“I need to know!” Benji stomped a foot on the floor, letting a whine leave his mouth. “Check! I need to know. I need to—”
Dr. Atkins stood with wide eyes. “I’ll peek in the room for you.”
Benji paused his fit to nod. A grin struck his lips against control, but luckily, Dr. Atkins already had her back to him. With soft steps, Benji approached the edge of the sofa and wrapped his fingers around the cold stem of the lamp. As soon as Dr. Atkins set her hand on the knob, he rotated the lamp sideways and stormed for the window.
“What are you—” She jolted around, leaving the half-open door behind her.
Glass shattered across the floor. Benji struck the base of the rod against the surviving pieces until he’d blasted enough space to jump through. Before Dr. Atkins could reach him, he gripped the windowsill and propelled himself outside without hesitation.
His feet burned at impact, and his knees ached as he stood. Luckily, the jump was not more than a few feet. There wasn’t enough time to think. He had to keep moving.
“What happened?” Rebecca’s shout echoed from inside.
“I—well—” Dr. Atkins voice was shakier than he’d ever heard it before.
Run.
Benji dashed down the road as fast as he could, hoping to leave before they noticed which direction he traveled in. However, when he looked over his shoulder, Dr. Atkins’ head peeked out of the shattered window.
“Shoot.” He ran faster.
Jett cruised around the corner on his bike when he saw Benji running full speed, shards of glass linking to his shirt and his right arm covered in cuts. “What the—”
Benji stumbled to a stop in front of him. “Get off your bike.” He was panting.
“Benji?” Jett’s face twisted into a pretzel. “What are you—”
Benji reached for him with his bloody arm. “Just get off already!”
Jett leaned away from him with disgust, but when he heard shouting from Dr. Atkins’ office, he was quick to hop off. He backed away as Benji got on, nearly tripping over his own legs. He hadn’t ridden a bike since James let him borrow his in fourth grade. The pedals were difficult to reach, but he managed to get the bike to function by stretching his toes as far as possible. “Thanks.” And Benji was off, leaving the befuddled Jett to deal with explaining himself to the mayor and a stunned psychologist.
Wheels skid behind him as Benji turned the corner. Rebecca’s face was glued to Mayor Perkins’ passenger seat window, watching him with a blank face. Before they could make a move, Benji steered a sharp right and shot his way through a thick layer of trees. The perfect place to escape a chasing car. The cuts on his arm stung as the wind rushed past him, but he was too focused on balancing to notice. He couldn’t fall. That’d waste too much time, but he also couldn’t risk biking too slow. He took the chance and pedaled faster.
His legs were jello as he navigated the clumps of trees and bushes approaching. He made so many twists he nearly forgot where he was headed. Emerging from the clumps of trees onto a neighborhood sidewalk, the image of Blueberry flashed in his mind. He narrowed his eyes, zooming past rows of identical gray homes.
Benji spotted Mr. Trenton walking his dog at the far end of the sidewalk. “What time is it?” Benji called, pedaling toward him.
Mr. Trenton lifted his wrist. “Ten after 7:00.” As Benji passed him, his smile disappeared. “Why are you bleed—”
“Thanks, Mr. Trenton.” Benji laughed, nearly losing balance. “You’re my favorite teacher.” He turned at the corner, escaping from Mr. Trenton’s line of sight, and swerved into a familiar group of trees off the side of the road. He couldn’t risk traveling anywhere he’d be seen, or he’d be tracked down. Even if it took longer, he’d travel along the outskirts of Wishville, hiding among the evergreens.
As he traveled on his dirt path to Blueberry, a droplet of rain landed on the roof of his head. The gray clouds darkened, and the wind blew faster, ruffling tree branches and sweeping away excess dirt in clumps of brown fog. Although Benji couldn’t remember the last time it rained in Wishville, his only concern was biking as fast as he could. He coughed the musty air out of his lungs and pedaled on, legs cursed with fatigue.
I’ll make it.
CHAPTER 30
hero
James ran his fingers along the empty shelves of his bedroom. The only books that remained were a few textbooks he’d brought from school to spend time doing extra studying on. The material was far too easy for him, but he drilled through extra practice assignments anyway. Normally when he was tired of studying he’d work on solving a wooden puzzle, but now he simply paced around the room, running his hands on the different shelves and washing the dust off before going back to his textbooks.
It was 7:36. James was supposed to be at Blueberry an hour ago, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave his room. The thought of seeing everyone together made him sick. All the pain he put himself through to reach progress would lose their value. He wouldn’t be weak anymore. He’d resist.
When he finished running his fingers along the final shelf, he raised his hand and frowned at the dust accumulating on his palm. No matter how many times a day he walked around the room, dragging his hands where his books and puzzles used to be, there was always dust. Small pieces of himself that he could never get rid of, and they made him sick.
He left his room to wash his hands. As he passed the stairs, a group of three rushed into the house. Rebecca, the Mayor, and Chloe’s sister. They spoke over each other, explaining the situation to Mr. Koi in a wave of useless words. James stopped at the stairs, peering at the scene like a seagull watches its prey from above. Waiting for an entrance.
Mr. Koi held a hand in the air, silencing the room. “They’re missing?”
Chloe’s sister covered her face with open palms, and Rebecca wrapped an arm around her.
“At first it was only Benji. Rebecca and I went to my place to find out if Sam knew anything, but she wasn’t there. Chloe hasn’t been home either. We’re guessing the three of them are together.”
Mr. Koi cleared his throat. “Come down here.”
Even without eye contact, James knew his father was speaking to him. He walked down the steps, the other adults finally noticing his presence. They waited until he reached the final step before shooting him with questions.
“Have you spoken to Benji in the last few days?”
“Has Chloe been acting weird to you lately?”
“Why would Sam go with them?”
James held his head firm. His answer was instantaneous. “I don’t know anything.”
The room silenced. Chloe’s sister turned away, hiding her tears, and Rebecca crossed her arms to conceal their stiffness. Mayor Perkins, however, stood proud with his calmness at a steady peak. “Look, we don’t know the entire story, but this could be a dangerous situation.” He leaned forward, hovering over James. “So tell me again. Do you know something about this, or do you not?”
James blinked.
“We don’t know what type of danger Benji might bring to the others. He’s going through a lot right now.” Mayor Perkins placed an arm on his shoulder, pressing James into the ground. “If you care about your friends, you’ll tell us what you know.”
Calling Benji dangerous should’ve been a ridiculous assumption. A few months ago the thought of it would make an entire room laugh. Benji may have been reckless and over-curious at times, but in terms of danger, that floppy-haired shortie was capable of nothing more than littering a candy wrapper. But now, as James stood analyzing the situation, the realization layered over him. Benji was planning something—he gathered that much from Sam—and whatever it was, he intended on dragging the others into it. Benji had always been the type to act alone. What was with sudden change of heart?
“Do you want to help your friends or not?” Mayor Perkins pulled his hand away. �
��What if they’re planning to leave, huh? You’re just gonna stand by and let them wander to their death?”
Normally, words came naturally to James in times of need. He’d be calm. Focused. But right now, his mind was scattered.
James stared at his toes. What to do? he asked himself. Oh, what to do? What do I—
Mr. Koi rushed over and raised James’s chin with a quick jolt of his hand. “Speak the truth.” His voice was soft, but threatening.
James tried to jerk himself away. This time, Mr. Koi grabbed him by the shoulders and stared deep into his eyes. “Just say it, James!” It was the first time he heard him shout in what felt like years. His temper wasn’t easy to coax out of hiding, and as crazy as it sounds, James was afraid.
“I—I don’t—”
The adults formed a circle around him. Mr. Koi’s grip tightened, and James found it hard to breath. Claustrophobic. The air shrunk around him.
“I know where they are.” James yanked his eyes from his father, observing his shoes. “The forest up north. There’s an old shed.”
Mr. Koi pushed James away, turning to Mayor Perkins with a deep sigh of relief.
“Howell’s old place.” Mayor Perkins grabbed his jacket from the couch and headed for the door. “I’ll find them.”
“Please,” Rebecca said softly. “Please, save my son.”
“I will.” Mayor Perkins set his hand on the doorknob and paused. “I’ll do what’s necessary.” There was a firm nod, and he was gone.
As the front door swung desperately in the wind, James’s blood boiled, but this time, he didn’t question it.
“You did well.” Mr. Koi reached to wrap his frozen arm around him, but James stepped out of the way and raced upstairs.
The empty shelves once filled with books haunted him. The desk once cluttered with wooden puzzles was now barren, his math and science textbooks sitting lonely on the top. His bed was thrown together carelessly, bedsheets overlapping in uneven patterns. And when he looked in the mirror, a stranger looked back.
CHAPTER 31
question
Benji rolled Jett’s bike into the nearest bush.
Although his plan was to burst inside Blueberry, he paused at the mossy door. What if no one was inside? What if they hadn’t waited for him, or hadn’t come in the first place? He shook his head. Now was not the right time to be afraid.
When Benji opened the door, Sam leaned against the opposite wall, eyes narrowed and arms crossed. “You’re late.”
Benji shut the door behind him, relief rushing through his veins. He shut his eyes briefly, refreshing the spark that he’d dulled over time. I can do this.
Sam sat on the rug next to Chloe, who picked at her boot buckles with a vacant mind. Benji searched the rest of the room.
Empty.
“Look . . .” Sam pulled the fringes of the rug as if trying to yank its organs out. “I know what I told you, but I wasn’t able to get James to come. I went to his house after school to tell him to meet us here and he—you know—didn’t.”
Benji sat, joining them.
“I tried,” Sam said. “Promise.”
It wasn’t disappointment Benji felt. He knew that whether James was here or not, he still had people willing to listen, but when he raised his chin to speak, the ice in his throat prevented him from doing so. Where could he begin? He had memorized his story word for word, but now that he sat with them, he blanked. Their knowledge-thirsty eyes froze him solid.
Chloe stopped playing with her boots. “What happened to your arms?” She pointed to the fresh cuts, and Benji glued his arms to his sides in hopes of concealing them. What could he say? Tell them he broke through Dr. Atkins’ window before stealing Jett’s bike?
“I fell.”
Sam pursed her lips, unconvinced, but Benji didn’t give her the chance to ask any questions. “I really don’t have much time, so I’ll try to explain this fast.” The words flowed once again, his warm formula of belief returning. He explained how Nina had predicted her own death that day in the hospital. How Oliver was the only man who could help Benji understand what he needed to do. Why he blew up when Jett vandalized Oliver’s property. He mentioned the meeting with the psychologist, who had a red envelope from Nina, and how that same day, he had attempted to leave town once again, but failed. And when he finished explaining everything, only one question lingered in the air.
“But why?” Sam asked. “Why’d you care whether or not Nina could tell the future?”
“It doesn’t really matter in the end, anyway.” Chloe tossed her legs out in front of her and took down her ponytail. “To think you even went to Stricket for help, of all people. It doesn’t make any sense.”
The eyes watched him. He longed to keep the last piece of the puzzle hidden, but decided it wouldn’t be fair. If either of them were in his shoes, he’d want the full story. So after a long breath, Benji willed himself to let the final secret leave him.
“I cared,” he said, “because on that same day, she also gave me an envelope with the exact date and time of my death.”
The room froze.
Chloe stopped twirling her hair. “And . . . you opened it?” The same question they all asked.
“Yeah.” Benji nodded. “Sam, that night you gave me away. My mom didn’t believe me. I was angry, the envelope was there, and I—”
“What do you mean Sam gave you away?” Chloe asked.
“So I opened it, and I . . .”
Sam’s face went red. “Wait, so you’re telling me this is my fault?”
“No, not at all. I . . .” Benji sighed. “Listen, I’m sorry for all the mess I’ve created. I’ve been distracted. So when you get the chance, please tell James that I’m sorry for not being there for him. For being so insensitive. I was in my own world.”
“Why don’t you just tell him yourself?” Chloe asked. “You could . . .”
The sound of a roaring engine interrupted her. She stood from the rug and peeked through Blueberry’s door, searching for the origin of the strange noise. Benji traced his fingers along the grooves in the floor, trying to calm himself down.
It didn’t work.
“A car.” Chloe locked the front door. It was an old, weak door, but it’d have to keep them safe for now. “But why would—”
“Did you see who it was?” Sam stood, and Benji followed.
“It’s . . .” Chloe ran her fingers through her tangled hair. “It’s the mayor.”
Benji leaned over, his breaths tightening by the second.
“Hey,” Sam said, “what’s going on?”
There was no time for a response, not that he’d be able to give one. A car door slammed from outside. Any moment now and Mayor Perkins would burst into the room.
Benji headed to the back door. “I need to leave.”
Chloe slid in front of him, blocking his path. “Why are you running from him?” Her voice was serious, a tone none had heard from her before.
Benji attempted to shoot around her. “I don’t have time to explain.”
Chloe stepped in front of him again. “What else are you hiding from us?”
Footsteps echoed from the deck.
“Well?” Chloe turned to Sam, who stood watching blankly. “What do we do?”
“If what Benji said is true,” Sam said, “then maybe we should let him go.”
“What if he’s trying to leave town again?” Chloe’s eyes exploded with copper flames. “If he really told us the truth, then why’d he lie about his arm being cut up? Why would the mayor be looking for us? Are they looking for you? Did you do something? Because if you did then I—”
The pounding footsteps from the deck began to shake the building. Benji was beginning to sweat. “Sorry, I gotta go.”
Chloe looked between the door and Benji. Sam caught her eye, and in that mo
ment, the confusion washed from Chloe’s face. She grabbed Benji by the shoulders and shoved him in the direction of the door. “Mayor Perkins!” She shouted louder. “Mayor! Benji’s—”
“You idiot!” Sam kicked Chloe in the shin and watched her jump away. “You obviously don’t know Benji.”
Chloe leaned against the wall with a wince, and the fire in her eyes dampened to a coal. She stood empty against the wall, not an ounce of soul left in her. Benji couldn’t decipher her response, but he had no time to piece together another puzzle. Pounding came from the door. “Chloe, is that you?” More pounding. “Open up!” The voice was warm and bold—the voice of the mayor.
Chloe groggily limped her way to the door. Her presence was dead, vacant, like a living ghost. She pushed her entire body weight into each step, and the floorboards creaked under her violently. The mayor shouted from the other side of the door as he fidgeted with the handle. Chloe reached for the lock.
Benji stepped toward her. “Chloe, don’t—”
No time. Sam swung the back door open and tossed Benji through it. “Hurry!”
She shut the door silently behind them as the front burst open and footsteps trailed in. Chloe’s soft voice babbled about her side of the story. Benji and Sam both knew that Mayor Perkins would come pouncing out the back at any second.
Adrenaline rushed through him. Benji stepped toward the safety of trees, escape the only thought in mind, but Sam caught him by the shoulder.
“I have one last question for you.”
When he spun around, two watery eyes gazed into his mind.
“What day did Nina say you’d die?”
Benji leaned forward and wrapped his tattered arms around her. “I think you already know the answer.”
By the time Mayor Perkins and Chloe opened the back door, Sam was alone.
CHAPTER 32
help
Puddles appeared every few steps, and Benji didn’t have time to dodge them. He ran through, mud seeping through socks, splashes drenching his jeans. His calves burned with each step.
Leaving Wishville Page 17
