Six Feet Under The Stars

Jack and Alex as I later discovered their names were happened to live right around the corner. Colby was excited to be making some progress on the friend front whilst I continually wiped my sweaty hands along my jeans. I wasn’t exactly nervous just anxious; I still hadn’t been convinced that these two adolescents weren’t murderers.

“Oh cool.”

I rolled my eyes at Colby’s voice; he seemed to have developed a strange accent.

I stared straight forward as the conversation moved on to yet another deathly boring subject and watched my reflection in the silver paint of the car. I looked tired and drawn as though I hadn’t slept in weeks and my hair looked as though it needed a seriously good wash despite the fact I had washed it only a day ago.

“So what are you guys up to?” the driver asked sending me a glance to which I shrugged at. We weren’t actually doing anything; I was sure that wondering around finding something to do didn’t constitute as doing something.

“Nothing.”

“Just finding something to do,” Colby answered with a smile as he sent me a subtle glare.

I shrugged and rolled my eyes at my reflection as the conversation continued without me. I wasn’t too interested in what was being said so I tuned everything out and thought about what colour I could decorate my room.

Green and yellow were without a doubt my favourite colours but I wasn’t so sure that Michelle would want four of her walls adorned in such an obscene shade. She looked as though she enjoyed the more earthy tones and judging by her current decor it was certainly how she liked her home to be decorated.

“Sounds great,” Colby laughed enthusiastically and I looked up at him with raised eyebrows.

“What sounds great?” I asked as Colby scooped his hands through my arms before hauling me up to my feet. He had completely ignored my question and as I turned around to face him I understood why, “You cannot be serious.”

Grinning at me sheepishly Colby shrugged his shoulders before muttering something unrecognisable under his breath.

“Colby, we don’t even know who they are.”

“Sure we do, they’re Jack and Alex,” he retorted and I glared at him in response.

I couldn’t believe that someone older than four wanted to get into a strangers car. If there was one thing our mother had religiously told us it was that we should never talk to strangers, let alone go off with them.

“We are not going anywhere with them,” I snapped quietly digging a finger into my brothers chest. “What if they’re murderers,” I added before raising my arms up above my head, “What if they kill us.”

I knew I was being a tad over dramatic but I was only being cautious. There were sick people out there and I was determined not to meet any of them.

“Come on Bee, don’t you think you’re being a little bit stupid?” Colby asked me with a laugh before glancing over my shoulder back at the car and its occupants, “You can’t seriously think those two are criminal masterminds.”

I looked back at them before shaking my head in reluctant defeat, “Fine, but if I die you know who I’m haunting.”

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“Basement?”

Colby rolled his eyes at me as we descended a narrow set of stairs. He may not have seen where I was coming from with my statement but Jack had.

“Don’t worry we’ll make it quick,” he stated with an impish grin.

Even his clearly sarcastic comment didn’t put my mind at ease I was still picturing all those horror movies I had sat through as a child where they all head down into the cellar and discover bodies hanging from the ceiling covered in tarpaulin.

I shuddered as I hit the last step before taking a look around. A dusty looking couch that appeared to be falling apart sat opposite a drum kit which too looked a little worse for wear. An old television was surrounded by countless video games and a console that had seen better days. Several controllers laid strewn across the rug that needed a severe vacuuming, their wires all tangled up and a set of guitars were lined up along the wall.

All in all it looked like a regular basement, minus the usual boxes of household items mothers are too sentimental to throw out.

I followed Colby as closely as I could towards the couch before stopping as he sat down on it. It didn’t look too clean and with all the adolescent teenage boys that had probably sat all over it I couldn’t be too sure that I wouldn’t catch something so I opted to sit at his feet on the floor.

“Why aren’t you sitting up here?” Colby whispered as I fidgeted, trying to get comfortable.

“It’s the lesser of two evils.”

The whole room succumbed to an inevitable silence and I began to wonder exactly why we were there. I hadn’t paid any attention to the boys explaining where we were going in the car I had just spent the time thinking of ways to escape their grasp if the situation turned sour.

I could tell by the instruments about the room that the guys must have been in a band together or at least played music with one another but so far neither of them had said anything about it.

And I wasn’t about to make conversation with them.

“Whose is the drum kit?” Colby asked politely as I began to pick at the rug beneath me.

“That would be Rian’s, he’s only been with us a few months,” Alex answered as the door swung open with a creak and a set of feet began the descent down the stairs.

“That’ll be him now,” Jack announced continuing the awkward tone with which the conversation was progressing.

I watched as Rian walked down into the basement and over to his drums staring at his mobile phone. I was sure he hadn’t realised we were in the room until he coughed and asked who we were.

“Oh just some strangers we picked up on the street by school,” Jack answered nonchalantly causing me to smile slightly at the stupidity of it.

“Will you be making a habit of this?” Rian asked eyes still glued to the screen of his phone.

Alex looked at us before shaking his head with a grin, “Nope I think these two will do.”

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“How is that possible?”

“Dude you just got your ass kicked by a girl,” Jack laughed as I sent Rian a sympathetic glance.

“Rematch?” he asked chucking me the controller I had dropped thirty seconds earlier and I nodded with a shrug of the shoulders.

Mario Kart had always been the only video game I could actually play and so far I had beaten Rian approximately twelve times.

“Hey, that’s cheating; you’re not allowed to do that,” Rian shouted as my car cross the finish line first and I stood up before doing a little dance. “I demand a rematch, you played unfairly,” he added as I stood still and pulled a straight face. “Are you listening to me?”

I shook my head and smiled, “Sorry I couldn’t hear you over all the winning.”

He glared at me before collapsing onto the floor and taking his controller in hand once again. “Jack, I’ll give you a game.”

Jack reluctantly sauntered over to the television and chose a character before glancing over his shoulder at me with a small glare, “This is your fault.”

I laughed before turning to Colby and checking his watch, “I think we should be leaving now because Michelle is probably having a fit.”

“Why, she won’t care as long as we phone her,” Colby answered and I looked at him squarely in the eyes.

“Not what I meant you moron,” I hinted flipping open my phone and showing him the countless missed calls I had from our father.

Colby seemed to realise what I meant and he too quickly agreed that we should be getting back.

“Okay well I’ll give you a ride because there’s no way you’ll be able to find the way back on your own.”