Escape (Solaris Cane: Book One)

Escape - Chapter 2

After school, I quickly make my way to my car, but I stop in my tracks, eyes wide open when I see that he’s there.

Claire steps in front of me, and since she’s wearing heals, she successfully blocks my view.

“You’re starting to scare me,” she says, tapping my cheek.

“Oh, sorry,” I say, looking down. I take my keys out of my pocket and move towards the car.

He’s gone.

I push whatever I’m feeling at the moment to the back of my mind and open the car, telling Claire to take the passenger’s seat.

Claire doesn’t have her own car. She lives really close to the school, and when I say really close, I mean she lives about three houses down.

We get in and both toss our bags to the back.

“Hey, what’s in that box?” Claire says, spotting the wooden box at the back. She grabs it and settles back in her seat.

There’s nothing extraordinary about the box at all, it has a smooth surface and is made of light brown wood.

"Not sure," I shrug. "I think Rory left it."

She tries to lift the lid, but it doesn’t budge. She tries to slide it, press it down, look for secret buttons, she even uses the other sides of the box as the lid, but nothing. It’s un-openable.

“Maybe it’s not a box?” I offer to console her. She’s staring at it with consternation, and I know she’s still trying to figure out a way to open it.

“Oh, it’s a box, alright,” she declares when she shakes it and something rattles softly inside. “It’s hollow.”

I know it’s no use trying to persuade her to put it down, so I simply drive ahead to Rory’s kindergarten.

“Did you have fun today, Rorybelle?” I ask as I get out of the car to help Rory in. Then I notice something. “Where’s Mr. Galloway?” The stuffed rabbit isn’t on her arm, nor is it in her bag.

“He went away,” she says, getting into the car. “He says he’s looking for you.”

The statement sends shivers down my spine and I gulp. For a moment, I can only stare at Rory as she plays with her dress, waiting for me to close the door.

“Uh, hello!” Claire calls to me impatiently. “Grandma Cane is waiting.”

I glare at her at the inappropriateness of her words, but I’m glad that she snaps me out of whatever it is that is happening to me.

I stand up and close the door to Rory’s side, making sure she's buckled in. Then I enter the car myself.

“Hey, Rory,” Claire smiles as she looks back. “I like your hair today.”

“Your hair is pretty today, too, Claire,” Rory replies politely as I begin to drive. “I made you something, Aris.”

I look at my rearview mirror for a moment to see that she’s holding out her palm, and in it was a colorful bracelet made of huge beads, some cubes, and some round.

“Thank you, Rory,” I smile as I let her place it around my hand, not taking my eyes off the road.

I can see Claire with the corner of my eye, mouthing, “that is so cute!”

We stop in front of the movie theater, where Claire gets off to have a date or whatever, and then we head to the cemetery.

I park the car outside, right next to the beige Innova, which indicates my parents’ presence, and got out of the car. After helping Rory down, I throw the yellow scarf on the passenger’s seat and zip my black jacket up.