Welcome to Dreadville (On Hold)

Chapter Fourteen

"What are you doing?" A deep voice interrupts my thoughts. It was Terry. He was standing behind the now open door.

I jump at the realization of being caught. I was always so cautious in everything I did. If I was sneaking into something I'd usually be careful not to make a loud ruckus. I scold myself for being so careless. I probably made a noise that alerted him.

"I-I—"

"You've got no business looking at that," he says angrily as he walks towards me and snatches the album away from me. He closes the album and grabs the other books I had taken out.

"I'm s-sorry," I reply shakily.

He looks at me after saying this. His expression softens. Then he...chuckles? "And I'm the cat," he says.

I look at him in confusion.

"I can't blame you for being curious," he says. "I used to be like that."

I do nothing but look at him. Before he puts the books back in the shoebox, he leaves an orange one out. He puts the lid back on the shoebox and closes the closet.

"Here," he says handing me the book.

"W-what is i-it?" I ask stuttering. I scold myself for stuttering as I remind myself what he had asked me just last night about my speaking.

"A book," he says as if I've never heard of one before.

I give him a non-approving look. "I know that," I reply a bit angry that he thought I didn't know what it was. "I meant what k-kind?"

"Its about Dreadville's history. Maybe you'll find something you'll like," he tells me. Then he adds, "That is, if you do read it."

I felt my face heat up as I remember the book Nick had given me.

"I-I'll find time to r-read it," I tell him still stuttering.

"Well, are you hungry?" He asks me.

I stand up from my sitting position. I stare deep into his eyes. I try to some up with a good escape plan. Or maybe just an excuse not to eat. Who knows what can be in my food?

"Jade, we're sorry we had to resort to that last night. We really mean no harm," he tells me in a soft and soothing voice.

"W-why should I b-believe you?" I ask.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair in an exasperating way. "Look, I know we might not seem too trustworthy at the moment, but—"

"You poisoned me!"

"It was necessary!" He replies also raising his voice in a humorous way.

"It was necessary to poison me?" I scream. "Maybe if you had asked me to stay the night, I would've!"

"Oh ok. You would've have spent the night in a house with two boys you rarely know?" He asks now with a hint of anger in his voice.

"On those terms I wouldn't have! But it would have been a different story if you had given me reasons to stay!" I yell.

"Reasons? Like what?" He inquires lowering his voice.

"LIke telling me why I have to stay or why I can't leave until I finish my job," I answer also lowering my voice but not removing my angry tone.

"Ok, so you want to know why you can't leave?" He asks now the angry tone full in his voice. "I'll tell you why you can't leave. You're the true mayor of Dreadville. You need to stay here. It's not like you'll ever be seeing your world again."

What?" I whisper very softly.

His eyes widen. "Jade......I," his voice calms down and almost matches my quiet tone. "I didn't... I didn't mean... I shouldn't have said it that way."

Water fills my eyes and I'm surprised that I was about to cry. No one should see me cry. Especially a boy I met the previous day.

I look down at my feet and whisper, "You were going to tell me anyway. Would it have mattered if you had said it in a different way?" A silent tear crawls down my cheek.

He grabs my shoulders and makes me look up at him. Pain and curiosity clearly loom in his eyes. I shake my way out of his grasp and clear my face of any more tears. How foolish of me to be crying. I step away from him and rush out of the room before he can reply.

I follow the same path I took yesterday when Terry took me down into the kitchen. The only problem was that I didn't know where the exit was. I close my eyes and follow my instinct. I take a left turn and see a door at the end of the hallway. I run towards it only to trip over something and fall on my face.

I sit up and look at what I had tripped over. It was Terry in his cat form. I sigh and stand up. I turn back around and continue to walk towards the door. Terry transforms into human again and grabs my arm.

"You don't want to go beyond that door," he says.

"Why?" I ask defiantly. He raises an eyebrow and lets go of my arm.

"Well then if you're so brave then continue to escape. I'll just remind you how you reacted when you saw me change into a human."

I glare at him. That was a one time thing. It wouldn't happen again. "I won't pass out if that is what you are trying to tell me," I tell him.

"Oh but it might give you a shock to see people that don't resemble humans," he replies.

I remember the dream I had a couple nights ago. I had walked past two trees and had then ended up in a different place where people had strange auras surrounding them, some people had had no shadows, and most of them had been floating.

"You mean I'll see people who look like the people in your photo album?"

His face turns a bit red as I say this. Maybe I should have mentioned my dream and not the photo album. I don't think he liked me looking through it.

"Yes," he says in a deep voice. "You'll see people like that."

"Well I've also seen people look like that in dreams. I don't think it will be different," I say.

"Seeing people in a dream and seeing people in real life are a totally different thing," he replies.

"My dreams are really vivid."

"Then why are you still here arguing with me? If you don't care what you see, then go ahead and walk out. I'd like to see how you survive out there."

Just then my stomach growled. My hands instinctively shot towards my belly. Terry smiled at that.

"You won't be able to get food or find somewhere to sleep," he adds. He turns around and starts walking away from me.

He was right. I was hungry and I would need somewhere to sleep while I found a way out of this world. I sigh, but I wasn't going to let him win.

"Terry, wait," I say angrily to his back. He turns around and faces me. "You brought me here," I continue. "So its your fault I can't leave." He flinches as I say that. "And it also means I'm your responsibility." He opens his mouth to speak but I cut him off. "Its also up to you to find a way to take me back home!"

I cross my arms over my chest as I take in the great feeling of victory. I raise my eyebrow and say in a bossy tone, "I'd like some breakfast."