He was driving like a bat out of hell, trying to put distance between himself and those piercing blue eyes he felt following him from where he dropped off Adam. When the upset yells of pedestrians and other drivers finally reached him through the haze surrounding his head, he slowed down and began to steer carefully.
God damn it. He just had to crack open, right in front of Jesse. She was uncharacteristically quiet, probably watching them with utter confusion. Embarrassment at his weak willpower gave some colour to his rather pallid complexion. It would have been easier if it were just him and Adam, he initially thought. But would it have, really?
Dylan still felt the aftershocks of Adam’s words and stare, an almost physical caress on his skin, leaving goosebumps and a feeling of overwhelming pressure. If he was honest with himself, it didn’t feel all that bad. All of Adam’s intense focus and attention were directed at him, unyielding, unrelenting, ordering him to speak the truth. In retrospect, that was extremely dangerous. Dylan felt that if Adam continued his questioning, some very unsavoury truths would have seen the light of day. Truths that should be buried six feet under in a steel coffin. So he relented and gave him the least harmful one at the time, one that even Jesse was ok with hearing. On second thought, he should thank her for being there, really.
It was a slightly longer drive to his house, giving him plenty of time to calm the hell down. It was his daily ritual: getting up early enough to take a detour to pick Adam up from his house, gain enough composure to keep up appearances for the day. He was grateful for that now.
He was looking for his turn when the world around him went pitch black, only the road stark bone white in contrast, other cars and pedestrians shadowy outlines in the void. Dylan’s heart nearly stopped as he blinked furiously, trying to clear his vision.
“Fuck! Not again!”
It didn’t change at first, making him hit the brakes hard and begin to hyperventilate, until a passing car screamed at him.
“Learn to drive, asshole!”
That broke through the darkness, and the world returned to its original state. He wiped his eyes, hands sliding over the tear marks and carried on. He probably shouldn’t drive for a while.
This whole situation was insane. Last night, this morning, the god damn shed. The feeling of rising water that engulfed him when his headache peaked right as he collapsed to his knees and the world went dark; the last thing he saw was Ian’s unreadable gaze hidden behind the glasses. And then there was nothing. At first.
He remembered it loosely, like one would a nightmare hours after waking up, more feelings than actual imagery. It felt like his sleepwalking, the endless dark expanse with a shadowy companion. Except this time, the companion was right there, oily tendrils engulfing him in an unsettling embrace as his limbs were twisted and turned without his control. It felt like a violation he was unable to resist. And then it was over, like all of his episodes before, but now apparently the thing spoke through him and delivered a freaking prophecy!
It was stupid of him to try to lie then, his mind and body a mess and the only believable excuse at the time being the musical number. Which, in retrospect, clearly was the most ridiculous thing he could have said. He groaned as he turned to the final road, seeing his house in the distance.
He felt dirty. The layer of oil right under his skin that he couldn’t remove. When he reached out to touch the clearly spiralling Adam back then, he did so instinctively. But the look he gave him. Dylan shuddered as he left the car in the driveway and hurried indoors. He never wanted Adam to look at him like that. Like he was something unclean and wrong. He was pleasantly surprised when Adam grabbed his hand, willing to look past whatever had happened.
He vaulted the stairs rapidly, bursting into his bedroom and absentmindedly packing his overnight duffel bag. He’d rather avoid seeing his mom if he could help it. This particular… episode… felt different to all the ones before. Namely, that the darkness hadn’t left.
He simply felt off at first, sitting in calculus, trying to focus on the equations on the board. The rhythmic tapping of the marker on the whiteboard, the sound of paper and pens shuffling in silence, almost lulled him to sleep. Then he saw something out of the corner of his eye. A black patch, spreading slowly but steadily from the corner of the classroom. He looked around then, wondering if anyone else saw it too. Then, realising he was the only one, wondered if he was having retinal damage affecting his vision. As soon as he noticed it, it was gone, and he thought that was that.
Apparently fucking not.
He heard the front door close downstairs, his mom’s cheerful greeting carrying through the house. He zipped up his messy belongings and headed downstairs.
“Honey, are you going somewhere?” his mom, her nurse’s uniform baggy on her skinny frame, was coming off a long shift. He nodded guiltily as she gave him a light peck on the cheek and yawned.
“Yeah… erm… some friends from school are having a sleepover.” She instantly perked up, sharp amber eyes zoning in on the duffel in his hand and the sheen of sweat on his neck.
“Are you sure you want to go, dear?” She asked, concern suffusing her tone like molasses. “You… don’t feel comfortable sleeping in new places. And I have a night shift today.”
He knew why she was worried, but it still hurt. He was desperate to tell her all about the horrible things happening to him today, to have her hold him tight and tell him everything was going to be ok. But he was enough of an inconvenience in her life.
“Well, Adam is going too. I’m heading to his house first.”
Unsurprisingly, she immediately relaxed and squeezed his shoulder, stifling a yawn.
“Oh, that’s alright then. Have fun, hon. Oh, and tell Adam he should come for dinner; it’s been a while.”
Even if he was going to be paragliding from the top of the New York State Building, if Adam was involved, his mother would let him go without question. It was endearing, but equally concerning, how much of his life was ultimately controlled by Adam’s existence. He smiled at her and headed out the door, the smell of antiseptic lingering in the air, making him wish he could bathe in a vat of it to wash this feeling away.
Objectively, the day was perfect for a walk. The afternoon heat had subsided somewhat, and a nice breeze rustled the lightly yellowing tree canopies above him, throwing dancing shadows beneath his feet on the pavement. He would have enjoyed it if he wasn’t terrified of the shadows doing weird shit again, making him flinch at the slightest change in his surroundings. He must have looked like a drug addict to the random passersby.
Maybe he was just losing his mind for good. Maybe he had schizophrenia or some kind of delusion-based illness, and that fit in the shed only served to freak everybody out, but ultimately wasn’t anything supernatural. He pulled out the box of his old medication, the orange bottle reflecting the evening light ominously. They were a few months past the expiration date, but he was desperate. If he really was just crazy, freaking everyone else out even more, especially Adam, was highly unnecessary.
Yeah, that’s right. Nothing paranormal here. Just teenagers who watched too much Supernatural and now are assigning meaning to a medical condition. He would go to this stupid sleepover, take the pill before bed as he used to all those years ago and just fall into blissful oblivion. In the morning, they would all calm down and move on with their lives as if nothing happened. Even if Ian is claiming to see the future. Maybe he just wanted to feel included? Dylan wouldn’t be surprised.
The rest of the walk was blissfully anticlimactic. He reached Adam and Jesse’s street, slightly out of breath, and began his approach, arguing voices rising steadily. Jesse was throwing her hands up at Adam’s front porch, a tattered bag by her side, as Adam was responding with a surprisingly aggressive cadence. He couldn’t hear them yet, but the odd snippets of “Stop denying it!” and “You’re wrong” gave him ample context.
When he closed in on them, they were out of breath, Adam running his hands through those magnificent golden locks, sparkling like a beacon in the sun. Maybe it was his wishful thinking, but if he just stayed close enough to that light, the shadows might just bugger off for a while. He didn’t make a sound, but as if reading his mind, Adam’s head turned straight toward him, and he smiled.
Dylan laughed internally at the fact that the oily feeling covering him for the last few hours had receded somewhat and a seed of senseless hope began to bloom in his heart. He was so pathetic; he could cry. He smiled back instead and joined them.
Jesse looked done with the world. She threw him a wary glance and nodded as he dumped his bag in with theirs and stood in the circle, waiting for something.
“So… what’s the plan then, chief?” Dylan asked, trying to diffuse the tension.
“I’ve got to wait for Daniel to get back before we go.” Jesse snapped at him. He raised his hands in surrender, cocking an eyebrow. She elaborated.
“My social worker? I’m not allowed to just disappear in the evening; I need to clear it with him first. But he isn’t answering my calls or messages. Must be busy.”
Adam frowned. “Surely you are allowed to go to a classmate’s house with adult supervision? You are not a criminal to be under house arrest.”
“For fuck’s sake, Adam.” She groaned, clearly having to go over this particular topic again. “It’s the regulations before my hearing. In MARCH! So until then, them’s the rules, bub!”
He huffed, clearly displeased with the state legislature when it comes to perpetrators of manslaughter, albeit in self-defence. Just as Dylan was about to say something witty to diffuse the mood, a car pulled up, and a gruff, stocky man in his forties came out, ruffled shirt under an unironed suit too big for him, unshaven beard in black patches along his solid jaw. He lumbered towards them, the smell of burnt cheap coffee and paper dust a miasma around him as he levelled his surprisingly bright gaze at Jesse.
“Evenin’” He grunted, nodding in the direction of himself and Adam. Dylan nodded back respectfully, while Adam glared.
“Hiya, Daniel. Did you get my message?”
“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that. Got held up at work and my phone died.” He responded calmly. He had this soothing presence about him, juxtaposed with his external roughness, which made Dylan think that, surprisingly, the job suited him.
“Are these the gentlemen with whom you’re going to the sleepover? Adam, right?” Daniel said, extending his palm towards Adam.
“Yes. And she will be perfectly safe with us, I guarantee it.” He responded, hostility clear in his voice as he shook the man’s hand firmly.
“Well… I don’t doubt that.” Daniel was thankfully unbothered as he looked back at Jesse. “Personally, I think it’s a great idea. It’ll do you good to spend some time with your friends, and doing that in a safe, controlled environment is perfectly fine by me. I’ve already talked to Miss Volkhvova’s guardian and confirmed the necessary details. Just check in with me in the morning before you go to school, and we’re good.”
Jesse grunted, oddly reminiscent of Daniel’s base rumbles, and asked. “Thanks for the all-clear. Did you really have to come in person, though? This literally could have been an email.”
“I was… erm… just finishing up some things in the house.” His eyes darted to the back of the car, where Dylan saw some grocery bags piled up in the backseat. Suddenly, the door opened and Adam’s mom, wearing a soft nightgown over pyjamas, her hair in a messy bun, wide-rimmed glasses perched on her nose, emerged squinting at the bright light.
“Could you kids pipe down? You woke me from my power nap.”
She startled back, seeing Daniel, who looked her over with curiosity as she hurried to close her nightgown.
“Oh, I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t see you there. I am Adam’s mother, Elaine Penhalyn.”
“Daniel Mercer, Jesse’s social worker.”
“Oh…” Elaine paused at the handshake, eyes darting to Jesse, who visibly shrank into the bushes to avoid her. Elaine immediately walked towards her and slowly but firmly engulfed her in a warm hug. She was whispering something to her, making Jesse stiffen awkwardly but eventually relax into the hug and even return it. Dylan chanced a look at Daniel’s expression, which was absolutely unreadable.
Eventually they broke apart, Adam’s mom wiping tears from her eyes and Jesse shuffling the gravel beneath her shoes, eyes down. She walked back to the porch and looked at them all.
“Well, I hope you all have a great time. You kids are almost adults now. We are happy for you to do with your free time what you will, as long as you keep in touch and don’t miss school tomorrow.” She gave Adam a peck on the cheek.
“Message me the address later, just in case, honey, ok?”
“Sure thing, Mom.”
Suddenly, a revv of a powerful engine reverberated through the evening air and a black SUV, insanely out of place in this suburban landscape, pulled up infront of them. A man, clad in all black with an earpiece, came out of the passenger seat and opened the back door for them.
With a heavy russian accent, he said. “We were sent by Miss Anastasia to escort you to the manor. Please, take a seat.”
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