Watchers of the Night

by Matthew Keith

Chapter 6

  It was another Monday of school just like any other Monday, but for Paul the whole world had changed. He and Lisa had spent the remainder of Saturday night together, rehashing the same discussion over and over. Neither of them would yield in their belief that they were right about what to tell Paul’s friends and family, so they’d ended the night with an awkward good-bye and Paul’s promise that he’d think on it some more.

  He spent Sunday at home, watching mindless sitcoms in his room so he could avoid spending time with his mother because he knew she would bring up the subject of Astralis. After she’d learned that he could go at no cost to them and that it was two states away, she’d begun to take the idea very seriously. That evening, she announced that she and his father had talked and they would support him if he decided to go, which meant that they wanted him to.

  He knew that her desire to see him go was, in truth, a result of her need to feel like she was helping him find the care he needed. Although she had tried, nothing she’d done to help him had ever made any difference, and he knew she felt some measure of guilt. If he had children one day and had no way to help them, he could only imagine how he would feel. In that scenario, Paul figured that help in any form would be something he would jump on as well.

  So now it was up to him, and even though he’d been given every reason to go, there was something about the things Lisa had told him and the events of the past few days that nagged in the back of his mind. Something he couldn’t put his finger on. Everything she’d said made sense, everything pointed toward him packing his bags and heading to Virginia. Astralis could help him, and Dr. Abrams sounded like the kind of person who was highly respected.

  So what was it? What was holding him back? All day long, he ran the conversations from the weekend through his mind. That night, he went to his bench with questions for Lisa, but she didn’t make an appearance. He even ran to Casey’s Cemetery in case she was there. The only answer he got was that she was right about getting tired in Walking World—it didn’t happen. He sprinted the entire way without any real effort.

  And so there he was, slogging his way through another Monday of high school. Knowing what he knew now, everything seemed a little surreal, like it just didn’t matter.

  He found himself spacing out through the first two periods of the day, unable to focus or think about anything except Lisa and Astralis. He barely noticed when the bells rang, and shuffled through the halls between classes without looking up. By the time he’d sunk down into his chair for his third period class, his mind was turned so inward that he didn’t hear the teacher calling his name until the fourth time she’d said it.

  “Paul!” she said sharply, clearly irritated with his lack of attention. “Mr. Justice is here to see you!” She motioned impatiently toward the door where Paul finally noticed the presence of his counselor. A little confused, he shook his head to clear his thoughts and stood up.

  “You’ll probably want to bring your stuff,” was all Jeff offered in explanation before ducking out of the classroom.

  Grabbing his backpack, he went out into the hallway where Jeff was waiting.

  “Jeff, it’s Monday,” Paul said. “We meet Tuesdays and Thursdays. What’s up? Is everything okay?”

  Smiling, Jeff replied, “From the way it looks, things are more than okay. Come on, everyone is waiting in the teacher’s lounge.”

  Without another word, Jeff turned and walked briskly down the hallway.

  “I…” Paul realized that if he wanted Jeff to hear him, he’d have to walk along with him, so he hoisted his backpack on one shoulder and set off after him at a trot.

  “Jeff,” Paul said when he caught up, already a little winded. “You got some long legs, you know. Why are we going to the teacher’s lounge? Who’s waiting?”

  Jeff slowed just a little, looking down at Paul in confusion. “Everyone.”

  With that, they’d arrived at their destination. Jeff put his hand on the handle, but paused before opening the door. “I just want to you know, Paul, that I think you’re doing the right thing. It can’t be easy dealing with your problems, and for you take this leap of faith, just on the chance that you can do something about it. I just…” Jeff put a hand on Paul’s shoulder. “I just want you to know that I think you’re very brave. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me. I mean that.”

  As Jeff turned and opened the door, Paul reached out to forestall him and get some answers to what in the world he was talking about, but the sight of the people seated in the teacher’s lounge stopped him short.

  Seated at a long conference table was Mr. Paine, Stephanie, Steven, both of Paul’s parents, and Kendall Dittrich.

  They’d been engrossed in a conversation when the door opened, but stopped as soon as they realized he was there. Everyone except Steven rose to their feet with open, encouraging smiles. Steven instead gave him a smile and an upward ‘dude’ nod.

  Dittrich was at the head of the table, his leather brief case lying on its side next to his chair. Manila folders were spread around the table, one for each person in the room.

  “Ah, here he is,” said Dittrich. “Come on in, Paul, and have a seat. I believe we have almost everything ready. I’ve been filling your parents in on what they can expect over the next few months, and although I would never speak for a parent, being one myself, I think from the conversations we’ve already had, they’re fairly comfortable with the decision you’ve made.”

  Stunned, Paul moved past Jeff and into the room. He sat down in a seat between his mother and father, who were nodding in agreement with Dittrich. Everyone else sat down and looked his way, waiting for him to speak.

  “I… what are you all doing here?” Paul stammered, looking from face to face.

  “It was me,” Dittrich cut in smoothly. “I figured the best way to get all the formalities out the way was to get everyone together in one place. There is the paperwork, of course, which your parents and Mr. Paine, on behalf of your school, have already signed. But I also thought you would appreciate having Mr. Justice…”

  “Please—just call me Jeff.”

  “Of course. I also thought having Jeff here with your friends would be a good idea so they could give you a proper sending-off. We at Astralis know this is a big decision for anyone, so I thought you would appreciate everyone’s support as you begin your journey.”

  “My journey?” Paul asked, getting angry and beginning to get the picture. He was being taken to Astralis without giving his formal consent. That must be why he hadn’t seen Lisa the night before; she must have told her father about his hesitation, so they’d decided to push his decision forward through his parents and friends. “Look…”

  Dittrich took an audible breath. Everyone in the room turned to look at him. “If everyone wouldn’t mind, could I perhaps have just a moment alone with Paul? I think that moving the timetable ahead so quickly may have thrown him a little off balance. I want to make certain that this decision is one he is comfortable with, personally. It’s one thing for one’s parents and friends to be behind a decision like this, but truly—in the end it is entirely up to Paul. I’d like the chance to hear him say, without outside pressure, that he is committed to the process.”

  Everyone murmured their agreement and filed out into the hallway. Paul remained silent, wondering what game Dittrich was playing. Certainly Dittrich knew that Paul hadn’t agreed to anything, so the flowery little speech he’d just given must be a prelude to the real reason he’d set all of this up.

  Dittrich shut the door, leaving the two of them alone in the room. “I know you must be wondering what this is all about. Lisa told me about your reservations in coming to Astralis, and although I would very much like to allow you the chance to come to your own conclusion, we just don’t have time for that. Paul, you’re more special than you know. Lisa has told you as much already, and although she hasn’t been able to tell you why you are so special, please take our word that it is the absolute truth. I assure
you that Dr. Abrams will tell you everything once we’ve arrived at Astralis.”

  “Yes, Lisa has already told me,” Paul began, “but that doesn’t justify you coming into my school and basically kidnapping me...”

  “Paul, I am here because there are others who are aware of you. They are aware of how special you are and they want to use you for their own ends. They have been watching and waiting for the right opportunity. I promise you that they are not the kind-hearted and well-meaning people that we are, and that if you were to refuse them they would kill you!” Dittrich paused for just a moment, letting his words find their mark. “Now we don’t have much time, because these dear people waiting outside in the hallway can never know what you can do for reasons you are already aware of. The longer we spend discussing this, the more questions they will have, and the less they ask, the better—for their own protection. I make you this promise, Paul: come to Astralis. Meet Dr. Abrams. If you are not convinced that ours is the right path to follow, we will let you come home and rejoin this life you’ve been living. Even if it means that you might eventually fall into the hands of those who would use you for ill intent.”

  This life I’ve been living, Paul thought. He wondered if Dittrich was even aware of the power of the words he’d spoken. What life? Even if he didn’t like what Dr. Abrams had to say and came back to Radcliff, his life could never be the same. It wasn’t just that he knew people would treat him different if they knew his secret. It was that he would look at everyone else differently, too. For the rest of his life, he knew he would always feel outcast from the people around him. Unless the people around him were like him, like the ones at Astralis.

  “And by leaving, by going with you to Astralis, it will keep my family and friends safe?” Paul asked. “These people you are talking about. They’ll just forget about them?”

  “Of course they won’t just forget about them,” Dittrich replied, “but as I said, they’re already watching you. They already know where you are and what you can do. You give your friends and your family a much better chance of safety if you leave. It’s you they want.”

  How could he argue with that? Nodding once, not trusting himself to speak, Paul motioned toward the door to indicate that he was ready for everyone to come back in.