Absent Link

Chapter 8: Apart

"Dylan!"

Dylan had just woken up, and was getting dressed, when he felt Emon connect and desperately call his name.

"Dylan, something's happening to Amelia!"

Dylan pulled on his shirt and groggily closed his closet. "Really?" He left his room and began walking to the kitchen.

"I've stopped being able to communicate with her. They're taking her somewhere, and she's been 'put out'!"

Dylan rubbed his eyes. "Couldn't she just be asleep?"

"No, I can talk to people who are asleep, even knocked out. She's sedated."

"You know I can't do anything. I would if I could, but I can't. It's that simple." He walked over to the fridge and grabbed a milk carton, pouring it into his mouth.

"Oh geez, you're going to let last night stop you. In that sense you're even weaker mentally than physically." At this, Dylan slammed the milk carton down on the table.

"I know what you're doing, Emon."

Before Emon could respond, a knock reverberated through the house. Dylan turned towards the door and saw two blurry figures through the glass. He walked over and opened the door, where his two friends Keith and Eddie stood waiting.

Keith stumbled backward in a comical, exaggerated way when he saw Dylan, pretending to be afraid and disgusted. Eddie looked back with dissatisfaction as Keith "fell" off the steps onto his back, covering his eyes with his hands and pretending to scream in agony.

"What happened to your face??" He wailed as he threw his arms into the air.

"Keith..." Eddie rolled his eyes and groaned, "They're just scratches, man. Chill out."

"Just scratches?" Keith paused, still playing along. "Just scratches?! This is clearly a vicious attack by some unknown assailant. I demand justice!"

Emon, who had been watching the scene unfold with bewilderment, finally spoke up to Dylan. "Ok... can you just... can we move on to what he's here for?"

"Emon, stop being a jerk."

Keith looked up in confusion. His face wore forced dismay. He stood up, brushing off the dirt and dust from his clothes. "What's he saying?"

"Don't worry about it. You're funny, but we have things to talk about, so I'm afraid I can't hang out."

Eddie broke the news, "We're not here just to hang out. We wanted to see if you were ok."

Dylan looked up in surprise. "Who told you?"

Eddie continued, "Well, your mom told my mom that you did some cool stuff in town last night. Fought off a ninja."

Dylan sighed, recalling last night's actual events. He had to talk to someone about what really happened; what he was going through, and Emon wasn't being the best help with that. He turned around and invited them in with a wave.

"You're a hero, Dylan." Keith said as he walked in, kicking off his shoes. He punched the air and spun around with a kick, "All the girls are freaking out about it—"

"Uh-huh" Dylan interrupted. "All the girls you're in touch with."

"You saved your dad."

"But she said you were in pretty bad shape after that." Eddie followed. "Do you... like... need anything?"

Dylan sat down at the counter. His eyes met the floor for a second, then he looked up solemnly. "I almost died. I didn't save anyone. I was trying to rescue someone. The stories my parents believe are all lies."