Hush, Hush

“Did mom give you money for lunch?”

“Chase took it.” Kylie answered. It was typical that Chase lifted lunch money off the kitchen table. I sighed and pulled out my wallet handing my sister a five dollar bill. “Thanks.”

“Are you sure that’s enough?” I press. I don’t want her to starve on her first day at a new school. This new school was at least three times bigger than my old school.

“I’m sure.” Kylie says impatiently.

“Do you want me to go in with you?” I asked gripping the steering wheel and watching her face. Her voice was capable of lying but her face never learned how to lie.

“No.”

“Okay, If anyone bothers you come tell me. The middle school is connected to the high school so it won’t be too hard to find me.”

“Alright.”

“I’ll pick you up after school. I’m going to be parked over there, in that parking lot.” I point to an empty lot on the opposite side of the street from the school. It was empty because the middle school started a half hour before the high school. “Just unlock the car and do your homework while you wait for me to get out. Make sure you lock the door, and don’t to talk to any older guys...or guys at all.”

“I know, Adam. God!” Kylie got out of my shitty excuse for a car and slammed the door. I watched he walking into the middle school entrance before I parked in the closest spot to the school.

If I had a bunch of extra time I might as well go and get a head start. Find out where my locker was, where my classes would be. You know, basically eliminate the whole lost new kid thing. I wanted to avoid that stage. I just wanted to blend in and look as normal as I could. Maybe I’d find people I’d fit in with. Maybe make some friends for once.

I never had a hard time making friends, keeping friends was the difficult part. No one ever wanted to stick around with a kid who constantly asks if they see someone, felt something, hear something, smell something, or taste something that isn’t there. People normally see kids like that as the ones who are insane. I wasn’t going to make that mistake here.

Sometimes I think I am insane. Maybe dead people don’t talk to me as much as I think they do. I know they definitely have communicated with me before but what if the ones I see walking down the street are made up. Maybe I have an overactive imagination like my parents say I have.

I pushed the front doors of the high school open and venture through the empty halls toward the main office. I can’t help but notice the over powering smell of dirty water and mold. I made a face while the office came closer and my nostrils became accustomed to the smell of stale water and mold.

“Oh hello, deary! You must be Adam Knight, I haven’t seen you around before!” a happy older woman greeted me. I nodded keeping quiet, I have social anxiety. It’s hard for me to talk to people, even if they trying to help. “Well here you go, love. This is your schedule, it has everything you need on it.” the woman pushed a paper at me and hurried back to a desk.

I blinked down at the paper and decided to navigate my way to my locker. It was on the second floor, as were all of my classes with the exception of physical education. I scanned locker numbers while I walked, keeping and eye out for 2216.

Out of no where my legs began to feel weighed down and heavy, like I was walking through knee deep water. I shook my head, deciding I was insane after all. I stopped dead in my tracks when a figure appeared at the end of the hallway. A boy, I’d say maybe seven just standing there...staring at me. He had the normal gray skin and the purple under the eyes. I looked for any sign of would could have happened to him when he started to cough up water. A lot of water. So much water it looked he was a fountain spitting out a steady stream of water. His mouth was open as if he were yawing but water just fell from his mouth, down his small suit, and onto the floor.

I watched, unable to look away from his piercing black eyes, as my feet began to feel wet. It felt like I was standing in a puddle. I was, I was standing in a puddle of water the boy was sitting out.

A loud ring snapped me out of my gaze at the boy, and the feeling of water around my feet disappeared. Students started to fill the halls and push by me while I looked for my locker. So much for blending in.