Page 20 of Xavier

He comes up behind me and covers my eyes, leaning in to whisper against my ear.

"Close your eyes and quiet your mind for a moment. Remember those colors you say you love?"

An explosion happens somewhere in the darkest corner of my mind and I see them. The colors.

"Yes!"

"Let them guide you.” He pulls his hand away. “Go! You only have twenty seconds left!"

I scramble forwards, grabbing paper strips of color off the wall, handfuls and handfuls. It’s like I can taste them. Feel the color through my fingertips. I’m almost drunk on them. I grab some more, and they spill out of my hands and splay into a puddle of dyes on the floor.

In the corner of my eye, I can see him leaning over to pick them up. "I've got 'em! Keep going!"

There’s a striking purple, and a neon pink, a royal blue. The more I see, the more I want.

"Five more seconds!" he warns.

"It's not enough!"

It feels like there wouldn't ever be enough time.

"Three. Two. One. And stop!! Step away from the wall!”

I cheat and reach for two more before he laughs and grabs the back of my collar dragging me back through the store, until we're standing where we were just a few minutes ago. I stare at him, panting for breath.

"'Wait here. Don't move." he says, and runs back into the store before I say anything.

I clutch my stack of paint swatches to my chest, already attached to them, despite having no idea what's going on. My whole body is buzzing with adrenaline and anticipation, I can't remember the last time I felt like this.

It feels like an hour before he appears again, but it was probably mere minutes.

"Are you going to tell me what that was about?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "Where's the fun in that? And it was fun, wasn't it?"

All he has to do is look at my face to know that answer to that.

"Let's go,” he says. And starts to walk away.

"Now where?" I yell after him.

"You're going to have to trust me one last time,” he yells back over his shoulder.

And I do.

We walk in silence. Down along the main street of town and turn into an area I don't know too well. There are abandoned houses and neglected gardens. A little different from the perfectly mowed lawns of the houses near my own.

I move a little closer to him as we walk. He smiles, slowing his step.

"It's okay, you're safe with me. I won’t let anything happen to you."

But the way his promise makes a shiver travel down my spine makes me wonder if that’s true. I follow him through what looks like an abandoned high school to an empty basketball court.

"Come on, it's over here,” he says.

"What is?"

We walk around the outline of the court to a paint chipped wall. He throws our backpacks to the side, as we stand there, staring up at it.