Chapter #46The Mystery of James Black by: Seuzz   James Black. Quiet kid. Slim, but not skinny. Dresses in blue jeans and button-down shirts. When he's going casual, he'll leave the shirt open and wear a t-shirt underneath. Thick brown hair in a bowl cut with a "swoop." You've got him in a couple of classes. He doesn't talk to many people, and you're not even sure you know what his voice sounds like. He gives the impression of trying to get through school without anyone noticing him.
You have him for English class, and you watch him without being obvious about it. At one point Peter Robins leans over and has a quick consultation with him. It looks like a friendly talk, although Black looks as guarded as ever when it's done.
"Hey, what's the deal with James Black," you ask Peter afterwards as you hook up with him. "He's just so quiet," you explain when Peter asks what you mean. "Does he have any friends?"
"I don't know," Peter says. "I guess. We played soccer back in middle school. He was a little more outgoing back then." He laughs. "Kyle would be the one to talk to about James. Just ask Kyle," he adds when you ask what he means by that.
* * * * *
"And at the end of the old dark street is an old dark gate. And behind the old dark gate is a long dark sidewalk. And at the end of the long dark sidewalk is an old dark house."
That's Kyle speaking, and he has the circle of third-graders utterly entranced. You also gasp, and clutch at Jenny Taylor's arm. "I don't like scary stories," you squeak. "Make him stop."
"Let go of me," she snickers back, "or my boyfriend will really give you something to be scared of."
It's after school, and you're at the municipal library, where Jenny and Kyle do volunteer work. Today it's Kyle's turn to read to the kids. You release her arm and look around. "It can't be scarier than this place," you sigh. "All these books. It's like something out of a nightmare."
"Why is it so hard for you?" she asks. "It's just reading." Her face turns serious. "Joe, are you dyslexic?" she asks in a gentle tone.
You let your eyes fall. "Maybe. If I knew what that word meant."
"AND IT'S GOT YOU!" Kyle yells, and all the kids squeal. He grins up at you and Jenny.
"Speaking of kids who are scared of their own shadows," you say to her. "What's the deal with James Black?"
Her eyebrows crinkle. "That's a weird segue. A weird way to change the subject," she adds as your own eyebrows crinkle. "I don't think of James as someone who's scared of his own shadow."
You shrug. "He always seems to jump when I try talking to him."
"That's you, Joe," she says.
"I love it when pretty girls talk about me, but tell me about James."
"He's just quiet," she sighs. She does turn thoughtful, though, when you tell her what Peter said. "Yeah, he was on the soccer team back in middle school. With Kyle and Peter and some of the other guys. He was good. He was very good."
"As good as Kyle?" you tease.
She glances at you and over at Kyle, then turns her back to her boyfriend. "He was better than Kyle." Your jaw drops: Kyle is going to be a pro, there's no doubt of it. "He was the star on the team. He wasn't a hot-dogger about it, either. I'm not even sure he realized he was as good as he was. He's always been very modest." Her shoulders hunch, and she becomes very furtive. "That's one of the big 'what ifs'. What if he hadn't quit at the end of middle school? What if--?" But she trails off.
"So what does he do now?"
"Keeps to himself. I've tried pulling him out of his shell. But it's like, the harder you pull at him, the harder he pulls away."
"Girls?"
"There are a lot of girls with big crushes on him. I don't think he notices. Or he doesn't want to notice."
"Is he gay?"
She shoots you a sharp look. "If he is," she says in a tight voice, "it's because of home life, not school life. You know what I mean." She jabs you in the chest.
"Hey, that's cool, I'm not making a judgment, I'm just trying to understand him. I'm a sociable guy and I was thinking of trying to hang out with him."
"Good luck with that."
"Good luck with what?" That's Kyle, sauntering up. He tags Jenny. "Your turn to take a break. I'll handle babysitting duties." He grins at you.
"Am I really so hard to talk to?" you cry.
He just laughs. "The subject is James Black," Jenny says, then goes off to join the kids.
"James Black, huh?" Kyle says. "That's a little unusual."
You recount your various conversations to Kyle. You can't tell for sure, but Kyle seems a little stiff. He shrugs at your questions. "Yeah, he was really good. He shouldn't have quit. I don't know why he did. I guess maybe it had to do with moving from middle school to high school. It's a rough transition for some guys." He doesn't meet your eye.
* * * * *
You're mulling this still when Joshua calls, asking you to come over after supper to help with an ambush of Elisabeth Pruit. You agree.
It's dark down in Joshua's rec room when you arrive, and the air is full of incense and strange, thrumming music. Elisabeth is already there, looking distinctly ill at ease. She looks up at you with relief in her eye, but it clouds over when you kneel on the futon next to her. "I'm not used to seeing you in a place like this," you say, and lean in close to her.
"It's not my usual scene," she admits.
"She fainted," Joshua chortles. "I guess it's a little intense for her." Eileen has a huge but slightly terrified grin on her face.
"Do you need rescuing, Elisabeth?" you ask. Relief returns to her face as you stand and extend a hand to her, and she lets you help her up. "Let's go someplace where the air is a little clearer." You don't release her hand, and she doesn't pull away, as you lead her back up the stairs and out of the house.
"I don't usually hang out with them," she says when you're out by her car. "And now I remember why."
"Don't be mean," you gently chide her. "Joshua's cool. You're just cooler in a different way. Are you okay? You look a little pale." She nods curtly. "How are things with you and Mitch?"
She stiffens. "Everything's fine with us, Joe."
"Well, don't blame me for trying," you lightly jest. You open her car door for her. "Joshua called, said you were out here, and I thought that one way or another you might want to see my face." She gets in, and you shut the door, then lean in at the window. "If they invite Mitch over here, don't stop him from coming. Joshua needs to learn not to fuck around with people."
She starts to argue, but you step back with a smile and just wave her farewell.
Back in the basement, you find Joshua clutching the mask and grinning like a maniac. "Wow, it really worked. I guess we didn't need your help."
"I gave you some anyway." You take the mask from him, and from your kit draw out the jar that has the sealant in it. "Invite Mitch over tomorrow or soon, make it sound like you want to make up for freaking Elisabeth out. Be sure to have me on hand."
Joshua and Eileen watch as you seal up the mask, and then you hold it out with a smile. Eileen snatches it before Joshua can. He groans as she ducks into the bathroom, but bounces excitedly until she returns.
Eileen's clothes look a little odd on her new form: a swimmer in a short bob, her body sculpted by lots of practice slicing through water. She's also a little uncertain on her feet as she goes over to Joshua. As you did with Elisabeth, she kneels rather than sits next to him. "You are so nasty," she tells him.
"But am I sexy, Elisabeth?" he murmurs back.
"No. You're kind of disgusting. But that makes it kind of hot." She kisses him lightly, almost daintily. He tenses and keeps his arms crossed as he kisses her back. Their lips barely touch.
"Don't mind me, kids," you say, and turn around. "I'll just stare at this wall over here." It's lined with marionettes, hanging from the ceiling, in a display that looks very macabre in the dim light. The air conditioner is on, and they swing subtly in the draught.
"Can we invite Mitch over now?" Elisabeth asks. You flick an amused glance back at her, and shake your head. "Because I'd really like--"
Your cell phone rings: Darcy. "I'm calling from a toilet stall," she says brusquely. "Can you meet me so we can make this switch?"
"Is Karter knocked out?" you as in surprise.
"Don't be dumb, I said I'm calling from a toilet stall. I got his mask about twenty minutes ago while we were-- Oh God, the things I do to stay alive."
"You loved it, and don't pretend you didn't. He's all animal magnetism, and Darcy's lost in his coils."
"Yeah, well I'm not," she says hotly.
"But think of the fun you'll have when you are him."
"Look, can we just rendezvous--that's a real French word, by the way, Joe. Can we just rendezvous someplace so we can finish it up?"
Joshua's basement is the perfect spot. But that would mean showing Joshua and Elisabeth how to pull off a switch. On the other hand--your eye goes back to the marionettes--they would probably really like the idea.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
| Members who added to this interactive story also contributed to these: |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author