The Blue Kite

Blood Shot

I lay awake that night, starring at the ceiling.

My thoughts absorbed me as I lay still, thinking, lost in my own world.

What if he meant he was done with our friendship? Like he didn't know who I was anymore?

I tried to think of ways my life could be worse but nothing came to mind that could ever be more hurtful than losing Caden.

If you knew him, you'd think so too.

He's more than a best friend, he's a hero, a...TAP TAP TAP.....

My thoughts dispersed as a sound pierced through them and into to dark room air.

I quickly sat up, desperately looking around for the sound source.

TAP TAP TAP.....

The window..

I abruptly stood and without hesitation, made way towards the largest window in my room.

I knew it was Caden the moment the sound came through.

We have a special knock.

He quickly climbed in the window once it opened.

I assumed he came to apologize but the assumption diminished when I saw empty terror in his eyes.

I didn't want to question him so soon, as he was panting and clearly out of breath.

All I could do was place my hand on his shoulder and lead him towards my bed to sit.

It took several moments for him to collect himself, and it wasn't a calm process at all. He was clearly very antsy and paranoid about something.

"Hunter...I need...something from you." He started saying, through pants.

"Sure, uh...anything." I was willing to do anything to regain his positive perspective of me.

"I need you to murder someone."

Okay, except that.

"What is going on in your mind?" I asked, a bit too casually, slowly shaking my head.

He rolled his eyes, "Your an idiot, I was kidding. You said 'anything' just seeing how crazy you were." He softly elbowed me then quickly got serious. "I need you to just let me stay here."

I looked at him with confusion but he was anything but comical.

"Why?" I asked, anxious to know.

He quickly got up and looked out the window before closing the blinds completely. He made his way back over to the bed where I sat and started to explain.

"I saw him. I saw HIM." He started.

"'Kay you need to get some sleep 'cause clearly..." He cut me off as he pleaded for me to believe him.

"No no just listen, I saw Sean." He said with edge in his voice.

"Who?" I was so confused at this point but found this a bit amusing.

He rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples as if relieving a headache.

"Your old neighbor, the Tree Kid."

"The one that fell!?"

"Ugh obviously." He muttered.

"'Kay that's great but why did you close my blinds and come all the way to my house because a dream about something that happened a long time ago? And you told me, I was the one stuck in the past." I said smirking but he wasn't budging.

"Can you just listen for once? It wasn't a dream. I went into the woods behind your house 'cause my parents were fighting again and I just sat by a tree to think and he came. He walked up in front of me and jus' kinda stared down at me. He didn't say anything, he just stared. He was like a ghost! He....he was there though." His face drained as he told the story as if he'd seen him in his mind again.

"Please, just stop. It's fine, I'm sure your just imagining things, and i know that's a common phrase but I mean, really, come on. A ghost in the woods?"

He got fired instantly but didn't say a thing, just ripped down my curtains and threw open the window to climb down the balcony ladder.

I sat there silently on the bed barely breathing.

I wanted to believe him but I was in denial...

Because I'd seen him too.