CHAINED

The beginning

The next day slipped in.
"Everything looks the same , James". Isaac said, standing at the window of his second story bedroom, looking west at the late sun. A normal tranquil scene in a typical suburb. Yet for Isaac it was as though he were looking at a town waiting to fade away. He'd felt this way before, last summer in fact in fact, felt this overwhelming desire to back in time as life were much more simpler, even in yesterday. Chances were the chain letter was a joke; nevertheless, it was a joke he'd never laugh over.
"We won't have such a nice view out the bars of our cells for sure," James said, sitting on the couch.
" I'm telling my lawyer I won't settle for a penitentiary without balconies."
Isaac turned around, taking in with a glance the plain but today room.
" Really, has Vanessa gotten hold of John?"
" Not yet. John's away with his parents in Thailand. He wasn't at school today but he should be home soon."
" He would freak out of he hears about the letter," James said.
" Will Emmanuel be here soon?"
Isaac nodded, Sterling to a chair opposite hid couch, sitting down and resting his bare feet on a walnut case which he got from his grandparents when he was 8 years old.
" Emmanuel called just before you arrived" Isaac said. " He should be here in a minute."
" Does he knows he know that he now has caretakers?"
" Yeah. Vanessa told him and gave him the gist of the letter over the phone."
James grinned, which was always a curious affair on him. He had a baffoon's nose and a rabbit's ear, plus fair hair that had an unfortunate tendency to stick up, which all which at the first glance made him look like a clown. But his intense black eyed belied the comparison. Even when he a laughed, he look like he was thinking. James may not have been a genius but he was close enough to make no difference. He had a 4.0 average and was going to M.I.T come fall to study aero nautical end entering. He and Isaac hadn't been friends for lonh; they had gotten beyond the superficial"hey, what's up?" level only after the incident last summer.

" Why didn't you asked Vanessa to this discussion?" James asked. "She wanted to come."

"Did she?"

"Brenda told me she did. And Brenda never lies , usually."

"Brenda is your girlfriend," Isaac said. "Why isn't she here?"

"She said she is not scared, but i am not sure I believe her. I did not want us to have a hysterical female's opinion to deal with."

"Vanessa said Calista was the one most upset."

"You do not know Calista, she is always upset. She would not even give Brenda the original copy for us to study." James leaned forward and pulled out a folded sheet of notebook paper from his back pocket. "Brenda copied it down word for word. Do you want to read it?"

" Vanessa repeated it twice on the phone to me. But let Emmanuel read it then destroy it. I do not want copy of that blasted thing floating all over the place."

James nodded. " So answer my question : Why not have Vanessa and Clara here?"

Isaac shrugged" At this point, what does they know that we do not?"

James snorted." Clara liking you is no reason to be afraid of her. Look, you have no excuse to suffer the usual adolescent insecurities over creatures of opposite gender. You are just like all the other males on this planet."

"How do you know she likes .... oh, yeah,because Brenda told you and Brenda do not lie." Isaac scratched his head and tried to look bored. Actually , he always felt both elated and annoyed when he heard of Clara's interest in him: elated because he was attracted to her, annoyed because she was fascinated with someone who does not exist.

" This is not a time to worry about starting a romance,"Isaac added, glancing out the window and seeing Emmanuel limping as he had a bump knee due to an small accident that happened recently. His black hair getting scattered all over his head as that day was very windy.

" Come right in, the folks are out !" Isaac called. Emmanuel waved and disappeared under the edge of the garage. A minute later, he was opening the bedroom door.

"Hello Isaac, Hello James," He said pleasantly.On the short side of and definitely underweight, Still, his clear warm green , and his smile , innocent and kind , gave him an unique charm.

"Pull a chair,"Isaac said , nodding to a stool near the kitchen. "James, give him Brenda's copy of the letter."

"Thank you.' Emmanuel said , taking a seat and starts to examine the letter carefully.

" Well?" Isaac said.

" The person who wrote this is strongly disturbed" he said as his face grew paler.

Isaac forced a smile." Come on, it is a prank , don't you think?"

"No," Emmanuel said carefully . " It sounds.... dangerous."

Isaac took a deep breath , holding it like he was slipping hope, knowing he have to let go both soon.

All of them stayed silent for a while."Maybe the caretakers is among us" James said.

"That is just ridiculous.'Emmanuel snapped. " What would be their motive? They would only be hurting themselves by revealing the incident that happened last summer and none of us ever spilled it out to anyone else."

Emmanuel took the paper once again and read it twice before opening his mouth." The way this is worded , separating the revelation of the accident from the manner in which he would hurt us. He would hurt us without telling a soul about the man."

" How ?" Isaac asked

Emmanuel shrugged. " There hundreds of ways to hurt someone if you really want to."

" Oh okay." Isaac said while getting up to grab his phone.

The warm orange light slipped off Isaac's face as the sun sunk down below the horizon of smog. The day would be gone soon and they still had no idea what to do about tomorrow.

"Calista is frightened" ,Isaac said. " If she does not confess , let's have her repaint the school logo tomorrow night and pass down the letter in order not to break the chain. You do not mind if the caretaker does come after you right, James?"

" As long as it is like how Emmanuel thinks that she or he would not retaliate me for not doing my duty by spreading the word about last summer." James took the letter and read it again. The phrase, "You will be hurt," s pointed toward the individual while the other threat is there is going to keep the whole group from seeking help from anyone out of this list.

"It is like we are in haunted house we cannot leave." Emmanuel said.

" A haunted house which we are afraid to leave' Isaac thought.

" Calista will repaint the school logo , then we are going to see if the as falls on James." Emmanuel said.

" Why don't we go after the caretakers?" Isaac said.

" As soon as we figure out who it is, we will." Emmanuel said.

" As long as the mess is the desert stays secret.we will be off the radar, but not for long"James said while standing up.

Emmanuel was massaging his right legs as he had injured himself last week in P.E class.Emmanuel had a lot of health diseases as he was diagnosed a diabetic recently, and now he need to inject himself with insulin daily now.

" The way how your body is falling apart,pretty soon we will be measuring you for a box."James said though Isaac rather have his mouth shut. James's sense of humor does not always run the right side of good taste.

They exchanged good byes and Isaac turned back to his companions. James was meticulously shredding his copy of the first chain letter. James was walking home slowly in order not to injure his leg anymore.

After a while, James reached home and lay on bed and started dozing , which must meant he had slept. But a shadow stood over him all night , forcing him to labor a task which seemed impossible to complete. They were in deserted field and he was working with his bare hands, digging a grave which never seem deep enough."