MECHANISM OF TOLLE:chapter three.

THREE

"Who's that?" Gwen eyed Grady from behind a CD rack. We were at the underground mall, two towns over. It wasn't a very popular place, due to its grubbiness, so nobody was really there. Grady stood by a tub of records, flipping through them as if he were vaguely interested. After an uncomfortable ride to meet up with Gwen, Grady had remained silent. He had commented on his fondness of my 1980-something van and asked where we were going twice. That was all. Inside, I was trying to resist the urge of asking more about his parents. I wanted to ask where he last saw them, what the police were doing about the case, if there was any evidence. Instead, I left invisible stitches laced through my lips.

"My cousin Grady," I answered, opening a case of The Indigo Girls.

"He's insanely adorable." Gwen gushed, clutching her retro faux leopard-skin purse. She tugged at the hem of her tutu before approaching my innocent cousin.

I watched in horror as she pinched her lips and applied a sheen of blue to them. She was going to flirt. Grady turned dumbfoundedly when he heard her noisily pucker her mouth.

"Uh, hello?" Grady scratched the back of his head, his eyes wide in an obvious call of SOS toward me.

"Hia, I'm Gweneth. Ruby must've told you a lot about me, yes?" Gwen batted her eyelashes.

"Mmm, no?" Grady didn't even attempt to be polite.

"Oh, really?" Gwen turned and peered at me with a kick of spite. She turned back to face Grady. "Well, you have quite a bit of catching up to do, don't you?"

***

Gwen ate a French Fry and put her arm around Grady's. He grinned nervously. I squirmed in the booth.

"When I was eight I became a vegan. Torture, I tell you, torture. When I was eight and three-quarters, I began eating real food again. Ever been a vegan, 'hon?"

Grady gave a ginger smile and gulped. "Well, no."

"Uh, Gwen? Lay off, kay?" I dug my jaw into my palms and sighed. My bangs were growing over eyebrows. My sweater itched.

Gwen sunk off of Grady in a fluid motion and stuck her tounge out at me.

"Anyway.." Gwen puffed.

"What's new with 122 Lucy Mays Boulevard?" I asked nonchalantly.

Gwen piped up, "Me and Noah drove by that place last night! It's huge!"

I shhed her until she quietly continued.

"I got out of the car and when I was dragging Noah out I saw.... a toad."

"A toad?" Grady asked, his face twisted in shock.

"Well, my friends and I search old places for fun. After a few years of experience we've found that the sighting of a toad on the property is always a huge sign." I explained.

"Good luck or bad luck?" Grady grinned.

"We can never tell." I whispered, giving a creepy esscence to the story. Seeing a toad meant good luck, but Gwen didn't tell him differently.

"It just sat there and stared at me." Gwen said directly to me. "I tried to swat it away but it jumped in my hand. It was twisted, dude."

I nodded and so did Grady. He cleared his throat and said, "My parents used to do that, search houses, I mean. That's when they went..."

I patted his hand in understanding. "If it would make you comfortable, tonight you could come with us to search the place. You'll be safe, promise."

Grady looked down and I took my hand away. Gwen slouched back in the booth.

"Uhm, nah, you guys can just go without me." Grady pulled his head up.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Nothing bad has ever happened to us. Tom usually is 'The Protector'." I giggled.

Gwen chirped in, "Really, you'll be O.K. If my parents went missing in an eerie building, I'd wanna search another eerie building just to see what my chances are."

What? I mouthed, shaking my head. Well you're not being much help either! She mouthed back.

Grady put his face in his palm and sighed, "No, no, I'm fine. You guys can go ahead. I'd be a drag."

Gwen snuggled his arm, "I'm sure you wouldn't."

"Gwen!" I said. I looked at the clock like I had somewhere important to be. "Grady, I think we should be getting back. We'll be home late if we leave in the next thirty minutes."

"Sounds good." Grady got out of the booth eagerly and we headed out, Gwen following us out to the parking lot singing Beach Boy tunes.

"I'll call you at nine," I told her.

"Alrighty," She bubbled.

Somehow I had managed to keep my cool, but inside I felt my heard pounding in my stomach. I wasn't ready to search a house just yet, or atleast one with such a large history focused on something so frightening. I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white the whole ride home.