Kevin Entwhistle (bentwhistle) wrote in eighth_rpg, @ 2011-03-24 17:47:00 |
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Entry tags: | kevin entwhistle |
Who: Kevin Entwhistle
Where: His Bedroom
When: Wednesday night (backdated)
What: Having a nightmare
Rating: Average
He threw on a jacket, it was still a bit chilly after all, and thudded down the stairs. From the kitchen, he could hear his mother’s voice, asking Andrew if he wanted any tea. From the living room, he could hear his father’s response “If you’re making some,” before he interrupted himself by yelling “Henry III” at the television screen. When the contestant failed to answer the question correctly, Mr. Entwhistle grumbled. “Even I knew that one.”
Kevin’s trainers jumped off the bottom step, arriving at the entry way of the house. “I’m going to Lisa’s house!” He called out, loud enough to be heard in both of the main living areas of the house. Hand on the door, Kevin was about to leave when a question stopped him.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Kevin froze turning to the living room, expecting to find his father sitting on the couch watching trivia shows. But the man standing there, talking in Mr. Entwhistle’s voice, was a stranger to him – shadowed by dark robes and looking entirely out of place in the humble living room. His mother, or what should have been, entered from the kitchen – a female echo of the unfamiliar man. “We’ve been looking for you,” she taunted him.
Kevin’s heart skipped. They had found him. He hadn’t hidden well enough.
His hand jiggled the doorknob, fighting to open it as the pair descended upon him. His mind raced with obscenities until finally the lock clicked and he could swing the door open and stumble outside. The minutes that followed were a blur as he ran, the houses on the street he grew up on looked foreign, the lawns and shrubs overgrown. But not in a past tense. They were changing before his eyes, growing twisting and winding up the homes’ facades, hiding doorways and windows. The neighborhood was turning fast, civilization swallowed by wilderness.
There was snow falling in the woods and Kevin realized the jacket would not be enough to keep him warm. He had to find a place to hide, a shelter for the night. Exhausted from running, he came to a stop, doubled in half, hot puffs of breath evaporating into the air. In the distance he saw a light, slanting out from the windows of a small building. He could walk a little further, he told himself.
Inside it looked like the Leaky Cauldron, but different. The room was filled with people, but he could not see their faces. They were hunched over their drinks, ignoring him, except for one.
“Justin! What are you doing here?” Kevin glanced nervously around the room before crossing over to him. “Don’t you know they’re looking for us?”
“Relax, Kevin. It’s just a game.” Justin held up the playing cards he had in his hand. “It’s a game we can win!”
“I don’t understand. Why are you here?” Kevin was afraid the people around him could hear them.
Justin raised his eyebrows. “Because you asked to meet me here,” he replied. Before Kevin could ask any more questions, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder.
“Are you Kevin Entwhistle?” The bartender asked. He nodded cautiously. “I just received an owl from you. Someone named Mandy says you have to get back to school right now. If not, it will be too late.”
“But I already told her. I’m not going back. I don’t see the point.” Kevin turned back to the table, to say the same thing to Justin, but instead found Michael sitting there.
“She’s not talking about classes,” Michael said lifelessly, staring off at nothing. “You don’t know what’s going on there.” Then he raised his face to meet Kevin’s eyes. “You can run away, but they’re trapped.”
Kevin couldn’t take his gaze off Michael as he started to back away. The other boy’s face was sunken, his skin was pale and he was radiating a chill that lowered the entire room’s temperature. Suddenly, Kevin felt his back against the wall and he turned to find himself standing in the hallway, outside the entrance of the Ravenclaw Tower.
I talk, but I do not speak my mind
I hear words, but I do not listen to thoughts
When I wake, all see me
When I sleep, all hear me
Many heads are on my shoulders
Many hands are at my feet
The strongest steel cannot break my visage
But the softest whisper can destroy me
“I don’t have time for this,” Kevin replied in frustration. “I don’t know the answer. Just let me in!”
When it wouldn’t budge, he turned away, not knowing what else to do. The hallway before him was lined with doors, all of them closed. Panic rushed through him. He was running out of time. Kevin tried each of the knobs as he passed, hoping that one of them would open.
On the fifth try, he found himself inside the boy’s bathroom. That’s right, he remembered. The shower in his flat was broken. He could take one here. Kevin quickly removed his clothes and grabbed a towel from the hook. He hoped the water was warm.
But when he slid the curtain to reveal the first stall on his left, Kevin discovered that it was not empty. Lisa was there, back in her old Hogwarts robes, shackled to the plumbing. Her hands were raised above her head and the metal dug into her wrists as she struggled against it. Her mouth was gagged, but her eyes spoke volumes.
“Lisa!” Kevin yelped, just before he woke up, sweat clinging to his bedclothes. Perhaps his comment to Tracey had been incorrect. Maybe sleep wasn’t fool proof.
*Inspired by the song "We Used to Wait" by Arcade Fire