Red Rain

45

Mrs. Maloney uttered an alarmed cry. “Samuel? Your eyes! What’s wrong with your eyes?”

“Are you going to burn her?” Samuel heard Ethan’s voice behind him.

“Are you going to kill her?” From Ira, alarmed.

Samuel saw only shimmering sheets of red. But he could feel the excitement in the room.

“Ouch! Stop it! Are you crazy? What are you doing?”

I hate it when they scream like that.

Did we remember to close the office door?

Samuel felt his brother’s hand on his arm. “Careful. Careful. Not too much,” Daniel whispered. “Just enough to let me get inside her brain.”

Mrs. Maloney was silent now. Samuel kept the fiery beam trained on her head.

Burn. Feel the burn.

Silence, except for the pop and sizzle of the red heat.

“Almost done,” Daniel said calmly. “Ease up, boyo. I’m almost there. Ease up. Ease up. We don’t want to leave burns. We don’t want her to remember, do we?”

Samuel pulled the heat back. It was easier to harness it than to fire it up. He could feel his eyes cooling. His headache was gone. He gazed around the room and saw the principal slumped in her leather chair, a dazed smile on her face, arms dangling down the sides of the chair.

Ira and Ethan sat expressionless watching with silent awe.

Daniel still leaned over Mrs. Maloney, staring into her eyes. He patted her broad shoulder gently. He brushed a hand over her head, straightening her short hair. He lifted her hands and placed them in her lap.

“Did it work?” Samuel asked.

He grinned. “No doubt. No worries. Be happy.”

He dropped back into the chair between Ira and Ethan.

Mrs. Maloney shook her head, as if waking up from a short nap. She squinted at the four boys for a long moment. Then she smiled.

“I’d better make that announcement now,” she said.

She stepped around them to a table with a microphone and a stack of electronic equipment. She threw a switch. Cleared her throat. Leaned over till her mouth was a few inches from the microphone.

“Attention, everyone,” she said.

Samuel could hear her voice echoing from classroom to classroom all down the hall.

“Attention, everyone. This is Mrs. Maloney. I have a special announcement this morning.”

The speaker squealed. She jerked her head back. Then resumed:

“Our school has a new slogan I think you will all be proud of. It’s Up with Sag Harbor Middle School. And we have a new school symbol. It’s a wide blue arrow pointing up. Because we all want to move up, don’t we?”

A pause. She turned and flashed Daniel a grin.

“So I’d like every student to stop by the art room at some point before you leave today, and we will have the school arrow painted on your face. I want you to wear it proudly. Don’t forget. Everyone must stop in the art room and receive your school arrow today. Have a special day, everyone. Up with Sag Harbor Middle School.”