The Iso-Stasis Experiment (The Experiments) (14 page)

Cal darted quickly back into her room. She had to because she didn’t want anyone to see her. She had tried to fall back to sleep after her nightmare, but only dozed, snapping herself awake for fear she would dream again. But Cal knew she had her opportunity when she heard Jennifer giggling in the hallway. She was taking her morning walk before breakfast. That would give Cal enough time to get Jennifer’s book, read it with Jake and put it back before she returned. It actually worked out in her favor that Jake didn’t wake her for the morning workout. In fact, Jake was still sleeping, definitely an oddity for him.

Still wearing only the tee shirt she wore to bed, a large shirt that hung to her thighs covering her underwear, Cal leaned against her just closed room door. “Yes.” She looked at the book. Her inner self really longed to peek in that book before Jake. But they were a team in this. He’d be mad enough at her for getting one step ahead of his master plan. She didn’t want to
chance
his getting even angrier, not today, not today of all days. Cal was filled with a certain feeling of sadness. She just wanted to keep busy to work through it and Jake wasn’t helping. Why was he still sleeping?

^^^^

The warm water beat down with a soothing rush on the center of Jake’s chest. He lifted a pool of it, splashed it on his face, and then ran his wet hands through his short hair. His head lifted slightly when he heard the slow slide of the shower door opening. He felt the coolness of the outside air hit against his back, and then he felt her presence. He didn’t have to turn around to know it was Cal. He felt her body slowly press up against him from behind and looking down saw her hands, hands he knew, roam and feel and move through the soapy hair on his chest.
‘This has got to be the coolest dream.’
Jake smiled, grabbing her right hand, bringing her fingers sensuously to his lips. He had to see her; he had to turn around. Slowly he did, wanting so much to see her body in his dream, but all he saw was her face. With his wet hands he grabbed her head and pulled her close, bringing his mouth down on hers. Cal pulled her mouth away, placing her lips to his neck. Her mouth and the water from the shower glided across the nape of his neck and onto his chest. Feeling the skin of her body touch his caused an overwhelming feeling of arousal to surge through him, and he wanted more. “I’ve never made love with anyone in a shower,” he told her softly as her lips moved past the center of his chest.

“Who says we’re making love?”

‘This has got to be the coolest dream.’
An exciting intensity filled him as her mouth moved slowly lower and lower. Jake found himself releasing her hair. His right hand reached slightly up, gripping the top of the shower doors so tightly he could feel the edging of it. His other hand was flush against the wall as he flung his head back.

“Jake.”

Jake’s eyes popped open from his deep slumber into a semi-reality. He had the most confused look on his face.

“Jake, are you all right?”

Still breathing deeply, and still feeling like a part of him was in the dream—in fact his mind and his body still felt like they were—Jake stared at Cal.
Fuck
. “Cal? What are you doing in here?” His eyes shifted downward and he hurriedly pulled his sheet closer over his body.

“I’m waking you up. You look really baffled. Are you feeling OK?”

God, if she knew.
Jake rubbed his eyes lifting his head up slightly. “What . . . why?”

“Look.” She held up the book. “It’s Jennifer’s. I heard her leave her room and took the opportunity. Don’t be mad. I mean, you weren’t getting up. Jake, it’s seven-thirty.”

“Fuck.” He started to spring up, and then caught himself, realizing he would be embarrassed if he did. “I haven’t slept this late in years.”

“We don’t have much time to look at this. Move over.”

“Cal, I . . .” He saw her moving to sit on the bed and shifted his body to give her room, hoping there would be enough that she wouldn’t touch him. “I don’t think . . .” Jake lifted himself slightly off the bed, still staying on his side and still staying covered. He then noticed the somber look on her face. “Is something wrong?”

Cal shook her head. “Let’s just look at this.” She lifted up her leg up and rested the book on it.

Her thigh, her bare thigh creeping from the bottom of her shirt stared Jake smack in the face. He scooted back a bit more, mouth hanging open. “Cal?” Bringing his hand to the edge of her shirt, he lifted it just a little. “Cal, do you realize you’re only wearing underwear?” He placed his hand on her leg and pushed it down.

“Don’t look if it bothers you.” Cal began to leaf through the pages, reading.

Jake couldn’t concentrate, especially as he watched her subconsciously moved her leg a little up, then down, then outward. He began to panic when it brushed against his thigh and moved upward as she got more comfortable. “Cal.” He pulled the sheet all the way up to his chin. “I’m naked in this bed and I have to go to the bathroom. Can you?” He waved his hand for her to turn away.

“I thought you weren’t modest?”

“I am at this moment.”

“Oh, OK.” Cal got up from the bed. “Come in my room when you’re ready. Do you want coffee?”

“Um . . .” Jake started to get out of bed, had to stop, keeping himself covered when she turned back around. “Yeah,” he nervously ran his hand across the top of his head. “Coffee would be great.”

Giving him a half smile Cal left his room.

^^^^

He didn’t say anything when he walked into Cal’s room. He stood in the doorway looking awkward, wearing his workout shorts and a black baseball cap turned backwards on his head.

“
Here.
” She handed him a mug of coffee. “Come on, we have little time, and for your benefit, I got dressed.” She lifted her shirt to show him her shorts. “I know you feel uncomfortable around me.”

“Cal, that is not . . .”

“Come on, sit down.” Looking sad, she moved to the bed to sit. “I shouldn’t have done that, I apologize. I wasn’t thinking.”

“No-No.” Jake, being careful not to splash his coffee, moved to the chair and sat down. “I had just woken up. I was half out of it. Trust me. You can lay in my bed with me half naked anytime you want.”

Cal only lifted her eyes from the book that she spread across her legs that were folded Indian style. She didn’t smile. “All right, here’s Jennifer. Now John’s book said nothing about Jess . . .” she cleared her throat “. . . Jessie but Jennifer’s does. What else?” Her sad eyes skimmed the pages.

Jake inched his chair closer and laid his hand flat on the page she was about to read. “What’s wrong? Did I do something?”

Cal released a breath as she raised her head and answered him softly. “No.”

“Then what . . .”

“Bingo.” She turned the open book to Jake. “Read.”

“Where?” Jake took it and looked where her finger pointed. “A diagnosed schizophrenic? Holy shit.”

“Explains her mood swings. Look at the next line. It says she used to hear voices.”

“Eight of them. Multiple personalities?” Jake started to laugh. “Oh, this is funny.”

“Jake, this is serious. Does it mention what her personalities were?”

“Nope.” He shook his head bringing his fingers to his eye and rubbing it. “Unless one of these is a murderer, she’s pretty harmless, easy to control. Just say something to her and pretend you didn’t.”

“Jake.” Cal snatched the book back. “Doesn’t this strike you as odd? Out of eight of us, two are mentally unstable.”

“And I’m going to say two more probably are. Balance of wits, Cal. Half sane, half insane. See how they balance out in the end, a comparison. There’s a control, a constant, in every experiment.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Sure, there has to be a constant.” He closed the book. “And out of the five books we’ve viewed, only yours and mine are the exact same . . . I’d even go so far as to say,” Jake said as he raised his eyebrows, “that we’re it.”

^^^^

The etchings on the beads of his wooden rosary could have been worn off for as hard as Fr. Dan ran them through his fingers in prayer. How many times did he pray? How long had he knelt bedside, head down, begging, weeping? It was a routine he had begun years earlier, too many years to count. A routine of inner penance that he thought he had long since put behind him, that is until the events of the night before.

The urge to empty his bladder woke him just after midnight. He recalled not hearing any sounds coming from Rickie’s room, an odd occurrence for a young man who usually blasted music all hours of the night.

Hoping the sound of flushing didn’t awaken Rickie since he wasn’t in the mood to talk, Fr. Dan made it back into his room. It was when he flicked on the light to grab a snack that he saw it. A photograph, one he hadn’t seen in years.

Two altar boys, no older than fourteen, stood side by side with him in that picture. All three of them were smiling. And it would have been a perfect photograph had it not been for the bright red letters handwritten on the picture. Words that read, ‘they trusted you.’

He could have thrown it away, but Fr. Dan chose not to. He had placed it right in front of him in full view causing him to increase the intensity in which he said his rosary.

^^^^

Taking one more look at her face in the mirror, Cal brushed her bangs from her eyes and knocked once before opening Jake’s bathroom door. “Jake?” She peeked in. “I’m done with my shower; it’s all yours.”

“Thanks.” Jake turned his eyes and smiled.
 
He sat on his bed with a rifle in his hand that he appeared to be checking.

Cal leaned against the archway and folded her arms. “Where did you get the rifle? Storage?”

“Nah, it’s mine.” Jake said proudly. He lifted it, checked the scope and put it back down. “They said three things right? Besides the beer and the fridge, I wanted a small arsenal.”

“I didn’t think of that. So why are you checking your rifle?”

“I thought . . .” Jake stood up, laying the rifle on his bed, “. . . we, meaning you and me, might take a long walk and get some target practice in. It’ll kill time.”

“You go on. I’m not up for doing much.”

“What about we just work on our city?”

“Sounds good.” Cal lowered her head and walked into the bathroom. “Meet you in my room.”

“Cal.” Jake stepped forward gently taking hold of her arms. “You’ve barely spoken to me. We ate breakfast and you didn’t talk. We worked out and you beat me in the climb, but you didn’t gloat. I’m getting a complex here. If something is wrong, if I did something, you have to tell me.”

“Jake.” Cal lifted her hand and placed it on his face, sliding it down slowly across the cheek that was in dire need of a shave. “It’s not you. I think it’s just a female thing today. You heard Jennifer. She said the guys from the movie
SPEED
were in her room last night.”

“Jennifer has seven people living in her head. I’m surprised Barney the Dinosaur wasn’t there as well.”

Cal gently smiled. “Thanks.”

“What is it, Cal? Tell me.”

“Did you ever have one of those days when you are just flooded with memories? Memories so painful and seem so real? I’m having one of those days.” She turned away from him. “I’ll see you at our city.” Cal moved from the bathroom into her room, closing the door behind her. She took a deep breath. She hated acting so weird. Many a day back home was spent in missing Jessie, moody days, just like the one she was in today.