The Skylar Experiment : Beginnings

Chapter Seven - Mom

I CLIMBED THE STAIRS to my room and crashed into bed.

I faced the ceiling. High school was... incredible. I'd never known what it was like to be surrounded by so many teenagers, for your ears to be constantly filled with chattering or laughter or to walk by cliques. It was... destabilizing—tiring, in a way. The public scrutiny seemed to suck the energy out of me a full day of enduring it.

Emma and the girls had been welcoming, and Adam was nice. It was like I melted into their group, and I didn't feel awkward or left out. Luc and his boys, on the other hand, were plain annoying. I got approached for extracurricular invitations. There was even a book club I considered joining. My brain was on overload.

By the time Dad got home, I was reading a story to cool off. He gently pushed open my door, sweeping my room with a glance.

"Hey, kiddo. How'd you survive your first day?"

I lowered my book. "It was... interesting. Lots of things happening at once, I guess." I thought of all those missing teens again and their pictures taped on the front doors. I straightened up. "Did you know how many kids disappeared around here? It's insane."

A shadow darkened his face. Dad crossed the doorway and sat at the edge of my bed.

"Yes, I recently became aware of that. I can't imagine what those families are going through." His brows furrowed until he noticed my phone on the nightstand. "Uh oh. Is this dark magic?"

Oh shit, um...

"I thought I lost it outdoors that night but... it turns out I dropped it in the hall closet. When I was putting on my shoes."

"That's convenient," he said, and I was scared he saw right through me for a second. "We don't need to buy a new one."

I didn't have the energy nor the will to mention who found my phone and that I'd met him before school when I wasn't supposed to go back to those woods.

"Did you make friends? How were the classes?"

"Yes. They're nice people." I told him about Emma, Sam and Jen instead. "They actually invited me to a soccer game tonight, but I figured I'd had enough socializing for now. I don't know them that well."

He laid a hand over my sock. "Riles, as your father, I feel like you should go and have this fun. It could be eye-opening, and we promised ourselves we'd try new experiences here."

What he said was true, at least the part about promising to try new things. It had felt exciting, making all the plans before moving here, but when confronted with the reality, suddenly I was overwhelmed.

"Then come with me. We can go see the game together."

He sighed, and I knew what was coming. "I'd love to, Riles, but tonight I can't. I have to wait for this phone call from my co-worker and sort out a few things at the lab. It's not something I can take on a soccer field. I'm sorry."

I ended up shrugging. It wasn't a big deal. I always knew he was a busy man and his job was very important. We'd catch up later.

"All right. We can go to another one some other time, right?"

He let go of my foot. "Now, that doesn't mean you can't go without me. On the contrary, it'll be good for you if I'm not there. I wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of your new friends."

I dwelled on it for a second after he left the room, until a ringing frenzied my phone on the nightstand. I snapped the book shut and waddled to it, seeing Mom's profile picture filling up the whole screen. My fingers immediately flicked upward.