Rift in Reality - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: A way out

Tuesday 22nd July 09:13 – Quicklink apartments, 5th floor, room 11

A shower. Wright always knew when he needed some time to think things over carefully he would do so during one. The problem he was going over in his mind today was not life as a whole but his life in particular. After his shift the previous day his ideas to find a new job were beginning to sound more realistic and he was determined to see it through. He had already taken the first steps towards a new life for himself.

Still, he wondered what kind of job could be suited to him. Wright hadn’t really used the most of his time at school to get decent grades and qualifications and he couldn’t quite grasp why. All he could pick from his past was the feeling that he had been distracted by something and this something had stopped him from performing at his best. However, these thoughts were soon washed away and he looked towards the future again since that was where he was heading into. The past was done and he knew wishful thinking wouldn’t get him anywhere.

He finished his shower and got dressed in some fresh clothes. He found his summer jeans and wore a light red shirt (which Chris had bought for him for his birthday that year). The weather was more merciful today and breakfast was next on the agenda. He stepped out of the bathroom and for the first time in almost two weeks he saw Chris.

Wright stopped on the spot and noticed that Chris was eating some cereal and on the table was breakfast for Wright. The door closed behind Wright and as soon as it did Chris looked up from his food and saw Wright. The two of them looked at one another, hoping for the other to speak up first, but both remained silent for about a minute before Wright spoke up.

“Morning.” He said showing little or no emotion in his voice. He walked forward and sat down in his chair and finally Chris was ready to see if any damage had been done.

“It’s good to see you well. We were very worried about you.” He said while watching to see if Wright’s expression would change. Wright had propped his elbows onto the table and was looking at Chris with an impartial appearance which looked like he wanted to know something important, and he did.

“Could you tell me how I ended up there?” He asked, his eyes piercing across the table like a knife’s edge. Chris was caught off guard by the question but knew that Wright was entitled to know about it. He knew exactly what he was going to say, he had prepared for it in advance.

“After that day at the restaurant I came back here and noticed you sleeping in your room. I thought you were just exhausted and when we checked on you in the morning…”

"We?” Asked Wright, his eyes deepening to a cold stare which Chris hadn’t noticed yet and continued from where he had been cut off.

“Oh… Laura came round… and when we checked on you we realised you had a very high fever and we couldn’t wake you. We called an ambulance…” He replied before being cut off again.

“That’s enough. I know the rest.”

Chris noticed the eyes and flinched, fearing that Wright’s other side was in control. Wright looked across to his side and smiled.

“Thanks for the breakfast; you didn’t have to do it.”

Chris was almost so relieved that he would have breathed a very sigh of relief but he was careful and kept his celebrations in his head. There was no telling how Wright would react at times; he was unpredictable to say the least.

“I did have to, and anyway you need to get your strength back…”

His voice had drifted off and Wright was looking at him with an awkward expression.

“Ehhh… Chris… why are you blushing?”

During the conversation Chris had placed his arms under the table and at this moment he was clenching his hands in a desperate panic to keep his actions in order.

“I…”

Then laughing. Chris was stunned. Wright wasn’t laughing like he was at the restaurant, it was genuine laughter.

“Thanks Chris.” He said through the laughing.

Chris didn’t understand how the situation had come round to this solution but he nodded dumbly and thanked god that he didn’t have to explain his true feelings. Wright finished his meal quickly and washed up. Chris had finished before and was watching something on TV.

Wright sat down next to him on the sofa and decided it was time to tell him his plans, since they were flatmates it was important that he knew what he was about to do.

“Chris… I’m looking for a new job.”

It came out suddenly but Chris appeared to have better control over his bodily actions this time round and smiled back at him.

“You finally got fed up of Phil?”

Wright nodded. “Yeah, I’ve drained one too many toilets in my days and I just feel like I should be doing more with my life.”

Chris remained in control and asked further.

“So have you found any jobs you like?” He asked, interested to see if anything good had come up for his friend.

A confident smile formed across Wright’s face. The previous night he had been scouring high and low in every corner of the internet to find a decent job in Fenton. He had a few in mind but one stood above the rest by far.

“Well, there’s a wide selection out there but there’s a company offering job apprenticeship courses in silver way, you know, the tallest building in Fenton. Oh, what were they called…?”

Chris’ world stopped, he knew all too well the building Wright was describing.

“Octagon…” He whispered with a hint of dread in his voice which Wright didn’t pick up but he heard the response.

Wright nodded. “Yeah, that was it. Octagon Inc. I emailed them yesterday and it only took a minute for a reply to come. Can you believe it? I’ve got an interview this afternoon, they sure work fast.”

Chris thought about it carefully and told his head and body not to panic; he had to think about it carefully. He couldn’t reveal the order; then again he cared greatly for Wright’s safety. Someone from Octagon may have seen Wright on the street during the day of the event. He quickly came to a decision.

“So what else did you find?” He asked, hoping to find a good alternative.

Wright blinked a few times and replied.

“All the other jobs I found stunk in comparison to the one I could get at Octagon. They even offer long term placement…”

Chris didn’t like where this was going, Wright wasn’t shifting his stance on the matter. He butted in to try to open Wright’s eyes to other jobs.

“Ok, I get the picture Wright. But what would you choose if you don’t get it? What is your backup option?”

Wright sighed and thought about it. It was clear that he had so much faith in this job he hadn’t really considered the prospect of failure.

“The only job adequate for me and pays enough is some work at the supermarket.” He said, clearly unhappy about the idea of working there.

Chris though thought this was much better for him, the further away from Octagon’s building the better.

“That sounds like the kind of job for you. There’s the AC, all that food, less stress…”

Now it was Wright’s turn to cut him short.

“No it isn’t Chris, and you know it.” He said. Wright leaned back in the sofa and looked up at the ceiling. “Its time I start thinking about the future. I need to find a proper job.”

Chris wasn’t against his idea of finding a proper job, but getting one with Octagon would endanger their relationship and Wright’s life. People within Octagon were known to disappear from time to time unexpectedly. Chris didn’t want him to be one of them.

“Wright, you’re still 17. Live a little and wait a few years…” He stopped and looked across to his friend whose eyes were closed in the manner which made it clear he was thinking very carefully about it. Wright opened his eyes and looked at him.

“I’ll still try, but maybe you’re right. But ever since I came out of hospital I feel like I wanted to achieve something. I might not have woken up, and if I died I would have nothing to show for my life. Nothing except…”

His eyes were wide open like they had been forced open in some sort of cruel punishment and his breathing had stopped. His writing. He sighed; a faint smile appeared absentmindedly as he continued from where he left off.

“My writing… but I feel its best that I give it a rest for the time being. Maybe that was how I ended up in hospital. All that writing may have overexerted my body or something. Yeah, I’ll continue it another day. When I’m ready…”

His voice drifted away and he took a deep breath and sat up straight. He looked over to his companion who hand an uncanny expression on his face. It was time for Wright to show some concern.

“Hey, Chris. Are you ok? You don’t look so good.” He said, hoping for a response, and that was what he got.

“Wright…”

Chris jumped at Wright and flung himself on the comparatively shorter Wright and hugged him with no intention of letting him go. Wright was stunned and didn’t know what to think of it. That was until Chris began to talk through light tears.

“Thank you…” He whispered desperately.

Wright sighed and wanted to know what was going on to make someone like Chris become emotional.

“For what?” He said caringly.

Chris’ grip loosened and he back away so they were looking face to face with one another.

“For still being you even after being in hospital. I was worried that we would lose you…” He said, trying to remain positive.

Wright nodded understandably and the two began to watch something on TV. Chris kept an eye out for Wright. Wright was anxious as the time drew closer to the moment he would have to leave for the interview. Chris on the other hand didn’t bring the subject up again and was hoping that Wright wouldn’t get the job. He knew that if Wright knew that he didn’t want him to get the job he would want to know why. He feared such a thing would bring out that other side of Wright, and he didn’t want to go through it again. Once was already too much for him to handle.

The two settled down to lunch and Wright seemed more distant than ever. Even as he ate one could tell simply tell by looking into his eyes that he was thinking again. But what he was thinking about only he would know. Chris had tried on many occasions to find out a bit more about his friend by peeping into his mind but whenever he tried he would get blocked. Whenever he did view into people’s mind it was usually to determine whether or not they were working for Octagon (by finding their intentions and finding its origin) and he usually found it really easy. Wright on the other hand was untouchable.

Wright finished eating first out of the two and walked into his room without saying a word. A strange feeling had overcome Wright and he wasn’t sure where it was taking him. He walked up to that small window in his room and looked out into the world outside his four walls. Everything was so dynamic, always flowing like the current in a river. He pictured himself standing in the bustling streets below. Standing within that sea of people he wondered which way he would be going if he had nowhere to go in particular. Would he simply stand on the spot and remain undecided or would he leave? Then, if he did move, which choice would he make? With it or against? This is the question which is life.

He didn’t answer that question, he wasn’t ready and he had lost interest in such exasperating thoughts. That was a strange trait he had, he couldn’t stop thinking no matter how hard he tried. This was no exception and he knew the best thing to get his mind to stop thinking would be a distraction. He sat down at his desk, picked up his phone and called his parents again. No response.

He placed his phone back onto the charger and noticed a few scraps of paper were still on the desk making quite a mess. He picked them up and unwrinkled them. The moment the sheet was flattened out he knew exactly what he was looking at. The brainstorm of words for his story. He scrunched it back into a ball and threw it all into a bin. Not today.

All this thinking had made him quite thirsty so he left his room and walked contently to the fridge. On the way he noticed that Chris was still on the couch but on a closer inspection he noticed that his friend had dosed off. He always seemed to find it hard to stay awake on Tuesday; it was probably because he was often going out late on Mondays for some reason.

Wright poured some water into a glass and drained it in one. Then as he placed the cup into the dishwasher he noticed a calendar on one of the counters. Currently it was showing the month July of the year 2003 and several dates were highlighted (Clearly by Chris since Wright himself had not bought a calendar). It was the 26th which caught his eye in particular. He looked at the words scribbled in the small square and realised what it was. ‘Fenton summer fair’. He walked back to his room and looked at the time. To his surprise he noticed he only had an hour till his interview and so he got dressed for the occasion.

He opened his closet and picked out his suit his parents had bought him during his last year of school when he went with them to a formal event along with Chris and Laura. It only took him a few minutes to get dressed and pick out his phone, wallet and other essential items. After the preparations were done he was on his way out and told Chris he was going.

“I’m going now Chris. I’ll be back in an hour or so. Depends on how well it goes.” He said, with a smile on his face. Chris had woken up and was watching TV again, but during the time Wright had been getting changed he had formulated a plan.

“Good luck, hope it goes well.” He struggled to say. As much as it hurt he wanted him to fail. It would be for the best.

Wright left and was making good progress to Silver Way. It was 15:23 and his appointment was at 16:00, but in the email it had told him to arrive about 10 minutes early. All this walking had been good for Wright and he was quite enjoying it. He was walking with the crowd and making his way to Silver Way and it was far easier than he expected to get there at the time he left. It was probably because most people were still at work at the moment.

By the time he arrived in Silver Way it was 15:43 and he had a few minutes to think over the things he would say in his interview. He was brushing the dust out of his suit and wiping the sweat from his brow. Currently he stood on the corner of Silver Way and along the road directly in front of him and on its right was the headquarters of Octagon Inc. However, it wasn’t the magnificent glass architecture that attracted his eye; it was something far off in the distance beyond the limits of Silver Way.

In the distance he could make out a hill high above the small buildings around him which had a smooth slope leading down to a road. He could make out a few trees on the hill from his current position and felt a strange sensation as he looked at it. Had he seen it before? Why was he staring at a hill of grass and some trees? He snapped out of his thoughts as he looked at his watch, it was time.

The lobby was nothing short of astounding. That was the best way to put it in his mind as he walked into the lobby of Octagon Inc. This was his first time in the building and after quickly realising that he was here on business it was time to set his priorities straight. He walked up to the front desk and saw a secretary talking away to someone on the phone and two others working furiously on their computers. Fortunately someone else came out of the back room and noticed he was there, a tall lanky man with thick black glasses.

“Good afternoon sir, and welcome to Octagon, how may I help you?” He said in a tone which clearly indicated to you that he had said these very same words many times before in exactly the same way.

“I’ve got an interview for the on the job apprenticeship courses with a Mr. Thompson at 4.” He said.

The man immediately looked at the nearest monitor, typing a few unseen commands until he looked back at Wright.

“Take the lift to the first floor. He’s expecting you in his office.” He said. Then without another word spoken the man disappeared into the back room and Wright was left wondering who exactly he was.

He began his walk towards the lift with a few thoughts in mind. Firstly, that guy was kind of weird. Secondly, he wondered what this Thompson guy was like. And thirdly, with success and failure hanging in the balance, he wondered if he would make it or not. With these in mind he remembered a principle he held close to his heart whenever he felt nervous: This is life, and you only get one chance.

End of chapter