25. Telling My Friends

Juliet

After I closed the door on Chris and disappeared, I couldn’t go back home. Louis was there, my parents were there, and I wanted to be off-grid away from all of them. They had lied to me from the start about everything. I didn’t know how much my parents kept from me, but they must have known about Louis’s ability. It was an easy decision to go back into the house when I saw Chris wasn’t himself yet. It gave me a chance to snoop around, waiting for him to wake up. Chris was passed out on the couch in just a towel. My clothes were still in his dryer. I was in his house… I walked around, finding a laptop in the main bedroom… Just to find another one in his study. It must be Sita’s, but there was no password on it. Opening a few files made it clear that this PC was used solely for tracking Chris. His study was bugged, his classroom at school, and… his car.

I knew why Sita was MIA. I played the last file that was still open. It was a video of dashcam footage. I fast-forwarded and saw everything as I remembered it. Jumping on Chris after he kissed me, throwing my legs around him. We moved out of view. The car door opened. The noises from there on were self-explanatory.

I blushed. “Stupid Juliet.”

I watched our whole conversation… My mind was saying that I should just show him what happened. Let it come back to him. But if he couldn’t remember, I would be crushed. What if he regretted it!? But how would I make him open up like he did the night before? Shaking myself, I took the laptop and headed for the kitchen, rummaging the cupboards. I wanted popcorn, but I gagged as soon as I opened the microwave. I needed blood and soon. If one was off-grid, how did you go about vetting a person? Find out if they had no connections and won’t be missed? My parents had coddled me… but they probably thought that they had more time before I would leave the nest. I put my hand in front of my mouth. Swallowing the bile that rose in the back of my throat. The only thing that could remotely help was alcohol, especially beer. Luckily, it seems that Chris did drink.

I learned a lot about him by going through his things and some videos. Louis was coming up in my mind. Everything he had done to know what was going on in my life. I felt a little stupid for judging him so harshly. Still, he could have told me. If he had just pushed a little harder like I had done with Chris… But I had also lied and manipulated him into that car… Why hadn’t Louis if he could read my mind?

I went back to the couch across from Chris to watch more footage. I scanned and searched all the rooms to find all the hidden cameras. One for one, I started taking them down, crushing them under my feet. I hated the fact that Sita had followed him. Pried into his privacy. It was okay that I did it… But she had no right… I went to the car and took those ones out as well. Stopping any remote access, there might still have been. Yeah, I wasn’t taking that chance… A video wasn’t how Chris would find out about us. Sita had left it here. It was okay for her that he would find out about himself... Like that… She had left him there… All alone after the night before.

I was sipping on my beer, trying to think of a password that no one would guess. But Louis would figure it out. I didn’t want him to see it either. How would I get around that one? Charlene and Carl! Perfect, I needed my buddies. I had completely forgotten about them. It was as good a time as any to bring them into the mess? I called them, realizing my parents would probably track my phone at some point. That wouldn’t do. I took out the sim and used Chris’s cell phone. Leaving mine off in a drawer in his office.

“Charlene!” I said when she answered.

“Juliet, where are you? You’re not answering my texts.”

“I’m at Chris’s house. Is Carl still there?”

“What are you doing there… never mind… Yeah, we’re just watching movies.”

“We need to talk… There any way you guys can get here…?”

“…Okay… we can try.”

“If I’m not here… I’m sorry for making a fuss… Charlene… don’t tell Louis anything...Tell your parents you’re going to a friend.”

“See you now.”

“Okay, see you now, bye!”

Charlene and Carl stopped outside half an hour later, ringing the bell. I peeked out through the window to see how they got there. I was relieved to see her mother bring them. As soon as Charlene’s mom drove off, I opened the door.

When they saw me, they freaked out for about twenty minutes. When they saw Chris in his towel for another twenty. After that, they calmed down. I walked across the room from side to side. Chris snored, and we laughed at the picture he painted. I got back to business by prepping them for the footage of Chris being dragged into the house by creatures and being laid on the bed. Carl grabbed the laptop from my hand and stood away from me, playing the video. He watched for a good five minutes. His eyes kept darting from the screen to Chris, to the mess on the floors. Carl’s gaze locked with mine. There was no shock or questions, just concern…

“Are you sure we should show this to Charlene…?”

“Why are you so calm?” I blurted out.

“I also have secrets just like you….” I blinked slowly. The day had gotten way too long. If Carl had manifested into a vampire or a werewolf at that moment, I would have lost it. Charlene came over and grabbed the laptop from him. She played the video. Sat down at the most significant parts, her hand over her mouth. Carl and I shared some more looks. He was concerned. Both of them were taking it really well. Chris didn’t even know what he was. When he saw himself like that, it would rock his world.

“I’m trying to stay calm and not freak out for the baby’s sake… But what the f-, Juliet? What is Chris?” Charlene said.

“I think the better question is… what am… I?” Charlene’s eyes were as round as saucers… But Carl’s wasn’t…

“Come on, Carl. Just manifest already so that I know what you are.”

“I’m too young.” He said softly.

I frowned. That was new… Another new race I didn’t know about. I was going to kill Louis if I ever saw him again. Charlene and I stared at him, dumbfounded at his nonchalant answer. Charlene got up and walked over to me… “What do you mean manifest? So, are you one of those things… Is that why you’re not at school and secretive…? I knew you were different… But I thought that you might be bipolar or schizophrenic… But never, ever did I think things like that existed.”

I fisted her shoulder very lightly. “Really a schizo Charlene…? No…I’m something… but not that.” My gaze traveled to Chris. “So far, he is the only one of those.” Chris stirred and turned on his side. I went to get a little blanket off of one of the wingback chairs at the window and covered him.

“But before I tell you what I am… I… slept with Chris last night.” They both burst out laughing. It didn’t last long when they noticed I was serious. They stared at us in turn and laughed into their hands… like two children.

“Oh, so you can have a holiday romance. Get pregnant, but I can’t sleep with… my teacher… That is a hybrid monster.” I burst out laughing. And we all laughed. Chris let out small moans.

“Okay, guys… he is waking up… Here Charlene… This is what I wanted you to do for me. Take the laptop and put a password on it… Don’t tell anyone. Let Carl hide it so that you don’t know where it is. Maybe we might be covered in hiding his secret for a little bit. Or at least till he finds out by himself.”

There was a hooter honking outside. “That’s my mom. I told her two hours.” Charlene said.

“It’s fine… if all three of us were here when he woke up… It would be peculiar anyway. Remember, he doesn’t know about last night.” I said softly.

“Not even?” She asked. I shook my head. Charlene seemed concerned, and I was too.

“Are we still going to France?” Charlene asked. Worry in her voice.

“Come hell or high water! We’re going! Even if the three of us go alone and go find Ben to take responsibility...” I hugged her. “Our flight leaves Wednesday at eight... I will be there two hours earlier just to make sure. I won’t be online so contact me on messenger only.”

They had the laptop… Sort of knew about me… It went better than I had expected. One side of my life was moving in the right direction. When I manifested in front of Chris, and he freaked out like that… It had been stupid of me… It was a bigger deal than I had anticipated. I needed to prepare my friends better. All I could do was wait for this guy to wake up. I put on my clothes. Sweatpants and a white T-shirt.

***

Chris

I woke up more confused than ever. The first thing I thought about was Juliet and her kissing me. Telling me, she loved me. I sat up… It all felt so surreal.

“Juliet, are you here? Please tell me you are still here! Don’t leave things like this.”

Everything she had said about the previous evening didn’t make sense. What happened that morning didn’t make sense. The freaking house in a mess didn’t make sense… I checked the time. It wasn’t that late. I wanted to see Juliet. But what would I say? Where was Sita? Could she at least just talk to me? I checked my phone. Called her again and again. No answer. I drew in a heavy breath and released it slowly. That woman was testing me.

I decided to get in my car. Go to her grandfather and talk to him. Sita and I had to end that day. I opened the garage door. Walked to the driver’s side… My back door was gone… Completely off… the car… I stood staring momentarily, putting my hand on the roof, bending down to peer inside. The seats were ripped in some places. I thought about Juliet. She had scratches... On her arms, her legs… Did Jerry do that to her in my car?

“I’ll kill him.”

Something on the floor caught my attention. I picked it up, trying to make out what it was. It was an earring … a very dangly one. Juliet had these on the previous night when I saw her with Jerry.

“Juliet, I swear if you and Jerry had sex in my car, I would kill you,” I said out loud, hoping she might still be here. I cringed at how mad I got and how snarky she was with me.

Nonetheless, I got in my car, unsure if I could drive like that. An hour north on the highway was going to be noisy. I sat down in the driver’s seat. The settings were all jumbled. I had to redo them. Juliet knew what was going on. I was almost sure of it. There was more going on than me just getting knocked out… If I could just talk to her again. I was so out of it when I woke up in the tub… I remembered asking her why she had come. No wonder she had left… Or why she wasn’t showing herself.

Frustrated, I checked the cabby to see if my registration was still there. If I was pulled over. It wouldn’t look good if I had no papers with me. Pulling down on the handle, I took out the documents, catching a glimpse of my wedding ring lying in the corner. My head tilted, trying to remember tossing it inside… I took it out, holding it in my fingers for a long time. I couldn’t put it back on. I had given Sita enough time to decide. She had had three years already.

On the highway up north, I drove past the spot where I picked up that stupid kid that one time. “You see, Juliet. That is where it all started… You have me talking to myself because I have no idea if you’re here.”

I slowly reached out my arm, feeling the seat next to me. Holding my breath, hoping I would touch flesh. She wasn’t there. I thought about tossing the ring out the window… Too scared that the gusting wind would make it fly back in through the back door. I wanted it gone permanently.

“I hope you’re seeing this… Juliet. If you are here… Now would be a good time for us to talk.”

I got out and threw the ring as far as possible into a field next to the road. It was bushy. Barbed wire separated me and my past. At last… I could breathe easier. Whether she signed or not… it was over. I was so tired and was struggling to stay awake. Swaying on the side of the road. I wouldn’t be able to drive anymore. I walked back to the car.

“I just need a nap….” I whispered.

I hoped my head would fall on her lap that she would be there. She yelped as I sat down on her. Coming out of her hiding.

“Hey! My legs!” But I was gone before I could react.