Daniel Mallory

                                 “Greyson Wayne’s Diary” Draft 1

                                              By Daniel Mallory

       Tuesday November 2

Dear Diary,

I had the dream again. It is about a boy, roughly age 20. He has black hair and blue eyes. He is swimming underwater, but has the ability to breathe as if he were on land. Around him are nothing but shades of blue and black. Suddenly, he feels an urge to swim upward. As he breaches the surface, all he can see is a man in a gray suit, and bright white light everywhere.

I am solving this one tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Greyson

    

       Chapter 1

Monday, January 3

           

Foster woke up to his alarm. Eyes barely open, he took time to emerge from his sleep, attempting to focus on reality.

Reality. The reality was that he had dropped out of school for a semester, to take a break and find work. Times had gotten stressful at college, he reminded himself, and this is what was necessary. It was just for a while, to get his head on straight. The everlasting quest for a job would continue today… The lacking of motivation seeped in.

His mind then switched over to the thought of Zane, his best friend from high school, still up at college. He thought of his older brother, Mark, a senior at Georgia Tech, about to graduate, possibly with a Magna Cum Laude. Foster was glad that he both Zane and his brother had at least been around for break. But break was over. He began to close his eyes again.

The phone rang. Startled, he leapt out of bed, rushed down the spiral staircase, to the phone, and picked it up.

            “Hello?” he said in a somewhat tired voice.

            “Hi. Can I speak to Foster?” It was a woman’s voice. She was possibly in her 40’s or 50’s.

            Somewhat surprised, he replied.

            “Uh..this is Foster speaking. How can I help?”

            “Oh hey! This is Sheila. I live right up the street. I ran into your mother the other day, and she told me you are home for the semester, looking for work.”

            Foster knew who she was. She was a neighbor and an old friend of his mom’s.

            “Oh hi, Mrs. Wayne. How are you? Oh, and yes, I am looking for work.”

“Ok. Good, well I have a proposition for you, if you are interested.”

The fog seeped from Foster’s head immediately. He lit up, straightened his posture, and replied.

“Um, sure… I would be interested.”

“Good to hear. So every Wednesday for the next 6 weeks, I am going to be away from the house between 1pm and 5pm. My 10-year-old son, Greyson, would be home alone during this time. I was wondering if, for the next six weeks, for $40 an hour, you would be free to babysit him every Wednesday from 1 to 5.”

             “When can I get started?”

            “Could you come by this Wendesday?”

            “Sounds good to me.”

                                                         

                                                              Chapter 2

Wednesday, January 5

            At 8 AM, Sheila came in and woke Greyson up. “It’s time for breakfast!” she shouted. Greyson popped out of bed, got dressed, and headed over to the kitchen. After eating pancakes and cereal, which was usually what he preferred to eat every day, it was time for learning. He sat in the living room with his mother, and she began to teach.

The first class of the day was English, which began at 9 AM. Then, at 9:50 there was a 10 minute break. Mathematics began at 10 AM. Another 10 minute break followed. History was taught at 11 AM.  At 11:50, lunch came around, followed by another 30 minute break, where he could go outside. Then, starting at 1:30, two classes, which involved playing games, as well as world studies, followed. Finally, after all of this, was free time.  Often, Sheila went away, and so a sitter was hired. Today, a new sitter was being hired.

It was 1 PM. Greyson’s favorite thing to do in free time was to write in his journal.  As he sat down, beginning to write, he heard a knock on the door.

                                                      …

Foster was on schedule. He waited outside, but there was no reply to his knock. He tried again. He felt so relieved that he had arrived on time, but now he was growing impatient. Just as he reached out his hand to knock a third time, the door opened.

Sheila Wade was short and slightly overweight. She had reddish brown hair, a few freckles on her face, dark brown eyes, and a beaming, wide smile.  Foster perceived that she was happy to see him. “Well hey there, come on in!”

“Hey,” Foster said nervously in reply.

“I’m sorry that the house is so messy today, the maid should be here sometime tomorrow. So how are you today?” They walked through the kitchen. Foster talked with Sheila, but also took time to look around and study the place a bit. The kitchen floor had white and black linoleum tiles. There was one window to the backyard. As they approached the living room, Foster noticed that there were books all over the table: History, Math, and English. Not only books, but board games too. “Oh, sorry about the books. Greyson is homeschooled, so often the books get left behind, on the table. He is very organized though. That’s just where he prefers to leave them.”

“Ah. Cool,” replied Foster. “So what exactly do you need me to do?”

“Oh, well Greyson usually just likes to sit in his room and write in his little journal. But occasionally, if he wants to go outside, you can go out with him, throw the ball or do whatever. Just be there for his safety.”

“Can I take him anywhere?”

She began to look a bit tense.

“Um, well normally I would say yes, but for now, let’s just see how today goes.”

 “That’s fine with me.”

                                                                 …

 As Greyson sat in his room, he heard his mother’s voice. “Greyson! Come out and meet your new sitter, Foster!”

“Ok!” He walked outside. His mom was standing in the living room. Greyson looked at Foster for a little bit. Foster was very tall. He was wearing a navy blue hoodie, blue jeans, and Converse shoes. He had dark, wavy hair and blue eyes. Greyson could sense that Foster was somewhat nervous as to why he was there. Simutaneously, a fear gripped him that Foster was there. It was him, who he had been writing about. Standing in front of him. This was it.

                                                            …

Foster decided he needed to be friendly. He stuck out his hand and said, “Hey man. It’s nice to meet you.” Greyson had blond hair and bright blue eyes. He couldn’t really tell if he was getting Greyson’s full attention. At one moment his eyes seemed to be fixed on his shoes, and in the next moment he was thinking about something.

Shiela spoke. “Greyson, be nice. Shake his hand.”

They shook hands.

“Ok, well you two have fun. I’ll be back at five!”

 “Sounds good,” said Foster.

As the car pulled out of the driveway, there was a period of silence. “I’m going back to my room,” said Greyson.

“Ok.”

Foster’s first thought was, ‘Well this makes my job easier.’ He retreated to the living room and turned on the T.V. Sheila had said earlier that it would be ok for him to help himself to some food, so he grabbed an apple out of the fruit basket.

After about a minute had passed, Greyson suddenly appeared in front of him.

“I’m done,” he said.

“Done?” Foster was a bit confused.

“I’m done writing. Want to go play soccer?” His voice was surprising articulate for someone his age.

“Sure,” said Foster.

They went outside, and kicked the soccer ball around. Foster’s first idea of a conversation was to ask about what he wrote in the journal. ‘No, it’s too personal,’ he thought. Greyson appeared bored, and in his own head, looking around. Foster finally spoke up.

“So where does your mom go on Wednesdays?”

“Business meetings,” replied Greyson.

“Ok, but normally she works from home?”

“No. She travels a lot. I’m homeschooled. Usually sitters do the teaching, but some days she teaches me.”

“Oh ok.” There was a moment of silence.

Greyson spoke. “Are you in college?”

 “Um, I am, but I’m taking some time off right now,” Foster said. “Were you ever in school?” The second he asked that question, he had a gut feeling telling him that he shouldn’t have asked.

Greyson looked around for a moment, and then replied. “I was, when I was little. My mom took me out because I was being made fun of. I’m not allowed to have friends over now, except for whoever is babysitting me.”

Foster was taken aback for a second. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

“Mom says I’m not allowed to leave the house, unless I’m with her, or a sitter.”

“Oh.” Foster rubbed the back of his neck, nervously. Greyson’s tone sounded chipper when he said that, so Foster assumed that he was ok with these rules. And then, it slipped out. “So what do you write about in the journal?”

“That’s private.”

“Oh…Ok.”

“Why did you leave college?” asked Greyson.

“Um...well, actually, that’s private too.”

“Oh. Ok.”

They continued kicking the ball.

Greyson’s mom arrived home, an hour later. She paid Foster, and asked him how it went. “It was good,” he replied. “He seems like he’s very smart for his age.” “Oh yes, very,” she said.

                                                            …

                                    Wednesday, January 5   8:00PM

            Dear Diary,

            The boy from my dream was here today. He was playing ball with me. He was talking to my mother. This is not what I had expected to happen. This dream is one that is difficult for me to figure out, and yet happens so often. I hope to figure it out soon enough. In the meantime, there is a robbery in the nearby neighborhood I must attend to. My Mom’s alarm has been broken. I must go call the police. I will be there when it happens.

            Sincerely,

            Greyson                                               

                 Chapter 3

Thursday, January 6 12:00AM

           

        Foster woke up to streams of flashing red and blue light, shining through his window. Startled, he got up and took a look to see what was going on. A group of police cars were surrounding the house across the street. Two men were being carried out, in handcuffs.  One of the front windows on the house was cracked open, leaving a gaping hole. There had been a break-in.

        Foster peered out of the window, and studied the situation a bit more. He saw one officer talking to someone small. It must have been a child. They officer and the child were shillouettes against the brightness of the police lights and the nights darkness.

        Then, the child turned around. His eyes met with Foster’s.

        The child had the same bright blue eyes as that of the kid he was babysitting earlier that day.  

        It was Greyson.

                                                            …

“Greyson!”

Greyson looked over to see Foster running towards him.

Out of breath, Foster got down on one knee and tried to speak as calmly as possible. “What are you doing here?”

Greyson stared at him blankly, and said nothing.

“Come on, let’s get you home, before your mom finds out.”

He looked up to the officer and shook his hand. “Hi, I’m Foster. I’m his babysitter.”

The policeman greeted him, and then said, “He’s a smart kid.”

They hopped in the Toyota Rav 4. Nothing was said for a while.

Foster spoke. “Did you walk all the way here?”

Greyson nodded his head.

A few more minutes passed.

“I knew they were there.”

Foster turned his head over to Greyson.

“I’m sorry?”

“I knew the robbers were there,” Greyson said, louder.

Foster said nothing. He drove the rest of the way back to Greyson’s house, let him out, and sped off back home.

He had trouble falling back to sleep.  

                                   

                                               

Chapter 4

                                                 Thursday Janurary 6 10:00 AM

There was a knock on the door, the next morning. Foster looked out of the window and saw a black SUV parked outside his driveway.  He knew exactly who it was.

            He ran downstairs, started laughing, and let Zane in. “What’s up man?” Foster rushed up to him and they hugged, patting each other’s backs.

Zane was going to be in town for another three days. It was a long weekend, and he had been invited to a party at home. Being that his school was only about an hour away from home, he decided he might as well swing by for the party and then head back to school later the following afternoon.

Although they were best friends in high school, and were still best friends now, Zane and Foster were different from one another. Zane was somewhat of a character. He was a jokester, and was always ready to go on some sort of misadventure. In many ways, Foster looked at Zane as being all the things Foster wished he could be. Unlike Zane, who was charismatic and charming, Foster, on the other hand, was quiet and passive. However, when the two were together, the differences were usually put aside. 

Foster let Zane in. He made coffee, and they talked. Zane talked on and on about the adventures and “misadventures” he was having up at school. Foster listened, but began to feel jealous, to some extent, as he was listening.

Then Foster began talking about Greyson, and told him what had happened the previous night.

“All he said as I was driving him home was, ‘I knew they were there.’”

“Uh…what?”

Laughing, Foster replied, “Yea, I thought it was a little strange.”

“So he thinks he knew that the house was being robbed, before it actually happened?” Zane asked, raising his eyebrows.

Foster shook his head, laughed, and said, “I mean, he’s an interesting kid. I’m not really sure what’s going on in his mind…” he paused for a moment. “It’s weird because his mom keeps him on this super tight schedule. He doesn’t go to school, and he’s not even allowed to go outside the house unless it’s with a sitter or his mom. The kid can’t even have friends over.”

“That sucks…”

“Yea, so I’m surprised his mom didn’t set up a security system, like an alarm or something.”

Zane thought for a moment, then spoke.

 “I wouldn’t think too deep into it, dude. Someone else probably called the cops. He probably just saw cop cars drive by late at night, and he just got kind of excited, went outside, and followed them over to the house.”

 “Yea, it makes sense, but it’s just weird how he told me that he ‘knew they were there.’”

Zane looked to the left. “I mean, I don’t know, man. Like I said before, don’t dwell on it too hard. He’s just a kid. You might want to tell his mom about this, though, just in case.”

“Yea, that’s probably not a bad idea.”

There was a moment of silence. Foster began to think. Based on how protective Greyson’s mom was, would it really be a good idea to tell her what happened?

Zane checked his watch, for the date and time. “Oh dude, I’m going to a party at my buddy’s place on the 8^th. Want to come?”

“Sure.”

                                                           

     Chapter 6  

Saturday January 8 10:00 PM

           

Music blared loudly on the car radio. Foster drove fast, cut the last few corners, and approached the final stretch of the route from his home over to Zane’s friend’s home. It was some kind of high school reunion. Zane and Foster had gone to two different schools, so Foster knew that he would probably only know a few people here and there. He pulled up to the side of the road, making his place as the caboose amongst a train of cars. Being that his car was ten years old, his car door often had trouble opening. He pulled the handle, and rammed the side of his body into the door. The door flew open, and the chilly winter night air slapped him back in the face.

He embraced the cold, put on his jacket, and began walking. Just like old times in high school. He listened to the wind blow in the suburban neighborhood trees. He heard the sound of wind chimes in neighbor’s backyards. Off in the distance he heard the “Boom, boom, boom” of loud techno music, most likely emerging from the place he was walking to. It tainted the serenity of the neighborhood, but made him excited at the same time.

            The music grew louder. He turned the last corner, and walked up the driveway, and knocked on the door to the house.  A tall, muscular guy opened the door, giving Foster a half-smile as a greeting. Foster stepped inside. The warmth, the loud music, and the sea of voices washed over him. He immediately shut the door to keep the cold out. There was a staggering amount of people in the house. He realized that most of them were probably college freshman or seniors in high school, 1-2 grades below him. To himself, only, he admitted that this was so far the most excitement he had seen since he had dropped out of school...thus far.

            He stood by himself for the next couple of minutes or so. Then he began walk around.  He felt somewhat nervous and overwhelmed, as he paced throughout the crowded house, searching for somebody he knew, preferably Zane. He cautiously grabbed a beer from a cooler, which appeared to be open for everybody. He nodded at a guy who stood nearby, to make sure what he was doing was ok.

            Suddenly there was a tap on his shoulder. “Hey man!”

            “Oh hey, there you are.”

            “Foster, I’m so happy you’re here, man!” Zane was already drunk.

            Foster laughed. “It’s good to be here too.”

            Foster had barely finished his sentence when Zane interrupted, and said, “Oh dude, I have a friend who wants to meet you! She’s outside!”

            ‘She?’ thought Foster. 

            They walked through the labyrinth, and out onto the porch.

            “Foster, this is Aria.”

            She was tall, with long, brownish red hair, hazel eyes, and wore jeans and a blue hoodie. She didn’t wear too much make up, which Foster thought was actually kind of cool.

            Foster held a smile, stretched out his arm awkwardly, and said, “Hey.”

            “Hi,” she replied, shaking his hand. “It’s good to meet you. I’m a good friend of Zane’s. ”

            “Cool,” he replied. “It’s good to meet you too.”

            Zane came outside and joined them, and began to talk it up, just like Foster remembered him doing in the old days.

            “Aria, Foster is the coolest guy ever! He’s so nice!”

            Zane went on for another minute or so, and then Aria spoke over to Foster. “Want to go inside and get a drink or something? It’s cold.”

            “Yea,” he said in return.

            They exchanged small talk for a bit. Foster asked her where she went to school. She replied, “I’m a senior at Kingsbury High.” This was Zane’s old school.

“Oh cool, so you knew Zane from school?”

             “Yea!”

Foster was nervous to talk about his current school career. At the same time, he felt obliged to be honest. “I would be a junior at Baylor, but I’m kind of taking a break, to search for work, get some pre-real world experience.” 

            “Oh, that’s cool, actually. I know people who are doing that.”

            “Oh really? That’s awesome. But yea, at the moment I’m just babysitting. Dropping out of college to babysit.” He laughed, nervously.

            She laughed. “Aw. No worries, you can always go back soon if you want!”

            “Yea, it’s no too big of a deal. I’ll figure it out.”

            They grabbed drinks. Sooner or later, she went to go socialize with friends. About an hour later, Foster left the party, and drove home. As he drove, he hoped that maybe he would run into Aria again soon.

                                            

                                      Chapter 7

                Sunday January 9, 3:00 PM

            Dearest Diary,

            I had another dream. He is driving along the road. The signals at the intersection change. They are broken, flashing yellow. He is panics, and drives as swiftly as he can. Before he is able to drive safely out of the intersection, the dream ends.

            Sincerely,

            Greyson

Chapter 8

                                                      Sunday January 9

            Foster was sitting home on his computer, bored as could be. To clear his mind, he decided to drive out to his favorite spot in the neighborhood: an old tree house, built in a neighborhood park, just a couple of blocks away, by he and a big group of neighborhood friends, including his parents. It was the only area that really had a lot of trees. He and his friends used to spend countless hours over at this place. He pulled up.

            Nothing had changed, really. The spiral staircase going up the tree was still in tact. He climbed up the staircase, and entered the first floor of the house, built in a giant magnolia tree. The wood used to build the house was definitely getting old, but still stable. To the left of the entrance was a rope, with knots, making it into a ladder. He climbed up, to the loft. It was here, on this second floor, looking out through the window at the neighborhood, that Foster always felt he could think clearest.

            The air was brisk outside, but just warm enough to where it was chilly but enjoyable. He spent time thinking about his dream job, working in the film industry. After about ten minutes or so, he climbed back down, and drove off.  Foster would be visiting Greyson again in three days.

             

           

  

 Chapter 9

                                                 Wednesday January 12, 3:00 PM

           

The week passed by slowly, with little activity. Foster spent most of his time working on an application for a nearby fast food restaurant. Zane had driven back to his school two days after the party.

            Today would be Foster’s second day working with Greyson.

            At 3 PM he drove back over to Sheila’s house.  She was waiting outside for him already.

            “Foster! How are you today?”

            “Hi Ms. Wade, I’m doing good.”

            “Good! I was wondering if you could do a favor for me? I will pay you $25 extra, to pay you back.”

            “Um, sure.”            

            “Good! I need you to drive to the grocery store, and pick up a few items. I wrote them down on the list. Also, would it be ok if Greyson came with you?”

            “Sounds good to me.”

            “Thank you sweetie! You are such a dear.”

            “Anytime…”

           

            They headed down to the grocery store. Silence lingered between the two for a good period of five minutes or so.  Realizing the tension was getting thick, Foster chimed in with “How was your week, man?”

            “It was good.”

            “Cool. Did you do anything fun?”

            Greyson stared off into space for a period of time.

            “Greyson?”

            “My mom told me she thinks you’re really nice, and that she trusts you.”

            “Oh. Awesome. Well she’s a really nice lady, too.”

            The thought of the previous Wednesday night lingered in his mind, nagging at him. Then it slipped.

            “Greyson, what did you mean, when you said you knew they were there?”

            Greyson suddenly grew nervous.

            “Oh. Ok.” He tried to think of something better to say in response. “Well, if you ever feel like talking about it, I’m here to listen. I won’t tell anyone.”

            They pulled up to the grocery store.

           

            They walked around. Greyson paced around, staring only at his reflection on the floor as he walked.

            Foster looked over at him. What did Greyson think about? Where was his mind all the time?

            They walked into the bread aisle.

            “Foster?”

            He turned around. It was Aria, the girl he met at the party the other night. She stood there, smiling.

            “Oh, hey…”

            “What are you doing here?”

            “I’m just getting some groceries.” He laughed a little.

            They exchanged small talk for a little bit more.

            “Oh, by the way, this is Grey…” Greyson was gone. ‘Oh shit,’ thought Foster. Aria laughed. “I saw a little kid with you earlier. I think he ran away to go check out the vegetables.

            Foster looked over in dismay to find Greyson over in the vegetable section, lathering his hands in the mist dispenser.

            “Greyson!”

            Greyson looked over to find Foster staring at him, puzzled. He looked away. “Greyson, get over here!”

            Greyson staggered over, murmuring something that sounded like “The water feels good.”  

            Aria was laughing. “He’s so cute!”

            ‘Yea, when he’s not investigating police brigades, he’s really quite adorable,’ thought Foster.

            “Greyson, this is Aria.”

Greyson made little eye contact with Aria.

            “Hi Greyson, how are you?” said Aria.

            “Hello,” he said with very little enthusiasm.

            Aria and Foster talked a little bit more.  As they were talking Foster turned over to see Greyson staring out the window, wide-eyed. ‘Oh God, what is it this time?’ Foster thought.

            “Greyson, are you ok?”

            “Do not drive for another 15 minutes.”

            Aria and Foster looked at each other. Both confused, they started laughing.

            “Well, I hope you too have fun. Hey, we should hang out some time. What’s your number?” asked Aria.

            They exchanged numbers, and she left. 

            “Greyson, is something wrong?” asked Foster.

            “There’s going to be an accident.”

           

Chapter 10

Foster had a gut feeling telling him that it would probably be wise to listen to him. Foster continued the majority of his shopping excursion whistling nervously.

            Fifteen minutes passed, according to his watch. Nothing happened. “Ok, time to go,” said Foster.

            He paid for all of the items. They walked outside to the car, unpacked the items, hopped in, and drove. Still feeling somewhat anxious, Foster pulled out of the store, onto the main road, up to the first intersection. He made a left turn, to see, to his terror, that the lights, which had been working fine two seconds earlier, were all now flashing yellow. Horns went off, followed by a loud “Crack!” behind him. Hyperventilating, he vigorously drove out of the intersection.

A wave of relief washed over him, as he looked to see that he had made it back into his neighborhood safely. What had happened, he realized, was that someone had been confused by the mixed signals, and collided with the oncoming traffic. Greyson had been correct in his predictions. He was just about two minutes off.

            Foster pulled up to Greyson’s house. He was shaken, not only by the car crash, but now by the fact that his suspicions were now solidified; Greyson could see these things coming. Foster couldn’t take it anymore. He was going to talk to Sheila about it.

            He pulled his car up to their house, and waited for Sheila. As soon as they exited the car, Greyson ran off to his room to go write in his diary.

            Sheila arrived, five minutes later.

            She drove a silver Lexus SUV, probably a 07 or 08 model. The car crept up the driveway, and she rolled down her window. “Thank you so much, Foster! You are truly an angel.”

            “You’re welcome.” Looking towards his feet, he stuttered.  “M-Mrs. Wade, I need to talk to you.”

            “Oh ok! That’s fine. Is something wrong? Let me get out of the car first!”

            She pulled the car up, got out, and then walked up to him. “You were saying?” The tone in her voice switched from cheery and friendly to interrogative.

            “Well, it’s about Greyson.”

            She looked over at the side. This conversation was probably something she was hoping wouldn’t happen.

            “Well, I’m not trying to offend you or Greyson, or anybody, it’s just that, well, first of all, he had snuck out last Wednesday night.”

            Her eyes grew wide with fury. A pang of guilt struck Foster, mainly because he knew he was possibly violating Greyson’s trust with him.  

            He continued. “I’m sorry. The police had caught a robbery last night, at the house right across from mine. I looked outside my window. Greyson was there, talking to one of the cops. I drove him home, and he said to me, ‘I knew they were there.’”

            Sheila put her hand up to her mouth, and her eyebrows narrowed, revealing a mixture of concern, and indecision towards how to react.

            “I’m really sorry,” Foster continued.  “And actually there’s more. Earlier today, when we went to the grocery store, Greyson told me there was going to be an accident, and then—“

            “Foster?”

            “Uh…yea?”

            “I need to talk to you. I’ll pick you up tomorrow. Do you like Moe’s?” Her voice was very down-toned, less enthusiastic than normal.

            “Um…sure.”

            “Let’s have lunch at Moes.”

            “Ok then, sounds good.”

            “See you tomorrow.”

                                                               Chapter 11

                                                      Thursday January 13  12:00PM

“As you know, Greyson is a bit ‘different,’” Sheila began explaining, as they sat in the booth, with their food.  

             Foster nodded, and took a bite from his burrito.

            “First of all, we have had many sitters come and go, and he has told me bunches of times that you are his favorite.”

            Foster was a little surprised.

            “I mean, I haven’t really done anything different from the other sitters, have I?”

            “Well, it’s because you’re patient with him. You let him do what he wants. You never get mad.”            

            “Cool, so where is Greyson now?” asked Foster.

            “I told him he could have a class off today, and that I would be back in an hour. He’s at home watching a movie. He’ll be fine.”

            It was odd to see Sheila leaving Greyson home alone. Foster realized this talk must he really important.

            Sheila sighed. “Ok, so where do I start? First of all, Greyson is a very intelligent boy, as you may have figure. He’s just a little bit different.”

            Foster paused. “Is he autistic?”

            “Well, I’m not entirely sure,” replied Sheila. “I’ve taken him to a couple of doctors. So he said he knew the robbers were there, before the police got there?”

            “He claimed he knew the robbers were there, so I would imagine so.”

            “Oh dear.” She placed her head in her hand.

            “Yesterday he predicted there was going to be a car crash. His timing was impeccable … I barely missed it,” explained Foster.

Sheila pulled her head up. “Foster, I need to show you something.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. Sheila unfolded the creases. On the paper was what looked like a letter. After studying it closely for some time, Foster realized it was a diary entry. In penciled handwriting it said:

Dear Diary,

Two masked me are in a neighbor’s house, shuffling through

Sincerely,

Greyson

Sheila explained. “This is an excerpt from Greyson’s diary. I found this loose leaf of paper on the floor about three days ago. Now, I am only showing you this because my son trusts you. During the daytime, around 3, he writes down his thoughts, feelings, and ideas about the day. But often, he dreams.”

Somehow this caught Foster’s attention. It must have been the way she said it.

“Now, you and I have dreams. But, it’s different with Foster. When Foster dreams, the dreams are often strikingly…” She paused for a second and searched for the word. “…Accurate. Now, flip to the other side.”

Foster took the paper and flipped it. On the back was a list of numbers. The numbers were listed in lists, in a grid-like formation, with lines dividing, every once in a while. Lowercase letters were also thrown in, here and there. It was a list of math equations.

 “Greyson has always had an incredible gift with numbers,” explained Shiela. “He is able to do intense math in his mind, explaining to me that he can visualize the numbers in his mind, clear as day. However, with regards to the dreams…” she stopped again. ‘What?’ thought Foster. ‘Say it.’

“I talked to a doctor, and we believe that when Greyson dreams, he is able to see into the future. On the back of every dream that he writes down in his journal, he utilizes the numbers in his mind to analyze exactly when and where these events will occur.”

“So Greyson can predict the future through dreams and mathematical equations?”

“Exactly.”

Sheila dropped Foster back off at his house. Foster laid down on his bed. At first he felt confused by all of this, and didn’t know how to react.

            Then, as he was lying down, a thought took hold of him. This could very well be a huge opportunity. All this time, ever since he had dropped out of school, he had been searching for something that would give him productivity, and a sense of self-fulfillment. Greyson might be his chance. Here’s a kid with extraordinary capability, but would never be able to use this capability for anything if he remained on Shiela’s schedule. He was thankful that Sheila had opened up to him about Greyson, but he realized that this capability should not harness him from having a normal life, or let alone, an inspiring life. At the moment, Greyson’s life was strapped to a rotating carousel.  He needed to see the world. ‘Next Wednesday,’ thought Foster, ‘I’m going to take him out, and show him around the city.’

                                                              

     Chapter 12

                                                            Friday January 14

            Foster called Sheila, asking her for permission to take Foster out, into the city. She replied, “I’d rather you not, if that’s ok.”

            Foster consented. Then shook his head. Somehow, there was a voice inside, telling him that he needed to do it anyways.

                                                           

                                                  Wednesday January 19

           

On Wednesday morning, Foster received a call from Aria. He hadn’t heard from her ever since the party. She asked if he wanted to hang out. Excited, he said yes, forgetting momentarily about Greyson. Then, he remembered. At first he didn’t know what to do. Then, remembering how “cute” she thought Greyson was, Foster decided that he would take both her and Greyson out today.

            He pulled up to Greyson’s house at 3 PM. Aria wasn’t with him. He knocked on the door, talked to Shiela. Sheila left.

`            When she left, Foster went to Greyson’s room, and knocked on the door.

            “Hey buddy, it’s me,” he said.

            Greyson opened it. And then Foster asked.

            “Hey man, um...I was wondering if you wanted to come out, into the city, for a change?”

            Greyson looked puzzled for a second. Then he replied. “Ok.”

            Foster was startled at first, not expecting this reaction.

            “Awesome,” he said. “Also, remember Aria?”

            “Yea,” said Foster.

            “She’s coming too.”

            “Ok.”

            They stopped at Aria’s house and picked her up. They drove down to downtown, pulled the car over, and got out. They walked around throughout the area, visiting the nearby shops. Aria and Foster talked most of the time. Foster looked around. He seemed like he was in shock and awe over everything; the shops, the cars, the people. In the back of his head Foster was still surprised that Greyson had complied with coming along so easily. Maybe he figured that his mother had allowed it. The voice in the back of Foster’s head constantly nagged at him, telling him that it might be a good idea to go back as soon as possible. ‘Not now,’ thought Foster. ‘I think it will be ok.’

            Foster and Aria spent a lot of time talking as they walked. Foster felt very comfortable around her. He felt like she easily laughed at his jokes, and was always very reciprocative, having many interesting things to say. At the same time, he almost felt intimidated. In the back of his mind was another thought: ‘She’s one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever spent time with.’

            They walked into an art store. Greyson marveled at all of the designs. There was one particular piece that particularly seemed to suck him in. Foster was barely paying attention, when, suddenly, he looked over. Greyson had his arm outstretched, feeling the painting.

            “Greyson!” shouted Foster. He stopped.

            Aria laughed.

            Later, as they walked over to a nearby Mexican restaurant to grab food, Foster asked Greyson who his favorite superhero is.

            Greyson replied, “My favorite hero still needs to be saved.”

            Foster was confused, but fascinated by this comment. He often felt as though Greyson talked in riddles. 

            After getting food, Foster looked at his watch and realized they had ten minutes to get back to his house. He had been distracted, and lost track of the time.

As they got back in the car and began to pull out, Greyson suddenly spoke up.

            “Foster?”

            “What’s up man?”

            “My mom is going to be angry.”

           

                                                           

Chapter 13

           

Sheila had been there, waiting in the driveway, arms folded, just as Foster pulled in the driveway. They had hit a wave of traffic on the way home, and arrived at Shiela’s house at 5:25 pm.

            “Ms. Wade, I’m really sorry, there was traffic and I--“

 “Please leave.”

            Foster was taken aback. “S-sorry?”

            “I said, please leave. You’re fired.” Sheila’s face was bright red, eyes turned to the ground.

            Foster was in shock. “Mrs. Wade, I-I’m sorry, if there’s anything I can do to help, I can. I didn’t mean any trouble…”

            “I SAID LEAVE!”

            There was fire in her eyes unlike nearly anyone Foster had ever seen. He was in shock. There was a shrill, awkward silence that seemed to last well over a minute.

            “Have a good day,” Foster replied, bitterly.

            He got in his car and drove off. Sheila turned away. As Foster and Aria pulled out of the driveway, he could see her breaking down, crying.

           

           

                                                            Chapter 14

Foster and Aria didn’t say anything to each other for a while. Then, out of the tension, Foster suddenly noticed the neighborhood tree house, to his left, as he was driving. “Hey, so the tree house I was telling you about is right next to us, if you want to see it.”

            “Sure,” she said.

            They got out of the car. Foster walked her up the spiral staircase, and out to the loft. The tension from Shiela’s fury momentarily slipped.  

            “It’s so peaceful up here,” she said.

            “Yea, I just like to come up here every now and then and de-stress. You get a nice view of the neighborhood.”

            “Yea, it’s pretty nice. So you said you and some friends built it yourselves?”

            “Yea. It was a friend of mine’s Eagle Project, for boy scouts. We had a lot of people helping out.”

            “I bet, it looks like it took a lot of time. Nobody got hurt, building it, because it’s so high, right?”

            “My brother actually fell.”

            “You have a brother? I thought you were an only child?”

            “Nah, I have a brother. He’s a senior in college now,” said Foster.  

            “Cool.”

            “Yea. He’s really smart, he’s had straight A’s for two semesters.”

            “That’s really cool.”

            “Yea.”

            Foster felt really comfortable around Aria. He felt as though when he was around her, he could talk about basically anything, without having to worry about judgement.

            “So, why did you leave college?” asked Aria. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want.”

            Foster looked down for a minute, and then began talking. “Well, I mean, basically to summarize it all up, times just got kinda stressful. I was butting heads with a lot of people.” He paused. “I had a girlfriend. We were doing fine for a long time. Then, I don’t know, she started being really edgy around me.” Aria was listening intently. “This continued for a while. Finally, I was too stressed. I couldn’t keep up with my work. My grades were slipping. So, I broke up with her…And then…” Foster realized he had been raising his voice.

            “It’s ok,” said Aria.

            Foster sighed. “ I learned later that she had cheated on me with one of my best friends.”

            “Oh.” She seemed a bit startled.

            “It wasn’t Zane, Zane goes to a different school. He’s always got my back.”

            “That’s good.”

            “Yea, so I mean, ultimately I got a little stressed. Well, very stressed, actually. I mean, for a while I had everything under control. Then, I don’t know, I just started doing badly in school, and finally, these little things just kept getting under my skin. I talked to my parents one night, and they decided it was best for me to take a break, and look for work. So, here I am.” He forced a smile.

             Aria spoke calmly. “Oh. Well, don’t worry about her. You’ll get over her soon enough.”

            “Believe me, I am. Not worth my time.” He laughed a little.

            He did feel so much better, being able to share this. Then he thought about Greyson again. He sighed.

            “I really didn’t mean Sheila any harm. I just wanted Greyson to have a day outside of the house.”

            “I know. Sometimes it’s just better to ask,” said Aria.

            “I did. She said no. And I did it anyway. It’s my fault.”

Aria said nothing. He started feeling emotional, and began to tear up. He took a deep breath. And then he broke down in front of her, and started crying. It all just came out. The jealousy of his brother and friends at school, the anguish towards his ex and friends at school. And Greyson.

            Then Aria spoke. “Foster, what’s wrong? Please stop.”

            “I can’t do it,” he said. “I can’t help other people, and I can’t help myself. I’m a college dropout. A failure.”

Aria spoke calmly. “Foster?”

He looked up.

“I think you are one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. There may not be anything you can do about Greyson, but don’t let it get to you.” Then she held his hand. “You are funny, nice, and you care a lot about people. You have a lot going for you. I think ever since you dropped out, it’s created stress in itself, and you are confused.”

“You think so?”

“Yea.”

Foster stopped crying. He took a deep breath and continued to talk normally.

“I mean, thinking it over, I honestly haven’t thought about this until now, but he is really one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. Here’s a kid who has incredible capability and intelligence. He…” He paused for a second. “…Well, I guess I shouldn’t say it right now, but basically, he is capable of a lot. He is not your average person. And it just bothers me that his mom keeps him cooped up in that house all day. He is not allowed to go anywhere. He is not allowed to have friends over. And I just don’t understand why just because someone’s a little bit different means they have no right to live a normal life.”

            “Or an inspiring life,” said Aria in response.

            Foster paused. “I mean, I know she’s just trying to protect Greyson. And if there’s something I’m not aware of, and this is just the best thing for him, let it be. It’s just that, I see a lot of potential in him, but Shiela only sees it as vulnerability.”                        Aria nodded, and smiled at him.

            Before he knew it, they hugged.  He felt safe. ‘She’s beautiful,’ he thought.

                                               

                       

Chapter 12

                                    Thursday January 13  10:00 AM

           

            The next morning, Foster woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He groggily rolled over to check, and see who it was.

                                    Incoming call: Sheila Wade

            He was a little confused at first, and then joyful.

Maybe he was getting a second chance.

He picked up the phone and said, “Hello?”

            “Hey Foster.”

            “Hello, Mrs. Wade.”

            “How are you?” She spoke in a lower, less enthusiastic tone than usual. She sniffed a couple of times.

            “I’m good. Is everything ok?”

            “I’m fine. I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted yesterday. Could I make it up to you by taking you out to lunch?”

            “That sounds good.”

            “Awesome. I’ll see you in the next thirty minutes.” She hung up.

Thirty minutes later, her car showed up at the driveway. Foster jogged outside, and hopped in. They drove over to Moe’s.

                       

           

            “Greyson got very upset when he heard me tell you that you were fired.”

            “Oh,” said Foster in response to Shiela.

            “But Foster,” she said in a serious tone, “Why did you take him out when I told you no? That’s very disrespectful.”

            “I really didn’t mean any disrespect. I just believe Foster is a really talented, capable individual, and I think he just needs to get out once in a while,.”

            “I do take him out every once in a while,” said Shiela.

            “Oh…”

            “Foster, I do see that you care a lot about Greyson. So I’m giving you another chance.”

            Foster lit up.

            “But, just keep in mind that I do make the rules, not you.”

            “Sorry.”

            Before she could go on, Foster spoke up. “Ms. Wade, have you ever considered sending Foster to day school?”           

She paused. To Foster’s relief, he had delivered the question in a way that didn’t offend her.

“When Greyson was a kindergardner, he came into class one day, telling people there was going to be an airplane crash in San Fransisco at 12:02 PM. No one believed him, and a lot of his classmates, and even a few teachers, got weirded out. Then, the next day, the headlining article on the news was about a plane that crashed in San Fransisco. It happened on the same date, same time that he predicted. The teachers and students all thought he was a freak of nature. A few suspected he had planned it somehow.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“To bear that kind of humiliation at only six years old was very tough for Greyson, so I took him out. He doesn’t want to go back. He’s happy here.”

“Maybe if you taught him to not talk about his predictions out loud, he would do fine in school.”

“Foster, I’m sure you especially know how kids can be in a school environment.”

This struck a nerve in Foster. It was right then when suddenly he realized the true reason he wanted to get to know Greyson. It was beyond psychic abilities. He could relate to him. They had both undergone the same similar hardships. They understood one another.

They were both school dropouts.

           

                                               

                                                          Chapter 13

                                               Wednesday January 19

           

            Foster returned to work. At 3 PM, he knocked on Foster’s door. Sheila answered, as usual, and Foster walked in. Greyson popped out, running toward him. He was smiling, beaming. It was the first time Foster ever saw Greyson smile broadly, like this.

            “Hey Foster,” he said.

            “Hey buddy,” Foster said in return. “I’m not taking you out again unless you’re mom says it’s ok.”

            Greyson nodded. “Ok.” They went out to go throw the football.

            Foster was the happiest he had felt all month. 

           

                                                      Chapter 14

                                            Tuesday December 5

            Much time had passed. Foster had been hired to work at the fast food place he had applied to in January. He was now getting ready to return to school.

            And so was Greyson.

            Shiela had changed her mind, as she began to see progress in Greyson’s social capabilities as he worked with Foster throughout the months. Foster’s shift had been changed to twice a week, sometime around late February.

Greyson would be applying to a small private school, where the kids and teachers were friendly. Tutors and teachers would be there to support and assist him.

            Foster had accomplished his goals. He was the happiest he had felt in awhile, confident that returning to college would be easier than he imagined six months ago.

            The only hard part would be keeping in touch with Greyson, and his girlfriend, Aria.

           

            On a Teusday, Aria and Foster were walking over by the lake. Aria was somewhat sad. She knew that once Foster returned to school, things might be a little bit different. Foster vowed to her that there wouldn’t be anyone else, while he was away.  He would make as many trips as possible to go see her.

            While walking on the nature trail, they passed over a bridge, that crossed a narrower part of the lake. The bridge had a poor design, and was unfenced.

As they were walking, Aria slipped, and fell in the water.

Growing up, she had never learned how to swim.

Foster had taught her a little bit during the summer, but three months had passed, and the water was freezing. She screamed, splashing vigorously.

            Foster was horrified. Not knowing what to do, he screamed out for help. There was no reply. Then he saw her go under. Not knowing what else to do, he jumped in after her.

           

           

                                                             Chapter 15

Dear Diary,

I had the dream again. He is swimming underwater...

Foster swam, pure adrenaline pumping in his veins. Aria was still down there, gaping upward at him. She was sinking now, faster. He couldn’t see her well, she was a sillouhette amidst shades of blue and black.

           

…Around him were nothing but shades of blue and black…

He swam furiously now, but he was losing adrenaline. He had been charging downward for well over a minute. He was fading.

Suddenly, he felt a hand around his arm. Before his eyes was a thin, tubular device. Another hand grabbed his jawline, opened his mouth, and placed the device in his mouth. It was oxygen. He was breathing. He was alive.

…but has the ability to breathe as if he were on land...

Then suddenly he was being yanked upward. Then man who had grabbed ahold of him was swimming upward, bringing him up to the surface.

…Suddenly he feels an urge to swim upward…

They breached the surface. Foster gasped for her, and felt the bright white light shine down on him. A man in a grey scuba suit had saved his life. He looked over to see that another man in a grey scuba suit had saved Aria’s life as well. It might have been a cold December day, but Foster was warm all over.

…Bright white light everywhere…

They exited the water. Aria was unconsicious.  One of the divers gave her CPR. At the first set of compressions, she was still unconscious. The diver gave her a mouth-to-mouth. She was still out cold. The diver gave her two more sets of compressions, and finally, she was up, coughing. She was alive. Foster was overjoyed. She was out of breath. “Hey…” she said to him, gasping for air.

“Hey,” he said in return, smiling.   

Ten minutes passed. Foster hugged Aria and kissed her forehead. She was crying a little. He told her to be calm. Everything was ok now.

Afterwards he talked to the divers.

“How did you find us just in time?”

“Well, there was a kid we know. We’re ex-navy seals, and we’re actually good friend’s of his mothers. Somehow the boy got in touch with us about a week ago, and he told me you guys were going to be here today, and that you needed to be ‘saved.’ I was a bit confused, but he explained it to me. He also got his mom involved, and she clarified it to me, a bit. I mean, it’s really complicated, but all I can say is that God works miracles through this kid. He told me he simply knew you were there.”

Foster was shocked. He turned and looked to find Greyson standing on a hill in the distance, looking directly at Foster directly in the eyes, for the first time, a half smile on his face. A glow of light seemed to illuminate his body.

Greyson’s favorite hero had now been saved.

But, really, they had saved each other.