Sweet Tooth

Isaak Green is destined to follow in his father’s footsteps. Just a week before Rosh Hashanah, a fellow classmate, Cameron Foster, leaves a mark on Isaak that is difficult to forget. A weekly updated dramatic story filled with life, death, and lost love.

[sweettooth-story]

Chapter 5: Arch

--

Payton’s white dress fell lost in the smog that separated us. I gripped tightly onto Cameron’s hoodie sleeve, scared I might get lost. Surprisingly enough, the maze didn’t last long and we found ourselves appearing on the other side facing a river. I walked towards this new attraction and looked down to see rocks and fish streaming underneath the clear water.

“Be careful,” Cameron remarked. Careful of what? I thought. It’s just a river. I would learn later that I was very wrong. I stepped closer to the streaming brook and knelt down to look at my reflection. I didn’t recognize myself anymore. I had terribly sleepy eyes and dry lips. My clothes were filthy and I’d looked like I’d been crying for hours. Maybe I had been and I hadn’t noticed. I stood up and walked back over to the others. I could only think about what I was going to tell my father when I came home. He will be so angry with me.

The group went forward, walking alongside the stream, heading towards the bridge not far ahead. It was a golden arch, set apart from the wilderness around it. I imagined my mother walking across this bridge.

I felt calm enough to ask a question. “Am I a prince?” I ask hesitantly.

“Not a prince yet. You were not born in the kingdom; therefore, you were never crowned. That’s why we are going to the castle. You must be crowned so you can take the throne and protect Larcanthmead,” Reese announced very nonchalantly, “Your mom lived here before she went to the real world. She was our Queen. Or at least she was supposed to be.”

“The real world? So this place isn’t real?” I questioned everything. For all I knew, I was asleep in my bed and not with three lunatics.

“No this place is real,” Cameron spoke up, “But you must believe in it to enter.”

Believe in it? Who says I believe this place is real? I was losing my mind. None of this made sense.

Half-way along the bridge, I looked over the edge to see a small man gliding along the river in a tiny, narrow boat. I looked to see if the others were paying any attention to the man, but they all seemed preoccupied in their conversation. I decided to listen in.

“We will meet with Master Wiltern before entering the castle grounds,” Payton said.

“How far is he from here?” Reese questioned.

“Just past Oak Cemetery” Payton answered.

“We should get there soon. Isaak doesn’t look so good.” Cameron commented, and at that moment they all turned to look at me. God, I do feel like a zoo animal. I nodded and the four of us kept moving onward in our journey.  

[sweettooth-story]

Chapter 4: Crown

—

It was the worse feeling I have ever experienced. From my nerves to my skin, I felt like my entire body had been caught on fire. I began screaming and crying, wishing I was anywhere but there. Finally the pain stopped and all I could feel was a warm, comforting form wrapped tightly around my frame. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Payton and Reese standing at a close distance. I turned my head just barely and saw the side of Cameron’s face. He smelled of lavender and what I could only describe as ‘home.’ His red hoodie felt like a blanket of protection. Cameron released the embrace, “Are you alright?” he asked me. Honestly, I wasn’t sure, but that layer of safety had just left.

I had been lured out of my house, brought into the ominous woods, and was now sitting in a solid white, empty room. I think Cameron is saying something to me but I can’t focus on him. There are so many questions running through my mind. “Isaak,” I heard Cameron say again. I should answer him.

“We have school tomorrow.” I eventually announced.

“I know,” he states, “but this is very important. We brought you here because it’s time for you to be crowned.”

--

“What about her,” my father pushed, “what about your mother? I’ve told you countless stories about her.” He was right. He had told me everything a child would want to know about their mother. From her childhood stories to the day she had me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after she gave birth that we lost her. She was beautiful. Her long, golden brown hair would flow in every video and picture I had seen of her. She wasn’t a dentist like my father. No. She was a cellist. She played in one of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras. They wanted to raise me in Chicago but after what happened… my father thought it be best to move to the suburbs: Long Gate, Illinois.

There we have been for the last seventeen years of my life. Seventeen years of living up to all expectations, seventeen years of staying isolated from the world, and seventeen years of living with only my father. I trusted him. I did. But I was scared to tell him about what happened; however, I knew he needed to know. “The people I was with…they told me some things. They said that mom was a queen. I know, it sounds ridiculous. I didn’t believe them either but it’s true. They said that when she was my age she left to the ‘real world’ and met you. She never went back to the life she had.” I stopped then. This had been a lot of talking for me. This whole week has been more than I could handle. My father stays quiet. He probably thinks I’m crazy.

“It’s true. Your mother was a queen. Well, princess unit her eighteenth birthday, but she left before she could be crowned. I didn’t believe it at first either. Thought she was fooling me but she showed me this.” My father stood up and walked up the stairs. I followed him. We got to his room, through the walk-in closet, to the very back where he presented a crown unlike anything I had ever seen. It was silver with millions of emeralds of all sizes. I was transfixed by the viridescent circlet held in my father’s hand. In the other hand, however, was a small box. He handed me the box and gently I lifted the top to reveal stacks of photos. Only looking at the few on the top, I could already tell where they were taken. The first one I noticed was a picture of my mom with two older individuals standing in front of a rose hedge.

“I’ve been there,” my father glanced at the photo that was now in my hand, “the people I was with. They took me there.”

--

“I think he’s stund,” Cameron looked over to his cousins.

I needed to leave this room.

“Maybe we should head out. Go to Master Wiltern,” Payton suggested.

“No, he’s not expecting us yet,” Reese rejected.

Fuck. I feel like an animal in the zoo. Everyone is talking about me like I’m locked behind a cage. But I’m right here! I’m not an animal! I’m right here! “I just want to leave!” I release with all my energy.

“Okay, we’re leaving,” Cameron helps me up and keeps his hand on my arm as we follow Payton to one of the four walls. Reese walked around Cameron and I to stand next to Payton, and placed their bony hand against the frozen barrier. The room illuminated a green mask and the, now green, wall opened to reveal a garden. I quickly thought about what would’ve happened if the room turned red. We walked out of the cage and into daylight and I finally felt human again. I looked ahead to see a hazel-like castle beyond a colossal rose hedge. The castle consisted of four towers, each taller from the last. As we approached the rose hedge, I listed all the facts I knew of at that moment.

Cameron, Payton, and Reese have known me all my life (still not sure how)

I’m supposed to be crowned so I guess I’m royalty?

There is someone named Master Wiltern that is expecting us, but not right now.

I’m scared out of my mind

This place is beautiful

Cameron seemed to be thinking a lot at that moment as well. His eyebrows were upturned and thin lines formed across his forehead.

“Okay, time to go,” Reese announced as they removed their purple flannel and wrapped it around their waist.

“Go where? To the castle?” I finally spoke up.

“Of course,” Cameron gave me a wide smile. I’m sure it was to make me feel better but, of course, it didn’t. I followed the three strangers to a split in the hedge. I stopped abruptly. It was a maze. It had to be a maze.

Payton looked back at me, “It’s fine. I know the way.” She turned back and lead the group to the left path. The deeper into the maze we got, the further I felt from reality.

[sweettooth-story]

Chapter 3: Porcelain

—

Growing up, I never had many friends. I had a few friends in elementary school, but kids always thought I was a little… strange. I don’t blame them. They didn’t understand why I didn’t celebrate Christmas, they didn’t like that my dad is a dentist, and they always mocked my body weight. But I couldn’t care less because I had my books. Stories upon stories with countless adventures that I could dive into at any time. My dad always pressured me into becoming friends with the kids at the synagogue, but they were mostly younger than me and weren’t naturally fond of my personality. I was very quiet as a kid, and still quiet now. It’s just who I am. But, despite all that, I’ve always felt like I was meant for something. That the life I was given was just a cover-up for the real thing.

—

“So after you met Payton and Reese, what did you do?” The soberly dressed woman asked me. I had been sitting in this small, stuffy room for hours. “Isaak? What did you do afterwards?” I wasn’t sure if I could trust her yet. She got me to tell her this much, but I was considering lying about the rest. Would she know? Probably. So I stayed still and silent, like porcelain.

I think she understood that I wasn’t going to say much else for the day, so she excused me to be released for a few hours. I stepped out of the cell-like room and was reunited with my father. I hadn’t seen him for a dreadfully long seven days. He brought me into a strong embrace and I feared he would never let go. “Are you alright, Isaak? Where have you been? What have they been asking you?”

“Dad, dad. I’m okay. I promise.” I left it at that because if I wasn’t going to tell the police anything, I surely wasn’t going to tell my father either. I loved my father but we had a sort of weird relationship. It wasn’t the normal father-son relationship. He was more like my boss. Which I was fine with. I wasn’t used to close relationships, and intimacy was never my strong suit. That was, until I met Cameron.

—

“You’ve known me your whole life?” I laugh, “okay, very funny. Are you guys on drugs or something because this is getting ridiculous.” They stared at me, unblinking. “Guys?” The three teenagers were freaking me out now. Reese walked closer to me and gently took my hand into theirs. They looked deep into my eyes. I stayed silent. What is happening? They looked back at the other two and reached their hand out. The others walked over and stood on either side of me.

“Isaak,” I focus my attention on Cameron, “this might hurt.”

“What?”

—

I woke up the next morning in my bed to the sound of my alarm. I thought I should be getting ready for school, but then I remembered what had been happening. I had been away for an entire week and tonight was the start of Rosh Hashanah. I headed downstairs feeling groggy and lifeless. I desperately wish Cameron was here. He could tell me what to do. What to say to the police.

I walk into the kitchen where my father is pouring his morning breakfast. He turns around to greet me, “good morning, Isaak.”

I nod and take a seat at the bar, “when do I have to go back?”

“Around ten,” I didn’t know what to say to him. What I could do to make it better. Make him understand.

“Dad, sit down please,” he hesitates but sits down next to me, “I’m sorry I missed so much school. I know it’s going to take a bit to catch up, but-”

“Isaak, that doesn’t matter. It’s the beginning of the school year and you’re a bright student.”

“Thanks, dad, but I need to tell you what happened.” My dad looked at me with intense focus. The only thing I feared now was that my dad would not recognize me after this conversation. “Seven days ago, on my bus ride home, I met someone who has changed my life. I don’t know if you’ll be able to believe everything that I’m going to tell you, but I know it’s important for you to know. At least, before I tell the police”

I looked down at my intertwined fingers in my lap “the people I was with told me something.”

“What did they tell you?”

I looked back up at my father, “they told me about my mother.”

[sweettooth-story]

Chapter 2: Cusp

—

Cameron makes his way around my house, towards the woods located behind it. I stop, debating if I should turn back and lock myself in the house. Cameron spins around and grabs my hand. “It’s okay, Isaak. I know where we’re going.” Cameron tries to reassure me. I’m too frightened to disagree or leave, so I reluctantly oblige and follow. 

We had only been walking for a few minutes but I quickly began to panic. “Cameron, stop.”

“What- what’s wrong?” I can barely make out his face in the dark.

“I don’t want to do this anymore. I-” But before I could finish my thought, there was a rushing sound coming towards us. Cameron looks around and I could see the fear build-up in his eyes. “What is it?” I ask after a moment. Cameron looks at me but doesn’t make a sound. “Cam-” and just like that, Cameron and I are pushed to the ground, pinned to the soil, blinded by the dark.

My head started to spin. This was it. I’m going to die. Then, I heard it. Laughter. Possibly the most cheerful, genuine laughter I had ever witnessed. I blink, profusely, as a bright light is shined into my face. I see Cameron and two individuals sitting next to him. All laughing. I’m so confused. Is this a prank? I was lead into the woods by the first person who had shown me any kind of kindness, and now I’m being laughed at by three, rude, terrible, completely horrible… children!

Their laughter dies down and they notice the absolute anger upon my face. I push them away from me, rage boiling inside, and stand up. “What is wrong with you!” I yell at Cameron’s unchanging face. Cameron stands up as well and, with a relaxing gaze, explains the situation.

“These are my cousins: Payton and Reese,” he said, motioning at one and then the other. Payton and Reese, unlike Cameron, were both dark skinned like I. Payton had wild, curly hair, and Reese had a clean buzz cut. Both were tall and thin like Cameron, unlike myself. I suspect Payton noticed the confusion on my face and volunteered to offer clarity.

“His Aunt, our mom, is black so that’s why-”

“What? No, I mean, yeah that explains that but what is happening? Why are you here? What am I doing here?” I start firing off as many questions as I could. I just wanted answers.

Cameron leaned over to his cousins, “I’ve never seen him talk this much before.”

I become angry at this comment. “You don’t even know me!” I shout at Cameron, “You met me today!” All three of them lose their smiles at that moment. Maybe I had said something to upset them. Or perhaps this was the cusp of something new.

“Isaak,” Peyton began, “We’ve known you our whole life.”

[sweettooth-story]

Chapter 1: Cavity

—

“What’s your name?”

Silence. It’s what I knew best. Silence.

“Sir, would you please state your name.” The woman dressed in solid black repeated.

“Isaak. My name’s Isaak. Isaak Green.”

—

7 days prior

My head hurts. Worse than before. It’s these damn fluorescent lights reflecting off my wooden desk. I hate these desks. Crumbling without care. Used by people who leave it scratched and bruised. I feel like the desk: a cavity in the world. In a sudden rush, kids are flying by me. I sit, idling, waiting. My teacher sees me, “Are you alright, Isaak?” She seems concerned. I don’t say anything. I grab my bag and leave. I stand in the bus lot, looking up at the yellow transport that smells of sweat and depression. I turn to see the driver staring back at me with bloodshot eyes and a snarling grin. I look back to the school behind me. Shit.

I squeeze my way through the tight aisle; unfortunately, all the seats are being occupied. I never liked sharing a seat. Squished against another person who is just as uncomfortable as me. I’m not what people call ‘thin.’ Quite the opposite. Despite my loathsome physique, I needed to sit down. I landed upon this lean, brunette boy. I knew he was in my grade. Cameron, I think is his name. Doesn’t matter. He avoids eye contact and continues to drown out the after school conversations with his solid white earbuds. Something seemed upsetting about Cameron. The bags under his eyes suggest long, reflective nights with little-to-no sleep. I wondered if he felt like the desk. I stop staring when I was jerked back into reality. The bus driver halts, signaling my stop has arrived. I follow the line out the bus and make my way home.

It was around eleven when I finished my school work. Though I hate school and everyone in it, I knew my father would be upset if I fell behind. I had to follow in his footsteps and take on the family business: dentistry. But I wish for something more. Something bigger. Suddenly, I heard a subtle tap on my second story window. I rose from my work desk and made my way over to the sound. Looking out the window, I see the top of a head.

“Hello?” I curiously call out.

The figure looks up with a wide smile painted across his face. It was Cameron. “Isaak! Come down, quick!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he announces rather calmly, “I need to talk to you.”

I was confused and intrigued by this; however, more than shocked he knew who I was. Luckily, my dad was out with his friends, so I could easily leave the house right how. I slipped on a pair of jeans, a jacket, and my old sneakers and walked outside. Cameron was sitting on my porch step, hunched over with his head on his knees. I walked up to him slowly.

“Cameron? Are you okay?”

He looked up quickly and stood up without a second thought. “Of course. Just thinking is all.”

“What did you need?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to go on an adventure with me.” If I’m being honest I was a little scared by this sudden request. I had a foreboding for the worst. I needed to be careful about what I said next.

“Okay.” Fuck.