Chapter 3 - First Clue
I woke up the next morning desperate to read the next page which contained another message by Evelyn for me. Funny, how my life was starting to revolve around some messages by someone dead now.
I rushed over to the diary to read it because the clock had hit six'o clock now and the sun was coming out. Such a weird time to ask me to read her message honestly. But then again, wasn't everything about this weird?
I wore my spectacles that were lying on my side table and started flipping through the pages again. I found the one that I was supposed to read and it read this.
"Dear Archer,
I hope you are having fun with this. Because this was one of the purposes of this diary. Like, what would life be without fun? What would it be like to wake up every day of your life just to follow the same routine as you have been doing for the past. However, I suppose that it's time to get serious too Archer. The biggest question everyone must be wondering right now, that why did I do what I did. And I am about to give you the biggest hint or clue for that. And many of the secret lies in the following word given at the end. But the problem being that you only have the time till 4'o clock of Tuesday --- considering it will be Monday today --- to find and use this clue, because then it will be gone. Just like I am. And you can try to find it even after that time, but it will be of no use. You're also supposed to open the next page and read it on tuesday at 5'o clock. It's a mystery Archer, all of it is. I am myself. I hope you will be able to solve it, also I really hope you will be doing it by yourself.
Love, Eve."
At the end of the page there were two words written with gap between them. They read "cire renrut".
What was that supposed to mean? These are just two random words that I have never heard in my whole life.
My first thought was that they were words of a different language so I went ahead to search them on internet, hoping that would help me. However as I put them in the search bar, no result showed up. Which represented that these words weren't in any language at all.
This made no sense.
My eyes went back to the clock and I realized that I was getting late for school now. I got out of the bed yawning, making my way to the shower. Today was going to be a long day for sure.
As I made my way into the school from the gate, I felt someone slap me at the back of my head. I instantly knew who it was since this habit only belonged to Harry Edwards.
Harry Edwards was my best friend for the past two years. He was one of those people who were jock and nerd at the same time. He had a great social life, and was the captain of the football team of the school but at the same time had great grades and was into books. How did he manage that all? I had no idea.
"Where have you been?" He asked as he started walking with me towards our lockers.
"Uh, home?" I said, which came out more like a question.
"Sure" He said but I could see that he didn't believe me.
It was true, though. That I have been avoiding him for quiet a while. Specially since the Evelyn thing. It's not like I was avoiding him on purpose though, it was just happening.
"We're all going to the beach on Thursday. Wanna join?" He asked, as we reached our lockers which were next to each other.
"Sorry, I will be busy" I said.
"Doing what?" He asked.
"Jesus Harry, we hang out a lot. I have a lot on my mind already" I dodged his question.
"There is a reason we have made so many good memories in such a short time Archer. We have chemistry together as the last period, I'll talk to you then" He said as the bell rang and we said goodbyes, moving to our respective classes.
I spent most of the time in my classes dozing off, thinking about the two words. "cire renrut". What could they even possibly mean?
I couldn't bring myself to focus on the lectures, I kept thinking about the words. The thing that was making it even harder was the fact that I only had limited time till Thursday. What was going on?
The bell rang signalling the last period, which was chemistry. Time was really running out and I had no idea what to do. Maybe, this wasn't even related to college. On a second thought, maybe I am not even supposed to be doing this. Maybe I am just supposed to be focusing on my studies right now.
But yet, something about this just seemed to attract me towards it. This was my secret. My secret with Evelyn. Only thing that has ever belonged to me that was related to her, and I wanted to keep it going on as long as it could. At the same time however, I wanted and needed to find answers which I just wasn't able to.
Cire renrut. I kept pronouncing the words as I entered my chemistry class, maybe they'll make sense if I kept saying them to myself again and again. But no, that didn't seem to work out at all either.
I took my usual seat next to Harry. Apparently we were performing some experiment about acids and bases today, which we have been doing for the past four years now.
"We will be doing this experiment in the pairs of two" The professor said. "So pair up as I call your names, since I will be making teams"
Groans were heard in the whole room when this was said.
"Archer Bryant, pair up with Eric Turner" Professor said after a while, and I waited for whoever this guy was to find me, secretly hoping he was smart enough to work with me because my mind wasn't working at all today.
After waiting for a minute, I realized that Eric was absent today.
"Since he his absent today, Mr.Edwards, you pair up with Archer today" Professor said.
"Hello? Archer. ARCHER." Harry shouted lowly and I came back to reality.
"What?" I asked suddenly.
"You were day dreaming for the hundredth time now. Will you just already tell me what it is?" He asked, clearly annoyed by me.
"I can't" I said.
"Well then at least focus on the experiment and help, will you?"
"I am trying to" I said, getting annoyed by his complaining too now even though I had no right too.
"Maybe you should have been paired with Eric Turner today, only if he was present" Harry muttered.
"He would be more compromising than you though, so I wouldn't disagree" I replied too.
This wasn't an argument for us. We did this all the time. But me and Harry never had a serious argument, which was very weird.
"Why did Eric Turner not come today?" Harry said again.
"Do you have to say his name again and again? Just stop" I complained.
"I won't" He smirked to annoy me more "Eric Turner. Eric Turner. Eric Turner" He continued saying his name again and again.
Suddenly, my eyes went wide open with realization.
This time, realization hit me in the face like it never did before. I rushed to grab a paper and pen as I wrote down the letters.
cire renrut.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked. I asked him to stay quiet and continue righting.
After focusing on them for one more second, I started writing again displacing the letters and trying to form something else. I wrote them from right to left instead and there it was in front of me.
Eric Turner.
The answer had always been right in front of me and I didn't even notice. Thanking god and due to happiness, I hugged Harry tightly.
"Thank you so much" I grinned as if I had just won a lottery.
"Your welcome. Now can we please work?" He complained again, and this time I didn't mind.
After the school was over and we were walking out of the class I asked Harry if he knew where this Eric guy lived but he seemed to have no idea.
"Who would know then?" I asked and he shrugged.
"Maybe Marilyn would. They talk often" He said, but then looked at me "Why do you seem to care?"
I avoided his question by not answering it. I had to find out where this guy lived, since I only had a limited time.
At that very moment, as if fate was helping me my eyes found Marilyn walking towards her car. I said quick byes to Harry as I ran towards Marilyn.
"Hey Marilyn" I said as I caught up with her.
"Hey-" She started but was cut off by my rushed question.
"Do you know where Eric Turner lives?" I asked quickly.
She was taken back by my question by answered it anyway.
"Um, he lives in the Western Berg street 7" She said "However, you might not want to go to his house today. His parents are coming home today or what-so-over. He told everyone not to disturb him" She shrugged.
As much as I wanted to meet him I respected his privacy, so I decided to go and meet him the first thing in morning, or probably if he comes to school I will see him here. I did have time till 4'o clock of tomorrow.
And I was getting closer and closer to solving the mystery for sure, I could feel it.
The rest of the day was passed slowly as I mainly had no page of Evelyn to read and I could not talk to Eric just yet either, though it was incredibly hard to just stay at home and kill time.
I managed to kill time by studying a little and playing online games with Harry who still continued to convince me to come to beach with them. He should know by now that I wasn't going to. I just wasn't in mood of a hangout I guess with everything going on.
Waking up the next morning, I knew what I had to do. I felt like going straight to Eric's house to ask him what he knows about Evelyn but I knew better than that. So I got ready to go to school.
Walking to the bus stop I realized how weird it was that I was never going to see Evelyn on the bus stop with me now. Never again.
I was so close to solving the mystery and finding out what Evelyn meant but yet I felt so far away from the answers.
I walked into the college and found out I had four out of seven classes with Eric. How did I never notice this guy before? Another disappointing news I heard was that Eric didn't come to school today once again. Was this guy sick or was he really celebrating the arrival of his parents?
I tried to not let this get me down, and planned to go to his house after the school was over.
Finally as the bell rang, and I got out of the detention room I started moving towards the school gate to visit Erics. Apparently teachers have had enough of me not focusing in the class. But I didn't care, I was so close to finding out the truth.
The only problem was that there were five more minutes only before it was four'o clock. Thanks to detention I was way too late now.
Driving as fast as I could while staying alive, I made my way to his house. It was ten minutes more than 4'o clock now. My heart was beating fast. I hoped I wasn't too late.
Knocking on the door, my heart continued beating as if it was running a marathon.
The door was open by a lady in her late thirties who I guessed was Erics mom.
"Come in dear, you must be Erics friend" She smiled at me letting me in.
She must have guessed I was Eric's friend by my age, I thought.
Everything seemed to be going fine till now, and I was hoping it would stay that way.
Eric is in his room, you can go upstairs and knock.
"Thank you" I muttered politely as I made my way upstairs. It wasn't hard finding his room since there was only one room upstairs in my vision.
I knocked on it for around five times but no one seemed to open. So hoping that I won't seem to rude, I opened the door and went straight inside.
And the scene in front of my eyes then made my heart that was beating fast, almost stop beating. Or at least it felt like.
Because Eric Turner was lying on the floor, the bottle of pills in his hand, and one thing was for sure. He was not breathing.