Malediction

15 - Stepping In

"Where did you get this?" He mumbled lowly as he read over the words I had handed him

"A friend" I answered, unwilling to be specific

"It's certain?" He raised his gaze to mine

I nodded "I trust the source"

He was quiet, and I could see that he was unsure, his teeth chewing his bottom lip.

"Friday?" I repeated "After school?"

He nodded "Okay"

Air hung between us, lingering thick and heavy, the silence of the library only more intolerable.

"Do you want to sit? We can figure out what we're going to ask him" I offered, eyeing the seat off opposite me, aware that distance needed to be kept

I could see him internally sigh, battling with his inner demons.

"We aren't friends remember?" I reminded him, attempting to persuade "Just pretend we have been paired together for an assignment, we both really want good grades but we hate each other" I tried dramatically

Surprisingly he quickly pulled the chair out and sat, his eyes on my face, yet still looking through me "I don't hate you" He shook his head "I just.. I can't -"

"I know" I cut in "I understand why you're afraid, I get why you do and think the way you do, but if we do this, we can fix it" I just wanted him to believe me, I wanted him to know that I was trying to help him defeat this.

His eyes hovered out the small window behind me, and then down at the paper he held on the table.

"Have you looked up the address?" His tone changed, as well as his topic

I shook my head "No, no I got too busy in my homework and forgot about it"

He slightly leaned his body sideways, pulling a phone from his back pocket.
I hadn't yet seen him with a phone, I wondered if it were new, a recent thing to keep in contact with his mother and Blake. I couldn't have imagined that he had of needed it before being pushed out into the real world. In fact, I could have only imagined his mother disconnecting every inch of communication to the outside world off whilst they were trapped inside their home.

He began typing in the address, his eyebrows creased in the middle, his concentration pure, captivating. His eyes roamed over the screen, his fingers tapping away, the quick movements again questioning his experience with the technology.

"Is that new?" I asked, unable to remain quiet as I nodded in the direction of the iPhone

"No, I've had it for a while. Mum and Blake don't know, I've kept it hidden for a few years" There was a slight rebellious tone and smirk on his features, an expression that I couldn't help but smile toward

"It's an hour away, small town, low retirement population" He revealed, the plan coming back to focus

"Makes sense if he's trying to keep a low profile" I shrugged, leaning back, my hands on the table, fidgeting

"You sure you're up for this?" Danny quickly glanced in between my hands and my face

I nodded "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's a lot to take in, and I don't know what my grandfather will be like, this could go badly"

"It needs to be done, regardless of what he's like. He needs to understand that running away from this isn't a solution, he should understand why we're doing what we're doing" I explained, convincing more myself that I was ready for this little unknown trip