MagicAnimalClub: Happenings

25: Secrets

Joes pov

"Seriously. You can't do this to me. Stop, just stop." I span around, my hands on my face, sweating from stress, I felt like I was going to be sick.
"Joseph-"
"Shut up!" I yelled, "I killed him, he was dead."
"And your sure it was him?"
"Yes! He said it himself and I recognised him!"
Mark looked at me and sighed, "go. I'll.. I see you now and again."
"How did you know where and who I was?" I asked him, he just looked at me blankly,
"Bet Mark Slone isn't your real name you stalker."
I left him, feeling physically and emotionally sick.
I walked back, David looked at me in worry.
I sat down and rested my head in my hands, covering my eyes. So much sweat.
"Joe, what's going on?" He asked me,
"I thought that this 'war' shit was over, that I'd never have to hold a gun again."
"What do you mean?"
"He's not dead, David."
He hesitated, just staring at me, before his eyes widened, "no.."
I rested my head on the table,
"I don't know where he is, but.. I'm scared, I'm scared again." I whispered. Before I noticed the girls staring at us,
"Guys- what's going on?" Nicole asked, walking over to us,
I just shook my head, sniffed, and said nothing.
"Somethings up- you okay?"
"Just.. Memories, that's all-" David looked at me,
"N- Netty and I used to go here some times. Crap food to be honest." I laughed, making a believable excuse.
Once everyone went back to their conversations, they decided it was time to take the children home, so Nicole, Beth, Davids mum and the children left David and I in a car shop.
"So- suppose I have to come out of here with a car.." I said,
"Well we are pretty screwed if you don't, we have no other way home." David laughed,
"Oh look at that!" I was drawn towards a large Range Rover, it was silver.
"Nice! Oh can we have a look, what's the price?"
"A-lot I'm assuming." I looked at the price tag on the window screen. It was well over the thirty thousand mark, however, after much chatting and rambling and testing. I bought it.
After all the paperwork was done, it was about nine o'clock and it was dark.
I drove home, the car was so smooth and comfortable.
"Nice car, very nice. I'll need to get myself one of these!" David complimented, poking in the compartments.
I was about to make the final turn in home before..
"Stamps," said David, just before I turned into the driveway, "I think we better go around the town one last time." He looked me in the eyes, I completely understood him now.
"All he said to me was that he- " I wiped my brow, "the man, he asked me exactly what happened and- and asked me who I killed and.." I took some time to breathe, "he, just, he said, he's still alive, Finn Ball. He's still-"
David patted my back, and the tears ran down my face, I was crying.. For once I thought I was strong again but.. I'm still capable of going through hell and crying.
"I really don't want to go back, David, I really can't take it anymore. Not now, not ever." I knew David understood me,
"No.. No I'm not going back, not when I've got children and you have children on the way." He shook his head, "I advise we stay out of this, for now anyway."
I pulled over almost immediately and took out my phone.
"Stamps, what are you doing." David glared at me,
I scrolled down through my contacts till I found Finnballs number.
"Stamps.. No.. No please don't.." I looked into his eyes,
"I just want to know if he is alive or not." I said,
"Then drive farther away from your house so he can't trace the call. And get out of the car."
I nodded, putting down my phone and driving away. The engine roared, my stomach felt empty and sick. It was past eleven o'clock, we were eighty miles away from my house. And my phone started to ring, it was Beth.
"Hello? Are you there?" She asked, I took a deep breath,
"Yeh, sorry we got held up a bit, we have just found a car, there is a good bit of traffic but we should be home before 1." I said, looking to David. He nodded.
"Okay, well I'm off to bed, wake me up when you come back." She said,
"Alright, I will. Night."
"Night." She said, before hanging up.
I looked over to David, "do we keep going?" I asked,
"Pull over." We pulled over, we both got out of the car. I locked it before we started walking along the side of the road.
We walked for over a mile before we found a telephone box.
"We should probably use this instead of your mobile." David said, I nodded,
I copied Finnballs number into the telephone box, and looked to David,
"If he doesn't pick up and this if for nothing.." We had a short laugh, before I took a deep breath and called his number.
It rang three times before it picked up. It was silent.
"Hello." I tried to be as unrecognisable as possible.
"Hello who is calling?" It was Finnballs voice. My eyes widened, I looked to David who stood in shock,
"Weren't you supposed to be dead?" I asked, feeling my heart in my hands.
It went silent.
"Is this Finnball?" I asked.
It was silent for a few seconds.
"I'm sorry Joe." His voice was so croaky,
"Finn, how- what.. I don't understand I really don't."
He hung up.
I tried ringing him back but he didn't respond.
"What now?" David asked me,
"We go home, I guess."
"Or.. We buy tickets to America." David said. This made me think.
"When is the next convention in California? We can say we are going and just go there." I suggested,
"But what if something happens to us? And Nicole and Beth knew we were trying to get back into this, they wouldn't forgive us." He looked at me, "I think we should tell them."
I took a deep breath, "maybe we should."
We walked back to the car and drove towards home.
"So where are you moving?" I asked him,
"Just down the road from you, just less than a mile, we don't have to cross the road or anything so the kids can go easily when they're older." "-speaking of kids," he smiled at me, "congrats on your little achievement! You must have been very eager when you came home!" David laughed, there were no words to react with that so I just laughed,
"Two long years!" He laughed,
"Oh shut up! You didn't have to wait!"I replied laughing,
"Whoah! Take it easy! Jeez stamps!"
"Can we move onto some other topic maybe?" ....