FIVE
It's not til after dinner (and a brief grilling from his mom and teasing from his dad, because of course his mom blabbed about the date thing) that Jonas swipes back into his messages again.
There's one from Katie, saying she had a good time and she'll see him in class. Maybe they can do it again sometime. But no immediate attempt to set up another date, so that's promising in a roundabout way.
He still hasn't responded to Alex.
And she hasn't sent anything else, either.
The same reply keeps coming to mind, but he doesn't press send. He kills time, finishing schoolwork (or blatantly procrastinating schoolwork, depending on the assignment), fucking around on the internet.
His interest in the Mariners is superficial at best, but he sits through eight innings of the Saturday night game before deciding fuck the Yankees, and retreats back to his room. It's a hell of a lot nicer than North Valley, that's for sure. Still stuck with the old comforter, but that was an investment on its own however many months ago. The mattress came with the house and it's a step up from his old box spring.
It's past 11pm when he finally finds his finger hovering over the send button again. The same thing he's been thinking since she started spilling too much.
.
Not getting a response back had made her more than a bit antsy. Ren and Nona finished up their shopping, she came home, and then proceeded to pass out for a little while. Alex got her weird dreams again. The TA in a classroom she hadn't seen before, with glowing red eyes, and a sickly sweet expression. Waking up on the ferry to Ren talking about some weird poem. Michael, when he was still here.
She shoots upright around ten. Makes herself some instant ramen, settles onto her bed, and tries to ignore the darker parts of her mind. Because of course things start happening later at night, when she's alone. Not when she actually has people around that could probably help. Ugh. Alex is in the middle of watching a MOBA stream when she gets his message.
Mystery TA Man
)Why are you telling me this?)
It takes her another half hour to actually come up with something. Why is she telling him this? He barely even knows her, her family. It's a chance to avoid what happened when the entire town learned about Michael and her trip to the lake.
Mystery TA Man
(To be honest? I don't really know. It's a gut feeling.(
.
He's already dozing when his phone dings through his headphones, interrupting his preferred listening for the evening and casting light into his dark room. Jonas rolls over, clicks the screen on to read the notification.
He clicks his phone to pause, rolls back over onto his back, muddles her response over in his head. A gut feeling.
It's easier to access those weird almost-memories when he's half-asleep. The clips play on the insides of his eyelids. The crackle off a bonfire. The crunch of stones underfoot in a forest lit by staggered light poles. The hum of an electric fence.
Alex, or the idea of Alex, is woven through all of it and he can't put his finger on why.
The screen has already gone back to sleep by the time he's shifted back towards the phone, thinking of replying. A fingertip taps against his case before unlocking the thing. One finger pokes at the screen as he watches with one eye, relying on autocorrect to fix his mistakes.
Alex Strickland
(How do I know you?(
.
She's gone back to watching the stream, though when her phone buzzes Alex has to lean down to grab it from where it's fallen on the floor. Well, that's a loaded question. The first option that comes to mind is the block party, but that doesn't seem right. He isn't really the type to go to things like that— Is he? Doesn't seem like it, anyways.
Alex gets up, paces. Opens the window. Closes the window. Opens the window again. Finally, after mulling over risks and rewards, she decides to take the stupid option over the smart one. But that isn't really new.
Mystery TA Man
(How do I know YOU?(
After bundling herself up underneath the covers, she waits, and watches. Since her phone is plugged in, the thing won't die anytime soon. So let's see what happens.
.
He's roused from half-sleep, from more half-memories, as his phone buzzes, and he swears he could hear a foghorn right there at the end. When was the last time he heard a foghorn? Or waves? Did he hear waves? Camena's closer to the coast, but still a good 30-45 minute drive to the water.
Distantly, Jonas wonders if he should be writing this stuff down. These weird little flashes. He did something like that during the whole maybe-amnesia bit. The notebook is somewhere in the boxes of files in the basement, probably. They'd thought it had been an aneurysm, maybe. Or a tumor or something. But CAT scans, MRIs all came up clean. And there weren't any real medical side effects. No particular cause for a psychological break, either. He'd just… forgotten. But then they'd started a regular sort of story time thing, coaching him through his own life for the past however many months, and it had sort of… filled in. Eventually.
He blinks in the dark of the room, tilts his head and checks the text.
For whatever reason - probably embarrassment, 'cause what he's about to say is just stupid - his heart is in his throat as he taps out a slow reply.
.
Mystery TA Man
)Dreams?)
)Not a pickup line btw)
)Doesn't make it less creepy tho)
)Look nvm forget I said anything)
(No no, it makes sense.(
(At least I think it does. I'm not saying it's prophetic or whatever, or magic, but it makes sense.(
There's a pause where she contemplates her own responses. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Maybe she's about to make one of the biggest mistakes in her life. But what's the worst he can do? Cut off all contact? Get her sent to a psych ward? Hell, Alex had nearly gotten there herself.
It still takes her forever to actually send the damn thing. Her stream is over, and her laptop sits asleep at the foot of her bed, lights under the keyboard still winking at her in the dark. Ever since Michael had died, things seemed off. Different. Maybe not from everyone else's perspective, but she felt it. Even if it's just grief or a mental snap or something. This isn't right. She just can't shake that feeling.
.
He's still trying to process her quick response - a lot faster than the last couple - when the next set comes in.
Alex Strickland
)If you're talking about dreams like about forests and some watchtower or whatever the hell)
)I get them too.)
But that just… That's insane. Not possible. That's some weird Harry Potter shit. Jonas kind of wants to argue that— well, that it's not possible. It makes no sense. And they can't be the same exact dreams, either. I literally see you in my dreams. Not just an idea of you, I've seen you. Your face. Your hair. That sad smile. God, can he get any creepier?
He stares at the ceiling again.
Is this like… a past-life thing? He's never believed in reincarnation, he's more of a vague-elsewhere/maybe-heaven-and-hell kinda guy, but he's heard of it, of course. But then she wouldn't look like her, right? She'd be someone else. A past life.
There are a lot of thoughts drifting to and fro in his head. He has the sense to share none of them.
Alex Strickland
(Weird(
It's a lame response. But anything more and he'll come off sounding like a madman.
.
Alex snorts softly. Is that really all he can muster up? Of course it's weird. They know each other, but they don't know each other, and that doesn't make any sense. No one else gives her this weird feeling of… something, but she can't even put a finger on what that something is. She spends a few minutes typing out messages, deleting them, typing them out again.
I think it might have something to do with the Island?
No. That went straight into it, and he might think she's crazy. Hell, he probably already does. Great. Great job. Ugh.
Do you know anything about Edwards Island?
Other than everything she's already told him. Seriously, Alex, just… come up with something that isn't stupid? Or at least something off the topic of whatever this is.
Mystery TA Man
(Your name is Jonas.(
(Isn't it?(
)Y)
Oh, now he answers her. Jesus. She rolls her eyes a bit at the screen, and his one letter, but she's been asking him all week. Jonas. His name is Jonas. It feels like she should've known that, but she hadn't.
Mystery TA Man
(Call me Alex. It's what everyone else does, anyways.(
.
Jonas has a tendency to get… laconic, when he's not sure what to say. He sends back a thumbs up.
It's weird 'cause there's a lot he can say, but all of it will sound crazy. And he wants to keep this as measured as possible. Try to at least pretend it's not the most bizarre thing ever. He keeps closing his eyes, thinking maybe he'll fall asleep and things will make sense in the morning.
.
It's nearly one AM. She's stayed up later than this before, especially on Saturday's, but she's not sure how much longer he'll be willing to talk with her. Did he have weekend classes? Were those a thing? Alex sits herself up a bit, putting her computer back into her bag, and starting to head downstairs again. Should she be up right now, no, but she'd be up anyways. Even without talking to Jonas.
.
His phone buzzes again.
Alex Strickland
)Sorry for stealing your couch. I know I already said that, but still.)
(Any time(
Oh wait.
Alex Strickland
(Or not(
(I mean it's not like(
(Look school is important and stuff so yknow(
(You should do it and stuff(
(Can't spend all of class writing notes(
His autocorrect is really doing its job, because his finger is definitely poking at the wrong keys.
Alex Strickland
(And don't want to give anyone the wrong idea yknow(
.
Alex snorts softly. Pretty sure some of them are already thinking that, but hey, not like she has the power to stop it. Besides, randomly jumping onto the couch had been a rush and a mistake on her part. Which means she's going to stay soundly in her seat for the rest of her classes. Even if she's still probably going to be passing notes. Jonas can try to be a 'good influence,' but she already knows to take at least some of that with a grain of salt.
Mystery TA Man
(Are you falling asleep on me, dude?(
(No shame if you are, that's important, but still.(
She waits, for a while. Ten minutes pass. Twenty. Alex is eating leftover pizza in her room again, fiddling around on some game, when she decides to just shoot another text. If he's ignoring her, then oh well— but she doesn't like being ignored.
Mystery TA Man Jonas
(Jonas.(
(Joooooooonaaaaaaaaaaas.(
(Hah actually that really rolls of the tongue.(
(Seriously though get up if you're asleep.(
Another fifteen minutes of stalling, rather than half an hour. She's gotten her laptop back out, because there isn't really a reason to sleep anymore, waiting on replies that she probably isn't even going to get back, trying her best not to wink out herself. Alex is getting little flashes of things that make no sense. Firelight, the squeak of sneakers on metal, spray painted caves and odd equipment.
Mystery TA Man Jonas
(Okay if you don't text back within three seconds I'm calling you.(
(3(
(2(
(1…(
Well. She did warn him.
Notes: Man, writing texting is fun. Like it can be so silly, but texts and notes are some of my favorite things to write with these two. Anyway; whaddya think? Drop us a comment ^^