Unconcealed

Chapter One: Isolation

JAKE
      I look through the faded curtains of my motel room and see clouds gathering. Good. Maybe some rain will relieve my agitation.

     I am happy– no–relieved when the group chat ends. When one cannot discern context and meaning of texts, it is terribly frustrating to follow a conversation with five other people who are talking all at once. I do not count Sarah in that number because the two of us have such a special rapport that I know what she means without needing clarification. She centers me, but I still feel awkward and out of place. The noise of the group is overwhelming. Despite that, I have a strong desire to belong to the group. I do have an "in" as Hannah's and Lilly's brother, but I am still uncomfortable with disclosing  that fact. I am just grateful that I have Sarah's support to help me through all of this chaos.    

         It feels like someone has taken all the events and discoveries of the past few days and thrown them in a blender. I decide to tke a walk to clear my head. I ignore the impending rain that is heavy in the clouds, and walk along the back of the motel where the dumpster is. A small orange and white cat walks up to me, and starts weaving in between my legs.

      "Hello, Minou," I say in a slight falsetto as I scratch between her ears. Minou greeted me the night I arrived, skinny and soaked to the bone. It is amazing to see the progress she has made after less than a week of love and regular meals. She is the only physical connection I have to anyone right now. 

      I have to admit I have been feeling uneasy since the chat, and so I start pacing. I am really worried bout Sarah; I feel she is more vulnerable now that the others are leaving Duskwood. I fear that the Man without a Face will now concentrate his efforts on Sarah, and I do not think that she should face that alone. I feel an overwhelming need to protect her. I do not know what I would do if something happened to her. Protecting her will come with a very big risk, but I am willing to do anything for her. She is everything.

      I realize that I want to stop hiding. Hiding my name... Hiding my past... Hiding my feelings... I don't want to run from Sarah anymore Strangely, I don't care about the risk anymore. Sarah is more important to me than myself. Truth be told, I want to see her. I want to hold and to touch her. 

      I go back to my room and grab a burner phone that I haven't used out of my backpack. I dial a familiar number. Time to rip off the bandage...

SARAH

      I try to lie down for a short nap after the group chat ends, but sleep refuses to visit me. I am physically and emotionally exhausted after the events of the past two days. Richy... Jessy... Thomas... What the Man without a Face has done to them haunts my thoughts. I sit up on the sofa with my head in my hands and sigh loudly. I feel a cold nose touch mine, and look into the eyes of Morgan.

I put my arms around her neck and put my face in her wiry fur. Her tail thumps loudly against the sofa, but I am overwhelmed by a strange feeling in my body. 

        Why do I suddenly feel so isolated?

    My Duskwood friends are leaving for the house Richy had rented for them. I am left alone in this house that is way too big for me while Jake has to endure less than ideal conditions in his motel room. We are utterly alone in our different corners of the universe. That feels very strange to me. I've been on my own for over ten years, but suddenly I am very lonely.

    I wonder if Jake feels the same.

    I stand up and stretch. My hands and arms ache after hours texting in the group chat. I really could use a hot shower right now. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. It's Cleo.

        "Hi, Sarah. It's going to be our last call for a while. We are all leaving Duskwood to go to the house. I just got a call from Dan, so I'm going to pick him up from the hospital first."

      "He's being released already?" I asked, not expecting a response. "Please stay safe you guys. Say hi to Dan and tell him to mind his manners."   

      "I will," Cleo says with a laugh before she hangs up the phone.

         No sooner than I hang up the phone with Cleo, the phone starts ringing again. This time it's a call from an unknown number. I feel sick to my stomach, wondering what the Man Without a Face is going to say next. I reluctantly hit the answer button. 

     "Let me guess... I interfered too many times and you are going to kill everyone?"

    "No."

          I hear a very human voice, without the angry modulation.  Then there is heavy breathing on the line and I groan. 

       Just great. Now I have perverts calling me? 

         "Hello, Sarah."

        His voice sound like it could melt Tungsten. My knees immediately feel weak as I realize who had called. 

       "Jake?" My voice squeaks when I say his name. He laughs.

       "Surprised? So am I, to tell the truth." I notice that Jake has fallen into more relaxed speech. I guess he's more comfortable with me now. "So... I'd like you to meet me for dinner."

       The line goes dead. I am puzzled by his request. What does he mean? Suddenly, I am hit with the answer. After all, we just talked about it this morning. 

        I open my computer and pull up an interactive map. Having been extra careful since all this started, I type in the address of the gas station across the highway. I  use the search feature to find Chinese restaurants near me. There are four within a ten mile radius, one with a motel across the street
It's a half mile down the road. 

He came here?