Creatures

Chapter Twenty-Two

The worst everyday part of a kid’s life is knowing people are talking about you. Whispering. You can’t hear what they are saying, but you know it can’t be good. Why else would they whisper? You look at them and they just stop talking and stare back for a moment, or look away, avoiding your eyes.

I’d finally changed and everyone had to talk about it. I’d won the Hussades match my first time out as a team captain and everyone had to talk about that, too. Then there was the little matter of whether my change mid-course was a cheat or not. I think if Danny hadn’t done it before I did, I would forever be called a cheat. But how could they say that now, after Danny had bent the rules first?

“Don’t let it get to you,” said Sarah in my ear. “You’ve surprised them. They had you down as a loser and now you look like a winner and they are having a hard time swallowing that.”

She smiled at me. It seemed to me that since I’d changed, since I’d shown I had a power, she was friendlier than ever. I wondered if that meant she felt I was okay now, that I wasn’t someone to feel sorry for. I shook my head. I had to stop thinking all these bad thoughts.

I smiled back at Sarah. “Thanks for all your help today, Sarah. You scored the winning run.”

She shook her head. “You opened that last door. You had the plan, you were the leader. And your plan worked.”

My smile faded just slightly, but I didn’t think she noticed. My plan had been to tell them I had a plan so they had something to believe in. I think it worked, that part at least. They had all done their best. Perhaps, if they hadn’t believed in me they would have just given up and despite my best efforts we would have lost anyway.

After dinner we were sent to the dormitory wing of the mansion, three floors of small bedrooms and narrow corridors. I’d half-expected to meet Vater that night at dinner, but he didn’t show up. They had the big throne-like carved oak chair at the far end of the highest table set up for him, but it had remained empty all evening. They even brought out the birthday cake, just as they did every year, and set it before the empty chair. This whole thing set me to thinking. I had so many questions I longed to ask, but somehow you knew you weren’t supposed to ask questions about Vater.

“Sarah?” I asked her in a low voice that was almost a whisper. “Have you ever seen a picture of Vater?”

“You know I haven’t,” she said, blinking. She looked surprised at this sudden turn of conversation.

“We have pictures of so many other relatives, statues even. But why not Vater? You’d think there would be a big portrait hanging in the entrance and a statue in lobby.”

She shrugged. “Maybe it’s for the same reason that we aren’t supposed to talk about him.”

“Maybe,” I said. “Or maybe there are pictures and statues, but there is something about them that caused the adults to hide them.”

Sarah shook her head. “Why?”

I didn’t answer her, I was thinking hard about something else. “And they say they know he’s coming, but how do they know? I mean did he call up from the airport like my Uncle Louis, asking for a ride? Or is there some kind of signal?”

“I don’t have any idea,” said Sarah. “But I know you are going to get me into trouble with this kind of talk.”

I noticed then that Thomas had drifted near me. He could move quietly, that one. I knew someone was there by the way that Sarah narrowed her eyes and looked over my shoulder. He spoke almost into my ear, making me jump.

“Maybe he’s a bug,” said Thomas.

We turned to stare at him.

“Who?” I asked.

“You know who. Maybe he’s something so awful, that the adults keep it quiet. Like a seamonster or a dragon or a snake or something.”

It was my turn to eye him closely. I saw something in his face. He wasn’t just making a joke. “What do you know?”

“Thomas, you’re not bunking with the rat tonight, are you?” came another voice, that of Danny. He was never far from his sidekick.

Thomas glanced back at Danny, who stood at the end of the hallway. He looked back at me.

“Yeah. I know stuff. We know stuff. We’ve seen things. Things the adults don’t want us kids to see.”

“Thomas,” came a quiet word from Danny. He didn’t seem to want to approach us, but hung back. He wanted Thomas to come when he called… like a dog. The thought made me smile.

“It won’t be funny when you find out the truth,” snarled Thomas, mistaking my smile for a jeering one.

“No, I believe you,” I said, as he walked away.

“No you don’t, but you will,” said Thomas. He stalked away down the corridor.

I started to go after him, but Sarah put a hand on my shoulder.

“You never know when to quit, do you?”

I looked back at her. “No,” I said seriously. Then I smiled.

“I like that about you.”

I blinked at her. Had she just said she liked me?

She left me in the hallway then and went upstairs to the girls floor and to bed. By the time I got to the room I was sharing with Jake, I was thinking hard.

“What is it?” asked Jake.

I glanced at him and then out the window, which was crusty with frost and snow. Outside the moon had come out from behind the clouds to light up the snowdrifts with a silvery shine.

“Tonight,” I said, “We are going on a little trip.”

Jake groaned and his head fell back against his old-fashioned, feather-filled pillow with a crunching sound.