Through Brian's Eyes Page 8

  *****

  Now Vance thought Adam was up to something, and he expected a phone call from Kyle sometime that morning. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand after finishing his milk and returned to the television in the living room. He huffed as he recalled how he lost the game and flopped back on the couch. He retrieved the game controller and allowed his fingers to move nimbly over the myriad of buttons as he reset his game.

  Vance was on a roll again, dodging all obstacles coming his way. He was thirty minutes into this level when the phone rang, causing him to flinch. This time he had the forethought to pause the game. He knew it had to be Kyle. Before he could get to the phone, it stopped ringing. He heard his mother answering it. It would be a few seconds before she would yell for him to get the phone so he continued standing. A shrill voice from upstairs told him to pick up the phone and he did.

  “Hi Kyle,” Vance said without confirming who it was.

  “How did you know it was me?”

  “Because I saw Adam walking in your direction earlier. Did he stop by your house?”

  “Yep, and man he was acting funny again, and check this out. He asked me for all the stuff I found on Brian Kinkaid. He keeps talking about that guy.”

  “Really? Something is really wrong with him.”

  “I know,” Kyle said. “But listen to this. He told me to email the information to him so I did. Then, after he left my house, about thirty minutes later I called him to see if he got it. He asked me what I was talking about, and I told him it was about the email. He had no clue what I was talking about. He didn’t remember coming over to my house or talking to me or my mother.”

  “Whoa! That’s plain scary, man.”

  “I know. But I think he knows he’s blacking out too. He can’t remember certain things and he’s scared about that. He told me so.”

  “So what do we do?” Vance asked impatiently.

  “I don’t know. We don’t know what’s going on with him.”

  “Man! I hate this!”

  “Me too. I guess we just keep doin’ what we’re doin’. Let me know if he does something else that’s crazy.”

  “I will. I’m gonna get back to my game. I’m almost finished with this level.”

  “Alright. I’ll talk to ya later.”

  “See ya!” Vance said then hung up the phone.

  When he turned around, he jumped and began shaking. His mother was standing right behind him and overheard much of his conversation. How much did she hear? This has to be the worst thing to happen right now. What can I tell her? The truth, a lie, or some convoluted mixture of both? All he did was stare at his mother.

  He couldn’t interpret his mother’s expression, but chose to stay silent. After a few very uncomfortable seconds crept by, she said,

  “Was that Kyle on the phone?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “What did you think was scary?”

  It was a pointed question, and he knew his answer would determine her next question. He hung his head and shifted to and fro. Then he said,

  “Kyle was telling me about the latest game he’s playing. He was at a point when some crazy looking monster broke through a stone floor and almost killed him.”

  “You guys and your video games. Well, at least you get outside and ride your bikes once in a while.”

  Vance dispensed a nervous laugh then watched her turn and walk away. The impromptu interrogation was over and he realized she must not have heard him mention Adam’s name. He let out a big sigh, not realizing he was holding his breath, then a feeling of guilt washed over him. He lied to his mother. Something he rarely did, but he felt justified in doing it. Nothing bad had happened, at least so far. Adam was only acting quirky and forgetting things. That’s all. There’s no need to bother his parents about something that doesn’t mean anything. Besides, he figured between Kyle and himself, they had it under control. It was game time again, and he returned to the couch to finish his level.