Post 17

“Remember how I told you about the vision yesterday?” he began. Laura nodded, and pantomimed pulling on a rope trying to get him to tell the rest of the story. “Okay, at the beginning, I was at the airport.”

“You mean Gerald was at the airport,” she corrected.

“We both were. But I was seeing this from Gerald’s perspective. That’s really important here,” he emphasized, hoping to remove himself from what he saw. “After the baggage carousel, there was the woman.”

“The redhead.”

“Yes. They walked out of the terminal together. Well, between them walking out and them being at the car, everything I could see shifted around on me. All of a sudden, I found myself in some bedroom somewhere, and she was naked on the bed, sleeping after she and Gerald had sex.” In an endearing way, his voice cracked when he finally said that last word.

Laura looked at him astonished at what he had said. “I can’t believe you left that part out yesterday!” She playfully smacked his arm. “Is that what the big secret was?”

“Big secret? What do you mean?” Peter asked.

“Yeah, your ‘realization’.”

“Oh, that. No. I mean, yes, but not how you think it is. You see, him walking out with her had nothing to do with them having sex. The only thing I could think of is that the bedroom scene is what he was thinking of while they were walking. I’m guessing it was a strong memory, right at the forefront of his mind. That means I didn’t just see a vision of him. I actually saw into his memories!”

Laura thought about it for a moment before speaking. “So if you could see into his memory through this vision, could you find out more about him? Could you figure out where he is now?”

“I don’t know if I can take it that far. I was able to focus on him and come up with his name, but I don’t know if I can go any deeper than that. I mean, the memory that played for me was almost natural for two lovers who haven’t seen each other for a while,” Peter explained, still trying to deflect away from what he had felt during the vision.

While they were talking, Heather and Sarah pulled alongside the car. Heather honked her horn at them. Peter jumped. Laura turned to look at them. When they were both looking, Heather held up her arm and pointed to her watch, then rolled her hand saying, “Let’s go.”

Laura put the car into gear and they drove behind Heather and Sarah to the school. On the way, Laura and Peter speculated a little more about how Peter might be able to delve further into this person he didn’t know through some vision he wasn’t sure if he could control. Laura was concerned that every time he used whatever ability this was, he suffered some adverse affect from it – nosebleeds, headaches, blurred vision, and even passing out this last time. If they do try something, it shouldn’t be right away. Maybe if he rests a little, he won’t be so bad next time.

They parked the car on the far side of the parking lot. The parking lot was almost full already, even though the ceremony didn’t stat for another hour. Peter and Laura walked towards the school building while Heather and Sarah headed slowly for the stands. They were scanning the parking lot for Patrick’s car. He was going to stop at the hospital on the way over. Peter looked for it as he and Laura walked into the school, but didn’t see it. He would make it, though. No doubt about that.

Inside the school, students were wandering the halls all over. There were clusters of his classmates standing around talking here and there. The decorating committee put up banners and streamers. Some were already torn down and lay on the floor across the hallway. They were both supposed to go to room 109 to check in, along with everyone in their half of the alphabet. On the way, Laura stopped and talked with a couple of her friends while Peter stood nearby. Once, she pulled him over to her and talked about how he and she have been dating for a few weeks, and were really enjoying themselves. She talked about hanging out at the park at dusk, going to the movies and eating sushi, but left out all the details around Peter’s stranger experiences.

When they got to room 109, they were given their caps and gowns, and put them on over their clothes. They were given the annual lecture about behaving: no throwing inflatable balls, no mooning the audience, no disrespectful outbursts at the podium, and so on ad nauseum. Many of the rules made them chuckle because they were so ridiculous, but each and every one of those rules was allegedly there because someone in the past had done each and every one of those things. When it was time to line up, Peter gave Laura a quick kiss and went to his place towards the back of the line. Room 110, with the first part of the alphabet, was lining up as well. They were to march down the halls, out the second door of the school and onto the field, where they would take their seats on the field and be ready to accept their diplomas in order.

As they walked, Peter watched in amusement as several people switched from one line to the other, or from one part of the line to another while no faculty was watching. This was one of the perks of being towards the end of the line. He got to see antics like this, even if he was rarely one to perpetrate them.

They walked out into the bright, Colorado sun and made their way to the seats that had been arranged into neat rows and columns on the field ahead. The school band (minus the seniors) was playing music to one side, and the stands on both sides of the football field were full. The stage was set up so that both sides could see equally poorly. Video camera equipment was around to capture the moment and sell it to the parents once the ceremony was done. The band equipment trailer with the school mascot painted on the side was on the far end of the field to provide a nicer backdrop for picture-taking.

Peter was excited. This is one of the things he was working for, and graduating high school was now going to be a dream come true. He walked across the field seriously and began to walk down the row of chairs that he would be sitting in when he abruptly stopped. Corey, who was walking directly behind him, ran into his back, and the other people in line behind him stopped and waited, trying to press forward but not wanting to push Peter out of the way.

“C’mon, Pete, get a move on,” said Corey.

Hearing Corey’s voice snapped Peter out of his freeze, but he continued to feel icy fingers of fear crawl down his shoulders and back as he finished making his way to his seat.

“Nice going, Pete,” Corey chided.

“Sorry,” said Peter. He wasn’t sure what happened, but for some reason, he was unexpectedly overcome with fear. He looked around as best he could while still trying to give the appearance of paying attention to the speeches and the presentation, and he didn’t see anything, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of fear that had overcome him on the way out.

The rows of students stood one at a time and walked towards the middle and up onto the stage to receive a diploma one at a time.

Laura Sinclair was announced over the speakers.

Peter strained to watch her walk gracefully across the grass, up the stairs, accept her diploma with a curtsey, smile broadly for the picture, and return to the field on the other side.

When it came time for Peter’s row, he stood with the rest of them and forced himself to keep up the pace with the other students. He wasn’t going to call attention to himself again like he did on the way out.

Tammy Ulery was announced over the speakers.

Tammy, who started school here just this year, was right in front of him in line, and was walking across the stage to shake hands with the presenter and receive her fake diploma. The real ones were actually given inside after you returned your cap and gown “in good order” and made sure you’ve paid your library fines and turned in your textbooks. “Silliness,” thought Peter.

Peter Valgard

Peter walked up the steps to the podium, shook hands and received his diploma. He paused for the two seconds required to get a photograph facing the audience. He walked the rest of the way across the stage and down the steps on the other side. As he was walking across the grass back towards the seats, he went blind. In an instant, he was standing in the desert, watching with horror again as a dark-skinned man’s head exploded from the impact of his bullet. He was there just long enough to see the man run for a split second, see the impact of the bullet and see the red mist left behind as the man fell to the ground.

In an instant, it was over and he could see again. He was on his hands and knees in the grass, the newly-received fake diploma on the ground to his left. He could hear raucous laughter from the other students as he rushed to gather up the fallen diploma and make his way the rest of the way across the field. When he stood up to walk, he was facing the Away stands. In the exact place where he looked stood Aura Man, leaning on the rail and staring intently at him.

Peter got back to his seat and tried his best to hide among the other cap-and-gown-wearing students. How did Gerald find him? What does he want? Why would he even be here? What was he going to do? He needed to talk with Laura.

At the end of the ceremony, the students threw their caps into the air in unison. The ceremony was over and it was chaos on the field. Peter didn’t waste any time looking for his cap. He just grabbed the nearest one, a size S of course, and immediately sought Laura. They didn’t make any plans for meeting up after the ceremony was over, but Peter assumed they would be together. As seating arrangements dictated, though, she was on the opposite side of the section of chairs from where Peter was sitting. There were clusters of students moving in every direction, and parents were coming onto the field from both sides. So was Aura Man. Peter was about to panic when he caught a flash of her golden hair. She was coming towards him. He went straight to her.

“Congratulations, Pe—“

Peter cut her off. “No time now. Aura Man’s here somewhere!” Peter was frantically searching the crowd.

“Where? Did you see him?”

“Yes. Remember when I fell?”

“Of course, everyone—“

“That’s when I saw him.” Peter had taken her hand and was leading her through the crowd of students, heading for her car. “We need to get out of here. I don’t know how he found me. Or why.”

“Peter, we need to go turn in our caps and gowns,” she said as she pulled him towards the school.

“Shit,” said Peter, which surprised Laura. She hadn’t heard him swear before. “You’re right. But we have to hurry.”

They jogged around the celebrating students and families. When they got to the far side of the field, it occurred to Peter that his family was here, which made him realize that Laura’s family was here.

“Our parents are here. Everyone is going to want to get pictures go to lunch. What do we do?” asked Peter, desperately.

Laura tried to keep a cool head. “Stop and see if you see Aura Man anywhere,” she said.

Peter looked around, but it was so hard to tell. He was searching for a needle in a haystack, trying to find one person in the crowd as it constantly moved around them. “This is impossible,” he said. “How am I supposed to find him here?”

Laura took his shoulders in her hands and got him to look her in the eye. “Concentrate. See if you can find him the way you probably found him when you fell. You have some sort of connection with him, I would bet.”

Peter fought the urge to continue scanning the crowd in vain. He forced himself to relax, closed his eyes and tried to reach out for Gerald with his mind. All the while, he held hands with Laura, but still felt the icy fingers of fear sliding further down his spine, threatening to paralyze him where he stood.

He was feeling nothing. He got no sense of direction, no idea of where Gerald might be. He kept trying for a full thirty seconds while Laura spoke quiet words of encouragement. Finally, he gave up. He felt nothing, not even a headache. When he opened his eyes, his heart leapt into his throat while time slowed down. He saw Aura Man walking slowly past, staring at Laura and him and grinning a malevolent grin. All the while, he could do nothing but stare. The ice that gripped him was relentless. He held onto Laura’s arms tightly. After Gerald disappeared into the crowd and the spell was broken, Peter realized he was gripping Laura’s arms so tightly he was leaving handprints in her skin.

Laura was the first to speak. “I saw him, too, Peter,” she said, having overcome her fear enough to get the words out.

Peter looked into his eyes and did his best to regain his composure. He pulled Laura close to him and held her tightly.

“What is he doing?” Laura asked.

“I wish I knew.”

They held their embrace for what seemed like an eternity as the celebration continued around them. They were in their own little pocket of relief and solace until Peter embraced her a little tighter for an instant, then stepped back. The ice had melted, and he felt better again. So did she, and they found the strength, or maybe the irrationality to laugh at their reaction to Gerald’s appearance. Once the moment was broken, they were still left with questions. Why was Gerald here? How did he find Peter? And if he came out to find Peter, why did he merely walk past, staring at them with that wicked grin that chilled them both to the bone?

Finding no answers, they walked hand in hand to their families and continued on with their lunch plans.