Free In All of Infinity by H. R. Holt

him and turned
around. He was standing merely feet away from the road, sweat
dripping down his face, neck, and back. He saw Reverie staring at
him, her innocence as radiant as ever, and said a silent prayer.
Looking over his shoulder, he realized that the brunette was gone.
He doubted for an instant that she’d ever existed, but then he felt
a weight in his hand. The knife! How could he have gotten the
knife?
     
    Quickly hiding it behind him, he walked
towards Reverie who was staring at him, concerned. He hoped she
hadn’t seen him with it. How could he explain himself if she did?
He didn’t understand it himself, much less explaining it to someone
else. What would he do if she saw him with it? In a flash, a vision
passed through his mind and he saw himself stabbing her over and
over again. When the frightening thought ceased, he looked at her
and forced himself to smile although he was shaking.
     
    “I’m sorry for being such a disagreeable
person today,” she said and returned his smile. “I’m just not
really into socializing or anything right now. I’ve got a lot on my
mind. I know you think that I’m a terrible person… again… but I’m
trying not to be. I mean, I understand if you like girls that are
older than me. I don’t care about that, not really. I was just
hoping we would be friends. I’ve never had a boy for a friend
before…”
     
    He nodded. “It’s ok. I was being a jerk. I’d
like you as my friend.”
     
    Reverie smiled and he gulped, trying to stop
himself from crying. He succeeded and she turned around, walking
back into the school. The lunch hour was over, which meant he had
to get back to class, but he couldn’t budge. If he went in thinking
about murder, he knew he would be tempted to do something terrible.
He felt evil growing through his heart, blackening it, so he shut
off a corner of it for her. Reverie, his dream come true.
     
    ***
     
    Emmanuel thought about the attic throughout
the day, wondering if Reverie detested him for being so cruel to
her. He didn’t know. When it came time for him to have lunch, he
drove to the house and parked, sitting in silence. He had forgotten
what was in the attic because it had been so long, only remembered
that he wasn’t supposed to go inside the room. He took hold of the
skeleton key that he kept with him and walked in, but not before he
spotted another car in his yard.
     
    Virginia’s note had been
simple, but he detested the fact she’d given it to Reverie to
deliver to him. She was lonely and wanted to meet him. Here he was,
unintentionally, and not prepared to face her. He didn’t want to
deal with anyone, least of all this woman. If anyone could be an actual nightmare,
she was definitely it. Hell, he wasn’t young anymore, and she was
hardly thirty-five.
     
    Emmanuel stepped out of the car and headed
for the house, but he knew she was already inside. Her scent clung
to the crisp air of August, overpowering it and making him want to
retch. Although he told Reverie not to criticize Virginia by her
perfume, her character was so dreadful that he wished he took his
daughter’s advice. After all, hadn’t Esme’s jasmine perfume been as
welcoming as a ray of light? He was sure he’d been right about a
life partner once, but that was long ago.
     
    “Hello, lover.”
     
    He saw her seated on the bench on the front
porch, wearing only a shirt and a pair of socks. The calm
expression he often carried morphed completely and he glared at
her.
     
    “Calm down, lover. I know your little one
isn’t here,” she said and undid her hair, letting it cascade down
her shoulders. “I also know it’s your lunch hour. I cooked you
something. You can eat while I seek pleasure… in another way…”
     
    “I don’t know what makes you think I’m
interested in you,” he said and walked into the house, slamming the
door behind him, but knowing she would follow.
     
    Sure enough, she walked into the house and
stared up at him as he went