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Maybe?
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My bed creaked as I fell into it. My hair, still wet from my shower, chilled my skin. Fall had arrived weeks ago, and with it came the cold temperatures signaling the swift approach of winter. I could feel the cold seeping in through the walls, and the radiator was already working to counteract it from the corner of my room.
We’d walked far too much, and ended up visiting every store, only leaving when the mall finally closed. It left me exhausted for once. My feet ached, my eyes were heavy, and I longed for sleep for the first time in a long while.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea if I started jogging again. Maybe that bit of exercise would be enough to help me sleep better. I’d enjoyed jogging, up until last month's heart attack had taken me out of commission. The doctors always encouraged it in hopes that the exercise might improve my health.
I sat up, rubbing a towel through my wet curls. Thirty Seconds to Mars drifted on the low volume from my nearby radio, but it slowly fell into a quiet hum. My thoughts drifted away, thinking of the guy I’d run into at the mall. Literally. I resisted the urge to laugh at the thought of it. The details of his face, those intense eyes; they’d burned their way into my mind. I wanted to draw him, to mark his features out in charcoal until my fingers and hands were stained with the blackness.
Was that weird?
I wondered if he lived in Johnstown as well, or if he was from one of the surrounding cities. If only I’d gotten his name, maybe exchanged phone numbers. Would that have been weird? I’d probably never see him again. Still, I hoped that we might meet again.
What are you thinking, Cas?
I groaned, flopping back on the bed, arms extended out across my mess of blankets. I needed to drop the idea of a relationship. It was a cruel notion to even consider doing that to someone. Even if I didn’t know his name, let alone what kind of person he was, he deserved someone who could walk through a full life at his side. That wasn’t something I could offer anyone.
Even if I did meet him again, I couldn’t let myself approach him.
My thoughts were interrupted as the news came across the radio station. “–for assistance in locating a twenty-two-year-old, Henry Thompson, last seen in downtown Johnstown.” Panic crept over me at the mention of the name. I rose from my bed involuntarily, gravitating toward the radio as I listened, and I reached to turn the dial, raising the volume.
“Investigators are still unsure of the details surrounding his disappearance. However, the circumstances and evidence collected lead detectives to believe that it may be linked to the string of missing persons cases they are investigating at this time. If anyone has any information, we ask that you please call—” I turned the radio off, horror creeping farther into me. I knew Henry. I’d played with him in our neighborhood when we were in grade school. Where he’d disappeared was within walking distance of where I lived.
What was going on in our city?
3
Isat up in bed, pale rays of morning light spilling over me. The cold air in the room made me want to curl back under my warm blankets, but that wasn’t an option. Today was the first day of the new semester, and I couldn’t afford to be late. Nervousness nipped at my stomach at the thought of meeting new people again. It wasn’t my first day of school or anything, but the same nerves seemed to bloom at the beginning of every semester.
Would one of the new faces be the guy I met at the mall? I wondered if he went to school here, if he was even in school to begin with. How old was he? Early twenties? He hadn’t looked to be much older than me.
I yawned as I slugged out of bed and trudged down the hall to my bathroom.
A hot mess of a woman stared back at me in the mirror, and I splashed my face with cold water to wake myself up before I began my attempts to tame the curls in my tawny hair.
For the last two semesters my classes were in the afternoon. I’d hoped all my classes would be in the afternoon again, but I was late to sign up and there were only morning classes available. Mornings had always been more difficult for me, what with my consistent inability to get to sleep at a decent hour. I’d just have to suck it up and deal.
The sun peeked over the mountains outside the kitchen window as I entered from the hallway. I pulled the fridge door open and looked through the small assortment of food, hoping to find something that would satisfy my non-existent appetite. Sadly, nothing piqued my stomach’s interest, and I settled on forcing down some toast with peanut butter. It wasn’t the best, but I’d regret it later if I didn’t eat something.
I grabbed my set of keys to my mom’s car and hurried out the door. I refused to get a car just to have more bills to pay. It wasn’t like I went anywhere other than classes, so it was of no consequence to me. My mom worked within walking distance of our house, so it made sense for me to use her car for the commute to and from classes.
I settled into the driver’s seat and started the car. For a moment I sat, hands on the wheel as I took a deep breath.
Ok, Cas, let’s go make new friends.
* * *
The parking lot was full of cars, students hurrying in every direction. The air, crisp and dry, crawled over my skin as I climbed out of the car, and I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jacket.
The wet grass squelched under my feet as I approached the walkway to the main courtyard behind the admissions building. As I reached the clearing in the center of the UPJ campus I glimpsed more students parked on every available bench and seat—some with laptops or books studying, some eating breakfast together before class. In the center of the large courtyard of lawns and crossing pathways stood a large statue of a mountain cat, and the sun shined over the ridge of the mountains in the far distance.
“Cas!” My head turned quickly toward the musical voice.
Kat hurried over to me. It was a relief to see her face in the crowd of unfamiliar ones, but she wasn’t alone. “Sorry I’m late. I was meeting up with Cody. Cody, this is Cas.”
My brows rose at the mention of the name. I was excited to finally meet her new sweetheart after how much she’d talked him up.
