lost in the labyrinth of my mind

Chapter 2

Lucas heard El describe the Inbetween as a black and neverending room. Ripples of water appeared wherever you stood. There were no lights, but there was no need for them because somehow, without light: everything was visible. El said there were no scents, something you are unaware of until your return to the real world. No sounds, no whispers unless you went looking for secrets.

The Inbetween Lucas wandered was in some way similar to her description but in so many ways nothing like it all. Yes, the room was infinite; there was no horizon. But it was not entirely empty. As soon as he began to walk, he noticed items (garbage, really) littered on the floor, water rippling against them like waves against the shore. And there was an echo of light. The dying explosion of a firework occasionally goes off with a pathetic bang.

There were snatches of voices, screams of joy and fear alike, laughter and yelling, singing and rolling skates. He even thought he heard his name being said, but just as he could be sure: the sound slipped away. There was the sound of slamming doors and the chitter of wild animals.

The climate was not something he thought of, and he is not sure he could have prepared for it. Sometimes it would be nice cool on a summer night, and he could almost smell water evaporating from the pavement. Then he would step forward and be in a tundra that reminded him of snowball fights and sledding down hills. Pure joy.

Maybe it was because of their quest. The way that Lucas is here travelling. It might be that the condition of her mind affected how the Inbetween manifested itself. It is not a priority for Lucas to figure out as long as he brings Max back. Back to the people who love her, miss her, and need her to be okay. While Lucas was unsure of the plan, he knew that this was the last chance they would get, so Lucas could not be a coward; he had to be brave for Max; and be bold like her.

Lucas finally wandered close enough to approach the objects that littered the ground, and he was right: they were garbage. They were broken items of wood, fabric, metal and plastic, most he could not place, but some were easier to identify. And not all of them were the size they were supposed to be. It was like some Alice in Wonderland bullshit.

Life-size dolls: plastic, with their heads, popped off their necks and limbs pulled apart. Porcelain: shattered glass eyes and cracks in the paint. A plain brown bear slumped over.

Lucas came across shells, conch shells to be exact, next. Their pearly pink exteriors were muddy with something like coal. Some were reduced to dust. Lucas doesn't know why he did it, but he brought one up to his ears. They say you can hear the ocean; Dustin says it is just the sounds of your blood from your ears echoing back.

But it wasn't the ocean or blood rushing he heard from the shell.

Lucas heard Susan talking. Most of the words faded or skipped over like a faulty record player, but he heard:

"You'll have a big brother now," Susan's voice was hopeful but strained even in the crackle.

"Really? I've always wanted a big brother!"

Max sounded young, her voice a higher octave with traces of genuine hope. Max's voice now, even when sincere, always carried a slight inflection of wryness.

"When do I meet him?"

"Tomorrow, at the beach."

He knows that this is a violation of Max's privacy. He knows these are secrets Max holds to her chest: something that she has only occasionally shared with him. But it is as if he is glued to the shell; Lucas must let the conch keep playing.

Lucas hears what must be her and Billy's first introduction, their names are muffled, but it's not hard to connect the two voices saying something to the general sounds of it.