Shadowless by Kareca (the reading strategies book txt) 📕

a chair by his computer. He swivels around and eyes me cautiously.

'How did I get here again?'

He smirks and throws his folder onto the floor. I guess it was not that important.

'Okay well you don't remember anything then. Oh this is good. Well I was searching around the river for any clues as to what happened to my sister. I know that is probably not a smart idea but hey at least I was able to help one person. I had been walking around when I spotted someone walking through the woods. He was wearing all black and carrying something.'

He stops to make sure I am following. I look at him admiring his strength. How can he go through this with this level of... well calmness? I would probably be running around in circles. Yet that is the difference between him and me. It is a secret that I act like that so it would be best not to tell anyone. I do not like having my faults and weaknesses out in the open. People tend to pounce on people if they have information on them. Thus the reason why I never really talk about myself. He leans back slightly and taps his fingers on the armrest of the chair.

'I figured the person was not disposing of their trash in the woods. Since well they would end up getting fined, of course there is the occasional idiot. I tried following him as best as I could. I ended up losing him for a few minutes.Then I noticed he was on his way back so quickly. It made me curious as to what he had left behind. Finding this a good opportunity to be nosy and get some dirt I hicked into the woods further. You would not believe how green everything was. I felt like I was in a maze more than once. Then the guy started to come back carrying more things. This time there was someone with him. Which I believe that guy actually goes to our school.'

He stops to catch his breath. He seemed to be getting ahead of himself. He takes a deep breath then continues. Somehow this seems well to fixed. Like the guy wanted to be caught or seen. He could have been more cautious so that Benji did not see him. This seems all to weird.

'Sorry about that, I should explain further into this. The guy was hooded so I could not see his face. The other guy was younger and I know I have seen him at school before. There was something wrong with him, like he was dazed. He was carrying a shovel and a bag. The main guy was carrying well I do not know what he was carrying. It was big whatever it was, but it was some sort of material. I did not stop to think about what type. Which I tried following them again but got lost. By the time I decided to give up and walk back I heard something. Which I watched them leave and about ten minutes later of trying to sort out everything I heard another noise. I hid to make sure that it was not them coming back or something else.'

I close my eyes and hear a pop. When I open my eyes again Benji is eating the Frito's. He points at the bag momentarily to ask me if I want any. I shake my head not feeling in the mood to eat. Right now I feel a little nauseous.

'You are serious Benji? There is no gotcha's involved, or just jokings?'

'Unfortunately No, but you did not let me finish. I heard a crash and then started to walk to see what it was. There you were passed out on the ground. Looking well horrible really, I mean more than usual.'

He chuckles at that as I glower at him. Somehow after everything he seems so upbeat still. Maybe he is forcing himself to be so upbeat. I know I could not act like that in this situation.

'I thought about leaving you there. Yet since I figured you'd owe me I helped you out. I carried you from there to my car... which I had parked a long walk away to ensure no one found it. I was lucky about that. I had a feeling that the guy was not nice, and would not show any mercy. I came home in time that my parents were not here yet. I carried you up to my room. Then I bandaged you up, do not worry I disinfected all of your wounds. You have been out for at least an hour now. I was about to stick a frito up your nose but you woke up and ruined my fun.'

He stops and sets the frito bag on the top of his desk. Then he leans over to grab the folder he threw on the ground. He flipped it open and drew out a pen.

'Which leaves us at what you know. Why you were there... Did that guy take you there? You do realize if a guy says to you hey let's go to the woods you should turn around and walk away. Why were you in such a bad condition. Was someone trying to kill you? What exactly do you know?'

He stops and suddenly his face becomes serious. He is going to make notes, I understand now. I push myself up to where I am sitting. It hurts but I need to sit up for this. I look around and notice I was laying on his futon. Which now has a plain blue sheet on it. There is a poster stapled up above the bed. Which there is another poster underneath... I am guessing it is one of those

posters.

'Okay you want the truth? Just know this is not a game, we are not playing cops. People are getting hurt, and you may end up hurt. People are dying... which is what I was trying to stop. That does not seem to have worked. This as well may cause you some pain. Since this is linked to another incident...'

He nods his head and writes some things down. Maybe he is writing, patient is delusional. Who knows what he is writing down. He may even be drawing.

'Please continue. Do not be afraid to say anything. Even if this does concern my sister, I would rather know.'

I take a deep breath... I should keep this shortened down. The best place is to start at the beginning. Of what I know and what has happened.

'This all started a few months ago I guess. When I met the persone everyone says is my boyfriend.'

Benji interrupts me to comment that he did not know I had a boyfriend. After telling him he is no longer my boyfriend and trying to get him to stop making weird comments I continue.

'Back to subject Benji. It started on one of those nights where I had practice after school. I am not sure how long the thing that I witnessed had been going on. It was disgusting if I must say. I came home one day and it was the day that Autumn was coming over to drop a present off.'

'I remember that day, that was the last day I saw her.'

I stop to breath before I crumble apart.

'I wish I had known what he was like. How he acted when I was not around.'

I tried to explain what I had seen. Yet it came out gurgled and half strangled. After having a mental breakdown and having Benji comfort me I tried to continue. He should not be comforting me, I should be comforting him. Once I had told him what I had seen he seemed angry. He told me his anger was not at me, but at that guy. He also seemed sad but he was trying to hold that in. I expect he will probably break down after a while.

'Now you know what has been going on. As for the reason why I locked myself up in my room for about three weeks. Why your sister never came home. As well as what happened to her. I know they said it was accidental death... it was not. Yet I suppose it was better to think that it was. That way there was no place to blame, or no one to be angry at. That is not all of it though.'

At this point Benji is sitting next to me. Somehow I do not even notice the pain in my sides. I guess it is the distractions. He seems to actually find what I am saying interesting. As for me I am glad that I am finally able to tell someone. After all this while knowing about that was about to make me burst. Of all the people to tell who would have thought it would be him. I wish that I could have found a guy with more qualities like him. I mean not that I would go for him... that would be weird. Since we are practically brother and sister... or at least he is my weird friend if anything. I just meant that he has better qualities than some people. This is not turning out to good in my mind. I am just stopping there... I need to focus.

'After that the guy said he might kill me. Which that was a few days ago when I finally came out of my killing myself... I mean as in my mind. He even broke into my house, he broke my window and woke me up. He was thinking that I would just act like how I had before. After arguing and deciding I did not care if I was killed but I would not let him get away with that he left. Well that was kind of how things went... Anyway then I went to school eventually after that. My time is perhaps off so forgive me for that. Which he showed up at my school, see no one had known I was with him before the whole... anyway he stopped me in the hallway to talk. Then I met Jessica, you know the annoying girl. He left and then we were walking. She invited me to some event. I told her I was not going. There was this guy who had said that Alex was going to meet me somewhere. He seemed to disappear after that for a few minutes. Then I was walking to third period this person came up behind. He put his hands around me and because I freaked out I hyperventilated and passed out.
When I woke up I was in so much pain I was confused about where I was. Then I found out I was in forest. Which once I noticed that there were plants there that did not belong. As well as freshly dug ground. So you seeing that guy carrying a shovel makes sense. There was a knife in my leg and various other things. Once I got free I started to leave. I thought many times I was going to die. Then I slipped on this slope went down, I heard your footsteps. So I figured it was that guy... Then I woke up here. I think that maybe if I go to sleep I might wake up from this nightmare.'

I stop because there is nothing else I can recall that has any significance. He pulls me closer to him and starts to pat my back. It is quite awkward