Chapter 7

It didn’t take long for Violet to rope our friendship circle into helping with the haunted house for the Halloween fair. In fact, the very day Kayla and I had planned on asking for her help regarding the Mr Peterson issue she had asked everyone to help paint backgrounds which would be hung up across the school gym creating the “house” effect.

After a day packed with lesson after boring lesson, it felt rather liberating to put our creative sides to work. Josh, Violet’s on-again-off-again boyfriend, had dragged a giant piece of white cloth onto the floor for us to paint while Robert fetched the paints. The two boys couldn’t be further apart in appearance and character, however they had become best friends within moments of meeting one another.

Josh was proud of his gothic-emo looks and made a point to keep his dyed black hair covering one eye at all times. Although the school forbade him to wear plain black or paint his nails with an equally sombre shade, he compensated by attaching chains to his faded black jeans and by wearing shirts with the logos of his favourite bands splashed across them. Today, Metalica was written across the grey shirt in spiky writing and surrounded by red flames. Josh had only been in Carmel since our sophomore year, having been transferred after he was expelled from his previous school in New York for some mysterious crime. His parents felt that sending him to live with his ex-military uncle and equally scary aunt in the middle of nowhere, as far as he was concerned, would teach him some self discipline. I guess it worked because he hadn’t tried to set fire to the school since his first week here... but then perhaps Violet had something to do with that.

Robert, wearing board shorts, an ever present Hawaiian shirt in hideously bright colours and a shark’s tooth strung around his neck, had been a German exchange student in our sophomore year and met up with Josh in the admissions office on the first day of school. Perhaps that was where they had hit it off – the German guy who clutched an English phrase book as if it was his lifeline and the rebellious hellion who wore eyeliner and studs on their first day. Needless to say, the two remained steadfast friends and it prompted Robert to apply for permission to complete his schooling in America.

After a few moments of painting cobwebs and ghouls, I prompted Kayla to ask the group for help. Carefully, as to not miss out any detail of the story, she told our friends about what had happened between her and Mr Peterson.

“That bastard!” Violet’s outrage echoed in the gym. “I’ll castrate him for you Kay, then he won’t be able to prove a damned thing!”

“I’ll hold him down.” Josh’s snarl proved testament to his dislike of the man.

While Josh may have been a rebel and a bad-boy, he had to admit that he respected women as the ladies they were. I think that his aunt may have aided in that belief as he seemed to become more chivalrous by the day, and Violet and him seemed to be breaking up less and less.

I turned to Robert, expecting to hear him say something in depth and meaningful. Instead I was faced by a guy who looked as if he had seen a ghost. His tanned features seemed to blend in with his pale golden hair, his eyes were glazed over and his lips were cast downwards in displeasure. Shaking with fury he jumped up and strode over to where the weights and fitness equipment stood and punched a punching bag so hard it rocked on its pedestal. The ever eloquent and profound German was completely at a loss for words in his anger.

I turned my attention from him and looked at Violet whose brain was steaming as she calculated a plan.

“Any plan yet?’

Josh raised a finger to his lips and shooshed me as he grabbed Robert’s sketch pad and tore out a page, writing on the top in sloppy bold writing “Operation Protect”.

“Nothing yet.” Violet groaned, leaning against Josh as he wrapped an arm protectively around her. “The only thing that I know is that Kay can’t be left alone. One of us has to be with her at all times, just in case he tries a physical retaliation. Kay did punch him after all.”

We all agreed and made up a schedule for us to have one member of our group with her at all times of the day except for certain lesson periods which we didn’t share with her. Josh said that he would walk her to those classes anyway, since it was bad for his reputation for him to arrive on time.

The gym doors shuddered as they opened loudly, the sound drowning out our voices for merely a second.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know anyone was in here.” Ricky called from the door as he entered. “Would it be alright for me to do some weights?”

We nodded in unison, pretending that nothing out of the ordinary was taking place. We continued painting the material and watched as the ghoulish shapes and scary scenes started taking place. I was banished from painting anything other than cobwebs and trees after I attempted to paint a witch riding on her broomstick in the sky... instead it turned out to look more like a rather strange stick figure with a growth deficiency. Luckily Violet managed to paint over it and turned my deformed witch into a flying saucer, complete with a green alien waving out of a window.

The Macarena began to play from my pocket and I only just managed to fish my phone out in time to answer, smearing paint all over my jeans. My mother’s voice could barely be heard over the phone as pots and pans bashed about in the background but I managed to get the just of what she was saying before she hurriedly slammed the phone down on me.

“So, who wants to wait on tables tonight? Double pay. Apparently most of the staff have come down with a stomach bug so the restaurant is low on waiters.”

My friends often served as backups whenever staff was low. They enjoyed the additional cash and tips which were usually pretty high, and there was never any obligations as there would be if they were permanent staff. All but Kayla had plans, but two extra helpers were better than nothing.

“I can help, if you would like.”

The voice drifted from the corner of the gym where we had forgotten Ricky. He stood, shirt off displaying rippling muscles and clutching a weight in his left hand as if it were a feather.

“I’m serious Callista. I can help out if you would let me. I have no plans at all. My mom’s working late and my sister’s at a friend.”

I agreed and let him help us pack up the painting equipment, leaving the canvas on the floor to dry before climbing into Kayla’s car.  

It turned out that Ricky was a natural. A quick learner, he remembered everything he was told and was able to deal with difficult customers easily, joking around and conversing with those who had become regulars. Every now and then I felt his eyes follow me as I served my tables, but I thought nothing of it.

By the time I eventually climbed into bed I was beyond exhausted and fell asleep as soon as my head hit my pillow. And once again, he came to me.

The sun shone through the canopy of trees above as I lay on the grass, its short blades tickling my neck as I spread my hair out in a fan. I was back in the park, alone once again except for the guy leaning against a tree watching me, a knowing smile plastered on his face. Slowly he made his way toward me, bending and picking a dandelion as he approached, twirling its stem in his fingers.

I looked up at him as he blocked out the stray rays of sunlight which brushed against my skin. He sat down beside me and looked down at my face, still smiling although the smile had turned melancholy.

“I missed you today. I waited and you didn’t come.” his voice broke the silence, bringing to remembrance the fact that I was meant to have visited the hospital that afternoon.

I made a mental note to call Doc in the morning and apologise for my tardiness.

“I’m sorry, I forgot. A friend is going through a little bit of a tough time and I was trying to help her.” I made my excuses, knowing that it wasn’t entirely true but what did a dream know about truth?

His face fell as he played with my hair, running his fingers through it and spreading it out further. I gave into the urge to touch him, lifting my hand to his stubbled cheek and rubbing my thumb against it, revelling in the strange feeling. Both Nik and my father were always clean-shaven so this was certainly a new experience for me.

 I felt drawn to him, his eyes alluring me and trapping me in their turbulent grey waters which shone with hurt and regrets. I resisted the urge to wrap my arms around him, what would he think if I did? I wasn’t a wanton whore but I suppose that would have been his thoughts about me had I done so.

He ran the dandelion he held across my brow, down my nose and onto my lips, caressing them as tenderly as a kiss. Its petals tickled my nose and I fought back a sneeze as his velvet chuckle teased me.

I sent him a glare and he dissolved into rich laughter which lit up his entire face, enrapturing me even further in his intoxicating presence. I knew that at any moment I could push him away and banish him from my dream, but that was the furthest thing from my mind. I felt drawn to him as if he knew me better than I knew myself, and yet we had barely exchanged conversation. I didn’t even know his name!

“I don’t know your name.” I whispered.

“What’s in a name?” he quoted, mysteriously avoiding my question.

I cringed, recognising the line from Romeo and Juliet.

“Arg! I hate that play! They fall in love and then they become all over dramatic on us.”

“I quite like it.” he laid his head on my stomach as he lay down beside me. “Their love is doomed to failure and yet they still try to make it work, and when one dies, the other follows shortly after – not able to live life without their love.”

I mused in silence for a few seconds, what he said slowly sinking in.

“I suppose you’re right. I wish I had a love like that... I can only imagine what it would feel like.”

“You could have it if you wanted, all you have to do is open yourself up to it and stop hiding behind that wall you’ve hidden built around yourself.”

I pretended to not know what he was talking about, absently running my fingers through his hair as I tried to find a way out of confirming his suspicions.

“You don’t need to answer, you know I’m right.”

I sensed that he enjoyed being right and I on tugged his hair gently in retaliation which made him chuckle again. I wished I could be as alive with laughter as he was. Instead, I was sombrely dead, my laughter merely something used around friends – a mask as such. It was something I was determined to change. He had made me realise how empty my smiles and laughter really were.

“Thank you.” I heard myself say, although I knew he wouldn’t know what I was thanking him for.

We lay in silence for a few moments longer, watching the trees above sway gently in the breeze. I felt overwhelmed with how right it felt to be here with him, even though he wasn’t truly in the flesh with me. Slowly, I began to slip into the darkness of the next part of my sleep cycle and I urged my mind to anchor itself in my dream, alas the darkness encroached on the edges of my vision and started pulling him from me. As it began to win I heard his whisper, as loud as a scream in my ears.

“My name is Morpheus.”