Chapter Text
Tyler waved his arm, stumbling through the woods with his flashlight.
“Come on, guys, you’re seriously not going to believe this!” he called back. Evan flicked his flashlight through the trees, swallowing nervously.
“What the hell is this, man? Why do we have to come out here at night?” He said, tripping on a tree root and barely catching himself.
“Don’t be such a pussy, Evan!” Jacob said, whacking a branch out of his face. Evan flushed, grateful for the cover of night so his friends didn’t see.
“Shut up, Jake!” He snapped, spitting out a bug. Tyler paused, sighing dramatically.
“Hurry it up, guys!” He said giddily, flashing his light in all their faces. Jacob groaned, covering his eyes.
“I’ll hurry up when you quit freakin’ blinding me!” He grumbled, but kept it up. “Where are we going, anyway?”
Tyler let out a laugh, shaking his head.
“Man, I don’t wanna spoil the surprise, but you know that old cave over by the waterfall in Mornsley Park?”
Evan nodded and Jacob scoffed.
“Uh, yeah.” Jacob said, shaking his head. “Place is sick! One time I took Rachel out there and she was ‘too scared’ to go in.”
Tyler rolled his eyes, leading them down a side path, one that didn’t have so many roots and branches in their way.
The woods were only lit by their flickering flashlights and the light of the full moon, casting eerie shadows over the verdant forest floor.
“You are never gonna believe what I found in there.” Tyler said, a massive grin pasted on his face.
“Oh yeah, what? You got some joints or beer or something in there?” Jacob asked, nudging Evan in the arm. “Mr. Straightedge here might have a freakin’ heart attack.”
Evan laughed nervously.
“This isn’t going to get me in trouble, is it?” He ventured. Jacob barked out a harsh laugh.
“Jesus, do you ever think about anything else?” Jacob sneered.
“Dude, shut up!” Evan said, rubbing his arm. It wasn’t his fault that his parents were helicopter vultures. They were like bloodhounds – if they smelled a hint of smoke or beer or perfume on him, it wasn’t just a lecture, it was grounding. And grounding meant he was stuck with his family doing G-rated movie nights and board games for weeks at a time.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Jacob said, rolling his eyes. He adjusted his denim jacket and brushed his long dark bangs out of his face.
“Better than beer.” Tyler said. “Seriously, I… you’re just gonna have to see it.”
“Give me a hint, man!” Jacob said, kicking a branch into the woods. “You’re killing me with all this riddle shit.”
Tyler bit his nail and tilted his head.
“You guys know Alex, right?” Tyler said. Evan bobbed his head.
“Yeah, he, uh, isn’t he on vacation in like, Italy or something?” He said nervously. Tyler grinned.
“Yeah, yeah. That’s him.” They all knew Alex, of course. He was the quintessential candidate for most popular guy in school. His parents were rich, he was good at sports, and his grades were good enough to keep him out of trouble. He would have been so easy to hate if he hadn’t been so goddamn nice.
“What the hell about him?” Jacob snapped. Tyler put a finger to his lips.
“That’s it, that’s the hint. Now pitter-patter, guys! It’s not much further, okay?”
With only a little more grumbling, the trio of teen boys finally heard the roaring of the waterfall just over the next hill. As they stepped over and caught a glimpse of the cave entrance, Tyler turned around, a serious look on his face.
“Okay, before we go in there, I gotta warn you. You’re like, not ready for what’s in there.” His voice was grave. Evan gulped.
“Uh… maybe we shouldn’t—”
“But you guys have to promise not to freak out, okay? He’s… He’s freaked out enough, alright? I don’t wanna make it worse.”
“He?!” Evan said, his eyes widening. “W-what are you talking about?”
Tyler held his hands out placatingly.
“Woah, calm down, okay? Nothing in there is gonna hurt you. Just… trust me. And stay calm, got it?”
Jacob raised an eyebrow at the cave entrance.
“Dude, there better not be some freaky homeless guy hiding in there. I’m gonna be so pissed if I get attacked with a broken bottle or something.”
Tyler let out an exasperated sigh.
“Jesus, do you think I’d bring you here to get attacked by some rando? Dude, have a little faith!” He said.
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud, echoing noise from inside the cave, something that they heard over the crashing noise of the waterfall. Evan jumped, and Jacob took a cautious step back. Tyler shook his head.
“Come on, guys, let’s go!” He took a step for the cave entrance, and Jacob grabbed his arm.
“Woah, slow down, speedy! What the hell is in there? I am not dying tonight just because you wanted to be freakin’ cagey.”
“Y-yeah, I don’t know…” Evan said, eying the cave. Tyler rolled his eyes.
“You guys, don’t bitch out on me, now! Don’t be cowards!”
Jacob clenched his jaw and eyed Evan, who he hated agreeing with on anything.
“I… I’m not bitching out, dude! I just don’t wanna walk into some dark freakin’ cave without knowing what the hell is in there!”
Tyler held out his pinky finger.
“Listen, guys, I swear on the pinky that what’s in the cave isn’t dangerous, and is awesome as hell. You guys just gotta trust me.”
Even eyed the extended finger. The pinky promise was sacred, a vow of trust that even Jacob wouldn’t dare break. The three of them had been doing it since they were kids, riding bikes and skinning knees out in the woods.
Jecob let out a huff of air through his nose.
“Whatever, man. If you’re lying, I’m gonna kick your ass.” He tapped his own pinky to Tyler, and Tyler turned to Evan.
“Come on, man. You trust me, right?”
Evan bit his lip. Of course he trusted him, but… just then he heard another loud, scraping sound again. He blinked rapidly, ruffling his hand through his thick blonde hair.
“I… I mean…”
“Dude, pinky swear and let’s go already!” Jacob said. Apparently, all it took was the sacred pinky swear, and he was ready to go. Evan closed his eyes and brushed his pinky to Tyler’s.
Tyler let out a whoop and jogged to the cave entrance.
“You guys ready?” He waved his arm and disappeared inside. Evan fingered the thick knit of his sweater, dancing back and forth on his feet. Jacob took a deep breath, then clenched his fists.
“Come on, man.” Jacob said, tugging Evan’s sweater.
“Woah!” Evan said, stumbling into the cave. He flicked his flashlight over Jacob’s retreating back. He glanced nervously back at the entrance, then began to follow. There was no way he was getting left behind.
“It’s not much further in, okay?” Tyler’s voice echoed through the narrow cave walls. “But we have to get past the tunnels.”
Jacob tapped his flashlight onto the rough stone walls.
“Been a while since I went back this far.” He was trying to keep his voice steady, but both Tyler and Evan could hear the nervousness in his voice. They’d known him for long enough.
“You guys didn’t bring cameras, did you?” Tyler said, and Evan shook his head before realizing neither of them could see him with their flashlights pointed forward.
“No, I… just the flashlight.” He said. He had his phone in his pocket too, but he didn’t think he’d get any good pictures even if he did want to use it in this dark cave.
He looked down, then back up, right at Jacob’s back. He let out a grunt as he crashed into him, pushing Jacob into Tyler.
“Dude, what the hell? You coulda—”
“It’s not my fault, you stopped right in front of me, that’s not my—"
Tyler turned, flashing his flashlight up to his face.
“Okay. You guys promised not to freak out, remember?” He said seriously. Both Jacob and Evan gulped. They nodded.
Tyler turned slowly, pointing his flashlight at the floor. In the silence, Evan realized he could hear air rushing over their heads. His heart started to race. There was no way there should be a draft in this room, not this far back in the cave system.
“Alright, Alex. They’re here, and they promise not to be weird, okay?” Tyler said into the darkness.
Alex? He was… here?
With shaking fingers, Evan turned his flashlight forward, blinking into the beam, trying to parse what he was looking at. It was blue and long, and rough. Almost like burlap fabric. Like someone had covered a tree trunk with a massive flour sack. He looked down, and his stomach curdled.
That was a shoe. A Chuck Taylor Conserve sneaker. But… it had to have been ten feet long. He blinked, looking at the blue expanse again. Not burlap. Denim.
His flashlight beam traced the fabric up to giant plaid flannel, up and up what felt like an impossible height.
He flashed his light upward, illuminating the creature in the room in front of them. It was massive, sitting curled up against the wall, head up against the 30-foot ceiling. It flinched in the light, curling away.
“W-what the…” Evan stammered out. His hand shook around the flashlight, sending shattered shadows dancing around the room.
The leg shifted, and Jacob jumped back, his heart pounding despite itself. That was an insane amount of mass to just be moving!
Evan aimed the beam at the creature’s head, but… it wasn’t a creature at all.
Mournful, massive brown eyes looked down at him, blinking down from a gigantic face. Because it was a face – a human face. Alex’s face!
Everything looked just like Alex, from the thick dirty blonde hair to the sharp jawline. He was even wearing the same thing Alex always did, a thermal shirt and flannel. It looked exactly like Alex, except… he was scraping the top of the 30-foot ceiling.
And he was just sitting down!
“O-oh, hell no!” Jacob cried out, turning around to run. Tyler sighed, and Alex shifted.
Before Jacob could even reach the opening of the tunnel, something long and warm and powerful was wrapping around him. He shouted in alarm, trying to push the… whatever it was off of him, but his arms were sealed to his side before he could even think.
“Calm down, it’s okay!” Alex whispered, but even that was enough to overwhelm Jacob’s ears. He struggled hard, wrapped completely up in – oh god, it’s was Alex’s hand!
The flesh around him rippled, and all of a sudden his feet weren’t on the ground anymore. He screamed, he couldn’t help it. He didn’t even have the capacity to be embarrassed about it while he was hoisted into the air, completely immobilized.
“What the – holy shit! Let me – let me go!” He stammered out, the giant fingers squeezing the breath out of him.
“It’s okay, I’m… I’m not going to hurt you!” Alex whispered desperately. Jacob was spinning, his head reeling as Alex flipped him over, turning Jacob to face him.
Jacob’s face went pale. Alex’s face was as tall as his entire body, and the guy was… he was holding him like an action figure! He glanced down and immediately felt himself get dizzy. He was twenty feet up, with nothing under his feet. Just Alex’s fingers around his front, his palm against his back.
“D-don’t… Oh my god…” He whimpered, and he finally had the mental ability to feel like a coward even as he begged for his life. Jacob looked into Alex’s massive, worried brown eyes, too afraid to even continue to struggle. How was this really happening? How was be being held right now in the hand of a giant?
Jacob gasped in a breath into the constricting hand, struggling to get his chest to expand into the muscles around him.
“Oh shit, can you breathe?” Alex murmured and Jacob shook his head desperately. Something came up underneath his feet, and his knees buckled into it. Jeez, that was Alex’s other hand. The platform of flesh under him shifted, and Jacob let himself be set down in Alex’s other hand, collapsing back against his fingers.
“H-holy shit…” Jacob gasped, looking around at the impossible place he found himself sitting. “You’re really…”
“Oh, dude, I’m sorry.” Alex mumbled, carefully nudging at Jacob’s arms. “I didn’t… I didn’t squeeze too hard, did I? I didn’t mean to hurt you. Jeez, you guys are… really fragile.”
Jacob scoffed, pushing ineffectually at the giant finger.
“I… you didn’t hurt me! I’m fine.” He snapped, taking in a deep breath. “I just… You just… startled me. That’s it. You startled me.”
Evan blinked up from his position on the floor. No way was this really happening! One minute Jacob was turning to run, the next… he was twenty feet off the floor, clutched in Alex’s fist like a doll.
“No way…” Evan whispered, looking up. He flashed his light over where Alex had his palm extended, and Evan could barely see his legs dangling. He could hear the fear in Jacob’s voice, even though his tone was coming back.
He couldn’t help himself from imagining what it would feel like to be held in those massive hands like that. The warmth, the weight of the fingers. Having your life in someone else’s control like that… Blood rushed to his cheeks, and he was grateful it was dark so nobody could see his face.
Unfortunately, he didn’t get the cover of light for long. Tyler reached over with his lighter and lit a lantern on the wall, an old-fashioned kind that Even had never seen before. Immediately, the cave lit up, and Evan could really take in Alex’s presence.
It was just as unbelievable as the first time he looked. Only now he could see the senior in full, from gigantic, car-sized shoes to his towering shoulders, and massive face, he really did look just like the kid he knew, just… giant.
Jacob shifted awkwardly in Alex’s palm.
“Ok, so… can you like… set me down?” He managed, his voice was stronger now, but Alex could probably feel his muscles shaking in his hand. “Not saying that the living beanbag chair isn’t great, but… can you maybe…?” He cleared his throat. Alex blinked, then sprang to life, as if Jacob’s words needed a second to sink in.
“Oh, right! Right, sorry. Uh… here.” The giant teenager lowered his hands slowly, until Jacob’s feet touched the ground. He jumped up, shaking out his limbs like they’d fallen asleep.
“Promise I, uh, won’t run again.” He chuckled nervously, putting his hand up. He brushed off his torso, not eager to be grabbed like a toy again. Evan only watched, his mouth open in a loose circle.
“I… Jesus, I’m sorry.” Alex said, rubbing the back of his neck with the same hand he’d just been holding Jacob in. “I didn’t mean to, like… grab you, I just wasn’t thinking.”
Tyler stepped over, grinning widely.
“What do you think?” He murmured to Jacob and Evan.
Jacob couldn’t take his eyes off the giant boy in the cave, still remembering the feeling of fingers around his body. He shivered, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. Tyler was right. This was freakin’ awesome!
“It’s… I mean… how is this even happening?” Jacob said, looking back up at Alex’s face. The giant turned away, reddening.
“I don’t know, but I found him in the woods over the weekend. We figured he could hide in here, but we’ve been having trouble finding food, and it’s like, really boring in here, and—”
“How long have you been… like this?” Evan said, his voice finally working. He felt himself blush as soon as the words were out. What kind of question was that? Where had the bravery come from to talk to someone so huge?
“Umm… a week.” Alex admitted, drawing his knees up to his chest, knocking a boulder loose. All three of them stepped back and Alex flushed.
“I thought you guys were on vacation.” Jacob said. “In Italy.” Alex let out a sigh that sounded like a gale-force wind.
“Yeah, that’s what my parents told everyone.” He said mournfully, burying his face in his knees. “Because they don’t know what else to do with me.”
Evan felt his spine go cold.
“Your parents know you’re like this?” He said softly, stepping forward, his body moving of its own volition. “And you’re living in a cave?”
“That’s insane.” Jacob agreed, folding his arms and looking up. “That’s… I mean, that’s messed up!”
Tyler nodded.
“Seriously. They were just trying to make him hide in the woods, like, getting rained on and stuff.” He scoffed and kicked at a rock near his feet. “I mean, like… come on.”
Alex wrapped his hand around his shoes, curling himself into a ball in the corner, like he was trying to make himself smaller.
“I’m… I’m sorry.” Evan breathed, finally stepping forward. He set his own finger on top of Alex’s hand, marveling at how tiny his hand looked compared to Alex’s. His hand wouldn’t even start to wrap around a single finger! Evan could feel the giant’s heartbeat pounding away under the skin like throbbing bass.
Alex looked down, and Evan felt his heart skip a beat. The massive mouth twisted into a wry smile, and he sighed again, blowing Evan’s hair out of his face.
“Thanks, man.” Alex said, his voice echoing through his finger into Evan’s.
Evan swallowed, then stepped back, pulling his hand to his chest. Jesus, what was he doing?
“So… you didn’t bring us our here just to gawk, right? Cuz that’d be a jerk move.” Jacob said, leaning back to look up again at Alex’s face. “I mean, this is freakin’ crazy, but… like, he’s still Alex.”
Tyler grinned, nodding.
“Hell yeah, I knew you guys would be cool about this!” He pumped his fist and looked up into Alex’s face. “See, I told you!”
Alex nodded, a shy smile spreading across his face. Evan couldn’t help but notice how different he looked like this. He was huge, totally massive, bigger than he ever had been before, but he just wasn’t as, well… unapproachable. He seemed more nervous than he ever did at school.
“Yeah, yeah, you were right.” He smiled, showing his teeth, and Evan couldn’t help but stare. “Sorry, guys, I just, um… everyone’s been like, really scared of me since this happened.” His massive face flushed. Tyler ran forward, vaulting himself on top of Alex’s shoe and sat down, leaning against his ankle.
“Seriously, you would not believe what assholes his parents were about this.” Tyler said, patting Alex’s leg with his hand. Alex tapped his foot gently, sending Tyler up and down like a carnival ride. “Woah, chill dude, I’m on your side!” Tyle groused, but he was grinning.
Alex huffed out a laugh, sending another breeze through the cave, but then his face fell.
“Yeah they were… I mean Jesus, you should have heard my mom scream.” He winced, leaning back, knocking another rock loose. It smashed to the floor and Evan jumped back with a yelp. “Oh, shit! Sorry, I uh… dammit, I’m still not really used to being like this. It didn’t hit you, did it?”
Evan shook his head, his mouth still feeling completely stuck. Why was it that he couldn’t get his mouth to work around this guy?
Alex brushed his hand through his hair, sending sand and small rocks down. Evan gulped.
“Yeah, well, when I woke up like this, I can’t say my parents were too happy. I like… busted out the bedroom wall. And I wasn’t exactly the calmest either.” He chuckled awkwardly. “I was kinda freaked out, you know?”
Jacob scoffed.
“Yeah, freaked out is an understatement. Like… I don’t know what the hell I would do if I woke up like that.” He elbowed Evan, who blinked. He’d been so focused on Alex’s words.
“Oh, uh… right.” He said, flushing.
Alex looked away, pressing his cheek to his shoulder.
“I mean, when you wake up covered in rubble and your parents are the size of Barbie dolls, what are you supposed to do? How are you supposed to react?” He shook his head. “My dad about had an aneurysm when I picked him up. Like I said, I’ve never heard my mom scream like that.”
Tyler patted Alex’s shoe.
“Hey, man. It’s not your fault. You didn’t ask for this, and they just refuse to think about what they would do if it was them.”
Alex shook his head, letting out a loud sigh that sent all their hair flying.
“Yeah, but like… did I really mess up? I shouldn’t have picked them up, I mean, no wonder he was freaked out!” He looked down at Jacob, biting his massive lip. “You freaked out when I picked you up, too. It’s… god, I don’t know what’s wrong with me!” His voice was rising from a controlled whisper, echoing around the cave. His breathing started to get faster and shallower. “I mean, what the hell is happening? Why am I like this? What am I supposed to do?” Evan covered his ears. Tyler stood and turned, putting both hands on Alex’s leg.
“Woah, chill, man! I didn’t freak out, right?” Tyler said, waving Alex down. Alex took a long breath, reaching down.
He placed his open hand behind Tyler, who let himself sit back into the waiting palm. Tyler snaked his arm around Alex’s thumb as he let himself be lifted off the giant Converse.
“See? Not everyone is gonna freak, okay?” He grinned, letting himself settle back into Alex’s fingers, which formed a wall he could lean against. “I’m not scared of you. And look at Evan, he’s not freaking out!”
Alex looked down, taking another shaky breath. Evan forced a smile onto his face, shooting the giant a thumbs-up.
“Woah, hey!” Jacob said, throwing out his arms. “Uh, I didn’t freak out either, okay? I was just a little… worried, got it?” He folded his arms defensively. “If you do it again, I won’t freak. I’m… inarticulate now.”
“Inoculated.” Evan murmured, nudging Jacob in his elbow. Jacob scoffed, flushing.
“Inocu- yeah, whatever!” He cocked his chin. “I’m immune.” Alex let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head.
Tyler raised an eyebrow, turning himself to look over the side of Alex’s palm, then flipped back to wink at Alex.
“What are you – oh!” Alex said, his eyes widening. He grinned, reaching his hand back down toward Jacob.
“Oh, shit!” Jacob said, jumping back. Alex froze, and Jacob went fully red, clenching his fists. “I meant, oh shit… I’m so… ready! Yeah, I’m just getting fired up, okay?” He swallowed, but managed to keep himself still as Alex wrapped his hand around Jacob’s body.
Evan heard him whimper, just barely, under his breath, but he didn’t struggle or fight. Alex lifted him up, setting him on his shoulder. Jacob flailed for a moment before settling into the comfortable flannel.
“You doing okay, buddy?” Tyler teased. Jacob patted his chest, making sure he was intact before answering.
“Hell yeah! I’m doing freakin’ awesome, and don’t you forget it!” Jacob said, his voice only shaking a little. Alex shivered, and Jacob paled, clutching the flannel fabric underneath him to keep himself from tumbling down. “Woah, easy there, Stallion!”
Alex huffed.
“S-sorry! I’m just not used to that. You tickle.”
Jacob smacked the back of his hand on Alex’s neck, scoffing.
“Don’t say I tickle! That’s so humiliating. Say that I… unsettle you instead, huh?” His tone was finally steadying out back to his signature teasing. Alex grinned.
“Fine, fine. Having you on my shoulder is… unsettling.”
The giant turned his eyes down to Evan, who jumped when he realized those massive brown eyes were focused on him.
“Evan, you’re not scared, are you?” Tyler shot down from his perch in Alex’s palm. Jacob kicked his feet into Alex’s collarbone.
“Yeah, bitch! I did it twice! What are you gonna chicken out?” Jacob crowed.
Evan felt his face get hot.
No, he wasn’t scared. And that was the part that actually freaked him out. Shouldn’t he have been freaking out, like Jacob had been? Was it weird that he felt a kind of pull?
“Uh, Evan, right?” Alex said, lowering his free hand. He pressed the back of his hand to the cave floor, palm up, right next to the nervous junior. “I promise, I’m not gonna hurt you.”
Evan glanced up at Tyler, his legs thrown over the side of Alex’s other hand, and Jacob, sitting on his shoulder, and nodded.
“Yeah. I’m Evan.” He stepped forward, climbing into Alex’s palm without hesitation. The skin was warm and slightly damp with sweat, and he could feel Alex’s heartbeat here even stronger than before. He folded himself up, drawing his knees close, and propping himself up with his hands.
Alex lifted him, and the bottom of his stomach dropped out. He felt like he was riding in one of those open elevators, the G-forces pressing him down into the flesh below.
“You’re doing better than either of these guys did.” Alex said with a smirk. Tyler kicked into Alex’s thumb. “Ow, hey!”
“Shut up, you know that doesn’t hurt!” Tyler said, shaking his head. “And hey, they don’t need to know about the first time, okay? You promised!”
Alex shrugged, sending Jacob flailing.
“Yo! Quit forgetting I’m here!” He said, gripping both fists into Alex’s shirt.
“Aw man, sorry! You guys are so light.” Alex turned his gaze back down to Evan, who was looking around with eyes as wide as dinner plates.
He couldn’t get over the scale of it all. Three of them, picked up and carried like nothing more than mice. If he peered over the side of Alex’s hand, he could see the rest of his body curled up underneath him.
“This is freakin’ cool, right?” Tyler said, snapping Evan out of his thoughts. Evan nodded, his face finally betraying a smile,
“Yeah, this is… this is really cool.” Evan looked up at Alex, into his looming brown eyes, and shot up a genuine smile, nodding enthusiastically. Alex flushed.
“Uh, thanks, guys.” He looked down. “I wish everyone was this cool about it.”
For a moment, they were quiet. Then, the distant bark of a dog, and adults shouting echoed through the cave.
“Oh, shit!” Tyler said, turning over to peer over Alex’s hand.
“Dude, you didn’t… do you think that’s the cops?” Alex said, worriedly. Tyler’s face pinched into worry that he hadn’t had on his face this entire time.
“N-no… well, maybe. Let us down, we don’t want them coming in here.” He said. Evan’s heart raced. “Probably just the sheriff… Dammit, I tried to make sure no one saw us go in!” He cursed.
Evan flailed his limbs as he was suddenly falling. No, not falling, Alex was setting him down. He waited until his palm was steady, and even then, he couldn’t help himself from hesitating. But then he heard another shout, and he rolled off, his feet back on the ground.
“Come on, Jacob!” Tyler said, leaping out of Alex’s hand and waving him down.
“I – what do you want me to do? I can’t get – woah!” Alex’s hands were around him, lifting him off his shoulder and setting him down on the floor. He took an unsteady step, blinking dizzily. “Okay, what a way to travel!”
“Guys, let’s go!” Tyler said, turning back to Alex, sighing softly. “I’m… sorry, man. Just stay quiet, and we’ll be back tomorrow.
The giant teenager curled his limbs around himself, burying his face in his arms. He nodded, but he didn’t say anything. Evan felt something guilty twist in his gut.
Tyler blew out the lantern, and the three of them scurried through the cave tunnel as quickly as they could.
“Damnit, I think it is the sheriff.” Tyler muttered angrily. “Asshole’s gotta get his nose out of everyone’s business.”
Evan felt his own heart race. If his parents found out about this, he wouldn’t be allowed to leave the house for a week. And… knowing Alex was here? He couldn’t risk getting grounded and not being able to come back. If he got caught here with Tyler and Jacob, it was definitely going to be enough of a ‘thing’ to alert his parents.
“Wait, guys!” He hissed, and Tyler and Jacob stopped. “Hold on. I have a plan – and I think it’ll work to get us all out of trouble.”
Jacob cocked an eyebrow.
“Really? Evan’s got a plan? I never thought I’d see the day!”
“Shut up.” Evan rolled his eyes. “Come on, we can’t afford to mess this up, right? So just… stay back, let me talk to him, and then once I give the signal, you guys sneak out, okay?”
Tyler and Jacob glanced at each other, then nodded.
“Alright, you got this, buddy.” Tyler said, clapping him on the shoulder. He prepared himself to run, anyway. Evan wasn’t exactly known for his ability to lie or project confidence, and if it really came down to it, he’d have to sprint off and distract them. Whatever happened, he couldn’t risk adults coming in and discovering Alex. Who knew what they’d do with him?
Take him to a lab or some stupid government facility? His parents were already talking about calling the freaking FBI over their own son! There was no way Tyler was letting that happen.
Evan stepped out of the cave entrance, his hands already in the air.
“Woah! Hands up, buster, don’t make any sudden movements!” The man outside barked, and Evan whimpered, flinching back. A bright light shone directly in his eyes, and he looked away, his heart racing. “Oh, now, for Chrissakes… Evan Harding?” The Sheriff lowered his flashlight, sighing.
“Yes, sir.” Evan said, keeping his trembling fingers up in the air. The Sheriff shook his head, putting his flashlight away.
“Damnit, son, you know how much trouble you’re gonna be in if I tell your parents you were out here? What the hell were you thinking?”
Evan blinked, lowering his hands down in front of him.
“I, uh… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any trouble. I just needed to… you know, get away for a bit.” His face flushed. It wasn’t a lie, exactly. The Sheriff pressed his lips together with a heavy breath.
“Now don’t I get that.” He murmured. Evan didn’t look up. He had to sell the innocent contrition. This would never work if it was Tyler or Jacob – it had to be him. “You know, if your parents knew what you were doing, they’d go off the deep end.”
Evan looked up, summoning up some tears. This only ever worked because he looked so elfin, and his eyes were so big and blue.
“I know, I know… I just… they’re a lot, okay? Sometimes I just can’t be around them anymore, or I’m gonna go crazy!” He kept his voice steady, though. Too much desperation and he’d look pathetic.
The Sheriff rubbed the back of his neck and chewed on his lip. The man felt terrible for this kid. Evan was a good kid, he never really did anything bad, but his family… Yeesh. The Hardings were a heavy touch, even for him. The last time he’d had to take Evan home was just for being in the backseat with Jacob and Tyler when they ran a stop sign.
Even that had resulted in poor Evan being grounded for three full weeks, not allowed to participate in any of his extra-curriculars. His own son, Noah, had even commented on the poor guy, and how he had to miss things all the time because of his family's arbitrary restrictions. No gluten, no dairy, no sugar... No fun.
Sheriff Neubecker knew the Hardings too. Straightedge, overly religious, and way too many kids.
He remembered being a teenager, and how hard it could be.
And looking into Evan’s eyes, the kid looked like he was already resigned to prison life in his frilly, overly-decorated house.
“Tell you what, kid. I’ve been there, okay? Sometimes you just need a little time to yourself. If you don’t let me catch you out here again in the middle of the night, I’ll keep this one between us, just this once.” He put a finger to his lips. Evan looked up, blue eyes wide, his face morphed into shock.
“R-really?” He said breathlessly. He coughed out and let out a terrified breath. Had to sell that he was grateful, but he really was relieved.
“Just this once, got it? If I catch you out here, I won’t be able to keep it secret for you.”
“Oh god, thanks, Mr. Neubecker, I… I promise. I won’t… I won’t sneak out here anymore.” Evan said, putting his hand to his heart, feeling it pound even through the thick yarn of his cream sweater.
The Sheriff smiled. Evan really was a good kid. Once he got out from under his parent’s thumb, he’d really do well.
“Alright, now get on home, and don’t get yourself caught, you hear?”
“Yeah, I won’t!” Evan said, taking a step. The Sheriff paused, eying the mouth of the cave. He thought he heard something in there, but it was hard to tell over the roaring of the waterfall. He took a step toward the cave, and Evan was speaking before he even realized.
“Wait!” He said, reaching out. The Sheriff froze and turned back to him. “Umm, sorry, I just… I didn’t realize how dark it was… can you walk me back?” He stammered out. Sheriff Neubecker sighed, but turned away from the cave.
“Sure, son.” He said, laughing quietly. Even as a teenager, this was one sheltered kid.
Evan glanced back at the cave and hoped that was enough of a message. The other two would have to leave on their own, but at least they’d all escaped notice.
The two of them trailed through the woods until they reached the park benches, where Evan had chained up his bike. He was really glad he’d decided to bike alone rather than ride with Jacob and Tyler.
That would be impossible to explain. He unlocked his bike, fingers shaking, then turned to wave at the Sheriff before riding away.
“Thanks again!” He called, pedaling into the night. He still had to figure out how to get inside and into his room without his parents noticing, but that was the easy stuff. The real world felt so much smaller and duller in comparison to what he’d just seen. Nothing here could match what was in the cave. The sheer size of Alex, the heartbeat underneath him, the impossibility of everything.
His heart felt like it was fluttering in his chest.
Had everything in the cave really happened? His face flushed, and he cleared his throat. It must have just been the chilly air.
But he’d be back. There was no way he could stay away, now.