#dktask

[juliiewest]

TASK #2

Many days were days of God. All days, really. It started just like any other day: there was nothing extraordinary about it, nothing could ever have predicted what the twilight would bring, how one single word would, from that day on, accompany a name. “Missing! Brian Goode is missing.” Those exact same words would travel the town of Devil’s Knot like a chanting, tones of voices changing from high-pitched to worried, but they would all carry one thing: fear. Many small towns have wounds, little cuts that were once red but are now white, but none had a scar so profound as Devil’s Knot, and none would be opened with the same violence as the disappearance of a small child would.

But until then, it was an ordinary afternoon. It was Saturday. Saturdays were usually the least busy days of the week: the West household would wake up later than usual, breakfast would be served while everyone was already awake, sitting at the table, instead of arriving there and smiling pancakes already being served on the plates. Eggs, instead of pancakes, tea, instead of tea, a sheepish look in every one of the family member’s faces. “Julie, will you help me clean the house today?” Her mother thought she was subtle, asking for some “mother-daughter time” in a task that was so wholesomely female. “I can’t, Mother. I have to help out at church.” It was the perfect excuse and it didn’t matter that Julie had used them so many times before -- her mother could never say no to church, even if she didn’t believe that’s where her child would be. “Very well. Send Father my best!”

Julie was out of the door as soon as she finished her eggs. She liked the quietude of the mornings, the sun felt gentler then, as if it hadn’t fully woken up yet. Her house wasn’t far from church, only ten minutes of walking, but she liked to get there the long way: where she could see through the windows of the neighbourhood, every languid movement of a town half-asleep.

She loved that church was placed on a small hill: it felt fitting, that people had to climb in direction to God. When she climbed that hill, the sun seemed to get hotter and drops of sweat formed around her forehead. There was something righteous and poetic about it, how she could see the cross from afar, a signal: warning sign, beacon of hope, depending on who you were. Sometimes, it was both. Entering the church was a breath of fresh air. The first thing she always did was walk to the altar and do the sign of the cross, whispering her greetings to the Lord and Saviour. She had always loved the church, how much guilt there was embedded in the ways. How much blood, and Jesus disfigured expression of pain. “Amen.” She whispered under her breath and traversed the altar to the other side, where she knew to find Father.

“Would you like to confess today, Julie?”

“Not today.”

It takes her ten minutes to walk from church to her home. Twenty minutes after leaving church, she heard the news. It was no longer an ordinary Saturday.

[davidgoode]

Task 2 - Where were you on Saturday?

Don’t go chasing waterfalls. Please stick to the rivers and streams that you’re used to...

David nodded his head along to the tape in his Walkman, swinging his arms to the music as he balanced precariously on a fallen tree. Today was a good day. Football practice had gone well and coach had let them out early, something that was practically unheard of as of late, and he had no set plans for the rest of the day. Beth was off doing whatever the hell Beth did in her free time (probably terrorizing freshmen or something), and Brian and mom were at home. Brian was grounded and mom was keeping him company which meant that David didn’t have to babysit or try to entertain his mother.

For the first time in what felt like forever, David had time to himself. So, of course, like any repressed football player, he decided to spend his free afternoon smoking in the woods and listening to crappy pop music. 

As the bridge of the song began, David took a long drag from the joint in his hand before jumping off the log and proceeding to dance. Singing along, David had a moment where he realized just how ridiculous he looked and, momentarily, felt relived that he was alone. If anyone from school caught him dancing like this and singing to Waterfalls he’d never be able to live it down. He was having fun though, lost in the music and letting the high wash over him.

It was a good feeling, being alone and just being himself. Before, back home in Minnesota, David had been able to keep a low profile. Because the school was bigger, the town was bigger, he had been afforded some anonymity. Here though, everyone knew his name and everyone knew who he was... or at least who he pretended to be. 

Gone were the days where he could sneak out and go dancing, not caring about whether or not his classmates saw him. Now this was as close as he could get, not that he minded.

He loved the woods, loved getting lost in them and watching as nature continued on around him. There was something comforting about the fact that, no matter what happened in the human world, the rest of the world kept going. 

Finishing his joint, David extinguished the butt before hiding it under leaves. As he did this, he heard the familiar beep that signaled that his Walkman’s battery was dying. Cursing his luck, David looked around, reorienting himself and bracing himself for the walk back home. 

He was almost out of the woods, listening to George Michael requested that his partner wake him up (before they go, go), when the screech that came with a dead battery played . Shaking his head, David pulled the headphones off his head, letting them rest on his shoulders as he trudged back home. 

Quietly singing the end of the song, the brunet made his way back home, almost missing the fact that his mom was standing on the front porch, looking panicked. When he went to go inside and was stopped though, he realized that there was something wrong. Thinking that he was about to be yelled at for smelling like weed, or told that Beth was in trouble, David never expected his mom to clutch his arm and ask “Have you seen Brian?”

[kevshah]

CHAPTER ONE, TASK TWO: sympathy for the devil (or, Kevin's official alibi)

“Never for one minute have I taken you for reality,” Ivan cried with a sort of fury. “You are a lie, you are my illness, you are a phantom. It's only that I don't know how to destroy you and I see I must suffer for a time. You are my hallucination. You are the incarnation of myself, but only of one side of me ... of my thoughts and feelings, but only the nastiest and stupidest of them. From that point of view you might be of interest to me, if only I had time to waste on you—”

Kevin had promised himself he’d finish The Brothers Karamazov before the winter, or at least before the first snow settled in Devil’s Knot. It was both a romantic notion and a pragmatic one: there’s no point reading about freezing to death in the middle of a Midwestern summer heatwave, when the idea of a winter storm's about as foreign as an alien planet. On the flipside, reading Russian lit in the throes of a Michigan winter, when just getting his ass to school on time is a misery in itself-- it's just not practical. Life’s too fucking depressing as it is; no need to get the Russians involved.

On the afternoon of the younger Goode's disappearance, Kevin's plodding his way through another chapter about Ivan, the middle son (and resident atheist), who at the moment is mid-conversation with the Devil (possibly related to his current affliction with "brain fever".) As it turns out, the devil is an atheist. He’s also come down with a bad case of rheumatism. “I put on fleshly form, and I take the consequences.” Kevin can sympathize.

A few hours in and his attention is waning; he knows because he catches himself eyeing the spine to check how much book is left. He rolls on his back and stares up at the ceiling instead. Nothing else in the house moves, not to breathe or stretch. Kelly and his parents have left, giving him an entire uninterrupted afternoon of peace and quiet, which is probably what he wants. He's always trying to get some space, right? Well, here it is. In the unfamiliar quiet he can almost believe he’s the last thing left alive in the world. All it would take to break the illusion would be turning his head to look out the window, see the houses beyond and their stirring curtains. Instead he falls asleep there, not awake to witness the sun setting, or the town coming to frenzied life. He doesn’t stir again until his parents come home and call him down to deliver the news.

“Above all things I want to behave like a gentleman, and be viewed as such,” said the Devil. “I wander about here dreaming. I like dreaming.”

[linda-goode]

David Goode - David is her eldest son. She had him when she was just twenty-one. Her days went from writing articles and spending late nights networking to breastfeeding and changing diapers. It was a substantial change of pace. That was also when she almost simultaneously became Mrs Goode. She loves all her children very very much, and David is a little bit of her crutch. He wants his own space and freedom now instead of a coddling mother, something which Linda is still getting a hold on but she’s slowly getting better at it. Besides their occasional arguments, Linda only has the best intentions towards her son and only wants to see him happy.

Abel Hawker - Ever since the disappearance of Brian Linda has had a lot of guests over or people approach her. No one surprised her mother than Mayor Hawker did. Having him turn up at her doorstep was surprisingly comforting. Linda figured that if he was interested and committed, that means that the whole town will get involved. That aside, she can’t help but feel that he also has an ulterior motive. Something she doesn’t understand or see yet. Who knows what it could be... 

Julie West - Linda never expected to have someone turn up on her doorstep as young as Julie West. The moment she arrived with a plate of biscuits and a smile, Linda welcomed her in. She’s been helping her out and around the house. Julie seemed to find the situation completely normal and so did everyone else in Devils Knot so Linda has embraced her help. Maybe something that she would come to regret later, once invited in it might be a lot harder to keep her out.

[brooke-youngblood]

My Burn Book

Hey, well if you’ve made it to this point you’re here to find out exactly who my friend is and who my enemy. Ironically enough, sometimes people can be both. As a disclaimer, I want to dispell all the rumours that I wear black because my soul was taken from me. Nor do I bother with any witchy activities after school, unless you count studying, working or browsing videotapes. Anyway, moving on. Welcome to my connections! Enjoy or go suck a lemon, I don’t care.

Deborah Davies - So, this little girl is a real firecracker. Normally people don’t want to hang out with me because I’m trouble but whatever I say she just looks at me like I’m the most fun person she knows. She’s a good kid and I do actually enjoy hanging out with her. She sometimes seems a little lonely and I know I am too so we make a good team. It’s loads of fun to do whatever we want though and have a tiny partner in crime by my side.

Stan Meyer - Well, it’s common knowledge that the English teacher is a real hottie. With all his airs of mystery and wanting you to get involved in literature like he’s freaking Mark Twain reborn. Though I’m stuck with him every week or whenever I piss someone off. Soooo I see him quite a lot haha. This is because he’s my mentor and he’s trying to keep me on the straight and narrow. We’ll see how long that will last. (He’s actually a really good listener though)

Kevin Shah - Obviously my shallow teenage life isn’t complete without a crush so here comes Kev. His eyes are so dreamy and he’s so cool. I like that he doesn’t give a shit about anyone else. Never mind that Kelly runs the cheerleading squad like a sergeant, I can just see Kev roll his eyes in the corner. So far we haven’t really had much of a chance to talk but one day we will. Until then I’ll just be dreaming of all our long car rides and us making fun of people...

Pete Silverman - If you ever need to know anything about me, then ask this guy. Ever since our years in kindergarten together, he has been the only person that has been there for me. Since those years, we’ve changed quite a bit but we haven’t changed towards each other. We go for long drives together and eat dinners together, laughing at the rest of the world and sometimes at each other. The mushy stuff isn’t really my thing but if there is one person I’d get mushy about it would be this guy. Thanks for always being there for me and you’re most welcome that I call you out on your bullshit haha.

Julie West - The worst person that has ever graced this planet, or at least in this stain of a town called Devils Knot. When I think about her, my eyes permanently are rolling as my lips are curled in disgust. DO NOT GET CLOSE. She might seem all nice on the outside and everyone one lets her do what she wants but I know Julie West. Maybe one day we can talk and make up. When hell freezes over most likely...

Heather Wheeler - As the cliche goes “the enemies of my enemies are my friends”, so how did it end up becoming “the friend of my enemy is my friend”? She’s actually really nice and doesn’t have her head stuck in the clouds as the rest does. Also, Heather is a really smart girl which is why we study a lot together. We’re not friends but I don’t hate her either. Maybe friends one day?

[linda-goode]

What were you doing last Saturday afternoon?

“Well...” Linda started as she fell into a heavy pause. Talking about this was proving to be a lot more complicated than she thought it was going to be. The thoughts of others clouded her mind all the time. The impressions she seemed to leave on them buzzed around her like bees or wasps. No matter of moving or swatting them away seemed to silence them. Her mouth felt incredibly dry, causing her to clear her throat. “I-I had been busying early in the morning. I woke up my usual time, seven in the morning, and prepared breakfast for all of the children.”

“They all came tumbling down one by one, eating their pancakes bleary-eyed.” She continued, a soft and wobbly smile made its way onto her lips. Thinking of those moments of her two sons together and her daughter, who always looked ready to take on an army with her deep scowls. “Um, after that I went food shopping and came back.” Linda ran her thumb over her ring finger on her left hand, where her wedding ring used to sit. It was a nervous habit she subconsciously delved in on rare occasions. “David and Beth had left when I came home, something which wasn’t very rare. They like being out a lot, and we have rules set, so I wasn’t worried.”

“Brian had been grounded, so he spent the day with me. I know he wanted to go out with his friends, but instead, he played out in the front garden.” Linda felt her nerves swell up inside of her. Her maternal instincts had grown stronger over the years as she had her children. They were her work and what Linda dedicated her time to. Having them around was a joy, she loved it when Brian played the piano or David talked to her about the game. Beth would sit with her and allow her to brush her hair. It soothed her nerves and kept her going since she had a goal, something to focus on. Something to dedicate herself to and be good at. Tears welled in her eyes at that thought. Maybe she wasn’t as good of a mother as she thought.

“I had just made lunch for me and Brian, which we ate together. I had been washing our plates and cups when I glanced up, and I couldn’t see Brian.” Nerves and anxiety started to roll through her body, like waves crashing against the shore. “I-I looked up again, and he was still gone, so I dried the plates and put everything away after which I went outside to see if I could see him.” A sob escaped her lips as Linda looked at the ceiling, almost in prayer. “When I came outside, I couldn’ find him anywhere. I checked the neighbours and the whole street. Then I called his friends to ask if he was over at their houses. No one had seen him.” Tears ran down her cheeks as she wiped them away, but her voice still broke due to the emotion.

“After David and Beth came home, we all went out to look for him. Once we couldn’t find him at all, we went to the police.” Linda looked at the people in front of her. “All I want is my son back. I want him to hold him in my arms again. He is out there somewhere, and I want you to find him for me. Because if you don’t, I won’t rest until I do.”

[juliiewest]

NEW CONNECTIONS:

Stan Meyer – before julie realised stan was the new english professor, they met at a bar outside of town under fake names and ages. while she’s not aware of stan’s little indescretions, she uses their first encounter as a source of tension between the two. she loves to tease him, playing a game of cat and mouse… if only he realised he is the mouse.

Mary Hawker – despite everything, julie is still just a teenager. while her aspirations for fitting in don’t exactly stem from the want to be seen or popular, she still longs to be understood. mary sees the ‘cool kid’ facade she puts up and it reminds her of when she was younger. they each bring out something dangerous in each other, and julie isn’t particularly fond of mary’s attempt to break through her shell.

Linda Goode – when the goode family arrived at devil’s knot, julie made sure their first impression was a good one: she was ringing at their door the minute they settled in, a big smile on her lips, a tray of freshly made cookies and an invitation to babysit for linda whenever she needed. to her eyes, the goode family was a traditional family but the lack of father when there are three children made julie curious about what happened before devil’s knot. now that brian is missing, julie is trying her best to continue to be helpful.

[brooke-youngblood]

What were you doing last Saturday afternoon?

Brooke’s dark eyeshadow had a beautiful navy shimmer to it. Instead of looking like someone had given her two nice shiners, it somehow made her gaze more direct. Like you couldn’t help but notice her eyes.

“Well, if you really need to know, I was working the entire day at Piggly Wiggly. I am a cashier there. And there’s another guy who stocks shelves.” Brooke replied, talking fast because she was annoyed. It was clear that everyone wanted to find the Goode kid but did they really have to go banging on everyone’s doors to give their alibi’s? It was time they got something done instead of sitting on their growing butts.

“There were a lot of customers, as usual, that day. I see people that I know and some people that I know less. It is Devil’s Knot after all.” Her smile and tone conveyed her feelings of dislike towards this little town that most people felt quite comfortable in. “Children buying sweets, mothers doing a grocery run, guys buying some beers, girls buying new glossy magazines. It was business as usual.”

Brooke rolled her eyes. “After that, I just spent my time driving around and stuff.” She paused as the thought about what she did after that. “After that, I went out for dinner at the diner. I also went to the Videoport, flicking through videotapes. You see, I am a law-abiding citizen and would never do anything to raise trouble.” She replied, her mirth visible in the upturn of her lips and the shine in her dark eyes.

“Around midnight, I drove back home and went to bed. That’s it.” Her eyes met whoever was asking the questions. “Look, I know you guys want answers but I’m telling you right now, I know I’m not always the kindest, but I wouldn’t ever want to hurt a young boy. I’m mad at the world, not at a child.”