I was about to ask when Astrid and Gwen were going to get here, or if David even contacted them in the first place, but my question was answered when Astrid and Gwen came rushing in through the door, sunlight leaking into the room. Astrid and Gwen were glistening with sweat, almost like a glow was coming off of their bodies. I was memorized by Astrid's ability to look absolutely beautiful, even when she was sweating, her hair plastered to her neck from the heat.
I was almost in a trance-like state at this point, but when Astrid came over to hug me, I came out of it, and planted a kiss on her forehead, despite the enormous amount of sweat dripping from her head. "I'm so glad you're okay," Astrid breathed into my ear, and when I looked at her to place a kiss on her lips, I saw that her face was masked with concern, like she was about to cry.
I kissed her, and then looked her in the eyes. "It's going to be okay," I said, my voice warm and soothing, so that Astrid would calm down. I knew she felt sad about the whole incident, and I kind of felt sad myself. It wasn't that I felt sad about being attacked by a librarian ghost. Even though I didn't feel good about killing the librarian, that wasn't what I was sad about.
I was sad that Astrid was sad. You see, that's how love works. You feel bad when your girlfriend feels bad, even if she's feeling bad because something happened to you. You don't feel bad about yourself...you feel bad for them. The thought of love made me think of Astrid, and memories of her started to flash by my eyes, but something stuck and I was lost in the memory.
* * *
The feeling of getting stuck in a flashback is like waking up, and then seeing something that already happened. It's like watching something happen from a third-person view, instead of a first-person view as you usually see things through. I sat, watching, as the memory played out.
Astrid and a dark-haired guy were sitting on a dock, looking out over the ocean – and somewhere beyond that was California, the big massive mainland of the United States. A foggy soup of mist suspended over the calm, shallow coast waters, the humidity enough to make someone dizzy or nauseous. The calm lapping of the ocean waters against the shore echoed out over the dock, like a sound repeating itself over and over again, desperately wanting to be heard. Just then, the view changed, and instead of watching the ocean, I was now watching Astrid and the dark-haired man sitting next to her.
Astrid was wearing a pink hoody, blue jeans, and her feet were bare, the flip-flops she had been wearing discarded next to her on the wooden planks of the dock. I looked even closer at Astrid, but it was like trying to get further into the memory. I had to squint my eyes to look closer. That's when I noticed how horrible Astrid looked. Astrid's eyes looked strained and little wrinkles cascaded around her eyes, as if she were uneasy or worried about something. The dark-haired boy next to her was wearing a dark hoody, now pulled over his head, his face lost in shadow, so I couldn't make out who he was.
The dark-haired boy rubbed her back. He was probably trying to make her feel better, but Astrid was a hard person to try easing back to a good state, whatever the scenario might be. "It's going to be okay, Astrid. No one will find out," the dark-haired boy said, his voice soothing and inspiriting. His voice was familiar, though, as if I spent time with the person every day.
Weird, I thought.
"It's not going to be okay. I can't do this. If my parents found out..." Astrid said, but trailed off, her voice shaky. Something was really bothering her and by the things she was saying, I knew that the dark-haired boy was bothering her. A sudden jolt of anger and irritation bubbled up inside me, and I almost shouted, but that's when the flashback started to waver. I knew then that I had to calm myself down or I would be thrown back into reality – a reality where I killed a supernatural being.
I mentally calmed myself down, and then kept watching the flashback. Wow! What a weird world we live in, I thought sarcastically, because I was literally watching a flashback, instead of just remembering something like a normal person.
Next thing I know, I see Astrid get up and shove the dark-haired boy away from her, and he would've fallen into the water if he hadn't held himself upright. Astrid rose from the dock, sobbing into her hands, and ran away from the dark-haired boy, her tears matching the salinity of the ocean below her. That's when the dark-haired boy looked after her, pulling down his hoodie to reveal his broken-hearted face. He looked astonished and I presumed that I looked the same way, because I was also astonished and the dark-haired boy was actually me. I had no idea what was happening, because it never happened. I've had these kinds of situations before where I would fall into a trance-like state and remember something important, except by watching it as a flashback, but this never happened.
It was weird. Really weird. I hoped that I wasn't having visions of the future, but there couldn't be another explanation other than that. I mean, it wouldn't be a surprise because I already have supernatural powers, so I knew these kinds of things weren't impossible.
I was about to question myself further, but I fell out of my trance-like state, doubling over in dizziness and light-headedness when I was thrown back into reality. I eventually passed out, the relief of darkness – no sounds and no problems whatsoever – overpowering me.
* * *
Coming out of unconsciousness is like rising to the top of the water after jumping into a pool: The closer you get to the top the more you hear and the more you see. For me, it was kind of like that, except I was coming out of unconsciousness, not the water, so it wasn't exactly the same.
First, the darkness gave way and I could see clearer every second. I could now make out Astrid's hair dangling over my face, her eyes showing concern. My mind was still murky, so I couldn't make out much more yet or really think for that matter, but I was getting there. It was weird. Each second felt like a minute, like I was swimming through molasses.
After that, I could start to hear noises, like Astrid's calming voice. It took a few seconds to comprehend what she was saying, though. "Sam?" Astrid called out to me, her face stretched out of proportion due to stress and being apprehensive for my safety. It could've just been my blurry vision, but who knows? The world keeps on getting stranger and stranger, and this would not be different from all the supernatural things occurring around me.
Eventually, I was fully conscious and I slowly stood up, careful not to lurch forward, because then I would get a head rush. I groaned as I stood up, and Astrid propped me on her shoulder, so I could get over to the coach without doubling over. Her face was proportional now, which meant it had just been my blurry vision.
Now, as I sit on the couch, the questions start coming.
"What the hell happened?" Astrid asked.
"Did you guys get hurt?" Gwen spurted out, not sure why we weren't answering their questions.
A bunch of other overwhelming questions were asked, but we didn't answer them. We were going to have to let them calm down before we could even speak, so we just stood there – well, in my case I just sat there – and waited for the questions to subside.
* * *
Astrid and Gwen asked an anthology of questions before finally realizing that we weren't going to answer their petty questions until they settled down. Tanner and I shared glances, nodded to each other, glanced at David, and then did the same thing. The girls were finally calm and this was our chance to tell the story.
"Save your questions until the end, please," Tanner said, almost sarcastically, which got a laugh out of everyone – even David – and then he told the story from start to finish. Throughout the story, Astrid and Gwen looked shocked, which was normal, for the story was terrifying and shocking. Things had happened that would make any girlfriend or friend worry about you because of what had happened. Now I understood why Astrid and Gwen had been so worried and why they had kept asking so many questions.
"Okay, so let me get this straight. You and Tanner were attacked by the librarian, who turned out to be a savage ghost, and then David here showed up to save you?" Astrid asked, still perplexed about the whole story Tanner just told her and Gwen.
"Yes, I'm not sure what the librarian was, but it was definitely close to a ghost. Any other questions?" I asked, bitterness creeping into my voice, but I would regret saying that last part, because another onslaught of questions arrived at my fingertips.
How lucky, I thought to myself.
"So, how did you guys escape the librarian?" Gwen asked us, obviously still very worried, but I don't think she was as worried about me as she was about Tanner. Her concerned gaze was directed at Tanner and she kept darting her eyes at him. There was something going on that I didn't know about. I mean, of course my argument with Gwen had only been earlier that day, and maybe she was still upset about it. Yeah, that was it! She still had animosity towards me.
"Well, uhh...," Tanner started to say, but trailed off. We would have to tell them about my powers if we were going to tell them the whole story. That's probably why they were so confused: we left out the part about making a plan to kill the librarian, and ultimately how I killed the librarian.
"It's okay, Tanner," I eventually said, knowing that I had to tell them. They were my friends after all, and I had to catch them up on what happened. I also had to tell them about how I almost killed Howard, but how Anonymous made the killing blow. It wasn't going to be easy, but it was the right thing to do.
So, I took in a deep breath, and spoke, "Guys, I need to tell you something."
"What do you need to tell us?" Astrid asked, fear lining her jaw. I could see it somehow. It was almost as if the fear was a material thing – solid and able to interact with – and I could also see how her mouth was slightly twitching. Just slightly, but I could see it. She knew I was about to tell her something that wasn't easy to tell.
I hesitated to say what I needed to, but I knew that if I didn't get it out, I wouldn't feel good and I would live the rest of my life with the injustice of not telling them under my belt. It was like a heaviness in my chest. I was trying to grab it from within my body and force it out, but it was trying to pull itself back in. I knew that things were going to be different after I said it. Hell, a lot different!
But I put all my strength into one single beam of power and let it out through my hands. A cloud of green, glowing light erupted from my hands, illuminating the surrounding area with light the color of moss. Astrid's mouth opened and formed a small circle, the surprise on her face obvious. Gwen was also astonished. Well, astonished and surprise weren't the right words to use. Shocked was more like it.
"W-what?" Astrid stuttered, almost downright speechless.
Astrid and Gwen were both dumbfounded with shock, and it wasn't until I stopped the green light from flowing that they started to speak.
"What the hell was that?" Astrid spoke, her voice urgent as if she thought I was playing a prank on her and was demanding me to tell her why I did it.
"Astrid, I have powers. I can make fire come out of my hands..." I admitted in an ashamed voice, sighing making my voice sound all the more pathetic. But I wasn't sure if Astrid was even listening to me. I mean, I knew she could hear me, even though she was still shocked and confused, but I don't think she was taking in what I had to say.
"Yeah, and did you know that the sky is the color of sugar canes? No, I'm not stupid. I know you're playing a prank on me and I don't think this is the time. Tell me what you're up to or I'm walking out that door," Astrid demanded, pointing towards the entrance – well, technically it was also an exit – of the library, her eyes shooting daggers at me, her mouth situated in a frown.
"Astrid, I'm telling you the truth. This is all real. I have powers. It's not a prank and you need to understand that," I said, trying to make my voice sound as soothing and soft as it could possibly be without it sounding too cheesy. Even though I was trying to make Astrid see that I was telling the truth, I knew that she would probably never believe me. Astrid was one of the smartest people in my school and she relied on logic and reasoning to solve mysteries and do well in school. My powers were anything but logic. I mean, they were realistic since they were real, but they weren't usual.
"You know, we came here for you," Astrid fought back, raising her voice, "We knew you guys were in danger, so we cut school to come save you guys, but you pay us back by playing a prank on us? How could you?"
I could hear Astrid's voice getting strained. She was about to cry and all I was doing was making her frustrated and stressed. I was the cause of her crying. You're a horrible boyfriend, I thought to myself. As tears started to stream down Astrid's face, Tanner stepped in. He stepped forward, and started to speak to Astrid. His voice was calm, but also strained, as if he were stressed too.
"Astrid! He's telling you the truth. I know you don't believe in the supernatural, but Sam has powers. He used them to save my life...and David's. Sam killed the ghost with his powers and incinerated a chunk of brick before it could hit my head," Tanner said bravely, Astrid's eyes softening and her mouth opening in awe.
I almost forgot Gwen was in the room until she spoke up. I guess she was as dumbfounded as Astrid about this, but she just didn't feel like getting into another argument. She already had had enough arguing for one day.
"S-Sam? You killed the librarian? That's why Tanner told us the librarian floated off into the woods. He didn't want to tell us about your powers. He wanted you to do it," Gwen realized, her mouth also opening up in awe. I guess that was the new norm for us. This mystery was going to include a lot of discoveries and surprises, so we had to get used to this. Fast.
"Yeah, see? Gwen's getting the idea," Tanner retorted, his comment addressed to Astrid. Astrid blushed at this – probably out of pure shame – and looked to the ground, the shame evident on her face. But I could also almost see the gears turning in Astrid's brain, because a small vein twitched on the side of Astrid's head. Just for a second, but it was enough for me to know that Astrid believed me now.
My "good-boyfriend" instincts flared up at this point and I walked over to Astrid and put my arms around her. Astrid sighed and I could feel her stomach loosen up against my chest with the sigh. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you," Astrid apologized, her eyes closed, but fluttered when I replied.
"It's okay. I understand," I responded, and just like that the argument was over. We made up and now was the time to get the hell out of the library before something bad happened again.
"Okay, I guess now it's time to leave," Tanner announced, ruining and ending my moment with Astrid. I wouldn't get moments like this with Astrid very often anymore, because of the mystery, so I was kind of mad when Tanner announced this, even though I knew he was right.
Astrid and I broke our bond and the whole gang – including David – walked to the door. We were in mid-stride when we all got texts, including David.
I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled out my phone. I read the text to myself and everyone else did the same to themselves.
From: Anonymous
To: Sam, Astrid, Tanner, Gwen, & David
You thought it would be that easy to solve the mystery without me knowing? Well, think again. I'm everywhere and I'm always watching. I don't lurk in the shadows. I hide in plain sight. Also, if you leave the library grounds within the next seventy-eight hours, I'll have to do away with David. See you on the outside, mystery solvers. Well, at least four of you.
I was in complete shock after I read the text. I almost fell over, I was so shocked. Astrid noticed, though, and helped me keep my balance.
Everyone was completely shocked, but David was mortified. The expression on his face was a mix of fear, shock, anguish, agitation, anxiety, and confusion. I wasn't sure why he was confused, but some expressions are hard to differentiate from each other, because they look very similar. "Why would Anonymous do this? I'm his minion. He sent me here to spy on you. Even though I didn't, how could he be so sure?" David asked himself out loud. I felt a bit betrayed by how he was going to spy on us, but I didn't say anything. I was too shocked to do so. We weren't traitors, though, and we were going to stay here, so that David wouldn't die.
"Well, I guess we're sleeping here," Tanner said in a joking voice, but I knew he meant it.
Everyone shared glances with each other and that was sort of our silent agreement. Even though it was early afternoon, we were all exhausted. It was time to get some rest. We hardly spoke to each other after that and nobody even thought of the idea that someone might find us here. Well, I guess it didn't matter at the moment. We texted our parents that we weren't coming home tonight and that we were staying at a friend's house, which was a lie, since we were staying at the library.
No one said anything about why Anonymous was making us stay here for the next three days, but we all knew that Anonymous was playing a game with us and that he could change the rules at any moment. But, when three days were up, Astrid, Tanner, Gwen, and I were going to solve the mystery even further. We were in too deep now and I guess we were the kind of people who didn't know when to stop.
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