I was the first one to arrive in the back of the school. We always meet for Academic team in the big parking lot right behind the main building, where the buses park. It was five thirty, and pitch black still. I was wearing a grey sweatshirt that was a little big on me. I kept my hands inside the big front pocket, it connected both sides in the middle so I could touch my hands together for warmth. Underneath my sweatshirt was my gold and black Academic team shirt.
Over one shoulder I had my backpack. My suit was tucked down at the bottom just in case. I leaned against the lone streetlight in the parking lot and waited for my peers to show up. I’d slept all of Monday in the desperate hope that would make my headache go away but all it really did was make me tired. I seriously considered telling my parents about the concussion and hoping that they’d take me to the hospital. Unfortunately that’d be a bit hard to explain.
Emily was the first to arrive. She was dressed up in a pantsuit and heels. Her heart shaped necklace was wrapped around her neck like always. Her hair was in a ponytail and her glasses were a little fogged by the cold.
“Hey Jacob.” She mumbled as she approached the streetlight. I raised a hand in a wave.
“You look fancy. Are you going to court after this is over?” I remarked. She smirked a little. Once she arrived at the streetlight she leaned against it next to me. Her face facing the opposite direction. “You prepared to answer a bunch of ridiculous questions?” I asked.
“I don’t think they’re all ridiculous.” She replied.
“Oh yeah ‘which actor won teen choice award this year?” is such an important question.” I scoffed.
“I think you’re just cynical.” She said while blowing out a fog of breath.
“Everyone’s a cynic. Some people are just less honest about it.” I grumbled.
“That’s a rather cynical way to look at people.” She remarked.
The sun was starting to rise. People would soon be rising from the tombs of their bedrooms and going off to work. Birds started to sing in the distance.
“Well people suck.” I grumbled.
“I think you’re just afraid of being hurt.” Emily said. The statement caught me off guard. It was odd to hear Emily say something so confrontational.
“Come again?” I asked her to clarify.
“You push the whole world away and act like it’s because you don’t want to hurt them. I think you’re just scared that if you let someone in too close you’ll get hurt. I think it scares you.” She explained.
“Whatever you say.” I scoffed. The wind blew hard for a moment and my hair was practically back in its messy state.
The third person to arrive was Danny. He was wearing his black jacket, and jeans. His dark brown hair was groomed neatly. He walked over to where we stood and sat down on a nearby curb.
“You look snug.” He said while looking up at me.
“I feel like a comfy caterpillar.” I said.
The van that Ms. Carter drove us in had finally arrived. Sitting in the passenger seat was Steve. He was wearing his normal leather jacket and he had dark shadows under his eyes. I hopped in the very back seat. Emily followed behind me, and Danny followed behind her. Amy Bates sat in the middle seat that was directly in front of me. She had a big grin on her face. Something about her was bothering me. Something about the way she was looking at me.
“Hey Jacob!” Amy said cheerily.
“Hello Amy Bates.” I said sarcastically.
“Ignore him. He’s being grumpy today.” Danny said.
“Hey Amy.” Emily said shyly.
“So Jacob my party got moved back a week since I was, you know, in the hospital and stuff.” Amy continued. She looked me directly in the eye which made me very uncomfortable.
“Do you think you’d still be able to make it? I’d really love for you to be there.” She asked.
“Uhh… Didn’t you say it was a small get together? Last time you invited me.” I asked nervously.
“Oh, did I?” She laughed. “Sorry about that. No, it’s actually my sixteenth birthday.” She explained.
“Congrats.” Danny said.
“Did you get anyth-” Emily was cut off midway through a question.
“So are you coming?” Amy reiterated.
“I’m not big on birthday parties. Can my friends come too?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” She bit her lip.
“I don’t know them that well.” She shot Emily a hateful look.
“I don’t think I’d be comfortable going without them, sorry.” I responded.
“Oh please, please?” She pleaded. “They can come if you want. I don’t care.” She added. I could see Ms. Carter looking at me through the mirror. Her eyebrow raised a fraction. Danny gave me a look of concern.
“Sure, whatever. Don’t expect a present though.” I said dismissively.
Amy turned back around and buckled up. Danny started a conversation with Emily. I think he was trying to convince her to read the story we’d been reading in our spare time. I tuned the noise out and focused on making my headache stop so I could think. I took off my sweatshirt and wiped a bead of sweat off my forehead. Something was bothering me. Something about the look in her eyes. I was in full fight or flight mode. I leaned over close to Emily.
“Do you think something’s wrong?” I whispered in her ear.
“What do you mean?” She whispered back.
“Like, wrong with someone in the van?” I explained. She thought for a moment.
“Steve looks pretty upset.” She whispered.
“Not him.” I said. She seemed to figure out what I meant.
“Oh. Yeah I was gonna ask you about that.” She stopped talking for a second as the people in the front went quiet enough that they’d be able to hear us. “How’d she get out of the hospital so fast. I mean, her legs were shattered.” She whispered once they resumed talking up front.
“What are you guys whispering about?” Danny whispered off to the side. We shushed him at the same time. He rolled his eyes.
“You’re right. That is weird.” I forced myself to look out the window. My head was still throbbing as I thought long and hard.
Her legs were shattered yet she got out of the hospital in what, a weekend? And now she’s going to an academic team tournament?
I looked out the window as we passed by small towns. I saw a farmer working on the roof of his barn with a small child watching him on the ground. It reminded me of my uncle and cousins. For a second my mind wandered to what I’m going to do when I visit them this summer. My thoughts were interrupted by us stopping at a gas station.
“I’m going to go inside and pay for gas. You can go to the bathroom if you need to, or get something to eat from inside.” Ms. Carter said to us as she opened her passenger door. There was a chorus of seat belts being unbuckled. Fortunately mine was never buckled in the first place.
“Kathy I’ll help you get inside.” Ms. Carter said as she opened the left side van door. I couldn’t figure out what she meant until she went to the very back of the van and Steve helped her pull out a wheelchair.
Oh. Now I feel like a jerk.
I climbed out behind Danny and Emily. I took a moment to stretch my legs. I followed behind them into the store. It was a small gas station that had wooden walls. There were big aisles of candy and an icee machine. In the back were tables where old men and young men in work clothes and boots sat and drank coffee. It smelled like cigarettes.
“Do you guys want anything? I’ll pay.” Emily offered.
“Hmm. I wouldn’t complain if you bought me a cherry icee.” I responded.
“I need to use the restroom.” Danny said.
“I do too.” I said, and I followed behind him.
As he did his business I washed my face in the sink. I looked at myself in the mirror. I was pale. My eyes had dark, dark circles under them from when my headache was so bad last night I couldn’t sleep at all. I looked like a corpse.
“Do you ever feel truly exhausted?” I asked Danny.
“What do you mean?” He asked back, as he made his way to the sink across from me.
“Like, do you ever feel like you just need a second of sleep and the world is like a giant alarm clock, and every time you’re about to get right in that moment where you fall asleep it starts ringing and ringing?” I elaborated.
“That’s oddly specific.” He said. “Is there something you want to talk about?” He asked.
Then came a shock wave that shook the building. I thought it was an earthquake. I fell to the ground, Danny used the sink to steady himself. I started to gag at the smell of the men’s bathroom floor.
Then I figured it out. The thing that had been bothering me this whole time.
Only two people had brought backpacks on this little excursion, one was me. The other was Kathy Bates. I really have no idea why this was so important. But it’d been replaying in my mind over and over again. I brought my backpack because my suit was in it.
She was the only other person with a backpack, she got out of the hospital in less than a week after having her legs shattered. Legs shattered by a mutant monster with superpowers.
But the thing that really got me was the look in her eyes. I recognized the look. I’d seen it in Alistair’s eyes just the night before. It was bloodlust.
Danny and I ran to the door at the same time. We opened up just barely and peaked out. The men in work boots were under the tables. Emily, Steve, and Ms. Carter were on the ground crawling to the wall. I could just barely see out the front window. Our van was ten feet away from where it should have been. It was upside down and was completely caved in on the passenger side. Every single window was smashed. The dent looked like someone had crumpled the metal like paper.
She knows it’s me. I left my bag in the van. This is just a show to make me come out. If she was serious she would’ve attacked me directly.
“Danny.” I said. He said nothing.
“Danny!” I slammed the door to the bathroom. He just stared.
You don’t want to do this. It’s a mistake.
I grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.
“Danny!” I yelled.
“What! What?” He finally responded.
“Can you keep a secret?” I whispered.
