Volume 1: Bailex, #1

by Erin Everleigh

  ***

  “Why do you keep doing that?” Riya asked, adjusting the necklace Patti lent her for the night.

  “Doing what?” Kieran turned his head to look back in the direction they were walking.

  “Looking behind us.”

  “I feel like someone’s there, following us.”

  Riya stopped walking and turned her body around. She took her time surveying their surroundings. “I don’t see anyone. Maybe it was just the wind, or a squirrel, or nothing?”

  “You’re probably right,” Kieran acquiesced, but his gut remained reluctant. He had had this feeling before—more than once. The little hairs on the back of his neck had been at high attention ever since they left the house. But he didn’t see anyone and neither did Riya; nonetheless, he quickened their pace, getting them to school in record time.

  When they entered the gymnasium, it looked even better than it did when they had left a couple of hours earlier. The lights were dimmed, allowing the lasers that were casting different coloured shapes around the room to really stand out.

  “They certainly take their dances seriously here,” Kieran exclaimed. He took in the room. There was a DJ perched on a makeshift stage at one end and tables filled with food and beverages at the other end. His stomach rumbled just looking at it. “I don’t even think they had dances at my last school.”

  “They did at my last school. But it was middle school only, like here, so this is my first.” Riya’s smile stretched across her cheeks, and she began bouncing to the beat that was booming through the speakers.

  Riya grabbed Kieran’s hand and attempted to drag him onto the dance floor. But his feet didn’t move.

  “Riya, I’m still not feeling that great. I think I’ll go talk to…” Kieran scanned the room and spotted Randall by the refreshments. “Randall,” he said, pointing in Randall’s direction. “I’m going to go talk to Randall.” Kieran pulled his hand from Riya’s grip.

  “Give me one song. Come on, let loose a little—you deserve it after everything that’s been going on lately.” She batted her eyelashes at him and pouted, not quite mastering the whole puppy dog eyes effect.

  Persistent as always.

  Kieran chuckled and then followed her onto the dance floor.

  Riya took hold of Kieran's hands and started moving their bodies in time to the rhythm. Kieran was hesitant at first, but by the middle of the song, the bottom half of his body started moving in unison with the top half. He wasn't ready to admit it, but Riya was right. This felt good. To just let everything go and feel the music.

  As they moved around the dance floor, Kieran began to feel a dull but mounting pain behind his eyes. Two songs later, Kieran could no longer ignore the raging headache. He placed his hands on his knees and let his head hang down. He took a few seconds to catch his breath. “I’ve gotta take a break, Ri. I’m really not feeling well.”

  Riya bent down to take a closer look at her friend. “You don’t look so good. Let’s get you a drink.”

  They headed over to the refreshment table and grabbed a couple bottles of water.

  “Hey, Randall. The lasers look amazing. I’m so impressed,” Riya complimented Randall, while Kieran chugged back the entire bottle of water.

  “Thanks. It turned out better than I thought it would,” Randall leaned back on the wall next to the refreshment table and looked around the room, admiring his work.

  Kieran crushed the empty water bottle and tossed it into the recycling bin. “Awesome job,” Kieran agreed and raised his hand to give Randall a high five. When their hands connected, it happened. Everything started to slow, and Kieran instinctively held onto Randall’s hand. Kieran’s eyes snapped shut, and his mind was overtaken by an eerily familiar bright light.

  After a few seconds, Riya noticed the uncomfortable expression on Randall’s face. She looked more closely at Kieran and realized that this wasn’t one of those “guy handshakes”.

  “Sorry, Randall, he hasn’t been feeling well. Migraine headaches. Was just going to take him home.” Riya grasped Kieran’s hand and peeled him away from Randall.

  “Feel better, Kieran,” Randall said, and then scurried away from them.

  “That was awkward,” Riya declared. Kieran was still in a daze. He slowly opened his eyes, feeling weak from the whole experience.

  “What was that about?” Riya asked. “Is something going to happen to Randall?”

  Kieran didn’t say anything, but a smile spread across his face when he found Randall talking with Gina on the opposite side of the room.

  “You aren’t going to tell me? After I saved you there?” Riya prodded, wanting in on whatever Kieran thought he saw.

  “Let’s slow things down a bit.” The DJ’s voice filled the gymnasium. The first few notes of the song began to play and Kieran knew what was happening. He grabbed onto Riya's hand and pulled her back onto the dance floor. She stumbled slightly, totally caught off guard. He weaved them around the room until he was satisfied with their location.

  “I thought you weren’t feeling well?”

  “Shhh, just watch—you can see for yourself.” Kieran directed Riya’s attention to her left. He held onto Riya’s waist, and she placed her hands on his shoulders. They swayed together, their eyes on Randall as he asked Gina to dance. They watched as Randall led Gina to the dance floor, and they found their place in each other’s arms. Randall and Gina moved together in slow circles. It was clear from their smiles what was going on in their minds. They were both where they wanted to be. Randall pulled Gina a little closer, and she relaxed into his arms, resting her head on his chest.

  “I guess they didn’t need your matchmaking skills after all, Ri.”

  “They certainly didn’t,” Riya agreed, staring off in their direction.

  Just then, Kieran felt his body becoming weak. He could hardly hold himself up—it was as if some kind of unstoppable force was pushing him down. He couldn’t fight it any longer and collapsed into Riya’s arms.

  ***

  “I don’t know if I made the right decision.” Riya cupped her hand around the bottom of her phone, trying to hide her panicked voice from the others in the car.

  “What happened, Riya?” She could hear Patti’s concerned tone coming through the other end of the line.

  “Kieran collapsed at the dance. We were dancing, and then he just collapsed into my arms. He’s awake, but he’s really out of it and is so pale.”

  “I’ll be right there.” Riya could hear Patti rustling and then her distraught calls for Jim.

  “No, no. Patti, wait. We’re on our way home. Mr. Turnham is driving us. I just don’t know if I should have let them call an ambulance.” Riya’s voice was shaking.

  “You did the right thing, Riya,” Patti assured her. “I’ll be waiting outside.”

  Only minutes later, Mr. Turnham pulled into their driveway. Patti ran to Kieran’s door and began opening it even before the car came to a complete stop.

  “You okay, Kieran?” She ran her hands across his forehead and down his cheeks.

  With effort, Kieran opened his glazed-over eyes. “Uh-huh,” he said, before his heavy eyelids again fell closed.

  “Jim, come. Let’s get him inside.” Patti motioned Jim over to the car. She held the door open as Jim leaned in and lifted Kieran out.

  “Thank you.” Patti turned to Mr. Turnham who had quickly gotten out of the car to help.

  “I offered to take him to the hospital and call you from there, but Riya insisted on coming home first. Kieran was responsive enough, and you live so close, so I brought him here.” Mr. Turnham slipped his hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels.

  “He hasn’t been feeling that well lately. I’ll let him try and sleep it off. If he’s not better in the morning, I’ll call the doctor. Thank you for bringing him home.” Patti placed her hand on Mr. Turnham’s shoulder in reassurance. He nodded and then got back into his car.


  “Thanks again, Mr. Turnham,” Riya called, holding the front door open for Jim, as he carried Kieran into the house.

  “Let’s try and get him upstairs,” Patti instructed. “Kieran, do you think you can make it to your room?” Patti asked, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “Jim won’t be able to carry you up. You’ll have to walk, but we’ll help you.” Kieran nodded as a low moan escaped his lips.

  Jim slowly lowered Kieran. When Kieran’s feet touched the floor, he squeezed his eyes tightly closed for a second before slowly opening them. He winced at the brightness. Flanked by Patti and Jim, Kieran carefully raised his foot onto the first step, and then the next, as he slowly made his way up to his bedroom.

  “Riya, can you grab a couple of bottles of water from the fridge and the basket with all my oils?” Patti looked back to Riya, who was waiting anxiously at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Got it.” Riya scurried to the kitchen, happy that there was something she could do.

  When Riya entered Kieran’s room, Patti was adjusting the pillows behind Kieran’s head. His eyes were open, but they were only small slits.

  “Here you go.” Riya gently placed the water and the basket on Kieran’s nightstand. “Is there anything else I can do?” Riya didn’t want to admit it, but she was scared.

  “Why don’t you get a wet washcloth for his head.” Patti twisted the lid off one of the water bottles and placed it back on the nightstand. She scanned the vials of oils, selected one, and added a few drops to the water. She replaced the water bottle’s lid and shook it well.

  “Which one was that?” Riya asked, handing Patti the wet cloth. “The water looks like it’s sparkling.”

  “That one over there.” Patti pointed to the amber vile, the only one that wasn't labelled. “An old family remedy,” she explained and helped Kieran into a seated position. She opened the lid of the water bottle and instructed Kieran to take a few sips.

  “I think I just need some sleep,” Kieran’s voice was low and raspy, as he lowered himself back onto the pillows.

  “Yes, you do. But first, have a little more.” Patti helped Kieran up again, and she waited patiently until he drank half of the bottle. She pulled the covers up over Kieran's shoulders, and his eyes immediately closed. With the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, Patti and Riya left Kieran to sleep.

  Patti turned to Riya. “I’ll keep an eye on him. Why don’t you go back to the dance? Jim is reading in the study. He can give you a lift.”

  Riya was hesitant to leave Kieran, but she knew there was nothing else she could do for him. Patti was with him, and if Riya stayed, she would just hover over Kieran the rest of the night. That wouldn’t be good for either of them.

  ***

  Ten minutes later, Riya reluctantly returned to the dance. But she was unable to focus on anything but Kieran. The music blared and the students danced. She stood off to the side and absently watched, acutely aware of the tightness in her chest. Something had to change. They needed a plan. Just winging it wasn’t going to work anymore.

  “Earth to Riya.” Gina waved her hand in front of Riya’s face.

  Riya’s eyes blinked a few times before focusing on Gina. “Sorry, what did you say?”

  “How’s Kieran?”

  “He’s okay. Sleeping now.” Riya took a sip of the fruit punch she had been holding and then spit it back into the cup. “It wasn’t great when it was cold. But warm,” she stuck out her tongue and shook her head, “it’s vile.”

  Gina laughed and took the cup from Riya. “Come dance.” She grabbed Riya’s hand and pulled her onto the dance floor, tossing the cup into the trashcan along the way.

  “I’m not really in the mood,” Riya yelled to Gina over the music, as Gina weaved them around the other dancers. But either Gina didn’t hear her over the music, or she was pretending not to. As soon as Gina found an open spot on the dance floor, she started moving her body to the music, not letting go of Riya’s hand until she joined in.

  Riya tried to let loose and clear her head, hoping for some type of epiphany on Kieran’s situation. But as her arms and legs moved to the beat, her mind stayed rooted on Kieran.

  Should we say something to Patti and Jim?

  What would they think?

  Would they even believe us?

  Half an hour later, sweat dripped down Riya’s temples, and her shirt was plastered to her back. Her head wasn’t clear from her worries, but the tightness in her chest had eased.

  We’ll find answers. We have to.

  Gina pulled her phone from the back pocket of her jeans and swiped on the screen. “My mom’s here. Come, we’ll give you a lift home.”

  Riya used her sleeve to wipe the sweat from her forehead. “Thanks, that would be great.”

  The drive was short, but there were more words exchanged between Gina and her mother than Riya thought possible. Riya wouldn’t have been able to get a word in, even if she wanted to—like mother, like daughter.

  When they reached Riya’s house, she smiled, thanked them, and got out of the car, ignoring the pang of jealousy that crept into her chest and squeezed at her heart. She would never know that type of connection. Patti and Jim were amazing. The best home Riya had ever been in—she could even see herself being there for years to come. Yet, Riya still longed for that deep mother-daughter connection that she had witnessed between Gina and her mother.

  “Who am I kidding?” Riya said out loud, to stop her swarming thoughts. “I don’t want to be anything like my mother.” But the tightness around her heart only squeezed tighter.

  That’s it.

  Riya’s feet stopped moving.

  Kieran’s mother.

  Kieran’s parents.

  She looked back and waved at the car. She saw Gina and her mother—with identical grins—waving back as the car pulled away.

  “We have to find out more about Kieran’s parents. We have to dig deeper. There has to be more,” Riya whispered to herself. “They have to be the answer…”

  Riya’s heart took off and so did her legs. She raced up the path to the front door. She quietly made her way into the house and up the stairs to her bedroom, not wanting to disturb the dark silence. She was on a mission, and she didn’t want any interruptions.

  On her computer, Riya had nine different windows open in her Internet browser. She was searching newspaper articles from around the time when Kieran was dropped at the group home. Searching for anything out of the ordinary that could explain his mother’s disappearance; and maybe something about his father, as well.

  She searched whatever police reports she could find online. She scoured website after website, looking for anything that might shed even the smallest ray of light. On the verge of giving up, she came across a small report from a local newspaper about a man who had disappeared without a trace. There was a picture of the man. He had an eerie resemblance to Kieran. The report said that he had a wife and a young son, who would have been Kieran's age at the time. And the date was only a few months before Kieran had officially become a ward of the court. Riya knew she was grasping at straws, but that picture…it was like looking into Kieran’s eyes. There has to be a connection.

  CRASH.

  Riya drew in a sharp breath and whirled around in her swivel chair.

  “Shoot.” She heard Kieran’s voice and then rushed to the next room, her chair spinning around behind her.

  “Are you okay?” The words were out of her mouth the moment she opened Kieran’s bedroom door.

  Riya’s eyes widened and she paused, still gripping the door handle. “What are you doing?” She stared at Kieran who was balancing on a chair, his arms outstretched to the top shelf of his closet. A spilled box of books covered the floor beside him.

  “I’m trying to reach something.” Kieran glanced at Riya and then stretched his arm further. The chair shifted, but Riya was there within seconds to stabilize it.

  “Can you get down, please!�
�� Riya demanded.

  Kieran let out a huff before stepping down from the chair.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “The box of stuff I’ve been carrying around with me ever since I left Laken House. I don’t know why I didn’t think to look through it before now. Not that it would have made a difference if I had…but still…” Kieran stared at the top shelf.

  “Move to the side. I’ll look. We don’t need you falling off a chair. You shouldn’t even be out of bed.” Riya used her arm to guide Kieran out of her way.

  “I had a dream,” Kieran stated matter-of-factly and moved to the side.

  Riya gave him a pointed stare. She pumped the lever under the seat of the chair a few times to raise its height, then climbed on top. She knew she wasn’t going to get any more answers until the box was in Kieran’s hands. She moved a couple of items around until she came across a large yellow shoebox.

  “Is this it?” She pulled the box to the edge of the shelf so that Kieran could see it.

  “Yes, that’s it.” Kieran's eyes brightened as he raised his arms up in the air, waving his hands impatiently until Riya handed him the box.

  Before Riya was even off the chair, Kieran had emptied the contents of the yellow box onto his bed. He immediately found what he was looking for—a very worn, heavily loved, stuffed monkey. One of the monkey’s hands held a small stuffed banana, but it was obvious that it had been re-sewn on with bright green thread. Riya stared at Kieran with her arms crossed at her chest, waiting for an explanation. But without saying a word, Kieran moved past Riya to his desk and retrieved a pair of scissors from the top drawer. Riya watched as Kieran started cutting into his stuffed monkey.

  “You seem to be feeling better,” Riya declared, breaking the silence.

  “A lot better,” Kieran confirmed. “That stuff Patti put in the water was great. I still feel a little lightheaded, but better than I have felt in a long time.”

  Riya noticed the empty water bottles at the base of his nightstand.

  Kieran put the scissors down on the bed. He then carefully pulled a rolled piece of paper out of the banana that was attached to his monkey’s hand. As he unrolled the paper, a familiar symbol was revealed. Kieran’s mouth hung open as he lowered himself onto his bed. Riya hurried and sat next to him. Her expression mirrored his as soon as the symbol came into view.