Status: Finished; working on the sequel
In The Dark
Chapter Four
I spring up, gasping and soaking wet. Frantically searching the room, I try to recognize where I am. There are posters of rock bands on the walls, and loads of papers all over the jet-black carpet.
Where am I? Where is Michael? What in the world is going on?
“Calm down Loli. You’re fine. Just wait a bit, study your surroundings.” It’s that… that voice.
This, although meant to be comforting, just freaks me out even more.
“Who are you? What are you doing in my head?! Just leave me alone!”
The bedroom door flies open and Michael bounds in, looking panicked.
“What is it Kyra?! What happened? Are those guys here?”
I take one look at his face and burst into tears. “I don’t know what’s going on! You tell me. What in the world happened last night? Who is that boy? What is this voice I keep hearing in my head… and WHERE AM I?”
My tears stop faster than they started. I’m angry now. “Where am I, Michael?”
Before he can answer, the door opens again and the boy from last night comes in, carrying a black bundle. “Here” He tosses it to me. “Get changed. Breakfast in ten.”
Michael gives me a comforting look, before leaving with him. I’m left, still not knowing where I am, and forced to wear… [I sniff the bundle, catching a whiff of cologne] men’s clothing. Gross.
But, I guess I have no choice. I climb out of bed and go into the bathroom, expecting a pigsty, and am pleasantly surprised to see it cleaner than the bedroom.
Shedding my t-shirt and jeans from yesterday, I look at myself in the mirror on the wall. I’m covered from head to toe in bruises and scrapes, and my arm is stitched up and covered in a tan gauze bandage. In addition, I have a very dark mark on my forehead.
Disgusted, I hurry and take a shower, then pull on the black outfit. It doesn’t fit to badly either, to my complete shock. The pants skim the floor though, when I walk.
However, my hair… is another story. It’s all wet and stringy. I hate it. I just want to take a knife and whack it off. But, there is nothing I can do. Therefore, I just find a rubber band and pull it to the side.
The boy is actually waiting out in the hallway when I open the door. He gives me a slow once over from my bare feet, up to my stringy hair. In the light from the sun streaming through the windows, he actually doesn’t look that bad. Moreover, for the fist time, I notice that his eyes are… like… I can’t really explain them that well.
They’re somewhat white, but then sparkly at the same time. Like glittery. When his eyes flick over to the window for a second, they sparkle like diamonds do. His lips are moving, and I realize that he’s talking to me. They stop moving. He’s waiting for me to say something.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
He gives me a half smile, looking amused. “I was saying that my old clothes don’t look too bad on you. I though they were bigger than that. And I see that you managed to do something with your hair too. When we brought you here last night, it was everywhere. Literally. I'll have to take a lint roller to my car's seats later on.”
I stare at him, so embarrassed that I can’t say anything. He turns around and starts down the hall, saving me the trouble.
“I’m Ryan by the way,” he calls out, turning the corner and disappearing. “If you want breakfast, you better come on. We only have an hour or so before we have to go.”
Go where? I follow the direction he went, turning the corner as he did… instantly coming into a huge kitchen. The windows are big, round, and made of green and blue stained glass. Compared to the rest of the house, it’s obvious that someone spends a lot of time here.
Michael is already choking down on the biggest omelet I’ve ever seen, with another three empty bowls next to him. Ryan is watching him in amazement. He looks at me.
“Does he always eat this much?”
I shrug. “He’s an eating machine. One time we went to this buffet, and he ate so much, that the manager kicked us out. If she didn’t, he probably would have wiped out the whole buffet.”
“How in the world can he stay so thin?”
“I have a fast metabolism,” Michael explains between mouthfuls, not even looking up at him.
I sit down at the [also stained glass] table. “I have to say… I’m not very hungry. Can I just have some juice?”
Ryan shakes his head no. “You really need to eat. You’ll need your strength for today. So what do you want? Eggs? Cereal? Breakfast burrito? All three?”
How dare he tell me what I can eat! I can eat whatever I want. I’m about to tell him so, but Michael stops me. “Don’t Kyra. Just listen to him.”
I glare at Ryan, but he doesn’t avoid my eyes at all. In fact, his eyes show that he’s mocking me. I get up and leave the room. I am not going to be mocked right in front of my face. Ryan follows me.
“Where are you going? We have things to discuss.” He’s laughing.
I whirl to face him, angry. “Just who do you think you are?! Do expect me to just let you mock me? I wake up yesterday, not knowing where I am, and you helped me; Fine. But then, you broke my cell phone and then when I was floating tens of yards above the ground, you didn’t help me at all. And now you really expect me to stand here and let you laugh at me like I’m actually amusing. You have some serious issues that I hope you work out soon.”
Ryan looks at me for a minute with his head cocked to the side. Finally, as I’m about to turn and leave, he says, “Do you remember anything about what happened that night? Before I woke you up?”
I’m about to make a smart retort, when it hits me. I don’t know anything about what happened last night. I remember going out with Michael, and setting him up with Luna, and starting to walk back… but everything else is a big blur.
Ryan nods, as if I actually said something. “I thought so. Follow me.”
He walks off, and I rush after him.
We go back into the room I woke up in [must be his] and he goes over to a wall that is covered in a jumbo-sized poster. He picks at the tape until it peels, then rips the whole poster off. I gasp, stepping back a little.
There is a human sized hole in it. A… ginormo-sized hole. But that’s not the scary part. The scary part, is that it’s the same size as Ryan, and outlining it, is jet black burned wallpaper that has started to peel.
Ryan watches my reaction, as if waiting for me to explode or something.
“I did that a couple of weeks ago,” he says. “I’d just gotten dumped by my girlfriend over the phone, and I was smoking mad. It took a while for me to realize that I was literally smoking. But when I found that out, I panicked. Ran around trying to hit it out with towels or whatever I could find, until I tripped and ran into this wall. Then it stopped. I was terrified. You know how you see these things in cartoons, but you never imagine that it would happen to you, you know.”
I look down at the black carpet.
“Yeah, I do know. I was thinking the same thing this morning.” I sigh, turning to look at him. “Do you know what’s happening to us?”
He shakes his head, looking actually defeated for the first time since I met him. “No, I don’t. Nothing I’ve come up with makes any sense. Trust me; I’m just as confused as you are.”
I nod, accepting this. He sighs and sinks down next to me on the bed, where I have settled myself.
“Listen,” he starts, scratching his chin. “I don’t want to fight with you. We’re going to need each other for support through this whole thing, so why don’t we just call a truce.”
I look at him, ready to see sarcasm or more mocking on his face, but instead find sincerity and resolve in his eyes.
“Okay.”
We shake on it.
Where am I? Where is Michael? What in the world is going on?
“Calm down Loli. You’re fine. Just wait a bit, study your surroundings.” It’s that… that voice.
This, although meant to be comforting, just freaks me out even more.
“Who are you? What are you doing in my head?! Just leave me alone!”
The bedroom door flies open and Michael bounds in, looking panicked.
“What is it Kyra?! What happened? Are those guys here?”
I take one look at his face and burst into tears. “I don’t know what’s going on! You tell me. What in the world happened last night? Who is that boy? What is this voice I keep hearing in my head… and WHERE AM I?”
My tears stop faster than they started. I’m angry now. “Where am I, Michael?”
Before he can answer, the door opens again and the boy from last night comes in, carrying a black bundle. “Here” He tosses it to me. “Get changed. Breakfast in ten.”
Michael gives me a comforting look, before leaving with him. I’m left, still not knowing where I am, and forced to wear… [I sniff the bundle, catching a whiff of cologne] men’s clothing. Gross.
But, I guess I have no choice. I climb out of bed and go into the bathroom, expecting a pigsty, and am pleasantly surprised to see it cleaner than the bedroom.
Shedding my t-shirt and jeans from yesterday, I look at myself in the mirror on the wall. I’m covered from head to toe in bruises and scrapes, and my arm is stitched up and covered in a tan gauze bandage. In addition, I have a very dark mark on my forehead.
Disgusted, I hurry and take a shower, then pull on the black outfit. It doesn’t fit to badly either, to my complete shock. The pants skim the floor though, when I walk.
However, my hair… is another story. It’s all wet and stringy. I hate it. I just want to take a knife and whack it off. But, there is nothing I can do. Therefore, I just find a rubber band and pull it to the side.
The boy is actually waiting out in the hallway when I open the door. He gives me a slow once over from my bare feet, up to my stringy hair. In the light from the sun streaming through the windows, he actually doesn’t look that bad. Moreover, for the fist time, I notice that his eyes are… like… I can’t really explain them that well.
They’re somewhat white, but then sparkly at the same time. Like glittery. When his eyes flick over to the window for a second, they sparkle like diamonds do. His lips are moving, and I realize that he’s talking to me. They stop moving. He’s waiting for me to say something.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
He gives me a half smile, looking amused. “I was saying that my old clothes don’t look too bad on you. I though they were bigger than that. And I see that you managed to do something with your hair too. When we brought you here last night, it was everywhere. Literally. I'll have to take a lint roller to my car's seats later on.”
I stare at him, so embarrassed that I can’t say anything. He turns around and starts down the hall, saving me the trouble.
“I’m Ryan by the way,” he calls out, turning the corner and disappearing. “If you want breakfast, you better come on. We only have an hour or so before we have to go.”
Go where? I follow the direction he went, turning the corner as he did… instantly coming into a huge kitchen. The windows are big, round, and made of green and blue stained glass. Compared to the rest of the house, it’s obvious that someone spends a lot of time here.
Michael is already choking down on the biggest omelet I’ve ever seen, with another three empty bowls next to him. Ryan is watching him in amazement. He looks at me.
“Does he always eat this much?”
I shrug. “He’s an eating machine. One time we went to this buffet, and he ate so much, that the manager kicked us out. If she didn’t, he probably would have wiped out the whole buffet.”
“How in the world can he stay so thin?”
“I have a fast metabolism,” Michael explains between mouthfuls, not even looking up at him.
I sit down at the [also stained glass] table. “I have to say… I’m not very hungry. Can I just have some juice?”
Ryan shakes his head no. “You really need to eat. You’ll need your strength for today. So what do you want? Eggs? Cereal? Breakfast burrito? All three?”
How dare he tell me what I can eat! I can eat whatever I want. I’m about to tell him so, but Michael stops me. “Don’t Kyra. Just listen to him.”
I glare at Ryan, but he doesn’t avoid my eyes at all. In fact, his eyes show that he’s mocking me. I get up and leave the room. I am not going to be mocked right in front of my face. Ryan follows me.
“Where are you going? We have things to discuss.” He’s laughing.
I whirl to face him, angry. “Just who do you think you are?! Do expect me to just let you mock me? I wake up yesterday, not knowing where I am, and you helped me; Fine. But then, you broke my cell phone and then when I was floating tens of yards above the ground, you didn’t help me at all. And now you really expect me to stand here and let you laugh at me like I’m actually amusing. You have some serious issues that I hope you work out soon.”
Ryan looks at me for a minute with his head cocked to the side. Finally, as I’m about to turn and leave, he says, “Do you remember anything about what happened that night? Before I woke you up?”
I’m about to make a smart retort, when it hits me. I don’t know anything about what happened last night. I remember going out with Michael, and setting him up with Luna, and starting to walk back… but everything else is a big blur.
Ryan nods, as if I actually said something. “I thought so. Follow me.”
He walks off, and I rush after him.
We go back into the room I woke up in [must be his] and he goes over to a wall that is covered in a jumbo-sized poster. He picks at the tape until it peels, then rips the whole poster off. I gasp, stepping back a little.
There is a human sized hole in it. A… ginormo-sized hole. But that’s not the scary part. The scary part, is that it’s the same size as Ryan, and outlining it, is jet black burned wallpaper that has started to peel.
Ryan watches my reaction, as if waiting for me to explode or something.
“I did that a couple of weeks ago,” he says. “I’d just gotten dumped by my girlfriend over the phone, and I was smoking mad. It took a while for me to realize that I was literally smoking. But when I found that out, I panicked. Ran around trying to hit it out with towels or whatever I could find, until I tripped and ran into this wall. Then it stopped. I was terrified. You know how you see these things in cartoons, but you never imagine that it would happen to you, you know.”
I look down at the black carpet.
“Yeah, I do know. I was thinking the same thing this morning.” I sigh, turning to look at him. “Do you know what’s happening to us?”
He shakes his head, looking actually defeated for the first time since I met him. “No, I don’t. Nothing I’ve come up with makes any sense. Trust me; I’m just as confused as you are.”
I nod, accepting this. He sighs and sinks down next to me on the bed, where I have settled myself.
“Listen,” he starts, scratching his chin. “I don’t want to fight with you. We’re going to need each other for support through this whole thing, so why don’t we just call a truce.”
I look at him, ready to see sarcasm or more mocking on his face, but instead find sincerity and resolve in his eyes.
“Okay.”
We shake on it.
♠ ♠ ♠
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