The Locket

“Do you have any siblings?” I questioned making an effort to look as though anything about him actually interested me.

“No,” he snapped, hunching his shoulders.

“Oh,” I said gently, noting his discomfort. I decided to play on it. “It sucks not having any siblings, huh?”

He relaxed his shoulders and hung his head in thought. I was right. Something was wrong in Logan’s house.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry,” I consoled him, continuing my plan.

“It’s fine,” he said, pulling a metal flask from the cargo pocket on his shorts. He turned the lid taking a large sip, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

I set my food on the blanket and slid close to him, placing my hands on his knees.

Keep him calm, Claire.

“Logan, you don’t need that,” I said firmly. He eyed me with his dark stare. I didn’t move away, opting instead to put my mouth next to his ear and speak sweetly. “I’m not going to run. I just want to get to know you, Logan.”

I felt his tension releasing, fully aware this could go either way. He inhaled deeply, twisting the lid back on the flask. He flung it across the room and it hit the wall forcefully. His eyes filled with tears. He dropped his head in his hands sobbing inconsolably. Careful not to disturb him – hoping the guilt coursing through him stirred his conscience, I waited for him to speak. He finally lifted his head and I saw a glint of remorse in his eyes.

“Claire, I hoped you’d stay. I need you so much.”

What?

Logan’s words were alarming, sending up giant red flags. His words also pierced my heart. Logan was severely damaged. Something happened in his life to break him. It made me really sad knowing he was mistreated. It made me even sadder knowing my move to Northfield had made things worse for him. Kace used him while he was at his weakest, adhering to him, and forcing his demons to the surface – turning him into someone to loathe. I knew he was not going to let me go. Any attempt would bring out the vile beast that lay inside of him. I needed to focus my attention on keeping this gentler Logan around. That would be my best chance to get free, hopefully freeing him in the process.

Logan peered up at me, his eyes gentle. They looked bright for the first time since I met him. They were an amber shade of brown reminding me of the rocks in Jasper, making me smile. He smiled back mirthfully.

We continued eating in silence. He started to speak several times, stopping himself before he did, silently showing me he had conflicting feelings about keeping me there.

I thought back to the conversation I had with Brent about apparitions. When one is returned to its human form, the spirit hangs on for a while. Thinking maybe it was the same when an Adherent left its Anchor, hope poured into me. The spirit Logan was entertaining was fading. I felt it. Trusting my instincts as The Locket, I knew with certainty, that’s why he was softening. I knew I just had to keep him calm until the Adherent faded completely.

Logan started cleaning up the trash from the blanket, placing it back in the paper bag. “Are you okay? Do you want any more water?” he asked.

I wiped my mouth with my napkin one last time before tossing it into the bag. “Yes, please,” I answered.

Logan gave me another bottle and carried the bag out of the room. When he returned, he was carrying his lap top. Putting it down on the blanket, he addressed me. “I have some movies on here if you want to watch one.”

Guh! No, I don’t want to watch a movie with you. I want to get the hell out of here.

Keep him calm, Claire.

“Sure, what do you have?” I inquired, exhaling slowly to stay calm.

After browsing through dozens of titles, we decided on The Princess Bride, one of my all-time favorites. Logan said it was one of his favorites too.

He laughed as he quoted Vizzini. “Inconceivable,” he belted, laughing again. “Classic,” he said, looking like a high school kid hanging out with a friend.

Seeing him that way warmed my heart, and I wanted to shout at him, forcing him to see what he was doing was wrong. Deciding not to, I continued with plan “appease Logan”. I quoted one of my favorite lines from the film. “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die,” I howled, laughing at my ridiculous Spanish accent. Logan laughed with me. “Now, that’s a classic.”

We were both chuckling as we said different lines from the film and at the same time we shouted, “As… you… wish.”

Logan looked at me nervously. “That’s one of the best movie lines ever. Can you imagine loving someone so much that you’d do anything they wished?”

My smile faded just a little. I didn’t have to imagine it. I did love someone that much and I missed him.

“No,” I mumbled, quickly returning the smile to my face hoping that Logan hadn’t noticed its brief departure. If he did, it didn’t affect his mood. He started the movie and sat down next to me. I put my head on his shoulder knowing it would affect him, but also because my body ached with fever, sick from missing Brent, and I wanted to be close to someone.

The movie played in the background of our chatter. Logan had started the conversation talking about this being his mom’s favorite movie. He never met someone our age that had seen it – let alone knew it so well. I told him it was one of my dad’s favorites also, and how w