Lovely Obsession

Small Talk

Blake

After I had chloroformed Sophie, I carried her into my car. Okay. Not my car. But one that I hot wired. I was lacking a car, a license. That's why I hot wired that one guy's car, Joseph. 

I made it quick. I left and went back towards the bleachers. I made sure to buy a bag of chips in the snack bar so it looked like I only left the bleachers to get a snack. As I went up the bleachers to my old seat, I felt that girl and Joseph's confused stares.

The football game ended soon. I quickly went down the bleachers. Joseph wouldn't reach the car before me, he was waiting for Tristan.

He won't come. 

Then I drove to the abandoned school. I had spent the entire month moving things around in there, adding more items and making everything work. I left her and everything else in the nurse's office and quickly left. I abandoned the car in a supermarket's parking lot, then rushed back to the school, my pace quick.

Currently, I was laying in my bed, my blank eyes on the television.

Two teens gone missing during school's football game. Tristan Jacobson, age seventeen. Sophie Clark, age seventeen. Their pictures showed up. Their smiles.


Hours later, I had entered my and Sophie's home, the old school that was meant to be abandoned. I entered the dim, grey office and turned to the door of the nurse - of Sophie's room. A faint smile on my face, I reached for the handle.

When I opened it, my smile had widened. It was when I looked inside that my face fell.

Sophie was lying on the floor, shaking like mad. The stacks of papers and blankets had been thrown all across the room. 

"Sophie!" I ran inside and dropped to my knees when I reached her. I wrapped my arms around her body and raised her up, "What happened? Are you okay?" 

Sophie grabbed my shirt and panted, her eyes squinting. My heart was banging against my chest, and I pulled her closer to me, my breath ragged, "Are you alright?" She didn't answer. My fingers curled in her hair, "It's alright, shh, it's alright."

She lost it. She started to sob. She buried herself in my chest, weeping uncontrollably. My heart was wrenching, I was so mortified. I didn't say anything. Rather, I hugged her tighter and waited for her to calm down.

Sophie

I couldn't stop. The tears kept escaping my eyes, my body shaking in rough sobs. Blake's arms were wrapped tightly around me, one hand stroking the back of my head. His breath was warm against my forehead.

This was real. I was really drugged, trapped here, and Blake was the one keeping me here. This was real. Oh God, it was real. And what was worse, I couldn't bring myself to speak or do anything. I just kept sobbing against Blake's chest as he held me.

I don't know how long I was crying. Probably for an hour. It took a long while for me to even remotely calm down, and in the end, I was just sniffling. I was still against Blake's chest, his arms still wrapped around me. It just seemed more calm, without my ragged sobs. 

We sat there in utter silence for quite awhile.

"... God," Blake sighed heavily and swept my hair out of my eyes. I was still motionless, even as he kissed my forehead. One arm still around me, he pulled me back slightly. He then started to wipe the tears off my face, "you worried me. Always been worrying me. You're still worrying me now."

I lowered my gaze, my lip quivering. This was real, I kept telling myself. It's real and Blake's insane, he's crazy.

Blake wrapped both arms around me and pulled me against his chest again.

What was there to show? Any warning signs? No. He was acting completely different, too. He was meant to be all quiet and aloof. Why was he smiling? Why was he talking? Warning signs were no where! What had happened? Nothing, nothing, nothing!

I felt the tears sting in my eyes again. I shut my eyes tight, letting them stream down my face. I was starting to tremble again, and tried very hard to stop it.

Blake paused before leaning his head against mine, "Sophie?" I could feel the faint smile on his lips, "What're you thinking?"

I'm thinking of how insane you are. Of the people outside I should be with. I'm wondering what the hell's going on.

Should I say that?

"Sophie?"

I winced.

"I'm... St-Still wondering what's go-going on."

Silence. When Blake spoke, his body started to shake, "Why were, are, you crying?"

The same reason.

"Be-Because I-I... I-I'm scared and c-confused."

"Oh, Sophie." Blake's arms around me tightened, "Don't be scared. Must I always tell you? It's safe now, no bad people will come. I'll make sure of it, don't be scared."

Oh my God. He thinks that... "N-No..." I wasn't sure this was the best thing to say, but I had to. Hopefully it'll make him think, "I-I'm scared of y-you."

Blake froze. His body went completely rigid. His grip on me had tightened, forcing me to lean against him. I waited. I swear I expected a smack.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, Sophie." He said, "I will just take care of you. Why're you so scared about that? Don't be."

It took over, the tense silence.

"... Tell me anything," Blake pulled away with a bright smile, "I won't get upset, I swear I won't. So please, say anything you like."

We both stared at each other in silence.

He frowned, stubbornly, "Nothing? Think, okay? And keep it in mind, you could say anything you'd like." A smile took over his features once more, "I could make you something to eat. Come on, I think I'd know what you'd like."



I sat on a stool, in front of a table. In the kitchen. I've never been in here, naturally. There was cabinets holding plates and cups, many other ovens and stoves placed around. Blake was currently at the one in front of where I was sitting. My eyes shot down to the table when  Blake walked over with a plate.

"Here," His voice was just oozing with joy. He placed the plate in front of me, "I'll get the maple syrup and powdered sugar, I know how much you prefer it like that."

My head lifted slightly to see the plate with three pieces of bread - french toast, with a knife and fork at it's side. My eyes went wide.

The knife wasn't a butter knife, nor was it a sharp kitchen's knife. However, it was just as sharp to cut skin and more...

Blake approached me again, dropping a bottle of maple syrup and a small cup holding powdered sugar. I looked up just in time to see Blake's wide smile. He turned and walked towards what I guess was the fridge, and he pulled out a cup from the nearby open cabinet.

I looked at the food in front of me.

Did he... Do something to it? I don't think so. I was watching him cook, I'd only look away when he looked back at me. 

Hesitantly and slowly, I picked up the small cup of powder and sprinkled it over the toast. As I was putting the syrup over it, Blake walked over. I made sure not to look at him, or even notice. 

He slid a cup of milk towards me, and sat on the stool on the other side of the table, right in front of me. I was trembling as I ate, I almost kept dropping the utensils. I could see and notice Blake, his palms holding his head up. I felt his eyes right on me.

"... Sophie?" He said with a smile, "Is there anything you want to say, yet?"

It's all the same. Just utter confusion, utter horror, all stress.

My body went tense, "So... This place is... The school?" I tried to keep my voice unflinching. I hope it worked.

"Yes!" Blake beamed, "The elementary school we used to attend. It shut down on our last year, remember? So, I tidied things up and made it our home."

Everything that left his mouth made no sense. It was just psychotic, delusional gibberish. Still, I couldn't bring myself to ask specific questions or even speak, for that matter.

I choked out, "But... How is everything, the lights and everything else, working?"

He let out a pained laugh, "I went through hell and back to make that happen. I've been getting everything in order for an entire month, day and night."

So that's where he's been. He was planning this.

I almost choked on my food. I gulped down some milk and stared at the table for a moment, before starting to eat again.

Blake watched with wide eyes, his smile had vanished. Now his eyes held interest. He leaned close, "Do you like it?"

"Yeah." It was really good, yes, but I wanted to vomit from how mortified I was about the situation I was in.

His smile widened, and he beamed, his head tilting slightly. I set my jaw and looked down. Grasped in my hands were the fork and the knife.

My eyes lingered on the knife, mostly. Probably, when the time is right, I could... But... Crap, would it work? He would come close at one point, he had to, and then I'll... But, would it work!? I don't want to risk it, a failure.

Although... When I kicked Blake yesterday, nothing was served as punishment to me. Not really. Then again, it was just a kick. An attempt at stabbing would...

And, just what was I planning to do? Injure? Wouldn't he still catch up? If I got the chance to stab at his leg he wouldn't, but would I make it that far? What if all the doors were closed in on me?

So, to kill? No, no no. I can't do that. 

An idea popped to my head.

No... I'll wait. Surely another time I'll get a hold of a knife. If I wait awhile, I'll gain his trust. Okay... Okay.

I hope I wont regret it. Oh please God, please don't make me regret this...

"Sophie?" Blake tilted his head, "What's wrong? You were still for a few moments." He told me. Shit. Oh God, don't tell me he knows what I was thinking. He smiled, "What were you thinking?"

Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God.

"I-I was just..." I looked down at my plate and started to cut of pieces of the toast, "... Nothing."

His lips pursed in a pout, "You were thinking, it had to be about something. What was it? You could tell me anything."

I thought of something to say, thinking rapidly, "The... Books in the library." Yes, small talk with a delusional person, "What kind of books...?"

"Oh! I picked up the books I've seen you read! And also books from the same authors, books that are similar to the ones you've read. Although most of it I just got from the library's junk box." He shrugged, "There was a lot. So, all the shelves are full." His smile lit up again, "When you're done eating, you want to go check it out?"

How would he know what I read? I nodded slowly, "Ye - Yeah..."

Blake

I was still in sparks, I felt I would explode. Sophie was in front of me. I was talking to Sophie, she was talking to me. Well, kinda. Still. Sophie was here, my Sophie, in front of me. 

I had held her. I had embraced her. I had wiped her tears away. My lips on her forehead, that was enough to get me going.

But yesterday, when our lips brushed together...

I was happier then I ever could be. I owned the happiest heart in the world.

When Sophie finished, I took her plates to the sink was cleaned them. With each movement I made, my torso stung with pain. Even the pain killers couldn't get rid of it, the pain of getting kicked by Sophie. 

It almost made me want to punish her. But I knew she did it from mere instinct, she didn't know what was going on. I'l sure she'll be a good girl now. Just look at her. She's behaving so well.

"Come on," I turned to smile at Sophie once I was done, "I'll show you the library, I didn't get to show you yesterday, huh?"

Sophie stared at me for a moment, then nodded, slowly. She slid off her stool and walked up to me, where I was waiting at the door. I reached for her hand when she mumbled, "Thanks for the meal."

I blinked down at her. Her head was lowered, her eyes moist. A soft smile came to my face, "You're welcome, sweetie." I brushed the hair out of her eyes and pressed my lips against her forehead. There it was again, my heart beat with pure joy.

I held Sophie's hand and opened the door. We walked out into the empty, desolate cafeteria. I frowned at the large empty room as we made our way to the attendance office's doors, "I'm clueless as to what to put here. Just a big space, and I don't know what to do with it. If you have any ideas on what it could be, please tell me."

We went through the attendance office and into the hallway. As we walked through, I smiled, "I apologize for locking you in your room last night. I wanted you to rest. From here on out, I'll leave the hallway, computer lab, library and office available for you. But I expect you to get sleep."

Sophie

Delusional. That's all this guy is. He keeps smiling, saying everything's okay. It's not. I'm trapped in this building that's meant to be abandoned. I was obviously trapped. And he would assure me with "No bad people will come", "I'll take care of you", and so on. On top of that, he keeps smiling and acting as if nothing's wrong.

He's sick. He needs help.

"See?" He smiled at me as he opened the door. Inside the room was shelves and shelves, the same shelves from before. Each shelf was stacked with books, it seemed only the last shelf in the back was alone, lacking books. I followed Blake in. Though, not by choice. He was practically sinking his nails in my hand.

My eyes darted around the room. There was windows. But of course, they were blocked. 

"You could look around." Blake said, letting go of my hand as he shut the door behind us. "Behind that empty shelf there? There's a box, filled with some other books I didn't stack yet. Hopefully you'll like them."

I didn't walk away. I drifted away. That's all I could call it. My eyes were searching blankly, my feet carrying me to nowhere. I just wanted to fill space between us. I had almost slammed into a shelf, but managed to catch myself.

Real. It's real, real, real.

I was behind a shelf, staring blankly at the books when Blake came up behind me. 

"... How..." I glanced over my shoulder at him, "How long do you plan on... Keeping me here?"

His eyes went wide, his smile faded, and he went stiff. After a few seconds, his eyes narrowed slightly. He tilted his head to the side, watching me with some irritation, "I plan on - no, will, take care of you as long as the two of us live."

I can't even think of anything to say about this guy. He's crazy, delusional, that sums it up. But small talk. He answers. The answers are unclear, yes, but I haven't been asking specific questions.

Now I will, though. And I'll be sure to make it very clear...

"What you said before..." I tried my very best to remain rigid, trying my best not to stutter, "Doesn't make sense at all. You said you're keeping me here, to take care of me, to keep the bad people away. Where's the logic in that?" My voice almost cracked. Keep it together.

"You..." By now, his look was vague and bored, "Don't seem to understand. The people out there, they want to hurt you. They already have, and I don't want that to happen again."

I was talking to a child. He obviously won't listen to reason.

I wanted to slap myself, punch myself, kick myself, stab myself. Because I didn't ask anymore specific questions for awhile. My eyes went back on the books.


I have, indeed, read some of these. Familiar titles, familiar authors. Some, however, were not familiar. The other half, the one Blake claimed to have stolen from the library's junk stash, were mostly books based on the study of things. The study of animals, of trees, of disorders. Disorders. Blake had a dozen of mental disorders, obviously.

I had a stack, one book I have already read, another of one that piped to my interests, while the other two was the study of different mental disorders. But when I picked up the second one, I decided to put those two back. I was gonna read on the table with Blake right there, I don't want him to see me with that.

So, I had picked up two random novels.


Like back in the kitchen, Blake was watching me as I sat near the table and read. His palms holding his head up, he watched me with soft eyes and a small smile.

It was hard to concentrate on the book's words. Most of the time, I wasn't even reading. The words were a blur, I'd just turn the page every moment or two.

I didn't realize I lowered my book until Blake started to talk. What he said made me stiffen. "You want your photos and scrapbooks, don't you?"

I did have scrapbooks and photos... Lots of them. I love them, the pictures and memories. I looked away, "Ye-... Yeah."

Wait, how'd he know-?

"I kind of..." He looked down, "Forgot about those. I'm sorry. I could try to get them soon and bring them here for you."

What? This freak planned on getting my scrapbooks and bringing them here? Would he go into the school's computers to find my adre-

School.

My heart slammed against my chest.

That's right... I'm... Currently missing...

"Do-" I choke out, "Does anyone notice that I'm gone yet?"

"Oh, yes they have." He leaned across the table, "I've only been home for awhile, but I've already seen lots of news reports concerning you and Tristan. The top case now, I suppose."

What?

Blake continued as I was hyperventilating from horror and confusion, "Especially considering you two were together in the eyes of everyone else. So, people will know it's tied together."

Why'd he say Tristan? Tristan was also...?

"Don't worry, though." He smiled, "I'll make sure those people won't find you-"

"Where's Tristan?"

Blake's smile faded, his eyes went wide. We both stared at each other for moment. "Where..." I trembled, my eyes wide with horror, "What about Tristan? Where is he?"

The puzzle pieces were slowly starting to piece themselves together. No... No...

Slowly, a smile curled Blake's lips, "Sweetie. It's okay now."

The blood....

"I..." Blake said, "I saved you."

The machete...

"There's no need to worry anymore."

The bloody machete...

"He's gone-"

I just let rage get a hold of me.