The Teacher

The Teacher: Part I Unchained, Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

IT TOOK ME ABOUT AN HOUR to get home and along the way I struggled to make sense of what Holden told me not to mention what I'd actually witnessed of this power he was talking about.

Who wouldn't want to be able to relax the grim-reaper's grip on our pitifully short lives, and who wouldn't want to have their senses, their strength enhanced way beyond what is normal. Who wouldn't want to be able to impose their will on others, and put an end to money worries?

Holden's journal was mine now so when I got home the first thing I did was to read through it again. There really weren't any clear clues as to where this power he was tapping into came from, other than the recurring theme in his writing—that he hated God for what happened to his family. Just how could turning his back on God be related to the changes in his life?

Over half of his journal pages were blank, so I decided if keeping a diary helped Holden get his life back on track, perhaps it would help me sort out the conflicts I had to resolve before I could even consider accepting Holden's offer to join him on this strange new plane of existence. I found my favorite amber-colored Aurora fountain pen under some folders on my desk and thumbed through his diary until I found the first empty page after placing the date carefully at the top, I began writing.

April 1

If only what I'd just been through with Holden was just some April Fools Day prank, I could dismiss the whole thing and get back to normal high school problems like finishing boring assignments and passing tests, sorting out the latest gossip, and deciding who's right for whom on the dating scene. I guess the prank's on me. What Holden just told me matches up with the unbelievable changes in his life...it has to be real, but how?

If turning his back on God is the price he had to pay, there's no way I'm going down that war-zone road lined all along its length with spiritual IEDs, but how could that even be? He's not sprouting horns and carrying a pitchfork! He's not ugly and dangerous. Could he simply be delusional, but in a good way, thinking he's entered into some pact with the Devil, when actually he's managed to alter his reality and is only acting a part in a play he's scripted for himself. But then there can't be any real power connected to a delusion, can there?

I better keep my distance for a while and see what happens to him. I need to tell someone, I suppose Blaire and Lydia first, but I need to talk to Pastor Ben.

I worked on a math assignment until I couldn't keep my eyes open any more, but did manage to brush my teeth before collapsing into bed with all my clothes on, not at all sure what was going to happen at school the next day.

THINKING I WOULD BE THE ONE avoiding Holden, when I saw him in the hall he seemed completely detached from any real concern about what he said to me the day before. It looked like a good place to be, so aloof from emotion and worry about anything or anyone. A little jealous of his independent strong character, I tried to force myself into that same frame of mind, but it didn't work. I was still churning inside, with everything involving Holden so up in the air. I caught up with Blaire and Lydia at lunch.

"You won't believe what happened to me yesterday," I began.

"Let me guess, it has something to do with Holden. Why are you still mooning over that guy? I know he's hot, and just how did that happen, but get in line...you realize he's been dating one girl after another all quarter, don't you?" Blaire responded, not wanting to hurt my feelings, but believing it best to be honest with your buds.

"Right, and have you seen that new Camaro he's driving. Where did that come from?" Lydia interjected.

"I rode in that car yesterday, and ended up in his bedroom," I blurted out, surprising even myself by leaking the hot, breaking news.