The Lovely Suicide Children

Chapter 37: The Remains

Robert slid onto the chair then crossed his arms out on the table. I looked at Rose, and she looked back at me. I let her take a seat across from Robert then sat down after her. Robert glanced to his left and to his right before looking back at me. 

"Can you see me?" Rose asked while looking around.

"Yes," Robert answered for her. It was clear that Rose had heard him but could not see him.

I saw the sadness in Rose's eyes. However, it wasn't time for a reunion or an apology fling. I knew that's what she was aiming for in her mind. It was time to find out what was wrong and I knew that Robert knew.

 "Something going on," I paused between each word while looking at him. "I need you to tell me why you gave me that book and what warning you're trying to tell me about."

Robert sucked in air, almost panting. His hands trembled as if it was snow cold out here. "If," he paused and did a full 360 to look around. "If I tell you what's wrong, you will never see me again."

My body stiffened at his remark. There was no doubt that Robert was scared, but what would happen to him if he told me what was wrong? I curled my lips inward, looking at the table and wondering if I really wanted this. My eyes then shot back at his. "Is there a way to tell me without that happening?"

He nervously fondled with his hands, looking at me, then Rose, then back to me again. "Yes," he said. "There's a way, but it's morbid and dangerous. You could get into a lot of trouble."

Rose cleared her throat, looking to the left of Robert. "Robert, I think Olivia is in danger. We both might be. If you can tell us what's happening and how to fix it, we'll do whatever it takes."

Robert rubbed his jaw then placed his hands flat on the table. "Listen very carefully," he whispered before looking around again. "You both will have to dig up my body. Place the bones in a bag, then take it to your place, Olivia. Inside of the house. Place a circle around yourself, me, and Rose in the bones Amber keeps."

Rose and I looked wide-eyed at each other. We both had the same facial expressions. The I am so not doing this look. Sadly, we knew we both had to if we wanted answers. "I'll come get you tonight," Rose said. She knew it had to be done no matter what. "We have to do it in the dark, so no one could see us."

Somehow my lips formed a smile. I was lucky enough to have a friend like Rose who wanted to help. "Thank you, Rose."

I hadn't seen Robert get up, yet he ended up standing behind me. I faced him. "Where are you buried?"

"You know that tree where we hang out at?" He asked. "Walk straight ahead of it. 10 big steps."

Thank God he wasn't buried in or near the school. We would have gotten caught for sure. The bell rung. Robert looked at me like I was going off to battle. That's what it felt like; a battle mission. If I got caught, I could lose him forever and then I would never fix anything. My first instinct was to hug him, but I teared up instead. I wasn't sure if I was crying because of him, or because I was scared. He ended up hugging me instead, and as sad but happy as it sounded he gave me kiss on my cheek. I didn't feel it though, just a cold icy breeze that stung my face. He disappeared in front of us, replaced by school kids.

...

I dreaded sneaking out of the house. It got harder and harder. It felt scarier and more dangerous. As Rose drove, I felt like we had a time clock going off. It didn't take us long to reach the school. With our a shovel, bags, flashlights, and our karate uniforms on, we quickly ran to the spot Robert talked about. There were a few lights still on at the school, and if anyone caught us, we would tell them our dog got loose, and we were looking for it.

When we got to the tree, we immediately stopped. At night, the tree looked more like a giant. A giant with one leg and a lot of arms ready to grab us. It also seemed taller, and the branches looked sharper. 

"If this isn't creepy," Rose shone the flashlight ahead of the tree. "Then I don't know what is."

I nodded in agreement. "I can't believe I'm about to dig up a body and take it home. Ever heard that one?"

Rose chuckled. "I haven't. I don't get why we have to do this, but let's get it over with."

We stood at the tree, then moved forward ten steps. We didn't waste any time to dig. We dug nonstop, taking turns, not wanting to waste even a minute. The dark only got darker, and the flashlights seemed dim. Rose patted her light. "It's turning orange," she said. "I just changed them."

"Look," I said and pulled the shovel up to view something I saw gleam in the dark. It was a small bone the size of my pinkie, white and brown and chipped off here and there. "he's here."

Rose shone the light. "Keep digging," she whispered.

When we were done, a pile of cluttered bones laid before us. My insides tingled. I could only blink owlessy at the leftover remains of Robert Parker.