Max and his new crewMax had been waiting outside the school for Zoe when Diane intercepted her. What the heck was Diane Rockway doing hanging around Zoe? Probably using her to do her homework for her or something. He stood casually against a building, chewing on a toothpick, about a block and a half away. He just wanted to talk to her. Make sure she was all right. Then two things happened. The door at Reynolds busted open, and a kid was hauling butt, coming directly toward him. Seconds later, Diane was screaming after him. “Get back here with my money, you little twerp! Don’t just stand there, Zoe, go get him.” Max stepped forward and grabbed the kid by the scruff of his neck. “Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!” the kid tried kicking him. Max held him easily at arm’s length. The kid was feisty. Max could give him that. He continued to hold him while Zoe and Diane made their way over. “Give it back. He stole the money right off the check when Zoe and I went into the bathroom, the little thief,” Diane said, pointing her finger in his face. Max shook the kid. “Did you steal her money?” The boy was crying. “You don’t know anything. She’s rich. I can tell. She don’t need it like I do. She’s probably never gone hungry a day in her life.” “Wo, wo, wo, hold up,” Max said. “You got a lot to learn, kid. Just because she’s got money doesn’t mean she don’t have problems.” “What, like a broken nail?” “No, I’m pregnant, you little twit, so my parents cut off my allowance, because I’m refusing to get rid of it, so that 40 dollars you just stole is the little bit that I got left.” The boy settled down fast and became quiet. “You got a baby in there?” he pointed at her stomach. “If I give you your money back, you won’t put it in foster care, right?” “What’s it to you? You’re going to give me my money back no matter what I do. It’s my money. It belongs to me.” “Give Diane her money back, kid. You don’t need to be a witch about it Diane. The kid’s obviously hungry.” “Me? A witch? Aren’t you the trailer trash that bullies everyone and spends more time out of school than in it? Total Loser with a capital TL.” Max’s face blossomed red and he stepped toward her, but the kid got in front of him, and grabbed his shirt, causing him to side-step and fall to the ground so he wouldn’t crush the kid. Max felt the cold air on his back, and hurriedly pulled his shirt down. Zoe’s gasp and their silence thereafter told him they’d seen everything. The belt welts and bruising on his back. Max stared at them, fists clenched, daring them. It was the kid to speak first. “Your old man do that?” “You know what?” Max said through gritted teeth. “I don’t need this. I’ll see you around, Zoe,” he looked at her apologetically, and turned to walk away. He didn’t have to worry about it getting around school. His old man didn’t want him going back to school anyway. “Hey, wait for me,” the kid said in his high voice. “Don’t follow me, kid. Go back home to your parents.” “I don’t have parents. I do got a place, though. I ran away from foster care, and I’m never going back.” “You’re an orphan?” Diane asked. “Why did you run away? You’re just a kid.” “I’m 10,” he said proudly. “I stopped being a kid a long time ago. I got an idea. You see, this place is abandoned. No one knows about it. It’s like a whole house. We could live there, you know? You won’t need to get beat up any more,” he said to Max, “And you can keep your baby and stuff so it don’t wind up like me,” he said to Diane. Then he looked at Zoe, “And I don’t know what your deal is, but you’re like gothic, so you gotta have problems.” “I’m not gothic. I just have black hair,” Zoe said. “I like your hair. I think it’s really nice,” Max said. “Thanks,” Zoe said oddly. “I can show you the place. It’s like 15 minutes from here. It’d sure be nice to have some friends.” “I’m in,” Max said. “I’d do anything to get away from my old man. If the kid’s got a secret hideout, I want to see it. There’s no harm in just checking it out. That way we all know where it is, just in case. Zoe, you coming?” “I . . . can’t,” she said biting her lip. “The kids will be getting off the bus, and my Dad expects me home to make dinner.” “You have to cook? You’re 12,” Diane said. “Mom left. Someone has to do it. Dad works all day and pays the bills.” “Diane?” Max looked at her expectantly. “What?” “Do you want to see this place or not?” “There’s no reason. I’m going to keep throwing a fit until I get what I want, and I always get what I want.” “What if this is the one time that you don’t?” “Fine, my parents are probably still throwing their hysterics anyway.” “I got like two bucks on me. You need to cover the rest. We’ll get a pizza for Zoe’s dad. She needs to see this place, too.” “Zoe doesn’t have a situation like the rest of us. What does it matter if she’s a part of this or not? Is there a situation, Zoe? Is there something you’d like to tell the peanut gallery?” Diane said. “No, really guys, it’s okay. Dad only allows pizza occasionally on Sunday nights when he has his friends over. I really need to get home.” “Not everyone broadcasts their issues like you do, looking for sympathy, Diane,” Max said protectively. “There’s a lot of people that suffer in silence and don’t talk about their problems.” “And I suppose there’s a lot of people that don’t deal with their problems, then beat on everyone else cause they’re being beat,” Diane quipped. “You’re the money mouth that went and got herself pregnant, probably for attention, and it just didn’t work out the way you wanted.” “You don’t know anything about me.” “And you don’t know anything about Zoe, so shove it. Either we’re doing this, or not. You’re either in or out, but if you’re in, you gotta help out.” “Guys, stop. I got an idea. You come with me,” the kid pointed at Max. “You got a watch?” “Yeah,” Max said. “We can all meet up tomorrow morning before school starts. That’ll give us the whole day.” “You mean skip school?” Diane said. “I can’t go back to school anyway,” Max said. “My old man wants me to get a job.” “It’ll be like an adventure. We’ll need supplies and things,” the filthy kid said. “What kind of supplies?” Diane asked. “I don’t know. You’re the girl. Whatever girls need, I guess.” “This could be fun. You’ll need to come too, Zoe. I don’t want to be the only female,” Diane demanded. “I don’t know. I’ve got a biology test tomorrow, and I haven’t missed a single day of school this year.” “Come on, Zoe, learn to live a little. You’re so blah. You need some personality. You’re like a 12 year old body acting like a 40 year old. Bor-ing.” “Please, Zoe, just this once,” Max pleaded. “Fine, 8:30 tomorrow. But I have to be back by 3:40.” “We better get going before it gets dark,” the kid said to Max. “Umm, excuse me. You forgetting something? Like, my money?” “Oh, come on, Diane. The kid needs it more than you do.” “You can have my leftovers, but I still need to pay the restaurant bill or my Dad’ll find out I’m not at my study group.” Max chuckled. “See, we’re not all that different. My old man thinks I’m out looking for a job.” “My old foster care thinks I’m at a group home,” the kid added. Everyone turned to Zoe, and she almost smiled. “Library.” |
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I did all my testing in my room, forcing all the instructors out, so I could concentrate. The only tests I couldn’t do in my room were the medical exams and the psychological assessments. Instead of being brought to my Psychologist’s office, I was escorted to a wing of the building that had previously been off limits. I was not advised of where we were going or what any of it was about or what was next, nor did I ask. I waited. And waited, and waited. In a lobby of an area that didn’t have the appearance of a school whatsoever. There was a secretary and everything, magazines to look through, a TV with the volume on mute. The couch was the most comfortable thing I’d known in two years. I could curl up and take a nap. The secretary came back carrying a cup of coffee. “Is that for me?” I sat up. “Umm, no, aren’t you a little young for coffee?” I gave her the ‘you’ve got to be kidding’ look. “I’m here for the interview for the administrative assistant position.” “What administrative assistant position?” “Whoops, they didn’t tell you. How about that cup of coffee?” “So you’re harassing my secretary now, are you?” I heard him before I saw him. A giant of a man, spotless and wrinkle free, in starched military uniform, because even apparently full grown men had to be told how to dress. “They prefer to be called administrative assistants,” I said. “Did she come highly recommended? I had to practically blackmail her to get a cup of coffee,” I stood, snooty-like, pulling on my own uniform. 5 foot 8 inches and I still only reached his massive chest. “Catina Salsbury. What an honor it is to finally be able to meet you.” He smiled and put out his hand. “I’d say likewise if I had any idea who you were.” I put my hand out all the same to shake. His hand practically swallowed mine, then held on a little too long for comfort, until I pulled it away. “You may call me Commander Stavinksi, or sir, if you will. I’m the Head of High Intelligence.” “Well I’m the brain of high intelligence. So glad to finally be meeting the head.” He didn’t know what to think of that one. “Did you want cream and sugar?” the assistant called. “No, I prefer it black.” This should be interesting. I didn’t know how I liked my coffee, being as how I’d never had it before. “Come join me in my quarters.” He waved his arms toward a set of double-doors. “Will there be anyone else, or just you and I?” “Just the two of us, but don’t be nervous. I don’t bite.” That’s not what I’m afraid of. I thought. I heard, ‘I prefer to lick’. Okay, that totally was not my thought. Welcome back, Voice. Perhaps the coffee would cure me. If I could manage to get it down. So should have told her I wanted sugar. How do people drink this stuff? “Psychological assessments are required at each level, so I am standing in for Dr. Latoya today to perform yours.” “She’s not ill, is she?” He chuckled. “No, I don’t think that woman gets ill. She’s never missed a day of work in the eight years she’s been with us. Not one.” “That’s impressive,” I said. “It’s expected. I haven’t missed a day in twelve years, and I work seven days a week.” “That’s . . . sad.” “Do you always speak your mind so freely, Catina?” “Is there any other way?” “When was the last time you had your tea?” “Right before dinner, after my bath.” “You got quite a sense of humor on you. That’s surprising for a person of your intelligence, and what you’ve endured these couple years.” “Was I sick the day they gave the class on how intelligent people can’t have a sense of humor? Or was that somewhere in the handbook?” “Have a seat. Is the coffee of your good taste?” “If horrible is good taste.” He took the coffee from my hand. “Well then let’s find something more of your taste. I want you to be as comfortable as possible.” “I’m comfortable.” Lie. “Why don’t we just get started?” “Oh, but we already have. The moment you walked into the lobby.” “I love being watched when I don’t know I’m being watched.” “Are you saying you don’t feel like you’re being watched all the time?” “No, should I? Am I?” “Here, try this and tell me if you like it,” he provided me a creamy pink drink. “Does this have alcohol in it, because I’m only 14,” I said. “You crack me up, Catina.” He said without laughing. “Do you like your time spent here?” “In this room?” “In the school.” “Do you want probabilities?” “Just a simple question that requires a simple answer.” “Umm, yes?” He raised his eyebrow. “No? Can you repeat the question please? I’m not very good with simple.” “Do you like being the face of the Modules?” “Sometimes.” He kept walking around me, making me nervous. “Do you like the drink I gave you?” “I do, yes, very tasty.” “I want you to close your eyes and relax.” “O-kay?” “I’m going to ask you a set of yes or no questions. All you have to do is respond yes or no. Understand?” I gave him the thumbs up. “Is your name Catina Salsbury?” “Yes.” “Are you 14?” “No.” “What do you mean no?” “I thought these were yes or no questions.” “You are 14,” he said. “I’m 14 and a half,” I said The voice was getting pretty irritated. “Is your sister Kadrin Salsbury?” “Why?’ “Yes or no only.” “What do you want with my sister?” “Do you have an issue following direction?” “Are we still on yes or no, or are you just asking me?” I asked innocently. “You’re really not making this easy.” “Um, no? Wait, was that a question?” “You know, Catina. You really are absolutely, wonderfully brilliant.” “I know. It’s more a curse than a blessing.” “If not for these other factors, you could go way above and beyond being a mere Doctor.” “What other factors?” “I’ve said too much.” “What factors? You can tell me you –.” In two steps he’d reached me, and cut off the rest of my words with his mouth. With his hand, he held my neck and my face, so I couldn’t turn away. I squealed and screamed and attempted to lift my knee, but his other huge arm, probably the length of my entire body, held me down. I dug my nails into the arm holding my neck and chin, and managed to get his face with my other hand, before he pulled away. Great, my first tongue kiss, and it was an old guy, against my will. Gross. He walked away laughing, though I’d drawn blood on his face. “Those factors. Someday someone is going to succeed in taming you, wild Cat. When that happens, you’ll be greater than any of us could ever wish to be. I think I know the trick, but you’re still a bit too young according to our laws. Laws, mind you, that will very soon change, if I have anything to do with it. Let this serve as a very important lesson to you, Cat.” “What lesson is that? Your breath smells like dog food, and you kiss like a cow?” “I look forward to seeing you at the graduation. We’ll be seeing a lot more of each other, Catina, throughout these coming years, especially now that I’ve seen you with my own two eyes.” “Oh goodie.” We walked by the house probably three or four times a day, slowing our pace to glance in through the windows and gaze longingly at the old, rusty swing set. The place looked vacant, like someone hadn’t lived there for a hundred years. Weeds that nearly reached our bellies filled the small yard, and the once gravel driveway was lost in crab grass. Sycamore trees given too much freedom branched out over the house, shading it from the sunlight and adding to its already scariness. We never saw any lights on or anyone come and go. We never saw a moving shadow when the sun was setting low and shone light into the two front windows, but from talk in the schoolyard during fourth grade recess, someone lived there, but who? “Can’t be human,” my best friend Carrie whispered. We were standing in front of the old, yellowing house, as we did often. “No, definitely not,” I agreed. “What do you think it is?” she asked. “I don’t know.” I kept my eyes fixed on the broken screen door. Hanging from only one rusty hinge, it creaked as the cool breeze pushed it back and forth, back and forth. “Someone that lives in the dark,” I said. “With eyes that glow like flashlights.” “All alone.” “Doesn’t need to leave the house to go grocery shopping because it eats spiders and beetles and bugs.” “Just gobbles them up with no teeth.” “Except for two fangs to pin them down and suck their blood.” “It crawls around on its four claws.” “With long, sharp, green nails.” “Bloodstains on the tips.” “And it’s hairy, like a bear, like a . . . a . . . monster!” Carrie said, reaching for my hand. BANG! The broken screen door burst open and slammed into the porch railing. We scampered off squealing like pigs in trouble. Summer came round, meaning an extra eight hours of playtime every day. We tried to keep ourselves busy doing other things, like playing countless games of basketball, kickball, and baseball, and zooming through the Deer Run trailer part streets on our bicycles, but something kept us going back to the house everyday. The ground had become a raw brown from where we always stood, fifty feet away from the answers to our constant, quiet questions. Maybe it was harmless curiosity, or the fact that neither Carrie or I had a swing set, or maybe it was simply knowing that we didn’t know everything that led us to do what no kid had ever dared to do before. All I know is I’ll never forget the events that followed once we knocked on that old, wooden door. It was another boring day in Central Square, New York. I’d awaked to dark clouds and depressing rain, spent the morning reading, the noon hour dozing in front of the television, and the early afternoon staring out the window and loudly moaning my boredom. “Joann, why don’t you call Carrie and see what she’s doing?” Mom suggested. I think she just wanted me to stop whining about being so bored. Ten minutes later, I was out the door and walking to my best friend’s house. The sky was still dark, and the breeze was moist and cold, but the rain had stopped for now. “So, what do you want to do?” she asked. I shrugged. “I don’t know.” We sat on the porch steps, licking our berry popsicles in silence. “Do you think maybe it’s lonely?” I asked suddenly. “What?” “The monster. It sits in that house all day in the dark all alone. Maybe it just needs a friend,” I said. “Yea, to eat for dinner.” Carrie laughed. “Let’s go see if we can see it through the window.” “But we never do,” she whined. And there we were, once again, gawking at the house, wondering the same things. I gasped. “Look, Carrie, a light.” A dim light shone through one of the small windows, but the window was too high for us to get a good looking at the inside of the house. “Boy, those swings look like awful fun,” Carrie said. “It’s too wet out to play kickball, and if we ride our bikes, we’ll get muddy. If only we could just swing on those swings. We’d never be bored again.” “I’m going to go ask it if we can play on its swings,” I said. My fear was great, but my curiosity and boredom were greater. “What? You’re . . . you’re crazy!” she whispered fearfully. “You’ll get kidnapped and . . . and eaten. You’ll be killed. Remember what Tommy Thompson said, Joann? Anyone who goes up those steps never comes back. Tommy’s in the sixth grade, so he knows,” she warned me. I started for the yard. “Joann!” she cried. “Carrie, if it hates children so much, why does it have a swing set?” I tried to reason with her. “To get kids to come into his yard to eat them, just like robbers use candy to kidnap kids,” she answered. I paused halfway through the tall, sticky weeds. I was having second thoughts, thinking that maybe this wasn’t such a grand idea after all. No, I’d gotten this far. I was in the middle of a mission and I was not a quitter. “Or maybe he just wants a friend, but everyone else is too much of a scaredy pants to knock on the door,” I said. “I’m not scared,” she said. I challenged her. “Yes, you are.” “No, I’m not. I’ll knock on that door myself.” Carrie stubbornly tramped through the lawn, pausing beside me. We tiptoed toward the house, hearts pounding and bodies shaking. We grasped for one another’s hand and started up the creaky steps. “We both will,” she said. We lifted our trembling fists and softly knocked on the paint-chipped door. We heard something! SQUEAK! SQUEAK! The doorknob rattled as it turned. The door groaned as it slowly . . . slowly . . . opened. We were ready to bolt like lightning, maybe even faster than that. I couldn’t move my eyes from the door. . . . Slowly . . . Slowly . . . “AAAAAAH!” we shrieked. “Wait, you’re not a monster,” I said. “Did you think I was a monster?” The old, bald man with the bright blue eyes smiled at us. “Everyone does. We thought you were a big, hairy monster that ate children, not an old Grandpa,” Carrie admitted. I elbowed her. “Carrie!” “Well, I do like children for dinner,” he said. “Really?” My eyes got wide in fright. “Well of course. There’s nothing like having company to help me eat all my food,” he told us. My shoulders fell in relief. For a moment I’d thought he was really going to eat us. “We don’t like bugs,” Carrie said. He laughed, coughed real hard, and then turned serious. “You human beings don’t like bugs?” he teased. “Yuck!” We stuck our tongues out. “What about dirt? You like to eat dirt?” “Gross!” we shouted. “Hmm! Well, I do have some chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven, but I don’t think –” “Yeeeaah!” we screamed excited. “Why don’t you ever leave the house?” Carrie asked him. “I can’t get around like I use to,” he said, nodding his head down toward his wheelchair. That’s why we could never see him through the windows. He rolled into the kitchen and every time the left wheel went round, it squeaked. “Why don’t you ever have any lights on?” I asked, looking around the dark house. The kitchen light was on, but it wasn’t very bright. “I’m an old man. It hurts my eyes.” After filling up on cookies and milk and promising to eat dinner when we got home, we ran out to finally play on the swing set. It was old and rusty and the chains whined a whole lot, but it didn’t matter to us. Flying through the air, kicking our feet out, leaning forward, and jumping into the fluffy weeds, there wasn’t a better feeling in the entire world. We still wondered why an old man would have a swing set. Then he told us it had once been his daughter’s and that she and his wife were now in heaven with God to watch over them. Everyday that summer, we went to the house. We would help him clean and keep him company and he would always have some kind of delicious treat for us to munch on. Kids walking by and riding by on their bicycles would stare at us and quietly warn us about waking the monster. We never told them there was no monster, only a nice, old man who couldn’t get around much. Heck if we were going to share our goodies and swing! Then one day at the end of summer, he sat us down at his small, wooden table and said, “I’m going away soon, girls.” “Where are you going?” I asked with my mouth full of apple. “I miss my wife and daughter. It’s time I go where they are.” He smiled softly. “In heaven?” I asked. He nodded his head. “Can we come? We’d like to meet your wife and daughter, Mr. Mead.” He laughed. “That’s very sweet of you, little Carrie, but you won’t see them or me, again, for many, many years. Now, I just want to thank you girls for giving me peace and happiness these past couple months. Before you ladies came along, I was very sad and lonely. You gave back to me what I’d lost years ago when my two precious loves died, my wife and daughter.” “What else had you lost that we could help you find?” Carrie asked. He smiled real big. “There’s still no teeth in there, Mr. Mead. We didn’t find any either,” Carrie said. He laughed real hard, and then he coughed real hard. “My smile. You helped me find my smile,” he said. “Even though I’ll be gone, the swing set is yours to play with whenever you want.” “Thank you,” we said, but we didn’t really understand. He kissed our foreheads and sent us off to play on the beloved swing set. We never did see Mr. Mead again, but we’ll never forget him. His swing set kept us busy and having fun on what otherwise would have been boring days, and no one could make chocolate chip cookies like he had made. LEAVE A COMMENT - tell me what you think. |
Dec 2015 - Schoolhouse Kids Archives
December 2015
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