"You may call out for them. You may scream. But I am the only one who will hear you now."
When they arrived back at the apartment, Ingrid's handbag contained a snow globe and a green bandana, as well as an assortment of paints. Whilst in the shop she had revealed to Connor that she didn't actually need any art supplies, but she hadn't been able to stop herself. All of the colours had looked so inviting. She had just had to have them! Now, with them precariously scattered around the living room, she paid no attention to them. Connor had gone for a lie down; he said he had a headache, and Ingrid was preparing what she was going to say on the phone. She didn't know whether she would be speaking to Jodie or Andrew, so she came up with conversations for both. With anticipation she held the apartment phone to her ear and listened to its ringing. She hoped it would be Jodie she would arrange a meeting with, and was slightly disappointed when it was Andrew's low drone that she heard. Putting on a friendly tone, she tried to make the best of the situation.
"It's Ingrid. I'm sorry about earlier. I was just a bit surprised to see you," her words came out a little too shrill, but she ignored it.
"What's the reason this time?" he sounded out of breath.
Dodging his accusing question, Ingrid tried to change the subject to something more lighthearted.
"Oh, have you just got back from your jog? How was it?"
"It was ok I guess. What are you calling me for?"
There was no escape this time. With a deep breath she braced herself for rejection.
"Well, I was wondering if me and Connor could meet up with you two some time this weekend? It'd be nice to talk to you properly."
There was a dead silence and for a moment Ingrid thought he had hung up.
"Two?"
"Yeah. You and Jodie. How is she?"
Silence.
"She's out of town visiting family. Has been for weeks."
It was Ingrid who hung up now. Her face was hot with guilt. She sank down onto the sofa, unable to think of any comforting thoughts. Jodie was one of her best friends. She should have kept in better touch with her, and then she would have known that she wasn't around. She reached down into her handbag and pulled out the snow globe she had bought for Jodie. Inside was a scene of two young girls standing atop a bridge staring down sadly at the frozen river. In their hands they held sticks, supposedly meant to drop into the water. Ingrid smiled; her and Jodie had done the same thing one winter when Ingrid had been allowed to choose where they went for the day. She had been 16 then, still young and childish. unlike Jodie, who had matured far quicker than anyone in their class. Ingrid's eyes flicked towards the bedroom door, remembering that that had also been the year she had met Connor. He had been new to the school, and on his first day had sat next to her in English class. He had always had a talent for writing. Even from that age he had aspired to be an author. It was only now that he had decided to commit.
The was a loud knock at the apartment door. Ingrid yelped in surprise, dropping the snow globe. It fell to the ground and shattered. The carpet was now covered in fake snow, but luckily the two girls on the bridge were still intact. Ingrid jumped to her feet and answered the door. There was a young boy stood there who, from appearance, looked about a year or two younger than her. In his hand he held a flat box.
"Pizza delivery. Cheese and tomato?"
For a moment Ingrid stood dumbfounded. She had been so caught up in memories that she had forgotten about the pizza she had ordered when they first got home. It was around 1pm, and her stomach growled with hunger.
"Yes, sorry! How much?" replied Ingrid with a laugh.
To her dismay the pizza boy didn't seem interested in sharing her joke. He simply looked down at his slip of paper, studying it carefully.
"Uh... £11.52."
Ingrid nodded and rushed to her handbag. She fumbled for a while. When she looked up, she saw boredom on the pizza boy's face. His eyes, as vibrant and blue as they were, were dull and showed no signs of joy.
"Do you not like your job?" asked Ingrid.
The question seemed to surprise the boy, but he merely shrugged. Ingrid rolled her eyes and continued to search her handbag. The bandana she had bought for Andrew fell out, as did a bunch of other miscellaneous objects. From behind her Ingrid heard a snigger. She looked over her shoulder to see a small smile on the boy's face. He was trying to hide it. Ingrid felt an idea form in her head, and she smiled to herself.
She began to rummage in her bag even more carelessly. She shifted herself so that it was in full view of the boy as she threw her belongings around the room. The boy's smiled widened, and eventually he began to laugh. Filled with pride, Ingrid finally pulled out a handful of money. The notes were scrunched up in her hand, but that only seemed to be more amusing to the boy. He covered his mouth with his free hand and handed her the box.
"What's your name?" asked Ingrid, not yet giving him the money.
"Jacob," he replied, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes.
"Well, Jacob. Do you have any more deliveries today?" Ingrid could tell that her words sounded a little creepy, but she carried on anyway.
"No. That was my last one. My shift ends about now."
Ingrid thought long and hard about her next words. She felt that her and Jacob could be good friends, but she knew that rushing it wouldn't help. She would have liked to invite him in, but that would surely sound suspicious. But, surprisingly, it was Jacob who spoke next.
"Could I get your number? I'd like to see you again sometime."
An excited grin split across Ingrid's face and she fumbled in her pocket for a pen. When she finally pulled one out, she realised that she didn't have any paper. Jacob must have read her expression, because he held out the slip of paper with the order on.
"Write it on this."
Ingrid quickly wrote her number down, handing over the slip and her payment for the pizza. Jacob took it with a small smile, tucking it into his pocket and handing her the pizza. He was about to leave when he turned back to her.
"What's your name?"
"Ingrid."
YOU ARE READING
The Memory Machine 2
Horror*Sequel to The Memory Machine***** It has been months since Connor regained his memory, and it seems like Carrie's threats were nothing but a bluff. But as the days go by, Connor can't help but notice that something isn't right. His friends act like...
