He sits back up on the hotel bed and then goes into the bathroom. Splashes water on his face and just leans over the sink, his head butting up against the mirror, thinking. Thinking about how, back then, he had no idea just how complicated this thing was going to get.
3:13 p.m.
While the rest of the seniors of Fieldridge High are at the theatre watching Camelot, Cabel wanders the hotel, then heads outside and walks to the nearby shopping mall. He takes in a movie—it’s a tough call choosing between Capote and Return of the Living Dead 5, but after the nightmare on the bus, horror is not sounding good today.
He grabs dinner at the mall’s food court and hangs around the music store until he gets kicked out for looking like a no-good teenager. What is it with adults anyway? They’re so scared and suspicious all the time. Hell, Cabe thinks, w e’re just trying to get by, like them.
He wanders down to the Chapters bookstore and browses the sci-fi and fantasy section. Thinks this whole thing with Janie and the nightmares feels a little sci-fi, too.
And then he pauses.
Looks around the store, and moves to the self-help section.
When he sees a shelf of books on dreams, he grabs a few, finds a chair, and settles in. Hours go by as he reads, studies. Fascinated. At closing time, Cabel purchases the books. He walks through the darkness back to the hotel.
He pretends to be asleep when the guys come in after eleven from the theatre. Doesn’t want to answer any questions about where he’s been all day.
Besides, his brain is full. He’s exhausted and still confused. Troubled. But his anger is fading.
It doesn’t seem like Janie can help it, or she would have tried to hide it on the bus. That’s the conclusion he comes to, anyway.
He drifts off to sleep.
October 15, 2005, 4:03 a.m.
Cabel’s in a shopping mall. In the center courtyard, there is a kiosk with a short line of people. He gets in line behind the others. Sees a giant wooden box on the floor.
Two people climb in and lie down. The vendor running the kiosk closes the top on them, and then pushes a button. The box slowly descends into the floor as the line of people watch in silence.
“What’s happening?” Cabel whispers to the person in front of him.
“It’s a game,” the girl says. She turns to look at him, and Cabel realizes it’s Janie.
“Like a virtual ride or something?”
“Sort of.”
Cabel shrugs and watches. The box surfaces once again and the lid opens. Only one person gets out— a sobbing woman. She points to the box and cries out, “He’s dead!”
Immediately the paramedics are there. They remove the dead man and the kiosk worker signals for the next people in line to get into the box.
“This is not cool,” Cabel says to Janie.
“It is what it is,” Janie says.
The next couple goes down and when they surface, the man gets out. He is sobbing, pointing. “She’s dead!” he cries out. People have to help him walk away.
Cabel’s sweating now. “Come on, Janie,” he says. “Let’s go.”
“We can’t,” she says. “If you get in the line, you must stay for the ride. See?” she points to a sign that says exactly that.
Soon it is their turn.
“Please, Janie,” Cabel pleads. “Come on! We can just go. Do you see what’s happening?”
“We can’t control what’s happening, Cabel,” she says. She looks at him with sorrow in her eyes. “There’s no controlling it. It is what it is.”
The kiosk worker signals Janie and Cabel to enter the box. Up close, Cabel can see it’s lined, like a coffin.
“No, Janie— no. We don’t have to do this!”
Janie gives Cabel a sorrowful look. She hesitates, and then she says, “It’s okay.
You stay. I’ll go.” And then she squeezes Cabel’s hand, brushes his cheek with her fingertips. Smiles a sad, crooked smile.
Cabel watches her step into the coffin. “Wait! What will happen?” But he already knows.
Janie waves. “It’s okay,” she says, sincere. “It would have been me anyway.”
The kiosk worker closes the lid on Janie.
Cabel is frantic, watching the box being lowered. “Stop!” he cries. “Stop! Let me in!”
But it’s too late. Cabel lunges for the box as it disappears into the floor. Cabel falls to the tile, unable to speak or scream or cry. Finally he gasps. “Coward!” he says to himself. “Janie, no! Come back! I’m sorry!”
The wait is endless, but finally the box returns to the surface. The lid opens.
Janie is dead.
Cabel rolls over in the bed. “No,” he whispers.
4:55 a.m.
He sits up. “Sheesh,” he says, awake now. He looks at the clock, disoriented.
Forgets for a moment where he is. The other guys in the room are sleeping soundly.
Cabel takes a deep breath and settles back down on the pillow. He feels his heart still racing. Tells himself to calm down, and after a while, he does. But he can’t get back to sleep.
Finally, he dozes off again, restless.
8:24 a.m.
Cabe ignores the others as they get ready for a final session of Shakespeare before everyone heads back to Fieldridge High. When they are gone, he takes a long
shower and slowly gets ready for the day. Thinking. Thinking about Janie. About the dream. About all sorts of things and how they relate to his life … and to Janie’s, too, probably. Shame. Disappointment. Loneliness.