The Society of Imaginary Friends

Chapter 1

It was a flash of dark red hair that yanked Valerie out of her daydream and had her on her feet in seconds. Before the realization of what it meant reached her consciousness, she was already out the front door and halfway to the pickup truck.

Daniel, no! she yelled.

It was too late. Her ten-year-old foster brother had pulled the truck out of park, and it was sliding backward down the driveway. Sitting next to him, her blood-red hair ghoulish against her pale skin, was Sanguina.

Now put your foot on the pedal on the left, Sanguina coached Daniel, flashing Valerie a knowing grin.

Valerie’s peripheral vision registered a blue van barreling down the street right before she wrenched open the passenger-side door to the truck and jumped inside. Sanguina had already vanished. She hit the emergency brake a second before the truck reached the road, but not before hitting the mailbox at the end of the driveway.

Hey! Whatcha doing? Daniel asked indignantly. You messed me up.

Sorry, buddy, she said, relief coursing through her body. This time, she’d been fast enough to prevent something awful from happening. But you know you can’t be in here.

There was a grown up! That lady was helping me. Daniel leaned forward, looking past her, but there was no one else in the cab of the truck. Where’d she go?

Valerie had no idea where Sanguina went, or where she ever came from, for that matter. She only knew that no matter how fast or how far she ran, Sanguina always eventually found her and tried to make her life hell. Last time, she’d found Valerie living beneath an overpass off the exit of a highway and had provoked a drug dealer into trying to shoot her. The time before that, she’d goaded a school bully into beating up a little freshman right in front of Valerie. That time, she hadn’t been fast enough to help him, and the boy wound up in a coma.

Sanguina was Valerie’s very own personal tormentor, one she couldn’t run from, and what her doctors considered proof that Valerie was certifiably crazy. Because she couldn’t be real.

Uh oh, Daniel’s voice suddenly sounded very young and scared.

The front door swung open, and the biological son of the couple she and Daniel were living with stormed outside. Adam, twenty-one, only did three things, as far as Valerie could tell: work out relentlessly, steal from his mother’s purse, and take out his bottled-up aggression on the two foster kids living in his house—when his parents weren’t around.

Duck, she commanded Daniel, and scrambled over the boy to get behind the wheel, shoving him to the passenger side. I’ll handle this.

Adam’s eyes narrowed as he barreled toward his truck. He jerked the driver-side door open and grabbed her arm, throwing her to the pavement. She winced when her elbow and knee hit the concrete, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of making any sign that she was in pain. She knew his type, and seeing her scared was exactly the thrill he was hoping for.

While she was down, he kicked her in the gut. She jumped to her feet before he got a second shot in.

Her first instinct was to fight back. He’d be in for a surprise, because she’d fought bigger, tougher men than this bully, but she stopped herself, remembering Mrs. Sims’ warning that morning.

I won’t tolerate any fighting now, hear? Not if you want to stay in my house, she had said gruffly.

Valerie had given her a small nod, keeping the polite smile she had been wearing for the past two weeks pasted on her face. This was the first time she’d had a real bed and three meals a day since she’d been in the hospital two years ago, and she didn’t want to mess things up. She’d just take a few hits from Adam and keep her mouth shut.

You’re dead, he said, a smile of grim satisfaction on his face. He’d probably explain her bruises to his parents as being the result of her careless accident.

It was a mistake. Take it easy, she said, automatically slipping into a defensive pose, her arms a little raised in front of her, and her feet anchored firmly beneath her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daniel sliding out of the truck, probably ready to come to her defense. He was a sweet kid, and the idea of him getting in the middle of this terrified her more than anything else. She tried to subtly nod her head to the side, indicating that he should run, but Adam saw her movement and turned.

Where the hell do you think you’re going? he growled. I saw you get out of my truck. You’re both gonna pay.

He’s not a part of this. It’s my fault, she said. But she’d never been a good liar—probably a big part of the reason why she hadn’t lasted long on the streets.

It was him who drove my truck, wasn’t it? Adam said, turning his rage on Daniel.

Daniel’s face was white, but he stood his ground. Valerie protectively stepped in front of him, but Adam shoved her aside. Whenever she found herself in these situations, instinct always took over. Valerie had learned not to think and to just let her movements flow naturally.

She felt as if she was watching from a place deep inside of herself as Adam’s fist came hurtling through the air toward Daniel’s head. Valerie caught Adam’s arm mid-punch, stopping it before it reached its target. Surprise registered on his face before she followed up with a blow aimed at his chest. Her fist connected, and he was thrown back so violently that it looked like he’d been hit by an invisible bus. He crashed into the side of the truck.

How did you do that? Daniel whispered.

Adam groaned, stunned. Valerie herself had no idea where her strength came from, but she assumed that it was adrenaline, like mothers who lifted cars when their children were trapped beneath.

She grabbed Daniel’s hand and pulled him toward the house. Once inside, she locked the doors and even checked that the windows were latched shut. Adam would be coming after them, and he’d be mad. She had to stall him until Mrs. Sims made it home.

In here, she said, pulling Daniel into a bathroom on the ground floor. Inside, she locked that door as well. No matter what happens, don’t leave until Mr. or Mrs. Sims get home.

As always, her strength evaporated rapidly now that the immediate threat was gone. She leaned against the wall for support, sliding down toward the floor. Expending all that energy took a toll, and Valerie knew it would be a week before she felt normal again.

You okay? Daniel asked, his face blurry. You don’t look so good.

I’m fine, she replied, managing a small smile.

I’m sorry, he whispered. So, so sorry.

Valerie had trouble focusing on his words. She was always weak after a fight, but this was more than physical exhaustion. She was being pulled into a tidal pool of blackness. This, too, she was familiar with, and she fought the tug with every ounce of her strength.

She knew that in the darkness, sucking at her consciousness, were terrors greater than anything she experienced awake. But her struggle was useless. Her knees finally gave way, and she fell forward, crashing into the ground. The last thing she remembered was the cool floor against her cheek before the darkness wrenched her under.

Part of Valerie knew that she was unconscious, and that her body was somewhere on the bathroom floor. But the scene before her eyes was so real that it was hard to remember this couldn’t be anything more than a terrible nightmare.

She was in a strange bedroom, kneeling on a small wooden bed, clutching her sheets with sweaty hands. Her heart beat fast and adrenaline chased through her veins, amplifying her eyesight and hearing.

In the corner of the room, the shadows began to move. Out of the darkness, Sanguina crept toward her. She was gaunt, and in the silvery light, Valerie could make out a network of purplish-blue veins throbbing beneath her translucent skin. Her eyes were a bottomless well of darkness, filled with cold hate.

Sanguina was much more terrifying in this shadow world than she was in reality. How had her tormentor traveled so fast, one minute in the pickup truck and the next in this strange bedroom? It was as if she wasn’t content torturing Valerie when she was awake; she had to visit her nightmares as well.

No matter how many times Valerie saw her, or how often she told herself when she awoke that Sanguina was only a figment of her imagination, she was always frozen by the fear inside her. She’s not real. This is a dream. She can’t hurt me, Valerie chanted softly, trying to convince herself that her words were true.

Give it to me. You know what will happen if you don’t, Sanguina said in a low, toneless voice that made Valerie’s skin crawl.

Or maybe you want me to visit your family again? a deep voice growled nearby. A tall, lanky man with yellow eyes was watching her as well. It wasn’t the first time she had seen him, but she didn’t know his name.

They didn’t always appear together, but when they did, it meant they wanted something. Something Valerie knew she shouldn’t give them. But she always gave in—anything so long as they’d leave her alone. Why was she always so much more afraid, so much weaker, facing these two in a dream than she was in real life?

Please, go away, Valerie begged.

We’re never leaving. Get used to it, Sanguina rasped in her ear, suddenly so close that Valerie was forced to stare directly into her black eyes. It was like staring into a void. A scream built in her lungs, and she squeezed her eyes shut to escape the emptiness of those eyes.

Some time later, Valerie peeked through her lashes. Her heart was ricocheting around in her rib cage, and she could still taste the echoes of her last scream. Sanguina’s hollow eyes were gone, and instead she saw the little window next to her cot in the room she shared with Daniel.

She opened her eyes wider and saw a familiar, beloved face close to her own. This was another one of her hallucinations, like Sanguina or Yellow-Eyes, except that this one comforted her.

Cyrus? What…how? Valerie whispered.

But Cyrus only glowed for a second and then faded away. She blinked, but he didn’t reappear. Fully awake now, she was kneeling on her bed, clutching her sheets in her hands as she had been during her unconscious vision with Sanguina. She was so weak, completely drained—physically and emotionally—by what she had experienced.

It was a different kind of fatigue than what she experienced after the fight. Then, she had been exhausted, but she would have been able to make it through the day. Now she knew the next time she closed her eyes she might not be able to open them again.

She let herself collapse back on her bed. The leftover fear from her dream receded, but it was replaced by a gnawing anxiety about what had happened to her and how she had gotten here. She saw her reflection in the bedside mirror and groaned. Her waist-length brown hair was a sweaty, tangled mess, and her usually warm brown skin had a yellow tinge.

The door cracked open, and Daniel peeked in. He thrust a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into her hand.

Hide it, quick! She’s coming.

Valerie shoved the sandwich under her pillow and gave Daniel a reassuring wink. Don’t worry, little man. It’s all gonna be okay.

He left, and a minute later, Mrs. Sims came through the door. She was a tall, imposing woman who rarely smiled. Valerie suspected that housing foster children was simply a way to make some extra money, because she clearly didn’t like children. Still, she wasn’t a bully, like her son, so Valerie couldn’t complain. Even considering Adam, this house wasn’t close to the worst of the places she’d lived. She hoped she’d be able to stay.

Adam told me you wrecked his truck, Mrs. Sims said accusingly. She stood over Valerie with her arms crossed.

I apologize, ma’am. I was curious to see how it worked, and it got away from me.

That’s a lie. You were going for a joyride before Adam stopped you. I know your type. And then you hit him? That was a coward’s choice. Adam would never hit a girl back.

Arguing would only make things worse, Valerie knew from experience. I accept whatever punishment you have for me.

It’s too late for any of that. You and Daniel are more trouble than you’re worth. As soon as I can arrange it, you’re both out of here.

Daniel wasn’t involved— Valerie started to say, but Mrs. Sims cut her off with a shake of her head.

I won’t listen to any of your nonsense. And if there’s any more trouble from either of you, you’ll go without your meals. We’ll start tonight. Perhaps an empty stomach will remind you to be grateful for the generosity of those who take you in.

Valerie nodded, and Mrs. Sims left. Maybe it was for the best that Daniel was leaving, too. Without her to protect him, Adam could really do some damage. She hoped that he would go to a nice couple with no kids. Or better yet, maybe he would be adopted. It was better to think that way, since there’d be no way to ever see him again.

Still, anxiety for her future made her stomach hurt, and forcing down the sandwich made her want to choke. What if her next foster family was like the one she’d had two years ago, and they locked her up in a closet? Or it could be another situation where she had to lie awake at night, guarding herself against any midnight attacks from other foster kids in the house. She’d have to go back to the streets again, which she hated.

Her breathing became shallow, as if she were breathing through a tiny straw. Her heart pounded so hard in her chest that she thought it would explode. She didn’t normally give in to her fears like this, but she was already so weak. Daniel tiptoed into the room and saw her gasping for air.

Mrs. Sims! Help! Valerie’s dying! he cried.

Then she collapsed on her pillow, back into sweet unconsciousness.

Chapter 2

Some distant corner of Valerie’s mind registered shouting—was it Daniel? He was shaking her, but she couldn’t seem to force herself to fight her way out of the darkness that had her trapped. She vaguely sensed her body being moved, poked, and prodded, but she couldn’t even crack her eyes. After a while she stopped trying, and it was a long time before she registered anything else.

The familiar, steady beeping of a heart monitor brought her back to full consciousness. Her mouth was dry, and when she cracked her eyes open, they were sticky, like they’d been shut for a long time.

She saw a row of three neatly made cots. The room was familiar. She was back at the Oakland Children’s Hospital. Her muscles relaxed, and she took a deep breath—this was the place where she was safest.

She was distracted from her thoughts by the familiar voice of Dr. Freeman, who had been overseeing her case since she was seven. She strained to hear the faint murmur of his conversation with a nurse. This was her only chance for answers. Later, she'd only get the sugared truth, what they deemed safe for a kid.

Should we call her parents? questioned the nurse.

Foster parents, you mean. But custody of Valerie Diaz is being reassigned, so we should notify her social worker.

Mrs. Sims had wasted no time making good on her promise to kick her out. Not that it really mattered. Alone…again.

Oh, I had no idea she was an orphan. The poor thing, the nurse said softly.

Yes, it’s sad. She’s been in the system for twelve years, since she was three. She’s been bounced from one set of parents to the next, since not many people can handle a violent, schizophrenic teenager, even without all her other complications.

What happened to her?

Apparently one of the other kids in foster care with her found her struggling for breath last night, and then she collapsed and has been unresponsive since. She’s been in a coma for nineteen hours now, Dr. Freeman said, and she heard a thread of deep concern in his voice. It thawed a little frozen patch in her heart.

Schizophrenia doesn’t cause a dramatic drop in blood pressure. Is there another diagnosis as well? I don’t see anything on her chart.

That’s the great mystery. We believe the drop in blood pressure is somehow tied to the schizophrenia. But that’s a guess. We have no idea what’s causing this. We’ve given her MRIs, scans, blood tests, but all the results are normal.

That must be terrifying for her.

What’s worrying me most is that it seems these unconscious spells of hers are taking a heavier toll on her physically the older she gets, and it’s taking her longer to recover each time. If we don’t diagnose her illness soon, I’m afraid she might have a stroke and die.

The shock of what she heard reverberated through Valerie’s entire frame, making her tremble. It couldn’t be true. Her life couldn’t be over before she had a chance to do any of the things she promised herself she’d do one day—see the world, go to college, fall in love. She gasped for air. Might die, she told herself, not will die. Dr. Freeman would never let that happen. In the hall, Valerie heard the insistent sound of the doctor’s beeper going off.

I had better leave you to give Valerie her IV. I’ll come back to check on her as soon as I can, Dr. Freeman said to the nurse.

She heard the doctor’s footsteps fade down the hall. Her door creaked open, and a stout nurse with round black glasses entered. Valerie stared at her, unable to put words to everything that was racing through her mind.

You’re awake! Dr. Freeman will be so glad. Are you okay, sweetie? You’re shaking like a leaf, the nurse said, putting a hand against Valerie’s forehead.

I’m… fine, she replied, forcing her muscles to relax.

I’m Beth, the nurse said hesitantly.

It’s nice to meet you, Valerie said as calmly as she could manage.

I know you’re not going to like this, but I have to put a needle in your arm. It will only hurt for a second, and then you’ll feel much better.

It’s okay. I’m used to it.

It was true. She didn’t even flinch when the needle slid into her vein.

Nice job with that needle. Thanks, Beth, Valerie said, suddenly wanting her to leave so that she could be alone to think.

Just rest now. Everything is going to be okay, Beth said with a tentative smile. She squeezed Valerie’s arm before she left and turned off the lights on her way out.

All the colors in her room blurred together. Whatever Beth had put in her IV was already working, making her mind sluggish. It was an effort just to blink, and she let herself be carried away by a gentle tide of drowsiness.

It was in her peaceful dreams that Valerie always found the inspiration for the stories that she liked to write in her journal and sometimes read to the little kids at the hospital. Tonight, as Valerie effortlessly used her superior kung fu skills to defeat Adam once and for all and put multiple dents in his precious truck, an old friend battled with her.

Valerie hadn’t fought by Cyrus’s side in a long time, since he had been her best friend—her imaginary best friend, that is—when she was little. Even in her dream, Valerie knew that Cyrus wasn’t real. But his presence didn’t frighten her, like Sanguina and Yellow-Eyes. He had always been someone who had her back, the only hallucination she wished she could keep. It was thrilling to be fighting another imaginary battle with him.

In the middle of combat, Valerie’s and Cyrus’s eyes connected, and Adam disappeared mid-kick. Cyrus walked over to her, holding out his hands. Valerie reached for him, but she couldn’t touch him, even in her own dream. As solid as he seemed, he was a figment of her imagination, and her arms went right through him.

I miss you, she said. I wish we could be best friends for real.

Val, it’s time to wake up, Cyrus said.

Valerie awoke suddenly, and all of the sticky cobwebs that the medicine had woven in her mind were gone. Her hospital room looked like it always did. Right now she was the only one in her room, and the other two beds were neatly made, gleaming whitely in the moonlight.

Um, Valerie?

Slowly, she turned toward the door. Sure enough, there was Cyrus, almost glowing in the dark room. His gold hair had a slight curl, and his blue eyes, which Valerie had always loved, stood out against his slightly tanned skin. It was so good to see him. But did his reappearance mean that her schizophrenia—and whatever else was wrong with her—was getting worse?

It’s okay. I can explain. Cyrus moved toward her slowly, as if he was afraid that if he moved too quickly he might frighten her, and stopped at the edge of her bed.

But fear was the last thing on her mind—she wanted him to be real so badly. Without thinking, she reached for his hand, almost pulling the IV out of her arm. She couldn’t help sighing with disappointment when her fingers connected with nothing but air. She was lightheaded. She shouldn’t have sat up so fast.

Take it slow, Val, Cyrus said gently, and she sank down onto her pillows.

Maybe this is a sign that I’m going to die, she said, mostly to herself. At least she would be able to pass away staring into a face she loved, even if he was a hallucination.

No, I’m not gonna let that happen.

I see, Valerie said, smiling a little at this person her brain had created. And what can a hallucination do to stop it?

Not that you’re gonna believe me, but I’m no hallucination. And it’s almost time for me to prove it. I can’t wait to see the look on your face when you realize I’m telling the truth. Plan to be laughed at for the rest of your life about that, by the way.

Valerie shook her head, trying to clear it. She wanted Cyrus to distract her with tales of his adventures, not offer her more proof of her own insanity.

Why are you here?

I know the past few years haven’t been easy for you. But things are about to get a lot better. I’m busting you outta this place, he said, grinning with barely suppressed pride.

She let out a short, surprised laugh. What makes you think I’d go with you?

Cyrus’s smile slipped. I can’t fathom what you’ve been through. I’m asking you to trust me on this. I can save your life. What have you got to lose if you listen to me? Nothing. But if you stay in this hospital and wait to die, you will.

Valerie stared at him.

What are you thinking? Cyrus asked, stepping closer to her.

I’m thinking that I’ve reached a new level of crazy. One there’s no returning from, she replied.

Then don’t return. Come with me.

Chapter 3

Over the next few days, Valerie relaxed as she fell back into the familiar rhythms of hospital life. She had been here so many times that the staff and other kids were more like family than any she’d ever had.

As she had during her last few visits, Valerie spent part of each day visiting the younger kids to deliver comfort and tell them stories to distract them from their pain—always under the careful supervision of a nurse or parent, of course. It was a much colder world outside of these walls, and Valerie was glad to be back. If only she didn’t have to worry about what was going wrong inside her, she could almost be content.

Because the hospital was currently at full capacity, two other children were sharing her room now, but that didn’t stop Cyrus from visiting her regularly. She did her best to ignore him, deciding that it wasn’t a good idea to indulge her hallucinations, but he made it very difficult. He seemed to take a childlike glee in forcing her to acknowledge his presence. One time, he entered the room on Dr. Freeman’s broad, dignified shoulders, pretending he was a cowboy and the doctor was his horse. He whirled an imaginary lasso above his head and pretended to pull back on reins to slow the doctor as he approached her bed.

She had burst out laughing, and the doctor had examined her sharply and made a note on his chart, which immediately extinguished her mirth. The last thing she wanted was for Dr. Freeman to decide she was dangerous and put her in isolation. So she did her best to stay calm as she recovered.

The next day when Cyrus entered, she refused to acknowledge him, even when he did cartwheels and back flips around the room. After more than an hour of unsuccessfully trying to attract her attention, he finally came to a stop beside her bed.

Not even a smile for me today? he asked, sounding a little petulant.

Go away, she hissed, not wanting the other two children, Ming and Jeremiah, or their parents, to overhear her.

While Valerie read a tattered old Seventeen magazine that Nurse Beth had brought for her, Cyrus tapped his foot impatiently beside her until the other children were called away for a Halloween craft hour.

On her way out, Ming stopped by Valerie’s bed. Can I bring Mr. Hopsalot? she begged, cradling Valerie’s tattered old stuffed bunny in her arms.

Of course, Valerie replied, smiling at the happy light in Ming’s eyes as she skipped out of the room.

Now will you talk to me? Cyrus asked as the door closed behind Ming.

No.

Why not?

Because you’re not real, she replied, realizing how weird she must look, talking to an empty patch of