Locked Away - Book 1

Chapter 21

"When was the first time?"

"When I was six." Tyler writes it down.

"What happened?"

"I..." I look over to Kinsey, who's sitting at the desk and watching me like a hawk. "I fell down the stairs at my foster home. Broke my arm and nose. Then the house caught on fire."

"Oh." Kinsey can't help it, and I don't blame her.

"You fell down the stairs?" He knows I'm lying.

"No. My foster parent, Dave, pushed me because I broke my toy and wouldn't stop crying."

"I... I'm sorry for that." Tyler grabs my hand.

"It's fine. Long time ago. Let's keep going."

"Okay. Well maybe let's focus on the more recent incidents."

"Sure. The first time was days after I moved here."

"What day?"

"I don't know. It was the night after we had that fight. When I tried walking home."

"Oh... yeah."

"What exactly happened?" Kinsey asks as she sits up, getting more curious.

"It started off as a weird dream. I was a kid. I had to hide in a suitcase. Nothing weird. But then I woke up... or so I thought I did. And that's when I first felt it."

"What? What was it like?" Kinsey taking over now.

"It... I..." As I begin to think about it, I feel my heart begin to beat faster. "I have never been so scared. The way it... touched me." Tyler squeezes my hand. "It felt like... there are no words to describe it."

"What else has been happening?"

"Um... well..."

"What about game night? When I saw you walking." Tyler has a good memory.

"Oh, that was just a little tiff with Roger. But..."

"But what?" Kinsey stands up and walks over.

"I do remember feeling something. Like I was on fire, inside. And like my bones were ready to snap." I think about it some more. "And weirdly... he seemed afraid. Liked he was scared of me."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"And what happened here? In Key House?"

"Well the first time..."

"First time?" Tyler is shocked.

"Well that night, game night, when we were... sharing the bed." Kinsey looks at Tyler. "I was hearing noises. And then I saw footprints. Like someone with wet feet was walking around."

"It wasn't raining that night," Kinsey adds before taking some notes.

"I followed them to the attic. Where I cut my finger. Saw nothing weird. And heading back downstairs. That's when I saw someone. Or something. At the other end of the hall."

"And..."

"That's it. I woke up back in bed. It was the morning, as if nothing happened... except... I had a cut on my finger."

"Uhuh..." She starts writing some more. "And last night?"

I take a deep breath and begin telling them exactly what happened. Each moment. Each feeling. Each and every thought I had while it was happening. Kinsey takes a bunch of notes. Tyler looks like he's about to cry and/or vomit. But I keep going. I go through it as if I were reliving it.

"And that's it. Your mom left. You guys came back from school. And here we are."

"You good? Need a break?" Tyler puts on a smile.

"I'm good."

"Blood!" Kinsey shouts and Tyler and I both turn to her.

"What?" Tyler is confused, but before she even says it, it begins to click.

"Blood," I repeat after her.

"Yes!" Kinsey smiles and stands up. "It's all about the blood. Or well, at least partially."

"It is..." I stare out the window, thinking about it.

"I'm really confused." Tyler looks at me.

"Every time something happens, you shed blood." Kinsey sounds happy to have been the first to realize this. "It happened last night when you were cut by glass. And when you were passing out you were bleeding out from your arms and then suddenly began to heal."

"And there's always that crackle and pop." I add on.

"Crackle and pop?" Tyler still doesn't seem to get it.

"When you fell down... I mean, when you were pushed down the stairs, you were bleeding. And that fight with the kid. You bleed. That fight with Roger. You bleed."

"But what about that first time? After I moved here." I stand up with Kinsey, the mystery running through my head. "I wasn't bleeding at all. Same with game night."

"Those two times must be different. Outliers."

"Blood!" Tyler shouts as he finally gets it.

"Ty..." I look at him and then Kinsey and I both begin laughing.