Imposter Syndrome: Chapter 2, Part 1
Imposter Syndrome: Chapter 2, Part 1
Welcome to Shady Springs
Imposter Syndrome is my fourth novel. It’s a spooky young adult mystery set in the weird town of Shady Springs, where nothing’s ever quite what it seems. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing serialised instalments of the story exclusively on Substack. If you like it, consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help support my fiction writing. Annual subscribers will get a free physical copy of the novel when it’s published in full.
Previously…
Chapter Two: Welcome to Shady Springs
Theo woke the next morning to the sound of crunching.
At first, he thought he was still dreaming. Was he back on the bus again with the old woman? Was she chomping on a big bag of peanuts with her yellowy teeth, right by his ear?
No, he wasn’t dreaming. He was slowly waking up and the crunching sound was very real.
Theo opened his eyes, blinking groggily around the Oakwoods’ den. The curtains were still closed but an early morning luminescence now filtered through them, bathing the room in a warm golden hue. In the corner of the room, the old TV was on, playing an episode of some sitcom with the sound turned down. He frowned.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Theo turned his head. Alex was perched at the end of the couch by his feet, still wearing her lilac-colored pajamas. She had a big bowl in her hands and was staring at the TV screen. As Theo watched, vaguely wondering if he was, in fact, still dreaming, she spooned cereal into her mouth and went on crunching.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
“Alex!” Theo cried, louder than intended. “What’re you doing in here?”
She half-turned her head but her eyes never left the screen. “Breakfast,” she mumbled through a mouthful of bran flakes.
“But why’re you eating here?” Theo said, sitting up. He spotted his pajama bottoms near the foot of the bed - he must have taken them off during the night because of the warmth in the room - and tugged the blanket right up to his chin.
Alex swallowed a mouthful of cereal. “Tiffany’s watching the other TV. I always eat breakfast in here.”
“But… but this is my room!”
Alex finally peeled her eyes away from the TV and looked down at him. “Oh… did I wake you or something?”
“Yes!”
“Whoops - sorry.” She dipped her spoon back into the bowl.
“Alex - ”
“Shhh,” she said, nodding at the TV, “I’m watching something.”
With a sigh of frustration, Theo pulled the blanket over his head.
By the time Alex eventually finished eating (or the show ended - Theo wasn’t sure which came first) and left, the den had grown bright and birds were chirping happily outside the window. The other Oakwoods were up and about, moving around the house on creaky floorboards. Theo decided he better get up too, largely because his stomach had begun to rumble again.
He crawled to the end of the bed and scooped his phone off the floor. Alex had unplugged his charger to turn the TV on (This is what it’d be like having a sister, isn’t it?), but fortunately his phone had gotten enough juice during the night and was good to go. His Mom had sent him a message asking if he slept ok. He’d reply later.
“Theodore!” came Tiffany’s voice from down the hall. “Come and get breakfast.”
“Coming,” Theo called back, “and stop calling me that!”
“Ok, Theodore.”
He changed as quickly as he could and was trying in vain to smooth down his typically-disheveled morning hair when the memory of last night washed over him afresh.
Did I dream that? he thought, going reluctantly to the window. It must’ve been a dream. Couldn’t have been real, right?
He drew the curtains apart and squinted into the brightness. The window was still open but just barely - it’d slid down again during the night. There was the garden with its neatly-trimmed lawn and colorful array of blooming July flowers, already being tended-to by chubby bumblebees; there was the back fence, crawling with dark green ivy, and beyond it, the tall trees of Shady Springs forest, sentinel-like in the near distance. The sky was already a deep blue and entirely cloudless. It would be a hot day.
And there were no weird red lights anywhere in sight.
“Just a dream,” he muttered.
“Theo!” Alex called, “come on!”
He closed the window and headed for the door.
“Kurt, watch your tie.”
“Oh, thanks dear.”
Theo glanced up from his Corn Flakes as Uncle Kurt flipped his blue-and-red-striped tie over one shoulder. It had almost slipped into his bowl.
“What’ve you kids got planned for today?” asked Aunt Noelle, her arms almost elbow-deep in sudsy sink water. “Still heading into town?”
“Yup,” said Alex. She was seated at the far end of the table, sipping coffee. Theo watched enviously - his parents never let him have coffee, not anymore. “I’m going to take Theo on a tour. Show him round and stuff.”
“Good idea,” said Uncle Kurt, chewing on his bran flakes. “There’s a lot to see in our little town. Are you going to the library again?”
The library? thought Theo, silently horrified.
“Just be back in time for lunch,” added Aunt Noelle. “No later than noon. Also, I need you to run an errand for me.”
“Aw Mom…” Alex started.
“It’s just a quick one, you can do it while you’re showing Theo around.” She placed another sparkling-clean plate on the drainer. “See that box of strawberries on the counter? Take it out to Mr Morgenstein. I picked them fresh this morning.”
“Mr Morgenstein?” Alex whined. “That’s all the way on the other side of town!”
“Great exercise on a summer’s day,” Uncle Kurt said cheerily. “I wish I was going.”
“You can if you like,” Alex grumbled, taking another swig of coffee.
After breakfast, they went out to the garage to retrieve their bicycles. The day had begun to warm up in earnest and it was likely to be a scorcher, according to Aunt Noelle, who made them slap on plenty of sunscreen before leaving the house. It wasn’t yet nine o’clock and there was already a shimmer of heat coming off the asphalt.
As Alex pushed up the garage door, Uncle Kurt came hurrying out of the house with a briefcase in one hand and his jacket in the other, waving as he climbed into the car. He’d offered them a ride into town but Alex had declined. They’d need bikes where they were going today, she explained.
Uncle Kurt drove off and Theo followed Alex into the garage, carrying the little box of strawberries. Just like the house, it was tidy and surprisingly clean inside. A big wooden bench below the window was covered in tools, all neatly arranged, and shelves on the opposite wall were stacked with a wide variety of things not fit for the house: half-empty paint cans, dampening cardboard boxes, bags of fertilizer and seeds, discarded toys from long ago. All in their proper place.
“Your family’s so… tidy,” said Theo, watching dust motes swim in the sunbeams knifing through the open door. “Our place isn’t like this at all.”
“It isn’t?” said Alex, going to the back of the garage.
“No. Mom’s ok, but Dad and I are messy people.”
Alex made a noise like “Mmm-hmm” and wheeled a purple bicycle away from the back wall, setting it to the side. “This one’s mine,” she said, “and this one’s yours.”
“Oh come on,” Theo protested.
A smirk tugged at Alex’s mouth as she wheeled the pink sparkly bike towards him. There was a Minnie Mouse bell on the handlebar and a little pink basket behind the saddle.
“I’m not riding that,” Theo said, with some finality.
In response, Alex let go of the handlebar and he was forced to grab it with one hand to stop the bike falling to the floor. She crossed her arms and fixed him with a stare. “Yes you are,” she said.
“I’m not.”
“Did you walk into my room last night without knocking?”
“I, umm…”
“Well then, this’ll make up for it.” She took her own bike by the handlebars and started wheeling it towards the door. “Besides, it’s just pink. What’s the big deal?”
Theo wasn’t exactly sure what the big deal was, but he knew he didn’t like it. Nevertheless, he wheeled the bike out of the garage in silence and swung himself onto the saddle. He tried the bell: ding.
Alex followed him out and handed him a helmet - mercifully, it was green instead of pink. She grinned at him, putting on her blue one. “See? It’s not that bad.”
“Let’s just go,” Theo muttered, fastening the chin strap. He wanted to get away from the house before Tiffany spotted him. She’d have a field day with this.
The ride into town was more fun than he’d expected, though not at first. The Oakwoods’ long lane was bumpy and covered in partly-repaired potholes, and the pink bike rattled ominously each time Theo hit one. He was sure one of the tires would get punctured before they reached the road, or one of the wheels would simply fall off and he’d go sailing into the air.
But, somehow, the bike remained in one piece. And when the steep, bumpy lane finally transitioned to smooth asphalt, the ride became a lot easier. Alex was out in front, the box of strawberries in her bike’s basket - she was familiar with the road and knew which bends she could take quickly, and which to take slow. Theo, who hadn’t ridden his own bike much lately, labored to keep up, huffing and puffing as he pumped the pedals. Up ahead, Alex’s long white-blonde hair streamed behind her like a superhero cape in the warm morning sunshine.
Then they were going downhill, following a long curve in the road towards Shady Springs, and Alex slowed enough for him to draw up alongside her. She was dappled in shadows from the tree branches above them.
“You’re real slow,” Alex said, grinning at him again. A car passed, giving them a wide berth.
“It’s the bike,” Theo panted. “It’s meant for little kids.”
“It used to be Tiff’s. Then it was mine, for a while. It’s a good bike - you’re just slow.”
“You woke up mean today, you know that?”
Alex took both hands off her handlebars and gave an over-the-top shrug. “Maybe if you’d played the game last night, I wouldn’t have to be.”
“Seriously?” Theo said, gripping his own handlebars hard. The trees on either side of them were giving way to houses. “I think you’re just mad because I walked into your room and saw your binder.”
Alex’s hands went back to the handlebars. “I’m not mad about that.” She started to pedal harder; Theo did the same, keeping pace with her.
“Yes you are.”
“Am not.”
Theo half sighed, half panted: “Just tell me what’s in it. I know you want to.”
“No I don’t.”
“Yes you do.”
“Nope.”
“Alex!”
With a sharp cry of “Fine!”, she squeezed her brakes and skidded to a stop. Theo wasn’t ready - he tried to stop as well and almost went into the verge. The pink bike squealed as he shuddered to a halt a few yards ahead of Alex. Another car went by and Theo saw the driver stare at him.
“That was graceful,” said Alex, rolling up alongside him.
“You couldn’t warned me,” Theo said, readjusting his helmet. It was a loose fit and had slipped down to his eyebrows.
“Sorry.” Alex folded her arms, just as she’d done back in the garage, and looked nonchalantly up at the sky.
Theo sighed again. “Ok,” he said, taking a breath, “I’m sorry for walking into your room without knocking. I still think I did knock, but nevermind.” Alex started to uncross her arms and he hurried on. “Can you please tell me what’s in the binder? I promise I won’t laugh or tell anyone else.”
Alex looked at him incredulously. “You won’t laugh?”
“No, I swear.” She laughed then - sort of sharp and forced - and he frowned. “What’s so funny?”
“I can’t believe you don’t remember what it is,” she said.
“Should I?”
“Yes!” Alex cried. “Of course you should - you helped make it!”
Theo’s frown deepened. I helped make it? he thought, puzzling. And then, like a ship materializing from fog on the sea, it came to him. “Ohhh, that’s what it is.”
“Yup,” said Alex.
“You still have that?”
“Of course.”
“But I thought you got rid - ”
“Nope. Kept it.”
“Huh.” Theo met her blue-eyed stare, trying to read it. “But why did you have it out last night?”
Alex squirmed a little and broke his gaze. “I don’t know. When I heard you were coming to visit I thought it might be… fun, to show you. I haven’t let anyone else see it. You’re the only other person who has.”
“Really? But I haven’t seen you in, like, forever.”
“I know.”
“You didn’t even show it to Janice?”
Alex made a face. “Oh shut up. Janice wouldn’t understand. Besides, it was our thing, right?”
“Right,” said Theo. “Janice was probably too busy eating her own boogers, anyway.”
Alex glared and swung for him. He dodged it, grinning. “Come on,” he said, “tell me about it while we deliver these strawberries to Mr Morgansheen.”
“Morgenstein,” she replied, folding her arms again. “And I don’t think I want to talk about it anymore.”
“Yes you do.”
“I don’t.”
“You’re dying to. Seriously, I want to know what’s in it. Promise I won’t tell Janice.”
Alex set her jaw, trying and failing to suppress the smile pinching the corner of her mouth. She grabbed her handlebars again, spun her pedals and said, “Fine. But you better keep up this time.”
Theo dinged the Minnie Mouse bell. Her smile broke through and she pulled away from the verge.
LIking the story. It's starting like a story we all have in our histories - Visiting the cousins!
I have a couple of technical questions if you don't mind...
How do you the "Previously" pull out on your story? Along the same lines, how do you format your ad for your book in the middle?