Blackbird, p.13
Blackbird, page 13
Connor wasn’t deterred; he leaned forward in the recliner. “Oh, you mean like that time you beat my overall home runs during Little League? Or how about all those times you smashed me at bowling?”
Toby scowled. “Just shut up, Connor.”
“Oh, I know, you must mean your overall time for the mile run in PE class? You’re such a real speedster, aren’t you, Tobes?”
Toby pushed off the wall. “I said, SHUT UP!”
Connor’s eyes widened. “Oh, wait, you’ve never beaten me in anything. And you never will because you’re a pitiful loser who can’t win at anything!”
Toby saw red. He threw his pizza at his brother—Connor smiled in glee as he dodged the slice—and Toby launched himself at Connor in the recliner. He had a moment of satisfaction when his fist hit his brother’s gut. Connor grunted.
“Oh, you’re going to pay for that,” Connor hissed out.
Fists flew. Toby was lifted, tossed on the floor. He hit carpet. Breath rushed out of his mouth. His brother clocked him in the chin, then maneuvered him into a strong arm around his neck.
Toby’s face heated. He was losing air. He tapped his brother’s arm.
His brother released him and shoved him to the side while Toby coughed.
Shoulders heaving, Connor pointed a finger down at him. “I always beat you at everything, idiot. When are you going to get that through your thick head? I will always win, and you will always lose like the loser you were born to be.” Connor left the room, leaving Toby on the floor.
Toby just lay sprawled on the floor, breathing hard, staring at the ceiling.
* * *
The next day, Toby studied a block of wood in woodshop class, rubbing his chin with his forefinger. Buzz saws and drills sounded around him. The scent of freshly cut wood filled his nostrils. He was supposed to be working on a small cutting board project, but he had other ideas at the moment—like making rail blocks for Hide-and-Seek so that the rabbit couldn’t hide in some of the areas in the game.
Yeah, it was cheating.
He just didn’t care.
For once, he wanted to shove a winning score right in his brother’s face. He felt tension grip his body inch by inch just thinking about Connor. How he always had to be number one at everything he did. How he always had to rub it in Toby’s face.
Well, he wasn’t going to be a loser this time if it was the last thing he did.
Everything had been a big competition with Connor as far back as Toby could remember. Connor always had to have the best score, the best grades, the biggest piece of cake. He had to be stronger than Toby in arm wrestling, beat him at boxing, and win one-on-one in basketball. He had to get the most attention from Dad, and Mom when she’d been around. He’d been a star quarterback his junior varsity season until he’d banged up his knee and couldn’t play well enough afterward. That had really messed with his brother’s head. Toby remembered him moping around the house for months. Toby had even felt bad for him for a little while. Until Connor had gotten a job at Freddy’s and went on an arcade game mission defeating every high score in the place. He’d been obnoxious and unbearable ever since then. Now that Toby worked there, Connor held that ultimate arcade victory over Toby nearly every day.
It drove Toby freaking crazy.
That was why Connor’s reign was finally coming to an end.
Determined, Toby got to work on the block of wood, cutting out squares that would soon be the perfect rail blocks for Hide-and-Seek.
Mr. Pedrick walked by Toby’s workstation. He adjusted his glasses and looked at Toby cutting out blocks. “Those are too small for a cutting board, Toby.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m getting to the cutting board next.”
Mr. Pedrick crossed his arms. “The cutting board is your assignment now. It’s due at the end of the period. How are you going to get it done in thirty minutes? You’re a good kid, Toby. I know you can do better than this if you just try and put some effort into your projects.”
“I’m starting the project right now.” Irritated, Toby walked over to the wood table and picked up another piece of wood for the cutting board. When Mr. Pedrick walked away, he set the new piece of wood aside and continued with the rail blocks. Some things were more important and took priority over schoolwork.
Like beating an annoying, ignorant, loudmouthed brother.
* * *
After Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza and Games closed that night, Toby inserted his coins for a new round of Hide-and-Seek. There were only a couple of employees left cleaning up in the kitchen and he’d snuck inside the game room near the end of his shift. The game voice welcomed him to the game. Before Toby entered his name, he walked over to the small barricaded fence that blocked the wall from players getting too close to the game and hopped over. From his sweatshirt, he dug out the small wooden blocks that he’d shaped to fit in the railing. He gave the blocks a good pound with his hand, wedging each wood piece into the rails to cut off access to the school, police station, and the pizza place. Now the only places the rabbit could hide were the park and the store, which were right next to each other.
Toby smiled and nodded. Now he would definitely win, and he’d get his name listed as first place.
Oh yeah, let’s do this!
He couldn’t wait to rub Connor’s face in his win. He could see his brother now: His face would get all red, just like it did whenever something didn’t go his way, and he’d storm off and hit a wall in the house like a big baby. Dad would yell at him to go cool off, and then Dad would look at Toby and roll his eyes.
Toby snickered. It would be priceless.
Toby hopped back over the small fence and ran to enter his name into the game.
“Here we go, Toby!”
“Yeah, here we go, rabbit.”
Bonnie glided out, the room blackened.
“Three …”
Toby tapped his foot as he waited for the lights to turn on.
“Two … one!”
As soon as the room brightened, he sprinted to the park and slapped on the slide.
“Sorry, no Bonnie here!”
He hit the tree.
“Sorry, no Bonnie here!”
Rattled, he hit the deli at the store.
“Uh-oh, you lose!”
Toby’s jaw dropped in disbelief! His peppermint-flavored toothpick fell to the floor. No freaking way!
Bonnie glided from behind the cashier register at the store.
“Better luck next time, Toby!”
Toby’s hands fisted as he growled loudly in frustration. “You think you’re funny, don’t you, rabbit? You think I’m a loser? Well, I’m not, you idiot! You’re the loser! You’ll see!”
He paced back and forth, and tore the beanie from his head. His entire body vibrated with tension. “I am not going to lose another game to you!” He rubbed his hands over his head. “Think. Think!”
He wanted to win. He needed to win.
Suddenly, he whirled as a quick solution crossed his mind. “Yes!” He rushed out of the game room. A minute later, he inserted his tokens and came back in, carrying two metal chairs. He already had the store, the school, and pizza place covered. He wedged the back of the chairs into the railing to the park and the store. The bottom of the chairs leaned forward on the small fence.
“Welcome to Hide-and-Seek! Enter your name to try to find Bonnie, and let’s begin!”
“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered. Toby stood back, hands on his hips, looking at his handiwork. Everywhere was blocked. There was no way the rabbit could even hide at all!
“Hah! Got you now, sucker. Who’s the winner now?”
He rubbed his damp palms together as he rushed to input his name. He felt a sheen of sweat on his forehead and wiped it with the back of his hand. He felt jittery. Off. Like he couldn’t keep still. He rolled his neck in a circular motion and cracked his knuckles.
“Here we go, Toby!” the voice sang out.
Bonnie glided out, the room blackened.
“Three …”
Toby’s stomach took a sudden dive and his head went light. He almost felt like puking.
“Two …”
For one moment, a rush of quiet seemed to fill the room. As if all the air was sucked out of the area and his ears were about to pop. He felt a strange tickle at his back and shifted a shoulder to make it go away. Then all at once, sound rushed back into his ears.
“One!”
The lights flashed on.
Toby blinked. He felt disoriented. He rubbed his eyes and scanned the walls before him. “Wait.” Bonnie … was gone.
Toby’s head swiveled left and right. Even to the ceiling. There was no way the rabbit should be able to hide anywhere. “What the heck? Where’d you go?”
He rushed to the small fenced barricade and hopped over to the billboard cutouts, trying to peer inside the slight gap between the cutouts and the wall.
The slots were empty.
No, this wasn’t right. His stomach was turning and his chest felt tight. He continued to run to each cutout, peering behind the wooden displays. There was nowhere the rabbit could have gone. This didn’t make any sense. Toby’s heart beat like a drum. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of his head.
No, no, no.
This wasn’t fair! The stupid rabbit couldn’t win!
Heat flashed across his face. A burst of helpless energy flared throughout his body. His breaths increased. He wasn’t a loser.
He wasn’t a freaking loser!
He ran to the chair he’d propped against the railing, picked it up, and heaved it across the room. It smashed against a wall, denting a hole into the game’s pizza place. He pulled at one part of the small fence and tore it down. He stomped through the broken barrier and stalked over to the other chair and threw it against another wall. He pulled down another section of the fencing, reached for the tree cutout at the park, and gritting his teeth, he pulled at it with all his strength. It ripped off the wall as he crashed to the floor. Only a few pegs stuck out in its place. He threw the tree, got back to his feet, and ran to the police station, tearing at the desk cutout.
I always beat you at everything, idiot. When are you going to get that through your thick head? I will always win, and you will always lose like the loser you were born to be.
He tugged and tore at anything he could get his hands on. He wasn’t sure how long he went at it. Tearing down. Destroying. All he knew was that he had to be rid of this helpless feeling within him. This feeling of being weak and powerless. This pain that always seemed to be inside of him. He hated it.
He needed it out! Gone!
Finally, his body grew tired as he tripped on a piece of a cutout and fell on his ass. His chest was heaving up and down. Sweat covered his face. His hands were red and throbbing. He looked around at what he’d done and satisfaction filled him.
Yeah, take that, he thought.
He’d pretty much destroyed Hide-and-Seek.
As he stared at the destruction, reality crashed down on him. He swallowed past the dryness in his throat. He scrubbed at his face with his hands, then continued to stare at the mess he’d created. He’d ruined a game that wasn’t his. He was going to get in so much trouble.
Frantic, he stood and grabbed the tree he’d torn from the wall. He quickly tried to reattach it to the pegs, but it was no use. It just crashed back to the floor.
“What did I do?” he whispered. Then he did the only thing he could think to do: he ran out of the room.
* * *
Toby opened his eyes. Blinked. He was in the dark. He was lying facedown on a cold metal table. Where was he? Bright lights flashed on above him and he squinted. He tried to sit up but his hands were tied above his head. His legs were bound at his ankles, and he couldn’t move them.
“What the heck?” Toby tried to lift his head a little. “Hey! What’s going on? Connor? Are you messing with me?” His voice seemed to echo inside the room. He looked around to see brick walls surrounding him. “You’re going to get busted for doing this.”
Someone shifted behind him.
When no one answered, panic set in. Connor would have been blabbing his mouth by now. “Hey, whoever you are, you better let me go!” He jerked at his hands, but the rope just bit into his wrists, rubbing his skin raw. His heartbeats seemed to pound against the cold table beneath him. Then he spotted something dark in his peripheral vision.
“What do you want?” He felt his shirt tugged from his back, then heard scissors cutting at it. “Stop it! Leave me alone!” Cold air hit his skin. He heard more movement, then something small bit into his back. Like a needle. “Ow! Don’t touch me!”
The needle was pulled out, and then he felt his skin being tugged. “What the heck are you doing to me?” He jerked his head left and right, trying to see what was happening. Sweat pearled on his forehead. Again, he felt the needle push into his skin and then pull. Blood dripped down his back as the pain grew in intensity.
“Stop, you’re hurting me! Please, I said, stop!”
But whoever the dark figure was, he didn’t speak.
And he didn’t stop.
Toby felt every prick and pull of the needle as realization dawned.
Someone was sewing something to his back.
“Someone help me!” he screamed. “Please!”
* * *
Toby jerked awake. He sat up in his bed, alert. Heart pounding. Breathing fast. He was disoriented. It was just a bad dream. Sunlight slanted through his window blinds. He was okay. He was home. What day was it? Was it time to go to school? Did he oversleep? He glanced at his alarm clock: 7:55 a.m. He didn’t set his alarm because it was Saturday. Right?
He rubbed his face, then glanced at the mirror mounted on his dresser across from his bed. His face was pale, and there were dark circles under his eyes. His brown hair stuck up in crazy directions. He spotted his shadow on the wall behind him and felt a ticklish feeling at his back.
A shadow?
Frowning, he tilted his head as he looked at it in the reflection of the mirror. That didn’t seem right. There wasn’t enough light from the window blinds for him to see his own shadow in his room. He shifted and leaned to the right. A second later, the shadow followed.
Toby’s eyes widened. Did his own shadow just delay in following him?
He leaned quickly to the left. But this time, the shadow moved quickly.
He shook his head. Weird. He probably wasn’t fully awake yet.
Toby yawned and scratched his chest, then stretched his arms over his head. The shadow followed along. Then he winced. His body was sore. Guilt from last night came crashing back. Dang, why did he have to mess up the game like that? What was Dan, his boss, going to say? Was he going to get caught? When he put his arms down, the shadow’s arms were still up.
Toby sucked in a breath and jumped from his bed. Looking at the wall behind his bed, he saw nothing. No shadow. He whipped his head toward the mirror and saw the shadow behind him.
A chill radiated down his spine.
He stepped closer to the large mirror on his dresser, watching as the shadow followed closely behind. The closer he got, the dark shadow followed. He peered into the mirror, and his mouth went dry.
The shadow had … rabbit ears.
Toby spun around as if he could somehow catch the shadow. But every time he turned, there was nothing behind him. It was as if it would suddenly duck and hide somewhere in his room. Toby went to his bed and peered underneath. Just a bunch of dust and junk. He went to his closet and saw more junk. But even that didn’t make sense. He glanced back in the mirror, and the shadow was still behind him.
The only rabbit he could even think of was Bonnie the Rabbit from the game Hide-and-Seek.
Toby froze for a moment, trying to comprehend what was actually happening. A rabbit’s shadow from a game attached to his back. He frowned. Wait, this couldn’t be real. Suddenly, relief seeped through him. He slapped a hand to his forehead and barked out a laugh.
“I’m still dreaming. Duh.” There was no way he could actually be seeing a shadow in the shape of a rabbit. This was some nightmare he was having because he was afraid he’d get caught for breaking the dumb game. Everything was fine, he assured himself. He yawned again and decided to go back to bed. When he would really wake up again, the only shadow he’d see would be his own. He climbed back into bed and got underneath the covers. He looked once more into the mirror, seeing the shadow hovering behind him.
Toby waved, and the shadow waved with him.
He lay down and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.
Toby blinked awake. His eyes were blurry. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, stretching his sore body. Even though he’d slept in, he felt exhausted. He sat up in bed, glancing into the dresser mirror.
The shadow was still there.
Fear punched his chest, and he pushed back against the wall, kicking the covers off of him. He sprang out of bed, hunched down, staring at the mirror. The shadow lurked just at his back. Toby reached behind him as if he could feel the shadow, but he only grabbed air.
He swallowed hard as he stood straight, and the shadow did the same. He turned to his side to see if he could see the shadow closely, but for some reason, the shadow stayed just behind him.
“Who are you?” he asked the shadow. “What do you want?”
The shadow didn’t speak.
“Get away from me.”
Nothing happened.
“I said, GO AWAY!”
Nothing.
Toby gritted his teeth as he paced back and forth, rubbing his hands hard through his hair. Okay, there was a shadow following him that wasn’t his own shadow. How could this be happening? This was too freaking weird. He stopped again, leaning onto the dresser with his hands, and peered into the mirror. Every time he saw the darkness behind him, a chill ran through his entire body, making him shiver. Did his back feel heavier than usual? Toby was pretty sure it was because that thing was attached to him. What should he do? Well, he knew what he should do. He needed to get it off of him. But how could he make it go away?
“I can do this,” he murmured. “I can get it off of me. There has to be a way. Think.”
