Piercing Through the Silence

by James Sandepp

  The person right on top of us started to move away and this one’s footsteps joined those of the other person at the front door. It looked like they were finally leaving but Oliver waved at me to stay still even after we heard the front door closing and we waited, as one minute went by, then five minutes went by and I looked over at Oliver who was motionless but listening and waiting. I was quite amazed at his composure and incredible patience in this situation because I knew for a fact I wouldn’t be so patient, and this was really a new side of him which I had never encountered before, but, then again, neither of us had ever been put in such a pressure-filled situation together. After the longest ten minutes Oliver pointed upwards, slowly opened the hatch door and motioned for me to follow him and, as I followed, I made a decision not to share with him or anyone else the new-found information of my emotions being the trigger to the sound. I did not know why but I sensed I needed to keep this part of my secret to myself.

  Oliver walked over to the front door, peeked outside while I remained still where I was and then waved all was clear.

  “What happened down there? Are you okay M?” Oliver signed.

  He could sense something happened to me down there.

  “No, it’s okay. Nothing happened. I was really terrified!” I gestured. “I thought we were going to be caught!”

  Oliver smiled a bit because it was the right answer to satisfy his ego and I was happy to keep it this way.

  “Does Felix know what happened on the day of the incident?” Oliver signaled.

  “No one knows. You are the first person I have shared this secret with,” I motioned.

  “That’s good M. Don’t share it with anyone else,” Oliver warned me. “Are you able to make a sound anytime you want?”

  I shrugged. “No, it doesn’t work like that. Actually, I still don’t even know how any of this is even possible. It is something which suddenly happened on the day of the incident and I felt like it was totally out of my control.”

  I was careful with my choice of words and Oliver stared at me and I didn’t know if he could sense whether I was lying or not, but I pretended to ignore his stare and looked at the floor.

  “Hmmmmm. This is something so insane I also don’t know what to say,” Oliver gestured. “We need to get you help to see what’s going on with you but right now I do not know who or how without attracting the wrong people.”

  What did he mean and why did he think I needed help? Did he think I was crazy, made all this up and needed to see someone about it? The last thing I needed now was a group of doctors who would cut me open to find out what’s going on and even they probably wouldn’t have any answers for me. I was not happy with his suggestion but hide it behind a fake smile.

  “I cannot go and see anyone about this,” I gestured. “I don’t know who we can trust anyway and definitely it cannot be any adult. I hope you understand my reasons.”

  “I know M,” Oliver motioned. “I was only thinking aloud but we need to find out why this is happening to you and since you can’t control it the sound could happen again and again you know.”

  Well it already had, and I knew it would continue to happen until I could get some degree of control over it. I knew he was concerned for me and agreed with him, but I didn’t know how to go about it for now.

  “Okay I need to get back home,” I gestured.

  It was already late afternoon and the journey home was going to take some time. “If not, Felix may get suspicious and start asking one too many questions. What are you going to do? You can’t stay here forever.”

  I was worried for him because this was not a place to stay even for a few days. How could a person survive out here?

  “Don’t worry about me. I am still dead, remember? So, no one is actually looking for me,” Oliver signed with a smile. “I will stay low until I have a plan to help you and find out about this process. Try your best to not contact me through the phone and wait for me to find a way to contact you.”

  I didn’t want to leave Oliver here alone but, reluctantly, nodded, hugged him and left the building retracing my route back to the bus stop. I stopped several times to check if anyone was observing or following me but the journey back home was uneventful.

  Reaching my front porch, I noticed a pair of ladies’ shoes perched outside the front door and realized, to my dismay, I had another visitor again.

  TWELVE

  I gently opened the door hoping to rush into my room unseen and avoid another interrogation like the one with Josh but standing right in the middle of the corridor blocking my path was Felix and, to my surprise, my teacher Mrs Wills. Her hands were folded across her chest and her eyes were glaring at me in a disapproving manner.

  I know I was in so much trouble because I had never skipped school before so far in my life and today, of all days, Mrs Wills, who never visited us before, decided to show up here. I smiled sheepishly at both of them and stared down at the floor.

  “Marinette thank goodness you are back home. Can we talk to you for a while?” Felix interrupted my thoughts and pointed to the living room.

  I really did not have a choice with two adults towering over me and cutting off my only escape route to my room. I nodded, walked over, sat down and the two of them joined me on either side of the couch.

  “Mrs Wills dropped by a few minutes ago to see how you are doing and she told me you didn’t go to school today because you were not feeling well,” Felix signed.

  The frustration on his face was so clear because Felix was not one to like surprises and I knew I had badly embarrassed him in front of my teacher. Imagine the teacher coming over to check on your child and you not knowing where your child was. As a parent or guardian, you pretty much would look like a fool and I really felt bad for Felix because I didn’t plan to put him in this spot. I stared down at the floor again briefly trying to think of what to say.

  “Marinette we are not trying to accuse you of anything,” Mrs Wills motioned. “We know it has been very hard for you since the news of Oliver’s death at the bookstore. Many people at school are also having a real hard time dealing with it since Oliver had quite a group of friends you know.”

  As if right on time Mrs Wills gave me the opening storyline I needed to settle my day’s disappearing act and get myself out of this awkward situation.

  “I needed some time alone. Oliver was my best and only real friend and you both know this, and I didn’t want to face or deal with anyone in school today after what happened,” I indicated.

  I looked at Felix, saw the tension on his face dissolve a bit and realized my fake story laced with small doses of truth was working its magic.

  Felix touched my shoulder. “I know this is a really bad time for you but what you did today was very dangerous. If something had happened to you out there and especially with the loss of your friend no one would know about it and no one would be able to find you to help you. Do you understand what I am saying Marinette?”

  Well this was exactly what happened because I nearly got caught in the middle of nowhere by a bunch of probably army guy types who would have done who knows what to me and Oliver.

  I built on my fake story. “I am really sorry. I didn’t want to make both of you worry about me so much. I know both of you care for me and you are very important to me and are my only family. I really didn’t mean to. I was…..”

  Mrs Wills interrupted. “I understand Marinette. I think we both really do and that’s why I came over to see you today, but I didn’t expect this, especially after the incident near your place. Too many unusual things have been going on lately in Thomson.”

  I kept my eyes trained on Mrs Wills as I did not want to look at Felix as she mentioned the incident because the last thing I needed now was for Mrs Wills to steer this conversation towards the car explosion. Most likely she didn’t know I was in the vicinity of the incident but, despite this, the look on her face showed she was a bit disappointed in me but she was trying her best to hold it back.

/>   “I will be back in school tomorrow,” I motioned to both of them trying to bring to an end this very awkward conversation.

  They both nodded, and Felix was also relieved to end the conversation too. Mrs Wills got up, hugged me tightly and I had to gather all of my self-control to stop myself from tearing and I was permitted to go to my room but, as I was leaving, I noticed Mrs Wills mention to Felix he needed to keep an eye on me and all. The last thing Felix needed was to be lectured by my teacher on how to handle a teenager and I knew I was in more trouble now.

  Sitting in my room I heard the front door close and was happy Mrs Wills made the effort to check on me today as she was always someone I could depend on to be on my side and the way she looked after me was always so nice.

  Felix knocked on the door and entered my room. “What do you think you were doing?”

  His frustration resurfaced and this time he seemed much more upset. “This isn’t a game Marinette and I already warned you about the Magistrate. You disappearing without telling anyone is dangerous. Where did you go today? What if the Magistrate or Josh was following you?”

  “I only walked around a bit. It wasn’t too far and I am really sorry about it all,” I signed hoping it would calm him down. “Why would the Magistrate follow me?”

  Felix stared at me briefly and, for a second, I thought he wasn’t going to answer but he did. “The Magistrate is very powerful, and they do whatever is needed to keep the peace. Remember their motto is ‘silence is the order’ and their officers are always everywhere and not all of them are dressed in uniform or in plain sight. I am sure you didn’t know this part, but the Magistrate’s people sometimes look like us and so it is very hard to tell if one of them is in disguise and since the incident I am sure they are more on the alert than ever.”

  I nodded, realized Felix’s words unlocked new questions about whether the Magistrate knew about the process and were the ones actually behind it, or were they as clueless as me and trying to find out more about it by getting to me.

  “You need to tell me everything. I know you and something is going on. Is this still about the incident and is there something more you haven’t told me about the day? I know this is more than about Oliver’s death,” he motioned.

  I remained quiet.

  “You have always been able to tell me anything and everything Marinette,” Felix gestured. “I am on your side and I am always here for you. What is really going on with you?”

  I nodded. “I know but there really isn’t anything going on. As Mrs Wills said it’s because of two things which happened so close to each other which affected me more than I thought it would and I was not able to handle it all. I didn’t realize how badly it affected me until today morning but after walking around I am feeling much better already.”

  The last part had some bit of truth inside it as I was feeling better, not only because I found out today Oliver was alive, but I also finally found out more on how the sound I made happens inside of me. I wanted to share my secret with Felix because I trusted him and wanted him to trust me again, but Oliver’s warning of not trusting anyone nagged my mind and I also didn’t know how Felix would react to such news. Would he ask me to tell the Magistrate or would he take me to a doctor? Unfortunately all this strengthened my case not to share the secret with him.

  Felix stared at me, shook his head at me, left the room and I knew he wasn’t convinced I had shared everything, and I felt bad for not trusting him. The distance between us had taken another step forward.

  THIRTEEN

  It had been two days since I left Oliver on the west side of town, I hadn’t heard anything from him which could only mean he hadn’t found another way to contact me and I was still worried about him out there on his own. To my relief Felix hadn’t mentioned anything about Oliver or my skipping school incident, school was back to its boring routine, my self-absorbed classmates had all moved on from Oliver’s death and, fortunately, no one had come and ask me anything about him either.

  As I was leaving Mrs Wills’ class she passed me a note asking me to meet her after my last lesson and I figured she probably wanted to know how I was doing which was really her caring nature and I looked forward to seeing her later.

  Someone tapped me on my shoulder and I turned to face Susie who, in one of those rare moments in high school time, was all alone. The most popular girl was never alone in this school as there were always some followers buzzing around her like bees listening to what she had to say. Some things in high school never changed.

  “I am so sorry about Oliver,” Susie signed.

  “Thank you,” I motioned.

  I know she was trying to make conversation, but I could also sense her concern was genuine and ever since she revealed some information to me I decided to give her a chance plus it was amusing to get some attention from the most popular girl in high school.

  As two guys walked past the both of us they stopped, stared for a few seconds at Susie and then me and I knew someday I would look back on my years in high school and wonder why did I even care about all this and whether it was even worth my time to be so sucked into all this high school drama but, for now, I decided to enjoy it while I can.

  “I know Oliver and you were close friends,” Susie indicated.

  I tried my best not to act surprised and wondered how she knew about this, and whether our friendship was so obvious or was it more because I really didn’t have any other friends.

  As if reading my thoughts, Susie added, “I didn’t mean he was your only friend, but I noticed how protective he was of you. It’s something I could sense.”

  Protective? Now I was quite surprised by Susie’s observation because I was wrong about her again and this was the second time in the last couple of days. Susie didn’t live in her own popular girl bubble without caring for the rest of us minions and it seemed like she noticed things around her which others did not. I was pretty sure Oliver and I were not so obvious meaning he often spoke to me in school, but we never ate lunch together in the cafeteria. It wasn’t because we didn’t want to or anything but this was the way things happened and there were times he ate alone and other times with his guy friends.

  “Thanks for asking and your concern,” I signed. “I honestly didn’t think anyone noticed anything about me and Oliver being friends.”

  A girl stopped next to me, gestured something to Susie and by the way she was acting like she was obviously part of her group of popular girlfriends. The girl completely ignored me while talking to Susie as if I was hidden beyond invisible although she was standing right in front of me. Susie nodded, and the girl walked off, but the most remarkable thing was Susie’s eyes kept going to and fro between her friend and me the entire time acknowledging me despite her friend’s intrusion into our space.

  I initially thought Susie was going to ask me a quick question and move on to showing the world and her minions the most popular girl in school had a heart and cared a bit for the rest of us. Instead, the surprises kept coming with Susie as she had been standing here with me out in the open for quite a while now and she seemed not to care despite everyone else seeing us together.

  “Try to remember what I told you last time Marinette,” Susie motioned to me. “I have to go now, but if you do need anything let me know. You do have my number now. Take care!”

  I smiled as she left and again, her last words, were so genuine making me really want to trust her, but now was not the time. The secret I carried was too great to involve a lot of people, not only for my sake but for theirs too, and I couldn’t risk losing anyone else like what nearly happened to Oliver.

  After my last lesson I strolled into Mrs Wills’ classroom, noticed it appeared sparkling clean and ready for the next lesson and right in the center of her desk, she was waiting for me at the same spot as usual. She saw me, waved me to come over and, as I reached her, I realized she was fidgeting with her pencil which was a bit unusual for Mrs Wills.

  She seemed preoccupied with
something, but I brushed it off as my own paranoia with everything going on and sat next to her.

  “How are you doing Marinette?” Mrs Wills signed. “I wanted to check on you. Did you get a good rest since I last saw you and do you want to talk about Oliver?”

  I started to relax. “I am trying to get back into my regular routine with school and I know I just need to give it some time.”

  Mrs Wills was being herself, but I got this unnatural sensation something was a bit off today although I could not put my finger on what it was though.

  “Good to hear it but I wanted to ask you something else. Where were you really on the day you skipped school?” Mrs Wills signed more quickly.

  The way her hands moved this time was very different and it was the first time I had ever seen her do it this way. Something had shifted, the air felt colder, and I could feel goose bumps all over my body.