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Close Your Eyes and Settle	By : psychotic4llyxyours Category: Singers/Bands/Musicians > Slipknot Views: 6064 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not know the members of Slipknot. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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- 2
- 3
Chapter Two: It's All In Your Head/It's All In My Head

Joey awoke the next morning to the sweet smell of pancakes and sausage. His stomach grumbled, and he pushed himself up out of bed. Groggy-eyed, he looked to Wednesday's bed and saw that it was empty. He rubbed his eyes and staggered down the hallway, where he made a quick stop in the bathroom before heading downstairs.

Wednesday sat at the dining room table with two steaming plates of eggs, sausage, grits and pancakes. He smiled when he saw the sleep-fogged Joey come around the corner.

"Hey. I was just about to go up and get you. You hungry?"

Joey's stomach grumbled again and he nodded, plopping himself down in the chair next to Wednesday. He returned Wednesday's blindingly bright smile and took a sip of the orange juice beside his plate.

"Sleep okay?" Wednesday asked, apparently much more open since he knew Joey was into the same things as him.

"Yeah," Joey replied. He picked up his fork and began to eat, the thought that the food could be poisoned never once crossing his mind. Wednesday had, by his generosity, earned Joey's trust, and Joey was too preoccupied with forming a friendship than to ask any questions like that. He ate up, not taking any notice to the way Wednesday stared at him. Of course, Wednesday's hadn't poisoned him; he was merely curious about his guest.

"Your cut looks better," Wednesday said between his own mouthfuls of breakfast.

Joey touched the now-scabbed wound. "Yeah, thanks to you. I don't know if I could have put the alcohol on it by myself. It would've hurt too bad." He pushed his empty plate toward the center of the table and watched silently as Wednesday finished his food.

"There's a place I'd like to show you today, if you don't have anything else to do."

Joey hesitated. "I really need to get home and let my mom know I'm okay…"

"Why don't you call her again and see if she's home?" Wednesday realized he was pressing the matter and quickly added, "But any time you want to leave, I'll show you the way. You moved into Ms. Henson's old place, right?"

Joey thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, her name was Marge, or something."

"I know exactly where that is. It's pretty far away…" He moved the telephone closer to Joey.

Joey dialed the number and got that annoying, high-pitched, 'Dee dee dee' sound, and then a woman's voice said dully, "We're sorry; the number you have dialed has been disconnected. To leave a message, press one. To…" Joey hung up the phone, a worried expression on his face. It was so quiet in the house that Wednesday had heard what had been said through the receiver.

"Maybe… maybe a tree fell over the line, or something," Wednesday offered weakly, trying to make Joey feel better.

It worked, somewhat. "Yeah," Joey said, although he didn't sound completely convinced. He nodded his head. "Yeah, that's totally it. She's fine… What place do you want to show me?"

Wednesday wagged a finger at him, smirking. "Now, now, it's a surprise." He took their plates and put them in the dishwasher. "Go get your shoes on and let's go. It takes some careful maneuvering to get there and we need full daylight so you don't get scared."

Joey had to think about where he'd taken his shoes off. After a few seconds, he remembered he'd taken them off at the door and it dawned on him that Wednesday had made a crack at him. He scoffed. "I don't scare easily."

"You sure didn't scream last night when I came up behind you either, huh?" Wednesday grinned while Joey's face flushed with color.

Joey didn't reply, just walked to the door and slipped into his stacked-heeled boots that boosted his inconsiderable height a few inches. Wednesday met him at the door, wearing an outfit that much resembled but was different than the one he'd worn before; it seemed Wednesday owned quite a few pairs of tight polyester pants and even more pop culture T-shirts. The shirt he had on that morning was of the movie Dawn of the Living Dead, and reminded Joey much of the thoughts he'd had the night before, when he'd first met the boy.

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Lead to the river
Midsummer I waved
A V of black swans
On with hope to the grave
Through Red September
Skies fire-paved
I begged you appear
Like a thorn for the holy ones

'Nymphetamine' by Cradle of Filth

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They weren't five yards through the trees before Joey asked where they were going again, and again Wednesday gave nothing away, not even a hint. It couldn't be said that Joey was nervous, because in his mind, he had seen no reason why he shouldn't trust Wednesday; the boy was generous, considerate, and had helped him take care of his cut. Why, then, was there anything to fear, following him into the woods to see some place Wednesday thought he'd enjoy? The only nagging thought he had was that of what had happened to his mother, but even that disappeared the farther they walked.

"So, where'd you move from?" Wednesday asked conversationally, slowing his pace to better suit Joey's shorter legs. "Your accent is different."

"Des Moines," Joey replied, tilting his eyes up to look at Wednesday. At the empty stare that met his words, he smiled. "Iowa."

"I know," Wednesday said, lowering his eyebrows in a scowl that Joey thought him to be so uneducated. "I was just wondering why someone like you'd want to move from a place like that. From what I've read about Iowa, which isn't a whole lot, it sounds like a pretty okay place."

Joey laughed quietly. "Yeah, pretty boring. Dude, it was awful there. All the kids were fucking no-brained hicks and everyone else was Amish, so you can imagine where I fit in." Wednesday didn't say anything, so Joey said, "Sometimes I felt like I was painted on the wall because that's where I spent all my time. Everyone avoided me… I guess 'cause I was different. I only had one friend."

"Was your friend into the same stuff you were, or just a fellow outcast you hung out with?"

"We were the same; we were like brothers. It was just me and him, and we didn't have any classes together, so the only time I saw him was at lunch and after school. We'd listen to music and just hang out… Yeah, he's about the only thing I miss in Iowa." He sighed, reminiscing.

Wednesday frowned. "That's really sad, man. I've never bonded with anybody like that. I never really wanted to, 'cause, you know, friendship is an obligation and I have enough of those as it is without having to worry about whether or not my friend is happy."

"What kind of obligations do you have?" Joey asked, stepping over a protruding tree root. He kept his eyes on the ground because the foliage was getting thicker the farther in they went.

It was at that question that Wednesday realized he'd said too much. "Uh…" He tried to think of a way to cover his outspokenness, and lamely said, "Normal kid stuff."

Joey sensed Wednesday's unease and ended that branch of the conversation by saying, "Oh."

Something moved through the trees to Joey's left. He jerked his head around and looked, and saw the scurrying tail of a squirrel rushing away. Joey let his breath out, wishing he could control his nerves a little better. Wednesday was smirking at him and again, he felt himself blush.

"How old are you?" Wednesday asked, not wanting to go with his assumption that because Joey was so ignorantly innocent, he was also thirteen years old; Wednesday hoped not, at least.

Joey wasn't offended because it was a legible question; they were, after all, getting to know each other. "Seventeen… How old are you?"

Wednesday hid his surprise well and replied, "I'm seventeen, too."

"Awesome. We have a lot in common."

"Yep, we do."

Eventually, they came to a narrow path where the trees were canopied over, laced above their heads, making a sort of tunnel where the only light was the faint glow they could see through the thick branches. Instinctively, Joey reached for Wednesday's hand and grasped it because he didn't have a good view of the ground and didn't know what he was stepping onto.

Wednesday wriggled his fingers, uncomfortable with the bodily contact, but he didn't pull away. He led Joey along down the pathway until, if they listened closely enough, the soft babbling of running water could be heard. The way Joey looked around, he obviously didn't recognize the sound, but then, that made sense; there weren't many running streams available for public use in Iowa. They came upon the end of the path where the trees parted and formed a cove. Through the center of the chamber of trees ran a large stream, and on the banks, weeping willows stood majestically, their sleepy limbs dancing across the surface of the water. Joey's eyes widened and he dropped Wednesday's hand as he took in the sight before him.

"This is amazing," Joey whispered, completely awestruck.

"Come feel the water, dude. This time of the summer, it's the best." Wednesday made his way down the moist black dirt of the bank and slipped his shoes off. He rolled his pant legs up and waded into the water, then turned around and motioned for Joey to do the same.

Joey took his shoes off and left them next to a tree before he joined Wednesday in the warm, clear water. He swayed unsteadily on the slippery smooth river rocks beneath his feet. He tried to take a step toward Wednesday, but just as his foot was coming down on the rock, something brushed his ankle. A scream gurgled from his mouth, mixed with a "Whoa!" as he threw himself off balance.

Laughing, Wednesday grabbed hold of his arm before he could fall. "Will you chill out? It's only a few fish."

Embarrassed, Joey yanked his arm away. He didn't realize that Wednesday was no longer looking at him, but at two swans that were entwined under one of the weeping willows. Joey looked over and was again taken aback by the sheer beauty of his new surroundings. In his mind, Iowa could not be compared at all because North Carolina completely blew it away in every aspect so far as Joey had seen.

"How'd you find this place?" Joey asked, staring at his feet through the water and wondering if it would be impolite to ask if they could swim; it was so warm and wonderful in the stream.

"I like to take long walks, mostly at night, which is why I found you last night. I always come across the weirdest things out here."

"Like what?"

Wednesday grinned. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. You'll have to see for yourself."

"Oh." Joey frowned. "You'll come with me, though, right?"

"Sure, but right now, we should be getting back to my house. It's almost lunchtime." Wednesday got out of the river with admirable ease and tugged Joey out, as well, because he didn't want Joey to slip in and get his clothes wet.

Joey followed Wednesday back, though he was reluctant to leave the sanctity of the cove. Wednesday promised to bring him back some other time, though, and his mind was calm.

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Back at the house, things were the same as they had been before, except the smell of lavender had changed somewhat. When it filled Joey's lungs the moment he stepped through the door, he had to stop and fight the urge to lay down right there on the carpet. He yawned and looked inquiringly at Wednesday, but the other boy was already walking to the kitchen. Joey rubbed his eyes, wondering why the smell was affecting him so differently than it had the night before.

Joey went to the living room and sat down on the overstuffed black leather couch that wrapped around the room in a half-circle. There was a couch on the other side of the room that was basically the same, except it was white. He yawned again and felt his eyelids closing. He jumped awake when a glass was shoved in front of his face.

"It's pink grapefruit juice. Is that okay?" Wednesday asked, shaking the glass and making the ice cubes clank together. "I put salt in it so it's not sour."

With no hesitation whatsoever, Joey took the glass and took a long drink. He'd always put sugar in his grapefruit juice, but what Wednesday had concocted, he decided, tasted much better.

"Why's it smell so… different in here?" Joey asked.

Wednesday shrugged. "Always smells the same to me. Is it bad?"

"No. Just kinda… I dunno, the lavender's making me sleepy."

"Well, why don't you take a nap? I'll wake you up when lunch is ready."

Joey drained the rest of the juice, taking no notice of the small fragments of blue in the bottom of the glass. Immediately, he felt the effect of the pills he'd been slipped, but wasn't aware that he was being overcome with anything more than the soothing smell of the house. He yawned and lay down, curling on his side and twining both his hands in his hair for comfort.

Wednesday smiled and got a blanket from the hall closet, then put it over the small boy. He ran a hand over Joey's cheek before distractedly pulling away and, as he'd already decided to make sandwiches and soup for lunch, went out the back door toward the woods.

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Some few hours later, Joey pried his eyes open. The lavender had dulled and was pleasant again, and Joey was comfortably warm beneath the soft flannel blanket that was draped over him. He pulled it tighter around himself and tucked it under his feet. It was eerily silent in the huge house, and for a long while, Joey lay there and listened. He wondered if Wednesday lived alone or if his parents dropped in every now and then, or if there was some sort of maid involved, because it just didn't seem possible for one teenaged boy to take care of an entire mansion of a home by himself. Joey craved to go explore the house, to count the rooms and check out his favorite part of any house: the attic. He was positively in love with that room; at his old house in Iowa, his bedroom had been the attic. He thought the pros and cons of looking around over in his head before finally getting to his feet and peeking around in the kitchen.

Wednesday was gone. Joey pulled anxiously on his ear because Wednesday hadn't mentioned going anywhere. Thoughts buzzed through his head: had Wednesday abandoned him? Had Wednesday been abducted? Mutilated? Why hadn't he woken up at the sound of a struggle? Joey frowned, worried.

It took less than ten minutes of standing uselessly in the kitchen before Joey decided to go looking for Wednesday. He didn't exactly have a plan for what he would do if he happened to find Wednesday injured; he could only lift about twenty pounds, maybe thirty, so he definitely couldn't carry or drag him back. It didn't matter, though. All that mattered was finding him. First thing's first, and if something was wrong, Joey could always go right back to the house and call for help.

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Wracked with your charm
I am circled like prey
Back in the forest
Where whispers persuade
More sugar trails
More white lady laid
Than pillars of salt…

'Nymphetamine' by Cradle of Filth

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Joey wasn't quite as brave as he had been the night before when he got lost for the first time. He still had no idea where he was, but had a pretty good idea of how to get to the cove Wednesday had shown him just hours before, so that was where he went first. The sun was high in the sky and beamed down in bright streaks through the trees, like single rays of sunshine. As Joey looked around, he was reminded of a picture a child would draw, except it was much more profound. The trees were personified, some of them, it appeared, even had faces: great bulbous noses and hollowed out eyes. Joey shuddered. He reached up and twirled his hair nervously, tucking and untucking it from behind his ears.

Up ahead, at long last, was the tunnel-like path of trees. Joey sighed in relief that he had found it. He could hear the running water and almost ran through the path, but remembered that he didn't have Wednesday's guiding hand and decided not to risk running. He power-walked instead and made it to where the banks of the river were pitch black and clay-like. The swans were gone. There was no sign of Wednesday, either.

Joey walked down to look where the trees were thicker, near where the river flowed out. He found a toad frog that he poked at for a few seconds before it belted out a RIBBET, and he fell backward with a gasp, believing the thing would make a run at him. Of course, the frog hopped away without doing him a lick of harm, and Joey fell to his back, not caring about the dirt that covered him for it.

It was dark under the trees and easy to lose track of time. Joey hummed to keep himself company because, while he was curious as to what had happened to Wednesday, he wasn't ready to leave the cove quite yet. It was just so peaceful and beautiful there; he wished he could stay forever. More than that, he wished he could take a swim. No one was there; no one was watching. He looked around to make sure and saw no glowing eyes staring at him from the trees and brush. It would only take a few minutes…

He slipped out of his shoes and clothes and waded into the water, sighing in delight as it moved against him. He'd never been in a running stream before, except for the brief bit earlier, and while there were fish and slippery algae to deal with, it was worth it for the new experience. He slid down to his knees and sat on them, while hanging on to the branch of a weeping willow to keep himself from being carried away. Another slippery something wriggled past him and he shivered with disgust, instinctively reaching down and wiping at his leg. His hand closed around the thing that had brushed against him and he lifted it out of the water.

A scream resonated from his lips. In his hand, he held a human arm, cut cleanly at the elbow. He screamed again and several birds flew from a nearby tree. He threw the arm downstream and rushed to get out of the water, but he slipped on the stones and fell back in, dunking his head under. Gasping for air, he came back up. Standing on the deck was a girl, clad all in white, with short blond hair and silver irises in her eyes; the pupils were a dark blue. Joey's mouth opened and closed a few times and he wanted to scream again, but it wouldn't come out. He managed a tiny whimper and stumbled backward away from the girl. Again, he lost his balance and slid down on the slimy stones, going under water again. When he came back up, the girl was gone.

"Oh my God," Joey whispered, tears forming in his eyes. "What's going on?" He could still see the arm bobbing against the rapids that had picked up force. With a twist of his gut, he wondered what other body parts were in the stream.

Finally, with quite a bit of struggle, he managed to pull himself up out of the water and onto the bank. He was shivering all over from the trauma of what he'd just discovered, what he'd just hallucinated, whatever the case was. He was frightened beyond all reason and hardly paused to yank his clothes on before he took off running in the direction of Wednesday's house.

"Nathan," a female voice whispered in his ear.

He jerked around, but no one was there. Tears filled his eyes again and he didn't bother to wipe them away, instead just let them run down his face and blur his vision.

"Why the rush? Won't you stay for a while?"

Joey didn't answer, just ran faster. His heart and lungs were ready to burst from exertion and his head grew light, but he refused to stop.

"Don't go back to his house… He'll do the same to you…"

The girl's voice grew fainter until it disappeared entirely. Joey could see Wednesday's house up ahead. Just a bit farther… He flew along through the trees, but just as he was coming out of the forest, right at the last line of brush, his boot caught on something and he went sprawling face-first in the dirt. He knocked himself right out.

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Close Your Eyes and Settle