Jaden Baker (33 page)

Jaden hummed the same tune he heard in his cell, as Sam dressed the burn on his abdomen. The burn hurt intensely, even after Sam had done so much. Jaden wondered if it would always plague him. For now it burned and itched at the same time. The song he hummed was some sort of child’s melody, he wished he knew the words to it. How had it gone?

Sam spoke to him, but Jaden didn’t hear him. He was in the park, walking through a patch of trees, watching the birds. They sung in Sam’s voice, but had no words. When the stars came over the horizon, Jaden rubbed his eyes and opened them to his dark cell.

The padded floor had been changed out. It was gray. But the walls and ceiling were still pink. He lay under the mirror, keeping flat on his back to not disturb the burn. The bed in the infirmary was softer, but this would have to work. With his pillow under his head, Jaden tried getting back to the woods of the park, to the birds in the trees. Shutting his eyes, Jaden continued the tune in his head.

He wasn’t bothered the next day or the day after. He was left alone to eat in peace and total silence, thinking about the boy in the mirror, and the song he hummed. Hoganoff’s face interrupted his thoughts once.

Strange things started happening after the second day. As he was leaving the toilet, feeling slightly better, he heard the motor for the elevator and watched as the old man came down.

But then he was gone.

It happened again later that day. Jaden rose from a restless nap and saw the old man entering his room. When Jaden got up, the man was gone again, like he’d vanished.

Another time he was showering, but couldn’t remember undressing, yet his clothes lay on the floor, neatly folded.

Great chunks of time disappeared. One second he would be standing, the next getting up from sleeping. It made no sense, and it unsettled him.

He lay awake thinking about the missing time. Was he losing his mind? Or was something unexplainable happening?

He lift his shirt to look at his chest and stomach. There were no new injuries, in fact he was healing. His stomach didn’t hurt as much, the burn had stopped burning, his back was better. Jaden flexed his fingers and those too were looser than before.

Time was passing.

Jaden rubbed his face, trying to wake himself. Maybe he
was
going crazy. It would make sense. He’d killed a man and been branded for it.

You’re not crazy
.

“Then what?” Jaden whispered.

From the corner of his eye, Jaden saw something moving in the observation mirror. He found his reflection, only he did not see himself.

I’m tired of this game, Jaden thought. What are you?

Don’t you mean who?

You won’t tell me who, I’ve already asked. You’re my imagination playing games with me. Who and what are you?

The boy cocked his head to the side, as if thinking.
Call me Seth.

Jaden frowned as the boy smiled.

Okay. Seth. But what are you?

Seth laughed soundlessly.
I’m your best friend, didn’t you know?

Tired and not in the mood, Jaden turned away from the mirror.

Seth stood in front of Jaden, body and all, wearing the same grin as before.

Jaden jumped in fright.

“It’s okay,” said Seth. His voice sounded like Jaden’s only smoother.

Jaden’s heart thrummed and he backed into the mirror. Seth did not move.

“I’m hallucinating,” Jaden gasped.

Seth shrugged. “I guess I can’t convince you otherwise. You shouldn’t be afraid of me, even if I am just a hallucination. I can’t hurt you, and I never would anyway.”

“But you came out of the mirror. I’m going insane.” It was like looking at a calmer, happier version of himself. This wasn’t normal.

Seth grinned. “You’re not going insane.”

Jaden walked forward, and Seth did the same, like he was still a reflection. Jaden extended his hand out to touch Seth. Seth grabbed Jaden’s in his own. Seth felt solid, felt…real.

“I don’t understand,” Jaden breathed. “You can’t exist.”

“Says who?” asked Seth. He patted Jaden’s shoulder with his fingers. “Don’t I feel real?”

“But you look just like me. You sound just like me.”

“In point of fact,” Seth whispered. “But I’m
not
you.”

Jaden shook his head repeatedly, trying to clear it. Something was wrong. Of all the things he could hallucinate or imagine, he had conjured up himself, only with a different name and no collar. Maybe the old man slipped him some drugs.

Seth laughed. “The old man has a name, Jaden. Do you want to know what it is?
I
know it. He’s been keeping it from you on purpose. Everyone else has to call him ‘sir’ whenever you’re around. Mostly. But for you, he keeps it secret.”

Jaden raised his eyebrows.

“He does that too. You’re picking up his mannerisms,” Seth said. He sat on the floor. “Don’t you want to sit down?”

His hallucination didn’t float. He caused an indentation in the padding. Jaden sat across from Seth. How could this be happening? Maybe he was dreaming.

“You’re not dreaming,” said Seth.

“How do you know what I’m thinking?” Jaden asked.

“I know everything about you. I’ve been here the whole time.”

“But I’ve never seen you before,” Jaden protested.

“That’s because you haven’t been looking. You’ve heard me. I know you listen to me. Mostly. Sometimes you ignore me and do what you want, which is always wrong.” Seth folded his hands and stared into Jaden’s eyes.

“I thought that was my conscience,” Jaden mumbled.

Seth snickered. “My advice is too good to just be your conscience. And I know too much.”

“Like what?” Jaden asked.

“His name. It’s Joseph. You can’t tell him you know it. He can’t know about me.”

“Joseph,” Jaden said. “Joseph what?” he asked. He felt strangely powerful knowing the name. Seth was right to tell him.

“I don’t know. I heard Sam call him Joseph the other day.”

Jaden scowled. “How did you hear it? I can’t remember Sam ever using his name.”

“Of course you didn’t hear it, you were sleeping. Someone has to pay attention while you’re taking a snooze.”

Jaden’s eyes widened in horror. “When did that happen?”

“I’m not sure,” Seth said. “It’s kind of fuzzy, but they keep you asleep for a long time. They always bring you back here, then they take you again.”

“Take me where?”

“I wish I knew. I don’t know what they’re doing, even I can’t see. But it’s something Joseph has been planning a long time. They were only just able to do it.”

“Why?” Jaden asked.

“Because he broke you. You do whatever he says.” There was no accusation in Seth’s voice, yet Jaden still felt disgraced. “It’s like I said before. You had to give in, or you
would
have gone insane. He enjoys hurting you.”

Jaden massaged the side of his head with his hands. This was too much. His hallucination told him Joseph was doing something to him, and he couldn’t remember what. The hallucination told Jaden he surrendered to Joseph to keep from going insane. Jaden thought that was ironic.

“I’m not a hallucination, I can prove it,” said Seth.

“Okay,” Jaden replied.

“The lights are about to come on. Three, two, one.”

The florescent lights buzzed and glowed their usual unnatural bluish-white light. Jaden looked up at them, then back to Seth, who grinned.

“See?” he said, smiling at Jaden’s look of astonishment. “Master Joseph is coming down,” Seth said, his face slackening.

“How do you know?”

Seth smiled. “I feel him. Like how you know someone’s sitting in the observation room.”

“But why can’t I feel him coming?” Jaden asked.

“Because he terrifies you. You’re afraid if you feel him, he’ll know. Since he can’t hurt me, I have no reason to be afraid. I hate him. What he’s done to you is monstrous.”

The humming of the elevator proved Seth right. Joseph descended into Jaden’s cell, smug as usual. Seth gracefully hopped off the floor and stood next to Jaden.

“He can’t hear me talking to you, but he might be able to hear you speaking to me. Say nothing while I’m here.”

Jaden watched Joseph step inside. He didn’t look like a Joe, or a Joey. Joseph wasn’t the right name for him. Just like Chad hadn’t been the right name for Dalton. The names were too common for men who kept a teenage boy captive several stories below ground.

“Good morning, Jaden,” Joseph said.

“Good morning, sir,” Jaden said. The word rolled off his tongue, like he’d been saying it for years instead of days. Seth was right: Jaden did anything he wanted.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

Why the pleasantries?

Seth leaned over and whispered into Jaden’s ear: “Just answer the question.”

“Yes,” Jaden replied.

“Any dreams?” he asked.

Dreams? No, something far stranger is happening, even as you speak to me.

“No dreams,” Jaden answered.

Joseph smiled. “Good. Well, it’s time to follow through with your punishment.”

Jaden shook his head, confused. He’d been punished enough. And punishment for what? Jaden cleared his throat. “I thought I had been punished for that,” he said.

“No, no,” Joseph said, smiling his little smile. “I told you I wouldn’t let you interfere with my schedule. I did what I had to do to get back on track, but you continued to disrupt and disobey me. You have to be punished, Jaden. I can’t let you get away with bad behavior. What kind of master would that make me?”

The panic was clear in Jaden’s voice. “I don’t understand why you need to punish me.”

Joseph put his hands in his pockets. “You don’t remember why?”

Jaden shook his head. “No, sir.”

“I told you to get off the floor, and you didn’t. Then said I would punish you for it later. Then you wouldn’t address me properly, for which I punished you immediately. You killed Hoganoff, and I addressed that. Do you remember now?”

It wasn’t fair. He’d done nothing wrong. “Yes,” Jaden said breathlessly. The incident to which Joseph referred seemed forever ago. Everything before Hoganoff was in a previous time.

“I’m glad. Now follow me so we can carry it out. You know you deserve it, right?” he asked.

Jaden tried to keep his face clear of any fear or anger. “Yes,” he said.

Joseph stood on the elevator and Jaden next to him. Maybe he should beg. Then he thought better of it. He wasn’t allowed to speak unless spoken to. Begging would be out of line and only make things worse.

“Well, let’s get on with it, shall we?” he said, directing Jaden to room D.

Seth appeared suddenly at Jaden’s side. “This will end. No matter how bad it is, it won’t last forever. You’re strong, Jaden. You’re a survivor.”

But those words didn’t assuage Jaden’s paralyzing fear as Joseph lead him toward a narrow, black metal cabinet against the wall. It was slightly shorter than Jaden. Joseph smiled proudly as he insert a key and opened the door.

“Get inside.”

Jaden stepped in, crouching so he would fit. When he looked for some kind of explanation, Joseph slammed the door and turned the key, locking him inside. It was completely black. There was no trace of light. It was a tight fit. All four sides of the cabinet touched him, and though he crouched, his head hit the top.

“Isn’t it magnificent?” he heard Joseph’s muffled voice. “This time the punishment fits the crime. It’s impossible to sit inside the box. There’s fresh air coming in, so don’t worry about suffocating. I’ll get you when I’ve decided you’ve learned your lesson. Goodbye.”