I'm Not Dead

Chapter Fourteen

"Mom, who all did you inform about my reincarnation?"

Mom shrugged. "Just a few of the girls at work, why?"

"Mom, I love you, but people gossip. And this was something that we really needed to keep to ourselves."

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking about how you weren't at school, and here all alone. And I started to worry, and you know how I get. I wear my worry on my face. So Derek's mom, asked me what was wrong and I told her not to tell anyone."

I took a deep breath in. "Mom. OF COURSE SHE WAS GOING TO TELL PEOPLE!" Mom shrank and I felt bad about suddenly yelling. I sighed. "This is fine."

"I'm sorry. I'll call her and tell her not to tell anyone else."

"No, don't talk to anyone."

There was an urgent knock at the door. "I'll get it," Dad muttered.

Seconds later Theo and Laura rushed into the living room. "Hi, Loraine, lovely to see you again," Theo said, then looked at me, "Elliot, a word?"

"Mom. If the phone rings, don't answer it. Don't answer the door. Don't leave. Stay right here. Make dinner."

Mom nodded, brightening up slightly at the idea of cooking another meal for me, and possibly my friends, but still feeling bad about telling everyone.

"Okay," I said once we got to my room. Door open, Mom reminded me from downstairs. I left it cracked and sat down on my bed. Laura sat beside me and Theo sat in my desk chair. "What are we dealing with?"

"Well, thanks to your mother, the town thinks that you're some sort of demon-satan spawn."

"Helliot." Theo said, smiling and laughing at his own pun.

Laura threw a pillow at him. "This isn't a joke! No offense, Elliot, but your mom fucked up."

I love it when she curses like a sailor.

"I know! How do you think I felt getting all those texts and calls? I feel loved, by the way, that some of my closest friends texted me instead of calling."

"Welcome to the digital age." Theo said.

Laura clapped loudly. "Focus! The Catholics, Methodists, and Baptists are getting together to get rid of you. This might be the biggest thing in the church since the birth of Jesus Christ."

Theo chuckled. Laura threw another pillow at him. "ARE YOU HIGH?!"

He nodded. "Yeah a little. I don't see what the big deal is. He's alive! He can go to school and finish high school and graduate and he can be a damn good football player because of his fucked up nerves."

"Theo the town wants me dead. I can't go back to school."

"Wasted talent."

"I need to convince them that I did something good to come back." Right. Theo and Laura still don't know that I remember everything. What would Laura think?

"Now I really can't leave." I said.

It's time I gave you some background on our little breakfast community. Most people will go into the new city for work and to shop for big groceries and clothing and such, but there are some small businesses here. We've got three gas stations, a Walmart (tiny as hell), and a local grocery store that's been here for decades.

There are three churches, and when they hold their bazars it's a town wide event. There's the Methodists (the church my family belongs to, but I haven't gone to in years), the Catholics across the street, and the Baptists. Eighty percent of the school goes to one of these three churches, five percent go to one in the city, and the last ten don't go to church (those few are prayed for but whispered about).

A great amount of the town itself if old people, and traditional old people too. A generation of church goers and farmers who constantly complain about the kids these days. The kids these days are more likely than not their grandkids, third or fourth of fifth generation.

So church is important to them, and their kids, and then their grandkids. There's an abstinence club at school (I think it's called the Purity Team or something though) and it's mostly the hard core church buffs.

When something like me comes along, rising from the dead like I did, of course the town will grab their crosses and crucifixes and Holy Water and Bibles and band together to get rid of me. I am an abomination and a demon.

And my father wants to kill me. So there's that cherry for your goddamn cake.

Mom made a huge dinner for Laura and Theo and Dad and me.

We sat down at the table. I was squeezed in on the corner across from my father who was holding a steak knife. That didn't make me feel comfortable. There was a thick cloud of awkward hanging between us. He stared me down as he cut into his chicken.

It was intense.

I sat there and didn't eat. About fifteen minutes into the silent meal, and I mean dead silent, Mom asked me why I wasn't eating.

"Mom, I love you, and I love you cooking. But I can't eat. It all just comes back up. I'm sorry."

"Oh, that's okay."

I looked at my dad. He glared at me, still holding the knife, gripping it. "You're not my son."

I swallowed hard, fearing for my life.

"Donovan!" Mom said, hurt in her eyes.

"Look at him! He's not human, Loraine! He doesn't eat. I don't care what he's convinced you to believe but he's not human and he's not my son."

Laura squeezed my hand underneath the table.

I bit the edge of my lip. "Dad you wanna know what else? I heal fast. I mean fast." I grabbed the steak knife and dragged it across my palm. Mom gasped, Laura looked away, Theo sighed, Dad stared intensely at my hand. I watched the blood clot, then held up my hand, showing off the scar. My dad's face was of only disgust.

"Elliot, why did you do that?" Laura muttered.

"Christ, Elliot." Theo grumbled.

"Elliot," Mom sounded... hurt? Like I had hurt her by doing this, but showing what I could do. "Elliot are you my son?"

"Mom, of course." Now I felt hurt. How could she second guess herself now?

"You're not my son." Dad said, looking right at me. "He's not our son." Dad turned to Mom.

Mom stood up, tears hanging in her eyes. "I don't know what to believe." She started to leave.

"Mom," I said, hoping she'd stop. She didn't.

Dad stood up and left too.

Laura and Theo had been silent. Then Laura said: "Come on, let's clean up."

I looked down at my hand. The blood was drying, and the scar was hardly there. I nodded and stood up to go wash my hand.