Reminiscence

Chapter .12.

I wake up about an hour or two later, with my head feeling like it had been cut open, filled with mini-sledgehammers and stitched back with a needle dipped in acid.
Okay that sounded like it belonged to a scene on Final Destination.

I groan and remember Kelly putting some a bottle of painkillers on my table. I reach over, swallow a pill and gulp down some water.
I recently had gotten over my fear of being choked to death by eating a solid pill and it still gives me the heebie-jeebies.

The pain dulls a little and I get up.
I walk to the door and as I do so, I catch a glance of a mangly-looking horrendous creature in the mirror and scream loud enough to wake the entire population of China.

Oh, wait. That's me.

I examine the blob of ugliness in the mirror trying not to make my eyes bleed. I think I failed. I'm wearing overalls with a neon orange top underneath with Nuttela smeared on it and Mickey mouse underwear on top of the overalls.

So this is what a denim wedgie feels like.

My hair is sticking upward like I gelled it to look like a mutant shark fin and- is that toothpaste on my lips?

I refuse to look at the abomination any longer and walk into the bathroom to clean this mess up.

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After washing my hair and taking a proper shower to wipe the toothpaste off, I pick a comfy but intimidating-looking outfit incase I need to scare the shit out of someone to give me information.

I put on some black skinny jeans, a deep purple tank top, my favourite maroon beanie and a long black trench coat I once used to play Voldemort in a Harry Potter play.

Okay, maybe I need to ditch the trench coat.

I shrug it off and grab my backpack containing some tools that I might need.

I go out into the porch and lock the front door before walking out onto the street.

Where am I even going?

I decide to go to Aiden's old house. It used to be right beside mine but after I moved out, not anymore.

I notice that my car is not in the garage. Kelly must've taken it. Guess I'll take the bike then.

I smirk. This'll only add to the intimidating, make-you-shit-your-pants look. God, I love being scary.

I sling my boot-clad leg over the bike and start it. The engine splutters and coughs but the mechanism smooths after a while and it purrs.

I kick the stand off and twist the handle, making the bike shoot forward, giving me the exhilarating feel that I missed as the wind whipped through my hair. Finding Aiden's house was a little hard, as it had been a while.

Finally, after I park my bike to the far corner, I observe the house, which once used to be a lime green colour, now was faded and peeling. The windows were intact but dusty and in the glimmering heat I could spot some of the covered up furniture from when the police had stuck the yellow border tape during the investigation.  Aiden's family was well provided for because his mother was a psychologist and damn do they charge.

I walk up to the porch. Why am I even here? This place hasn't been used in ages.
I need to find a way to get in. Maybe there's some clues? I try to remember if the family had left a spare key hidden somewhere. I could get in trouble for this though, this was officially government property unless Aiden and his family reclaim it.

Whatever. Like anyone checks on this place anyway. It's forgotten, just like the boy who used to live here.
There's a flowerpot in the corner but that's much too obvious of a hiding spot. I bend down anyway and lift and drag the pot to the side.

Nope. Nothing but dirt. Suddenly, my boot slips on the dust and my hands involuntarily shoot for support. My hand lodges inside the decades-old mud of the pot and the other one grabs the windowsill, steadying my body. I let out a breath. Damn. My hand is buried in the gross consistensy of the mud. I wriggle my hand out of the pot but suddenly feel something strange brush against my fingers.

Eweweweww. What if it's a dead worm or a roach or something?
My hand pulls out of the mud fast and I dust it off. But what if the keys were buried in the pot? It's just a little mud, won't hurt, right? Worms are cool, so totally cool.
I decide to stick my hand in once again, just in case. I am not enjoying this.I sigh. The things I do for this boy.

I feel around for anything unusual, twisting my way through the mud. My hand feels something again and this time, I pull it out. It's a giant blob of mud. I wipe away the mud to reveal a pair of keys, attached to a Power Rangers keychain.
I roll my eyes. Jeez.

I clean the keys further and slowly insert the key into the socket for dramatic effect. The mechanism clicks and the door creaks as it swings to reveal the old, dusty house. The floorboards creak as I make my way inside.

It's just as I remember it. Just sadder. The family portraits are covered with dust and some of the frames are cracked. Everything is just......dusty. I can't seem to find another adjective because of all the dust blocking my vision. I walk to the portraits and smile wryly as I remember the good old memories we all had together.
Oh look, there's Aiden in a diaper. Good one, Livia.

Some areas are strangely clean, which was creepy considering there was no one around to clean or use this place. I walk to the kitchen and look around. Strangely, there's some opened cereal boxes here, looking new.

Holy cow. There's someone using this place. I look around the house quickly but silently, incase it's a serial killer. My hand reaches inside my backpack and grips the taser, just in case.

There's only one room left to examine. Jonathan's bedroom. I slink down the corridor and peek inside his room, which once used to be bright yellow. The room is considerably empty and covered in dust. Nothing unordinary here. I step in and go to his desk, littered with a few papers.
Weird, I thought nearly everything was taken for investigation.

Then out of the blue, someone grips my arm from behind loosely, scaring the living daylights out of me.

I spin around in a flash and press the switch on the taser.
The lethal electricity comes in contact with his chest and flows into his body, paralyzing him.
The person in front of me spasms, shakes and falls to the ground with a heavy thud.

I stand there, mouth agape, not knowing what to do. I just tased a dude.

I crouch down to his lean body, moving ever so slightly with shallow breaths. He had fallen face first onto the floor. Ouch.

I clutch his shoulders and flip him over. My heart stops beating. My neurons stop firing. My senses go still. My jaw goes slack.

I just electrocuted Aiden.