She sat up with a start. She looked at him with eyes quivering in exhaustion. 'Oh, please tell me you didn't go through with it?' she asked him, her voice pleading and trembling in grief and fear. She looked like a child that couldn't find her mommy.
'I…I couldn't…' he answered her, 'Only for your sake.'
She pulled him towards her and embraced him, thanking him repeatedly.
'What exactly do you remember, Samantha, from what you've been through?' he asked her hoping she would not get too curious about the absurd things that had happened between him and the Flicker.
'Well..,' she released her hold on him, '…I remember Fred kidnapping me and taking me to the forest, but before that, I called Simon but he didn't seem interested. I tried begging Fred to control himself. I don't know, I think he lost his mind. He was talking about destiny and the future of mankind, and him being a part of that future. I tried to calm him down but I think during his absence he saw some terrible things and they've affected his thinking. I remember him taking me to the forest. All night he talked about the same things: history, mankind, the future, and about a boy called…he said something about a boy of legend, or a legendary boy I would play a part in luring to the forest.' She suddenly broke down in tears. 'I'm sorry, Brendan. I tried to appease the delusions in his head but it seemed they were too strong. Then you…were…uh…' She began scratching her head trying to remember the rest. 'You came to my rescue,' she continued, 'and then you tried to kill Fred. I tried to stop you but you kept insisting that my brother did not deserve to live.'
'Which…which weapon was in my hands?' he asked her, his heart beginning to pound.
'I think…I think…I think it was a machete, wasn't it?'
He realized that the whole situation had made her forget the most vital thing he did not want her to remember; how he had lifted a three-ton boulder like it was a pebble.
'Yes it was a machete,' he lied.
'But why are you asking me that?' she asked him looking at him inquisitively.
'I just…want to make sure you don't have amnesia.'
She smiled weakly and placed her hand on his arm. 'Thanks for saving me,' she said.
'Don't mention it…' He was beginning to get uncomfortable with this conversation. 'I have to go.' He got up from her bed and went for the door.
'When you told me that Howard had died I…I know you won't believe it but…' she paused, '…I felt sorry for you.' Her smile had gone and had been replaced by a sorrowful look.
Brendan's fingers were wrapped around the doorknob. He remembered her apology that day he had told her about Howard's death. The authenticity which had been in her voice. He sighed, 'I know, Samantha.' He opened the door.
'The money you wanted me to count for you…can you bring it in now?'
'No, no, no,' he protested, 'not in the state you're in. You need to rest. I'll bring it in tomorrow.'
She nodded and carved a smile on her face, 'And…can…can you call me, Sam?' she stuttered.
He thought about it for a moment then smiled at her, 'Sure,' he said. 'Will you be okay, Sam?'
Her smile broadened. 'I'll be fine. Now go home.'
Brendan decided to walk home. Walking was a good way to think. He thought of going back to the forest to finish the Flicker off, but then decided against it. He was positive the Flicker was currently bleeding to death.
His hands were in his pockets and his head was bowed low as he walked. He had never been that intimate with Samantha before so what had made him change his mind then? He grinned and chuckled to himself when this question came into his mind.
When he got into the house he went straight for his room and jumped onto his bed. He pulled open the cupboard beside his bed, the same cupboard that had once kept the potion. The cupboard was empty besides a black balaclava and his mother's ring. Howard had pulled it off her finger for Brendan, something that he would remember her by. Brendan always took it with him to school when he wrote tests, for good luck. And as for the balaclava, Howard had used it when he was younger to scare him when he told him bedtime stories.
Brendan kissed the ring and put it in his pocket. The balaclava was in his hands. He observed it for a while then laughed shortly in reminiscence then folded it and tucked it in his other pocket.
*
Thursday had come quicker than he had hoped. Brendan was expecting nothing that day but he was amazed at how fast the days were moving. He got up and followed his daily procedure: he showered first then he brushed his teeth and finally got dressed and went downstairs.
He was very hungry and when he opened the freezer he remembered that it was empty. His stomach growled in agony. He had not eaten anything the previous day and so he decided he was going to eat at school.
He ran with his normal running speed to Simon's house. The effort was tiring but he could not risk someone seeing him vanish out of sight before their eyes.