Snapdragon Book I: My Enemy

by Brandon Berntson

  Telling them about his dreams and Ben was exactly what Ben had wanted. It didn’t matter what they thought. The only thing that mattered was what they had to do.

  “We have to go,” Seth told them. “I don’t blame you for thinking it’s crazy. It is crazy! Nothing else explains it. Nothing is crazier. I think it’s crazy. You don’t think I’ve been lying awake at night trying to figure this out? Nothing makes sense, certainly none of this. But I know we have to do this! I’m certain of it! Positive! If I wasn’t, I would’ve never brought it up. You gotta believe me, Gavin. It could be any one of us next. Malcolm’s right. Why would I make all this up if I didn’t believe we needed to hear it? Why would I talk about this demon and then lie about something else?”

  “Good point,” Albert said.

  Malcolm nodded.

  “I just…” Gavin tried to say. His voice was thick.

  “Gavin, what is it?” Malcolm asked, concerned.

  Gavin looked up with tears in his eyes. They rolled down his cheeks. Everyone looked at him in surprise.

  “I just want…my mom…” Gavin tried to say and hung his head. “I just want her to leave me alone.” Gavin wiped his nose. “I keep thinking about all the things I try to do. All the times she yells at me, because it’s never enough, and I just want to scream.” Gavin was trembling, hands shaking.

  Seth didn’t know where this sudden bout of emotion had come from. Whatever happened to him at home—and what was happening now—seemed a long time coming. For Gavin Lolly, it was all too real.

  The boy’s hands went to his face. Seth was frightened by how violently he was crying suddenly. Gavin took a deep breath. He was troubled, but seemed to come to a realization on his own. The boy looked up, not bothering to hide his tears, and looked at each of his friends. “I…” he said, and faltered, shaking his head. “I’ve…dreamed about the palace, too. I’ve seen it a million times.” Gavin hung his head and buried his face in his hands.

  Eyes went wide all around, gasps of surprise. The others looked at Gavin in bewilderment.

  “What?” Malcolm said, leaning forward. “What did you say?”

  Gavin looked up, sniffed, and rubbed his nose. “I’m sorry. I just…couldn’t believe what we were talking about. But it’s true. I keep having these dreams…a big, magical place. I thought I was going crazy, but Seth is right. I just…I just couldn’t believe it…”

  Gavin did not have the strength to continue. Was it pain or relief, Seth wondered? His tears were thick. Emotion rattled him. Seth watched the scene unfold with a pang in his chest, not knowing how to respond.

  Gavin spoke again:

  “I dreamed about it, too. It was so real. So…beautiful. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Purple and white marble, something I’ve never imagined before. I couldn’t believe it. Even in the dream, I couldn’t believe it. And throughout the whole thing, I kept hearing someone…something whispering to me. Telling me…”

  The boys leaned forward, holding their breath.

  “Telling you what?” Albert asked.

  “Someone talking,” Gavin said. “Some thing…that a chance was waiting for me…my mother…it was…someone talking.”

  “Ben,” Seth said, and Malcolm looked at him.

  “Go on,” Malcolm said, turning to Gavin.

  “Telling me…” Gavin said. “I wouldn’t have to deal with my mother again…if I just made it to the palace…I wouldn’t have to go through that anymore…and…I believed it. I just knew. So, when Seth…” Gavin’s tears were furious now. He couldn’t go on. He held his face in his hands again and sobbed.

  The others stared at him, stunned.

  Eddie stood up and stepped over to Gavin, wrapping his arm around the boy’s shoulder. He knelt beside him “Hey, Gavin? It’s okay. There’s nothing to worry about. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Everything’s gonna be okay, buddy.” Eddie paused and hugged Gavin close. “Everything’s gonna be okay. You know why? Because I’ve dreamed about the palace, too.”

  Seth smiled. Tears welled in his eyes. Looking at the others, he laughed at their expressions. Their mouths gaped, eyes wide in disbelief. No one said a word. The wind in the trees was the only sound.

  Gavin looked up, his face red and swollen, nose running. He sniffed, trying to hold back tears. A hopeless look crossed his face, but another one replaced it, something in Gavin’s eyes…they shined. “What?” he asked. “What did you just say?”

  Seth thought he’d start crying himself. He smiled at Gavin, loving Eddie for his display of affection.

  Eddie hugged the boy close. Gavin welcomed the embrace, hugging Eddie fiercely in return, and continued to cry.

  “I said ‘It’s okay,” Eddie told him. “‘Because I’ve dreamed about the palace, too.’ We’ve all dreamed about the palace, Gavin. It’s where dreams come true. Especially yours.”

  CHAPTER XIV

  A gentle calm replaced every doubt when Eddie consoled Gavin and whispered, ‘It’s okay. I’ve dreamed about the palace, too.’

  Eddie sat next to Gavin, who was still stifling the last of his tears. He didn’t seem as troubled as he’d been earlier.

  But they needed a plan. When would they go; what would they take? How long would they be gone? These thoughts soared through Seth’s mind at lightning speed.

  “What are we supposed to be looking for?” Albert asked.

  Malcolm shook his head. “It’s like Seth said. We’ll know when we get there. I don’t have any answers. All I know is that something has to be done.”

  “I don’t mean it to sound like that,” Albert said. “I just wish we had more ground to stand on, that’s all. It’s a little shaky, you know? We’re going someplace we don’t even know exists.”

  “Ben will help,” Seth told him.

  Malcolm looked at him and nodded.

  “But how will we know when to go?” Albert asked.

  No one had an answer for this. They sat in the shade, listening to the wind in the trees.

  “We’ll know when we know,” Seth told them.

  For a while, the boys sat in silence. The sun winked in and out behind the clouds.

  “You can spend the night at my house if you want, Gavin,” Eddie said. Gavin nodded weakly.

  Albert told them he’d better get back. He’d been gone longer than he’d thought. Eddie was carrying a pen, a mannerism, Seth noticed, since the first day of school. Eddie pulled out a sheet of paper from his back pocket, an old assignment, and made a list of phone numbers for each of them to carry. He tore the paper into various sections.

  Malcolm was lucky enough to find their numbers in the phone book, but Eddie said it would be easier having a list. If anything turned up, or if anything happened, they were to use the list and contact one another. Malcolm, of course, didn’t have a phone.

  “How are we gonna avoid this thing?” Eddie asked no one in particular.

  “Stay inside as much as you can,” Malcolm said. “Watch out for the cold. If it gets cold or dark, run like hell.”

  “We better get back,” Eddie said.

  Gavin stood up, and Eddie grabbed his bike. Seth, Malcolm, and Albert also stood up.

  “We’ll get together again and figure out what the next step is,” Eddie said.

  Gavin nodded, and the two boys said goodbye, Eddie wheeling his bike alongside him, heading south. Gavin still looked painfully dejected. Albert, too, waved and said goodbye. He headed east, toward the only house visible from the canal.

  Malcolm and Seth stood by themselves while the others walked away.

  “You okay?” Malcolm asked.

  Seth nodded. “I know we have to do this, but it’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”

  Malcolm nodded, understanding. “I know,” he said. “But the sooner we get going, the better it will be. The sooner we get going—”

  Seth nodded, knowing what Malcolm was about to say.

  “Pretty weird,” Seth said. “About Albert, huh?”

  M
alcolm nodded again. “I think he’s a part of it. He’s with us now. I’m not kicking him out just because he does a bad pirate impersonation.”

  “Do you think Gavin will be all right?” he asked, watching the two boys walk away.

  Malcolm shrugged. “I don’t know much about his mother…he didn’t really tell us anything, but I think it’s obvious. She beats him. But she doesn’t just beat him. I wonder how many bruises he has under his clothes. Maybe he’s right, you know? Maybe if we get to the palace, he won’t have to deal with her anymore. It’s hard to say.”

  “I hope so,” Seth said.

  “We’d better get home,” Malcolm said. “You’ll be okay? Going home, I mean?”

  “Yeah,” Seth told him, but wasn’t that foolish? How did he know? Not until he made it through the front door and shut it behind him would he feel safe.

  Malcolm grabbed his bike, swinging it around, and hopped on, putting one foot on the pedal.

  “Malcolm?”

  The boy raised his eyebrows

  “Do you think we’ll really beat this thing? Do you think we’ll drive it out of here?”

  Malcolm thought about it and shrugged. “I don’t know, Seth. I really don’t know.”

  Seth looked at his shoes

  “I’ll see you around,” Malcolm told him.

  “Sure,” Seth said.

  Malcolm pedaled off, leaving Seth under the trees by himself. Hadn’t they talked about the danger of being alone, and here he was by himself?

  Seth turned, looking toward the mountains. The answers were somewhere in those ominous peaks. Would things ever return to normal, he wondered? Would he ever enjoy his simple life again, his solitude, and time alone in the meadow?

  He didn’t want to stay at Samuel’s Creek. Being alone with the quiet breeze was enough to remind him of the danger he was in.

  He did lose something, though. He felt it in that moment. Seth wasn’t sure exactly what Malcolm was talking about. He didn’t feel—what was the word?—unblemished. No, Seth didn’t feel unblemished at all.

  But something important had vanished, a vital chunk of his youth, something from deep inside. Pretending, playing in the meadow, the Cat Fighter Attack Plane, seemed so immature and childish suddenly.

  You have to grow up eventually.

  Maybe he wouldn’t be the same again. Maybe none of them would.

  The stories his friends told were still vivid in his mind. Looking around, thinking of the phantom killer, gooseflesh rippled across his arms.

  Eddie and Gavin were still a ways ahead.

  “Hey guys, wait up!” Seth shouted, and hurried after them.

  ii

  Eddie’s Journal:

  I used to write in this thing because I never wanted to miss something important in case it happened. I used to write in it, in other words, because things have been so boring and lifeless in this town that you have to take advantage of every opportunity to pass the time.

  With the last couple of weeks, things have gotten worse, and a lot stranger. Ellishome is not the same town it used to be. There’s a lot more going on here than anyone realizes, I guess. It all sounds so crazy, Journal, that you wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.

  I have a gang of friends now. We met Albert Papal today at Samuel’s Creek, and the stories I heard raised the hair on the back of my neck. There’s some part of me that can’t get over how surreal it all feels, as if it really isn’t happening to us at all, but to someone else, that it’s all a dream.

  Speaking of dreams…

  I miss Howard. I miss talking to him about the Silver Surfer and the Fantastic Four. I miss school and all the fun we had at the skate party. I miss skating with Melissa. All these things seemed to happen so long ago already, and it seems unfair not to talk to Howard and share these things with him. I was only barely starting to get to know him, and I thought we had a lot in common.

  We figured out a lot of things today, though. I’m gonna ask Mom if Gavin can spend the night, because I don’t want him to go home to his mother. I’m sure Gavin’s mother will have plenty to say about that, but I figure it’s worth a shot. I’ve never seen a kid cry like I saw Gavin cry today, and I didn’t like it, but I don’t know…maybe it was supposed to happen. Maybe it was waiting to happen. Anyway, he seems to feel better about things, at least for now. He’s playing a video game as I write this. Gavin doesn’t like to write. He says putting words together looks like a big, painful mess. I laughed. Maybe he’s right, but I wanted to talk to you anyway, Journal.

  I’m not ready to go off into the mountains and hunt wild, evil creatures, or whatever it is we’re supposed to do. Why can’t a bunch of adults do it? They’re more capable. They can endure the cold longer; they know how to hunt and make shelter. I don’t know how to do anything except make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We might get sick of those real quick.

  Anyway, I’m not sure what to make of it all. But I know I’ve had dreams. We all have. And it seems weird for all of us to be dreaming about it at the same time…but there you go. Of course, Malcolm didn’t say anything about the palace. Maybe he isn’t dreaming at all.

  But, if that’s what it takes, then I guess we don’t have a choice.

  There’s something in this town, something evil. It’s killing people, and it doesn’t care about anything but killing.

  Yet, there’s something else Seth mentioned, something to help us. I guess we’ll have to have more faith in Seth and trust what he says.

  There is a palace, but no one knows anything about it except that it lives in our dreams. I’ve dreamed about it, too, but I never thought it was actually real. It lies beyond the mountains, or so we’re supposed to believe, but I have a hard time with this. It doesn’t make sense. I mean, if there is a palace, wouldn’t we have seen it, or heard about it at some time?

  I guess, we never heard of this thing, either, this demon on a horse, destroying everything in its path.

  There’s a sadness in me I can’t explain. Sad for Gavin, for Howard, for what the rest of us are going through. Maybe it’s just reality. Maybe we’re not kids anymore, and we never will be. Maybe it’s something inside that happens, and there’s nothing we or anybody else can do about it.

  I’m sorry, Howard. God! I’m so sorry. We’re gonna do this for you, okay? We’re battling for you.

  Sorry, Journal. It’s been a strange day. I think we deserve a little rest. Gavin, more than any of us. And maybe we can give Gavin something we never thought of before. Maybe we can call the cops, have them take away his mother, and then my mom and dad can adopt Gavin as one of their own!

  Higglesby, that’s the best idea you’ve had all day!

  Anyway, it’s fun to dream…

  Whatever you are, Ben the tiger, I hope you’re going to help us. Wherever and whoever you are.

  We need you.

  Anyway, I gotta go. Gavin wants to play doubles on Tony Hawk.

  ’Til then,

  Eddie.

  iii

  “Hey, sport,” Masie said, when he walked through the door. “I’m glad you’re home. Don’t tell Mom I let you go out or she’ll brand me.” Masie was still sitting on the couch. An empty bowl of cereal was on the coffee table in front of her, the handle of the spoon jutting out the side.

  “Okay,” he told her, shutting the front door.

  “But I have news that might lighten the load,” Masie said. “Seems the whole town is feeling like us, kid. Jeanie called, and we we’re thinking of going to the drive-in tonight. They’re doing special showings, two comedies. Maybe you and some of your friends would like to go, too, huh? We think it’d be kinda fun. What do you say?”

  The idea of another night out with Jeanie and Rheanna sounded perfect

  Seth nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “I can call everyone and see. That sounds cool.”

  Seth wondered if he should call Kinsey and invite her to the drive-in, then thought of her over-protective mother. If Kinsey’s mother didn’
t let her out of the house for the day, she probably wouldn’t let her out for the evening, either.

  It was funny, though. When he thought about Kinsey, all his troubles seemed to fade. He didn’t think about the stranger or the recent deaths in Ellishome at all. Love had a way of doing that to you, he supposed.

  He longed to hear from Ben as well, but he figured the tiger would show himself in time. For the moment, he went to the phone and decided to call Kinsey.

  iv

  Kinsey was excited Seth called, but no, she couldn’t go to the drive-in. “Mom’s being a dork,” she said, and Seth felt a pang of disappointment. They talked for several minutes. He could virtually hear her smiling on the other end, happy to hear from him, though.

  It was hard not seeing her since school had closed for the week. He said goodbye to Kinsey, hoping to see her soon, and hung up. He pulled the slip of paper out of his pocket Eddie had put together and called the rest of his friends.

  Eddie said Gavin was staying with him. If they went together, they might be able to get out and go. On the slip of paper, Seth noticed Eddie had written Malcolm’s address below everyone else’s phone number. If Seth played it right, maybe he could get Jeanie to stop by the boy’s house. Albert, ironically, said his mom and dad were thinking about going to the drive-in for the same reasons Masie had mentioned. He would probably see Seth there.

  Seth thought of Kinsey and felt another pang of disappointment. Maybe things would calm down, and when school started, they’d be able to spend more time together. Seth wished Kinsey could go, but then he thought about his sister, Rheanna, and Jeanie. Maybe Kinsey not going was a sort of blessing. The teasing would never stop.

  Seth went to his bedroom and gazed out the window, looking toward the mountains, the meadow swaying in the mid-morning breeze. All was silent, even the space in his mind. The mountains reached out in a way he’d never felt before. He wondered when their journey would begin, and what kind of horrors they’d face along the way.