closed my eyes, opened my energy field, and pictured the windows to Rina’s soul. I vanished from the library.
I materialized in black space. I wasn’t standing, but I wasn’t floating. There was no sound, nothing to see or touch. I waited, hoping it was a transition to somewhere, but nothing happened.
I visualized Carson’s eyes and traversed back.
“Well?” Carson asked. Louise was anticipating my report as well.
“That’s never happened before,” I said. “I ended up in darkness. Pure, empty darkness.”
“Try again,” Carson insisted.
“Why? There was nothing. No Maryah, no Rina, no sound, or anything else.”
“But there was darkness,” Carson said.
“So?”
Louise held my hand. “Without light, there can be no dark. You need to keep searching until you find a light.”
“Rina said darkness falls over the room before anyone comes or goes.” Carson grabbed my shoulders and stared directly into my eyes. “You were halfway there. Keep searching until you find a way in.”
FRIENDS IN LONELY PLACES
Maryah
Rina and I were mid-conversation when the candle went out. When the light returned, Evelyn and River stood behind Rina.
Rina glanced over her shoulder, and when she faced me her eyes were wide.
“Hi, Maryah,” River said quietly.
“What do you want?”
Rina sidestepped to the table and sat down. Evelyn set the tray of food in front of her, but Rina didn’t inhale her makeshift meal like usual. She reached for the slice of bread while watching River.
“He needed to speak to Maryah,” Evelyn explained. “Dedrick doesn’t know. He can’t know, do you understand?”
Rina nodded then tore her crust into small pieces.
River crept toward me, and I backed away. He put his hands up in front of him as if his empty hands would prove he was incapable of harm.
“I don’t expect you to trust me. Hell, I wouldn’t trust me, but I’m telling the truth when I say I don’t want to see you trapped here. I want to help you. Or at least try.” He stuck his hands in the pockets of his gray prisoner pants. “I’m still locked up most of the time, but my uncle has been sending in some quack to discuss my schizophrenia. I’m convincing him that I believe I’m crazy, and that I want to get better. I’m cheeking my meds but acting like a zombie around my uncle. The more I go along with the mental patient act, the more I get let out of my cell.”
Evelyn busied herself by tidying up the hopelessly dirty room. She didn’t seem the least bit interested in what River was saying, which seemed weird considering how worried she was about Dedrick in her prior conversation with Rina.
“I won’t betray you,” River told me. “I’m not like them. I don’t want to live like this, doing whatever he tells me, hurting people, killing people.” He glanced at Rina. “Watching people suffer. I want to get away from him too, but I’ll never be able to do it on my own, and you and your kindrily are the only people I know who might be powerful enough to help me.” His eyelids looked heavy and his mouth was weighed down with a permanent frown. “I know that might sound like I’m using you, and maybe I am in a way, but it’s not like I’m asking you to help make me popular or something shallow. I’m asking you to help me escape and have some sort of normal life. I’ll help you break free if you promise to come back for me.”
“Are you kidding me?” I gawked at him. “I don’t care if you have mental problems. You tried to kill me! And now you want my kindrily and me to help you? Why? So you can try to kill Nathan? Or me again? How stupid do you think I am?”
“He’s being genuine,” Rina said.
“Rina!” How could she blow her cover with River around?
River whirled around to look at her. “You can talk?”
Rina nodded. Evelyn didn’t even look up from wiping the table.
River glanced at me then back at Rina. “I guess I’m not the only one keeping
I materialized in black space. I wasn’t standing, but I wasn’t floating. There was no sound, nothing to see or touch. I waited, hoping it was a transition to somewhere, but nothing happened.
I visualized Carson’s eyes and traversed back.
“Well?” Carson asked. Louise was anticipating my report as well.
“That’s never happened before,” I said. “I ended up in darkness. Pure, empty darkness.”
“Try again,” Carson insisted.
“Why? There was nothing. No Maryah, no Rina, no sound, or anything else.”
“But there was darkness,” Carson said.
“So?”
Louise held my hand. “Without light, there can be no dark. You need to keep searching until you find a light.”
“Rina said darkness falls over the room before anyone comes or goes.” Carson grabbed my shoulders and stared directly into my eyes. “You were halfway there. Keep searching until you find a way in.”
FRIENDS IN LONELY PLACES
Maryah
Rina and I were mid-conversation when the candle went out. When the light returned, Evelyn and River stood behind Rina.
Rina glanced over her shoulder, and when she faced me her eyes were wide.
“Hi, Maryah,” River said quietly.
“What do you want?”
Rina sidestepped to the table and sat down. Evelyn set the tray of food in front of her, but Rina didn’t inhale her makeshift meal like usual. She reached for the slice of bread while watching River.
“He needed to speak to Maryah,” Evelyn explained. “Dedrick doesn’t know. He can’t know, do you understand?”
Rina nodded then tore her crust into small pieces.
River crept toward me, and I backed away. He put his hands up in front of him as if his empty hands would prove he was incapable of harm.
“I don’t expect you to trust me. Hell, I wouldn’t trust me, but I’m telling the truth when I say I don’t want to see you trapped here. I want to help you. Or at least try.” He stuck his hands in the pockets of his gray prisoner pants. “I’m still locked up most of the time, but my uncle has been sending in some quack to discuss my schizophrenia. I’m convincing him that I believe I’m crazy, and that I want to get better. I’m cheeking my meds but acting like a zombie around my uncle. The more I go along with the mental patient act, the more I get let out of my cell.”
Evelyn busied herself by tidying up the hopelessly dirty room. She didn’t seem the least bit interested in what River was saying, which seemed weird considering how worried she was about Dedrick in her prior conversation with Rina.
“I won’t betray you,” River told me. “I’m not like them. I don’t want to live like this, doing whatever he tells me, hurting people, killing people.” He glanced at Rina. “Watching people suffer. I want to get away from him too, but I’ll never be able to do it on my own, and you and your kindrily are the only people I know who might be powerful enough to help me.” His eyelids looked heavy and his mouth was weighed down with a permanent frown. “I know that might sound like I’m using you, and maybe I am in a way, but it’s not like I’m asking you to help make me popular or something shallow. I’m asking you to help me escape and have some sort of normal life. I’ll help you break free if you promise to come back for me.”
“Are you kidding me?” I gawked at him. “I don’t care if you have mental problems. You tried to kill me! And now you want my kindrily and me to help you? Why? So you can try to kill Nathan? Or me again? How stupid do you think I am?”
“He’s being genuine,” Rina said.
“Rina!” How could she blow her cover with River around?
River whirled around to look at her. “You can talk?”
Rina nodded. Evelyn didn’t even look up from wiping the table.
River glanced at me then back at Rina. “I guess I’m not the only one keeping
Similar Books
