Shadow Heights

by E. N. Goeking

  I started running and tripped over a stone, falling into the flower bed that I had just admired a few short moments before. My body crushed the vibrant forms of life beneath me. I tried to get back up but a hand braced my ankle and stopped that from happening. He began pulling me across the yard and I saw the colorful tops of flowers blur as my body flew past them.

  I felt the change in pavement as my back scraped against the concrete. I screamed in agony as I felt my skin tearing and the pain ran through me like a knife.

  The man surrendered my leg and moved closer to my face, looking straight inside of me with eyes that were hypnotic. I couldn’t make out a word that he was yelling; my sense of hearing had vanished. He grabbed me by my neck and began shaking me. I found it impossible to breathe because his hand was blocking my airway. I shook in his arms trying to break free, hoping to replenish the oxygen that I needed.

  I concentrated on his face, his dark angry eyes that were filled with such hate. At that moment, hurting him was the only desire I could feel. I placed my hands on his arms, while in deep concentration, and felt an electric surge shoot out of my body into his. It was an incredible feeling, almost like a cleansing of my entire body that invigorated every cell. My fingers tingled near the ends and the energy flowing through me was pure. He yelled in pain, releasing me from his grasp. I landed hard on the ground, hearing a revolting crunch when I hit the pavement. He sank to his knees while clutching his arm with his hand, unable to comprehend how such a small person could defeat him. I felt a warm wetness surrounding my head and I reached my hand back to feel it. As I brought my hand to my face, I saw that the warmness I was feeling was blood—my blood.

  I jumped as I came back into reality. I dropped my cigarette, not realizing I still had it, and the cherry fell on my legs, burning my flesh as quickly as it dropped. I screamed in pain and brushed it away with my hand.

  I looked at my surroundings and found everything to be back to normal. Was I really me this time? I looked down at my hands and recognized them as my own. I felt faint as the heat absorbed into my brain, a headache forming in the back of my head. I clutched the back of my skull and groaned.

  How long was I out for? Oh no, the food. I remembered the lasagna and ran into the house to rescue it. I opened the oven door and the cheese had barely melted. I looked at the set timer and it still had 35 minutes to go. I had only been gone for 10 minutes. I felt like an idiot standing there, out of breath, with a pot holder on my hand. It felt longer than that to me. I was sure that an hour had passed since I slipped away.

  I smacked myself in the face to see if I was still dreaming and I wasn’t. Now I was in pain and had a red welt on the side of my face but at least I wasn’t going crazy.

  The doorbell rang out and my heart jumped, my voice shrieking with it. I hurried to answer it. Greg’s face appeared through the door as it swung open. His adorable smile greeted me and I was relieved to see a familiar face.

  “Hey,” he said. I hurried over and hugged him with relief. He held me tightly for a while and I felt safe in his arms. “Is something wrong?”

  “No. I’m fine. I’m just so happy to see you.” He kissed me lightly on the head with narrowed eyes. He could read that I was lying and that something was wrong.

  “These are for you.” His hand appeared from behind his back with a box of my favorite chocolates—turtles. My eyes went wide, a smile slowly forming.

  “Ooh. You have to help me eat these or I’ll gain five pounds.” I lifted the box up and down in front of him, indicating heavy weight.

  “That won’t be a problem.” He patted himself on the stomach and I chuckled. I pulled him inside and closed the door.

  “That is so sweet,” I thanked him and we made our way into the living room. “Are you hungry?”

  “Starving,” he replied.

  “Good. I’m making us dinner.” He looked astonished that I was doing such a thing. “What’s that look for?”

  “Nothing. I’m just surprised that you cooked. What’s the occasion?” He eyed me suspiciously.

  “No occasion. I just don’t get to see you that often. I had the kitchen to myself, no parents. Why not?” He smiled at me while I set the chocolates on the table. “Want something to drink?”

  “Sure.”

  “How about some wine?”

  “Awesome. You read my mind.” I went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of red, figuring it would go better with the pasta. I rummaged through the drawer looking for the corkscrew. Greg walked in and I could smell his cologne as soon as he entered the room.

  “Need some help?” he asked while sniffing my hair. I shifted away from him.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Nothing.” He looked at me like I was some kind of idiot. The lights began to flicker and we both looked around the room in wonder. It wasn’t storming outside. I hope nothing’s wrong with the circuit breaker. I finally found the corkscrew and handed it to him. I was never good at opening those. I set the table while he opened the bottle. He grabbed two glasses from the cabinet and poured them full. He swirled his glass around on the counter and inhaled its bouquet. What was this display? He wasn’t a wino.

  “Smells good.” He walked over and handed me a glass. “How about a toast,” he suggested. I nodded in agreement.

  “Uh...to new beginnings. I hope college is better than high school.”

  “Yes.” We clanged our glasses together and drank. He took a few more sips and I hopped onto the kitchen counter. “That smells so good,” he commented while looking over at the oven. I drank my wine and sat there silently.

  “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?” he asked and I nodded my head. “Don’t lie. I always know when you’re lying.” I rolled my eyes by his ability to read me like an open book.

  “Fine,” I surrendered, “some weird things have been happening to me lately.”

  “Like what?” He sipped on his wine.

  “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

  “I won’t.” He laughed. “I promise.”

  “Okay. Well...I’m just going to come out and say it because there's no easy way to break this to someone. I think this house is haunted.” He burst into laughter, which irritated me to no end. “I knew you’d respond that way.”

  His reaction turned humorless. “Oh, you're being serious. I’m sorry. Go on.”

  I took a big gulp of my wine. “I’ve noticed some bizarre things since we moved in. No one else has or at least they haven’t mentioned it.”

  “Have you actually seen something?”

  “Yes,” I spoke quietly and I saw him swallow, his throat bobbing in movement. “I’m getting scared Greg. Lately, I’ve been having nightmares and it feels like they really happened.” He lowered his brow.

  “What does that have to do with the house?”

  “I don’t know. I think it’s all connected somehow. In fact, just a few minutes before you got here, I stepped into someone else’s memory or at least that’s what it felt like. I was staring at some flowers while smoking a cigarette and suddenly, I was in a different world. I wasn’t even me, I was this little boy.”

  He looked at me in confusion. “What is that about?”

  “That’s what I would like to know.” I took another drink of wine, hoping it would relax me. “Plus...I think something is living in the attic.”

  “Have you told your parents?”

  “No. How can I? It’s only happening to me anyway. They’ll want to put me in a psych ward. I'm certain about that. I’m surprised you don’t.”

  “Well, I always know when you’re lying. It’s a gift of mine.” I laughed out loud. “I’m serious and I know that you're being honest with me. Mina,” he moved closer and looked me in the eyes, “I believe you.” His words soothed me and for the first time, he felt protective. “Do you want me to check out the attic for you?”

  “I would but I can’t get up there. The door is locked and we need a special key for it.”

  �
��I could probably rig something to get it open.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. What would it hurt to try? He rested his elbow in his hand while he thought about possible ideas.

  “Do you have a wire hanger?” he asked as he sprung to his feet.

  “Yeah, in the hall closet. I doubt that will actually work, though.”

  “Well, it’s my first trial.”

  I got down from the counter and finished my glass of wine. He walked to the hallway and found a hanger in the closet, bringing it back with him a minute later. I refilled both our glasses and watched him straighten the wire into one long piece and then bend it, creating kinks.

  “I’m gonna try it out. Are you coming?” I looked over at the oven and the food still needed to cook for fifteen minutes. I nodded and followed him up the stairs. When we approached the door, he turned to me with a not-so-confident look in his eye. “I think this might work. You ready to give it a try? I mean, what if something happens? What are we going to do?”

  “Let’s just do it. He hasn't tried to harm me so I think we’re safe.” Jaden’s face flashed in my mind and I began wishing he were the one here, instead of Greg, in case something did happen. Greg held a flashlight in his left hand while working the lock with his right. It didn’t seem to be working so he pulled it out and bent it in different ways. I watched as he grew more and more frustrated with each try.

  “Maybe you should give up,” I said after five unsuccessful minutes had passed.

  “Damn it!” He dropped the hanger on the floor and stood up. “I just really wanted to do this for you.”

  “Thanks for trying. I appreciate all your hard work.” He rubbed away the sweat on his face with the bottom of his shirt. The flash of his skin caught my eye, and I stared at his well-defined abs. I hadn’t realized he was so muscular. He looked so small in the clothes he wore.

  I handed him his glass of wine and he gulped it down in two drinks. We walked back downstairs together. When the timer went off, he raced me into the kitchen and pulled the stifling hot dish out of the oven using the bare skin of his hands.

  As I watched him, I grew alarmed with each passing second. I was afraid he'd burn his hands or worse, drop the dish and have it splatter everywhere. He pulled it out in one swift move and shook his hands around afterwards.

  “You're nuts,” I commented and he chuckled with jubilant satisfaction. Guys.

  We talked personally with one another over dinner. He said that things were still going on with Kelly, which I was glad to hear. He talked a lot about his apartment. Apparently Kyle and him were getting along fairly well, which I was surprised to hear. I figured they’d be fighting within a week but then again, they were guys. They tended not to bicker over trivial things like girls do. I briefly told him about Jaden. I only told him his name and that we’d hung out a few times, which is really all that’s happened. I didn’t go into detail, though, about my deep-rooted feelings for him and his blow up from earlier.

  I was ecstatic that he enjoyed the food. He had two heaping platefuls and I wrapped him a plate for the road home. When we finished eating, he helped me clean up our mess. I washed the dishes and he stood next to me, watching me ever so carefully. To be honest, it made me a little nervous. I put the last dish in the dishwasher and grabbed a towel to dry my hands.

  “Thanks for dinner.” He put his arm around me and hugged me tightly.

  “I don’t know what I’d do without you Greg. You’re my best friend.” He distanced himself from me and gazed into my eyes. “It means a lot that you believe me.”

  He brushed away the hair from my face and his hand hesitated at my side. His eyes closed, his jaw clenched shut to keep from opening his mouth. He relaxed and kissed me lightly on the forehead.

  “Let’s go smoke.” He took my hand and we headed outside together. He pulled a pipe out of his pocket and we sat on the steps to smoke it. It was starting to get dark but there was enough light around for us to see. The entire property was surrounded by trees so we had plenty of privacy. We passed it back and forth to each other until it was burnt to ashes.

  He groaned and held on to his stomach after we finished. “I think I ate too much. I'm so full.” I giggled.

  “I wonder why, maybe because you ate a pound of pasta.”

  “It's your fault, it tasted too good to pass it over.” A pair of headlights turned into the driveway at the end of our lane. I eyed the car warily as he hid the pipe behind his back.

  “Who is that?” he asked, looking over at me for an answer. “Your parents?”

  The car got closer and I could now make out who it was. A very sleek sports car, black as night, and my heart beat started to race. Oh no.

  “Jaden.” Greg's face shifted to mine and back down to the car. I knew he couldn’t drop it. All I could hope was that he didn’t come here on a mission to beat up my friend for no apparent reason except for his jealousy. I saw Greg tense up at my side. “Relax.”

  “I am.” He clearly wasn’t. His usual stature was limp, leaning with distress against the porch railing. Jaden pulled up behind Greg’s VW and got out. As he walked over to us, I met him halfway at the bottom of the stairs. I saw that his eyes weren’t on me. They were set higher on Greg who was finishing his cigarette at the top of the stairs. Ryan was sitting in the passenger seat but didn’t look like he was getting out to join his friend. Jaden closed in on me and I grabbed his hand in an attempt to stop the coming confrontation. A burning heat filled my palm but I didn’t pull out for fear of his reaction. Greg got up from where he sat and walked down the stairs to meet us. Jaden looked over at me and I smiled with uneasy assurance. Fine. Let's get this over with.

  “Jaden this is Greg. Greg...this is Jaden.” Greg held out his hand to him but with reluctance. I found the situation humorous for a moment because they both disliked each other so much even though they had never met. How was that even possible? Jaden shook his hand with force while never departing his eyes, scowling at him like a hawk planning its kill.

  “So, you’re Jaden.” He nodded once, tightly in movement. “I’ve heard a lot about you. You better take care of her. She’s priceless to me.” Greg smiled as he laid his hand on my shoulder. Don’t say that, it’ll only make it worse.

  I could feel the tension grow as Jaden’s eyes went tight with jealousy. Greg must have also seen this shift because he quickly removed his hand from my shoulder, his smile fading with it. Greg glanced over at me with cautious alarm but I didn’t have any advice to give.

  Jaden continued to scowl as he took a step toward Greg and in a last ditch effort, I tried to pull his arm back with my hands. A strong heat absorbed into my skin that wasn't painful but more uncomfortable. Greg stepped forward and crossed his arms, trying to somehow prove to himself that he wasn’t a coward. I knew Greg. He wasn’t the type that fought. He was always the pacifist of our group. He was always the one pulling me away from fights.

  They grimaced at each other while I moved myself between their bodies. I put one hand on each of them, nudging them both away and hoping that Ryan would come out to help me.

  “All right. You’ve made your point. Why don’t you both back off?” Neither of them honored my request so I shoved Greg back because I knew I wouldn’t be able to move Jaden. He was like unbendable steel.

  Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in my act of shoving Greg because he never faltered. He did, however, grab my hand in my effort and pulled me to him, yanking me from Jaden’s warrior side. I could feel a magnetic shift surround us as his fury grew within like a boiling cauldron. Jaden grabbed him by his shirt, almost tearing the flap of his collar. Stop!

  “Get the fuck off me!” Greg yelled in his face but was unwilling to take that first punch. I grabbed onto Jaden’s hand, trying to pry it from my helpless friend.

  “Why are you touching her? She isn’t yours!” Jaden demanded.

  “She would’ve been if it wasn’t for you,” he mumbled under his breath.

  “Stop it!” I scol
ded Jaden because I knew the kind of power he evoked when he was angry. I knew in my heart that he would hurt him and I didn’t want that happening.

  He released Greg, revealing a wrinkled mess where his hand was, and looked at me with vibrant stars in his eyes. I could see the anger dissipating from them as he pulled me into our world. I took his hand and made him follow me; although it was more like taking a dog to the vet because he was reluctant to leave. His familiar shock pleasured me as our hands clamped together and flushed away any fear within me.

  I walked with Jaden to his car and Greg stayed on guard the whole time. I stopped myself and turned him around to face me. “Maybe you should take off,” I suggested.

  “Are you choosing him over me?” he said with inflection, his glare like ice.

  “No, it’s not like that. I can’t believe you’re acting like this.”

  “I didn’t like the way he was looking at you, touching you like you’re his. What did he mean by ‘she would’ve been mine’?”

  “Nothing. It’s not for your concern.” I looked back at Greg who was still watching us from above. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Good.” He brought his face down to mine and kissed me with passion upon the lips, holding me tightly within his arms. When he pulled away from me, he leered up at his enemy, showing contentment for my friend's misery. “Bye gorgeous.” I stood in place and watched him leave. He sped down the driveway and peeled out as he turned onto the highway. I walked back to Greg and he was smoking a cigarette at a record pace.

  “What the hell was that?” he demanded, his voice squeaking in the middle. I shook my head. “And this is the guy you’re dating? I don’t trust him at all.”

  “It’s fine, he’s just a little protective of me is all.”

  “I’ll say.” He sat back down on the steps. I sighed.

  “Can I get one of those?” He pulled a cigarette from his pack and handed it to me with a lighter. I sat next to him on the cement; puffing away in hopes that it would calm me.