Tethered

Chapter Nineteen

1

Sarah sauntered to where Philip was seated and knelt in front of him.

"Philip", she said softly. "Are you okay?"

No answer. Sarah felt really unease by now. She thought about leaving instead. Rumbles after rumbles of thunder boomed and more rain came down. It was nearly closer to a storm now.

"Philip", she said, blinking. Then, hesitated a moment before touching him. She did. "Come on, stop freaking me out. What's going on?"

He still didn't lift up his face. Sarah sighed, then grabbed his head and made him look at her. He did. His eyes were teary and reflected an immeasurable amount of pain. Sarah's heart sank.

"What's going on?" Sarah whispered, even though she knew exactly what was going on. Philip glared at her for a while, then sighed.

"Philip", she said.

"I don't understand what's going on", he said softly. "What did Ken...?"

"Why did you call me?" She asked.

He stared at her for a moment before answering. "What are you good at?" He asked. "Like what...um...are you smart...I mean, smart, smart?"

Sarah thought for a moment. "I don't really know but I'm smart at the things I do, including school."

"I just found out that everyone on the list is super smart", Philip said. "Everyone, including those dead."

"So?"

"Ever you ever experienced a severe headache?" He asked.

"Once", she said.

"Correct", he said. "Everyone else did, at least once or twice."

"How did you know?" Sarah asked.

"For most of them", he said. "It's written in the paper and the internet, and Ariana managed to talk to the parents of those who committed suicide."

"She did?"

Philip stood up, and walked to the board. She followed him. "Most of the kids are associated with murder—murder they committed, and three of them died the same way and two killed themselves."

"Same slash marks", Sarah said, thoughtfully. "Hallucinations, nightmares..."

"And Ken said this", Philip said.

"They did this to me", Sarah read. "I didn't do it but they made me believe I did. I got them."

"A few weeks earlier, I flipped in a restaurant", Philip said. "I saw something, and there was a commotion and I think that's where he might—perhaps saw me, then he started following me."

To Sarah, it felt like some kind of puzzle. She wished Ken Leadwood had been clear in his speech.

"I think when he said: 'they did this to me', he was talking about his wrists", Philip said. "And I think they made him believe that he killed his father like Ariana said..."

"And them? And it's fucking working?" Sarah asked referring to what Ken had said.

Sending his hands roughly in his hair, Philip glared at Sarah with a look of uncertainty. It seemed to Sarah that he was also having difficulties believing his own theory. But she had to give it to him. He was super smart.

"Who are them?" She asked.

"I think whatever was done to Ken", he said. "Has been done to us—all of us—I just don't know how and..." He trailed off, facing away from Sarah back to the board.