Chapter One
“Who’s that guy sitting in the corner?”
“Why do you want to know?”
I didn’t reply.
“That’s Chester,” the girl’s answer was terse. “He’s a bit crazy.”
“Says who?” the girl sitting opposite of me spoke.
“Well, he is!” the girl said. “Have you seen those paintings?”
“So? You can’t assume a person’s crazy just because he did a couple of odd subjects.”
“Odd subjects? Couple?” her voice was flinty. “I think he’s done more than a couple, Lauren!”
Lauren only shrugged her slim shoulders, “Chester may have a wild imagination, but he’s not crazy.”
“Wait, wait…” I interrupted. Two pairs of brown eyes stared at me.
“What paintings?”
“He does these weird paintings of stuff,” the girl explained. “And it’s a bit…creepy.” She noticed the teacher staring at her and ducked over her paper again. She didn't seem that likeable at all.
Lauren glared at her, “Whatever.” She turned towards me, “His name is Chester Matheson,” she added.
“Chester Matheson,” I repeated the name and found that it fit the boy. He didn’t look exactly anorexic, but more emaciated—eaten. As I watched him work, I noticed how his dark russet hair fell in his blue eyes and masked his face. He unsettled me. Maybe it was because of the wide range of space everyone gave him. No one came near him in a two-seat radius. He looked almost…haunted. As if he had some dark secret that made him into the shadow he looked like today.
Suddenly, his eyes flicked up from his work, landing on me. I focused too quickly on my work, the heat of embarrassment burning my cheeks.
But I could still feel his gaze on me.
“So,” Lauren tugged out a sandwich from her brown lunch bag. “How long have you been here?”
“Couple of days,” I replied. “My mom moved us to get a better job at Microsoft. Someone recently gave her a promotion.”
Lauren nodded, smiling. She was by far the most quiet person I’d met today, the one person who didn’t pepper me with where they lived, how much money they had…
“Excuse me if I’m being snoopy,” Lauren brought me back to the lunch room. “But, I noticed you looking at Matheson in Art.”
The sheepish smile curving my lips was as clear as a “yes.”
“He’s a damn good artist,” Lauren noted, pausing to take a bite out of her sandwich. “Really shy, though. Almost like the Boo Radley of Mercer Island.”
“Mm,” was my reply, “what happened?”
“It’s a bit complicated to explain,” Lauren warned me. “So, let me collect my thoughts.” I had to wait only two minutes before she spoke:
“Chester was born here on Mercer Island. He was deaf from genetics and he was really outgoing, really nice and sweet. A bit crazy, yes, but everyone’s crazy these days. But two years ago, his father died and…” she paused again, licking her lips, “…that made his mother go a bit…senseless. She—she didn’t go senile, but my mom knows her and she said that Chester’s mom was a bit…lifeless,” she gave me a sad smile. “Chester was gifted with art from the start, but he’s been a bit alone. I haven’t seen his mom show up for a single art show…nothing.”
“Huh…” I glanced at Chester one more time. “Does anybody talk to him?”
“I’ve encouraged people to do that, but they always tell me that he’s creepy and…” Lauren shrugged, “…looking from their perspective, I kind of agree.”
My gaze darted to Chester only to find him watching me. I ducked my head, hissing at Lauren, “He’s staring at me!”
Lauren giggled, “Don’t freak out, Sarah. Smile at him.”
My head lifted only to see the back of Chester as he left the cafeteria.
After lunch was Earth Science. I entered the large, poster-lined room and went to the teacher’s desk. She nodded distractedly at my introduction and sent me to a table that was occupied by no other than…
Chester Matheson.
But of course, the other tables were full. And every face at it was a stranger’s face. I dropped beside Chester Matheson and waited.
“Okay, class,” the teacher spoke up in a couple of minutes. “We have a new student.” Her gaze landed on me. I hesitantly went up to the front and introduced myself, then sat down red-faced.
She handed out a lab project we were assigned to do in class. Together.
With our tablemates.
This should be fun, I thought as the worksheet was placed underneath my nose.
Some other kids came over and begun working with me, explaining what we were working on.
I was so engrossed in my work that I forgot that Chester was there. The reminder was one girl timidly asking him, "Do you know what we're talking about?"
I looked at him just in time to catch his nod. Then it was like that simple sentence, that gesture had stretched out time.
I was glad to collect my books and go out in the cold air. But on an impulse, I looked back just as I was walking outside.
He was looking at a piece of paper in dismay, then he looked at me and I almost quailed under the terror filling his eyes. He looked almost vunerable, so vunerable it was almost frightening. I had never seen a boy so old look so helpless.
Then his face smoothed out and he turned away from me.
That broke the spell his gaze had upon me and I hurriedly walked through the school to my next class.
