R.E.M.: The Hidden World (2 page)

              “Whew…”  Her look of disgust said it all.  It was only since meeting Carrie that Emily started to drink and handling the dreaded taste was an art she had yet to perfect.

             
“So rumor has it….that a massive shot pong table is set up somewhere in this vicinity.  Would you like to undertake the mission of finding it?”  Kyle smiled brightly; then slowly leaned in closer toward her and delicately kissed her on the neck.  Chills ran up Emily’s spine.  She absolutely adored his little habits of affection. 

Wait….did he say SHOT pong table…
She stood up a little straighter, drawing herself back from his overwhelming allure.  “Wait...Shot pong?”  Emily raised a quizzical brow.

             
“Follow me.”  He smiled brilliantly as though it was a secret he could not wait to reveal.  As Emily obeyed, she snuck a glance in the other direction to spot Carrie’s current location.  She was standing by the jock, flirting ravenously.  The oversized young man seemed to be eating it up, clearly marking himself as an attention whore.

             
Kyle finally stopped in front of what Emily recognized as Carrie’s garage door entrance.  A young boy, certainly not older than fifteen, stood in front of the door with a clipboard in his hands and a stern look on his face.  “This is a VIP restricted area….are you on the exclusive guest list?”  He puffed his chest out as he questioned the twenty- two year old man standing in front of him.  The boy stood a solid foot shorter than Kyle and Emily fought to restrain the laughter boiling within her.

             
“Considering this is the birthday girl Emily herself and I am her boyfriend….I would certainly say so…”  After Kyle spoke the words, the boy began slowly scanning his clipboard.  Kyle’s annoyance was growing rapidly.  Similar to Emily, Kyle was far from being the most patient of individuals.  When either of them wanted something done, they wanted it done immediately.  Without wasting another precious second, Kyle carefully, but sternly, pushed the boy to the side and opened the door, waving his hand for Emily to enter first.

             
“But uh…you can’t….”  The boy’s attempt to argue was blatantly useless.

“You can check with the hostess for any questions.”  With that, Kyle entered the room and shut the door in the boy’s face.

“Well done, bravo….now we know you can take on a child….”  Emily laughed; her enjoyment of mocking him was heightened by the influence of the alcohol.  Kyle simply rolled his eyes in response. 

Whistling loudly, he gathered the attention of everyone in the room.  It was a much smaller grouping and consisted of approximately ten people.  All of whom Emily now realized were her friends. 

Aw….Carrie must have allowed only them specifically; so I could have some quiet time with my buddies…
Emily smiled to herself at her friend’s sweet gesture.  She definitely owed Carrie for this, big time.

“So who’s ready for some shot pong?”  Kyle declared the words to the room, clearly eager to get the game started.  Looking Emily’s direction, he now addressed her directly.  “Birthday girl, you’re up first.” 

              Emily was far more willing to participate with only her closest friends around and gladly stepped up to the plate….well, the table, that is.  The first few games went by smoothly enough, but Emily’s skill level was clearly deteriorating by the fifth round.  Kyle stood on the sidelines, sipping his beer and cheering her on.  “I wanna play against yoouuu…”  Her words were clearly slurred as she pointed Kyle’s direction.

             
“Uh, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea sweetie…”  Kyle could likely tell she was already drunk.

             
“I…..am…the birthday girl….so I can do…whatevveerrr I want….and you….I….I mean I….want youuu to play.”  Emily was insistent as she wrapped her arms around him and drug him towards the table’s opposing edge.  She almost fell flat on her face as she returned to her appropriate side of the table, but caught her footing just in time.  Carrie was now standing on that side, as her teammate prepared for pong battle.  “Oh, there you are….how’d it go….with….uh….jockey boy?”  Emily giggled loudly as she asked her friend the question.

             
“Shhh, you gotta be quiet….but…he said…well…”  Carrie was certainly feeling the effects of the liquid poison herself as she lowered her voice to a whisper only Emily could hear. 

             
“Noooo way!”  Emily’s tone inclined rapidly and she wobbled slightly at the shock of knowing her friend might get laid that very night.

             
“Ladies, are we gonna start this game or what?”  Kyle was getting antsy.

             
Everything from midway through that very game became fuzzy to Emily.  It was difficult to say how many shots she took at Carrie’s house.  She knew the number was certainly far more than she had intended.  Either way, everything from that final game encouraging her to drink more, and the present moment, was a blur.

             
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2. THE ESCAPE

Clunk!

“Ow!”  Renee struggled back onto her feet, rubbing her aching temple.  She frequently rested upon this tree branch, trusting it to bear her weight.  Today, as she attempted to climb it like so many times before, it faltered under her and snapped.  The branch, still hung behind her as though waiting for its revenge.  It came swiftly, for as she scrambled back to her feet, her skull met it with incredible force.  It knocked her back onto the stone-hard ground surrounding the tree. 

Despite the pain,
she was reminded of all the reasons why this had become her favorite hiding place.  Looking around, she felt the wind’s comforting embrace as it gently swept around her.  Behind her, the beautifully opposing tree flailed its branches wildly in response.  A victim to the wind’s command, its inner core creaked with distaste.  Only the dirt surrounding her remained motionless, rigid, like an old sailor who had seen too many stormy nights. 

Outside the ring of dirt rested a never-ending oasis of moist, sometimes comical, grass.  The
luscious greenery was now torturing her with thoughts of landing on it,
rather than the gritty surface.  Her nose was tickled by the delicate scent of new-born, spring flowers sporadically covering the landscape. 

Though the natural wonders made the location breathtaking, the view surpassed them all.  Its splendor was most appreciated from the oak’s peak, precisely where Renee had attempted to orient herself before her fall.  The town
rolled over the landscape like the notes of a symphony, each one somewhat dull, yet when combined, they created a beautiful sound that echoed across the vista. 

Renee’s trance was broken by th
e sight of a woman approaching.  She identified the figure immediately as her mother.  The woman’s soft voice started out faint from a distance, dripping with a comical sarcasm.  "Oh, Renee, when are you ever going to learn?"

Renee’s mother was not a complicated woman and her clothes demonstrated it.  They consisted of a simple cream dres
s laced with pale, pink flowers, and a pair of light sandals.  However, there was a casual elegance about her; maybe it was her smile.  She always humbly denied it, but she had the most beautiful smile.  Part of its marvel was her timing, as she always knew just when to display those pearly whites.  This was often useful during her Tuesday ‘girls’ night,’ more commonly known as gossip night.  Though she rarely engaged in the other women’s rumors, she always knew whether something was just silly or intently hurtful.  Because of this ability, lying to her was impossible.  It was something Renee had attempted and failed at many times. 

As Renee finally pushed herself off the ground, she knew her mother wasn’t here because
of another futile endeavor of deceit.  No, today was Sunday and she knew exactly what that meant.  It was another opportunity for her father to torture her with his weapon of choice; hymns.  Renee’s mother, Merlot, was nearly by her side, and she felt the need to justify her delay.  "I'm sorry mom, I saw you coming and I was trying to hurry but..."

"It’s ok, I’m just glad you didn’t break anything.” A light chuckle
slipped from her delicate lips.  Maintaining her demeanor, Merlot’s tone adopted a more solemn ring.  “Come on though…you know how your father is about being late."

Rolling her eyes, Renee agreed.  “Yeah, I know.”  She then proceeded to follow her mother’s lead down
the hill, away from her beloved spot.  Glancing back, she felt as though she was leaving hope behind.  She felt this way every time she walked away.  The vision here always granted her far more faith in the possibility of a higher power than any church ever could. 

Drawing her attention back to the front, Renee saw the dreaded old 1976 pick-up now less than fifteen feet away.  Its
once-red color displayed the many years of rain, sleet, and snow in the form of multiple rust patches.  Her mother had once teased, calling them the liver spots of the truck world. 

They had approached the ancient truck in silence and Renee hesitantly opened its door.  She paused, clinging to the worn handle before slowly climbing in.  She desperately wished she could somehow delay the torture slightly longer. 

Once inside, she was
drawn to the poor condition of its interior.  She had seen it many times.  The seats’ health seemed as poor as the smoker who had previously owned them.  Burn marks combined with stains of different colors, three of which Renee easily identified as coffee, mustard and nail polish. 

The door was closed by her mother who was reaching through the open window with a request.  “Give me a hug.”  This was not unusual in the slightest
as her mother had always been the affectionate one in the family.

“Wait, you’re not coming with us?”  Renee suddenly felt her heart sink.  She dreaded church enough as it was.  Riding with her father was another level of dread, but doing so without her mom as a buffer made the situation even worse.

“No, I’m going with the ladies group, remember?”  As she said this, Merlot pointed down the hill to a white van.  Unlike the pick-up, it was brand new.  The women’s group had finally talked the church members into purchasing it with some of the tithes.  They had offered to make it for everyone in the church, but the men stubbornly refused to ride in it.  Instead, they stuck with their ugly old trucks, except for Mr. Garret who was the only one with a legitimate justification.  After all, he had just purchased a brand new Cadillac Escalade.  Who wouldn’t prefer that over a van? 

“Don’t worry, I told them to park further down the hill so they wouldn’t find out about your spot up there.”  She was trying to sound nice as she pointed back toward the oa
k they had just abandoned.  Despite Merlot’s generally good intentions, like all mothers, she had a natural way of embarrassing Renee, and today was no exception.  Right there, in front of her father and the ladies group, she pinched her cheek and said goodbye.

“Bye mom…”  Renee eked out, humiliated.  Turning toward her father as he started up the worn truck
, she couldn't help wondering if Sam Kale would be at church today.  His parents were almost always busy doing something else, but every once in a while they would manage to fit in an hour-long service.  Reverend Johnson had never been happy about their absences, but he knew better than to address them about it.  Mr. Kale had a very short temper and if anyone so much as mentioned his attendance, he would snap at them and refuse to attend church for months. 

It had been three
months exactly since Ms. Baize inquired about his missed services and Renee was expecting to see Sam any day now. 
Perhaps today is the day…I hope he’s there…

The truck was now in full motion, clunking along with an array of questionable
,
squeaking sounds.  Renee knew she would have her answer about Sam soon enough. 

Her father glanced at her, slyly, as though he was reading her thoughts.  "I wonder if the Kales will be at service today."

              "Who knows?"  Dodging her father’s gaze, she looked out the open window to her right.  She was avoiding talking about this; she knew where her father was going.

"That Sam boy is a sinner, you know."

"We all are, dad!"  Renee snapped.

"We were; but we've been forgiven."  As her father made the harsh statement,
she caught a glimpse of the questioning gaze he shot her.  He then shifted his focus back to the road. 

After a few seconds,
she finally answered his unspoken question.  "I think he’s been forgiven too."

"Really? Oh, you silly child."  Her father chuckled with a maniacal sound that made Renee want to leap from the truck.  Placing her hand on the truck’s handle, she contemplated the idea.

"He doesn’t obey the commandments."

She
spun to face him.  "Oh, and I suppose you always do!?!"  Her face was now red with fury.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do, at least when my foolish daughter doesn’t make me late for Sunday service."  His face was stone hard as he maintained his focus on the
road, but Renee heard the waver in his voice.

"I wasn’t talking about being late
for service," she said in a half whisper.  The truck had come to a temporary halt at a stop sign and Renee’s gaze ventured toward the field on her right.  Her focus became locked on a playful, calico kitten bounding through the grass.  His paws clawed at the air, then the ground.  He seemed to be on a great adventure, free to travel wherever he pleased. 
If only I were that free…
she dreamt of the day. 

Her
thoughts were interrupted by the coarse reality of her father’s voice.  "Then what the heck are you talking about girl?"  Her father eked out a chuckle but cut it short when he met Renee’s accusing stare.

I should’ve ridden with mom and the ladies group.
  She was severely regretting her decision to ride with her father, even more so as the drive crept on, especially since the truck’s cassette player had ceased functioning many years before.  The result left them sitting in an increasingly awkward silence. 

Renee had never been so happy to finally see the church’s weather-worn steeple.  The small, white church had been built several years earlier.  Its location was some distance from the rest of the town and was surrounded by an infamously terrifying forest.  Despite the wooded area’s past, the council members had insisted on this rural location.  As
she heard the powerful singing that rang out from inside the church walls, she could understand why.

"...how sweet the sound that saved...”  The words to the beloved hymn could have been heard from nearly a mile away, the choir singing it with a dedication Renee found silly. 

Finally, the truck came to a stop in her father’s usual parking spot.  Renee eagerly jumped out of the pickup without saying a word.  As she did, she was instantaneously fixated on Sam Kale’s familiar face as he stood by the church doors.  He had always been handsome, but this morning his face seemed aglow and his short dress slacks and blue button up, exaggerated the time since they’d last met.  When he glanced her way, she felt her cheeks turn three shades of red.  As they approached one another, Sam’s once childlike voice now rang with a new sound.  The tone was stronger and manlier in nature.  "Renee! I’m so glad to see you!  Wow, you've certainly changed this past summer!"

"Yeah, so have you."  Her mumble was barely audible, causing Sam to request a repeat.  "O, um....I was just saying how nice it is to see you too." 
She geared her attention toward the ground, kicking around a small stone with her shoe, avoiding eye contact.

"Yes, well, I should probably go in now, my parents are waiting for me."  Sam awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, clearly also nervous
at seeing her again.  He then began shuffling towards the church, keeping his attention on her.

She followed at an uncomfortably slow pace.  "Yeah, I need to go in too, my mom is already here and my dad is..."

The happy, yet awkward, reunion was interrupted by the rough tone Renee’s father so easily maintained.  "Hello Sam.  The church members were beginning to wonder if you were ever coming back."  His eyes were piercing, but Sam had never been one to accept intimidation.

The boy stopped dead in his tracks and faced him, standing mere feet from the chapel’s entrance.  "I’m sure they were too caught up spreading the
good news
to even notice my lack of attendance."  Without waiting for a response, Sam turned away and marched up the steps into the sanctuary.

With Sam just inside the church walls, Renee turned to her father, concurring with the boy’s reaction.  "He's right, you know.  There’s no reason for you to obsess over his attendance…."  Feeling like they’d beaten her father at his own game,
she followed Sam’s example and began marching up the steps.  Sadly, her attempt failed terribly.  As she reached her foot toward the third and final step, she missed and toppled head first through the open doors into the sanctuary.  The hymn stopped, and all eyes turned to face her. 

Her father stumbled up behind her and grabbed her arm, jerking Renee off the floor.  "See, you were being prideful and pride cometh before the..."  Her father had not even finished the sentence when Renee pulled free and bolted out the door.  She flew past the church parking lot, ignoring the gaping mouths of the townsfolk.  In her mind, she knew they must be judging her, but she did not care.  Her body was in full control now.  Her feet had developed a mind of their own and right now
, they were leading the way.  Her heart pounded in her chest as her pace quickened.  Every step was drawing her further from that beaten old steeple.  She pushed forward at an all-out sprinter’s pace.  It did not matter where she was going, only that she was getting away.  The wind rushed against her face, and for a moment, Renee felt both feet lift off the ground.  She was flying.  Truly flying into the unknown, leaving behind a life she longed to forget. 

Before her mind could catch up, Renee’s body led her into the middle of the dreaded
, Hackers’ Forest.  It had been said that many children died in this area centuries before, and ever since then a mysterious, almost ghostly presence lurked there.  Contemplating the horrific tales, her pace finally slowed to a walk and, catching her breath, she absorbed the realization of where she was.