Newcomers

Copyright © 2017 by Mark Norvil.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017904274

ISBN: Hardcover     978-1-5245-9923-2

Softcover     978-1-5245-9925-6

eBook     978-1-5245-9924-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 03/18/2017

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CONTENTS

June 27, 2014

June 28, 2014

July 18, 2014

July 19, 2014

July 20, 2014

July 21-24, 2014

July 25-26, 2014

July 27-28, 2014

July 29-30, 2014

July 31, 2014

August 1-6, 2014

August 9, 2014

August 10, 2014

August 11, 2014

Aug 12, 2014

August 13, 2014

September 2, 2014

September 9, 2014

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

JUNE 27, 2014

Adam!

A sharp pain jolted my side. My eyes shot open, which was a big mistake. The newly risen sun burned through my corneas. I closed my eyes and rolled onto my side. No more late nights for me, I thought. As much as I wanted this to be true, I knew I was lying. The night was the time for me. Even if it was just video games and hanging out with my best friend, we always had so much more fun after the sun went down.

Would you get up, jeez, the most precious voice complained.

You didn’t have to kick me, I groaned.

Well, don’t sleep ‘til noon. Especially on your own birthday.

My birthday? What day was it? Time was becoming nothing more than a blur the older I got. Trying to finish up senior year of high school, only to start college. I haven’t even decided what I wanted to do with my life. There were so many options, it was a shame that I had to pick only one. Did I want to do something where I could make a lot of money and live out my life comfortably? Or did I want to try and do something with my life that might be able to help someone else’s? A doctor? Scientist? Maybe an architect? The time I had to plan my future was quickly running out, but it should be able to wait one more day. After all, this was my day.

I think you’re just mad because I totally did better than you last night, I laughed.

Because I let you, think of it as an early birthday present, she said with a chuckle.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. We stayed the night at her place last night. Her dresser with a bunch of oddities and a twin bed in the corner. A TV stand with a large thirty inch on it sat on the opposite wall. Her gaming system was set up on one of the lower shelves, a couple of controllers laid next to it.

My eyes scanned the room until I focused on a young girl that stood over me. She had on small shorts and a tank top. Her eyes were a green that stood out from the yellow aura the sun emitted throughout the room. She looked down at me with a sour look on her face, but I could see the corners of her mouth curling ever so slightly. She was doing everything in her power to try to conceal her smile.

Don’t be mad at me, I said putting on a sad facade.

You’re just lucky it’s your special day or I’d give you a once over, she said shaking a clenched fist at me. I couldn’t help but laugh at her. Through my laughter, her smile finally broke through.

I climbed to my feet, stretching out my muscles. While my arms were up, she walked in close and hugged me tightly. I lowered my hands around her, squeezing ever so gently. The smell of vanilla filled my nostrils. She had just taken a shower, her damp hair brushed against my cheek.

Hurry up and get ready. My parents are waiting on us, she whispered into my ear.

Why?

They want to meet us for lunch, she said as she let me go.

That…actually sounds pretty good, I said, feeling my stomach start to rumble.

I reached for my bag of clothes for a fresh pair of boxers. The clothes I had on were wrinkled and had a faint odor to them. Then again, it might have just been me. A shower was a must if I was going out for lunch with her parents. Normally, I would just throw on some fresh clothes, rub on some deodorant and be ready to go.

It was nice of her parents to want to take me out for my birthday. Ever since I turned thirteen, birthdays really didn’t have the same meaning that they used to. All the parties and gifts seemed so childish after a while. At most, my parents take me out to dinner and let me pick out my own gift for my birthday. Which usually ended up being a new video game to play after my schoolwork was done.

Mind grabbing me a towel?

She moved towards the door, arm outstretched. She gripped the doorknob and turned it slowly. As the door opened, it exposed a black void that was just unexplainable. I looked out into the darkness and back at her to see her reaction. She looked back at me with a grin and stepped on through. She fell forward into the darkness, still looking back at me with the smile on her face. Her body disappeared as she fell downward. I jumped up to try to grab her, but was way too late.

Abby!

I jumped up in a jolt. My eyes scanned across a small room frantically until I forced myself to calm down. Where was I? What was going on? My breathing started to grow heavier and my sides began to hurt. Everything was starting to hurt. The room was starting to spin, and the last thing I remember was waking up at Abigail’s house and…

Abigail…Abigail Miller. She has been my childhood friend since as long as I could remember. We grew up together in Beecher, a small town in northern Illinois. We’d been best friends all through grade school. We were so close, knowing nearly everything there is to know about each other. Our taste in music, movies, games, celebrities were all similar. It was like we were made for each other. There were a few times I thought about trying to be more, but after thinking about it, there was just no way I could. She was like a sister to me. I would do anything for her and she would do the same for me. I could not risk the chance of losing her as a friend, she was too important to me.

We were around the same height, although I was a few inches taller. Her cocoa brown hair flowed down to her shoulders; recently trimmed, as she hated when her hair became too long. She was on the high school track team, keeping her athletic body toned. Though as good as she looked, she never wore clothes that were too revealing. Even now, it was easy to picture her anytime I closed my eyes. But whatever was going on was really starting to freak me out.

Adam…Adam, settle down. You’re in the hospital, My mom said with a hand on my shoulder.

She gently placed a hand on my cheek, turning my gaze to her. The spinning room began to settle as I looked at my mother. She sat beside me, her eyes were soft and weary. I don’t know how long I’ve been in here, though it had to have been a while. She looked like she has not had a decent night sleep in days.

As I watched her, her mouth curled into a smile as a tear trickled down her cheek. She leaned in and kissed me on the forehead and slowly leaned back in her seat. As I was about to ask her what was going on, her phone rang. I rested my head back on the pillow and tried to think. I couldn’t concentrate with my mom talking. Whoever she was talking to, she kept saying that I was finally awake.

Sweat starting to roll down my face. I pushed some of the blankets off me to try and cool down. These hospital sheets were making me too hot. The bright overhead light was not helping either. My mom handed me a large cup of ice water and I quickly downed at least half of it in one gulp, which made my sides ache.

A loud flush came from the bathroom, adverting my attention away from my pains. The door opened and out stepped a tall man, with black hair that was starting to gray. It was my father. He was looking down as he zipped up his pants and finally looked up. A surprised look rolled across his face when he saw me awake and sitting up. He smiled as he rushed over to me, gently hugging me. I would have hugged back if it didn’t hurt so bad to lift my arms. As he pulled away, he scratched at the thin beard that covered his normally shaven face.

How you doing? You need anything?

Dad, what’s going on? Why am I in the hospital, I asked. He crossed his arms as he tried to collect his thoughts.

I believe I can answer that, said another voice from the doorway.

A man, almost six foot, strolled into the room. He wore a white lab coat and blue scrubs underneath. His shaved head reflected the overhead lights. His smile curled with sympathy while stepping fully into the room. My mom said that she would call whoever she was talking to back and hung up the phone to pay attention to what the doctor had to say.

Mr. Fowler, several days ago you were found alongside the road, down the street from your house. A couple that was driving by found you and called the police. You were rushed to the emergency room with a minor concussion. You also had several broken ribs, a collapsed lung, along with several lacerations and bruises around your arms and torso. Can you remember anything of that night?

All I remember is waking up in her room. She said her parents wanted to take me out to lunch. That’s when I…I… my mind started to wander as did my eyes. That’s when I noticed the empty bed next to me.

Abigail, where is she?

Adam, try to stay calm, my dad said.

Why? What happened? I asked.

Panic settled in as a knot formed in my stomach. My eyes grew hot as tears started to form. My breathing became heavy and sporadic, pain coursing through my sides. No one looked like they had an answer. My mom turned away as she wiped a tear from her eye.

Adam, calm down, my dad said, softly. He gently placed a hand on my shoulder. Abigail is missing. Nobody has seen or heard for in quite some time.

When? I choked out. I did all I could to focus enough to ask a complete question. When was the last time anyone had seen her?

The last time we saw her was at the party. She left with you, my dad answered, doing his best to keep his composure.

What party? I asked.

Both of my parents looked at me, puzzled. Obviously they knew about this party. The harder I tried to think, the more I panicked. I could not remember anything that happened. Not after she left her room, like what happened in my dream. Was my subconscious trying to tell me something through my dreams?

Adam, with the injuries that you’ve sustained, you seem to being showing signs of short term amnesia, the doctor said.

What does that mean? my dad asked.

Adam’s memory will come back, the head trauma he took was pretty mild compared to the rest of his body. Although, it might take a little time before he gets his memory back.

I sat there, trying hard to think, to try to remember what all had happened. But my mind was as blank as can be. The only part of that day that I could remember was waking up. Everything after that was gone. I my head back on the pillow, replaying my dream over and over again in my head, willing myself to continue the memory, but it never did.

I heard my dad muttered something about air. He shook the doctors hand as he stumbled out of the room. My mom started to cry, but did her best to hold it back. She sat there shaking as the tears rolled down her cheeks. The doctor looked down at his feet, not knowing what to say.

It’s going to be okay. She’s going to be okay, I said, grabbing my mom’s hand.

She squeezed my hand. I know dear, there’s always hope. We just got to pray.

I looked down; I didn’t know what to do or what to think. But my gaze finally focused on my arms, mainly on all the bandages, they were extremely sore. I was getting tired of everything already, tired of all the pain, both physical and emotional. I wanted to fall back asleep but my mind wouldn’t let me. It was too busy racing, trying to find answers to what happened to me, to Abby.

Tears dropped one by one onto the hospital blankets. I tried my hardest to hold them back. But I couldn’t hold it in, not anymore. I began to shudder as I sobbed uncontrollably. My mom put her arm around me to try to console me. It didn’t comfort me as much as it should have.

There was a light tap on the door as a nurse came into the room. The doctor was probably the one to page her. She stood there awkwardly and asked if everything was alright. I nodded slowly; it was all I could give. I finally regained my composure and silenced myself. The nurse waited patiently just inside the doorway. I looked up at her and offered a weak smile. She warmly smiled back before asking how my pain was. I told her that everything hurt, mostly my ribs. She decided to give me another dose of morphine. Instantly, the pain started to fade away and the room started to melt. I closed my eyes to try to think, try to focus my mind. But as soon as I closed my eyes, I drifted off to sleep.

My world kept shifting. It was an uneasy feeling. I hated taking the back roads. The bumps and rocky surface always shook the car as we drove down them. Abigail kept her foot on the pedal, flying over the gravel. She never minded the bumpy ride, she always referred to the back roads as a free roller coaster.

Abby had the steering wheel gripped tightly in her hand. She kept shifting in her seat, as if each bump knocked her off balance. She also kept singing along to the music that was playing off her iPod. She was an awful singer, but when she sings low, I barely notice.

You alright? I had to ask.

Yeah, I’m just starving. Why did my parents have to pick a place so far away? I’d settle for some fast food right now for all I care.

I laughed. She was going to complain on how hungry she was until we got there and complain on how much she ate on the way home. She knew it, I knew it. It was something that has not changed in the fourteen years that I’ve known her.

Abigail made a turn and put us back onto solid black top, which was a relief. We continued on our trip, killing time by singing along to songs we knew and talking about the hot topics that have started to circulate through our senior year. We eventually got on the topic of prom, which was coming up soon. As of now, neither of us had a date. I wanted to ask her to the prom, but only as friends. I would have asked her by now but I didn’t know how to without sounding like a date. And I didn’t know how she would react to that.

If we don’t have dates for prom, why don’t we just go together, Abigail offered.

There was a long pause between us. I was pretty shocked that she just said that. I stared out the window and watched the fields of corn roll by. I turned and faced Abigail, trying to sort my words before I spoke. She stared out at the road, her eyes were soft as if she felt as if she did something wrong.

You want to be my date to prom? I asked, trying to make it sound like a joke. It didn’t help that my nerves got the best of me, changing my sarcasm into a low monotone question.

Abigail drove for a few minutes without saying anything. She looked out towards the road but her eyes weren’t paying attention. I was going to pry for the answer but figured it’d be best for her to sort her emotions so I could get a raw answer. After so long she looked at me and then back at the road.

"I mean if we don’t find dates. We could just go together." She kept her attention on the road in front of her, but her mind was somewhere else. It was on what she had just said. Her glance shifted between me and the road. I could tell she thought she messed up her answer. Her expression was so puzzled.

It’s not like we’re going to kiss and stuff. We are just walking in there together, she said rather quickly.

We sat in silence for the rest of our ride. Neither one of us felt comfortable enough to try to start a new conversation. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at her. But the longer we drove, the more awkward it felt.

I looked out the window and watched the buildings roll by. Children were out playing in the yards with toy guns. There were a few older kids out helping their parents with chores. As I watched out the window, the comfortability started to come back. The tension sort of seemed to lift after every passing minute.

The homes faded away as we reached the business part of town. The smell of restaurants filled the streets as well as daytime traffic. She didn’t mention as to where her parents were taking us for lunch. It wasn’t until she slowed down and turned into an old country steakhouse that I looked up…

JUNE 28, 2014

Into the darkness of the hospital room. I could hear a the sound of the door creaking open, the creeping hallway light was proof of that. Figuring it was just a nurse, I closed my eyes to go back to sleep. The room was dark, the only other light was from the television that no one decided to turn off. A steady pattern of rain tapped against the window, a melodic tone that made me want to fall back asleep. As my head rolled to its side, I saw that the chair beside me was empty. My parents must have went home for the night.

There was a sudden thud from the doorway. I looked back to see if the nurse had tripped over something, or even worse, fallen. But all I saw was a dark, shadowy figure lurking into my room. It walked in slowly, stumbling over to my bedside. It stopped, standing over me. It was dark in the room, I hoped whoever it was thought I was asleep and would go away. The remote was too far away to subtly grab and call for a nurse.

Adam, a low, raspy voice called out to me. I knew who it was, but I couldn’t place the name. A bolt of lightning lit up the night sky, illuminating the room for a short second. I could see the face of the man, but only for a moment. He wore a hat and the bottom of his