JACK (9 page)

“Swear?”

I held up a hand. “Yeah, I swear.”

He knelt and picked up a stick. Noah used the branch to move some of the grass out of the way. There was a hollow place in the ground tucked close to the wall. Something small and brown moved.

I got on my knees beside him, trying to see what it was. Tiny black eyes and a twitching nose pointed upward. The brown of their coats made the baby rabbits almost invisible. They were so young their ears were still round. One had a white spot on its chest.

“I’ve been watching them for two weeks. I saw their momma come in and out of here and followed her.”

“How do you think she got in?”

Noah shrugged. “No telling. Rabbits can dig. Maybe she dug under the wall, like you squeeze through the vent.”

“Maybe.”

“What are you two doing over there?” Noah and I jumped to our feet. Frank stopped a few feet away. His hard gaze fell on Noah, and then stayed on me. “Answer me.”

“Nothing.”

“Is that right?” Frank took a step closer and he jerked his chin at Noah. “What do you have in your hand?”

Noah showed him the stick. “I was just using it to poke in the ant hill.”

“You’re not supposed to pick up sticks and rocks. Rules of the yard.”

Noah dropped it on the ground. I didn’t wait to see if Frank had anything else to say to us. I grabbed Noah’s hand and we ran to where Grom sat on one of the benches.

We stopped under the shade tree out of breath. “Do you think he knows about the rabbits?”

I glanced back at Frank. He had the stick in his hand now, and was heading back towards his post by the door. “No. I don’t think so.” I hoped not. I hated to think he would do something to the baby rabbits. Deep down I knew he would too. There was something dark and wicked about Frank, like the monsters on wing A. But he was far more dangerous, because he wasn’t tucked away behind a steel door.

We sat down next to Grom who didn’t say anything.

I leaned forward. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Just Jack. Just fine.” His gnarled hand patted me on my knee.

“You look sad.”

“I am deep in thought.” He tapped a finger against his temple. “It takes much concentration to create the perfect spell. And I must have the perfect spell. I need powerful sorcery to face my up and coming battle.”

Noah whispered in my ear. “Tomorrow’s visiting day.”

I’d forgotten. Visiting day meant Jonas would be coming.

Grom took his hat off and held it in his hands. His crooked fingers petted the grungy trim. The ball at the end had been worn down to a few white tufts. Was he thinking about Sarah of the Sunflowers? I was pretty sure the answer was yes. I think Grom always thought about her, a lot like I thought about momma. I hated seeing Grom sad and the only time he was like this was right before Jonas came to visit and right after he left.

“Grom?”

“Yes, young knight?”

“Will you tell us about one of your quests?”

His mustache moved. I knew he smiled because his eyes crinkled up. “I have many stories, which one would you care to hear?”

“Pick the best one.” I nudged Noah with my elbow.

“Please.” He pulled the straw out his pocket and showed it to Grom.

Grom took it and tried to smooth out the kinks. “Your wand is showing much wear. Perhaps it is time for a new one.”

“I like this one.”

“Really? Why is that my young apprentice?”

“Because you gave it to me.”

Grom handed it back to Noah, and then cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders. “And what kind of story shall I amaze you with? Perhaps the time I entered dangerous lands to fight the gorgons? Or the time I met Sir Bridges in the battle of the Black Sea?”

Noah and I laughed. I said, “Either.”

“There was also the time I flew over the ocean on the back of a dragon.”

“A dragon?”

Grom held his fist up to the sky. “A fierce and mighty beast. I had to tame him in order to lead my troops into battle during the Great War. We fought together in many battles against the evil Empires of faraway lands. And once…”

A nurse walked over and said Grom’s name.

“Yes, milady?”

“It’s time to take your meds.”

“But I was about to tell Just Jack and Noah about my adventures in the great beyond!”

“You can tell them after.”

“After?”

“It’s okay Grom, we’ll see you at dinner.” I patted his hand.

“You promise?”

“Yes.”

“A knight must always keep his promises, Just Jack. Can you always keep your promises?”

I glanced at Noah then back at Grom. “Of course sir. I will always keep my promises.”

*** *** ***

The storm was bad and it started right after dinner. It was dangerous to go through the vent before night time, because Dr. Chance or one of the nurses could come to the door. If they looked in Noah’s room I would be hidden under his bed. And if they looked in my room my pillows and blankets piled on my bed made it look like I was asleep. I didn’t want to get caught but I had to risk it. I’d promised not to leave Noah alone and like Grom said, promises should not be broken.

I climbed down from the vent. Noah already had the pillow and blanket with him under the bed. I pulled up the edge of the sheet hanging over the edge of the mattress and crawled under with him. The warmth of his body was a sharp contrast to the cold tile floor. At least it wasn’t winter.

“Hey.”

Noah held my hand to his chest. I could feel him shaking.

I pushed back his hair from his damp forehead. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” He nodded.

“I’m sorry.” I felt his words more than heard them. A moist caress against my lips.

“For what?”

“Being scared.”

“That’s no reason to apologize.”

“Dr. Chance says I shouldn’t be afraid.”

“Dr. Chance says I should be a girl.”

Noah laughed then he trembled. He was quiet for a very long time. Outside the stormed growled like an angry beast. Finally he said, “The storms scared my mother.”

I squeezed his hand. “Mine too.”

“She would take us into the cellar even if it was only rain.”

“Momma and me, we’d go into the cellar when it was bad, but never just because it rained.”

“Mother was afraid of the rain.”

“Why?”

“She said that’s when the bad things happened.” The way he said ‘bad’ made the word feel as big as a mountain.

“Bad how?”

Noah stayed quiet.

“Bad how, Noah?”

Thunder crashed and I could hear the wind pound the concrete walls. The entire building shook. Noah clung to me. Would we be here tomorrow or would the storm blow us away? I kissed Noah on the cheek and decided as long as I had him I didn’t care.

“You won’t let them get me, right?”

I still didn’t know who
they
were. But, I meant it when I said, “Never.”

Two weeks after the storm they were still cleaning up the mess. The winds had ripped branches from the trees and hurled them like missiles into the glass of the visitation room. The day after the storm Jonas came and Grom had to meet with him in the cafeteria. At least the visitation room was fixed now.

I didn’t think the trees in the garden were ever going to be the same, leaves shredded, branches twisted. But living things survived worse. Like the rabbits. Somehow they’d come out unscathed when bigger stronger things had crumbled under the high winds and merciless hail.

The rabbits hopped along the wall now, disappearing into the grass when people made too much noise. Noah and I lay out on the ground just beyond a rise in the earth watching them play.

“Maybe we should name them?”

Noah laughed. With his voice back it was no longer a hiss of air. “Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hippity, Hoppity, and Cotton Tail.”

I bumped his shoulder. “Don’t be silly.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes you are.”

“They’re rabbits. The names fit.”

He was right. “Okay, fine. What about the fourth one?”

“Bob.”

I gave him a look. “Bob?”

“Short for Bob Tail, he’s Cotton Tail’s twin.”

We watched them make a tight circle chasing each other. All four dove into the hole under the wall and disappeared.

“I wish I could do that,” I said.

Noah turned to look at me. “What?”

“Go under the wall. Escape.”

“Why?”

I rolled over on my back and tucked my arms behind my head. “To be free. To get out of here.”

“You don’t like it here?” Noah stared at his hands as he ran them through the grass. The blades tore when his grip tightened. Streaks of green stained his skin.

“And you do?”

He shrugged.

“Don’t you want to go home?”

Noah’s hands curled against the ground. Without any warning he got to his feet.

“Noah?” I hurried to catch up, following him through the door and into the dayroom. “Noah? What’s wrong?” He wouldn’t stop. I grabbed his hand. At first I thought he was going to pull away. I felt his resistance to the contact, then his arm relaxed and his body shuffled closer. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Please don’t run away.”

“You didn’t.” His other hand petted my arm, making feather light touches against my skin. I caught my breath. My heart sped up. The deep ache I sometimes felt when he was around, returned. I was hot and cold at the same time.

I wanted him to touch me all over like that.

He stopped. “I just don’t want you to leave, because if you do I’ll be alone.”

“What if you left too?”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t have anywhere but here.”

It took me a moment to realize what he’d meant. “Nowhere?”

“No.”

I only had Emma and Momma’s old house, but at least it was somewhere. I had a hard time imagining what it would be like to have nowhere at all. Nowhere but this place. “If I was to leave you could come stay with me in Momma’s house.”

His mouth twitched.

“We’d have to make my sister leave though. To be honest, I don’t think she’ll stick around. As soon as she realizes Momma ain’t got no money hid in the floor, she’ll beat feet back to her fancy condo up north.”

Noah’s gaze met mine. “I’d like that.”

So would I.

A sharp clash of plastic and metal echoed across the room making us both turn. Markus kicked a chair out of the way and came right at us, screaming, yelling, laughing. I grabbed Noah’s hand and we made a run for it. I had no idea where the nurses were or the orderlies. Most of the residents were outside so maybe they were too.

A chair bounced off the wall and I had to jerk back to keep from being hit. Noah tripped when his shoe got caught up in the hem of his pants. I tried to grab him up but Markus’ large hand threw me aside.

The next thing I knew he had Noah cornered.

“Leave him alone!” I tried to go around Markus but he caught me by my shirt and slung me back.

“I gots something for you, Noah.” Markus’s hand came out of his pocket. His thumb flicked. The lighter he held made a gritty sound and sparked. Noah’s gaze locked on the lighter. His eyes widened and his stare became distant. The tan leached from his skin, leaving his cheeks ashen. “That’s right, boy. Looky, looky. Got me some fire. What you think of that? What you think I’m gonna do? I tell you, boy. I tell you what I’m gonna do. Gonna burn you up. I’m gonna make you scream, Noah, make you scream all night long!”

Markus thumbed the flint again and a flame appeared at the top. Nothing more than an inch, pale yellow, and maybe even pretty, but it sent Noah scrambling back into the corner screaming at the top of his lungs. A crazed brutal sound that reached deep inside me strangling my senses.

“Gonna burn you, Noah! I’m gonna burn you!”

Noah grabbed one of the chairs and hurled it at Markus. When he didn’t go down, Noah grabbed another, and another. Drawn by the commotion, orderlies rushed in from the outside and seized Markus, dragging him back. He fought them, lunging forward, laughing, cheering. “Gonna fuck you up, boy! Gonna fuck you up good!”

It took five of them to get Markus on the ground. The lighter was yanked from his hand and clattered to the floor, forgotten. A panicked voice called for Dr. Chance over the loud speaker.

With Markus pinned I thought it was over, but Noah still screamed so hard and loud spit made foam on his lips. He stared at nothing, eyes wild, yelling and swinging the chair in his hands. Dan got too close and one of the legs left a deep gash in the side of his head.

The residents closed in around us and the orderlies worked to keep them back. I saw Grom for a moment before he disappeared into the crowd as it was forced to retreat. The orderlies cleared a path and Dr. Chance made his way through.

“Noah.” Dr. Chance held up his hands. “Noah, I need you listen to me. Noah…”

Noah lunged, swinging the chair. One of the legs hit the window and a spider web of fractures crawled against the glass.

“Noah, I need you to calm down.”

On the down swing the chair barely missed Dr. Chance’s head. Noah backed up, putting his shoulders into the corner. He bared his teeth like an animal. His breath heaved, pumping his narrow chest and making his shoulders rise and fall. Rage and fear drew the blood to his cheeks and made his usual soft expression gruesome and harsh.

When Noah ignored Dr. Chance’s pleas the orderlies went forward. I knew it was the worst thing they could do. Like any scared animal, giving it no way out would make it more panicked and more dangerous.

“Stop! You’re scaring him!” One of them grabbed my arm and hauled me back. I was shoved into the mass of residents. I tried pushing my way through but the orderlies wouldn’t let me by. I got on my knees and crawled between their dancing legs.

Noah was surrounded again.

I got in between and pushed on one of them but I couldn’t get him to move. “Stop, please stop. He’s scared. Leave him alone!”

“Jack!” Dr. Chance took a step toward me but he was wary about getting too close. I was in front of the orderlies now. To reach me, he’d have to get near Noah. “Jack, get out of the way.”