Across Acheron

Session 27

“Isaac! I haven’t seen you in forever!” she exclaimed, pulling away for a brief second. “Look how you’ve grown!”

It took a while for her to notice me standing there. It didn’t feel all that awkward, to be honest. I enjoy seeing people happy, especially during a reunion. There is always something warm about the whole thing.

By the time she noticed me, Isaac was red on the face from all the hugs and kisses. “And who are you?” she asked, trying to keep the same level of enthusiasm in her voice.

I shook her hand. “Jack, miss. I was hoping if we could see Mason for a moment?”

“I’m afraid my son isn’t here,” the woman spoke with a declined tone, glancing down at her shoes. “He went to the UK with his father after his friend Aaron died.”

Isaac perked up. “What does Mason have to do with Aaron?”

“Didn’t you know? Aaron and Mason became friends right when you stopped coming by. After we moved, Aaron would drive all the way up here with his girlfriend and they’d stay in Mason’s room for hours.” She shook her head, smiling faintly. “Teens. It’s such a shame, isn’t it? A young boy loses the one he loves, then soon loses himself too.”

I looked over at Isaac. His colour had regressed to an unnatural shade of white as he stared at the woman with wide eyes. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t see it coming. I mean, after reading how many times she mentioned Aaron in the diary, it was obvious that they were playing some kind of game Isaac wasn’t invited to.

“Mason knew Skye?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Of course. There were times when she was timid around him and it kind of got me growing suspicious. You know how Mason is; sometimes his teasing gets a little serious before he realises it. But he was the one who helped identify her death as a suicide. They must have been good friends if he went to that extent.”

“He saw the crash?” I asked. “What about the people in the car? Did he see them?”

The woman glanced at both of us sceptically. “Why are you two acting so surprised about this? Skye was going back home after visiting the day she was hit. Mason saw it all. He claimed that he couldn’t remember where the culprits had run off. The police never found the criminals, you see. The licence plates and registration was missing.”

I looked over to Isaac; we were both thinking the same thing. He took it. Isaac stood stupidly for a moment, dumbfounded by the information his brain had soaked in less than ten minutes. I started thanking the woman, smiling all goofy like to show that nothing was wrong. We waved goodbye, receiving more hugs before the door slammed shut.

“Do you believe me now?” I asked. He never did look at me; just silently walked back to the car.

I swear, for the whole drive back, he didn’t even blink.

 ***

Keenan was depressed as hell by the time we got back. We went all the way to his room where he lay on his bed and let out a heavy, defeated sigh. No one really knew where Isaac was. We decided not to bother him.

It was night by the time we got back. We stayed out longer than expected since we left somewhere in the late afternoon, if I remember correctly. None of the housemothers questioned Lorna. They couldn’t. Either way, I had the feeling that it would be our last time out.

We were lying on the same bed during that time, trapped in the silence as usual. It wasn’t my idea, by the way. It was his personal request. I couldn’t really say no since he was in a sour mood already.