11
CLAIRE
He hasn’t come out of his house all day.
Granted, I had to leave and attend my classes, so I can’t be entirely sure. But I’ve come back during all of my breaks and waited in the courtyard, just in case.
Worry sets in that I shouldn’t have left him alone. What if something happened? What if his injuries were worse than I thought they were? What if he hit his head hard enough that when he went to sleep, he didn’t wake up? Did I leave him for dead?
I want to knock, to check on him and make sure he’s okay, but if he really is just resting and recovering, I don’t want to bother him. I just wish he would fucking turn a light on orsomethingto signal that he’s still alive in there.
“Hi,” a small voice says.
I turn my attention toward the sound and settle my gaze on the young boy I had seen reading in this very spot.
“Hey,” I respond.
“You seem…lost?” He tilts his head to the side, and his brown eyes glisten from the sunlight.
I force a smile. “Lost in thought, maybe.” I point to the book in his hand. “Is that any good?”
My question seems to cheer him up.
“Yeah. It’s about this town that has all these alien abductions and this weird presence that won’t leave. No one can figure out what’s causing it.”
For a second, it’s like he forgets I’m a stranger. It makes me realize how I haven’t seen him with any other kids. Only that grumpy man who yelled at him.
“Billy,” I sort of blurt out when the name crosses my mind. “Right? I think I heard your dad calling for you the other day.”
He frowns. “That’s my uncle, not my dad.”
“My mistake.” The alarm on my phone goes off, alerting me that it’s time to head to school for my last class of the day. I glance up to the second level to check for life one more time.
“Are you friends with Johnny?” Billy asks me.
“No.” I pause and shift to him. “Are you?”
He shrugs. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Have you seen him today?” I need to leave, but maybe Billy has the answers I need to settle my raging worries.
“Nope.”
One word deflates the balloon of hope I was briefly holding on to.
The two-minute snooze on my phone goes off. “I have to go. I’ll see you later.” I step away and toward the exit. “Enjoy your book,” I call out to him.
He smiles innocently. “Thanks.”
* * *
Usually, I’m a well-disciplined student. I pay attention and take the best notes andalwayscome prepared.
Today though? I’m a hot mess.
I can't think straight, and every time I desperately attempt to focus on what my teacher is saying, my mind wanders to the blood-covered guy from last night. It's not exactly an ideal start to my freshman year of college.
Each second leading up to class being dismissed is more antagonizing than the last. It’s like I’m rushing to be done so I can sit and wait for some kind of reprieve from thinking Johnny might be dead.