Shadows Within (The Dark Mind Trilogy Book 2)

by Matthew Goldstein

  Now that he had made a decision, he was surprisingly calm as he caught the bus to school and entered homeroom on time. His second day of class was rather uneventful, and for the first time in his life, he did not mind being at school. No one was making fun of him, a few of his teachers were interesting, and he spent half the time in the presence of Amy. Just being in her vicinity filled him with a fulfillment he had never experienced before. As she hung onto his arm on the way to lunch, he absorbed the looks of jealousy from his peers, and knew the bliss of heaven.

  After last period, as Amy and he were walking towards the bus, after a brief lapse in their conversation, she said to him, “I don't want to be rude and I know it's none of my business.”

  “You never need to preface something with me,” Cole said. “Say whatever you want, I won't care.”

  “Well, I was kinda wondering. Where does your Aunt Beth get all her money from?”

  Cole cast a sideways glance at Amy before continuing. “What do you mean? How do you know she has a lot of money?”

  “I mean she must have some. She doesn't work as far as I can tell and she always offers your mom money. Food, mortgage, bills. Gotta come from somewhere, right?”

  “You know, I never really thought about it,” Cole said, laughing. “That's a damn good question. You ask it.”

  Amy laughed too. “Maybe I will. Why not?”

  Cole shook his head and let it go.

  Today they were going their separate ways, Amy to the Williams' house, which for once Cole was thankful. He had told his mother that he would be staying after school to look into the extracurricular programs. Naturally, she was thrilled at the prospect, giving Cole a good couple hours to himself. He checked the bus route and got off a few stops early. He had some difficulty remembering the route since he had been in a state of shock the previous night, caring little for anything other than getting home. He retraced his steps in his head, turning around whenever the surroundings were unfamiliar. After a while, he found the same house he had been outside of last night.

  The street was quiet. Since his plan was vague beyond reaching the house, he stood in indecision for many minutes, hoping none of the neighbors thought he looked suspicious. He considered ringing the bell, but didn't think that would get him very far. Instead, he checked his surroundings for a place where he could observe the house without any watching eyes. He found a place behind a bush in the side yard, but after a few minutes he realized this was a hopeless endeavor.

  With precious time wasting away, he came to a risky but optimal solution: look in through the windows. He checked in every direction to make sure no one was watching and then looked in through the side window nearest the bush. No one there. He moved towards the back of the house, and was reaching up for another windowsill, when he heard a car approach. He ducked behind the same bush and observed the car pulling into the driveway right in front of him.

  Cole froze as Darryl and a man Cole guessed was his father got of the car not more than fifteen feet away. Cole held his breath, praying he would not be seen.

  “Nah, I don't think that's a good idea,” Darryl said as he slammed his door.

  “Just give it a shot,” his father said. “You never know.”

  They walked up the front steps onto the porch.

  “I guess two weeks of tennis can't kill me,” Darryl said. “By the way, you'll never believe what Mr. Sanders said today.”

  At this point they reached the front door and entered the house, the conversation now lost to Cole's ears. Cole kicked the dirt at his feet. What did I really hope to accomplish by coming here? This is stupid. In desperation, to prevent this trip from being in vain, he resumed peering in through the windows. Darryl was in the living room talking with his father. Cole moved to the rear windows. Darryl's mother was in the kitchen cutting vegetables on a cutting board, with a large steaming pot behind her on the stove.

  All looks really normal to me, dammit. He looked back in through the living room window. Darryl's father was gone and Darryl was unpacking his backpack on a chair. He had a notebook in his hand, and after moving the bag onto the floor, took a seat in the chair. He began to read, flipping slowly through the pages. Then, as if he felt Cole's eyes on him, his head turned directly towards the window through which Cole was staring.

  Cole dropped to the ground, panic gripping his body. Shit. I think he saw me. He totally saw me. Shit. Shit. Shit. Move! He picked himself off the ground, scanning for a route of escape. He was afraid of moving into either the front or backyard, but he had to get out of sight within the next few seconds if Darryl came looking. There was a high wooden fence next to him, separating the house from the one next door. He grabbed onto the top, and with one great effort, flung himself over it. He landed hard on the ground, scraping his elbow, but he didn't care. He lay there, listening.

  Cole heard the front door of Darryl's house open. He held his breath, his eyes closed, trying to distinguish every minute sound. There were footsteps on the porch that approached Cole's position, but they retreated and the front door closed.

  Cole exhaled sharply, and began to breathe deeply to slow his heart. That's enough for one day, if I didn't ruin everything completely.

  He started the long trek home, wondering what in the hell he was going to do next. But in the midst of all his self-loathing and useless thought loops, one thought kept resurfacing. How had his inner demons known where Darryl lived?

  “What happened to your elbow?” Meredith said the moment he walked in the door.

  Cole had been so distracted he had forgotten about his scrape. He turned his arm to look at the dirty steak with a few drops of dried blood. “I tripped on a stupid broken sidewalk. I'm going to clean it right now.” He disappeared into the bathroom before his mother could get a closer look. Why was I so careless to let him spot me? Now what am I going to do? Whatever, I'll figure it out tomorrow.

  “Cole, phone!” Meredith called through the bathroom door.

  Cole dried off and opened the door to take the phone. It could only be one person. “Hey, Amy,” he said. “What's up?”

  “I asked Sarah to let you come over tomorrow right after school and stay for dinner. She said yes. Come get to know them better. Your mom already said it's okay.”

  After school, I need to see Darryl. Although, I have all week and after today it might be best to take a day off. “I'm in.”

  “Great. Miss you. See you tomorrow morning.”

  “Miss you too. Bye.”

  It was strange to have a night without Amy as it had only happened a few times in the past four months. Cole found himself pacing, struggling to remember what he used to do with his time before he met her. He started to read, but couldn't find anything to hold his attention, so after dinner he asked his mother if she'd like to play a game. She was pleased, if a bit surprised, yet they could only play for an hour before she had to leave for work.

  When she was gone, he browsed the bookshelf in the library, but after failing again to find something that piqued his interest he turned to his last resort.

  “Hey, Aunt Beth,” he said as he entered the living room.

  She was reading a book, an activity that Cole seldom found her doing. She lowered the book onto her lap and raised her eyes to him. “Huh? What do you want now?”

  “Nothing, really. Just bored.”

  “What do you want me to do about that?” She lifted the book and resumed reading.

  “I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I was just wondering. What do you do all day?”

  Beth placed the book back on her lap and sighed. “What do you mean? When?”

  “I don't know. Like, all the time.”

  “What kind of question is that? You see me do things. I buy groceries. I cook. I clean. What else do you want from me?”

  Cole shifted his feet, wondering if boredom was the only reason he was pushing this. “Yeah, but, that can't take all day. And sometimes when I'm home, you disappear and I don't know wh
at you're doing.”

  Beth's eyes narrowed. “Boy are you nosy.” When Cole didn't respond she continued, “You really want to know? All right, come.” She moved the book onto the couch, stood, and led the way to her bedroom.

  Cole had only seen Beth's bedroom a couple of times, since he was not welcome in it. It was the largest bedroom of the house, being the master bedroom, and had a queen size bed covered with a crisscross patterned quilt. The two wooden bureaus were lined with small sculptures and artifacts from various countries that Cole knew were a testament to her fascination with the supernatural. Ever since she had found out about her sister's ability, she had grown to look for the fantastical in everything.

  “This is what I do when I want to be alone,” Beth said, “which is most of the time.” She pulled open one of her closet doors, revealing a large walk-in space filled to the brim with old books, artifacts and other strange objects. At first glance it reminded Cole of a disorganized witch's lair. There was indeed a cauldron, albeit a small one, as well as voodoo dolls and jars of unknown substances lining the shelves. “Welcome to my laboratory.”

  “Laboratory of what? Are you a witch?”

  “Funny, kid. All those books are on supposed spiritual and magical discoveries throughout time in all cultures around the world. I research them, and then attempt to do it myself to see if there is any truth in it.”

  “So... then you are a witch.”

  Beth slammed the door and whirled on Cole. “I knew this was a bad idea. Out of my room!” She pointed towards the door.

  “No, no, I'm sorry,” Cole said. “So you practice voodoo and magic and other mythical stuff? Have you ever discovered anything that works?”

  Beth relaxed and Cole could see that she was enjoying this rare openness. “Nothing noteworthy. It's possible that I am just doing it wrong. I've felt some unusual auras in the air but nothing compared to your mother's ability.”

  Cole studied Beth's face as an epiphany clicked in his mind. “You're jealous of her.”

  “Are you kidding me?” She gave a forced laugh. “I just got into this stuff because of her. I figured, if something like what she has exists, then who know what other kinds of supernatural phenomena may be real? It's a curiosity, nothing more.”

  “Aunt Beth, really, you should count yourself lucky. It's a curse more than anything.”

  “I know all about it. I think you should go now. There's a new potion I wanted to try, and it's not safe for you to be around.”

  “All right, whatever. But trust me, there's no part of these voices in our heads that you would ever want to be a part of.” He left before gauging her reaction. For the first time, he felt a vulnerability in his aunt, which made him a bit uncomfortable, and he left her alone the rest of the night.

  14

  The next day at school, Cole told Amy all about the weird collection of objects in his aunt's closet.

  “Weird,” was her response. “Can't say I'm all that surprised, though. So she really is a witch. I knew it.”

  “That's what I said!”

  “You said that to her face?” Amy was shocked.

  “Yeah, she didn't take it too kindly.”

  “I bet. Mostly, I just can't believe she actually showed you. Do you think she might be starting to... like you? Impossible.”

  “It was really strange. It was like she was secretly dying to show somebody.”

  “The thing I wanna know,” Amy said, “while you had her opening up, did you ask her about where her money comes from?”

  “It got awkward fast. I didn't really feel comfortable asking.”

  “Boo. Guess I'll need to do it myself next time I see her.”

  “I've gotta see this.” Cole smirked as they sat in their seats and class began.

  Determined not to waste a precious day with his Darryl problem, he spent the day figuring out what to do about it. He thought about it matter-of-factly, forbidding his emotions from interfering, which was easy since, safe in school, it all felt like a distant hypothetical. By the last bell, he had decided on a course of action that satisfied him. Come tomorrow, he could put the next step into action. He only hoped he would have the resolve to follow through once the surreal turned into reality.

  After school, Cole waited with Amy for Mrs. Williams, who pulled up in her green midsize sedan.

  “Oooh, she's here,” Amy said. “She's really excited for you to come over so she can get to know you better.”

  “Does that mean I have to talk?”

  “Ha ha. If you don't mind.”

  Cole instinctively went for the front passenger door, but then remembered who's car this was and pulled open the rear door instead.

  “Cole! Have a good day at school?” Mrs. Williams had turned around in the driver's seat and was beaming at him.

  “It was a blast,” Cole said, hoping the sarcasm wasn't obvious. Nonetheless, he noticed Amy shake her head as she buckled in her seat belt.

  “I bought Amy something that I think you two will enjoy,” Mrs. Williams said as they drove away. “We can all take turns. Looks like fun.”

  “What is it?” Cole said, somewhat afraid to hear the answer.

  Amy looked back at him. “She got me a Wii U.”

  “Really?” Cole was shocked they would get her such an expensive gift, especially after she had only been there such a short time. His mother had never been able to afford a gaming console and, thus, his knowledge of video games, like most other hobbies for his age, was severely limited.

  “Yeah, it's awesome. I only ever played video games at other people's houses. I never had any games of my own and now I have like five. Thanks again, Sarah.”

  “I'm just glad you enjoy it,” Mrs. Williams said. “Can't say I mind it myself.”

  “You play, Mrs. Williams?” Cole said, more than a little surprised.

  “It's loads of fun. I was thinking I wished I had bought one ages ago.”

  “Huh.” Cole sat back, intrigued by the prospect of games, though he couldn't imagine what type of game would interest Mrs. Williams.

  When they arrived at the Williams house, Mr. Williams had not yet returned from work. They entered the living room where the Wii U was set up, and Amy turned it on, all the while giggling excitedly. Up on the television popped the opening screen for a game called Just Dance 2014. Seeing that, Cole sank into the couch cushion, praying he could become invisible.

  “Is this the one you want to play?” Cole said. “What other games do you have?”

  “We can get to those later,” Amy said. “I want to play this one first. I'm addicted to it right now. What's the matter, afraid to boogie?”

  “I wouldn't say afraid is the word. You can play and I'll watch.”

  “Nah-ah. I'll go first but you are up next.”

  Mrs. Williams picked up a remote and stood next to Amy. “It's loads of fun. You'll see. We can play at the same time too.”

  They started up the game and began to dance violently in place. Cole could not help but laugh at their ridiculous over-exaggerated movements that only barely resembled the movements onscreen. Without knowing anything about the game, he could tell they were not doing well, although Amy was considerably better and more fluid than Mrs. Williams.

  The song ended and all three of them had huge smiles on their faces. Mrs. Williams was slightly out of breath. “Whew, that's a workout. I need a break.” She held the controller out to Cole.

  Cole shook his head. “I'm good, thanks.”

  Amy grabbed his arm and tugged, trying to pull him onto his feet. “We all look ridiculous,” she said. “What's the big deal?”

  “All right, fine. I guess it looks pretty fun.” He stood, and Amy released her hold. He took the remote from Mrs. Williams and positioned himself in front of the television. “You're just not allowed to say anything when I look like an idiot.”

  “Deal.” Amy started up a new song.

  For the first few dance moves, Cole made small, limited gestures, feeling s
elf-conscious and awkward. Yet as the song continued, he found himself getting caught up in the song, and by halfway through he was flailing as much as Amy, propelled by the satisfaction of racking up a score. He noticed that Amy was mainly getting ratings of Good for each dance move while he was getting Perfects.

  “How are you doing that?” Amy said as she failed to perform another move.

  “I have no idea. I'm just doing what the screen shows.”

  The song ended and Cole's score was almost twice that of Amy's.

  Amy turned to Cole, shaking her head. “Of all the things to be randomly good at, it's dancing?”

  “Ha, I guess.” Cole smiled proudly. “I mean, it's not real dancing.”

  “No, you looked smooth,” Mrs. Williams said. “I think you would make for a fine dancer.”

  “Huh,” Cole said. “Wanna play again?”

  They continued to play for a while, Cole consistently getting the highest scores, until Mr. Williams entered the room.

  “I see we're making good use out of that system,” he said as he took off his jacket and laid in on the back of the couch.

  Mrs. Williams glanced behind her during the middle of a jump. “Oh, honey. I didn't even hear you come in.”

  “Not surprising.” He planted himself on the couch next to Amy to watch the rest of the song.

  “It's great,” Amy said to Mr. Williams. “We've been taking turns since we got home. You should try to.”

  “Maybe another time.”

  The song finished, and Mrs. Williams joined her husband on the couch, breathing heavily. “Is it... that late... already?”

  “No, I got home early today. It's only five,” Mr. Williams said, patting his wife on the knee. “Pretty soon you'll be doing five minute miles.”

  “Yeah... maybe. Well, I'd better go start dinner.” Mrs. Williams lifted herself from the cushion and started for the kitchen.