Unfamiliar Territory

The girl I did not know the name of. What would her name be? It would fit her just right; something sharp, to the point, but mysterious as well.

I had to talk to her, one on one. I had to find out what she was all about, what her favorite things were, what she liked to do for fun. How she met someone like Mutt.

If my running theory about Mutt being bullied was right, she might have met him in a similar way to how she met me. A defender. Someone who stood up for others. I didn’t think those kinds of people existed.

It was as if I had been shot. Sudden, violent, impossible to ignore. I almost felt sick thinking about seeing her again. But I had to. By the end of my last class I was practically running out of the school. More students sent their probing gazes my way as they went home in the opposite direction, but they were more of an afterthought. I was feeling lighter than air.

Along the way I used my cell phone’s camera to practice my faces. Happy, interested, apologetic, encouraging. I had to cover all of my bases in case my conversations with the girl transitioned to interesting territory.

I was in the middle of a pretty good eager face when a new face joined mine in the camera. It was large, good looking, dark skinned and smiled when I noticed it.

“Hey, beautiful.”

I lurched away from him, almost dropping my phone in the process. He laughed at my antics but stopped after getting a good look at me.

“Wait...”

I grimaced.

“You’re a guy?!”

He was big, and not only in the face. I could see, even through his sport jersey and baggy sweat pants, that he was built. Bigger than a highschooler should be built. He wore a baseball cap with the bill angled towards the left side of his head, another cool fashion of the time, and had piercings in both his ears.

If it wasn’t for the school jersey I would have assumed he was an adult. Still, I was about to tell him off, just a little, but was cut short by another one of his loud laughs. “Man, you should consider a haircut and a change of clothes. That face leaves way too much to the imagination!”

I opened my mouth, but all that came out was empty air. My stomach felt tight.

Did all of the kids think that way? Or did I just happen to run into the few assholes?

As I thought this, the guy stopped his laughing and, still smiling, said: “Sorry, man, I’m just giving you a hard time. You’re the new kid, right?”

He stuck out a large hand to me, much in the same manner Mutt had, and waited for me to hesitantly grasp it before continuing. “Pleased to meet you, new kid. You’re joining the Tea Drinkers, right?”

We released hands as I took a moment to take in the new announcement. First a beautiful woman and now a sports guy? Was Mutt on some top level of social ascension I hadn’t even heard of? How did he get people like them to join his club?

I nodded to his question before he could come up with a joke about me being too quiet. “Looks like it,” I said, taking a moment to clear my throat. My voice had become weak after not talking nearly all day.

“Great!” he said, smiling wide and revealing large, white teeth. “Be sure to call me Stallion then.”

I guessed it was a nickname of his from his sport. He must have felt comfortable enough with me to let me use that name. I returned his genuine smile as we resumed walking towards the back of school, Stallion making sure to keep pace with me.

We didn’t speak any further as we waited outside. It was nice, more so because it gave me time to think about what I would say to the mystery girl.

She couldn’t be the type to go for someone who was too eager or excitable. Her disdain for Mutt’s attitude was evidence enough. And while in the middle of being the victim of bullying wasn’t how I would have chosen us to first meet, it was somewhat fortunate our encounter threw me off so much.

I was almost a blank slate. If I did and said the right things I could, for all intents and purposes, be a pretty alright guy in her eyes – which would be a good start.

I stood there in pretty deep thought for awhile, glancing at Stallion occasionally. He kept his eyes closed for the most part, his head tilted back so his face could catch the sun. The studs in his ears reflected the light every now and then.

The fog was still gone. It was nothing more than a bad memory for most people. The forest was in plain sight, however. I knew the stories were just dumb rumors. I knew it was just a bunch of trees. Still, I chose not to stare into the darkened wood for too long in case I saw the smiling dog again, or the bodies of those missing students.

“Yo! You guys got here early!”

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Mutt called out to us. Not even a full day at school had dialed down his enthusiasm. I turned with Stallion to see him running in our direction, waving a hand as the flaps on his hat bounced against his head.

“Yo, yourself,” Stallion greeted, hi-fiving Mutt once he reached us. “I snuck out of practice early so I could meet the new kid.” He nudged me playfully as he said it.

“Yeah, how about that...” was all I could manage to murmur. Seriously, what was I supposed to say to that?

“You sure that’s okay?” Mutt asked. His smile diminished as his eyebrows wrinkled and his eyes grew watery.

I had to look away from his face. He was an open book, it almost made me worry.

“It’s cool, they can deal,” Stallion said with a shrug, but looking away as well. “So, where are Kat and Mr. Mallard?”

“They told me that we can wait here. Mr. Mallard said he’d pick us up.” Mutt looked to me, his face relaxed and smile back in full force. “So, did Stallion give away anything about the stuff we do?”

“I thought you had already told him,” Stallion said.

Mutt’s smile widened as he giggled and bounced on the heels of his feet. “No, no, no. This is good. I want it to be a surprise!”

Stallion shook his head and gave me a helpless grin. I glanced nervously between the two, a question bubbling up my throat.

A surprise? What did he mean by that?

I was but moments away from asking when she rolled up in a car beside us.

It was an old and white car. The girl with no name, which I now knew was Kat, sat in the driver’s seat, window rolled down, with one of her arms hanging out all casual like and the radio blaring some hip jazz number.

It was by far the coolest thing I had ever seen. I was falling in love all over again.

“Aw, no fair. Mr. Mallard let you drive?!” Mutt exclaimed, running up to the car and ruining the perfect picture. “Why do you get to drive?”

“Cause I’m mature,” Kat said. She looked past him so she could smile a greeting at Stallion and then frown one at me. “So you came after all.”

While the frown wasn’t exactly encouraging, I felt a little spark at the note of surprise in her voice. I was about to follow up with something very cool and impressive when a new voice cut in.

“Is that the new child?”

I looked to the passenger seat and saw a small, plump, elderly man. He was dressed in a colorful sweater vest and was staring at me straight in the face through thick-rimmed glasses. A flush of heat ran through me as he continued his unbroken examination of me.

Everyone else had fallen silent. I wanted to see what they were all doing, but I couldn’t tear myself from his eyes. They were so much like Kat’s in their brightness.

Finally, a smile broke out and he leaned across Kat slightly and said: “Well tell me, young lady, what is your name?”

Despite the new tightness in my chest, I felt almost compelled to go along with him as I looked into his bright blue eyes and grinning, waiting face. While his voice sounded old and his hair was snow white and thinning, he looked much younger with those eyes and that smile.

Thankfully, Mutt cut in—after he and Stallion finished laughing—telling Mr. Mallard my name and saying how excited I was to join them this evening.

“A pleasure to meet you,” the little old man said after Mutt finished his tangent, shifting his focus to me. “I am Mr. Mallard the, ah, sponsor for this little club.”

“Eh-It’s nice to meet you,” I stuttered. Stuttered? What was wrong with me today? I never stuttered!

Mr. Mallard nodded once before continuing. “As I am told, you are already well acquainted with the other members of our little gathering so, if you’ll forgive the shortened introduction, we will be making haste to our personal...‘stomping grounds’ before it gets dark.”

“So, the meeting isn’t at school?” I ventured, finding my correct voice at last.

“I’m afraid the school grounds lacks the certain...‘environment’ we Tea Drinkers require,” he answered, letting his words hang a bit in the air before chuckling. “I hope you’ll forgive me as well, I like to have fun with the new initiates. If you don’t mind humoring this old man, I’d like to keep what we do a secret until we arrive.”

“Er, sure.”

It was hard to keep up with what he was even saying. Through the big words and the ‘clean and proper’ way he spoke, I was able to gather that we would be getting in a car and going somewhere ‘more appropriate’ for their club activities. And that those club activities would be a mystery to me until we were there.

“Splendid,” Mr. Mallard said, sitting back into his seat. “Let us be off, then.”

I stole a glance at Kat. She sat pretty rigid in her seat, both her pale hands gripping the steering wheel. Though I was pretty wrapped up in Mr. Mallard’s words, I was almost positive she didn’t look my way once.

Mr. Mallard’s car was only meant to sit four people, so Mutt and I found ourselves pretty firmly pressed against the doors since Stallion needed the most leg room. The abnormally large teen apologized, but I waved him off.

What bothered me was having to sit right behind Kat—the worst possible seat to be in with the blasting music and the Mutt’s constant talking. Still, I licked my lips and leaned over to try and say something to her anyways.

I stopped when I saw how focused she was on the road—how separated she was from the conversations going on in the car. I thought back to her fierce eyes glaring at me and sat back with a sigh. Next time.

I sat there in silence listening to the radio or to what Mutt was saying, whichever was the loudest at the time. I looked out the window most of the car ride. Mutt would sometimes hang his head out of his open window and comment on all of the ‘cool’ shops and people he would see as we drove past.

The jazz was pretty soothing, despite how loud Kat liked to have it. There was also the smell of something, similar to herbs, which lingered in the car even though Mutt had his window rolled down.

I pressed my forehead against the cold glass as the music and the voices turned to static.

I didn’t come back to reality until I noticed two things. One being the return of the fog, obscuring my view from the window. It took me longer to realize the other. The music was off, Mutt wasn’t talking, and there was a stillness in the air.

Absolute silence.

I looked around to the others. Mutt still had his head out but he was frozen in place, almost as if he was searching through the fog. Stallion had stiffened up and his hands were curled into fists against his knees. Kat had slowed the car to a crawl.

“No need to fret. Nothing shall happen as long as we remain at this speed,” Mr. Mallard assured us as he continued to face the front. “Just remain calm. All of you.”

He said the words so quietly I almost didn’t hear him. I peered back out the window and a chill took hold of my body.

It was the dog. The German Shepherd was sitting on the side of the street, less than a few feet from me. Staring at me.

I covered my mouth and stifled a scream.

Don’t scream.

The car continued its crawl and the dog turned its head to keep its eyes on me—a mirror of what it had done weeks ago. Then, before it disappeared into the fog, it smiled at me one more time.

The slow pace extended our trip, but eventually the fog faded away and we were back to our previous pace.

Should I tell them what I saw?

No, don’t acknowledge it. Don’t say it aloud.

Don’t say the words: a dog is stalking me.

They had to think I was normal. Kat had to think I was normal. I had to keep pretending it wasn’t real.

So, I said nothing. Once the fog vanished, everyone loosened up, Kat turned up her music and Mutt went back to commenting on our surroundings. I tucked my shaking hands into my jacket pockets and stared down at the floor of the car. I didn’t look up again until we came to a stop.

We were parked beside a large iron gateway. Mutt let out a cry of excitement as he bolted out of his side of the car, Stallion following out after him with a laugh. Kat turned off the ignition and stepped out. Mr. Mallard smiled and gave me a wink before heading out himself. I shuddered before following suit.

The dark gate led to a graveyard—a massive one, with hills, sidewalks, benches, and large oak trees. It was more like a park, save for all the dead bodies buried in the ground.

“Stallion, would you please carry the china,” Mr. Mallard said.

He walked towards the back of the car with the support of a cane, his steps slow and hobbled. Kat was already in the middle of unlocking the trunk.

“Be sure to be careful. I have them on loan and I promised I wouldn’t return them in any more pieces than what they gave me.”

“Course, Mr. Mallard. You can count on me,” Stallion said with a serious expression and a nod.

As Kat unlocked the trunk and pulled out a dark red back pack, Mutt began to bounce from one foot to the other, looking from the trunk to Mr. Mallard.

“You can carry the paper and charcoal, Mutt.”

Mutt fist pumped the air and began digging in the trunk as soon as Stallion removed a large Tupperware container which contained things wrapped in newspaper. After Mutt emerged from the trunk with a sizable stack of paper tied together by string and a pencil case, the group made their way towards the cemetery entrance. I hung back a bit from them as I followed.

I glanced behind us. No fog and no dog.

Kat was leading the group with Mr. Mallard and they were having some sort of deep conversation. Still no progress there. Stallion was focused on walking slowly and keeping his burden still. When I looked to Mutt, I held in my breath when our eyes met. He was looking back at me.

“Pretty confused so far?” he asked.

About more than one thing, I thought. But, even if it wasn’t Kat I was talking to, it was time to start showing them I wasn’t some shy nobody.

“Certainly not,” I replied with a casual wave of the hand. “Graveyards, china sets, paper and charcoal? Seems standard fare to me.”

“I thought it was kinda weird at first, but its way fun! Trust me!” he said, slowing his pace to match mine. “So, what do you think of Kat and Stallion? Pretty cool guys, huh?”

“Yeah, way cool,” I said.

I spotted Kat, still deep in conversation with Mr. Mallard. When Mutt gasped, I mentally slapped myself for my carelessness.

“Oh! Mr. Mallard is way cool, too,” Mutt went on, misjudging my staring. “He didn’t really think you were a girl, he just wanted to tease you. That’s all.”

“It’s alright,” I said with another casual shrug. “It didn’t bother me that much.”

“Awesome,” Mutt said with a laugh. “Super awesome! Nothing bothers you too much, right? Like, you’re cool as ice, right?”

A strange thing to say. But I still had to resist high-fiving myself and ruining the image I was building up. It could be that Mutt was just easy to fool, but it was working. I was showing them what I wanted them to see.

I had to think a bit about what to say next, though. It really was a strange thing for him to say out of the blue.

“Sure, I guess.”

It seemed to be enough. Mutt’s grin widened. “Perfect!”

“So, can I ask yet what’s this all for?” I asked, indicating the papers he was carrying, eager to change the subject.

Mutt winked at me. I felt the chill return and had to look away from him.

“You’ll see,” he said.

I kept my eyes closed until the goosebumps passed. What was with all the winking today?

After a few minutes of walking, Kat and Mr. Mallard came to a stop on the gravel path we had been trekking between the gravestones, which caused the rest of us to stop as well. Mr. Mallard turned and pointed back at a small hill that lay ahead—just off the path. It had a series of gravestones running up alongside it with a few taking residence at the top.

“What do you think, everyone? Does that spot look alright?” he asked.

“Perfect!” Mutt exclaimed. Without waiting for anyone else, he took off towards the hill. He put distance behind him consistently easy. I had to wonder if it was from years of running from tormentors.

“Looks good to me,” Stallion said. Kat shrugged. Did I look even a fraction as cool as her when I did it?

“Well, young lad, how about you?” Mr. Mallard asked me.

I blinked. He, Stallion, Kat, and even Mutt—who had stopped halfway up the hill—turned their attention to me.

This was it—Mutt was just a test run. Now was my moment, my time to show them. I struggled for the right words. The perfect words. This was my chance to show them how cool, level-headed, and totally not annoying I was.

They waited patiently for my answer.

“Sure, sounds good.”

“Yes! Tea time!” Mutt turned back and ran the rest of the way up the hill at break neck speed.

“No, no, Mutt, first we do the rubbings, then the tea,” Mr. Mallard called, making his way up, although at a much slower pace. Kat helped support him as they followed after Mutt.

I had to be at least twenty pounds lighter. No voice cracks, no stuttering. Perfect.

I followed up after Stallion, resisting the urge to let out a happy hum. I tried to peek around him. Was Kat starting to see me?

When we were all at the top of the hill, Stallion and Mutt set down their burdens. Kat set her backpack down and was unzipping it when Mr. Mallard placed a hand on her shoulder. It looked gentle enough, but Kat froze up. The plump old man turned to the rest of us with a pleasant smile. “You all know what to do. Grab paper and charcoal and find some good gravestones; I want at least five done before you return. And don’t just look around this hill, there’s at least an entire acre of good material to sift through—so get to it.”

Mutt and Stallion were already gathering their supplies and had practically left by the time Mr. Mallard had finished speaking. I met his bright blue eyes and he was prepared to say something when Kat spoke up.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay and help?” she asked, not getting up from the ground.

“I’m not too old to make tea, my dear,” Mr. Mallard said with a gentle smile. “Please, join the others. In fact...” He gave me a sideways glance. “...why don’t you show our new initiate here how it’s done? I’m sure he would be grateful for the instruction.”

I tried to smile in a grateful sort of way as Kat eyed me as well. She stood up from the ground and walked over to the stack of paper and the now opened pencil case, grabbing paper and a single piece of charcoal before stalking off back down the hill. For a moment, I stood there watching after her, until she called out: “Hurry up or I’ll do all of them by myself.”

I wasted no time grabbing my own paper and charcoal. I whispered a quick thank you to Mr. Mallard before descending the hill after Kat.

“It’s simple,” she said as I caught up. She was kneeling down before a tombstone. I watched as she placed a sheet of paper against the words carved into the stone. With quick, smooth motions of her hand, she rubbed the charcoal against the paper. “You probably did something like this in grade school.”

She kept her shoulders squared as she worked. She looked incredibly uncomfortable while her hand was almost a blur as she scored the page. I tried to say something—anything, but my mouth was dry.

I cleared my throat. A sound tore through the silence as Kat’s charcoal tore through the paper.

“Fucking shit.”

A loving father, a diligent brother, a faithful husband. May you be rewarded for your many virtues and forgiven for your few sins.

I read the gravestone as Kat crumbled the paper in her hands. She stood up and pulled her arm back as though she would throw it clear across the graveyard. I stared at the dying grass when her arm fell.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

“Just make sure not to rub it too hard,” she said.

The crumpled paper fell in the grass by her feet. She walked past me. Our shoulders nearly touched and I flinched.

“Other than that, it’s simple.”

I listened to the crackling of the frosted grass as she walked away, growing quieter and quieter. When I couldn’t hear her any longer, I looked back but saw nothing but lonely gravestones and Mutt and Stallion working far off in the distance.

I turned around and picked up the crumpled paper. It was nothing but a big black smear with a tear through it. It made me feel sick looking at it, so I crumpled it again and shoved it in my pocket.

I knelt down in front of another gravestone. Following Kat’s instructions, I managed to get the inscription rubbed out on the paper.

We will never let you go.

I stared down at the paper then back up at the gravestone. There was nothing there. It had to be ancient, its words having been weathered away by time. I tried scoring the paper over the entire stone, but no other words were revealed.

We will never let you go. That was all it said.

I thought of the dog, watching me now, smiling as I read those words. I looked all around me, expecting to see it in a shroud of mist, but there was nothing. Just me. Alone.

I moved on, hopping from gravestone to gravestone until I was close enough to Mutt and Stallion to hear them talking and laughing. I considered trying to join them, but being able to hear them was enough. Besides, they might ask about Kat, and I wouldn’t know what to say about that.

When Mutt and Stallion started to head back, I followed them. Mutt was practically running back, but Stallion wasn’t trying to keep up with him. He had his head angled up towards the sun. It was lower now, less intense, and bathed the graveyard in oranges and yellows. He was still walking, but I could swear his eyes were closed.

When Stallion came to a sudden stop, I stopped as well. Not stopped—I stiffened. He was looking up at the sky, then off in the distance beyond the gravestones, the trees, and the mountains. I tried to follow his gaze, but I did not see anything of note that he could be staring at. He took in a deep breath and I held mine—suddenly afraid he might hear me behind him.

“Tryin’ to be sneaky?” he asked.

I just about jumped from my spot. “I...just...” I tried, but words, again, failed me.

“Next time, try less cologne,” he said, a grin in his words, before nudging with his head. “Come on, the others are probably waiting for us.”

I smelled under my arm before following him. It wasn’t that strong...was it?

Mr. Mallard, Kat, Mutt, and Stallion were all sitting when I reached the top of the hill. Beneath them lay a red checkerboard picnic blanket with the most intricate tea set I had ever seen stretched out over it. The cups and the plates were all painted a deep orange with red trimming and a bright yellow center. It was as if I was seeing the sunset again.

“Welcome. Glad you could join us,” Mr. Mallard greeted me.

Mutt turned quicker than the others. He waved and patted an empty space beside him. I made to head over, until I saw it was also beside Kat. She never turned. Her back was rigid; her hands closed into fists against her jean torn knees.

“It’s okay, you can sit here,” Mutt encouraged. Kat jumped when he spoke. She turned her head in my direction and I stared down at my dirty shoes—gripping the papers tight in my hands.

Mr. Mallard chuckled. “It is quite alright. I assure you, Kat does not bite.”

“Much,” Stallion added with a wink.

Kat glared at him while Stallion pretended not to notice. I still did not know what to do—not until Kat scooted over and pulled up her knees to her chest.

“Sorry about earlier,” she said. She tilted her head to the empty space.

“Not your fault,” I managed to get out before I took my spot between her and Mutt.

The latter looked around me once I was situated. “Sorry about what?” he asked. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Kat said.

“But—”

“Everyone is going through a difficult time right now, Mutt,” Mr. Mallard explained, speaking soft and slow. “What with so many students going missing...”

Our little spot on the hilltop grew quieter, and colder. It was the first time in a few weeks I had heard anyone mention the lost students. It was as though everyone had already given up on the idea of them ever being found again.

At least there was one teacher who still cared.

Mr. Mallard glanced over to where Kat sat. “Perhaps a discussion for a later date?”

Mutt followed his look. I tried my best not to. Instead, I watched Stallion, who was studying the setting sun again.

Mutt eventually let out a defeated sigh. “Okay,” he mumbled.

“Wonderful.” Smiling, Mr. Mallard turned his focus on me. He held out a thick hand—pale white and full of veins. “Now, may we see what you have done?”

I handed my small stack of papers over to Mr. Mallard and at once he began to go over them with the others—noting specific words, specific phrases, and what they could mean.

Mutt kept nudging me by accident; his voice loud in my ear. Kat couldn’t have felt further away. Quiet, motionless, and cold as a glacier. Even looking at her would probably spell the end of any sort of closeness between us. Stallion wouldn’t stop staring at the sun.

The crumbled paper felt extra pointy in my pocket as it stabbed into the soft skin of my thigh. If I looked at Mr. Mallard, he might try and ask me to talk about my inscriptions. And I didn’t have anything to say about them.

My eyes found the warm colors of the tea set. The rims around the cups had this wavy edge to them. Up close, I realized, it was not so much a sunset, but living fire. A black tea pot in the center of the arrangement took my notice for the first time when it whistled and blew steam out from its spout.

“It appears it is time for the tea,” Mr. Mallard noted as he set down my rubbings behind him. I saw only two other piles, each one tied together by string.

“Aw, yeah!” Mutt whooped, accidentally hitting my shoulder when he pumped a fist in the air. It stung terribly. Was he practicing his punches for the next time his bullies tried something?

Though, if he was as close of friends with Stallion as it appeared, I had to wonder why he would have problems with bullies in the first place. If he ever had them at all.

“Now, whose turn was it to bring the tea today?” Mr. Mallard asked. He, Mutt, and Stallion immediately looked to Kat. More of his teasing, I guessed.

“I brought the tea,” she insisted. She reached back, grabbed her backpack, and dug inside it until she pulled out a box of tea packets. I read the flavor as ‘hazelnut’ as she passed it over to Mr. Mallard.

“Again?” Mr. Mallard said, studying the box with a smile and looking back at Kat, who shrugged.

“Is it hazelnut? I love hazelnut!” Mutt said, holding his cup out in his hands.

“Its way better than that spicy stuff Mr. Mallard brought last time,” Stallion noted, Mutt nodding in agreement, cup still held out.

“Spice is good for the soul,” Mr. Mallard said opening the box and pulling out five small packets of the tea. “That said, too much spice is bad for the digestion.”

Mutt and Stallion chuckled as Mr. Mallard placed a packet in their cups. I cracked a smile. The pain in my shoulder was already numbing and the air was much less oppressive. We needed more corny jokes.

“Kat, do you mind passing our new friend his tea?” Mr. Mallard asked before handing it to her.

I held out my hand, but Kat hesitated.

“Are we sure?” she asked.

It was back already. The heavy air. I was not sure why, but I held my breath as Kat moved her eyes between Mr. Mallard, Mutt, and Stallion.

“That all depends.” Mr. Mallard’s gaze behind those large glasses moved to me, the eyes of the others following. “Do you wish to be one of us? To join in our club activities from this moment forward?”

I swallowed. The tea set really was charming. I wondered where Mr. Mallard had gotten it from. I should ask him.

I looked back up. They were all waiting. Waiting for me to answer.

“I...”

Kat was staring at me—right at me. I was drowning in her pools of green. The water was cold, frigid. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t feel anything. I couldn’t say anything.

When someone’s hand grabbed my shoulder, I almost dropped my teacup.

“It’s okay,” the boy with the floppy hat said. His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

A release of air, smooth and even. The girl with the emerald eyes no longer looked at me. She lowered the tea packet, made to move away from me.

“No.”

She stopped. I tried to hold her eyes. “I want to.”

I looked back to Mutt, held his warm brown eyes instead. I smiled. Confident. More like my old self. “I do want to. Really. You guys have been great and I’m having a lot of fun.”

For once, Mutt did not smile. He titled his head to the side instead. It made me think of a confused animal. Did I surprise him?

“I guess that settles it, then?” Stallion asked, back with us again. He smiled when our eyes met and nodded his head in my direction. I tried copying it back at him. It felt right.

“Indeed it does,” Mr. Mallard said in his quiet voice and motioned to Kat. “If you would, my dear.”

She was staring at me again. I found if I stared at the tree behind her I could appear to be holding her gaze.

“Are you sure?”

At least, to everyone but her.

I moved my eyes ever so slightly and I was lost again. In an overgrown jungle. In a seaweed sea. No hope of escape. I held out my cup to her; I couldn’t even be sure I was still holding it.

“I am.”

She dropped her gaze and gave me the tea bag. Mr. Mallard filled our cups with the hot liquid and we drank our tea.

I don’t remember how it tasted. Bitter, maybe. But it was hot—so hot my insides were aflame. Mr. Mallard asked us to finish it and everyone was more than eager. Even though it burned, I did not want to be the only one who didn’t finish. So, I drank it all.

I don’t remember the rest of the evening.

As soon as I finished the tea, my insides numbed. I thought I heard the others talking, but it was like they were trying to speak underwater.

I fell back, my body suddenly weighing a ton. My world spun together. All I saw were colors.

Oranges. Reds. Yellow. Black.