Dear James,
Lately, I've been thinking. The thing is, I've been talking to some people. Some were even your old friends. They've been telling me things aboutyou that they realized before they backed away from you. They told me that you'd forgotten. You'd forgotten your family. You'd forgotten yourfriends. You'd forgotten about the last person who wanted to be friends with you. Me. I didn't believe them at first. I didn't want to let myselfbelieve that one of my two best friends was gone, but I started noticing things about you. Strange things. Whenever we study together, youseem distant. Whenever I ask you why you weren't there when you said you would, you change the topic. This has been happening a lot lately,too. Why? I'm getting concerned. A little afraid, even. I know you heard about the murders in the news, though you never acknowledged them.Do they.....do they have anything to do with you? You can tell me. I'm here for you. After all, I'm your friend.
Alice
Those were the words on the sheet of paper. Then it all came back to me. James Collin. The person who actually dated Tara once. James Collin.The person convicted of several murders. James Collin. A guy I thought was my friend once. We were only fourteen, after all. I wasn't expectingthat. Some go through puberty. Some go through murder-ty. "I knew you'd come out here." A smooth voice said. I twisted sharply, the paperstill on the tree. My eyes were as wide as Scream's were. James cocked his head to the side, mock-confusion on his face. "What's wrong? Afraidof your friend? Why?"
"I'm not your friend." I insisted firmly.
"Oh, but you said you were. 'You can tell me. I'm here for you. After all, I'm. Your.Friend.' " He quoted the last sentences of my letter, spitting the words out as if they were venom.
"I......" I was stunned. I didn't know what to say.
"Where were you, Alice? Where were you when I needed the friend that you said you were?Where were you when I was in prison? Nowhere. That's where you were. Sitting at home and letting your memory of me get chewed down intotiny pieces." Though he sounded angry, there was something buried deep under his angry voice. I could have sworn that I heard his voice crackat the end. He didn't show it physically, though.
"You....you were in prison?"
"No, Alice. I was in summer camp. Where did you think I was?" Ididn't know. I couldn't answer the question honestly.
"And now you're back to...what, invite your old school friends to a dinner party? Whilstrepeatedly traumatizing a fourteen-year-old?" He seemed somewhat puzzled, then realized what I was talking about.
"Ah! The boy........Scream,you call him?"
"Yes. What did you do to him?" He smiled. But not a nice smile. A creepy, knowing smile. A somewhat....sadistic smile. "It's easyfinding out what people hate the most. You, for instance hate David beyond limits." I nodded. "And it's harder to find out what people fear themost. It's something you can use to manipulate a person beyond anything else. Take an arachnophobe and put him in a room full of spiders,and BOOM! He'll do what you want, when you want it. He'll do whatever it takes not to go back into that room. It's because many people arecowards, Alice. Because many people would do anything so they don't have to face their fears."
"But to manipulate a person like that.....it's not fair!" I protested. James shrugged.
"Life's not fair. Stack the aces. Load the dice. Living life to thefullest doesn't always include being a goody two-shoes, you know." And there was some truth to that. I never really liked manipulating people,or lying all that much, but sometimes you have to. Then I remembered something.
"You know, I did help you." I said, monotonously.
"Oh, youdid, did you? Tell me more. I beg you." he mocked.
"Court. 23rd of March, 2010. An anonymous person added her court testimony, after youwere shortly excused from the courtroom." He cocked his head again.
"I...I don't understand. That....that was--"
"Me. Exactly. I invented a lie thatcorresponded with all the evidence I knew of. But the damn cross-examination proved me wrong. I don't know how." He gaped, his mouth halfopen.
"So you did care......." I nodded.
"Yes. I cared about my friend." He smiled, but I realized shortly that it wasn't a nice smile, again.
"If youcare enough to still be friends, I can help you with the problem with David."
...I was listening.
YOU ARE READING
Psychotic
Horror[SEQUEL] It's been a year since they took her to the asylum. It's been a year since she last saw David, or anyone associated with him. It's been a year since she killed someone........but they still won't let her out. Why? She's insane.....she's psy...
