April 18^th 2016

It had been two days since he came back home from the hospital, and his dad left this morning after a lot of persuading. His boss, the principal of Haverdale Academy, told him to prioritize his health over everything else and return after summer break for the next academic year. A substitute teacher would fill in for him for the next two months, leaving him with more than four months of rest and recuperation. Ethan decides to take this time to remember what he forgot by searching for clues in his house, and what better place to start than the basement?

He opens the locked door with a key he usually keeps hidden in his drawers. Musty air and dust pervade his senses as he holds the railing for support and carefully descends. Once he reaches the bottom of the stairs, his eyes dart around to take note of all the changes. Nothing in this room was as he had remembered it. The bedposts didn’t have ropes around them, the wooden closet was empty, his DVDs of Isak weren’t on the table anymore, and four empty gray walls with subtle remnants of dried glue tack indicated the removal of thousands of photographs. He had anticipated something like this since his phone was also devoid of Isak’s photographs. What could have possibly happened in those three and a half months for him to have lost all interest in him? Should he call Isak now? Go to his house? That would certainly creep him out since he never gave him his number or address voluntarily.

His heart ached in longing, and the desire to see him again was indomitable. When his colleagues had visited him in the hospital, he was deeply upset to notice Isak’s absence. They told him that he was unable to visit due to his busy schedule, but he sent his warm regards. Ethan lies down on the bed and blankly stares at the ceiling. This room would have been Isak’s if only he had followed through with his plan and kidnapped him like he should have. How happy he could have been with someone as perfect as him. He would have kept him all to himself and never risked losing him to anything or anyone.

Ethan pondered if this sudden loss of interest had anything to do with the man who sent him gifts. Ever since he read that strange poem, he had been feeling rattled and unsafe. This man, who was going by the name ‘Red,’ seemed to know more about him than he did himself. He didn’t want to remember memories from before the car crash because he knew it would only be another burden to bear. His dad always told him his school years were awful and that it was a blessing he didn’t remember any of it. But now, there was someone from that lost and forgotten past, worming his way into his present. This man could be the one who attacked him in the forest and then called the police. The conjecture left Ethan feeling sick and furious. In any case, he decided he wasn’t going to tell anyone about this. Not until he had all the facts, at least.

A message notification chimes, and Ethan clicks to read it. It was from Harin Kang, his closest friend from college and now colleague.

We’re coming over at 7 and bringing dinner. We gotta talk about something important.

What is it? Tell me now.

Where’s the fun in that? See ya soon.

***

The doorbell rings and Ethan rushes to the front door. He swiftly unlocks and swings open the door almost immediately. “Hey, guys!”

“Hey, Ethan!” said Obi Akinola before pulling him into a hug. “Glad to see security’s gotten tighter here. You bought a smart lock?”

“Yes. Cameras too. And I don’t go anywhere outside without my gun,” said Ethan with a smile.

“Good. You can never be too safe,” said Obi with a nod.

“I hope the cops find whoever did this soon. This whole incident has everyone in town on edge...” says Kiyomi Arakawa before giving Ethan a one-arm hug while the other clutches a bag.

“Yeah... I hope so too,” Ethan sighs and hugs her back. “Where’s Harin?”

“Over here,” says Harin as she enters with two large bags in her arms. “Hands are a bit busy at the moment, so the hugs and kisses will have to wait.”

“Let me help,” offered Ethan while approaching.

“No way, precious. You’re in no state to be helping anyone. Just walk with me to the kitchen.”

Ethan and Harin make their way inside while Kiyomi and Obi follow behind after shutting and locking the door. They start setting the table and unpacking the containers of food they brought. Some were homemade and the others were from his favorite bar, ‘The Red Rabbit.’ Ethan wanted to help them, but his condition was constantly leaving him exhausted even from the slightest exertion. He leans back against the counter and focuses on steadying his breathing.

Harin suddenly walks over to him and gives him a bear hug. “How’ve you been, Ethan? Get any of those memories back?”

“No...” he replies as he rests his chin on her shoulder.

“Eh, don’t worry about it. You didn’t miss much anyway.”

Ethan realizes something and immediately pulls back to observe every aspect of her appearance. “Did you get a haircut?”

Harin grins, takes a step back, and stretches her arms out proudly. “I’m so glad you noticed. What do you think?”

Both sides of her head were shaved, and the central strip of hair on her head was spared. It was a wavy mohawk, and it made her facial features appear sharper. “Wow... I think you look like shit.”

“Ethan, if you weren’t still recovering, I’d have punched you in the throat by now.”

“Ugh, finally someone who agrees,” comments Kiyomi as she wipes a plate with a cloth. “I keep telling her to stop trying these wild looks for once, but she just never listens.”

“Woman, you married me for my wild side!” retorts Harin but Kiyomi just shakes her head in disappointment, “Whatever. I look fucking amazing no matter what y’all say. At least Obi likes my new cut. Ain’t that right, Obi?”

“Hell yeah, sister. You look badass,” he says cheerfully as he points a finger at her.

“See? He gets it. Obi’s got more taste than the two of you combined,” claims Harin with a smirk.

“Okay, as much as I enjoy standing here and talking about Harin’s shitty haircut, I want to hear what you guys came here to say.”

The atmosphere in the room suddenly tenses and grows heavy. The smiles on everyone’s visage evaporate in a flash, and they exchange nervous glances with one another. Ethan waits for an explanation, but they all remain painfully silent.

“Guys, what’s going on...?”

“Let’s sit down, shall we?” Harin’s black leather jacket brushes against his arm as she leads him to one of the chairs. Everyone takes a seat, and Ethan’s anxiety grows with every second.

Harin places a hand over his shoulder and looks into his eyes. “Don’t panic, but Isak’s been missing since December.”

“What?!”

“Everyone in town searched at the time, but it was pointless...” said Kiyomi as she fidgeted with her acrylic nails.

“At first, we thought he skipped town, but all his stuff, including his phone, was still in his house. It’s like he just disappeared into thin air,” said Harin while leaning back in her chair.

“No one was actually looking for him. Poor guy wasn’t close to anyone...” said Obi with a sigh.

“Yeah, he didn’t talk much or get along with anyone, did he?” said Harin with tightened lips.

“He was the closest to you. You guys seemed like friends, so we didn’t want to tell you anything until you were more stable... The last thing you needed was more stress...” Kiyomi exhales while looking at him sympathetically.

Ethan groans and buries his aching head in his hands. Had he actually done it? Did he kidnap Isak like he had always fantasized? And if he did, what did he do to him? “He was a good friend. Thanks for keeping my best interests at heart, guys. I’m assuming the cops don’t have a lead on this one either?”

“Yep. Real useful, aren’t they?” said Harin in a tone ebbing with sarcasm.

“I have a bad feeling about this. I feel like this is just the beginning. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but I think Ethan’s attack and Isak’s disappearance are related...” Obi said as he ran a hand over his dreadlocks with a concerned look on his face.

“This could be the work of a former student. Someone with a grudge against us...” said Ethan as he looked around the table.

“You think it’s that big kid who got expelled last year? I forgot his name,” said Obi while leaning in closer.

“Jake Fischer from grade eleven? It could be him. Psychopathic little shit tortured anything with a pulse,” said Harin with a scowl.

Ethan desperately wanted to believe he hadn’t kidnapped Isak and that all of this could be pinned on a former student. And yet, deep down inside where uncertainty was brewing, something told him he was wrong.

“If that’s true, any of us could be next,” said Kiyomi with a pained expression. “I’ll ask the Sheriff to look into him. We should all be on guard from now on. Haverdale isn’t what it used to be.”

“You got that right. You should be careful too, Ethan. It seems like whatever he had planned for you was interrupted. He may want to come back and finish the job,” warned Harin.

“Living in the middle of nowhere makes you an easy target. Why don’t you stay with your parents until things settle down?” suggests Kiyomi, but Ethan only shakes his head in refusal.

“I’ve burdened them enough. I won’t do it again. I’ll stay safe, I promise. Don’t worry about me.”

“Well... if you say so...” sighs Kiyomi as she wraps her arms around herself.

“Let’s just forget about this and eat before we all lose our appetites,” says Ethan as he stands up and forces a smile on his face.

“Good idea. We know you can’t drink whiskey for a while, so we got you the next best thing,” Harin smiles and gets up to hand him a red cylindrical container. “Chicken wings from the Rabbit. Your favorite.”

“You guys are the best.”

***

Once the party was over and his friends had gone home, Ethan made his way up the stairs to his bedroom. Fatigue, pain, and dizziness began to plague him once more, causing him to growl through gritted teeth. He couldn’t wait to crash and leave his troubles for tomorrow. But just when he reached his bed, his eyes caught a square-shaped object on his pillow. When he took a closer look, he realized it was a red translucent CD case with a disk inside. The label on the case was written in the same handwriting as that of the poem he received.

The Master and his Pet

A documentary by Red