondered who it was that decided I needed to be held against my will. I strained to hear a familiar voice to no avail, but I knew either Andy or Evan was involved.

  The door flung open, startling me and I jumped. The silhouettes I could see were laughing in response. They walked over to me and I prepared for the worst to happen. They stood right in front of me and I instantly recognized the man who threw the phone at my head. Standing on either side of him were two men who I had never seen before. They each stared at me intently. I wondered why since they were
the ones who kidnapped me.

  “This is the girl?” the man on the right asked.

  “That’s what I was told,” replied the man in the middle.

  “She doesn’t look that special,” started the man on the left. “What do we need her for?”

  “What can you do?” asked the man on the right. I ignored them, looking away. “Hey!” he yelled raising his hand, no doubt with the intentions of hitting me.

  “Stop!” yelled the other two men, holding the first back.

  “The doctor said not to hurt her,” said the man on the right.

  My head snapped to look at the man who had just spoken, with a confused expression on my face. The only doctor I had told about what was going on with me was Dr. Robins and she didn’t seem to know of any possible cause. If she really was one of the bad guys, she was probably a good actress like the rest of them. At least that’s what I assumed they were like.

  “You were right Aimee,” called Dr. Robins. I froze as I recognized her voice. She walked into the room and I confirmed it was her as she said, “your abilities are just developing, but that day you came into my office, I could tell your natural abilities are already stronger than most.”

  “What was I right about?” I asked, still in complete disbelief of what was happening.

  “That day you had a feeling,” she started. “A feeling that something bad was going to happen. Well, you were right.”

  “So you can read minds too.” I stated the obvious. “But, having a feeling like that doesn’t automatically mean I have abilities.”

  “You’re right about that, and if you hadn’t said anything about the things you’ve been seeing I wouldn’t have suspected you of anything.”

  “Then you do know what’s been going on with me. You were just pretending to be clueless.”

  “I had to,” she started.

  “Then why don’t you fill me in on what’s been going on,” I interrupted. I was annoyed. I wanted answers and knowing this doctor, if she even was a real one, had them when I first asked was upsetting. I was distraught and went to her seeking answers and for her to have them and choose to keep me in the dark then proceed to organize my kidnapping…that was the stone placed on top to crumble the tower that used to be my sanity.