The Catcher's Dreams (FEATURED)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - i see people weirdly

"Where do you think you're going?" William Q. asked as Drake ran out. He swiveled around to face everyone else. "Where does he think he's going?"

"Just follow him! God." Wendy said.

"Um, what she said, Zachary," Tommy mumbled.

Drake heard them as he ran down the corridor. Storage boxes flooded past. How did they get him down here again? The corridor turned right, but there was a door on the left.

"Von Hirsch! I demand an explanation or I'm telling Ms. Richards on you!"

"But it's not my name nor my fault!" Drake yelled, before clasping his hands around his mouth. Left, then. He pushed open the door. Thankfully it was another corridor, even more littered than the first. He tiptoed his way around spare chairs and colonies of wires, before raising his eyes to meet the patronizing gaze of a dead end.

"Oh, well." He shuffled his feet around and cringed. Four students were gathered at the door. "Okay. Okay! I'll do whatever you want. I do owe you one. Just, whatever you do, don't let Zachary or Tommy in."

There was a splash of panting and footsteps. The two Williams slammed the door shut and locked it. The door shook with the pounding of fists.

"And stay away," Drake said. "Stay at least a meter away, will you? Just behind that big crate there." He raised his hand to point. "Yes. There. Thanks."

"Why?" Olivia asked.

"It's complicated."

"We have Mandarin next. Please, delay us for as long as possible. Stay away why?"

Drake bit his lower lip. "Stay away because I see people weirdly, and when I do anything to those people, they go wrong. And you're all healthy human beings here and I don't want to make you go wrong."

"Go wrong?"

The syllables quivered in midair, the unseen strike of a bell. She walked forward.

"Go...wrong." Drake bit his lip harder. "You know how Zachary's acting all barmy and doing everything Tommy says like he doesn't have a mind of his own?"

There was a slow nod, slow as to be careful not to be told off by the tattler for bullying. But the tattler herself was nodding. "Are you saying that he doesn't?"

Drake gave her a bone-dry nod. "Exactly."

"You, like, did that. To Zachary," Olivia said.

"Not on purpose," Drake said, "but yes. So please. Stay away. Just go away and forget all of this ever happened. Please. And stay away from Tommy and Zachary. Don't listen to anything they say."

Olivia nodded. "Yeah," she muttered, licking dry lips. "I always knew there was something weird about you." Trying not to avert her eyes from Drake, she backed up over the cardboard boxes. "Come on, guys. Let's go."

"Tommy and Zachary are still outside," Wendy protested.

"We're four people," Olivia reasoned. "We can drag them to class the way they led us here." She walked to the door. Both Williams stumbled and jostled about.

"I'm opening the door. One. Two. Three."

There was a silent scuffle of kicks and the door swung shut.

Drake sighed and looked up. "Wendy? Aren't you going?"

"You said you see people weirdly," she said. Her pigtails drooped like dead rabbits' feet.

"Just forget about it," Drake said. "Let's get to class."

"How?" she asked.

"Just forget about it, I said!" Drake shouted.

"Pulses? Lights? Shines?" Wendy asked.

Drake's hand felt like marble. Time was turning them into stone. "How?" he asked.

"Oh, God," Wendy said. She backed up, tripping over a box. "Oh, my God. He's right. Oh, God." She got up and dusted herself off, before wringing her pigtails. "Oh, my God."

"What? What?" Drake asked. "Who's right? Me?"

"You're in the same compound as me," Wendy said. "Right? Maple North Street? I'm on Pine West. 16 Pine West. It's close; I've seen your car around. Can you come over after school – four or so? Uncle will want to talk to you."