The situation was doomed. They were filled with guilt, but what else could they do? They had mulled over various scenarios on their walk to school that morning. All ended with them either insulting the cafeteria ladies—whom they loved and didn’t want to upset—or everyone thinking they were crazy and not believing them anyway. So Kieran and Riya walked to the park a couple of blocks away from the school and ate their pizza while swaying on the swings. By the time they returned for fifth period, students were already starting to feel ill.
Eight
No Need For Alarm
“IF THESE ARE THE kind of movies we’re going to be watching, I’m going to pass on Friday night movies from now on,” Kieran warned. His hands were covering his eyes with his fingers splayed just enough to get a glimpse of what was on the television screen.
“Don’t be a baby, Kieran. This is nothing!” Riya pulled at Kieran's elbow and exposed his eyes just as the beastly figure barged through the barricaded door, bearing his razor-sharp teeth.
“Ahh!” Kieran shrieked, jumping up in his seat. He used his feet to push himself as far back as he could against the couch cushions and then brought his thighs up to his chest. His arms wrapped tightly around his legs, and he buried his face in his knees. “Is he gone yet?” Kieran’s voice shook.
Laughter burst from Riya’s lips. She fingered some popcorn from the bowl resting between her and Mr. P and then bounced the pieces off Kieran’s head. “This night has it all. Thriller and comedy.”
“I’m glad you find me so entertaining,” Kieran’s voice was muffled with his face still buried in his knees.
“It’s all clear, Kieran.” Mr. P tried to hide his amusement.
“You have nothing to prove, Kieran.” Mrs. P’s voice called from the kitchen. “You lasted way longer than I did.”
“No, no. It’s almost done. I’m going to see it through. But, this is definitely the last time.” Kieran glared at Riya, then turned his attention back to the movie. His knees were still tucked in close to his chest, and his hands hovered at the sides of his face—just in case.
Kieran watched the teenagers in the movie dart from one destroyed building into another. Their small town was in ruins, being overrun by the otherworldly creatures—whose sole purpose seemed to be destruction. Kieran didn't understand how this could be enjoyable for anyone to watch; let alone why it had received so much praise so that as soon it was available On Demand, Riya was insistent on watching it.
“Ahh!” Kieran buried his head in his hands as the building the kids had just run into exploded. He peeked through the openings between his fingers to see if any of them got out. He breathed a sigh of relief as their tattered bodies crawled from the wreckage.
By the time the movie ended, Kieran's t-shirt was drenched in sweat and his heartbeat reverberated throughout his body—the drumming sound echoing in his ears. He hurried up the stairs and into his room before the credits had finished rolling. He slid open his window and took a deep breath of fresh air. Kieran peeled off his sweat-soaked clothes, tossed them onto his desk chair and collapsed onto his bed, feeling like he had just run a marathon. He closed his eyes but knew that sleep would likely not find him quickly that night. Explosions and terror-stricken faces swarmed his mind, but he revelled in the peace and quiet of his room.
***
Kieran bolted up in his bed.
It was just a movie. No need for alarm.
He looked around. The room was dark and still. The only movement was from the light breeze that flowed through the window.
“What the…!!?” The glow of the moon was just enough to illuminate a dark figure at the edge of his bed. Kieran scurried backwards, pushing his legs and arms against the mattress until his back hit the wall. He blinked his eyes a few times, sure that his mind was playing tricks on him.
It’s just the clothes I left on my desk chair last night.
“It’s me,” the dark figure whispered.
Kieran yelped and pushed further back into the wall—sure that he was going to leave an imprint.
“Kieran.”
“Riya?” His voice was shaking.
“The one and only. Who else would it be?”
Kieran slowed his breathing and released his grip on the sheets. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, confirming that it was Riya perched at the foot of his bed. He took in her smirk and returned it with a scowl. “I wouldn’t expect there to be anyone sitting and staring at me while I slept, so I don’t know!”
Riya snickered and raised her palms in the air in apology.
Kieran checked the clock on his bedside table. “What are you doing here, Ri? It’s two a.m.”
“I wanted to watch you.”
“You wanted to watch me?” He sunk back into his bed. “Riya, please. It’s late, or it’s early, I don’t even know…but I’m exhausted. Why are you watching me?”
“I wanted to see what happens when you dream. Like, if there is some aura around you or something cool like that. Or if your eyes do something weird, or your body goes stiff…” Her voice trailed off.
“Well?” Kieran probed, now interested as well.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Kieran feigned disappointment.
Riya grabbed a pillow and threw it in his direction. “Don’t make fun of me.”
“Sorry.” He threw the pillow back.
“Were you even dreaming?”
“I was…”
Riya quickly scooted onto Kieran’s bed, crossed her legs and then rested her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands.
“It wasn’t like the others. It was because of that ridiculous movie you made us watch.” Kieran scowled at her again but continued. “There was building that was engulfed in flames. I could hear the screams of the people trapped inside. I could see them hanging out of the windows, contemplating whether the jump would be too high. There was a little girl gripping her teddy bear. It had a bright yellow bow around its neck that stood out against the dark smoke and red flames. Her eyes were red and full of tears.”
Kieran recalled all the details and Riya hung on his every word—both of them unaware that Riya was onto something, and she wasn’t the only one who had been watching Kieran that night.
***
“There was no way you could have known. What were the chances?”
Riya followed Kieran into the kitchen. She knew what was going through his head when the Breaking News Report took over the television screen, even without seeing the colour rush from his face.
“Just getting a snack. Do you guys want anything?” Riya called back to Mr. & Mrs. P. They were engrossed by what was unfolding on the television screen and didn’t seem to have noticed Kieran and Riya’s swift departure.
The roaring flames.
The billowing smoke.
The figures jumping from the windows.
The building collapsing.
And the teddy bear, with the bright yellow bow, found among the wreckage.
“Kieran, stop for a second.” Riya pulled at his arm, to slow his pacing.
“Well considering my recent history, the chances were pretty good,” Kieran answered Riya’s rhetorical question.
“Even if you didn’t dismiss it—WE didn’t dismiss it.” She pulled at him harder this time so that he would look at her and acknowledge that fact. Kieran stopped his pacing and shifted his eyes to hers.
“What could we have done? Remember, Kieran, I knew about it too.” Riya tried to reassure him. “If we look back at every detail from your dream, even knowing what we know now, there was no way we could have identified the location of that building. The explosion was thousands of miles away.”
Kieran bowed his head. He knew Riya was right. There was nothing either of them could have done. But it didn’t make the sick feeling in his stomach go away.
“What’s the point, Riya?” Kieran’s fears since being Ryan’s superhero had come to fruition.
What if next time I don’t get there in time?
What if I’m not fast enough?
What if I’m not able to be the superhero again?
“What’s the point of being able to know what is going to happen if you can’t do anything to stop it, or change it? Or at least offer a warning?”
“Have you already forgotten about Ryan? Kieran, you saved that boy’s life.”
“But, what if we didn’t get there in time?” Kieran’s fears found a voice.
“But we did. Ryan is safe because of you.”
“I know. It’s just…” Kieran wasn’t sure how to describe the barrage of uncertainty that he now dealt with daily. “Knowing and not being able to do anything…feels more like a curse.”
Nine
My First Memory
“ONCE YOU FINISH CHOPPING the onions, you can slice these carrots—they’re easier on the eyes.” Mrs. P placed four peeled carrots next to the cutting board Kieran was using. He nodded his head and wiped his right eye with the back of his hand.
“I’ll peel the potatoes. The broccoli is ready…” Mrs. P scanned the recipe. “Then we should be good to go.”
“Last one.” Kieran cut off the ends of the fourth carrot and tossed them into the waste bin sitting at his feet. He slid the knife down the carrot lengthwise, separating it into two even pieces. Then he slid the knife with sound precision, creating perfect chunks.
“You’re really getting the hang of that.” Mrs. P had twisted away from the pot she was filling at the sink, admiring Kieran’s skills. “If you’re not careful, I’m going to put you to work around here more often.” She smiled and carried the soup pot to the stove.
“You wouldn’t hear any complaints from me. I’ve loved cooking for as long as I can remember.”
“What’s your favourite thing to make?”
“Garlic grilled cheese.” He answered without having to think about it.
“Sounds delicious. You’ll have to make that for me some time.”
Kieran added the carrots to the large soup pot. “It was the first thing Aly taught me to cook. And it’s still my favourite.”
Did I just say that?
He handed Mrs. P the parsley, hoping that she wouldn’t ask any questions.
She added it to the pot and stirred. “Who’s Aly?”
No such luck. Kieran inhaled through his nose and then let it out slowly through his mouth. No turning back now.
“My first foster home. It was just me and Aly.”
Mrs. P’s eyed widened, and she casually turned to stir the soup. “You’ve never mentioned her. I’ve overheard you and Riya exchange banter over some of the homes the two of you were bounced between, but I’ve never heard Aly’s name.” Mrs. P sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, hoping she didn’t push him too far. Kieran’s lack of openness about his past was no secret.
Kieran swallowed the lump in his throat. His time with Aly wasn’t something he had ever shared with anyone. He held that chapter of his life very close to his heart.
“My youngest memories are of my time with her.”
I’m actually doing this.
“I know I was only five when my mother left me at the group home, but I remember nothing from before that day. And any recollections I have of that day, of my mother, have been fabricated from the bits and pieces I had been told by those who worked there. It’s hard to explain—it’s as if I didn’t exist before that day.” Kieran felt that familiar eerie shiver course through his body.
He had been satisfied that his before wasn’t one of the dire stories he had heard from the other foster kids over the years. About how before they entered the system their lives were filled with fear, neglect and too often, abuse. But the black hole that was his past had still made him uneasy.
Maybe it’s better that I don’t remember. He often reassured himself.
Kieran turned and took a few steps. He rested his hands on the edge of the sink and vacantly gazed through the panes of the window in front of him. “I felt so lost those first few weeks at the group home. I remember that.” Locked up, sacred memories were surfacing. “The first real connection I can remember having with another person was making garlic grilled cheese with Aly the day she brought me into her home.” Kieran paused and let the memory through.
Kieran’s monkey was securely tucked under his arm while he watched Aly from the entrance of the kitchen.
“Hey, Kieran. Can you pass me that cheese over there?”
He looked to the slices of cheese piled only an arm's length away from where she stood. Just as he was about to ask why she couldn't reach them herself, Aly turned to him and smiled. A genuine smile—not one laced with pity. He hesitated at first. But then he slowly approached her, placing his monkey on the kitchen table as he past it.
“I’m going to need some help with this,” Aly explained. She pulled over a chair and steadied it for Kieran as he climbed up to join her.
“She cared about me. She didn't care that I couldn't remember anything. She didn’t bombard me with questions like everyone else had—only making me feel more scared. She just wanted me to be happy. She would say that she loved making me smile.” Kieran dug his teeth into his lower lip, willing his rising emotions back down where he had buried them years ago.
“I was with Aly for almost a year when she had to suddenly and unexpectedly leave the country. Her mother was in a horrible accident. Aly said that she wished she could bring me along. But she was travelling across the ocean and she wasn’t allowed to take me with her. She didn’t know how long she would be gone.” Kieran closed his eyes and could see Aly’s smile.
“I try to put her out of mind.”
It’s easier that way.
“I try not to think about what I’ve been missing. What it was like to feel loved. To have a family.”
But she’s been creeping into my mind lately.
Mrs. P came up behind Kieran and placed her hands on his shoulders, blinking away her own tears. “It’s hard when people that we love are no longer a part of our lives.”
Splash. Bubble. Splash.
They whipped their heads in the direction of the sounds, as the broth splattered onto the stovetop.
“I’ll get it.” Kieran hurried to the bubbling pot and lowered the heat. He lifted the lid and with a wooden spoon stirred the vegetables. He watched the steam escape into the vented hood overhead—the smell was heavenly. Kieran looked back over his shoulder at Mrs. P washing the knives and cutting boards.
“Mrs. P?” His voice was just above a whisper.
“Yes, Kieran?”
“Do you like that we call you Mrs. P and Mr. P?”
Mrs. P stiffened. “You guys can call us whatever you like.” Curiosity rang in her voice.
“I’m thinking that those names are sounding a little formal now. Do you have any other suggestions?” Kieran placed the lid on the pot, leaving the soup to simmer and turned to face Mrs. P.
Mrs. P dried her hands and looked to Kieran. “What about Patti and Jim?” Her eyes were soft and inviting.
“Patti and Jim,” Kieran repeated as if he was contemplating it. “That could definitely work.” They both laughed.
The back door that led directly into the kitchen flew open and Riya, Randall, and Gina stormed into the house. Their arms were overflowing with costumes.
“What’s all this?” Patti asked, bending down to pick up the few costumes that had fallen to the floor.
“It’s for the performance in two days, Mrs. P,” Riya answered from behind a pile of costumes that were stacked so high they covered her face. She poked her head around a lion mask that sat at the top of the pile so that she could see Mrs. P.
“It’s Patti now,” Kieran interrupted, causing Riya to shift her focus to him.
“Excuse me?” Riya asked. She didn’t have any time for games. She had costumes that needed sewing.
Kieran mouthed the words, just go
with it. “We’ve dropped Mr. and Mrs. P. It’s Jim and Patti now,” he declared, smiling and looking over to Patti, who was smiling herself.
Riya gave a little shake to her head. She didn’t understand what was going on, but she didn’t have time to figure it out. They had dozens of costumes to finish.
“Sorry, Patti. It’s for the performance in two days,” Riya repeated herself.
She continued on her way through the swinging door that separated the kitchen from the dining room and settled in the living room just beyond. Randall and Gina followed closely behind.
“I thought Heidi was in charge of all the costumes?” Kieran asked, as he and Patti joined them.
Riya and Randall were separating the costumes into three different piles, while Gina was counting them to make sure they hadn’t left any behind in the auditorium.
“Heidi was in an accident on the way to school this morning. She’s at the hospital now. Gina, I think this one goes in the finishing pile. Can you double check it for me, please?” Riya asked, without skipping a beat.
Kieran saw that Riya’s brain was working at warp speed. She hadn’t been great at multitasking in the past, and it was looking like she was ready to implode.
“What happened to Heidi? Is she going to be okay?” Patti sat down on the edge of the sofa, her concern for their classmate was apparent.
Gina rose to her knees and pivoted to face Patti, taking on the question. “She was riding her bike, as she does every day, and apparently two squirrels ran out in front of her. They were chasing each other, like when they run in small circles with their tails in the air.” Gina clarified, not wanting to omit any detail. “I bet you it was a guy squirrel chasing a girl one.” She raised her right index finger and paused briefly contemplating it. She nodded, happy with her assessment of the situation, and continued.
“Anyways, Heidi swerved so that she wouldn’t hit them and ran her bike into a tree. Good thing she was wearing her helmet. My mother never lets me on anything— bike, scooter, rollerblades without a helmet. I’ll definitely stop fighting her on that now. So the helmet saved her head, but her foot got stuck behind the pedal or something like that, and she broke it and needs surgery. She’ll be okay. But that has got to hurt. She was finishing up on all the last minute alterations today for the dress rehearsal tomorrow night. She obviously can’t do that now. So we said we would do it. I don’t really know how to sew, but I figured I could learn. It can’t be that hard, right?” When Gina finally stopped to take a breath, she noticed four sets of wide eyes on her.
Volume 1: Bailex, #1 Page 6