The day he showed up was like any other day. Students
in small herds with their best friends, doing everything but what she asked
them to do. Texting one another behind her back, teasing the quiet students and
admiring the class clown. They suspected that they were getting away, but she
knew what they were doing—she always did.
The new student sat down in a seat next to the window
and immediately turned his attention to the playground.
He was cute for a kid with an Afro that defied
gravity. He wore rectangular glasses that seemed a little too big. Immediately
the young ladies were interested, after all, he was the new guy. Moreover, by
ninth grade rules, the new guy was always cool. Even without the “new guy” tag
there was something about him that drew the attention of all the students. The
way he stood, the piercing eyes, it was as if he had been the star athlete at
his former school.
But something was wrong.
Kat had seen many students; after all, she was much
older than she looked. But there was something about this student that she
couldn’t put her finger on. No. She would not treat any student different, no
matter how suspicious she became. And as a new student, he had to go through
the ritual of all new students.
“Class,” Kat said in her singing voice. “We have a new
student; please give him your full attention.” She gestured toward him. “Don’t
be shy, stand up and introduce yourself.”
He stood up as stiff as a robot and said, “M—my n—name
is…Nath—thaniel Devereaux.”
“Please to meet you, N—n—n—nate.” The class burst into
laughter.
“Cool it, Jeffrey!”
The class quieted, but Nathaniel continued as if
nothing happened and in a painstakingly long statement, he explained that he
transferred to Central High, to take part in their mathematics and science
program. He even stuttered a mechanical “Go Falcons.”
If she had known, she would have never put him on the
spot. It was a mistake. She considered apologizing to him, but that would have made
things worse.
From that day forward, she squashed any students that
dared tease him. Her method of justice was balancing on one leg in the back of
class. Jeffrey spent so much time in trouble that the other students began to
call him One Leg. He enjoyed the name.
Nathaniel, however, seemed to grow more distant every
day. He spent most of the time looking out the window. It was not until the
next month she realized that he was staring at the sky and not the playground. He did well in his class no thanks to her.
She was certain that he was not listening to her at all, a testament to his
intelligence, but at the same time, it disturbed her.
Each day, she observed him, waited for him to do
something. She didn’t know what it was, but she was certain that it would be a
disaster. Kat hadn’t needed to be afraid of anything in a long time. Her only
emotion was the love she had for her students. But why, why did she feel love
and fear for this student?
The day before Thanksgiving break, she considered this
as she walked out to her car. She stuck her foot in the car and bumped her head
on the way in. She rubbed her temple and looked in the rearview mirror. In the
rear view mirror, she saw a bruise on her head, but more importantly, she saw
Nathaniel walk toward a tree and kneel down to pat a small dog, maybe a beagle
like Snoopy.
She watched him as he talked to the dog, stood up and
walked through the playground and onto the sidewalk. He travelled in the
direction of a dangerous part of town. Teacher instincts took over and she
attempted to crank the car.
Nothing happened.
She tried again and got the same result. Her heart
raced and after a few deep breaths, she got out of the car and walked. Her walk
became a jog and her jog became a dead sprint. She could have gave, Usain Bolt
a run for his money. She rounded the corner and saw him in the distance.
“Nathaniel!”
He stopped and turned, his dog did the same thing.
When she stopped, she took a deep breath, straightened and placed both hands on
his shoulders. “Listen,” she said as she attempted to catch her breath. “You
can’t go this way—it is dangerous. I know that in your world, you are
invincible, but anything can happen to anyone.”
He smiled.
Why was he smiling? The familiar fear came back.
“Hey lady,” a voice said from behind.
She whirled around, protecting Nathaniel with her free
arm. Four guys stood in front of her. They were muscular, with coats that were
too long and too hot for the weather. She put two and two together and realized
that they were in serious danger. “Look guys don’t do this,” she said. “This is
broad daylight. People can see you.”
“Yeah, and they keep quiet too, because we handle
snitches around here.”
“What do you want?” Kat asked.
“Both of y’all look broke,” the leader said. “What do
you have?” His smile was so evil her knees began to shake.
Nathaniel pulled her arm and the two of them reversed
positions, and in a voice that was clear as a bell, he spoke. “Brown note.”
The dog moved in front of them, barked and opened his
mouth wide as if he was yawning. Immediately the men doubled over and awful
sounds came from their backside. The air filled with a smell so foul that Kat
forgot about the danger and covered her nose with her shirt. “Oh my—“
The young men groaned loudly all the while clutching
their stomach.
“Did they just…boo boo?” Kat asked.
“Not the words I would choose,” Nathaniel said. “But
yeah that’s what happened. Serves them right.”
Kat turned to him. “You can talk!” She shook her head.
“I mean you are not stuttering.”
He looked at her out of the corner of her eye. “Come
on, we have a lot to talk about.”
She stared at the men. “How did you—“
“A sonic attack by my friend.” He gestured toward the
beagle. “It causes people to –well, you know. Anyway, my ship is right around
the corner.”
“Ship?” Then she forgot the smell, the dog and
anything about what just happened. Her worst fears realized. She willed her
foot to move in the opposite direction.
“Don’t run,” Nathaniel said. “His name is Clip. Canine
like intelligence processor. You wouldn’t make it three inches.”
“Wh—who are you?”
“You are Katra Baxter, wanted criminal from planet Mza. I am Nathaniel Devereaux, Cadet Captain of Team Savant.”
The next issue will post a week from today!
Please, feel free to comment below and follow me on Google and Twitter @ Frank_D_Rogers You can buy my scifi novel @amazon or here.
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