“Hey Cole!” the boy said, giving a wave and a smile.
“Hey.”
The boy turned to Meredith. “Sorry for not introducing myself. I’m Travis. Cole and I have been talking a lot at school.”
“Oh really?” Meredith said, throwing a questioning glance at Cole.
Cole cleared his throat. “Yeah, we just started talking recently and this whole plan kind of came out of nowhere.”
“Well, we were just finishing up dinner,” Meredith said. “Are you hungry? We happen to have some extra.”
“No thank you,” Travis said.
Meredith pulled a chair out from the table. “Have a seat. We’ll be done in a few minutes.”
“Thank you very much.”
Cole sat at the table shoveling food into his mouth, keeping his eyes averted from Travis, but every once in a while casting a glance over at him. Every time Travis caught Cole looking at him, he smiled.
“So, how did you guys start talking?” Meredith said.
Travis leaned forward, eyes shining. “It was in the schoolyard during gym. I was playing a game with some friends and Cole comes right up to us and asks if he can play. I say ‘sure’ and he tries it once and beat us all. It was awesome.”
Meredith was beaming. “Wow, Cole, have you ever played it before?”
“Nope,” Cole said.
“Wow, what kind of game was it?”
“It was just something me and my friends made up,” Travis said. “We call it ‘Ring Round’ and it involves a circle on the ground and some quarters. I can show it to you sometime, lotta fun. Anyway, after that we started talking and I starting sitting with him at lunch with his friend Amy.”
Travis smirked at Cole who felt a cold chill and shoveled down another mouthful.
“She’s such a cutie,” Meredith cut in.
“Cole here was good at everything,” Travis continued. “I showed him some games at lunch and he picked them right up. He’s got some smarts.”
“Yes he does,” Meredith said. “I always told him that.”
Cole stood up, almost knocking his chair to the floor. “I’m done. Come on, Travis, let’s go.”
“Sure,” Travis said. “You wanna play Risk? I know how much you like it.”
Cole swallowed hard and walked away, hiding his clenched fists in front of him so his mother wouldn't notice.
“Have fun,” he heard her call out behind him. He could hear Travis’ footsteps following him but he ignored them until they were in his room. He shut the door behind him and leaned up against it.
“All right you little shit,” he said through gritted teeth. “What the hell are you doing here? And how do you know about Amy and Risk? Start talking.” He took a menacing step forward.
Travis put his hands up in front of him. “Whoa, whoa, calm down. I just came here to talk. I realize we may have started off on the wrong foot so I want to give you a chance. I should get to know you better before judging you. I see you’re already in the middle of a Risk game. Perfect, now we can pretend this is our game.” He sat down on one side of the board.
“Don’t touch a single piece on that board. You'd better start explaining yourself.” Cole picked up an unused wooden bat from the corner of the room that he had received as a gift for his last birthday.
“Seriously, I'm not here to fight you,” Travis said, backing away from Risk. “Can't we just talk? I think you'll be interested in what I have to say.”
“Yeah, I might. But you'd better have a damn good reason why you've been stalking me.”
“I do. Really. You see -”
Travis was cut off by a knock at the window above the bed. Cole and Travis froze, their heads turned towards the sound. A little fist raised above the windowsill, knocked again at the glass, then lowered back down. This was followed by a small head poking up to look inside.
Cole stumbled onto his bed, dropped the bat on the blanket, and fumbled furiously with the old wooden window locks. When at last he had the window open, a hand reached up. Cole grabbed it and leaned back, pulling a body through the window on top of him.
“Um, hey.”
“Amy, what are you doing here?” Cole said, scrambling out from under her to stand back on his feet.
Amy sat up, bringing her knees to her chin and wrapping her arms around her legs, her eyes flitting back and forth between Cole and Travis. “I, uh, snuck out. Is that…? What is he doing here?”
“I came here to talk to Cole,” Travis said. “Trying to undo the bad blood I started.”
“Forget about him for a second,” Cole said. “What do you mean you snuck out? How? Aren’t your parents gonna be pissed?”
Amy shifted, her eyes finding a focus spot on the carpet. “After I went to bed they started fighting really loud. I couldn’t take it and my window is on the first floor. They won’t find out. They never come in my room after I go to sleep and I left something under my covers just in case.”
“But how did you find your way here?” Cole said.
“I paid attention last time my mom drove me back. Just in case.”
“You’re crazy climbing up the side of my house.” He lifted the bat off the bed. “And you shouldn’t be here. This is a really bad time.”
“I can’t go back, Cole,” Amy said, her wide eyes pleading. “You won’t even know I’m here.”
Cole sighed. “I know it’s pointless to say this but try not to listen.” He turned back to Travis and slung the bat over his shoulder. “Start talking. I won’t hold back just because she’s here.”
“Hey, all right, listen. When I first ran into you I felt a connection. I’m sure you felt it too. I thought you were an enemy so I followed you, learned about you. The amusement park was not the first time I saw you, just the first time I let you see me. I wanted you to be scared of me. I thought that was the best way to beat you at our game. After last time, though, I realized maybe we don’t need to compete.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Cole said, gripping the bat tighter. “What game? I’m not playing any game against you.”
“Don’t you feel it? Can’t you hear the voices right now? I know I’m not crazy. I know we’re in this together.”
Chills crept their way down Cole's spine, but his mind fought fear with anger. He could not comprehend the implications of what Travis was saying, and the inherent distrust in a stalker's words forced him to disregard it. “Stop talking like I should just know what you’re talking about. Whatever the connection is between us, I’m not buying into your little game. Maybe you figured out a way to plant thoughts in my head. Is that it?”
“What? No,” Travis said. “I swear. We need to try working together.”
“After what you’ve been doing to me you expect me to be friends with you? To work with you? To trust you? Even if I was in a game with you, I’d beat you, so don’t act all high and mighty.”
Amy stood up and took a step towards Cole. “Cole? What are you talking about? You’re scaring me.”
Cole did not take his eyes off Travis. “Shut up, Amy. This doesn’t concern you.”
Amy stepped back, her eyes watering.
“You don’t wanna go down this path,” Travis said. His eyes narrowed. “I’m very competitive.”
“Shut up! Shut up! Stop screwing with me!” Lost in a torrent of emotion, he twisted the bat behind him and swung at Travis’ head.
“Cole! No!” Amy screamed, covering her eyes.
Travis yelped and raised his arms up for protection. The bat slammed into Travis’ forearm, sending him reeling to the floor, clutching his arm in pain. Cole stood over him, breathing hard, a look of cold hatred etched on his face.
“Cole…” Amy’s voice was shaking. “What is wrong with you? Why did you…? Oh my God.”
She bent over Travis but a moment later there was a knock at the door.
“Did I just hear a scream? Is everything all right in there?”
Amy looked up, terrified, before dropping to the floor
and rolling under the bed.
The door opened. “Travis! What happened?” Meredith rushed towards him and bent down.
“He tripped and hit his arm on the bed frame,” Cole said, emotionless.
Travis nodded. “I’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure? I’d better call your mom.”
Travis grimaced and forced himself into a sitting position. “No, really. I’m fine.”
“You boys have to be careful. I’ll go get you some ice.” She stood and hurried out of the room.
When she was out of earshot, Cole got down on one knee to look under the bed. “Amy, that was too close. You need to leave. Now.”
“Not a chance. Just push something in front of me.”
“Amy! This isn’t funny. You can’t be here.” Footsteps could already be heard ascending the stairs. “All right. You win. But not cool.” He grabbed the Risk box and shoved it in front of Amy, covering her as best he could. She pulled a shoebox from behind her and positioned it in front of her face to complete the concealment.
Meredith appeared in the doorway holding an ice pack wrapped in a paper towel. “Here, hold this to where it hurts until it loses its cool. Oh my, your mom is not going to be happy that you got injured the first time you were here.”
“Not a problem. She won’t even know,” Travis said, retrieving the ice and holding it to his arm. “But I think my mom is on her way to pick me up. I need to wait on the porch for her.”
“So soon?” Meredith said.
“Yeah, we were busy tonight but I begged her to let me come over for a short time because I thought we had plans.”
“Well, all right, Sweetie. Let’s go wait on the porch. Come along, Cole.”
Cole glanced at his bed before following them downstairs. They stopped in the kitchen to replace the ice pack and then continued on out the front door. The three of them took seats on the porch and Meredith had barely gotten out a single question when a car pulled up to the sidewalk.
“There she is,” Travis said, jumping to his feet.
Meredith stood to see him off and Cole followed suit. Travis stepped up to Cole and leaned in to give him a pat on the back. Cole did not flinch. As Travis’ face moved in close to Cole’s ear, he whispered, “It’s on.” Travis stepped back and stared into Cole’s eyes for a split second, a look of death on his face, before breaking into a smile.
“See ya pal,” he said. “Bye Mrs., uh…”
“Oh this is embarrassing,” Meredith said. “I never introduced myself. You can call me Mrs. Sicarius. Goodbye, Travis. Have a good night.”
“Bye.” Travis waved and ran down the stairs to the waiting car. He hopped inside and it sped off down the block.
“I do hope his mother doesn’t find out about his injury,” Meredith said, still waving. “That would be a terrible first impression.” She finally put her arm down but continued staring at the spot where the car had turned the corner. “Such a sweet boy, though. You do know how to pick them. This friend thing seems to have become second nature to you. You'd better thank Dr. Stern next time you see her.”
“I will,” Cole said quietly.
They went back in the house and Cole headed for the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Meredith said, pausing, one hand on the couch. The television was on mute, playing the local nightly news.
“Just going to read in my room.”
“Um… okay.” She sat down on the couch and scooped up the remote to raise the volume. Cole had one foot on the stairs when Meredith called out, “Is everything all right?”
“Fine, Mom.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, absolutely. Just feel like reading on my bed.”
“All right.”
There was a pause and Cole had one more foot up the stairs.
“You do know you can tell me anything?” Meredith said. “If you ever have anything on your mind, don't be afraid to talk to me.”
“I know. Thanks, Mom.” Cole climbed the remaining stairs to his room and shut the door behind him. “Amy? Are you still here?”
There was a scuffle and the shoebox shook, then slid out from under the bed. “I thought you forgot about me. Is it safe to come out?”
“Well nobody’s upstairs but my mom might come up anytime.”
The Risk box gravitated across the floor and Amy rolled out. “If she comes up, I’ll have time to roll back under there.” She sat up, her back against the bed. “Now seriously, what happened just now? What was he talking about and why did you hit him? You could’ve killed him. You’re lucky if he comes away with only a bruise.”
Cole sat down against the bed next to her, propping his knees under his chin. “I think he’s just out of his mind.”
“No way, Cole. You wouldn’t have gotten so angry if he was just crazy. Don’t lie to me anymore. Just tell me. This has gone too far.”
“It’s hard to explain.”
Amy scooted around to look Cole in the eye. “Try.”
Cole sighed and looked away. He could feel his legs trembling and he squeezed them tightly together to stop them. This was a secret he had hoped to keep for life. How could he explain this to Amy without her thinking him insane? She would never look at him the same way again.
“The first time I ever saw him was at the amusement park. He was just standing there staring at me, almost as if he knew me.”
Amy leaned back on her arms, getting comfortable for the story ahead. “Oh, that's right! I thought he looked familiar. Man, you were acting weird that day but I didn’t think anything of it. I just thought it was something to do with the amusement park.”
“Yeah. And apparently that wasn’t the first time he had seen me either. You heard him. I think he’s been following me for a while.”
“But why? And don't say it's because he's crazy!”
“Shh. Keep it down.” Cole put a finger to his lips, listening for any sign of movement.
“Sorry,” Amy whispered.
“I’m honestly not sure exactly what he wants. He said he felt a connection with me and I have to admit, I felt it too. It’s hard to describe but there’s something that we share. I know it’s impossible and I’m sure you don’t believe me but I don’t know what else to say.” Cole waited for Amy to laugh but her eyes showed nothing but concern.
“I believe in all kinds of supernatural things: ghosts, prophecies, witches. I love them all. You know that. He said there were voices. Do you hear voices?”
“Well, yeah, I guess I do. Whenever I’m around him I hear weird things, like he’s in my head. It kind of freaks me out. And he said that we’re competing in some kind of game. He was following me to psyche me out and it worked but I have no idea what this game is. Normally, I'd think he’s crazy, but given the evidence, I don’t know. Although he is probably at least partly crazy.”
Amy laughed. “Huh. Yeah. I’d say so. But jeez, you went too far. That was scary. You could’ve killed him. What were you thinking?”
“I don’t know. Something about him just… gets to me.” Cole’s breath was short and raspy. “Although to be fair, he was kind of asking for it. He's been provoking me on purpose for a while.”
Amy’s laugh was edged with nervousness. “Yeah, he was. Really freaky if you ask me. Just do me a favor. Don’t kill anyone, okay? You’ll get in a lot of trouble.”
“Don’t wo–”
“Cole!?”
The two of them froze at the shout from downstairs.
“Yes, Mom?” Cole shouted back.
“Can you come down here?”
“Sure, Mom.” He pushed himself off the floor. “You should go,” he whispered to Amy.
“Okay.” Amy climbed onto his bed, opened the window, and turned back. “See you soon.”
“Uh-huh. Call me tomorrow.”
“Okay, see ya.” She put one leg out the window and stopped. “I don’t think I can get down. It’s too high. I can’t reach the ledge from here.”
“You have t
o go. Try going out a different way. Go out backwards on your stomach.”
The sound of footsteps resonated from the stairs. “Never mind. I’m coming up,” Meredith called.
Amy was wide-eyed. “I can’t do this. The ground is really far away. I’m too scared.”
“Yes you can. You have to go. Just try.”
Amy inched her way backwards out the window. “Can’t I just stay under your bed?”
“You’re already halfway there. Finish it off.”
“Oh God. I can’t feel the ledge. I think I’m stuck. Help me. Help.” Her voice was breaking into hysterics.
The footsteps were in the hall now. “What’s going on in there?”
“Shhh.” Cole jumped onto the bed and grabbed Amy’s arm. “I've got you. Lower yourself down. Quickly!”
“Don’t rush me. You’re dropping me. I’m slipping!”
Let go of her arm now or your arm will be permanently disfigured.
Are you kidding me?! Go screw yourself.
There was a knock at the door. “I’m coming in.”
“I got it!” Amy whispered in relief.
“Cole? What are you doing?”
Cole released Amy and spun around, praying his body had blocked her arm as it retreated down past the windowsill. “Nothing. Enjoying the fresh air.” What's up with the specific consequences? That's not happening. My arm will be fine.
There was no doubting the confusion and suspicion in Meredith’s face. “I told you not to open the window that much. You could fall out.”
“Sorry.” Cole pulled down the window and secured the locks.
Meredith sat on Cole’s bed. “I came up here because I wanted to talk to you. I’m really proud of you. In just a couple weeks you made two close friends. Not an easy feat. Remember that next time you don't think you can do something.” She pulled Cole in close and hugged him tight.
Cole pulled back and looked up at his mother. “Why do you so desperately want me to have friends?”
Meredith’s arms dropped to her sides as she sat up straight. “Um… Well. I knew you’d be happier with friends. It’s healthy to mingle with kids of your own age. Important for your social development.”
“You didn’t think I was happy?”
“Well, I knew you were happy in your own way but I also knew you’d be happier with friends. Aren’t you happier?”
Dark Mind (The Dark Mind Trilogy Book 1) Page 11
