The Thought Keepers: Ability

Chapter 2: A Lovely Phone Call

I woke up to the sound of my bedroom door opening. Without a word, my uncle walked in holding a steaming cup of herbal tea.

For a second, I just stared at him. Sometimes it struck me how much he resembled my father. Especially his light brown skin and dimpled cheeks. But he was much shorter than my dad, who was a full six feet. Uncle Ethan's hugs weren't the same either, though I'd never tell him that.

On a good day, it took no more than a second for his soft brown eyes to crinkle at the corners, and a laugh to light up his face. Today was not a good day. The worry lines on his face were pronounced, and there was no hint of a smile.

He walked over to my nightstand, setting the tea down gently. Uncle Ethan sat on the edge of my bed, looking as if he would take all the pain from my body if he could. He always gave me that look, like he needed to work twice as hard to make up for everything.

"How long was I out this time?" I asked, sitting up in my bed. I leaned over to take the cup of tea, smelling it first. No recognizable plant or flower scents. It was Uncle Ethan's personal blend of herbs, one he refused to give me the recipe for.

"About three hours, give or take. Are you feeling okay?" He asked. I nodded even though I wasn't sure.

I took a small sip of the tea, taking in its earthy tang. The liquid was dark green, and it tasted like dirt every time. I tried not to scrunch my face up while setting the cup down. "Did I even go to school today?"

"Yeah, you went. But you weren't there past lunch," Uncle Ethan told me. He crossed his arms and did a visual sweep of my room, like he was searching for drugs and alcohol. All he found was shelves full of crystal books and manga, a growing rock collection on my desk, and walls covered in an unreasonable amount of K-pop posters.

I wanted to tell him not to bother, that the last thing I wanted to do was get intoxicated and fall right back asleep, but I didn't. If my dreams got any worse, he might put me in a facility the way he did my mother.

"You should call your mom," he nagged, throwing me a look. I startled, wondering if he did in fact have the ability to read my mind. After a glassy-eyed second, I blinked, looking away.

"Yeah, I was getting to that," I lied as I threw the blankets off my body, feeling too hot all of a sudden.

Uncle Ethan studied me clinically. "Is that Calliwell kid your boyfriend?"

I froze. "Who are you talking about?"

"The boy who brought you to the office after you passed out. You know, the lanky kid with curly hair."

I stared at him like he had two heads. "I don't know who that is."

"Hmm," he said, as if he didn't believe me.

"I'm going to get Subway, what do you want?" Uncle Ethan relented, getting up. It was remarkable that despite being a chef at a restaurant and having a fully stocked kitchen, he still made a habit of ordering out. Apparently even cooks got tired of cooking.

"Tuna Sub, cucumbers and lettuce." I paused, hesitant. "And can you get the cookies, too? Double chocolate."

"Do you have some cookie money?" He asked. My lips puckered in disdain and he laughed. Halfway out the door, he turned to face me with seriousness in his eyes. "Call your mother."

Giving me a last meaningful look, one that screamed just do better, Uncle Ethan left the room in a graceful bound. As soon the door shut, I stood up and paced, thinking.

Lanky boy? I thought about the new student in Ms. Price's class for a second, remembering that I never did meet him. Then I dismissed the thought. Why would someone I never met take me to the office?