How It All Started

FIRST NIGHT AT FRITZ'

CHAPTER 4
FIRST NIGHT AT FRITZ'
Things had gone back to normal. We went to the room where there was a double bed. Along side of the
bed was a side table which didn't match the bed at all. Fritz said that he bought that from a garage sale.
He offered me his pajamas since I was not carrying any clothes with me. I just had my school bag which
was nearly empty, it only had a notebook and a few pens. No books, cause it was my last day at school.
I was kind of upset and happy about the last day at school. I thought if there is no school then I won't get
bullied, but at the same time I would have to spend whole three months with those dreadful people at
home.
One problem was solved, but everytime I thought about my family, I had some bad feeling, I thought that
they'd kill me in vacations. To get rid of the second problem, I went looking for a job. Of course, I didn't
find much good of a job cause I was too young, but I don't know how but I did managed to get a job at
this coffee shop called "Sierra Cafe". From my house, it was at a pretty long distance. It took me about
forty minutes to walk there. Now from Fritz's place, I didn't know how far it was. And just for the record, I
suck at maps. I can't tell where I am, I can get lost easily. I wanted to ask Fritz about that Cafe, but it just
felt awkward.
Fritz and I lied on the the same bed, as there was no other furniture. I asked him finally, I couldn't wait
any longer. Could it be close to his house, or very far away? And now that I was safe here, I wouldn't
have to worry about my family or the bullies in school. It felt like a big weight has been lifted from my
chest.
"Hey, um, Fritz?"
"Yeah"?
"You know the coffee shop called 'Sierra Cafe', how far is it from here?"
"Not too far, its at a distance of ten minutes if you go on foot." I nodded.
"Why though, would you like to have breakfast there tomorrow?" said Fritz.
"No, I, uh, have job there. The day after tomorrow is my first job day there." I was kind of embarrassed to
tell him that I'll be working there.
Fritz was looking at me with eyes wide open, jaw dropped. Then he started to laugh, and his laugh
spooked me out. He is creepy sometimes. Without knowing what else to do, I joined him.
"You got to be kidding me! I work there dude!"
"Woah, what a coincidence, that's rad."
Now it was pretty late, we were now ready to sleep. I don't know what the heck is my problem, but I keep
thinking about my family. I hate them, and I'm glad that I'm not with them right now, but still, I just can't
help thinking about them. That moment when they kicked me out. I want to forget it, but my mind keeps
reminding me that. 'Is that what a family is called?' I thought. I'm now desperate to know why they threw
me out. What did I do? I was having a doubt that my parents aren't my real parents. I mean really, what
kind of parent throws their own child out of the house without letting him know the reason to do so. I was
thinking too much about it. Just then, I had a feeling; a feeling like home.
I glanced at Fritz, he was looking straight in my eyes. He was serious, I had never seen him like that.
When he noticed that I was looking at him, he managed to change his expression and he smiled.
"Go to sleep Marcky, your big day is coming up!" After saying that, he turned to the other side and turned
off the lights.
We went to sleep, at least I did. I can't say anything about Fritz.
At the middle of the night I woke up due to thirst. I saw the time on the alarm clock that was on top of the
side table of my side. It read 2:36am. As I sat on the bed to get up, I saw Fritz, sitting in the exact same
position as I was. He was looking at me in the eye. He had his eyebrows narrowed and he was looking at
me without making any sort of movement. I was confused, maybe it was my mind that I was picturing it I
thought. I shivered, then I closed my eyes tight and opened them again.
He still gave me the same look. I wasn't scared, but something strange was happening to me. I was
powering up. I could feel some sort of energy running through my body, from head to toe. Then all of a
sudden I started sweating. I couldn't understand why, then there was a sensation of numbness in my
whole body.
I looked away from Fritz, he was still looking at me that way. But this time, there way slight movement, he
tilted his neck a little to watch me cry.
I didn't know what was happening to me. I do remember that I was crying. I didn't mean to cry. There was
nothing to cry about. I couldn't control it though. I felt totally bad about it. I'm not used to crying in front of
people. I could feel my nose being stuffed. My head felt heavy. I had my eyes shut tight. Then I heard a
big thud. At once I recognized it, it was Fritz jumping from the bed. Then I heard the clicking from the
switchboard. I realized Fritz had turned on the lights in the room. Not just one, but all of them. I could feel
the whole room was brighten up. My eyelids couldn't block all of the light. I could see a red screen and
silhouettes of blood vessels shaped like the branches of a tree. Suddenly I found myself wrapped
around a pair of arms.
I opened my eyes, and it was Fritz. He was looking worried than ever, and he was sweating too. I didn't
understand why. Tension arose in the room. He didn't say a word. I was still crying and I just couldn't
stop myself. Fritz placed one of his hand on my cheek. His hand was freezing cold. He quickly removed
it and almost said in a whisper "Shh Marc. Hush! Its alright, its just me. You're fine. You're okay."
I was trembling with fear. I looked at him. He wasn't the same Fritz I knew. His hair had changed color.
They were dark brown now, his eyes had changed color too. They were now dark green. He looked like
a total different person. And my crying had now stopped, on its own. I wasn't controlling it.