Chapter 25

Heather’s Letters Blog Entry

Draft: October 11th

Now I know. Burton is torturing poor Adam. Mentally and emotionally, yes. But probably physically, too, with those noxious herbs of his. Why is it that when Adam drinks his tea, he acts like a total zombie? What’s in those horrible plants of his, and why does Adam put up with it?

I’ve been making trips to the graveyard most days after school now. I wait in the willow tree for the two of them to show up. They usually do. Adam shows just after practice. It’s always the same, too. I can tell by the blank stare on Adam’s face that he has had more of Burton’s tea, and Burton questions him relentlessly. It’s like the Inquisition! He forces Adam to talk about things he doesn’t want to discuss: his ailing stomach, his restlessness at night. But despite Burton’s best efforts, Adam has not once told him that he is my source. But it’s clear, listening to Burton’s line of questioning, that Burton knows. He knows, all right. He’s just having fun—torturing Adam until he confesses. Like a cat toying with a mouse before delivering the inevitable coup de grace.

How I wish I could jump out of that willow tree and spend the afternoon with Adam—take his hand and pull him away from my horrible next-door neighbor. How much less miserable both of us would be. To spend a beautiful fall evening with someone who once cared so much about me, and how happy I would be to have just one honest friend! But that happy fate isn’t mine to enjoy. Instead, I’m doomed to watch the shadow of my former boyfriend submit himself to a monster. Pale and dead in the eyes, Adam is like a trained animal, and Burton his terrible master.

Something is wrong with Adam. He constantly grasps his stomach and his arms. I’m not sure how he’s hiding it from his parents. They were always so involved in his life. Well, maybe he can hide it from his parents and the rest of the world, but Adam hasn’t been able to keep it from Burton, and he can’t keep it from me. I’m going to find out just what’s going on with Adam. And I know just how to do it, too.