Triple Silence

Friday Evening. The evening that my plan would really get going. I was looking forward to it. I can finally get my revenge.

I pinned an envelope to the outside of my front door, Hunter written on the front. It was his first clue.

I put some snacks: crisps, drinks, sweets, etc. On the dining table, to keep up the looks of a party. I mean, what’s a barbeque without food? Everything was finally ready. They would be here any minute now.

Now, I guess I should tell you my reasons for doing this. Just promise you won’t hate me after I tell you. Actually, I don’t care if you do, cause everyone else does.

Okay, Hunter. Well, he may seem small, sweet and innocent, but, actually, he’s not. He’s always there. Everywhere. He’s a witness to all crimes. Well, mine mainly. I can’t risk that he’ll just stay quiet. I know I said that I’ll get him to talk, but that has some risks too. That’s why I have to make sure this is done properly. I don’t want him to spill his vocabulary guts out in the wrong way. It would ruin everything. Completely.

Anya? Isn’t it obvious? No? Well, like I said before; she has everything. She’s beautiful, smart, rich, has an amazing house, amazing family, amazing, big group of friends, and she’s nice. Genuinely. All of which I don’t, and probably never will, especially the last one. I guess it could be worse. I’ve been told before that I’m pretty. But pretty is nothing compared to beautiful. But yeah, it could be worse. I could be ugly. Pretty’s better than that, at least. This is the sort of time when I would be told I’m being shallow. No, actually, not being. They would say that I am shallow. I am sooo not! Shallow! Pfff! Who cares? Not me!

Anyway, Damien, that one you should be able to guess. He’s just evil! And so is his brother. Martin was part of the reason that I picked Damien, but not the whole reason. I just hate him. I’m sure you could go up to anyone who knows Damien and ask them what they think of him, and their answers will be exactly the same. ‘I hate him! Damien Cook is an evil, evil guy. The most evil guy I know, and probably the most evil guy ever. Well, apart from his brother, but I’m sure he’s not that far off catching him up. God! What a family that is, I bet the dad’s the same!’ Well, yeah, their dad’s in prison for life. What more reason do I need?

I looked out the window, and saw someone coming down the front path. It was Hunter.
Get ready, get set, here we go.

---<>---

(Hunter’s point of view)

Oh God, why did I come? I could have stayed home and read my new Stephen King book. Why am I so stupid? Everyone knows that Isla is someone you should avoid at all costs, so why did I agree to this? I shouldn’t be here, letting her give me confidence lessons! Gosh, how pathetic of me. Is it too late to go home? No, no I can’t. She’ll kill me. Literally. Well, not literally, but near enough.

I walked up her path to the front door. There was an envelope pinned to the front door, my name scrawled on the front. I pulled it off and tore it open.

Adams, it wrote
Good, you’re here. So glad you could make it. Now, your first clue. It’s big, it’s red, it’s got windows. No, not a bus. A place where you pay to have conversations. Money, phone, dial. How easy is that? A simple starter. Two streets away. A number will be pinned in there. Phone it. Oh, and you might want to actually speak-don’t forget that-angry people aren’t very friendly, as you know. You’ve got five minutes starting from now, so go! Have fun! And hurry!
Isla
(p.s. be careful what you say. Good luck)
X

Ohh, shoot! Why? Five minutes. It takes at least ten to get there.

I turned back down the path and started running.

I can’t phone someone I don’t know. How am I supposed to do this?
Arrh! Calm down! Nobody’s gonna kill you over the phone. But what did she mean ‘be careful what you say.’? That doesn’t sound too good.

Okay, I’m nearly there. I see it I the distance.

Oh! No! No, no, no, no, no! Someone’s in there! Get out, get out, please....

Okay, good, they’ve just come out. God, I’m out of breath. I’m inside now. Ah, there’s a number written on another envelope.

I pulled some change out of my pocket, and put it in. Then I picked up the phone and dialled the number. It started ringing. Oh, god.

It stopped ringing. There was silence. Was anyone there?

I waited. Still silence.

I waited even more.

Finally, someone spoke.

“Well? Is anyone there or what?” A familiar voice said. But who? An angry voice.

“Oh, sorry. Umm Hi? Who’s this?” my voice shook.

“Uh, you phone me, kid. I should be asking you that.”

“Oh, sorry.” I repeated. “I’m Hunter. Hunter Adams?”

“Right. Adams. What do you want?” I recognised the voice now. Martin Cook. The evilest, angriest guy ever. He’s killed people before.

“Hello? What you want, kid?”

“Sorry. I must have the wrong number. Sorry.”

“Don’t disturb me again, kid.”

And he hung up.

I was hyperventilating right now. I grabbed the envelope and tore it out. What does she have to say now?

Hunter, this one wrote
Congratulations! You passed level 1. I don’t know how well you did, but, you know me, I have my sources. So, you’ve had a conversation-no matter how long or short-with the angriest guy ever. Now you’ll find other conversations easier, as you’ll realise that no one is as hard to speak to as him.

Okay, now for your second clue. It’s big; it’s brown, and leafy. You guessed it. A tree. The first in the forest nearest to you. There you will find some instructions, as well as your next clue.

Good luck, and have fun!

Isla
(p.s. you have two minutes to get there. Starting...... now.)
X

Okay, here we go.

I walked over to the tree nearest to me. It only took a minute, so I took the first envelope and opened it. It read:

Instructions for: Hunter Adams.

1. Take the blank paper and pen out of the envelope.

2. Now, think. Who do you hate? And why? Write it down on the paper, as large as you can. ‘I hate ..... .... because ..............’ Just as long as it’s not me, I don’t care. Nah, if you hate me, then write it.

3. on the back of the paper, write your name. Don’t worry, people prefer to know who hates them, so it’s okay. Whoever it is, I’m sure they’ve had it before, and I’m sure they won’t care. It’s good for you to show what you feel sometimes.

4. Okay, once you’re done, fold the paper and put it back in the envelope, then place it on the ground. Keep the instructions out though; you still need them. Now, before you read on, open the next clue.

I did as it said, and then opened the other envelope. (Damien Cook, that’s who I hate.)

Hello,
Okay, so you’ve had the phone box and the tree. Next clue: colourful, flies, kids love them; they work best when it’s windy. Have you guessed it yet? Good. It’ll be tied to a lamp post. You got five minutes. When you get there, continue reading the instructions. See you soon.
Isla
X

Okay, a kite tied to a lamp post. That’ll be very hard to find. Not. What’s she gonna get me to do now? What can you do with a kite? Apart from fly it, and I’m sure she’s not gonna get me to do that.

There it is, obvious.

I reopened the instructions.

5. Okay, untie the kite. Now, you’ll see there’s no clue at this one, so go back to where you started. That’s right, back to my house. Ten minutes, kid. Bring the kite. In a bit. X

And that was it. Okay, now to remember the way back. Oh, I’m so cold. Can I not go home now?

Ten minutes later, I was there. There was another envelope pinned to the door. Please don’t send me out again, please, I’m begging you.

I tore the letter open and read the note. There was just one line.

One, two, three, four, who that knocking at my door? Oh......it’s you. X

I knocked on the door. A minute later, she was there, and, I have to say, she looked amazing. Not that I like her or anything, but there were worse-looking people in the world. She had a pretty face. Shame about the evil mind, though.

She smiled.

“Well, there you are, kid. Come in.”

“What shall I do with this?” I pointed at the kite.

“Oh, the kite.” She took it off me, and then let it go!

I frowned. She looked at me.

“I just wanted to see the faces of people who saw you holding a kite.” She explained.

“Right.”

She rolled her eyes, and stood back from the door. “Come in.”

I walked past her and waited at the living room door.

“It’s okay, you can go in. Do you want a drink?”

“Um... no thanks, I’m fine.” Who knows, she might put something in it that’s not meant to be there.

“Okay. Sit down.” I did.

“Now. There’s paper and a pen on the coffee table. What’s your biggest secret? Write it down, fold it up, and then put it in that box over there. I don’t want one sentence. I want detail. You like writing essays, right?” I nodded. “Then do it like an essay. Yeah...a mini essay. Don’t worry, I won’t read it, I swear. As soon as you’re gone, I’ll get the frying pan out and burn it. It’s just good to get it off your mind.”

I felt like I could trust her. I know I shouldn’t, I mean, it’s Isla for god’s sake. But, I just felt like she was being honest. She said she wouldn’t read it. I believe her. So I agreed.

She left the room, which I appreciated. It left me to write my secret on my own. So I did.