“I've been meaning to ask,” Beth said one day during the middle of one of their endless drives. “Did you sense only the girl?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Shouldn't you have sensed a parent too? Someone? It runs in the family, doesn't it?”
“That's true. Huh.” Cole sat back, scrunching up his eyebrows. “Maybe she was adopted? An orphan?”
“Hmm.”
That was usually the sign that the conversation was over. Cole stared out the window, inventing a whole backstory of the little girl and feeling sorry for her unknown parents.
Most nights, as Cole lay in bed, his mind wandered back to his last night home and his awkward time bowling with his classmate, Michelle. The two of them had worked on a class project together and afterward had started to hang out. The day after Amy had broken up with him, in his depression, he had mentioned liking Michelle. Between him being torn up by his failed relationship and Michelle having a boyfriend, it had not gone well. Even though it seemed like such an unimportant event, it brought butterflies to his stomach whenever he thought about it. Still, recalling that memory was preferable to thinking about his present miserable situation so it was with those thoughts that he often drifted off to sleep.
The never-ending doubt continued for a week and a half. Then Cole sensed it again, almost leaping out of his seat in excitement. As if this were a new muscle that he had discovered, now that he had used it once and knew how, he was able to locate this other person much faster. Not long after, they determined that the source was located inside of a small two-story house on a quiet suburban street.
They sat there in silence for a minute, neither daring to move nor breathe, afraid that any movement might shatter their chances of success.
“Do you want me to go up there with you?” Beth said. “My age could add some credibility to your youthfulness.”
Cole exhaled a long breath. “Sure, okay, thanks Aunt Beth.”
“Do you want to practice what you're going to say?”
“No, I've got this. I've had more than enough time to mull it over and now I can't wait any longer.” He climbed out of the car, Beth close behind. He rang the bell, waiting in the quiet twilight, listening to the crickets, focusing on his breathing, his pulse racing, hands sweating.
Someone had better be home, he thought.
A middle-aged woman opened the door, her eyes flitting back and forth between Beth and him. “Can I help you?” she asked in a soft-spoken, elegant voice.
“Yes, hi, my name is Cole. There’s something I’d like to ask you.” He waited to be asked inside but the woman did not move.
“Go on,” she said.
“Oh, uh, well, I’ve been traveling for a while, searching for someone who can help me. Someone who is like me.” The woman’s eyes narrowed, but he plowed ahead, unfazed. “I have a unique ability that I think you may have as well. There are voices in my head and I want to understand them better. What they are. Do you think I could come in and talk to you for a minute?”
The woman’s expression did not change, except for a hint of anger that threatened to burst forth. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.” She moved back to close the door.
“No, wait, please,” Cole pleaded, growing desperate. “I just want to talk. Can you at least hear me out?”
“Would it hurt to listen to him?” Beth said, and Cole could hear her struggling to keep herself under control.
“Look, kid,” the woman said, ignoring Beth. “Before I opened this door, I knew exactly what you were. I debated not answering at all. Trust me when I tell you there’s nothing I can do to help you. It would only hurt both of us. I suggest you leave before I call the police. Good luck with your problems.” She slammed the door before either of them could react.
Cole stood staring at the door, fighting back the pit of hopelessness welling up inside him. Another dead end. It wasn’t fair. Why was this so difficult? He had finally figured out that there were others, but for all the help they gave, there might as well not be any. He wished he hadn’t found anyone. This was infinitely more torturous, knowing there were people who may have answers but finding them to be impenetrable fortresses.
“She can’t turn us away that easily,” Beth said. “I’m ringing the bell again.”
“No, Aunt Beth. Forget it. It’s not worth getting arrested.” He shuffled off the porch, back to the car, unfeeling, overwhelmed to the point of numbness.
Beth hesitated, but reluctantly followed him. They drove off in silence. Beth shot glances at Cole as she drove, and her mouth opened a number of times before she spoke. “We’ll go to a really nice place for dinner. You can get whatever you want. A whole dinner of dessert if that’s your wish. We’ll cheer you up.”
Cole did not respond. They drove to the nearest town in silence, and Beth navigated the area until she found a suitable location for dinner. Cole followed her into the restaurant, and immediately buried his face in the menu, not reading the words.
“I'm really sorry, Cole,” Beth said. “I would say, cheer up, you'll find another, but I know that's not what you want to hear right now. I won't sugarcoat it. It sucks. Tell you what, though, if we don't find another soon, we'll think of a strategy and return to the first two. I'm sure we can figure out a way to make them talk to us.”
Cole grunted noncommittally.
“All right, let's not talk about it right now,” she said. “Let's enjoy a nice meal. Things will seem better in the morning. What are you thinking of ordering? The veal parm sounds good.”
It was then that they were both startled by a stranger plopping himself down in an empty chair at the table.
* * *
“Hi.” The stranger was a teenage boy, older than Cole by a few years, with a head full of curly brown hair and wearing a tight gray T-shirt. “Glad to finally meet you. You know, you’re a lot harder to track down than I thought.” When he received nothing but blank stares, he continued, “Oh, I’m sorry. Hi, my name is Asher. I’d like to have a chat if you’re up for it. I think there’s a lot we could talk about, if you know what I mean.” He tapped his temple with one finger.
Cole broke from his paralyzing shock. “How did you find me?”
“Same way you found the others. I felt you pass near where I live and I followed your trail. I caught up to you when you stopped in the last town and felt you interact with another of us and then leave almost immediately. Guess it didn’t go so well?”
“N-no,” Cole said, struggling to keep up with this wave of information. “Why can’t I sense you?”
“Oh, that’s one of the things you can learn to do. Keep the voices contained. Go incognito.”
“He’s one of them?” Beth said, breathless.
Cole nodded without taking his eyes off Asher. “So why did you track me down? Am I the first one you found?”
“No way. I’ve seen plenty.” He leaned forward, a big smile across his face. “But you’re the most interesting. Oh man, this is really exciting. Everyone else is so boring but you, you have so much raw potential. I can tell you haven’t worked much at refining it, and that’s where I come in. I can teach you.” His eyes were shining as if he had discovered a heaping pile of gold. “What were you doing driving around to find that other person?”
“I was looking for help. I need these voices to disappear. Forever. Can you teach me how to do that?”
“Why would you want them to go away? They're amazing what they can do.”
“Please, can you get rid of them?”
“Nah, man. I don't know how to do that. But I can teach you to control them. It's so much better.” Without waiting for a response he plowed ahead. “Where are you guys staying? I've driven pretty far so I figured I'd stay around here for the night. I already told my folks I'd be back tomorrow.”
“We haven't looked for a place yet,” Beth said. “We just arrived here today.”
“Well, we'll get to that later. Right now, I'm starving. You guys don't mind if I join
you for dinner, do you?”
Beth and Cole exchanged a look. “By all means, young man,” Beth said. “You're welcome to eat with us.”
“Do you mind answering some questions, though?” Cole said, determined not to be disappointed with this latest development. Maybe Asher was right. Maybe it could be better to just control the voices rather than outright destroy them.
“Right after I order.” Asher picked up Beth's discarded menu and began to peruse, to which Beth reacted with amusement.
Cole's eyes never left Asher as he examined the menu, curiosity and excitement bubbling up amid an ever-growing list of questions. He prayed this boy was as useful as he at first seemed to be. After they had placed their orders, Cole wasted no time jumping right into his most burning question. “So what kinds of things can you teach me to do? Besides going incognito.”
Asher smiled. “No way, I'm not spilling all the beans just like that. That's half the fun, for both of us. You've gotta earn each step. If I told you everything up front, you would keep pestering me to learn the best ones first. But we've gotta go slow or it won't work. Besides, I can't wait to see your reaction each time you learn a new one.”
Cole didn't like that answer one bit. What if Asher was bluffing and really knew nothing? He would have to play this out a little longer and see. In the meantime, he would not be deterred. “All right, then, let's start slow. Tell me about yourself.”
This was one question for which Asher had no problem launching into an answer. It was his father who had the voices, but he was open about it to his wife so that both of his parents were knowledgeable about them. They had taught him about the voices from an early age. The voices had always fascinated Asher, and he spent his entire childhood listening to them and experimenting with different things he could do. Before he had graduated elementary school, he had already surpassed the ability of his father. His power had worried his parents so he had started practicing in private. He liked to use the abilities to show off at school, as well as do other things, the details of which he chose to keep vague.
His family knew of a few other families that heard these voices. The families would sometimes get together and enjoy the company of people with whom they did not have to contain this common secret. It was liberating to talk freely about the voices with someone other than immediate family. No one in these other families, however, could do many of the things that Asher could. Eventually, he had branched out and had found some more people who shared their secret, as Cole had done. Some, however, refused to acknowledge anyone who spoke of the voices.
“My guess is that was what happened to you,” he said at the end of his story. “I'm not surprised. I tried talking to that same woman a few years ago with the same results. It's pretty rare to meet someone as open about it as you.”
“Why does everyone act like I'm a criminal who's trying to hurt them?” Cole said, glancing at the waitress as she lowered plates of food onto the table.
“They're afraid of being different. They prefer to live their lives in denial, pretending like nothing unusual is happening, and when someone shakes that denial, they react angrily. They don't like reminders of their true selves. I've met a lot of people like that, which is something I just can't understand. It's great. It makes me feel like a superhero sometimes. I'm glad there's people like you who aren't afraid of what they are.”
Cole grunted, unsure how to respond to that.
“I don't think I caught your names,” Asher continued.
“Oh, right. I'm Cole. I guess reading minds isn't one of the abilities you can teach me,” he said with a smirk.
“No, that would be cool, though,” Asher said, laughing, and then looked at Beth. “And you're his mother, Mrs...?”
“His aunt. Just call me Beth.”
“Oh, uh, nice to meet you.” Asher returned his attention to Cole. “So, your turn now. Tell me about yourself.”
Cole dove into his own past, carefully avoiding any identifying information since Asher was still a stranger, as well as sidestepping around certain events, such as murder, which he thought might be best left unsaid. Asher listened with rapt attention, and Cole concluded his story as the check was deposited on the table.
Beth glanced at the check uncertainly, but before anything was said, Asher pulled out a wallet and dropped a twenty-dollar bill onto the table. “That should cover me plus tip,” he said. “Guess we'd better get on the road and find a place to stay before it gets too late. Follow me. I’ll take us a little closer to where I live so I don’t have as long of a drive back tomorrow.”
They arrived at a hotel a short while later, and to Beth's relief, Asher asked for his own room. Their rooms were next to each other, and when they reached their doors, Asher paused. “I’m pretty excited about this,” he said. “Would you want to start right now?”
Cole’s eyes lit up. “That would be great. I can’t wait to get started.”
“Let’s hold off until tomorrow,” Beth cut in. “There will be plenty of time to get started then. I’m tired.”
“You can go to bed,” Cole said. “I’ll be in a little later.”
“Cole.”
Cole had not seen a look that stern on Beth’s face in a while, and he figured it was best to go along with it. Holding in his disappointment, he told Asher he would see him first thing in the morning and followed Beth into their room. “What was that all about?” Cole said, once they were inside.
“I know you’re excited to find someone,” Beth said in a low voice, glancing at the wall that separated their room from Asher’s, “but you don’t know him. I don’t want you hanging out with a stranger late at night. We need a good night sleep and then can we approach this with a fresh mind in the morning.”
“Is there something about him you don’t like? He’s exactly what I’ve been hoping for. Do not scare him away like you so enjoy doing.”
“I don’t have anything against him. He seems like a nice boy, but I’m erring on the side of caution. Which is something you need to learn.”
“Fine.” But Cole could not sleep. He tossed and turned all night, his mind running through hundreds of possibilities of what the following day might bring. He imagined all kinds of fantastical things he might learn, each more preposterous than the last. He had been waiting for an opportunity like this for too long, and now it was torture to know that his answers were all sleeping on the other side of the wall. Many times he almost sneaked out of the room to knock on Asher’s door, even getting to his own door once, but he stayed his hand, telling himself the morning would be there soon enough.
When seven a.m. finally rolled around and Beth shifted in bed, Cole took that as a good enough sign to bolt to his feet. “Aunt Beth, are you awake?”
“Mmmm,” she mumbled.
“I’m going to get ready and then knock on Asher’s door. Will you be ready soon?”
“Mmmmm.”
Taking that for an affirmative, Cole quickly brushed his teeth and threw on some clothes, half of him wanting to wait so that he would not wake up Asher, and the other half unable to delay another minute. Part of his anxiety was excitement at the coming day, but the other was fear that Asher would be gone. Yesterday was too good to be true, as if Asher was a dream that had vanished overnight, and he was desperate to see Asher again to make sure he was real. Then there was the more realistic fear that Asher had left overnight, either because he had changed his mind, or worse, because he had been playing a cruel joke on Cole, making him believe the impossible could be true. No, shut up, he’s going to still be there, he repeated to himself.
At seven-thirty, Beth was still in bed, but he could contain himself no longer. He rushed out to the hall, paused in front of Asher’s room, took a deep breath so he would not look so anxious, and rapped three times on the door. There was only silence from the other end. Cole’s breath quickened as his fears threatened to overcome his façade. Shut up, it’s early and he’s probably sleeping. He hesitated, wondering if he should come
back later, but then his fears got the best of him and he knocked again.
More silence. Cole was about to knock again, when he heard a faint rustling on the other side of the door. Cole released a deep exhale that he did not even know he was holding. The door creaked opened and a bleary-eyed Asher appeared, stumbling uncertainly in his T-shirt and boxers.
“Oh, hey, Cole. It’s pretty early. Is something wrong?”
Now Cole felt utterly foolish at his childish excitement. “Uh, no, sorry, I’m just an early riser and I forget that a lot of other people aren’t,” he lied.
“That’s all right. I’ll knock on your door in a couple hours, okay?” he said through a monstrous yawn. “I’m going back to sleep.”
“Sure, no problem.” Cole headed back to his own room, the embarrassment refusing to subside. Now that he knew Asher was still there, however, his paranoia waned, and he flopped on the bed, flicking on the television while Beth showered.
“Where’s Asher?” Beth said as she emerged from the steamy bathroom, rubbing her hair dry with a bath towel.
“Still sleeping,” Cole said. “He’s going to knock here when he’s up.”
“Well, I will take this opportunity to reiterate that until you know him better and know what he can actually teach you, keep your expectations in check. He may not have all the answers like he claims.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Cole said, half of his attention on the TV.
The two of them watched an old movie for the next hour until there was a knock at the door. Cole leaped off the bed, flicked off the TV, and then forced himself to walk slowly to the door. Asher stood outside, showered and wearing the same clothes from the day before. Cole had not thought about the fact that Asher had no bag with him. Cole stepped back, welcoming him inside.
Voices in the Night (The Dark Mind Trilogy Book 3) Page 2
