by Aki_kaze
“Shall we leave?” the girl asked, clenching his hand.
“It’s okay. And you want to watch this.” He shook his head as he replied.
She still eyed him with concern. Keith affirmed his decision and told her to resume enjoying the game. He needed to get used to it because the new semester would be starting soon. He had to come back to this place. Not to mention he also needed to spend many hours here.
It was going to get better. He was going to be fine.
The match ended. John’s team won although the other team’s players were chosen as regulars more than those on his team. The coach looked quite satisfied with the new player’s capacity. He too was once a basketball player, but now became a full-fledged coach.
“Let’s wait outside.” She rose from her seat, pulling him along.
“Can we go that way?” Keith pointed at the other direction. That male student was still sitting on his right side.
Alice eyed the unoccupied seat next to him. She nodded and led him the other way.
“Alice. Hand…”
“What of it? I hold your hand all the time. It’s nothing. And I’m also a kid. Don’t worry.”
Keith shook his head weakly and followed her. Her hand was warm, as much as any person. But it felt so strange to Keith, like he hadn’t experienced this warmth for a long time.
They waited for John outside the gymnasium. Keith looked around, taking in the school atmosphere which had been lost to him for months. Only sport players and a few teachers came to school during the break. The school field lay unfamiliarly pristine. The school buildings stood in solemn stillness. In this rare serenity, Keith still caught notice of stray spirits. He averted his eyes.
Loud talking noises came from the gym door. The players and their friends started to walk out the gym. John’s height wasn’t prominent, but his rasping voice was unique.
“I didn’t think you’d come.”
“You boast a lot about your basketball skill. Alice has to see it herself.”
Keith stood not so far away, watching the two siblings talk. He noticed many pairs of eyes glancing his way. They were all the same as always. He looked down to his feet, holding onto the jacket sleeves fast.
“I thought he moved.”
“He got guts showing up his face at school.”
Keith tried to pay those remarks no mind. He wanted to leave the place as soon as possible, but his cousins were still standing there.
He heard a yell. It was John’s. He couldn’t make out what his cousin said, but it made that group of students look frightened.
“Let’s go. Dad says he’s going to pick us up,” John said.
“What? No, not yet. Let’s find something to eat,” She quickly objected, “It’s rare for the three of us to get together.”
John eyed Keith like he was asking for his opinion. The boy shrugged. Anywhere was fine as long as he could get out of school.
John called Hector and told him about their plan as they were heading for the bus stop. When Alice learnt that her father said okay, she was delighted. Her father gave her a condition though: she needed to listen to her brother.
She joyfully got on the bus and took the back seat. John and Keith followed her. One looked rather grumpy; the other, quite content as he finally got to leave the school.
Keith examined other passengers on the bus. Nothing out of ordinary, he found. He was still nervous though because he wasn’t that close to John that he could manage a casual chat with him. And now he was sitting next to him.
“Don’t you feel hot wearing a sport jacket?” John initiated.
“Not much,” he replied.
And with that their conversation ended. When the bus arrived at the city, the three got off along with some other passengers.
“Any idea what to eat?” Alice asked, her voice happy, “What do you want to eat, Keith?”
“Fried chicken.” It was John. “I have been craving it for many days. And my team won so we have to celebrate.”
“But Alice…”
“Dad told you to listen to me. Remember?” He feigned seriousness. The girl’s head hung low in defeat as she followed her brother.
As for Keith, he was fine with anything, that is, including John’s choice.
They walk past the city square where the man in a hat was playing the guitar. Alice said it was the one Diane talked about. She held Keith’s hand throughout the walk to the restaurant.
John pushed the door open and waited until Alice and Keith went inside to close it.
“You place the order. Keith and Alice will find the table,” Alice said.
“Why me?” John opposed.
“You’re going to leave me by myself?” Alice had many times today used her being a kid as an excuse. “I want set D.”
Keith didn’t get to speak his order when John went away to the counter. Alice led him to the second floor and chose a windowside table. From there, a parking lot could be viewed.
“Your friend didn’t come along?”
It took him a moment to understand what she meant.
“He can’t leave the house.”
“He’s trapped in there?” Alice’s eyes grew wide, taking an interest in the new information. “Why?”
“I don’t know either.”
Keith could take a guess. Sam always gazed out of the window, waiting for someone. He didn’t know what that Oliver guy felt about Sam now. But if he didn’t return, Sam would always remain there.
He hoped Oliver never did.
Was he too selfish?
“Pity. To be locked up in one place.” She sighed. “It’s good he has you as a friend. But if he can’t move on, that means he still has some concern. Shouldn’t we help him?”
“We?”
“Your friend’s also my friend. And friends help each other.” She beamed. “Is it okay for him though to still remain here?
Keith didn’t reply. He himself was relieved when he didn’t get to see his parents’ spirits. But Sam… Did he want to be stuck in that house or want to move on? Was the confinement a torment to him?
“You two look stressed. What’re you talking about?”
“It’s a secret,” Alice replied in an instant.
John raised his eyebrows before putting the tray down. He told his sister to move herself aside and sat down beside her.
“Your set D.” He handed over a chicken wrap, french fries, and cola to her. “This’s yours.”
Keith looked at the burger set John ordered for him. He was surprised to know that his cousin knew his favorite food.
“Thank you.”
He ate his meal quietly, listening to the chatting of the two siblings. They were nice to each other for a while, and then a moment later they started to argue about something. The scene alternated, and at times Keith let out a laugh at that. He was an only child, so he had never experienced this. A year of living with the Underwoods didn’t make him feel like he belonged to the family. It wasn’t until this summer that many good things occurred.
“John’s being unfair, Keith. He says Alice can’t do this and that. Yet he himself does it all,” She told Keith.
“Well, Alice is still a kid.” He imitated his sister’s voice.
Keith laughed again, softly.
If someone told him last year he would enjoy the Underwoods siblings’ company, he would thought it nonsense. Who’d have thought this day would come.
Still, Alice’s words resounded in his mind. Many spirits he encountered longed for departure from this world. Some even tried to murder him for it. Although Sam weren’t like them, being trapped in this realm didn’t sound like a good thing.
But only a mere thought of losing Sam…
He took a deep breath, trailing behind the two siblings to the bus stop. Lately, he’d been feeling an ache in his chest, and he wasn’t sure if it was all his imagination or that was a sign of something. It happened every time he was with Sam. He was happy, yet deep inside he felt pained. Li
ke a sweet bane, Sam’s smile gave him comfort, but to be able to do nothing but look at him was also an agony.
Screeeeeech!!!
Grinding noise emerged from the road, followed by a loud crash. A car was crushing into the roadside fences. Things went chaotic in an instant. People nearby were alerted. Some approached the spot in an attempt to save the driver.
“Is the driver okay?” Alice asked with a shaky voice.
John stroked her back and told her to keep walking.
“Keith! Keith!” Alice called him, to which he could utter no response.
His body went stiffened, his eyes transfixed at the scene. He was gasping for air and broke into a sweat. His heart roared deafening beats; he could hear nothing else.
“Keith!” The girl shook him again, but it was no use.
He turned to look at his two cousins. Their anxious faces were the last thing he remembered before everything blacked out.
Chapter Thirty Four
Don’t Leave Me
“Hey, kid, can you hear me? We’ve come to save you. You’re safe now.”
His vision was blurry, like he was looking through wrong prescription lens. They went on calling him as if to keep him stay conscious. Burning odor hit his nose. A guy in a firefighter outfit accompanied him, talking, comforting. Keith turned to look at the car out of which the rescuer carried him; it lay there in a terrible condition, demolished. On the ground nearby was a body bathed in blood. He recognized in that instant it was his father.
His eyes flew open. The light was blinding he had to narrow his eyes. He didn’t know where he was at first. But the familiar smell rang a bell in his mind. It was like a déjà vu: he was at the hospital again.
Many faces came into his sight. Alice spoke up in joy which earned her a ‘be quiet’ from Diane.
“Keith, how are you feeling?” his aunt questioned.
He looked at her without saying anything, still confused as to why he was here. He tried moving his limbs, as if it was his first time in control of them.
“You fainted,” She supplied, “Joh called an ambulance, and then us.”
Keith nodded. What took place at the bus stop came back to him now. He didn’t expect it to have such a dramatic impact on him. Fear from that moment was so immense he became immobilized.
“Can I go home yet?”
She shook her head upon hearing that.
“You really hate being here.” she stroked his head. “I’ll talk to the doctor first.”
Hector placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder and gave him a smile before leaving with Diane. Alice quickly came up to him to hold his hand. Hers turned colder than before and were shaking. Hours ago, that would be him.
“You’re alright?” Her voice was lined with worry.
“I’m alright now.” He gave her a weak smile.
The girl sighed deeply.
“Good thing John was there. Alice herself wouldn’t know what to do in that situation.” Her face darkened with fear. It was his first time seeing her like that.
Keith squeezed her hands back to comfort her. He then turned to look at John who was standing next to his sister in silence.
“Thanks for your help,” Keith said.
“Anyone would do that.”
“But still, thank you.”
John nodded uncaringly. But Keith knew that was the most compassionate response he would receive from this cousin of his for now. He turned to Alice to express his apology.
“Sorry for having frightened you.”
“Don’t you do that again,” she said in a firm voice. Keith could only reply with yet another smile.
She sat down by the bedside, still holding his hand like she was afraid he would just disappear if she let go.
He looked at the room door; no sign of Diane and Hector’s return. The longer he waited, the more worried he became. What if his body developed a condition and he wasn’t allowed to go home? It was to him only a faint by surprise. Nothing more. He hoped the doctor would find it so.
Keith’s eyes scanned the room for a clock but found none.
“What time’s it?”
“Eight thirty. You passed out for a while.”
“Oh?”
His rested his gaze on the ceiling, his mind drifting back to the house, to the spirit. How was Sam now? The spirit must be worried because he wasn’t back at home yet. And other members were all here. If he needed to stay at the hospital, Sam would wander about in the room restlessly all night.
“Why aren’t they back yet?” It was Alice who asked. She lifted a hand to touch his forehead. “You have no fever. You can go home just fine, right?”
The sound at the door drew everyone’s attention. A familiar face appeared. He met this doctor again whose name he couldn’t remember anymore.
“We meet again, Keith.” The doctor greeted and placed the stethoscope on his chest. When he was done, he pulled out the earbuds and questioned him. “Does this often happen?”
“No.” He answered without delay.
The doctor smiled faintly at that.
“Don’t worry. You’re fine. You’re allowed to go home.”
“Thank you.”
“But you need to take care of yourself. Eat healthy and exercise regularly. Physical health and mental health coordinate. Understand?”
He nodded as a yes.
“I’ll have the nurse removed the IV tube.”
When the doctor left, Diane breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’ll go pay the bill and be waiting for you all at the entrance.” Having said that, Hector left.
When Keith tried to sit up, both Diane and Alice rushed to his side to help him at once. He waved them off; he wasn’t in any serious condition. Soon, two nurses entered the room and administrated the removal. Keith eyed the bandage on the back of his hand. He had lost count of how many times in a span of one year he was admitted to the hospital. He could only wish this would be the last.
“He’s done,” Diane said after hanging up on Hector.
Keith got off the bed and put on his sneakers. Alice handed him the blue sport jacket. Keith took it, missing the ex-owner already. Before they left the room, Diane said to John,
“My son did me proud,” she stroked his hair and bent down to kiss his head endearingly.
“Mom!” John quickly backed off and headed out of the room.
Alice’s laughter followed him.
During the ride back home, Hector asked John about the basketball match. The two siblings eagerly narrated the game. Alice could even recount the time John tripped over when he tried to block his opponent, which earned her a light smack on her arm from her brother. Both then turned to glare at each other.
Keith couldn’t quite remember what had happened during the game. All his attention was drawn to the presence on the seat next to him. Summer break would be over soon, and his halcyon days with it. He would have to encounter those otherworldly beings again. He wished he didn’t have to go to school, but that was a castle in the air.
It was completely dark when they arrived home, as was the inside of the house. Keith got the impression for the first time that this place could get pretty horrifying. It was a perfect image of a haunted house.
“Next time we need to leave the front light on. It’s too dark,” Diane said, “we are lucky our house has no ghost. Right, Keith?”
Keith managed a wobbly grin. Alice nudged him, and both turned to give each other a knowing smile.
When he entered the house, Sam was there, sitting on the stairs. It made him halt his step. The look on the spirit’s face made his heart sink. Other members were still around, so he couldn’t say anything. He walked upstairs. The spirit vanished and was met again in his bedroom.
Sam eyed him like he had something to say. Keith looked back into those blue orbs. He, too, couldn’t utter a word.
“I…” The spirit went first. His voice was totally different than usual. Keith thought, if a spirit could cry, that was what Sam w
ould have been doing. No tear stain on his face, but pain was evident.
“When Diane picked up a call, I heard there was an accident,” he said, “and she left. For many hours. Without a sign of return. I tried to get out, but I couldn’t. I was sent back here every time I took a step outside. I couldn’t do anything. I’ve never been so scared. Not even back then… Not even in that moment.”
Keith figured out what the spirit was referring to without him saying it explicitly.
“Keith, I’m scared. I’m scared I’m going to lose you. So scared that I don’t want you to leave my side even for a second.”
Keith reached out to caress Sam’s head and Sam tilted into his hand in response. It wasn’t a real contact, yet it held meaning for the two. The boy felt a little ticklish when Sam rested his head on his shoulder.
“Look who once told me to venture into the wide, wide world.”
“Someone said that? Going to knock some sense into him.” Keith suppressed laughter.
“I’m alright. Sorry to make you worried.” Keith stroking the other’s back. “I’m stroking your back right now.”
Sam laughed.
“I wouldn’t have known.” There was a hint of something tingling in his voice which made Keith feel embarrassed and his ears red. “Tell me more what else you want to do.”
“W… what are you saying?” he stuttered.
“What else you want to do with me? Tell me more, please?”
His affectionate voice made Keith’s heart skip a beat. He was so self-conscious he could sense the in and out of his breath. He put the other hand on the spirit’s shoulder.
“…you.”
“Come again?” Sam asked as he could only hear the last word.
“I’m hugging you,” Keith replied in a quiet voice. “Ah!”
His eyes went wide as Sam hugged him back. He could feel a chilling finger tracing up and down his spine. He wanted to give the other an even tighter embrace, but this was all he could do. Meanwhile, every touch Sam placed upon him emanated a sensation permeating his entire body.
