Sunday, August 16th

______________________

Tommy and Toby decided it’d be best to hide Tommy’s peculiar problem from their parents. Once Toby figured out that Tommy could eat and that it just didn’t taste very good he convinced him to at least have dinner as a family so he wouldn’t raise suspicion.

Tommy agreed.

It was an effort for him not to make a sour face every bite. On top of this, neither he nor Keagan talked about what to do during weekends so Tommy was starving by Sunday evening. He faked being sick and stayed in his room the majority of the day while he blasted music in his ears to drown out the three pulses he could hear in his home. 

He was sweating and shaking as he lay there. He’d have to track down Keagan first thing tomorrow morning.

Psycho Bastard: Proj-Research.pdf

Psycho Bastard: Here’s the research. At least skim it in case Ms. Bright asks you questions about it tomorrow.

Monday, August 17th

_______________________

The sound of a phone ringing filled Keagan’s head, yanking him from his sleep. He remembered passing out on his bed after finishing the research paper really late. A quick glance out the window told him it was still very much night outside.

So, who could be calling at this time? And why was the phone so loud?

Keagan stumbled out of bed, feeling around in the dark to get to his bedroom door. He tripped over a few objects despite how cautious he was.

When he opened the door it led to a long hallway and at the end was a bright red telephone sitting on a circular wooden table. 

Keagan briefly wondered when Lincoln and Eugene bought a bright red wired phone before he started the walk down the long hallway that definitely wasn’t here before he’d gone to bed. But the ringing was too loud for Keagan to think to question it.

Finally, he reached for the phone and hesitantly picked it up, moving it to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Hello, is this Keagan Levi?”

“Yes. Who is this?”

“I’m calling from Riverstone Hospital. I am so sorry to inform you that patient Zackery Cromwell has passed away.”

Keagan’s breath hitched, “what?”

“I am truly so sorry for your loss Mr. Levi. Is there anything I can do-“

Keagan dropped the phone as he fell against the wall.

He couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t.

“Huuuugh,” Keagan gasped sitting up in his bed. His arm shot out in front of him to grasp at something that wasn’t there. 

He stared wildly at his outstretched hand trying to catch his breath.

The room was bright and he could hear Eugene humming in the kitchen.

Not a second later, Lincoln came into his room with a pan and spoon, ready to wake Keagan up but he paused.

“Oh, you’re awake,” he pointed out the obvious.

Keagan let his hand fall into his lap.

“You okay?”

Was he okay? He didn’t even know if he was awake. He glanced around the room, disorientated before his gaze fixed on the point behind Lincoln. There was no long hallway outside his room. There was no red phone. There was no phone call. Zack was still alive.

It was just a dream.

“Hello? Earth to Keagan! Are you even awake right now?” Lincoln had sat himself at the end of the bed, waving his hand in Keagan’s face.

Keagan rubbed his eyes, snapping out of it. He yawned as he spoke, “Yeah sorry. Had a weird dream.”

“What was it about.”

“Nothing.”

Lincoln gasped dramatically, “That is so totally bizarre!”

Keagan didn’t have the energy to joke back today so he sat there numbly staring at nothing.

Lincoln furrowed his eyebrows, “are you really okay?”

“Yeah.”

No.

“I’m just tired.”

He wanted to cry.

“Why don’t you stay home today?” Lincoln offered.

Keagan thought about Tommy. Could he really trust him to turn in the research paper? What if Ms. Bright asked him a question and he couldn’t answer because he didn’t listen to Keagan?

“Nah, I’ll be fine. Just gotta wake up a bit.”

“If you say so, kiddo.”

Lincoln left and Keagan went on autopilot, following his morning routine robotically. 

He was so tired.