Part Eleven

Mom called me about two seconds after the bell rang.

“Are you doing anything today?” she asked.

I sighed. “The bell just rang. You’re lucky you didn’t call a few seconds earlier. I forgot to turn the ringer off.”

“Well, are you?”

 “No Mom. I’m coming right home. I thought I was supposed to call you.”

My mom was quiet for a moment. Then, “You’re right. I’m sorry. Be home quickly!”

“Okay, bye.”

I hung up before she said anything else.

Out front, Tristin caught up to me through the mounds of fussy students. I was trapped in a pseudo-worried bubble of the same sort as all day yesterday and today.

“Yeah, I’m fine. No, I won’t have lasting damage.”

“Break it up, people!” Tristin shouted. “Don’t you have busses to catch or something? Let the man have his peace already!”

His tactics worked; he freed me.

I joked, “You’re my savior, come to rescue me from the clutches of the Popularity Dragon. How can I ever thank you, Sir Knight?”

Tristin laughed. “Another fight with me should pull you out of debt.”

I laughed back and we made plans to meet in the field after we finished our homework.

(I didn’t tell Mom exactly what we were going to do.)

Part Ten

I decided not to think about it too much at school.

Or I tried to.

I was miserable and jumpy all day.

Still, nobody noticed.

I never realized how lonely I was without my best friend.

 See, I’ve grown up here, and I was born here. That means I have some lasting friends, and I’ve met a lot of people. My best friend, Richard Ediger, is visiting New York right now. He won’t be back until Thursday, and he knows nothing of what happened.

But at lunch, Tristin caught up with me again.

“Something’s wrong,” he said, walking up to the same place we sat before. I glared at him. “I mean more than yesterday.” He sat next to me. “You look like you’ve been crying.”

I hung my head lower over my sandwich and continued chewing. I also wiped my eyes with my left sleeve.

“C’mon,” Tristin encouraged. “You can tell me. It seems like I’m the only one who’ll actually listen, if you know what I mean.”

I thought about his offer while I swallowed. I put down my sandwich slowly. Then I sighed and pulled out my new phone.

“My….” My voice was hoarse. “My mom got me this phone last night. She programmed a bunch of numbers in it,” I explained, scrolling through the contact list, “but she left out my dad. I asked her about it and she went all rigid and cold, and told me I couldn’t call him. He’s been away for a long time, and… and I’m just worried… it’s too long….” My voice got smaller at the end.

“You’re worried they might be fighting?” Tristin correctly surmised.

I nodded and there was silence between us. I found I wasn’t hungry any more. The silence lasted a long while.

“Let’s brawl,” Tristin suggested suddenly.

“Um… What?”

“You said you know combat, and I find that fighting makes me feel better.” He stood up quickly and held out his hand. “C’mon, just try it. We’ll be careful.”

I stared at him incredulously, and he smiled back. He wouldn’t let up on the idea, so I sighed and accepted him for the second time in two days. We moved away from the school wall so that we had a lot of free space of grass around us. Then he stood in a ready stance and I automatically did the same.

“We’ll just go at it,” Tristin said, “but avoid the danger areas. Got it?”

“Yep.”

“K. Three… two… one!”

Tristin came at me, just as I expected he would. I twisted myself around to dodge and easily placed a counter-attack; my elbows connected with his back, both knocking the wind out of him and sending him to the ground. I smiled.

“Okay…” Tristin muttered as I helped him up again. “You’re better than I expected. I guess I won’t go all that easy on you anymore.”

“Easy?” I laughed. “I doubt you have anything better than that.”

We stood at the ready again, but the warning bell rang. I dropped my guard.

“Oops, we’d better stop,” I said, walking back to our things.

“Never turn your back on your enemy!” Tristin warned as he jumped on my back. I was surprised, but I reacted. Instead of falling flat on my face, I landed on my knees and grabbed his shoulders. Then I bent forward and pulled him off me. He lay on his back on my left and I smiled at him while on all fours.

“Okay, you’re good,” Tristin admitted. We laughed as we packed our things and headed to class. Turns out he was in my health class on B-days. I have never found it so hard to keep quiet.

Now in Print

All in a Dae's Work, the book you have been reading twice a week, is now available in paperback through Lulu.com. I priced it really cheap at only $10. You can also get it through Amazon and other sites, though I'm not sure how those work. Either way, I get some money, and you get a sleek book. Plus, you get to read the ending before the regular blog readers. No spoilers!

Part Nine

In the morning.

She gave me.

A....

CELL PHONE!



 “Are... are you serious?” I exclaimed reverently. John had to buy his own cell.

“I just want you to be able to call me if your plans change again,” Mom said. Her voice was airy and matter-of-factly at the same time. A warning tone underlay both, and she still held the actual phone in her hand. I couldn't touch the thing.

She continued, “I've already programmed in a few numbers. The home phone is speed dial number two, and my cell is number three. You can figure out the rest.”

“What about Dad?” I asked. “Is he in there?”

Mom turned sour and sad, but I had no idea why.

“You can't call him right now,” she informed me, then dropped the phone in my hands and walked away briskly. “Don't be late to school!”

...

 What was that about?

 Why can't I call my dad?
 
 Was there something going on with my parents?

Part Eight

H o m e . . . . . .



“Where have you BEEN! We were worried SICK about you!”

“I'm sorry Mom, I really am—!”

“Sorry's not good enough! I about told John!”

“No! Don't do that. Can I just explain?”

 Oops. I forgot to tell Mom I met someone new and that I was going to hang out with him. This really isn't a good thing for me to do so soon after the kidnapping. I couldn't blame her for being scared, even if she did sound just like Molly Weasley.

What I didn't get was why she preferred the injured John over a neighbor, or even the far away Dad. (Where the heck was he anyway?)

After the argument, Mom set Grandmom in charge of making sure I did my homework. I was also not allowed to talk to any visitors. Luckily, I didn't have much to make up, but it still took me a while to take care of. While it was just me and Grandmom, my Mom left to “get something important,” whatever that meant. When she came home, she kept the package to herself, making it seem like something I should care for. After dinner, she took it and Grandmom upstairs and said for me to do as I liked.



Is that some sort of test?

Part Seven

The park I specified to Tristin was the playground I had ran to during the chase. I haven’t been there since I was a toddler, and the land owners have since changed the whole structure. In broad daylight, I knew it could be just another playground to me.

“Hey James, you made it,” Tristin said with a smile as I strolled towards the park. I smiled back at him as I thought about the area. The smile was at first just a wince, an automatic response. But as the memories stayed suppressed, it became more sincere.

“How's the world been treatin' ya?” he asked playfully. “Are your fifteen minutes of fame over yet?”

“I hope so,” I answered. “I don't seem to have any stalkers as of today, so I should be fine.” I gave him a full on grin with the joke and he laughed. It felt good to joke around again, especially about something that had been bugging me all day. Tristin had that trick about him; I was myself around him.

“So what do you want to do?” I asked.

“Arcade? My dad just gave me a bucket-load of coins and said, 'If you wanna make friends, you will go to the arcade and play Pacman until your score is as good as mine!'”

I laughed at Tristin's impersonation of his father.

 It really felt good to laugh.

And so we were off, first to Tristin's house to pick up the change (he really DID have a bucket! We only took a small bag-full), then into town to spend all those monies.

“You know,” I started while we raced through city streets an hour later, “I haven't actually been to an arcade.”

Tristin gaped at me. He didn't look away until his car crashed into a department store.

 “Yeah,” I continued. “I've played some of them, but only because we own one of those Atari game controllers.”

“How did you get through life until now?” Tristin asked with a voice full of shock. “My dad shoved the arcade-life down my throat like it was air.”

I smiled. “My brother and I usually did stuff outside together. Back when we were little, we played with Thomas Trains all the time.”

“You're more of the sportsy kind, then?”

“Well, not exactly. Our dad taught us bits and pieces of all kinds of combat for a long time. He traveled, and still travels, a lot, and sometimes told us stories.”

“Hah! I won!” Tristin exclaimed at the end of the race. “Wanna go again?”

“Sure! This is the only driving we'll have for three more years.”

Tristin laughed. “Oh yeah. I've never thought of it that way. Hey, see if you can beat me this time!”



I lost.

Again.

Part Six

How....
Odd.

During third period I wondered at my behavior with Tristin. Who would be so accepting so quick at my age? Maybe it was the peacefulness of finally not having people all over me and my injuries and my story. (The burn was still slightly visible on my neck.) That was when my senses were clearest, my mind most free. I might have accepted any offer back there.
...
Naw.

But there was something about that Tristin....

Part Five

Back to How it Was?

Are you... sure?



Within the week I was back to school. All my family said to just get back into everyday life and don't worry about what happened. Yeah Right. Most people were under the impression my brother and I were in a street fight. Obviously, John took the brunt of it. Story goes that he returned from his “trip” just in time to pull me out of the clutches of a hyperactive taser.

But having an alibi made the truth simply dig deeper into my skin, infecting my dreams almost every night. I couldn't walk anywhere by myself, for fear of it happening again. The facility we were taken to became completely void of any soldiers, doctors, or General Tufftisses (I still couldn't laugh at that name), making matters ten times worse.

I got out of the hospital two days ago, but John... no one knew when he would be able to leave. Every time I visited him with my mom or Em or someone, he had a smile. His mouth showed excitement at the visit, his eyes shone darkly with a weight I wasn't allowed to know yet.

That same Saturday, six of John's friends came over, to visit ME. Trev said he was going to supervise my training until John got back, which confused the heck out of me. Before I got in one question, though, Mom shooed everyone out, saying I wasn't to leave the bed for a week. I thought that was harsh. Because they left the room and went downstairs, I didn't get to hear the argument. A few minutes later, Grandmom came to my room. She told me I could get out of bed, but that my mom wouldn't let me do physical activity.

She wouldn't answer any of my questions either.

Finally, Rosa came back upstairs, but all she said was, “I'm sorry. Again.” Then she placed her hand on my forehead and left.

So here I was, Monday morning, staring at the junior high's entrance. Students bustled all around me and in the halls beyond the glass doors, but I was a statue. The memories were too fresh for me to go back to “normal.” I just wanted to curl up in a ball and hide for the rest of my life. Or at least until John was discharged for real.

‘James, you're too young to give up.’ It was John. Since he had nothing better to do, he often popped in on me. ‘Just take a step. A tiny little step. And again and again until you reach the doors and push them open.’

‘I don't want to,’ I replied half-heartedly.

‘I know, but you can push through it.’

I growled. I was tired of everyone saying they knew how I felt. How could they know? They weren't kidnapped and electrocuted!

“James! You're back!” Desire, one of my friends from seventh grade, ran at me straight from the bus. “You got out of the hospital! Are you okay? How's your brother?” She gave me a hug.

“Yeah, I'm okay,” I said all melancholy-like. “John won't be out for a while.” I felt like a robot, and I knew that wouldn't be the last time I said those words.

“Aw, that's too bad. I hope he gets better quickly. C'mon, let's walk to English before the bell rings.”

Dezzi dragged me through the halls. I hardly paid attention when other friends, some old, some I didn't even know, asked and said the same things over and over again. No one even noticed that my replies became more and more monotone as the minutes wore on. As it turns out, Dezzi and I didn't make it to English on time. For once I was glad I sat in the front, away from all friends.

By lunch, nothing had changed. Nobody let up. I managed to get away by saying I had to talk to teachers, and that I could do it myself. I hitched up my backpack and escaped to the chilly field behind the school. Though it was perfectly warm a week ago, leaves had already started deserting the trees.

Finally, all was quiet. I pulled my lunch out of my backpack (my mom packed it) and let my mind wander freely.

About halfway through my clichéd pb&j, I heard the crunching leaves of someone's approach. I decided to act cool and just keep eating, but I couldn't help but look at who was coming.

It was someone I didn't know. Great. He was probably another well-wisher. I thought for sure the whole school had already “paid their respects.”

“Um, hi,” he said before I looked away. “I'm Tristin.”

“Hi Tristin,” I said exasperatedly. “I'm James, as you probably know.”

“Hi James, and I didn't know,” Tristin said, sitting in the grass beside me. “What's the matter? You seem as low as Death Valley.”

“You haven't heard of me? ‘James Fletcher, the kid who got saved by his missing brother’?”

Tristin nodded absently. “Oh, I'd heard of something like that. You're the kid that everyone wants to meet today. That's gotta be rough.”

“It is,” I answered firmly. We didn't say anything for a while, and Tristin had his own lunch out, so the two of us just sat in silence, eating, watching the clouds scuttle above the field.

“I would hate it,” Tristin continued. “Too much attention for one guy. Sometimes I just need to breathe.”

“Yeah,” I nodded contently. “That's exactly it.”

We munched on.

“Hey, do you wanna hang out some time?”

I was back in elementary school, where you could hang out with anyone of the same gender. It felt good, fresh.

“Sure. The park three blocks down? In Catalina Heights?”

“Really? My family just moved in there. I'm a new student, actually. As of last week.”

“Cool. I'll see you then?” I said as the bell rang. I cleaned up and noticed Tristin's hand in my face. He smiled. I smiled. I took his hand and he pulled me up.

“I'll be there,” he answered.



I had... a new friend. ...?

Part Four

Ah, the beauty of sleep.

And Relaxation.



Hm.

Where was I?

I wasn't a captive anymore.

Something was beeping. Hey! It matched my heartbeat. That meant I was alive in a hospital—right?

But where was everyone else? They all survived, RIGHT?

AND WHAT THE STINKIN' HAPPENED?!?

I opened my eyes. The ceiling looked nice. Nobody was there, but for some reason, that wasn't so bad. I needed some time to think by myself.

 I still wanted to know what happened.

I looked around. To my left: a wall.

...Yeah.

Unfortunately, turning my head wasn't so pleasant. My neck complained of a burn, not healed one bit. Okay. I could work with that.

And then my stomach. It didn't like for me to breathe with my lungs. That one wasn't quite so workable.

But I wasn't done surveying the land yet. Slowly, V E R Y S L O W L Y, I turned my head to the right.

“Hi James.”

“JOHN!” or at least, that's what I wanted to shout in gloriously relieved excitement. Instead, all that came out was, “pqkjh.”

John laughed. At me.

“Don't try to talk,” John giggled as I coughed with great difficulty. “You got a tube down your throat! The nurse said you can get it out, like, tomorrow.”

TOMORROW?!? I about cried. Actually, I did.

“James, dude, it's okay! You're better off than I am.”

And that's when I noticed my older brother's condition.

 He really did not. Look. Good.

He had scars, burns, and bandages crowding his body! He had all KINDS of wires and cords keeping him stable... alive. In fact I wondered how I recognized him in the first place.

And yet he was still cheerful.

And happy.

Like... always.

‘John, I'm soooooo sorry! This is all my fault isn't it!—’

‘James—!’

‘I mean, how did you get so banged up? How—?!?’

‘JAMES! Shut up. It wasn't your fault.’ He looked at the ceiling, suddenly upset. I was worried. ‘It was... actually... my... fault. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be in this mess. I'm the one who should be sorry. And... I am....’

I was stunned. I couldn't accept what he said. My brain just wouldn't process it.

 ‘But I really didn't mean to. I tried, SO HARD, to keep you safe. But my best just... wasn't good enough. I'm sorry. Now let's just drop it and be best buds again. Fair?’

I still didn't quite grasp the full stretch of what he was saying, but I felt positive anyway. I couldn't let ANYTHING get between us.

‘Fair.’


*sigh*

Part Three

Sedatives.


Ugh.






When I woke up, I was lost in darkness, though I could see a bit of my immediate surroundings. Those silver things were what made me the most crazy.


Now I was in a cage.


A CAGE!


And, if that wasn't enough, my hands were tied behind my back, and my ankles were strapped together the same way. I was on my side, so my right arm was pretty much numb from lack of blood flow. The first thing I tried was wiggling around to fix that. Eh, it worked. Slightly.


Oh, not to mention my mouth. Duct tape kept my lips sealed.


DUCT TAPE!


Yeah, I was pretty much kidnapped.


Boy, I REALLY don't like being kidnapped.


That's when I heard something from the direction of my bent knees. A clatter of metal? Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Kind of sounded like keys to me, so maybe it was a good thing.


I hoped.


By now I was sobbing into my chest, which didn't really hurt me anymore. Yeah, I'm a big weenie. So what? What would you do if you were in my situation? I felt so helpless, alone, pessimistic. I knew there was nothing for me to do, and by now I was fearing the worst.


Death.


Maybe that's what the doc meant when he said my brother was discharged.
John. Dead?


The idea shattered me.


He was always the perfect older brother! He taught me all kinds of things, hung out with me, the whole works. Sure, he wouldn't let me hang out with his friends all that much, and he definitely kept secrets, but he was so much more than that. He would always protect me, no matter what. Even if a fellow senior was getting after me, John would stick by my side like glue. He wasn't embarrassed by his kid brother in the eight grade. We were the best buds in the world.


But he was... DEAD?


No! I couldn't allow it! He NEEDED to be alive! I needed to get him back to Mom and Grandmom! None of us got to say goodbye or anything! And Dad, too!


‘James!’


Awh man, his voice! I remembered his voice!


‘James! Calm down!’


That seemed kind of weird, actually.


‘James! It's me, John. This is going to sound totally weird, but we're talking mind-to-mind. It's telepathy. I'm not dead!’


‘JOHN! You're really alive?’


‘Yes, and I'm going to get you out of there and set things straight. I PROMISE.’


I sniffed over and over again, trying to get myself to stop crying. I was getting lightheaded.


‘Just calm down. You're doing great. Now I have to take care of some things to get you out of there. I'll connect you to Rosa and Em for now.’


I nodded, and even though he wasn't there, I knew he felt my acceptance. Then another voice faded into my mind.


‘...what John’s saying now.’ That was Em.


‘I know. Wait!’ And Rosa. ‘James? Is that you?’


‘Uh-huh...’ I really wasn't used to this kind of thing.


‘JAMES!’ both girls’ consciousness screamed at me. Then Em continued, ‘I thought we'd lost you! Are you okay? Any lasting effects of the sedative?’


‘Sedative?’ I asked.


‘Yeah, what that guy in the white coat gave you. The needle?’


‘Oh. I hadn't realized.’ I sniffled again. ‘I thought my brother was dead! I thought WE were going to die!’


‘Shh, shh, we're going to be okay now.’ Em cooed. ‘I'm sure your brother has a plan up his sleeve. He is our leader, after all.’


Rosa added, ‘Just relax for now and we'll take care of the hard stuff. I'm already out of my cage.’


‘You are?’ Em and I asked at the same time.


‘Yeah. I think I know where you are, Em. We'll be out of here in no time.’


I stayed silent. I realized I really needed to concentrate on my breathing, because all I had was my nose, and it was all stuffed up now. I felt so dizzy and tired and weak. All I could do was wait. All I could think about was my brother. John was okay.


‘James, are you sure you're okay?’ It was Em. Rosa was too busy with the keys.


‘I'm scared, I'm tired, I'm cold, I'm thirsty, and I want to go home. Does that qualify as okay?’


Em giggled. She ACTUALLY giggled. So I scowled.


‘Sorry James. I'm nervous and giddy at the same time. I'm excited for the rescue, but I'm also afraid of it failing. Everything's funny right now. It probably has something to do with the sedative.’


All I could do was continue to shake from all the things listed moments ago.


As Rosa and Em came into view through the darkness, a commotion threw the door down. Rosa and Em whipped around to see what happened, but they were blocking my view.


‘They're here!’


‘At last.’


Seconds later, uniformed and ARMED men and women piled into the room, blocking off the rescue group from the three of us. They also flicked on the lights, high above and florescent. The sudden lighting practically blinded me.


“Nobody move!” shouted one of them.


Too late. The rescue group, which I assumed was John's friends, started fighting the guys in front of them to get to us. They advanced pretty far, too, about halfway across the room. But something was pointing at me. And it was sparkly.


Not the coolio sparkly, like a gold necklace on my mom, or the old ring on my grandmom's finger. More like a sparkler sparkly, or even electricity. Only it was closer to ten a hundred sparklers in one round bundle, glowing yellow, ready to shock anyone it touched.


I pushed myself back as far as I could.


“Don't move,” the guy holding the weapon shouted, “or your friend will get it!”


Oh yeah, that sounded fun. Everyone stopped in their tracks. My heart practically gave up on me right then and there, and in my head I was screaming out for my brother.


“Your orders, General Tufftiss?”


 They had a general here? Named TUFFTISS? I would have laughed if my brain wasn't on survival lock down.


“Capture them all. If anyone tries to escape, I'll give this kid the shock of his life.”


My oxygen deprived mind made the General into a scarlet-haired man in a gaudy orange suit, complete with yellow tie and green polka dots. Oh wait, I was just seeing spots.


Then John's voice came distantly into my mind.


 ‘Get James out of there and alive, no matter WHAT it takes!’


James? Oh, that was me. Right. And that voice was my brother, the rescuer. I think I got it.


As the soldier-guys circled their prey, the prey leapt at them in every which direction. Everyone tried to get at the General in good time, but his reflexes were too quick.


ZZZZZZT!


Ow! My neck....


ZZZZZZT!


Uhhng! That was my stomach.


I was floating away. Nothing REALLY mattered anymore. Even that far away voice – no, voices – calling out.




JAMES!