The backpack grew heavy as Ryan hurried home. Fallen leaves circled around him on the ground and the daylight dwindled.
He thought about Amy and Jordan sadly and stopped at the street corner out of breath.
A gust of wind blew a yellow paper smeared with dirt against a tree trunk on the sidewalk. He snatched it. What he read sent a chill up his spine:
Attention students and faculty,
Early Friday morning, the school surveillance system recorded a masked intruder in the principal's office copying papers from student files. This is now a police matter and extra precaution is in place.
Thank you,
Principal Pearson
Suddenly, Ryan saw a vision in color in his mind. Someone stood behind him and removed a blindfold from his eyes. Ryan saw the inside of a shed. He let the paper go and the wind whisked it away.
---
He arrived at Eleven Maple Road. Someone waited in a red, sports car with the engine running across from the house. Tinted windows concealed the driver.
Mr. Ross left his car in the driveway and Ryan jumped over the short fence. He hurried to the backyard and knocked on Grace's bedroom window, but she didn't respond.
Something rustled in the woods in the distance and Ryan scanned the knotty trees, but nothing showed itself.
He turned the knob on the back door, but it didn't give. He saw the tall, black figure standing behind him.
He hid behind the oak tree.
In a few minutes, he peeked around it. Mr. Ross appeared, staring at the house with his arms crossed.
Ryan crunched leaves with his boots, moving to the next tree and stepped on a stick with a crack.
He rushed behind the trunk and waited. Then he peered around it. He expected Mr. Ross to turn around, but he didn't. Then he blinked and Mr. Ross disappeared.
Ryan knocked on the front door and the driver in the red car lowered the window, but Ryan didn't see a face.
Grace opened the door. "You're late," she said. "Mom's at work. Dad just went to the backyard with sage."
Ryan shut his bedroom door and locked it securely. The smell of sage smoke lingered everywhere.
"Grace," called Mr. Ross. "Is Ryan home? The light's on in his room."
"He just got here," said Grace.
Mr. Ross knocked on the bedroom door firmly. "Come out here and eat dinner. The food's going to get cold." Hunger pained Ryan, but Mr. Ross pained him too. "Come on, Ryan. I'm making a plate for you."
Ryan opened the door apprehensively.
Mr. Ross sat at the kitchen table glumly near a glass of milk and a plate of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas covered with gravy.
Ryan sat down and picked up the fork. Mr. Ross gripped his hand tightly.
"I waited here for your bus, but it didn't show up. I called the company and they told me what happened. I called the police and they said you told Officer O'Brien you missed the bus. You could've asked him to call me. You shouldn't be walking. The driver went to the ER and I doubt his replacement drives any better than he does. I'm taking you to school tomorrow."
Mr. Ross pushed the plate of food closer to Ryan angrily and Ryan swallowed a mouthful of mashed potatoes hungrily. He ate some more and Mr. Ross glared at him.
"Two kids died," he said.
"My friends, Amy and Jordan - "
"It could've been you."
"I know."
"If you didn't hate your old man so much, you'd be in my car. Milk?" Mr. Ross slid the glass over, spilling a bit. Ryan gulped half of it.
"Yeah, had it hard," said Mr. Ross. "How come you weren't on the bus?"
"I forgot my homework."
"Hmm - the good Lord spared you."
---
Miss Aldridge came home from Birchwood Hotel downtown, wearing a maid uniform. Mr. Ross explained what happened and headed out abruptly.
Miss Aldridge cornered Ryan in the hallway and hugged him.
"You're lucky you weren't on the bus. You're going with your dad tomorrow - no complaints." Ryan grumbled, but she shut her bedroom door.
Ryan rested that night, trying hard to sleep.
---
Mr. Ross blew the car horn loudly in the morning and Grace hopped in. Ryan opened the back door reluctantly and sat on the worn-out seat.
Mr. Ross drove off and Ryan turned around. A young, male, bus driver came around the corner in a brand, new bus and Ryan huffed.
The car stalled in the middle of the street and Mr. Ross turned the key. The engine choked and he shut it off. He waited a moment and turned it. The engine started with a rumble and he revved it.
---
He dropped Grace off at Londwell High and raced to Harvey Middle School like a bank robber. Ryan breathed tensely.
Several buses crowded the parking lot. Principal Pearson lingered around the front doors like a security guard.
Mr. Ross drove by him and the principal pointed to the street rudely. Ryan saw a long table with two cash registers on it past the glass doors in the school foyer. Several bookcases filled with hardcover books surrounded the table.
"Stupid principal," said Mr. Ross. "I want to park at the book drive."
He parked on the street and got out of the car quickly.
"Help your old man. I saved your life today."
Ryan sighed and Mr. Ross led him into the side entrance. Ryan skipped away, but he snatched his jacket collar.
"I'll be late," said Ryan.
"Then hurry up," he snapped.
He dragged Ryan down the main corridor into the cafeteria kitchen.
Dolores Weaver, the head, lunch lady mixed a large pan of scrambled eggs on the counter and Margaret heated a small pan of sausages. Dolores wore a hair net and Margaret wore a blue bandana.
Mr. Ross straightened a white T-shirt over his pot belly and smoothed his blonde hair back. "Dolores, how are you? You look cute today."
Dolores patted her gray hair. "Jack, you flatter me."
"Hi, Margaret. Your boyfriend must be missing you." Margaret smiled shyly with a missing eyetooth and Ryan grimaced.
"Did Ryan eat breakfast?" asked Dolores like a nurse.
"He tried to, but he didn't have time," said Mr. Ross.
Ryan shifted his eyes. He ate three waffles.
"That's not good," said Dolores. "How about some sausages?"
"He loves sausages," said Mr. Ross, grinning.
---
Ryan held a paper cup stuffed with hot, sausage links in the corridor.
"Thanks," whispered Mr. Ross, swiping it. "Get to Homeroom." He dropped a handful of coins in his hand, but Ryan dropped one, looking around for it everywhere. "For the book drive and the rainforest." He ran down the corridor, stuffing a sausage in his mouth.
Ryan found the coin and shoved it in his pocket with the rest, throwing his backpack in his locker. He rushed to Homeroom, but the bell rang midway.
He walked in anxiously and sat down.
Lisa Duvall fixed a gauze pad taped to her chin uncomfortably and John Edwards adjusted a sling on his right shoulder. Harry Benoit wore a cast on his left hand and Jessica Mui had a wide bandaid on her cheek. Mr. Connelly frowned.
"You're late, Ryan. We were having a moment of silence for Amy Thorne and Jordan Billings. They died in the bus accident yesterday. I'm glad you weren't on the bus. But why are you late?"
"My dad got confused with the book drive."
"Don't let it happen again. It'll be detention next time."
Ryan blinked hard.
Sloan showed him a sketch in pencil of Amy and Jordan sitting together at the cafeteria table and Ryan swallowed his emotions.
"The school intruder is still at large," said Mr. Connelly. "We don't know what papers he copied. Principal Pearson will be in the parking lot after school, checking cars. I'm passing around sympathy cards for Amy and Jordan. I'll be mailing them to their parents today. Please write something nice and sign them."
Ryan thought of a few kind words and opened Amy's card, writing in it neatly.
A disembodied voice whispered, "Those words suck."
Ryan looked up and a gray figure with the face of a troll stood there. Then it vanished.
Ryan shook it off.
He wrote similar words in Jordan's card and closed it gloomily, holding the cards over his shoulder patiently. Shantel brushed the back of his neck with her fingers, sweeping his hair lightly and took the cards. Ryan turned around, but she faked a cough. Then she wrote a long sentence in each one, taking her time.
---
In gym class on the soccer field, Mr. Nathens blew his neck whistle loudly. Kent kicked three balls past Wes into the net.
"Excellent. You're next, Ryan."
Mr. Nathens rolled a soccer ball and Ryan kicked it sideways. Wes caught it. He rolled more balls and Ryan kicked them forcefully, but Wes kicked them back. He rolled the last one and Ryan kicked it aggressively. Wes lunged for it, but it clipped his fingers, landing in the net.
Mr. Nathens blew the whistle. "Goal," he called. "Good, Ryan. Hit the showers, everyone."
Wes jogged past Ryan and nudged him to the side, hurrying into the boys', locker room first. Ryan went the other way.
Wes showered, washing his chest and nether region and Kent showered nearby. Ryan used the furthest shower in the corner, rinsing his arm pitts and other places.
"He can kick, but even his pubes are red," griped Wes.
"The red devil's pissed about something," said Kent.
Ryan wrapped a towel around his waist and took his soap quickly.
Luke Allman dried off fast. Red hair grew from his head and brown hair grew everywhere else.
"Chase and Troy are not here again," he said. "I need help with my Science Lab homework for tomorrow."
"Maybe Jessica can help you," said Ryan.
"Yeah, but she giggles too much."
"He can't take a joke," said Wes quietly. "That's why he kicked the ball so hard."
"There's a black thing attached to him," said Kent.
"Entities attach to people," said Wes.
"Then he's in trouble," said Kent.
Ryan got dressed quickly.
---
In the school cafeteria, Ryan ate a turkey sandwich, sitting at a table with Sloan, Jamal, Pablo and Luke.
"The bus accident must've been pretty bad," said Jamal.
"Amy and Jordan were too young to die," said Pablo.
"Their families must be so mad right now," said Luke.
"And something made you miss the bus," said Sloan. "That's divine intervention."
Ryan put his head down.
"John and Harry look all banged up," said Jamal.
"At least they're alive," said Ryan.
Principal Pearson pointed to a table filled with seventh-grade girls. All of them left. In a few minutes, Shantel sat down with a hardcover book, skimming through it.
Dolores visited Ryan at the table and Sloan smiled at her uncomfortably.
"Hi, Ryan," she said sweetly. "If you're still hungry, I have plenty of leftover, chicken nuggets in the kitchen."
"I'm fine, thank you," said Ryan.
"Okay, just come around back if you change your mind," she said kindly, walking away.
"What just happened?" asked Sloan.
"My dad's friends with her," said Ryan.
"Are you short on food at home?" asked Jamal, cleaning barbecue sauce off his chin with a napkin.
"No," said Ryan defensively.
"If you are, don't be ashamed of it," said Pablo. "We're not here to judge." He ate a boiled egg, salting it in-between bites.
"I'm not, thanks."
"Are you going to the book drive?" asked Sloan.
"My dad gave me some money for it," said Ryan. "I guess."
"Do you want me to go with you?" asked Sloan.
"No, I'll be fine," said Ryan.
---
The principal pointed to Ryan's table and he left without anyone else from it.
A man with stylish, red hair searched the last bookcase. Two female clerks smiled at Ryan from behind the table, sitting in hard chairs.
"Hi," said Ryan nervously. "Do you have any books about entities?"
The first clerk shook her head and the second one said, "I don't know. You have to look around."
Ryan checked the first bookcase curiously and the man came over. "'The Proprietaries' might help," he said, pointing to the last bookcase.