Distractions

Chapter 4: The Question

When Irina and I got home, all I could think about was the strange phone call. I know this call had something to do with the dying stranger. There was no way it couldn't be linked. So many questions raced through my mind when I was alone in my room. Why am I supposedly supposed to know everyone? What is 'the truth'? Who called me? Who was that dying stranger? And who was 'Gracie'?

    My phone started to ring and I jumped from the bed. I started breathing shallow breaths. I slowly walked one foot in front of the other. The caller i.d said 'UNTRACEABLE'. I didn't even know that was something my phone could say. I hesitantly picked it up and answered it.

"I'm glad you answered, the others were betting you wouldn't. You just saved me a ton of money." He chuckled. It was the caller from the restaurant. Did he think this was funny?

"What do you want?" I shrieked. Tears fell from my eyes. I watched someone die yesterday! And they were mentally torturing me. My heartbeat abruptly stopped as a thought occurred to me.

"What's wrong?" His tone jumped from relaxed to urgent. I caught my breath. 

"Did you kill that guy?"

"Aaron?" So that was the strangers name.

"Aaron." I repeated the name. The taste of his name in my mouth seemed familiar. As I said this, a 'Gracie Dream' started playing. 

    I was suddenly facing someone who looked exactly like me, except a boy. Beside me was Aaron. The boy facing me was speaking.

"Why are you working with him? You know he's cheating you." He sounded deadly serious. The edge in his voice was unmistakable.

"Aaron? I work with him because I-" I was cutoff. But it wasn't me consciously speaking, it was me in the dream.

"No, not him, Dad?" I could feel the offensiveness of my character in this 'Gracie Dream'. But I didn't understand why I would feel that way. The dream slowly faded away and melted back into reality.

"Gracie? Gracie, what's wrong?" I didn't even feel like correcting him.

"Nothing." I shook it off. I knew he could see me so I had to make it look and sound real. "I'm fine."

"Well, to answer your question, no, we did not kill Aaron."

"Who did?"

"I'll tell you if you start being honest with me." I swallowed nervously.

"What do you mean?"

"If you answer this question correctly, I can tell you everything you would want to know."

"And if not?" I raised my chin defiantly. He answered carefully.

"Let's just say, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Silence. "If you call back before the night ends, I'll give you the question. If you don't, forget everything that has happened since yesterday." And the phone clicked.