‘Oh no! That is the only evidence I had! Now no one’s going to believe me!’ she thinks to herself. ‘Simon is going to destroy it. I bet he is!’ She paces outside the door, wondering if she should go back.
‘What’s the use.’ she thinks. ‘I seriously doubt he’s going to let me walk in there after what just happened.’
Kate walks into Mr. Woodfords classroom and takes her seat. She opens her book and begins to work on the lesson Mr. Woodford assigned. She wonders if she’ll have another chance to sneak into the darkroom. If she does, she’ll be prepared. This time she’ll have a look out. And who better to use for a look out than Linny.
She looks up at the clock and sees class will be dismissed in 10 minutes. Next period is lunch. Now all she has to do is persuade Linny to go along and tell her what evidence she found. Hopefully it won’t sound too crazy.
Chapter 4
Kate walks into the lunchroom. The cafeteria is emptier than usual. Kate walks over to the lunch line and grabs a tray. She’s not hungry but she picks up an apple and places it on the tray. She frowns at the rest of the food behind the glass. Today’s selections aren’t very appetizing. She sees two workers, one behind the line and one at the register. Usually there are four. It seems everyone is missing from the school today.
As she pays the lunch lady for her apple, she notices a bunch of student huddled together at one of the tables. You can hear the groans of excitement coming from the crowd. Kids outside of the circle try to push their way inside, while others jump on the backs of the closest students they can find to see the commotion.
Kate looks around and sees Linny sitting next to a couple girls she’s seen around school. Kate walks over and sits her lunch tray down and sits next to Linny.
‘What’s going on over there?’ she ask. Linny rolls her eyes, ‘Remember when Donavan and a couple other guys said they were skipping school? Well they went to the spot in the woods were they say Jessica was killed. They say they found a stream of dried blood running down a tree and email the picture to that guy Scott from the lacrosse team. He’s over there showing it around. Seems this is the only time in his pathetic life that people are taking an interest in him.
Kate takes a bite of her apple, ‘So it’s true? Someone stuck her head on the top of a tree?’ Linny reaches into her purse and pulls out a tube of cinnamon lip gloss, ‘Who knows if it’s true. For all we know, they could have thrown some red stuff on a tree and took a picture of it. I kinda seriously doubt they found anything. I mean, between the 4 of them, if they put their heads together they would have half a brain.’
Kate takes a bite of her apple. She looks at the other girls, staring at the crowd and whispering to each other. Kate lightly taps Linny on the shoulder, ‘Hey, can I talk to you for a minute, privately?’ Linny paints her bottom lip with the lip gloss. ‘Sure, hold on.’ Linny lightly taps on the wooden table.
‘Girls, I need to talk to Kate. I’ll see you guys later.’ The girls look at Kate and size her up. One of the girls gets up, ‘Ok Linny, we’ll talk to you tomorrow.’ The girls stare at Kate with animosity before getting up and sitting at the nearest table closest to the crowd.
Linny turns her chair around and faces Kate, ‘Ok, what’s on your mind?’ Kate looks around. She makes sure no one is close enough to hear and turns her chair around to face Linny.
‘I’m going to tell you something, but you have to promise me you won’t laugh.’ she says.
Linny giggles, ‘C’mon Kate, you know I not going to laugh. How many times have you told me your most embarrassing stories?’
Kate begins to fiddle with her bracelets, ‘Before I tell you, promise you won’t judge me or think I’m weird, ok.’
Linny’s eyes widen. She scoots her chair closer, ‘This sound big!’ Linny leans closer to Kate, ‘Is it gossipy? I could use some real gossip today. Does it involve anyone we know?’
Kate looks over Linny’s shoulder. She sees Simon, walking briskly toward the table. Kate freezes. His eyes look deranged. His skin looks clammy and pale. His lips are presses tightly together. He has his hand tucked inside the pocket of his thin hooded black jacket.
Linny begins tapping Kate on her knee, ‘I bet it has to do with Jackie kissing Dylan behind the baseball dug out, doesn’t it? I knew when Jen found out Dylan was cheating on her….’
Kate tunes Linny out as Simon approaches. She wonders if he is only of those psycho kids. She wonders if he’s reaching for a knife, or a gun, or some other deadly object. Simon’s eyes are cold and unflinching. She feels his gaze warm her neck. The warmth quickly turns to chilling shocks shooting down to her arms.
Simon slows his pace to a stop and stands behind Linny. Linny’s effortless gabbing continues, unaware Kate’s attention has been drawn away. Kate watches as Simons calmly parts his lips. ‘Hello’ he says coldly.
Linny turns in her chair and sees Simon. Her puzzled eyes stare directly into his. ‘Can we help you?’ she says with disgust.
Simon looks down at Linny, then looks at Kate, ‘Can I have a quick word with you?’ he says serenely.
Linny begins to size Simon up, ‘We’re in the middle of something right now.’ She turns back to Kate and begins talking again. Simon continues to stare at Kate, ‘It won’t take long. I just need to have a quick word.’
Linny shoots out of the chair, throwing it back against Simon’s knees. ‘Didn’t I say we’re in the middle of something weirdo?!’
Kate watches the faceoff between Simon and Linny. Linny’s ears are turning red. Her eyes are bulging out of her head. Her fist are clenched so tight, the fingers squeeze all the blood from her palms and turn them white. Simon continues to look past Linny and at Kate. His calmness is unwavering. His eyes blink sheepishly, waiting for an answer from Kate.
Kate stands and gently pulls back Linny, ‘It’s ok. It’ll only take a couple minutes.’ Linny looks at Kate, and then looks back at Simon. She picks up her bag and whispers to Kate.
‘I’ll be over there,’ she says pointing at the next table over, ‘if you need me, just scream bloody murder as loud as you can. And watch your drink. He looks like the type to slip some sort of weird, crushed up pills in it.’
Kate rolls her eyes, ‘I’m a big girl Mom. I’ll be alright.’
Kate watches Linny walk over to the table and sit her bag down. She then looks back at Simon, who haunting eyes are still fixed on her.
Kate pulls her chair out. She grabs the chair Linny sat in and pushes it toward Simon with her foot. Simon looks at the chair with suspicion.
‘Are you going to sit down or what?’ Kate asks.
Simon drags the chair closer and slowly sits. He leans back in the chair and looks at Kate.
Kate begins to chew her lip, ‘So, what’s up?’
Simon rests his hands on his knees. ‘Umm, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for chasing you out the darkroom. I didn’t mean it in a menacing way. It’s just, when you let the light in, you can ruin the photos.’
Kate nods her head, ‘I accept your apology. It was very rude of you but, I think I can look past it.’
Simon begins to look around the cafeteria. His hands begin to tremble as students whisk pass him. He jumps when a group begins to laugh loudly. He turns his feet in and pulls the collar of his hooded sweatshirt up around his neck, as he folds his arms across his body.
Kate watches as Simon tries to cocoon himself from the busyness of the cafeteria. She has never seen him here, not freshman year or her sophomore year. Every noise makes him swing his head in the direction of the sound.
Kate begins to tap her foot. Simon quickly looks down before looking away. ‘He looks scared to death.’ she thinks to herself.
Kate scoots her chair closer to Simon. ‘So, do you take a lot of pictures?’
Simon keeps his eyes on a table of students drumming on the lunch table with knives and spoons.
‘I don’t know how many is a lot, but I take a fair amount.’
Kate scoots closer, �
�How many is a fair amount?’
Simon looks at Kate confused, ‘I don’t know.’
‘Well,’ Kate says, ‘how many pictures have you taken this year?’
Simon’s eyes rock slowly from side to side, ‘Around...fifteen hundred. Roughly.’
Kate smiles, ‘That is a lot of pictures. Where do you find the time to do it?’
Simon unfolds his arms, ‘I just…whenever I have time.’
Kate giggles, ‘You must have a lot of time since you don’t have any friends.’
Simon hangs his head. Kate sees him cross his arms again.
‘I’m sorry; I didn’t mean it like that.’ she says.
Simon starts to get out of the chair. Kate swiftly stands, ‘So why do you take them?’
Simon reaches into his sweatshirt and pulls out a folder, ‘I just came to give these to you. They must be pretty important to you if you’re willing to sneak out of class and break into the darkroom.’
Kate takes the folder, ‘Uh…thank you.’ She opens the folder. The first picture is Jessica, the same one she tried to run off with. She closes the folder, ‘So why do you take so many pictures?’
Simon puts his hood over his head and rapidly walks away. Kate watches him as he leaves. His stiff, hunched shoulders navigate through the crowd as he rushes out the door.
Kate opens the folder again and begins to thumb through the pictures. She thinks about how nice it was for Simon to give her the pictures.
‘He can’t be all bad.’ she says to herself. She hears a click clacking noise coming toward her. ‘So, what did freak burger want?’ Linny says as she sneaks up behind Kate.
Kate quickly closes the folder, ‘He just found some papers I left around. Nothing important.’
Linny looks at the folder, ‘Papers? Why was he being so weird about it? Did you see the look on his face? I was sure he was about to pull out a 12 gauge and use our heads for target practice.’ Kate looks over at the door once more, watching Simon disappear around the corner, ‘Yea, me too.’
The bell rings and the students begin filing out of the cafeteria. Linny threads her arm though Kate’s bent elbow, ‘So what are you doing afterschool?’
Kate rolls the folder up and shoves it in her bag, ‘I don’t know. I’ll probably just go home and take a nap.’ Linny laughs, “Take a nap? Kate, I wasn’t aware you were a 68 year old woman.’
Kate starts to walk with Linny, ‘I’m just tired. Why? What are you doing?’
Linny flips her hair over her shoulder, ‘Well, Donovan has to work tonight but I heard a bunch of kids were going to troll Rachael’s house if the news reporters show up.’
Kate raises her eyebrows, ‘Sounds like a good time.’ She says sarcastically. Linny begins to laugh, ‘Well, you only live once! Too bad you missed your youth old lady!’
Kate looks down at the folder sticking out of her bag. She gives it a light tap with her fingers, ‘We better get to class. Call me later.’
Linny waves and walks down the hall. Kate stops and looks down the hallway. She sees the door to the darkroom slightly cracked. She begins to think about Simon and how the darkroom must be one large hooded sweatshirt to him, hiding him when he gets uncomfortable. She takes a step in the direction of the darkroom and stops. ‘He probably doesn’t want me in there.’ she thinks to herself, ‘No need to push my luck.’
Kate hears the warning bell ring and rushes off to class as the hallways quickly empties.
Chapter 5
Kate pulls into the driveway. She sees her Dad’s truck blocking the garage.
‘Aw great!’ she says while smacking the steering wheel, ‘I’m sure he’s going to want to have some type of heart to heart talk about what happened to Jessica.’
She grabs her bag and hastily gets out the car. She gingerly closes the car door and tip toes across the lawn to the bay window in front of her house. She peeks in the window and tries to locate her Dad. The living room is empty. Kate checks the time of her phone.
3:14.
‘If he’s not downstairs sleeping on the sofa, he must be taking a shower.’ she thinks to herself.
Kate slowly walks up the stairs. She flips through the keys on her key ring as she looks for the one to unlock the door.
She finds a small, silver key and separates it from the rest. She grips the other keys in her hand tightly so they won’t jingle.
Carefully, she slides the key in the lock and cautiously turns it. She hears the click. She touches the knob of the door with her fingers before wrapping her palm around it. She gently turns the door and opens it just a crack. She peeks in and listens.
The television is blaring in the living room. Kate quietly pushes the door closed. She sees her Dad’s coat hanging on the door.
She freezes, ‘Ah, he’s home.’ She tiptoes over to the closet and slowly slides back the door. He sits her backpack inside lightly. She slides the door back, and hears a sound in the kitchen. She arches her neck toward the doorway. She hears the sound of little feet coming towards her, followed by barking. ‘Oh God...’ she thinks to herself.
A brown golden retriever runs to her, wagging her tail and jumping around.
‘Nibbles,’ she whispers, ‘Be quiet!’ Nibbles starts to bark and howl before jumping on Kate, almost knocking her to the floor. Kate pushes Nibbles’ face, ‘Get down! Are you trying to get me busted or what?’ Nibbles wraps her paws around Kate’s legs and begins to howl again. Kate grabs Nibbles by the collar, ‘You’re a good boy aren’t you? You wanna biscuit?’
Nibbles stops and looks at Kate. He gets down and sits in front of her, wagging his tail and panting. Kate starts to walk up the stairs, ‘Good boys get biscuits. Now stay. I’ll get you one ok?’
Nibbles watches Kate slowly put her foot on the bottom step. He starts to follow her.
‘No Nibbles, stay for a biscuit ok?’ Nibbles watches as she tenderly puts her second foot on the step. He starts to bark loudly. Kate jumps down, ‘Stupid dog! You get nothing now!’
Kate hears a door close upstairs. She hears the sound of heavy feet walking.
‘Hey!’ a deep voice says, ‘why are you yelling at the dog?’
Kate sighs and closes her eyes, ‘I’m not yelling at him Dad.’
Kate’s Dad walks down the steps, still dressed in his landscaping uniform, ‘It sounded like yelling to me. Loud talking always wakes me up.’
Kate opens her eyes, ‘So, you didn’t hear the dog barking but you heard me? Sounds like you suffer from selective hearing. You should get that checked out.’
Kate’s Dad smiles and kisses her on the forehead, ‘How was school today?’
Kate walks to the kitchen and opens the refrigerator door, ‘Fine. You know, same old thing.’ Kate’s Dad follows her to the kitchen and leans in the doorway, ‘I heard the news today that your friend Jessica passed away. You want to talk about it?’
Kate takes a carton of orange juice out of the refrigerator. She sits it on the counter and opens a cupboard. She retrieves a glass and sits it next to the carton, ‘No.’
Kate’s Dad watches as she swiftly pours the juice in the glass and puts it back. She rushes past him and sits on the sofa.
Kate’s Dad nonchalantly walks into the living room and stands behind the sofa, ‘Are you sure? You’re alright right? I saw your other friend crying on the news. That poor girl.’
Kate takes a gulp of the orange juice and sits the glass between her knees, ‘You mean Rachael?’
The Slender Man Game of Myths Page 4
