Chapter Three

Once I got out of the pool a few hours later, I toweled myself down and headed for my room to get some clothes before I showered.

Once out of the shower, I dried off and got dressed. I brushed my long blonde hair and left the steamy bathroom. I draped the wet towel over the edge of my bed and grabbed my iPod from my nightstand.

I didn't see my father as I headed for the back yard, and figured that he was unpacking the boxes in his bedroom. I put my ear buds in my ears and turned on my iPod, pulling up Beethoven's “Moonlight Sonata” and turning the volume all the way up. I hummed along to the tune and fingered the notes on my legs as if I were playing the piece on a piano.

I stepped out into the blazing hot Summer sun, the heat beating pleasantly on my bare legs and shoulders. I smiled at the tingly feeling that my feet got from being cold and the so suddenly warm as I walked across the dry grass.

There were little trees in the back yard. The few that I could see weren't nearly tall enough to climb yet. I sighed, looking around for something to do.

That was when I remembered the corn field.

I looked over at it, tilting my head to the side curiously. I took my sandals off, leaving them by the sliding glass door, and headed over the field. There was a gap between the rows of corn, and I guessed that this was the entrance.

I spun up to the corn and took a leaf in my hand, shaking it as if to say “Hello, how are you today?”

I giggled lightly, feeling giddy from all the fresh air.

I laughed as I spun and danced into the corn field, running out of energy all too soon. I slowed to a walk and ran my hands along the rows of corn.

A few minutes later, when the song was about half over, I spotted a gap between several corn stalks.

“I wonder...” I murmured, barely able to hear myself, and turned my iPod off before pocketing it and crawling in between the dry stalks of corn.

I looked around me, thinking [i]This must be how the birds feel[/i] as I crouched down in the corn.

I smiled to myself, letting my eyes wander some.

There wasn't much to look at""mostly just the stalks of corn""but it was cool to be there nonetheless.

For a moment I thought I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. My head shot back to look at whatever had moved.

I let out a small gasp of surprise when I saw the boy sitting there.

He looked to be about my age, if not a year or two older. His dark hair was matted and dirty, his clothes blood-stained and stiff. His feet were bare. I felt as if I might hurl; I didn't do well with blood.

“Oh, my god,” I said softly as I inched forward, trying to help him. “What happened? Are you okay?”

The boy remained silent.

Then,as if he hadn't moved at all, he'd stood up and run away. I stood up, trying to peer over the tall stalks of corn, but I was too short to see anything but corn.

I didn't see my dad for the rest of the day. After what happened in the corn field, I went to my room and tried to make sense of what had happened.

After a few hours of letting my imagination run wild, I eventually came to the conclusion that he was an escaped mental patient that had gotten hurt whilst escaping and needed help.

I had no idea what I was going to do about him....

[i]Maybe I should just forget about him...[/i]

But that was the problem""I [b]couldn't[/b] forget about him. That face was imprinted in my mind.

The only thing that didn't make sense was the look in his eyes. The way I'd always expected a discovered escaped mental patient to look was scared, but this boy looked more... surprised... than anything else.

It didn't make any sense to me.