A Place So Wicked by Patrick Reuman (life books to read txt) 📕

She kicked a rock and watched it skip out into the road. When it came to a stop, the stone joined the silence around Paisley, the same silence that held its grip on Ripley Avenue at all times.

She hated this place.

It was hard to describe, this hatred, but it was absolute. Their life had been just fine at their old house. It wasn’t perfect, of course, they didn’t live in a big, fancy house, and they were far from wealthy, but they had each other, and a few friends as well. But here, all they had known was sorrow. Everybody was sick. And those that weren’t bedridden seemed to be going nuts. She felt alone for the first time in her life, truly alone.

She glanced back at the house, catching a quick glimpse of the stalking colonial structure before disappearing around the corner. Part of her wanted to walk, not stopping until she was miles away from this hell. But she couldn’t leave her family. Her little brother would scarcely admit it, but she knew he needed her. They all did. They needed each other.

She was on her way to meet with Eli. That was if he showed up, which she really hoped he did. He had acted so strangely the first time they met the day before, like there was something wrong with her and he was afraid to get too close. But something told her that he didn’t really mean it that way. He seemed nice. For the most part, he was the first other person she had really met since moving there.

The sky was clear, a major contrast from the day before. Birds chirped somewhere, and only a slight breeze blew at her hair. She heard the laughter of kids, but it came from in the distance so she couldn’t see exactly where it was coming from. It was as if the laughs were only sound effects edited in by a greater being to add life to the otherwise mostly lifeless scene.

When the playground finally came into view, it looked livelier in the light than she remembered. A smile grew and her cheeks lifted. She was more excited to see Eli than she had realized. But when the swing set entered view, it was empty, all the swings resting in place, motionless. The smile drained away. Why hadn’t he come? Maybe there was something wrong with her after all.

She stopped on the sidewalk that ran off to the side, along one end of the park. She wondered if she should stay and wait. Maybe he was just late. It didn’t seem likely given that he lived so close by, but it was always possible. And she didn’t want to go back home.

A figure caught her eye in the distance. It stood underneath a part of the playground that lifted up into the air, ending where a slide started. When a cloud drifted by, allowing sun to rain down, she saw with a smile that it was Eli.

He waved when he noticed her in return. She was so excited she jogged straight over to him. As she approached, she felt a little bit better about being strangely excited because she saw that he, too, had a big smile on his face.

“Hey!” he said, stepping out from the shadows.

“Hey, Eli,” she replied.

A silence overtook them for just a moment as they both looked at each other nervously. One thing she noticed in that second was that he looked nicer this time around. The day before, he didn’t exactly look bad or anything; he just looked like he had thrown his clothes on quickly and made a break from his house as if it were on fire. The clothes he wore now were straighter, brighter, and just tidier overall. All of him was.

“How are you?” she asked.

His fingers fiddled nervously. “I’m all right. How about you?”

She hesitated. She wasn’t all right, not at all, actually. But she didn’t want to put that on him. This was her time away, her time to get her thoughts off all the crap she had been experiencing lately.

“I’m fine,” she lied, looking away as she said the words, hoping he wouldn’t read the lie in her eyes.

He nodded. “That’s good.”

He stuck his hands in his jean pockets and turned so he wasn’t facing straight at her. She thought he looked anxious. She wanted to do something to ease the tension that held its grip on the air for no apparent reason. So, perhaps insanely, she reached out and hugged her new friend. He practically jumped, surprised at first, but then relaxed and hugged her back.

“Sorry,” she said as she released him. “My day hasn’t been all that great, honestly. I think I needed that.”

He stuttered. “It’s—it’s all right. I don’t mind.”

“So, what do you want to do?” she asked.

He considered the question. “I’m not sure. I usually just sit here.”

She thought he was kidding at first but realized quickly he was not. “Okay, ummmm. Well, are you hungry?” She wasn’t particularly hungry, but she could eat, and it was better than nothing. If they did nothing, her mind would wander back to her brother and that house.

“I suppose so, but…”

He let the word trail off.

“But what?” Paisley asked.

“Nothing.”

“Okay…” she said. “Then…food it is. But where do people go to eat around here? I only have like twenty dollars, so we have to take it easy.”

“No! I mean, sorry. I just mean that I can run home and get some money for myself. You don’t have to pay for me.”

She wasn’t going to argue with that. It was her only twenty dollars. He seemed reluctant at first, but when she started following him toward his house, he didn’t stop her. They walked across an open field at the back of