Atlantis (8 page)

Charlotte eyed me. Evaluating me. She was trying to decide whether she was going to believe me or the crazy woman that now lived on our street.

“
Lil,” she said in a soothing voice, trying to calm me down. “Gwen seemed pretty sane to me.”

I eyed her dubiously. She was taking Gwen’s side.

“
Charlotte Smith, how dare you believe someone you barely met over your best friend!” I started to get up, but she pulled me back down beside her.

“
Lilly, you have been acting a bit weird lately. Even for you. Let’s look at this logically. What do you know about Elliott?”

I looked at the ground. “Not much.” I whispered in defeat. “But that doesn’t prove anything.” Pathetic. I was pouting now.

“
You’re right. But right now, it’s your word against his supposed mother’s. Logically remember, why would she lie?”

“
Maybe she’s not lying. I like my crazy theory.”

“
What do you know about Elliott that can prove he isn’t a figment of your imagination?”

“
I’m
not crazy.” My eyes shot spears at her.

“
Logic remember. Give me a fact. So far you seem to be the only one to have seen him.”

“
I told you we held hands, remember?”

“
Give me something tangible.”

I still didn’t think that I could have imagined the way my body felt to be near him. To feel the electricity that emitted from Elliott. But was there any solid evidence of his existence?
Hmmm?
A light-bulb flicked on over my head. “The ring!”

“
What does Elliott have to do with the ring you found?”

I angled my hand up to show Charlotte. The opal glistened even though there was no light to help it sparkle. It was breathtaking.

“
He was at the park the night I found it.” Staring deep into the ocean of color, I sat there remembering that entire evening perfectly. The moonlight, the amazing shooting star, and the way his voice sounded like honey when he spoke. Real or not, I was taking that memory to the grave.

I decided it was better not to mention to Charlotte that Elliott had told me he had given me the ring
a long time ago
. Even I thought that sounded crazy. And I still didn’t even know what he meant by it. I bit my lip. I was trying to think of a good way to word his connection to my ring in a way that didn’t make me the town lunatic. I was coming up blank.

“
Lilly. That’s not something tangible. Is there a more concrete connection than the fact that Elliott was supposedly there when you found it?”

“
No.” I bit down harder on my lip, frustrated. Until I knew more about his connection to my ring, I couldn’t say anymore.

An uncommonly cool breeze blew down our street. The strength of the wind was as if a plane had made a daring pass overhead. My mom’s flower bed of alums bounced in reaction to it. The grapefruit-sized purple pompoms gave me an ominous sensation. A chill ran down my spine. It felt like the flowers were drumming a dooms day march, casting sinister shadows from the porch light.

I looked around and realized it was dark. The sun had set. I had been so consumed by my thoughts that the instant darkness scared me. I suddenly felt an intense urge to be inside. I wasn’t proving to anyone the existence of my crush, and to be perfectly honest, I was waning on my belief of his existence myself.

I got up. “Harlet, I think I want to try and go to bed.” I rubbed my eyes to try and look convincing.

“
Do you want me to stay over? All this is kinda creeping me out.” She got up too.

“
No thanks. I’ll be fine.”

“
Are you sure?” A worried look colored her face. “You’ll be. . . alone.”

Honestly, I was a bit scared. I tried to hide the shudder that ran down my spine at the word
alone
. Yet at the same time, that is exactly what I wanted. To be alone. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

I saw Charlotte switch to “mom mode” in her eyes. “Be sure to lock yourself in and call if there’s anything weird, okay?”

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. “Kay,” I responded as I shut and locked the front door.

I went straight to my room and locked that door behind me also. Theory was cuddled up in the blankets on my bed. I joined her. It felt comforting after todays roller coaster of craziness, to cuddle up with my cat and listen to the sound of her purr.

Though comforted by Theory, the uneasiness trapped inside my body wouldn’t allow me to sit still. I knew the best way to sort out thoughts was to write them down. I fished through the stack of books on my bed-stand until I found my tattered red journal. Thank goodness it wasn’t a journal that locked. I would have lost the key years ago. I hunted down a pen on my desk before I cracked open the magnetic closure. I quickly found a blank page and began emptying my thoughts onto the paper.

What do I know about Elliott?

I first saw him outside of his house, but did he actually say he lived there?

Why is he “electric”?

Why did he say he gave me my ring?

Theory jumped down and started playing with something
under
my bed. I looked down to see what she was fiddling with when I realized it was the strap on the camera. I became very still and froze, remembering why I shoved it under there in the first place. I had saw Elliott in the pictures.

The air conditioner clicked on and it made me jump.
Stupid house noises.
I snatched up the camera, journal, pen, and flashlight and burrowed myself safely under my blankets.

Once safe in my blankie tent, I turned on the camera and re-examined the pictures. I was still scared seeing Elliott’s face hidden within the pictures, but my blankie haven lessened the fear. I decided to conduct a little experiment.

I changed the setting on the camera so that it was ready to take a picture. I opened my journal to the page I had been writing on and snapped a shot of the paper.
Just let him try to show up hidden in my words. Ha!
I felt a little smug at my brilliant idea. I also felt a little crazy trying to outsmart a camera.

I changed the dial on the camera back to view and screamed at what I saw.

What do I know about Elliott?

I first saw him outside of his house, but did he actually say he lived there?

No. I didn’t.

Why is he “electric”?
I’ll tell you later.

Why did he say he gave me my ring?
Because I did.

There before my very eyes, on the view screen of the camera, were answers to my questions. I couldn’t breath I was so frightened. I thought about calling Charlotte, but what was I going to say to her? “Charlotte, please come over. My camera is communicating with me.” Nope. What was it Charlotte said earlier anyway? Be logical.

I could see no logical explanation to how answers would magically appear, so I decided to go with the only answer that made sense. No matter how much I didn’t like it. The only answer that made sense was that I’d snapped. That I was crazy.

So long as I was having an episode, I figured I might as well see if my mind had any more answers to the thoughts that plagued me. It probably wasn’t a good idea to purposely continue on with my hallucinations. But honestly, I couldn’t see a better alternative. So I wrote...

Why did Elliott show up in my room today, just to freak out and

leave?

Why hadn't anyone else saw him?

Where is he right now?

I took a picture. And braced myself as I looked at the view screen of the camera.

Why did Elliott show up in my room today, just to freak out and

leave?
Because I didn’t think you could see me.

Why hadn't anyone else saw him?
Because it would complicate things.

Where was he right now?
Close.

A chill ran down my spine.

The air under the blanket was getting hot and stale and I quickly poked my head out for a second to breath. Little did I know something was waiting for me.

As the cool air hit my face, a gray paw smacked me across the cheek.

“
Ahh!” I yelled. “Theory!” I was going to swat her but changed my mind at the last second, deciding a captive cat was a better idea and I pulled her beneath the covers with me.

I huddled in the dark shadows of my shelter trying to evaluate what my hallucination meant. I was attempting to figure out what my mind was trying to tell me.

I was hurt when Elliott bolted out of my room today. Come to think of it, he did seem shocked that I was talking to him at all. But how would other people seeing him complicate things? The only thing I could come up with was that Elliott was a figment of my imagination. And that
he was close
, probably meant that he was in my head. I sighed.
Logically
, it was making sense. I didn’t want to be crazy.
Hey!
I didn’t think crazy people knew they were crazy. But then again, what did I know? Especially lately.