A week. It had been a week. Another seven days of loneliness. Kim had searched, she had struggled and she had done all she could to find him. So she sat there, staring at the same glass he had drank from that night and sipped from it her morning orange juice.
Today was just…another day.
Beep beep be-beep.
"Wade? Any news."
"They found Ron…"
Engineer
Chapter 5
The rain never felt so appropriate. It was soothing, numbing on this humid summer day. Kim ran from the house not even thinking about it, heading as fast as she could to Ron's, Wade's words repeating in her head.
"From the report I've received, they found him in the park," Wade had said; worry still on his face. "They took him to the hospital and he checked out ok, but there's something wrong. Ron hasn't spoken a word since they found him. They had to search the missing persons reports just to figure out who he was. He's back home now." Kim hadn't heard any farther than that. She was out the door and on her way. But Kim knew she had checked the park-numerous times, only to find nothing. It didn't make sense but little did now a days, her thoughts changing just to frantic prayers to God. Wishes she hoped would come true. Please let him be ok, please let him be all right…
Mrs. Stoppable opened the door, her expression inhospitable to the young woman who stood on her doorstep, out of breath and drenched.
"Kimberly. Can you please come back some other time?" She was aware of Kim's situation but right now she didn't care. Her son had just come home from being missing and all she wanted was at least a day with him without Kim or any of the others stepping in.
"Please, Mrs. Stoppable. I really need to see Ron. Is he ok? He isn't hurt is he?"
"He's fine, Kim. Come back tomorrow." And with that she shut the door. Kim stood there. Tomorrow? She had waited and struggled through seven long tomorrows and now she had to get through another?
"What's up?" Hunter called from behind. Kim spun to see him holding an umbrella over her. She still didn't know what to think of Hunter and the Turchans. When Kim had asked Hunter or his mother about their past they'd change the subject or leave.
"Ron's back." Kim was still a little winded from her run here, her body affected by the growing emotional stress. Hunter's expression hadn't changed.
"Oh. Is he all right?"
"I don't know. They-they won't let me see him."
"Maybe it's best you don't." He said it again with little change in his expression or tone. Kim blinked in surprise, her eyes then narrowing.
"What do you mean by that?" Hunter shook his head.
"I mean, with the way you are right now maybe it's not best to see him. What if he's like, sickly looking or scratched up pretty bad or something? What could you possibly do now anyway? Just…let his family have sometime alone." Kim wasn't sure how to respond and the worst part was she knew what he was saying held truth. In her current condition she might not be able to handle seeing him if he was hurt or sick, and honestly the only thing she could do for him was talk to him, and hold him. She sighed, looking away from the teen in front of her.
"I just wanna know he's ok."
"That's understandable, Kim," Hunter placed a hand on her shoulder. "If there was something really wrong, you would know about it."
----
There was something really wrong. Never had she seen her child like this, not even during his breakup with Kim did he look so…lifeless. His skin was pale, his eyes dull, chest moving in and out without sound and with hardly any motion besides it.
"Son, please, say something. It's mommy." He gave her no response. "Can you hear me?"
"The doctors said his hearing was fine," her husband said, sitting next to her by Ron's bed. "I'm sure he'll come around. Just keep talking to him, you know, like it was any other day." Mrs. Stoppable blinked. Now that she thought of it, what did they ever talk about? Their regular conversations consisted of 'Mom, I'm going over Kim's' 'Ok, dear. Have a nice day.'
Sadness consumed her. She could have lost her son and the last thing she had said to him was probably something on the way out the door. Well, after this she'd make things right. They would be more like a family…from now on. All they needed was for Ron to wake up, to respond…to really come home. She reached out and touched his clammy skin, pushing blonde hair from his pale face.
"Come home soon, sweetie."
"Maybe I can help." Both parents spun to see a small woman with long black hair. "Your son is Ronald Stoppable, yes? I may be able to help bring him…home."
"How did you get in here?" Mr. Stoppable shouted, a little startled by the woman's appearance.
"The door was unlocked. If you do not wish for my assistance I will gladly leave."
"Wait," Mrs. Stoppable held out her hand. "Please…help our son." The woman smiled a wicked smile, gripping the offered hand.
"I am Alicia Turchan and I will do what I can to alleviate your son of his problem. I will need the following things: a chicken alive is best, 6 dead roses, 2 cups witch hazel and 8 cups water boiling if you will."
"A chicken-witch hazel? Just what are you planning to do? We are a proud Jewish family under the lord and we won't have you doing any witch craft on our son." Mrs. Turchan looked up at Mr. Stoppable not affected by his tone.
"I assure you, sir, if I do not do this, your god will let him die. If you feel that is what you want then I will happily leave. I do not stay where I am unwanted."
"Stay." He and Turchan turned to Mrs. Stoppable by the door, as if to block the strange woman from leaving. "I'm not going to let my son die. Not now. Not ever. I don't care what you have to do, just do it and bring back my boy."
"But at what cost?" Mr. Stoppable asked, looking away from his wife and towards his son. "I'd much rather have Rabbi Katz in here than some witch." Mrs. Turchan seemed un-amused.
"I will leave then. I wish the best for your son and his slow and painful physical downward spiral he will surely endure in the name of your lord. Have a nice day." And with that she pushed past Mrs. Stoppable and left. Mr. Stoppable wasn't surprised when his wife too left, slamming the door behind her. He reached for his son's unresponsive hand.
"I did the right thing…didn't I?"
------
"So…" Hunter muttered causing Kim to look away from the window in the café. He had been trying to get her to talk, but Kim didn't feel much like saying anything, her mind so far away. Maybe that was what was wrong with Ron. Maybe he too was somewhere far from here. She stirred her drink thinking about it, how much easier it would be to just…leave like that. To disappear and maybe find him somewhere.
But why? Why now? And how? Both she and Wade had little to go on. Kim opened her eyes, deciding to give this pointless game of cat and mouse another try.
"Was the person your family came to deal with Ron?" Kim asked, point blank, not looking up from her drink.
"No, it wasn't. And it's not your concern, Kim."
"Do you know what happened to him?"
"Why don't you try to take your mind off of it for a little while?" She looked up at him, her eyes so cold.
"Why don't you answer the question?"
"Why don't you stop being paranoid? What, just because my mother and I are different you think we're the ones behind this?"
"Why don't you exist then?" Kim spat, causing Hunter's expression of annoyance to disappear leaving an eerie blank look. "According to Wade there's no such person as Hunter Turchan."
"Is that so?" He asked, bursting into laughter. "Wade says I don't exist? Oh that's rich. That's hilarious."
"What's that supposed to mean?" There was a knot in her stomach as she looked into his colorless eyes, the way his lips twisted into a horrible grin.
"You want answers? Ask him about his parents." With that Hunter stood, tossing a five on the table. "Talk to me after you get your facts straight." She watched him leave, trying to make sense of what he just said. Ask Wade about his parents? Now that Kim thought of it, she had no idea what they did, or well anything about Wade other than he was the smartest 12 year old on the face of the planet. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the blue Kimunicator.
"Hey Kim, what up? Did you get to see Ron?" Kim shook her head sadly.
"His mom wouldn't let me. Hey, Wade. What do your parents do?" Wade blinked in surprise.
"Why?"
"I don't know, just wondering."
"Well, my mom is a technology engineer. She helps develop things from new chemicals to new micro chips." That wasn't surprising.
"And your dad?" She knew Wade had one; he'd mention him now and then, but not nearly as much as his mother.
"My dad?" He seemed a little hesitant to answer. "He's head mortician down at Middleton Funeral Home."
"Mortician?" Kim leaned closer to the Kimunicator.
"He, you know, embalms bodies and stuff. Why did you want to know again?"
"No reason. Thanks, Wade." And she quickly turned off the device, sticking it in her pocket and leaving the café. How was that supposed to answer any questions? If anything it just made things weirder. How did Wade's parents answer anything about the Turchans, and if it did, wouldn't Wade already know about it? Hunter was probably just trying mess with her. But then Kim stopped, something hitting her.
"I who hunt death…" Could they be after Wade's dad? Kim had to hurry to the funeral home and fast.
----
"So we have a deal, yes?" Mrs. Stoppable nodded, shaking the smaller woman's hand.
"Do what you have to. I want my son back."
"And in exchange?" Turchan prodded.
"In exchange I'll tell you what you want to know." The blonde woman held up a map of Middleton with a house circled in red. Mrs. Turchan grabbed the paper, looking it over.
"Very good. Thank you." And she tucked the paper in her pocket and headed to the door.
"Wait! What about-."
"Your son?" Turchan laughed. "There is nothing anyone can do for him now. Perhaps earlier today, but not now. Thank you for the information, Mrs. Stoppable. I wish you and your husband well. You're both young, you can have another." Without another word Turchan left through the door. No way. Mrs. Stoppable followed quickly behind only to find past her front door no one at all. It couldn't be true could it? Surely there was still hope for Ron. She turned and made her way to her son's room when something made her stop dead in her tracks.
He turned his pale face to her, slowly, his hands on the hallway walls, staring down from the top of the steps. He didn't say a word as he slowly walked down the stairs only stopping when he was in front of his mother. Words had escaped her, tears running down her cheeks as she took him into a tight hug. He really was ok, he was right here in her arms. Ron gently pulled from her, giving her a final grin before walking towards the door. She grabbed his sleeve, but he turned to face her, his eyes causing her to freeze. He removed his mother's hand and left, leaving her to fall to her knees. Mrs. Stoppable clutched the fabric of her shirt, trying to calm herself. What she had seen in those eyes wasn't her son.
It was death.
Jao: Heeee… I think there's something particularly creepy about a silence Ron. O.o;