THE BOY WHO REMEMBERED

CHAPTER TWO;RadioHead

The morning is loud with birds and cicadas. The walk to school is short. Eli breathes in the fresh morning air. He likes this part. The cicadas feel like they’re singing just for him.

Annie, on the other hand, hates walking. Sometimes she fakes being dizzy so Liam will carry her.

“Not today,” Liam says already looking at her.

“Please?” Annie tries.

“What’s wrong with you today?” Eli asks. He knows she’s about to cook up a lie to avoid walking to school.

“My leg hurts,” Annie winces, dramatic.

“You’re so lazy.” Liam bends down and signals for her to get on his back.

“Thank you.” Annie smiles and jumps on.

“Liam, remember that day we sang __ for Mom and Dad?” Annie says

“What are you talking about?” Liam frowns.

“Yeah, we sang __ for Mom and Dad. They loved it.”

“Where was I when that happened?” Eli asks.

“It never happened.” Liam pauses. A small group of people stands in front of the police station.

“I swear, Annie. Your imagination.”

“What do you think happened?” Eli asks. The mayor is there and the sheriff standing among the people.

“In Black Ridge? Probably nothing,” Liam says.

“They look gloomy,” Eli notices.

The siblings keep walking to school.

Liam is right. Nothing interesting ever happens in Black Ridge.

Black Ridge founded in 1875 by Noel Blackridge,his wife Annabel, their daughter, and a few friends.

Black Ridge is located in the middle of nowhere; it isn’t even on the map. Population 500. One sheriff. The only crime is kids stealing apples from Mr. Smith’s tree. Except for the missing teenagers but those were always runaways.

They drop Annie at the elementary school. One block away before they got to theirs.

Noel Black Ridge High looks like every other high school in the morning. Too many kids. Too much noise. And that low buzz of something nobody wanted to name.

“See you later” Eli walks to the direction of his classroom

“Yo Liam,”

A classmates of Liam’s and his teammate calls out to him in the hallway.

“Hey, Reed.” Liam greets back.

They shake hands and pull each other in for a hug.

The boy pats Liam at the back.

Liam winces.

“You good?” Reed asks,frowning.

“Yeah…yeah. I probably got injured at practice yesterday and didn’t notice.”

“You sure you’re good?” Reed presses.

“Yeah. I’ll shake it off before practice.”

“Okay I’ll catch you later,dude.”

Reed walks off.

Liam walks into the boys’ bathroom and lifts up his shirt.

There’s a big purple bruise on his lower back.

“When did that happen?”

He touches the bruise and winces.

“Doesn’t seem that bad.”

He shrugs and walks off.

Eli sits at his desk staring at the board.

Math equations covers them.

The teacher’s voice fades to static.

Eli isn’t here anymore.His hands moves.

Ink bleeds into the margins of his math textbook.

Faces.

Torsos.

Another one.

The screech of the mic from the speakers snaps him out of it.

Principal Hart starts the morning announcements.

“Ahem.”

Long pause. Papers shuffle.

“Good morning Black Ridge.

It is with a heavy heart that I inform you of the passing of one of our students.

John Fletcher, a senior here at Black Ridge High died from a car accident.

I know that’s a word we don’t want to hear in a place like this. In a town like this.

We’re 500 people. We know each other. We look out for each other.

John Fletcher had a smile that could fill a room.

He was in my office last week for a tardy slip.

Counselors will be available all day today. Teachers please give students time to grief if they need it.

But today, we keep going, that’s what John would have wanted.

Thank you. That is all.”

Click.

The sound of cicadas get louder the moment the mic cuts off.

It becomes so loud the teacher has them close the windows.

[Liam]

The bell rings for Lunch.

Liam walks out feeling hollow.

The news of John’s passing hits him. They weren’t friends,but John was his classmate. And he was cheerful.

Liam notices a commotion in Principal’s office.

Principal Hart and his classmate, Eunice.

Liam walks closer to the open door.

“I understand you’re grieving right now, but you need to calm down, Eunice.”

Principal Hart steps out of his office.

“You don’t get it! John would never do something like that!”

Eunice yells.

“Sometimes you think you know someone but you don’t.

If you need someone to talk to, the school counselor is available.

My condolences.”

Principal Hart walks back into his office and closes the door.

Liam walks towards Eunice.

“Are you okay?”

“Mind your business.”

Eunice walks away from him.

She runs up the stairs, into the girls’ bathroom and lets out a scream.

Tears stream down her face.

School draws to an end.

The atmosphere feels gloomy. Dull.

Liam’s eyes stay on Eunice.

Something about the way she left earlier worries him.

He follows her. Keeps his distance he doesn’t want to make her angry again.

At the corner of the school, he sees his sister waiting.

“What are you doing here?” Liam asks,surprised.

“Waiting for you. What does it look like?” Annie falls into step beside him.

“Where are we going? Home is the other way”

“You can go home. I’m not going home” Liam doesn’t look at her.

His eyes stay locked on Eunice so he doesn’t lose her.

They keep following her.

Into the woods.

Annie gets tired of walking.

“How much longer?” She whines.

“Shhh. Stop whining.”

Liam turns to her.

“I didn’t ask you to follow me.”

“You’re right. It’s all my fault.”

Annie agrees.

They reach the main road leading into town. They see Eunice standing next to a truck.

A tree is through the hood.

The siblings walk closer.

“Is this…?”

Liam trails off.

“What are you doing here?”

Eunice asks.

“We followed you.”

Annie answers.

“Why?” Eunice asks.

“Just wanted to make sure you’re okay. That’s all”

“Is this John’s car?.” Liam circles the car.

“How come he didn’t see the tree?.”

“According to the sheriff, he was driving under the influence.”

Eunice circles the car also

“You don’t agree with the sheriff?”

Liam ask.

“I know John. He wouldn’t do something that stupid.

Besides he doesn’t drink.”

Eunice peers into the car through the window.

“Why was he driving away from town?” Liam asks.

“I don’t know.”

[Eli ]

He walks into Dr. Hale’s clinic,heading straight to the receptionist.

He give her a warm smiles.

“Good day” Eli greets.

“Hi Eli. Doctor Hale will be with you shortly. He’s wrapping up a session.

Eli nods and sits down . A few other people were waiting to see Dr. Hale too.

Everyone likes Dr. Hale.

Kids leave his office smiling.

Even teenagers who hated every one never had a bad thing to say about him.

Dr. Hale is kind.

Patient.

He lets Eli draw sometimes during their sessions.

And every time Eli walks out of that office, he feels different.

The conversations slip away like trying to remember a dream after waking up.

A kid walks out of Dr. Hale’s office.

The receptionist nods at Eli to go in.

“Eli Donovan. Long time no see” Dr. Hale smiles warmly from his desk. “I’ve been counting the days till we’ll meet again.”

Eli scoffs.

“We met 3 days ago,” Eli says, sitting down.

“ It’s been too long.”

Dr. Hale gets up from his desk.

“Would you like something to drink?.”

“No,thank you.”

Dr. Hale takes a seat across from him.

Eli’s eyes drift to the picture frame on the desk. A picture of Dr. Hale standing next to a teenage boy.

Same age as Liam.

Same easy smile.

“ Did you know John?” Dr. Hale asks.

He doesn’t look at Eli.

Just the photo.

His face goes soft with sadness.

Then it shifts.

For half a second.

Something like amusement.

And then it’s gone.

“I didn’t know him,” Eli says. “My brother might’ve. They were in the same grade.”

“He was my patient.”

Dr. Hale’s voice softens. “A happy kid. Always optimistic. He had nightmares, though I tried to help him.”

A pause.

“I guess I can’t save them all.“

”I’m sure you did your best,” Eli says.

He points at the photo. ”He must've been a big fan.”

The Radiohead t-shirt.

” Yeah... Enough of that. Let's talk about you“

Dr. Hale Picks up his notebook.

”How are the panic attacks?.“

”Still there. No improvement.” Eli sighs.

”These things take time. Are you taking your meds?“ Dr. Hale inquires.

”Yes. They make me sleepy“ Eli picks at his fingers.

”You still need to take them“

”I feel like i’m in a dream sometimes” Eli says quietly.

“Like my body’s floating in a river somewhere.

And my consciousness is just…roaming. Going to school.

Sitting here.

Talking to you.”

Dr. Hale smiles. Gentle.

”Kid I promise you. It’s normal to feel that way.

The fact you still feel all this?

Means you’re alive.“

He flips open a new page and writes.

”Time’s almost up. I’m going to write up a new prescription. This one won’t make you sleepy.

And i’ll see you next week, kiddo.”

Dr. Hale walks Eli out.

Martin’s already waiting by the car.

The two men nod at each other.

Nothing more.

”How’d it go?“ Martin asks as Eli slides in.

”Not bad. He wrote up a new medication.”

”Another one?” Martin takes the slip.

“Hope this one works.”

“I hope so too.”

Home.

Eli gets out of the car.

Betty at the front porch, stitching clothes.

“Welcome. How was today? Anything fun happen?.”

“Not quite.”

Eli keeps walking he doesn’t feel like getting into the nit and grit of his day.

He goes upstairs.

Annie’s bedroom is right before he’s

Her bedroom door is wide open.

He sees Annie and Liam whispering.

Eli shrugs and keeps going.

He doesn’t want to get involved with whatever's going on.

He has enough in his head already.

He gets into his bedroom and closes the door behind him.

Eli throws his schoolbag on his bed.

It’s not zipped,his notebooks and pens spill onto the floor.

“Fudge cake.” Eli curses.

He rushes over to pick them off the floor. He reaches underneath his bed to pick up a pencil,his hands felt something else.

A paper.

He pulls it out.

His eyes go wide.

It’s a drawing of a faceless boy. Disfigured by his injuries. Wearing a Radiohead t-shirt. He doesn’t remember drawing it. But that’s not what scares him. He recognizes his shirt. He’s see it before. John Fletcher wore a Radiohead T shirt in the picture in Dr. Hale’s office.

Eli gets frantic.

His head spins.

His breath shortens.

Flashes of light and distorted memories.

He hears voices.

people screaming.

Most of all;

Liam.

Annie.

Their screams ring in his ears

Eli crawls to the corner of the floor.

He covers his ears.

The pain is too much.

“Noooo.”

Annie screams rings in his ears.

One last time.