The Catcher's Dreams (FEATURED)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN - maroon

"Are you sure we're allowed to be out of the cafeteria yet?" Cody asked. "It hasn't been ten minutes."

They were out in the corridor behind the lobby. Because the building was new, the walls had yet to be plastered with art and were deliriously blank. Sunshine peeked through the huge windows. Outside the school garden sat, bursting with signs reading what the barely existent seedlings were supposed to be.

"If anyone catches us, we'll just say we were going to the loo," Tommy said.

"The loo?" Drake repeated. "Four people? Together? People will think we're a bunch of girls!"

"Rubbish."

Cody's eyes began to gleam in the light. "So, Tommy, what did you want to show me?" He was looking around, maroon glow flourishing among the colony of glowless. "I've been here before."

There was silence. Zachary scratched his pants.

"Now, Drake," Tommy shouted suddenly. "Do it! Now!"

Round eyes were spooked. What? What?

He managed to say it. "What?"

Tommy raised his eyebrows, glaring at Cody from the corner of his eye. "Why, Drake him, of course." His small hands had clenched into fists. "Take...his...shine," he hissed through cemented teeth.

"No!" Drake protested. "Why? No!"

"Huh?" Cody asked. "Um, I better be going..." He leaped forward and broke into a sprint down the corridor for two glorious steps, before tripping over his own untied shoelace and sprawling to the floor.

"Stop right there!" Tommy shouted, averting his eyes from Drake.

He and Zachary ran to the fallen Cody, away from Drake. The latter whipped his head back and forth between the boys and the looming corridor.

Cody?

They can't ruin him without me.

His feet ran, racing each other. His tie was too tight. The silky green had wrapped around his neck like a tentacle, the bottom slapping him in the chest as he ran. Trapped sweat colored his cheeks.

"Wang!" It was Tommy's voice, freckles suddenly shrill and sharp with the specks flying towards him. "I've got him. Go get Drake! He's getting away!"

A bull charged, not seeing red, not seeing his own dead glow. Drake tried to make himself go faster. "Help!" he yelled, hoping a teacher would hear. But his voice was dying. And Zachary Wang was the athlete here.

"Help!" he yelled again, before hands grabbed his arms. "Got him, Tommy," Zachary said.

"Help!" Drake yelled again. He tried to kick at Zachary, who pinned his arms down clasped both hands around his waist. Drake's fingers tightened, useless. "Stop it!"

"Cover his mouth, will you?" Tommy said, still trying to pin down a struggling Cody. "His voice is bothering me."

Drake heard a ripping noise and something green was shoved into his mouth. It was Zachary's tie. The muffled shouts were transferred into his head.

Let go of me!

Someone stop them!

I'm not going to take Cody.

I will not take him.

Don't make me, Tommy.

"Keep him down," Tommy said. "I'm bringing the new kid over."

"Who do you think you are?" Cody asked, kicking at Tommy. "And what the heck are you doing?"

Tommy shoved Cody up on his feet, stuffing his fist into his mouth. "Shut up, will you?"

Drake felt something barrel into his spine and he broke, falling to his knees. Zachary didn't give him time. He kicked Drake's stomach, forcing him onto his back.

The lights were blaring, shouting artificial insults at him.

Everything looked too sharp.

He closed his eyes. His eyelids were sharp.

He pressed his eyes shut. Someone was stepping on his chest.

How would he explain this?

Ms. Richards, I'm this bruised because they were forcing me to take Cody's glow. Oh, what is a glow, you ask?

Two sets of breathing came closer. Drake opened his eyes again.

I can't explain, Ms. Richards.

The lights disappeared, replaced by Cody Sagan's face. The weight of three bodies fell against Drake, freezing him with the back of his head kissing the marble of the floor. Up close Cody was less perfect. His pores cheered on the tree sap, which itself was speckled with peppery leaves. His forehead shone. Tommy's hand, still covering Cody's mouth, tickled Drake's chin.

A strand of lollipop-slow dark brown fell from atop Cody's head, responding to the pull of gravity and falling into Drake's right eye. Drake blinked it away.

Maroon blurred Drake's vision, and he held in his breath.

Cody looked strangely calm. His eyes met Drake's and they locked; tree sap falling into shadow. To Drake it seemed like Cody was inspecting his face.

They had both stopped fidgeting. The only thing between them was the quiet.

Holding in his breath was getting hard.

Please go away, Cody. I can't do this to you.

"Any second now."

Drake's eyes fluttered. Beyond Cody's closeness, he could get a glimpse of Tommy's face. Sweat fractured his constellations of freckles. The quiet shattered and Cody shuffled again. Tommy clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on Cody.

"Any second now," he repeated. "He can't hold in his breath forever."

Cody let out a muffled string of words. It sounded like a question. The weight was crushing Drake's chest.

Don't breathe.

I'm going to faint.

No, I won't breathe. I'll faint. For Cody.

Suddenly there were footsteps.

"Quick," Tommy muttered, dancing eyes frantic. "Wang, do something!"

"What?"

"I don't know...get him to breathe!"

"How?"

"Do something!" Tommy's hand clenched over Cody's mouth and Cody made a muffled noise. "Anything! Push him! Tickle him! Yes. Tickle him. Under the chin, there."

There was another hand, with shorter, stubbier nails. It snaked past Cody's face and Drake felt a feathery sensation. He bit his lip to keep from smiling.

No!

It was hard not to laugh.

He exploded.

The maroon was dancing.

Don't breathe in!

He had to.

No! Cody!

The glow was starting to come in. Cody's amber eyes were dulling. Images entered – an unfamiliar city, an unfamiliar school, then Drake's face, up close.

No!

(He did have extremely pointed features.)

Don't...breathe...

I can't.

Pop, and the wine was gone. All the grips loosened. The tree became drained of sap. Cody was gone and the air around the shell that stood in his place was empty of color. Drake was now free to gasp for air.