Gone from These Woods by Donny Bailey Seagraves

Author:Donny Bailey Seagraves [Seagraves, Donny Bailey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-375-89372-8
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2009-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

chapter twelve

The only thing that kept me going that afternoon when Mom and I got back to the house was Clay’s voice in my head.

“What’d you think of Bill and Stanley from Wal-Mart?” Clay whispered as I sat at the kitchen table, surrounded by a houseful of chattering people, wishing I could disappear. I felt like a glass boy with everyone talking over me, around me, behind my back. Like if they talked directly to me I might shatter. And they’d have a mess to clean up.

“Looked like they were about to bust out crying. Never would have guessed they liked me that much.” Clay laughed his high-pitched laugh, making my ears ring.

I felt the corners of my mouth twitch, then turn up slightly as I pinched off a bite of fried chicken and stuffed it into my mouth. Chewing it slow. Mashing it real good with my teeth. Feeling its grease on the roof of my mouth.

It tasted better than I thought it would. I ate another bite and glanced around at Mom and Dad and all the neighbors crowded into our tiny house.

Could they hear Clay? Of course not. I could tell by the way they kept right on talking and wolfing down sweet potato pie and chicken rice casserole like we were celebrating something joyful instead of mourning for someone dead.

Clay’s voice was just for me now. Inside my head. Keeping me going when I didn’t feel like I should even be in the world, I hurt so much.

“Did you try the potato salad?” Mom appeared, holding out a Tupperware bowl full of something lumpy and yellow.

I shook my head. “Thanks, Mom, but I can’t hold anything else,” I said, pretending I’d stuffed myself, even though I’d only managed to eat two bites of chicken and a couple of potato chips. The chips had crunched inside my head, making it hurt.

“You’ve hardly eaten a bite,” Mom said, looking at me like her eyes could see all the way to the pit of my empty stomach.

“Hey, Daniel, wanna go outside?” My friend Eric appeared next to Mom, motioning for me to follow him and his twin sister, Nicole.

I looked at Mom, thinking she’d say no; I wanted to go. It felt like a year since I’d talked to the twins, though it had only been a week.

“Go hang out with your friends,” Mom said, grabbing my plate. “I’ll stash this in the refrigerator for later.”

Nobody seemed to notice as the twins and I weaved our way through the living room full of adults. I closed the heavy front door behind us, shutting off all the sounds of grown-up conversation.

Even though they were twins, Eric and Nicole didn’t look alike at all. Eric had big bones, a giant round head, and a really huge nose. He was blond and blue-eyed and he always had this sneaky expression on his face, like he was up to something.

Nicole was tiny for her age and real cute, though I’d never want anyone else to know I thought that about her.

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