Dark Mind (The Dark Mind Trilogy Book 1) (5 page)

6

Thanks to his relative athleticism, Cole managed to enjoy gym once in a while. It was the only time his peers showed him some level of respect, even if they did not intend to. Of course, they were always ready to pounce on his every mistake like lions waiting to attack, which provided gym with its own measure of distaste, but at least he was never chosen last when they picked teams.

Due to recent cuts, gym class was only on Fridays. It consisted of the occasional organized sport with “free sessions” in between, which Cole attributed to his teachers' laziness. Today was one of those free sessions, as it had been for a while. With the end of the year looming ever closer, he had the feeling that the days of organized sports were over.

During free sessions, Cole considered it a successful period if he managed to stay in a corner by himself without anyone bothering him. With Amy, this gym class was guaranteed to be unique, but not necessarily in a good way. As he pushed what he hoped were baseless fears out his head, he began to wonder what was going to happen. He almost faked a sickness to avoid gym altogether, a tactic he had used on more than one occasion. However, against his better judgment, he followed Amy into the bright, sunlit schoolyard.

Cole blinked hard, trying to adjust his eyes to the new light, and surveyed the scene. The schoolyard was just an empty, open concrete space, large enough for the whole grade to run freely, and surrounded by a towering fence. Two teachers stood to one side, supposedly watching the students, but in reality chatting.

Most of the students were already outside and it looked to Cole like a zoo of mentally disturbed animals. He walked out into the crowds, catching sight of Amy across the yard.

She noticed him too. “Hey slowpoke! Come on! I thought you were right behind me.”

Cole walked a little faster to catch up to her.

“So,” Amy said. “What do you usually do during free gym periods?”

Cole froze up again.
Why did she have to ask that?
“Not too much. Just kinda hang around.”
I must sound like the biggest loser.

Amy just smiled. “I don’t understand why you don’t have a million friends. You’re funny. All right, I’ll teach you a game. And once you get the hang of it we can do it with all the other kids and then they’ll all like you. Okay, first, the name of the game is…”

“Hey! Cole! I told you I’d find you.”

Cole turned to face Derek, more annoyed than anything else. “Hi Derek,” he said sarcastically.

“Who’s this? Your new
girl
friend?” Derek sneered at Amy.

Amy recognized Derek, mainly from gym, but she did not know him. “Shut up!” she said. She pounded her foot into the ground. “Go pick on your parents to give you more attention.”

Cole fought back a smile.
That’s what I always thought.
“What do you want?” he said, masking his laughter behind nonchalance.

“I told you. I’m not done with you. I’m going to…”

“You know what your problem is?” Cole cut him off.

“Huh?” Derek said more out of disbelief of being interrupted than from not hearing him.

“You never pick your fights properly. You don’t think things through.”

Anger flashed across Derek’s face. “What are you saying? You got about three seconds before I pummel you.”

“You see those teachers standing over there? They may not be paying attention now, but if you hit me, they’re going to know you did it. You’re going to get in trouble. A lot of trouble. They’ll call your parents.”

Cole knew he hit a nerve. Derek's face had taken on the hue of a bad sunburn and shook as if he might explode. His fist rose higher and Cole had to focus to avoid flinching.

Derek lowered his fist, but his face remained livid. “You'd better watch your back. There’s going to be a time when no one is around to protect you. Just wait.” He stalked away to take out his anger on an easier target.

“Wow that was amazing!” Amy shouted. “Way to put him in his place. You must’ve made him feel like an idiot.”

“Ha, thanks. It’s not that hard to outsmart him.”

“Yeah
, but you should watch out,” she added, her excitement fading. “He seems really pissed at you.”

“Not worried,” Cole said. “There’s always a way to scare him off. He'd never really hit anyone. He’s just a frightened little kid.”

“I wouldn’t call him little. Look at us. But seriously, you are…”

Just then the bullhorn signaling the end of gym sounded.

“Wow that went fast,” Amy said. “Guess I’ll have to teach you the game next time. See you at the front door after class.”

She hurried off to her next class as Cole strolled in with the mass of students. Whether or not it was pathetic, overall, it had been the best
gym class of his life. The future had never looked brighter.

A sudden agreement in his head brought back the agreements he had refused. As he brushed his ear against his shoulder and kicked the ground three times, the fear returned, leaving a pit in his stomach as he took his seat in the classroom.

However, once the end of the day approached, his anticipation outweighed any intangible fears. He had convinced himself that everything would be fine and that he was going to have a great night with Amy. He rushed out of his class, eager to get the encounter with his aunt and Amy’s mother behind him.

He was first at the front door, with neither Amy nor Beth in sight. Against all logic, insecurity set in once again.
Did Beth forget that she needed to pick me up? Did Amy forget about meeting me and rush home?

Almost before he had finished those thoughts, Beth pulled up to the corner and, a moment later, Amy appeared next to him.
You have to stop being so damned pessimistic about everything.
It was a tough habit to break since, until recently, all of his pessimistic thoughts had been accurate.

“Hi, Cole.”

“Hey. Is your mom here?” Cole said nonchalantly. “My aunt is parked right over there. She doesn’t like to get out of the car so you’ll prob’ly have to get your mom over to her.”

“That’s fine. She’s coming out of the car now.” She led him over to a silver BMW where a tanned woman in a black suit and white blouse with black hair pulled back in a tight bun, was getting out of the driver’s seat. “Hey, Mom. This is Cole.”

Amy’s mother looked down at Cole with a kind smile. “Hello Cole. How are you?” She extended her hand down to him.

Not being used to this type of greeting, Cole awkwardly took her hand and shook it. “Hi Mrs… A-amy’s mom.” He cleared his throat and lost eye contact, looking to Amy for support.

“You can call me Amy’s mom. Or Mrs. Brown works too. Nice to meet you.”

“He’s staying with his aunt for a little while,” Amy chimed in before Cole had a chance to stutter an awkward response. “Can
I go over his house tonight?”

“Of course,” Mrs. Brown said. “Have you cleared it with her yet?”

“No. She's over here,” Amy said as she grabbed her mother’s hand and pulled her in Beth’s direction.

Cole hurried ahead to lead the way.

“Oh there you are,” Beth grumbled when he opened the door. “What took you so…” Just then she noticed Amy and her mother. “Who’s this?”

“Hi, I’m Mrs. Brown.” Mrs. Brown extended a hand into the car.

Beth looked down at the hand and then up at Mrs. Brown’s face, with an incredulous look.

Mrs. Brown quickly retracted her hand. “Er-uh sorry for being so abrupt. This is Amy, my daughter. She wants to come over to your house tonight after dinner. Would that be all right with you? I can drop her off and pick her up.” She paused, studying Beth’s face, and looking completely lost.

Beth stared back, watching the exasperation growing on Mrs. Brown’s face. She chuckled softly, but showed no other sign of life.

Mrs. Brown’s chest heaved in a frustrated sigh as she looked down at Amy. “Amy I don’t think…”

“It’ll be fine,” Beth cut her off.

Startled, Mrs. Brown took a second to recover. “Oh. That’s great!”

“Yeah, what time are you gonna drop her off?” Beth said.

“How’s around seven? I can come back in a few hours to get her.”

“Sure, sure that’s fine. Pick her up at 9 sharp.” Beth’s eyes panned slowly from Mrs. Brown to Amy and lastly to Cole. “Come on Cole. Let’s get going.”

Cole quietly got in the car. He couldn’t say anything. He knew if he opened his mouth, nothing good could come of it. He hated his aunt right now with a passion.
Why? Why was she like this? Couldn’t she be normal just this once? For him?

“What’s your address?” Mrs. Brown said. “Wouldn’t want you to drive away before you gave it to me. How would I ever find it?” She stifled a laugh.

Beth looked at her deadpan. “Fourteen thirty Rockview Road. What do you do for a living, Mrs. Brown?”

“Oh, uh, I’m a lawyer.”

“Thought so,” Beth said. “Guess I’ll be seeing you later.”

“Um, yeah. Bye. Nice meeting you.”

“Byeee,” Amy piped up. “See you later.”

“Bye,” Cole mumbled, but before it had left his mouth, Beth sped away from the curb, leaving Amy and her mother standing there bewildered.

“Some piece of work that one is. Poor girl doesn’t have a chance.”

“Uh-huh,” Cole said, containing his anger. He had never liked Beth
, but he could not remember despising her as he did now.
No wonder you're alone.
He doubted he would see Amy that night, and wondered if he would ever talk to her again. He wouldn’t have been surprised if her mother forbade her from being friends with him.

“Can we go to see Mom?” Cole asked.

“I guess so,” Beth said, “but I’m not sure how awake she’ll be.”

Back at the hospital, they found their own way to Meredith's room, as Beth mumbled to herself that at least they didn't have to deal with idiots again. In line with Beth’s prediction, Meredith was barely awake.

Cole felt sick as he approached her bed. “Mom?”

“Oh…
Hey Cole… How are you?” Her voice was quiet and filled with exhaustion. She methodically turned her head a few inches so she could see him.

“I’m good. Why are you so tired? I thought you were getting better.”

“Oh I am. Don’t worry. It’s just all these drugs they insist on giving me. I’ll be up and about before you know it.” She gave a weak smile and closed her eyes.

“I have some good news,” Cole said. “I met someone at school and she’s coming over tonight.”

Meredith opened her eyes. “Cole, that’s wonderful.” She licked her lips. “I knew you could do it. Be sure to let me know how it goes.” She reached up slowly and tousled his hair, then let her arm drop back onto the bed as she closed her eyes again.

“I will, Mom,” Cole whispered, fighting back the tears welling up. He watched her deep breathing for a few seconds, listening to the whirring and beeping of the machines around them, unable to accept the unreality of it all. “Good night.” He tiptoed out and shut the door gently behind him.

7

The pit in his stomach did not diminish after he left. This was the most depressed he had ever felt. He could never forgive himself for his failure as it was and if she was not out of the hospital soon, he wouldn’t be able to take it. He foresaw many long, dark nights of torment.

Cole had refused to say a word to Beth on the ride home and as soon as they arrived he locked himself in the library. Beth did not disturb him for dinner and he spent a few unbearable hours staring at the clock, expecting to be disappointed. When it struck seven and still nothing had happened, his last hopes dissipated and he swore he would never talk to Beth again. But five minutes later, defying his insistent cynicism, the doorbell rang. He sprang to his feet, in a moment forgetting that the last two hours had ever happened. Perhaps Beth hadn’t ruined his life.

Despite the doorbell, he was shocked to see Amy and her mother standing on the porch. “I got it!” he called to Beth, determined to prevent her from embarrassing him any further. He swung the door open and was greeted by Amy's beaming smile. He was unable to stop a smile from stretching across his own face.

“Hey Cole!” Amy said.

“Hey, come on in.” Cole stepped back to provide room for Amy to step inside.

“Hi, Cole,” Mrs. Brown said. “I’m so glad this is the right house. I couldn’t quite remember the address and I was sure I had it wrong. Is your aunt here?”

“Umm, yeah, she’s in the back cleaning up.”

“Okay, just let her know I’ll be back in two hours, will you?”

Cole breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. “Will do. Bye, Mrs. Brown.”

“I like you. Bye Cole.” She smiled at him and left.

“All right,” Amy said as Cole closed the door. “Let’s go. What do you wanna do?”

“First, follow me,” Cole said, leading her to the library. “I just want to make sure we won't be bothered by my aunt.”

Amy plopped down in the big chair Cole frequented. “No worries. Adults can be so
bothersome
.” She laughed.

“So, uh, what do you usually like to do?” Cole asked, shifting his weight. He suddenly realized he had no idea what anyone else did for fun and was at a complete loss as to how to entertain his friend.

“I don’t know,” Amy said. She jumped out of the chair and stared up at the bookcase. “Got anything interesting in here?”

“Yeah, that’s where I found that Poe book.” Cole reached up and pulled the old book from the shelf, showing it off to Amy’s eager eyes.

“Oh cool, can I borrow it?”

“Ummm. I – don’t know. It’s my aunt’s. I mean I’m sure she won’t notice if it’s gone as long as you keep it secret and bring it back.”

“Of course I’ll bring it back. Thanks so much. I can’t wait to read this later. Then we can talk about it in school.”

“Uh-huh. Of course.” Cole was not entirely comfortable lending Beth’s books
, but he couldn’t refuse Amy this and he had grown to trust her. Besides his mother, she was the first person he had ever trusted in his life and the thought scared him.

“So, your
mother’s still in the hospital? What about your father?”

That was not a question Cole had seen coming.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Amy said.

“No, no, it’s fine,” Cole said after the initial shock had worn off. “It’s not a big deal. I have just never been asked that before and, well, you asked it kind of out of nowhere.”

“Hehe, yeah, sorry ‘bout that. I do that.”

“So, yeah, I have no idea. As far as I know, I have no father. It’s always just been me and my mom for as long as I can remember. She never mentioned him to me and I guess I never asked.”

“Oh, that sucks. Aren’t you wondering about him at all?”

“I wasn’t until now,” Cole said, staring at the floor.

“Oh, sorry, new subject. Are you excited about the amusement park this weekend? It’s gonna be so much fun. The whole grade is gonna be there. I love that park. I’ve been on every ride like ten times.”

“I’m… not going.” He never lifted his eyes from the intricate patterns on the floor.
Good moods never last very long.

“What?! Are you serious? Why not?”

“I don’t want to.” He wished she would stop pestering him with uncomfortable questions.

“You have to go. It’ll be so much fun. You’ll be missing out on the greatest trip ever. Have you ever been there?”

“No,” Cole admitted. “My mom was never big on those things.”
Meaning she doesn’t have the money to take me anywhere.

“Oh come on. You’ll love it. Promise me you’ll go. Please, please, please, please?”

Cole glanced up into her pleading eyes. “I don’t know… I guess I could.”

“Good. I’m holding you to that. You won’t regret it.”

Cole dropped into a chair. “How did I let you convince me?”

Amy pulled up a smaller desk chair and sat down facing him. “I’m good. Anyway, I hope you don’t mind me asking. That kid at school was a jerk
, but I am just wondering.”

“What is it?” Cole asked, curious
, but dreading the question nonetheless.

“Well, I was just wondering. Why do you twitch sometimes?”

Cole froze in his seat, the floor patterns recapturing his attention.

“I don’t mean that in a bad way. Really. I won’t think any of less of you no matter what the reason.”

A long moment passed.

“Never mind. Forget it,” Amy said.

“I’m really not sure,” Cole said. He avoided eye contact and knew his face was turning red. “I think it just happens when I’m feeling uncomfortable. I can’t help it.” His voice trailed off.
What can I say? I’m partially insane from a game I play in my head? The only thing that will do is convince her I’m psychotic. Which I probably am, but I’d rather her not know that.

“That’s fine. You’re interesting. That’s why I like you. So…”

From there, the conversation turned in a more favorable direction. He was amazed at how quickly he went from wanting to crawl under his bed and forget the world to being at ease. They spent the rest of their time laughing and talking about trivialities. The night was over in a flash and the unexpected sound of the doorbell caught Cole by surprise. He looked up at the clock and couldn’t believe what he saw.
How was it two hours already?

Amy looked up at the clock too. “Wow, really? That sucks.
I don't wanna go home. Can I just live here with you and your crazy aunt?” She smiled. “But hey, I’ll see you Sunday, right? It's gonna be awesome. Oh, and I can take this?” She held up the Poe book.

“Of course,” Cole said.

“Thanks. So, make sure you get the permission slip signed. I can’t wait.”

“Uh-huh.” Hiding his disappointment, Cole led Amy to the front door, said a quick goodbye and then they were gone, leaving him standing in the doorway feeling empty. He experienced an unexplained wave of anger as Amy walked away, holding her mother’s hand, and got into her car. He stood in the entrance hall a full five minutes before he gathered the energy to return to his chair in the library. He sat there in silence, waiting for Beth to go to sleep. Twenty minutes after the last sounds in the house, he wandered into the kitchen, grudgingly getting leftovers out of the refrigerator. He hated having to rely on Beth
, but what choice did he have? He just prayed his mother would recover soon.

Back in the library he scanned the bookshelf for another book to read. He expected to be disappointed since he had searched this bookshelf a hundred times by now
, but he needed something new to read. As he was finishing his unsuccessful search, one particular book caught his eye. He pulled it out, wondering how he had never seen this one before. It stood out from the rest because of its exceptionally worn cover in an unusual shade of dark blue. Something about it interested him and he opened the cover to see if there was a blurb or some kind of description. The inside cover was blank except for one line “Exploring the Unexplained.”

Intrigued, he turned the page to the table of contents, which contained a various assortment of supernatural phenomena throughout history, everything from witchcraft to ghosts. It began with a section on psychics and from the first page he was hooked, fascinated by the author's gripping in-depth discussions. The book's apparent purpose was to first differentiate myth from fact with each of the types of supernatural phenomena and then to give historical accounts proving their respective existence. Throughout his whole life, Cole had been interested in the supernatural, especially considering his own psychic gift. Therefore, he was eager to believe anything with proof, regardless of how thin or trustworthy the proof might be. There was a fleeting disappointment that the book did not address his own ability, but at the same time he was glad, as he much preferred himself to be unique. He read until late into the night, his mind filled with new possibilities, but when he'd finished he had barely covered a fifth of the lengthy book.

The next morning he did not wake up until almost noon. He stumbled into the kitchen, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Morning,” Beth stated matter-of-factly. “You’re up late.” She sat at the table, intent on a bowl of cereal in front of her.

“Yeah. Morning,” Cole said. Some of the hatred from the night before had dissipated, enough that he could tolerate Beth’s presence. Also, he needed something from her. “Can you please drive me to see my mom?”

“We just visited yesterday.” She shoveled another spoonful into her mouth.

“I know, but I need a permission slip signed for school.”

“Why didn’t you get her to sign it when we were there?” For the first time she lifted her eyes from the bowl to look down at him.

“I didn’t have it on me. I’m sorry. Please?”
Besides, what are you doing that’s so important you can’t take any time away? Give me a break.

She shoveled in another spoonful and chewed very slowly. When her mouth was clear she continued. “You have to wait a little while. I’m busy right now.”

Yeah, right. What are you doing?
“Okay that’s fine. I’ll be in the other room reading.”

After he got dressed he hurried back to the library, anxious to get in some more reading before they left.

Twenty minutes later Beth appeared in the doorway. “Come on. If you wanna go, let’s go.”

Cole let the rudeness pass over him, keeping his mouth shut to avoid any unnecessary arguments. He grabbed the permission slip, slipped on his sneakers and jacket, and got into the already running car.

There was a train station nearby for a national passenger train that stopped in this small town of Woodbury on its way to bigger and better things. The trip to the hospital took them past this stop. Cole, usually in his own world, never paid this train station any attention and, true to form, was ignoring it as they approached. They were driving down a small side street that paralleled the tracks and, in the distance, the grumblings of an approaching train could be heard.

Stop this car before the train stops in the station.

Cole’s head snapped up at the unexpected agreement.
No way.
A distant whispering began to meander around the back of his consciousness. His eyes darted from the incoming train to Beth’s calm and oblivious composure. “Stop! Stop the car!” he screamed, scaring even himself.

Beth, in a moment of sheer panic, swerved violently towards a parked car. Cole felt his heart skip a beat and he flailed around for something to hold onto. Beth recovered inches from impact and jammed the steering wheel back the other way in a squeal of tires. “What’s wrong with you?!!” she shouted. “Are you trying to kill us?”

Cole took a second to find his breath. “No. You just have to stop this car right now. Please! Pull over.” He looked out the window at the station to see the train pulling in, screeching to a halt.

“Why? Why do you need me to stop?”

“Just stooooop!!!!” He lunged across the car, grabbing at the steering wheel as the whispering clouded his thoughts. All he knew was that this car had only seconds to stop. The car swerved wildly down the middle of the street as Beth fought him off, but he had the wheel in an iron grip.

“What are you doing? Let go!” Beth yelled terrified, struggling to stay on the road. A car pulled around the corner, heading towards them. It accelerated, but at the sight of them, screeched to a halt, helpless to get out of the way.

At the sight of the oncoming car, a rational thought finally crossed Beth’s mind and she slammed on the brakes. At the same time, they were passing a side street and she yanked the wheel to the right, missing the bumper of the other car by inches. At last, they came to a stop by the side of the road.

Cole jumped back from the steering wheel and spun around to look at the train as it came to rest in the station. Relieved of the agreement, he collapsed into his seat, breathing hard, just now absorbing what he had done. He glanced over at Beth who was staring frozen out the windshield, knowing she would not stay like that forever. He cringed from the thought of what was about to happen when the shock wore off.

The car they nearly hit pulled up beside them. The window rolled down and the driver leaned out. “You crazy bitch! Learn how to drive! You’re lucky I’m in a rush to get somewhere.” And with that final word he took off, tires squealing on the pavement.