The Key Chased the Blade

Alex drove me to a different movie than I expected. I thought we were going to the big cinema downtown, but he drove down a street I didn't recognize and pulled up in front of a small, old-fashioned movie theatre.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"It's called the Bijou." Alex smiled a little. "It's a small theatre that doesn't get a lot of people in it, but it's got good movies. I don't go here often 'cause Tyler hates it, but I figured I'd try it out with you."

I looked out the car window. There was a funny-looking statue of random shapes outside and bright paper lanterns glowing softly. Some guy with dreadlocks was smoking outside with a girl with a septum piercing. "I didn't think you'd know a place like this," I said.

"Eh, I'm a weird person. You wanna check it out?"

"Sure. Let's do it."

Alex took me inside.

The walls were decorated in art pieces. A lot of them had to do with jazz or abstract things. I asked, "What are we going to see?"

Alex chuckled. "I really hadn't decided. I'm kind of torn between two: Hyde Park on Hudson and Armour. Armour is a French movie and is two hours long, though."

"The park one sounds interesting." I felt my phone buzz in my hippie jacket I carried in with me. I figured it was just a text, but it didn't stop buzzing. "Sorry, hold on a moment," I said and pulled it out. Dad was calling me. "God." I silenced it and turned my phone off. "My dad's just trying to get a hold of me."

"Do you think it's important?" Alex looked concerned.

"Nah. If it's my dad, it's not important. If my older brother called, I'd be in trouble."

Alex cracked a smile. "One of those protective older brothers?"

"More crazy than protective."

"Those are the most interesting ones," Alex said. "So Hyde Park it is?"

"Sounds good. Let's go get the tickets."

The movie itself was kind of odd. It definitely was a deep movie, but I couldn't understand a lot of all the symbolism or whatnot that Alex was picking up, so it was kind of dry for me. Alex was really interested though. He looked really thoughtful after we got out.

"Did you like it?" he asked when we went back into the lobby.

"I'd have to watch it a few more times, I think. It was like Hamlet for me."

Alex chuckled. "Hamlet? How so?"

"Like how you have to read Hamlet closer than what the words are to get it," I said. "I think there was some sort of underlying meaning underneath the story, but I'd have to watch it again to understand. I'm not good at analyzing things."

"I'm not either," Alex said. He led me out to his car. It was a plain grey sedan. "I think I'd have to do the same thing."

"Yeah, right." I snorted. "You're a lot better at it than I am."

"I probably look at things differently, but not better." Then he took my hand. I snapped my head around in surprise. His face was sincere with his shy smile on it.

I nearly had a heart attack. "Oh, um, I'd better check my phone to see what my dad wanted." I awkwardly let go and dug in my pocket for my phone. I turned it on. Jesus Christ, I couldn't have been any more awkward. This whole thing was the most awkward thing I could've done.

My phone buzzed to life and was automatically assaulted with incoming messages. I waited, I swear, for ten minutes before the thing stopped. I couldn't look at Alex. But I was shocked to find that I had twenty-one missed calls from both Rico, Dad, and Simon, and thirty-nine unread texts from them as well.

"Jesus," I said.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"I don't know." I opened a message from Dad. What it said made my heart leap into my throat and I gasped. "Holy crap."

"What is it, Noah?" Alex placed a tentative hand on my arm.

"I... I..." I couldn't tell him. He didn't know the whole mess. Simon and I had omitted that when we told the twins the story. I couldn't spill it to him.

The text read:

we found john.