“We just visited yesterday.” She shoveled another spoonful into her mouth.
“I know, but I need a permission slip signed for school.”
“Why didn’t you get her to sign it when we were there?” For the first time she lifted her eyes from the bowl to look down at him.
“I didn’t have it on me. I’m sorry. Please?” Besides, what are you doing that’s so important you can’t take any time away? Give me a break.
She shoveled in another spoonful and chewed very slowly. When her mouth was clear she continued. “You have to wait a little while. I’m busy right now.”
Yeah, right. What are you doing? “Okay that’s fine. I’ll be in the other room reading.”
After he got dressed he hurried back to the library, anxious to get in some more reading before they left.
Twenty minutes later Beth appeared in the doorway. “Come on. If you wanna go, let’s go.”
Cole let the rudeness pass over him, keeping his mouth shut to avoid any unnecessary arguments. He grabbed the permission slip, slipped on his sneakers and jacket, and got into the already running car.
There was a train station nearby for a national passenger train that stopped in this small town of Woodbury on its way to bigger and better things. The trip to the hospital took them past this stop. Cole, usually in his own world, never paid this train station any attention and, true to form, was ignoring it as they approached. They were driving down a small side street that paralleled the tracks and, in the distance, the grumblings of an approaching train could be heard.
Stop this car before the train stops in the station.
Cole’s head snapped up at the unexpected agreement. No way. A distant whispering began to meander around the back of his consciousness. His eyes darted from the incoming train to Beth’s calm and oblivious composure. “Stop! Stop the car!” he screamed, scaring even himself.
Beth, in a moment of sheer panic, swerved violently towards a parked car. Cole felt his heart skip a beat and he flailed around for something to hold onto. Beth recovered inches from impact and jammed the steering wheel back the other way in a squeal of tires. “What’s wrong with you?!!” she shouted. “Are you trying to kill us?”
Cole took a second to find his breath. “No. You just have to stop this car right now. Please! Pull over.” He looked out the window at the station to see the train pulling in, screeching to a halt.
“Why? Why do you need me to stop?”
“Just stooooop!!!!” He lunged across the car, grabbing at the steering wheel as the whispering clouded his thoughts. All he knew was that this car had only seconds to stop. The car swerved wildly down the middle of the street as Beth fought him off, but he had the wheel in an iron grip.
“What are you doing? Let go!” Beth yelled terrified, struggling to stay on the road. A car pulled around the corner, heading towards them. It accelerated, but at the sight of them, screeched to a halt, helpless to get out of the way.
At the sight of the oncoming car, a rational thought finally crossed Beth’s mind and she slammed on the brakes. At the same time, they were passing a side street and she yanked the wheel to the right, missing the bumper of the other car by inches. At last, they came to a stop by the side of the road.
Cole jumped back from the steering wheel and spun around to look at the train as it came to rest in the station. Relieved of the agreement, he collapsed into his seat, breathing hard, just now absorbing what he had done. He glanced over at Beth who was staring frozen out the windshield, knowing she would not stay like that forever. He cringed from the thought of what was about to happen when the shock wore off.
The car they nearly hit pulled up beside them. The window rolled down and the driver leaned out. “You crazy bitch! Learn how to drive! You’re lucky I’m in a rush to get somewhere.” And with that final word he took off, tires squealing on the pavement.
This seemed to snap Beth out of her trance. When the other car pulled around the corner she turned, slowly, to face Cole. And then exploded.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Were you trying to get us killed? You little psychotic brat! Answer me!!!” A new vein had found its way to the forefront of her forehead and, as her face reddened, it threatened to burst.
“I just wanted you to stop the car.” Cole felt tiny in his seat and his voice sounded very weak. He could not shrink up close enough to his door.
“Why?! What was so important that was worth risking my life? Huh? What?”
“I was going to throw up. I think I was car sick. I didn’t want to get it all over the place. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“Yeah I’d say so,” Beth taunted menacingly, but her pulsing vein had diminished. “You had better never even think of coming near this steering wheel again. Got it? Actually, no, go sit in the back seat. Out of reach. Now! I can’t even stand to look at you right now.”
Cole climbed out of the passenger seat and got into the backseat.
“Third row!” Beth roared.
Cole went to the seat all the way in the back of the minivan.
“Good,” Beth said. “Now we can go. And if you feel queasy again, just say so.”
Cole said nothing. The minivan pulled away from curb and he was surprised to find it, a few minutes later, pulling in front of the hospital. He was sure his outburst had ruined his chances of Beth doing him any favors, but here they were.
“Get out, you little psycho,” Beth said angrily.
Cole obliged, avoiding eye contact, and strode ahead of her, heading straight to his mother’s room. She appeared to awaken at the sound of his entrance.
“Hey, Mom,” he whispered.
“He-.” Meredith cleared her throat. “Hey Cole. I must have fallen asleep. You really lose track of time in here.” Her voice was hoarse. She blinked hard, trying to clear away the sleep. “How’s it going?”
“Everything’s fine. My class is going on a field trip to the amusement park. I just need a permission slip signed by you.”
“Oh, that’s great!” She brightened at the news, leaning up on one elbow. “Do you have it with you?”
Cole pulled it and a pen out of his pocket and handed them to Meredith. She wrote a cursory signature and handed it back.
“Have fun,” Meredith said. “I’m so glad you want to go. How’d it go with your friend?”
“Great. We hung out all last night. She convinced me to go. But when are you getting out?”
“Soon,” Meredith said. “I’ll let you know when I know.”
“All right. I don’t want to keep Beth waiting. Bye, Mom. Please come home soon. I can’t stand living with her any longer.”
Meredith smiled. “Just don’t get in her way. That’s your best bet. Hang in there. Love you.”
Cole left in dismal spirits. He hated seeing his mother like that. In his preoccupation, he didn’t notice the TV in the waiting room that Beth was watching until he trudged towards her and she gasped.
“Oh my God. That must have been the train we passed just now,” she whispered.
A cold hand gripped Cole’s throat as he looked up at the news report. From what he gathered, the train that passed through his town had crashed. The details were not clear, the reporter was saying. Many passengers were injured, but fortunately no one was killed. He was not able to ascertain any more information as he was torn away by Beth, who gripped his arm and dragged him out the door.
“Come on, we’re getting out of here,” she said.
Cole didn’t hear her. How? No. This isn’t possible. I saw it stop after the car stopped. I know I saw it. There’s no way… I won the agreement. Why did it fail anyway? What did I do wrong?
The ride home, much like the rest of the day, was quiet. Cole was alone, left to wonder what had happened, and why it had happened, until an idea came to him. I did win. If I hadn’t, something much worse would’ve happened. Instead of injuries there probably would have been deaths. I just saved all those people. Despite the fact that he
only half-believed it, the thought comforted him enough for him to move on and forget about it. Left to himself, he wished more than anything that Amy was there, that he had made plans to see her again. He had had a taste of friendship and craved more.
That night he remained cooped up in the library, plowing through further evidence of the supernatural. As he read, he wondered why Beth owned this book, but after the mask incident, he was wary about broaching the subject. It was not a new book; it had indications of being read numerous times. Without a doubt, Beth was interested in things beyond his knowledge.
8
Sunday finally arrived, the day of the trip. The whole morning he was tense, but could not be sure of the cause. His teacher was seated at her desk when he entered. She was flipping through some papers, getting everything in order. She raised her eyes as Cole approached her desk. “Oh, Cole, what are you…”
She stopped at the sight of Cole holding out a slip of paper. “Oh. What’s this?” She took the page, glancing down to see the signature at the bottom. “Oh!” She cleared her throat. “Well all right then. Great. I guess you will be joining us today. Please take a seat until I make an announcement.”
Cole nodded and walked away. There was a buzz in the classroom as all the students except Cole were unable to contain their excitement. He sat in the corner, avoiding direct eye contact with anyone, which was never a difficult task since people paid him little attention.
Once the whole class was seated and accounted for, Mrs. Taylor struggled to quiet them. “Shh. Quiet down everyone. We can’t leave until you are all quiet.” When the noise level reached a whisper, she continued. “Everyone, please, for my sake and yours, do exactly as I say. Do not wander off on your own. Stay close…”
Cole lost interest, drifting off into his own world. He had pinpointed his nervousness to more than the intimidation of giant steel machines flinging him through the air and Amy pressuring him to ride them. What if I can't find her? What if I can't stay with her?
Before he knew it, the rest of the students were lining up at the front of the class and he was the only one left in his seat. “Come on Cole,” Mrs. Taylor said, trying to sound motherly. “We need to leave now.” A few kids snickered.
Cole's cheeks flushed as he joined the line. Now people were paying attention to him. They all filed out of the building and onto a big yellow bus where Cole sat behind his teacher in the second row. He was thankfully forgotten once again and he stared out the window in peace. How did I get myself into this?
The ride seemed to go on forever, but at last they arrived. Mrs. Taylor escorted them through the entrance, trying desperately, along with the two chaperones, to keep them all together. Once they were inside the park, they split up into smaller groups, one chaperone per group. Cole stayed with Mrs. Taylor.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Taylor? Where’s the rest of the school? I don’t see anyone around.”
“We must be late. Now, come along.” She started walking away, Cole trailing at her heels.
“Would I be able to join someone else’s group?” he asked.
Mrs. Taylor looked down at him, but kept walking, afraid of losing the kids who were pushing ahead. “Probably not, but maybe. We’d have to figure it out with the other chaperone.” She looked back up in time to see one kid running off. “Hey! Justin! Get back here this instant!”
Where is she?
They all stopped at the line for the first ride. Cole craned his neck to look up at the steel coaster looming over him, which was small for a coaster, but to Cole’s inexperienced eye, it was a mammoth. He swallowed hard. No way.
“Cole!”
His heart skipped a beat as he faced the direction of the voice. There was Amy, farther up in the same line, standing amidst her group. She waved to him and then ducked out of line, racing back to join him.
Seeing her run off, Amy’s chaperone freaked out and screamed at her to come back. She pretended not to hear and, being stuck with all the other kids, he stood there undecided.
“It’s okay,” Mrs. Taylor yelled to the unfortunate parent. “I’m a teacher at their school.” She turned her attention to Amy. “Young lady, you cannot go running off like that. You’re going to be in a lot of trouble if you do that again.”
Amy looked up pleadingly. “I’m sorry. Can I stay with your group? Please? I promise I’ll be good.”
Mrs. Taylor sighed. After a long moment she called out to the parent. “She can stay with me for today. Is that all right?”
The parent showed nothing but relief. “Yes. Absolutely. Please keep her.” He turned back to his own group. They faintly heard him say to them, “And if any of you try anything like that, I’m going to tell both your parents and your teacher. Are we clear?”
“All right,” Mrs. Taylor said to Amy. “Now that you’re with me, don’t pull that again. Got it? What’s your name?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m Amy.”
“Hi Amy. Glad we’re clear.”
Cole thought Mrs. Taylor flashed a quick smile at him before she looked away.
“Isn’t this exciting?” Amy was boiling with excitement. “I can’t believe we ran into each other right when we first got here. Talon is so awesome. Have you ever been on it?”
“Um, no,” Cole said quietly, looking at the ground.
“Then you’re in for a huge treat.” She laughed with pleasure.
“Uh huh. Do you think I’ll like this?”
“Of course. It’s great. Everyone loves it. And this one’s not too bad. A good starting coaster. Build your way up to the big boys.” She laughed again.
“I guess I can give it a shot.”
“Good, you’ll love it. Oh I looooooove amusement parks. Hey, maybe we can hide out here at night and be here when it opens. I’m sure we can find a spot no one would find us. We could live here!”
Mrs. Taylor chose that moment to tune in. “Don’t get any ideas, Miss. I have my eye on you.”
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Taylor. I won’t really. But it would be fun.”
Mrs. Taylor was satisfied and lost interest.
Amy looked at Cole and giggled. “We have to be secret,” she whispered.
She chatted away while the line, painfully slow, inched forward. Every inch they crept forward made the coaster loom larger and Cole’s heart beat faster.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Cole asked at the bottom of the stairs, the final approach to the gate.
“Yeah, come on. You won’t know how much you might love it until you try it.”
“Or how much I hate it,” Cole mumbled.
“You don’t look so great,” Amy commented casually. “Are you sick?”
“No.” Not yet.
“Haha I think you’re sweating,” Amy said. “You’re so funny.” She laid her hand on his chest. “Wow. It feels like you’re gonna have a heart attack.”
If only. That would get me off this line.
“Don’t be scared. It’s fun.”
Easy for you to say.
“Come on. Just breathe.” She smiled. “Don’t go dying on me.”
“I’m fine,” Cole said abruptly. “Sorry. I’ve never been on one of these and talking about it is not helping.”
“Ohhh. Sorry.” She giggled again. “I started reading that book you gave me. It’s amazing and I’m only on page five.”
Amy talked about the book for the rest of the wait on line, but as it turned out, changing the subject didn’t help. Cole was transfixed on the test ahead of him, one from which he doubted he’d come out alive. Nothing Amy said got through; it took all of his concentration just to breathe.
Before he knew it they were at the front of the line. Amy jumped into the car and slid over. Cole stopped.
“Come on. Don’t chicken out now.”
Cole took a deep breath. And shut off his brain. He meticulously placed one foot into the car and then the other. He could not even put on his harness. The attendant came around and snapped it into place for him. Amy w
as talking again, but he didn’t hear her, nor did he see her through his tightly shut eyes. He blocked out the world around him, praying for it to be over already.
As the car started to move, a pit consumed his insides. Why am I here? Why am I here? He could hardly breathe, and the car was only moving uphill. He knew that was a bad sign. And that was the last thing he remembered. Or remembered clearly. The world was flipping, spinning wildly. All sense of up was gone. He thought he was screaming, but he couldn’t be sure because he was certain that all remnants of air had long since abandoned his lungs.
Almost before it began, it was over, and it was only then that he realized he was screaming. He cut the sound short, but his mouth would not close and he could not peel his hands off the handles. His eyes finally opened, but they stared straight ahead.
He heard Amy laughing next to him. “Are you still alive? Wasn’t that fun? Let’s go to a bigger one now!” When Cole didn’t respond she stopped laughing. “Cole? Are you okay?”
Sweet air was filling his lungs now and he felt the blood returning to his face. “Mmmm,” he managed to get out. They pulled into the unloading dock and, as the other passengers climbed out of their seats, talking excitedly, he let go of one, then the other handle.
“Come on kid,” the attendant said. “You have to exit the car now.”
Cole moved a little faster and caught up with Amy at the exit. Seeing his face, she smiled wider. “Are you still scared? We’re not on the ride anymore, dummy.”
“No offense,” Cole said, “but that was the worst experience of my life. I think I might sit the next one out. And every other one for the rest of my life.”
“I won’t force you, but you’ll be missing out. You get used to it.” She ran off down the exit ramp.
Cole ambled slowly after her, his head still spinning in a million directions. I think I can live with the fact that I’m ‘missing out.’
After they met back up with their group, they waited in an even longer line for an even larger behemoth. When they reached the loading dock, Mrs. Taylor stepped through the cars and went to stand by the exit, with Cole promptly following suit.
Dark Mind (The Dark Mind Trilogy Book 1) Page 6
