The Scroll 8

Well, I've procrastinated putting this post on for one simple reason: I wrote it first on paper and then left the paper at my apartment! And I've been at my parents' house all week! So now I've decided to rewrite this segment of the story (because I've written the next part (which I won't post until tomorrow) and I'm so excited for it). It's better and worse than the original. I'm not sure which I like better, but you're stuck with this one, so here goes:

In this episode of "The Scroll," Gray decides to open up to Leslie, and they have a nice little chat. Also, Gray's face is put in the public's view.

* * *

Leslie stood in the laundry room, staring at Gray’s clothes. The night before, she’d hung them up to dry. They didn’t seem like the “dry on low heat” kind of clothes. There had been one or two small holes in the shirt, and one of the legs of the pants was ragged at the ends. Now both the pants and the shirt were in perfect condition.

The clothes were smooth and soft, and they shone nearly as much as silk in the light. Leslie took the material in her hands and ran her fingers over it. The brownish-green fabric was seamless, tightly woven, with no bumps or imperfections. She pinched some of it between her fingers. It stuck slightly when she released the pressure. Leslie had an insane urge to stick her arm up the shirt’s trunk to see if it would latch onto her skin, like Savannah claimed. No, she thought, tossing the shirt on top of the washing machine. I’m not Savannah. I’m not ruled by a fantastical imagination.

Still, the pants and shirt’s perfect condition unnerved Leslie. She paced out of the laundry room and across the kitchen, rubbing her arms. I need to go running, she thought. She stopped.

Gray was standing at the bottom of the stairs in his pajamas. The hair on the right side of his head stood straight up from where he’d slept on it. Leslie fought the urge to laugh and said through tight lips, “Good morning.”

“Morning,” returned Gray. “What are you doing?”

“I was going to go running. Do you want to come?”

Gray’s face went blank. He looked away, frowning, as if he was making a decision about something. His hand tightened into a fist. Sighing, Gray relaxed the fist and turned to Leslie with a smile. “I would love to go running.”

They changed clothes and met in front of the house. After stretching out for a few moments, Leslie and Gray began jogging down the street. “I have a confession to make,” said Leslie.

“Oh?” replied Gray. “And what’s that?”

“I have a goal to run five miles without stopping, but I’ve never been able to do it.”

“Well,” said Gray, “Maybe what you need is a running partner.”

“How’s that supposed to help?” asked Leslie, turning to him. She had to stretch her legs a little longer to stay up with him. She breathed easily as they ran.

“When you can run and talk at the same time, you know you’re going the right speed,” explained Gray. “Plus, it takes your mind off things. We’ve gone nearly a quarter mile already.”

“Really?” Leslie looked around. Sure enough, they’d gone a quarter mile. They exited Leslie’s neighborhood and made their way to the highway.

After a few minute’s silence, Gray spoke. “I have a confession to make, too.”

“What is it?”

Gray glanced over, moving closer to the side of the road as a car passed. “I thought I could keep from caring about your family. I thought I could close myself off from you. But I can’t. My father would have been able to, but I can’t.”

“Why would you need to close yourself off?” asked Leslie.

“I have a mission,” said Gray, looking into Leslie’s hazel eyes with his gold-flecked ones. “And I didn’t think I would be staying here for very long. Now I’m not so sure.”

“What’s your mission?” asked Leslie.

Gray looked forward and stopped talking. Leslie tried asking again, but Gray didn’t respond. Leslie bit her lip. She didn’t know what Gray was up to, but she hoped it wasn’t anything bad. “Okay, I won’t ask you what your mission is, but I will ask one thing: is it illegal?”

Gray looked at her with an expression that clearly said, Are you crazy? “Of course it’s not illegal. I wouldn’t do anything illegal. But it’s very important.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Gray shook his head. He was silent. Then, suddenly he said, “Two miles.”

“Huh?”

“We’ve gone two miles.”

Leslie looked around. They were by the beach. The wildflowers growing on the sand dunes waved gently in the wind. The sound of the ocean waves breaking on the shore roared nearby. “Wow. It’s been so easy.”

“Almost halfway there.”

They were silent for a few more minutes. Then Gray said, “Can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“Why were you and Savannah so distant yesterday?”

Leslie laughed. “Oh, that? We had a little fight—about you, actually.”

Gray looked at her, smiling. “Really? What about?”

Leslie rolled her eyes. “Savannah thinks you’re an alien or a time traveler or something.”

“And what do you think?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” mumbled Leslie. “It never matters what I think.”

Gray slowed almost to a walk. “Why do you say that?”

“Because I’m a nobody.” Leslie flung her hands over her head. “I’ve always been a nobody. I’m not good at anything. Nobody cares about me, or what I say, or what I think.”

“I think you’re too hard on yourself,” said Gray.

Leslie snorted. “You sound like my dad.”

“It’s true,” said Gray. “You saved my life. I care about that.”

Leslie looked at him sideways. “Well, you’re the exception.”

Gray tossed his head, motioning for Leslie to follow him. “Come on. One mile left.”

They climbed a hill, making their way back towards Leslie’s house. Gray slowed almost to a stop as he gazed out over the city of Half Moon Bay. “It’s so big. I thought this would be easy, but—” He shook his head. “Come on, half a mile to go.”

Leslie jogged beside him. “You think this is big? You should see San Francisco. Buildings piled side-by-side, people walking everywhere, traffic and noise like you couldn’t believe. But it’s nice—just not to live in, if you ask me.”

Gray didn’t respond. They jogged in silence the rest of the way to Leslie’s house. Gray held the door open for Leslie as she walked inside. “There you go,” he said. “Five miles, nonstop. Now you’ll have to come up with a new goal.” He smiled and walked up the stairs to his room, closing the door behind him.

Savannah was watching the news. Suddenly, a sketched picture of Gray’s face appeared. “Hey, turn that up,” said Leslie.

Savannah obediently punched the volume up button on the remote control. Angela Castillo’s voice said, “If you know this boy, please contact us at the number below. He was found washed up on shore in the Half Moon Bay area, and it is believed that he has some memory loss. Right now he is living with a foster family in Half Moon Bay. Again, he was found wearing what appear to be old-fashioned homemade clothes and a necklace carved in the shape of a cat. We want to do everything we can to help him find his family and get him safely home.”

“Huh,” said Savannah. “I’ve never seen that on the news before. Of course, they’re going about it all wrong. He’s not from anywhere around here. Wonder how school will go tomorrow.”

* * *

Next time on "The Scroll:" Leslie's world is turned upside-down. It's gonna be a good 'un!