They Called Her Fay Wray

Chapter 6

"Well, aren't you going to open this?" Amanda protested as she picked up a package Caroline had left for Caesar the night before.

Completely ignoring the gift, the chimp gave an annoyed huff and started to turn away.

"Oh, Caesar, come on," Amanda pleaded as she put down the box and placed a hand on his arm. "She's even letting me sleep in your room now, isn't she? Caroline's bending over backwards trying to say she's sorry, and you won't give her a chance."

The little girl smiled. "And, besides, I can't stand an unopened present!"

"You can open," Caesar told her.

But Amanda shook her head. "It's not for me."

In had been two days since Amanda's horrible nightmare, and Caroline had been on a desperate unceasing campaign of apology with the whole family ever since. Amanda had forgiven her, and so, she assumed, had Will and Charles. But Caesar was the one hold out.

Turning back to her desk, the girl closed her laptop with a worried sigh. "It's something else. What else is bothering you?" Amanda asked.

Caesar let out a long sigh and flopped down on the floor beside her. Now that he was sitting so close, Amanda could feel the waves of sadness and confusion and just plain old hurt coming off of him.

"God, what is it, Caesar?" Amanda sounded frightened now. What else could Caroline have done that was so bad? She could not imagine the woman deliberately hurting Caesar like this. But, then again, adults could be cruel and thoughtless and careless, sometimes. It happened even to the gentlest and the most caring among them.

Unable to stand the feelings of dejection from Caesar any longer, Amanda slid from the desk chair into the floor. She flung both arms around her friend and hugged him tight. In the testy mood he had been in, the girl half expected him to flinch or pull away, but he laid his head on her shoulder, instead. He buried his face into her hair which she had left hanging loose and unbraided and made a soft mournful whimpering sound.

"Oh, Caesar," Amanda murmured. "It can't be that bad, can it?" She rocked him slowly in much the same way he had comforted her just two nights ago.

"What is sanctuary?" Caesar asked after a long moment.

Amanda blinked.

"Uh, well, it's a place where ... where they take care of ... Caesar, why'd you want to know that?"

"Caroline wants Caesar to go to Sanctuary," the young ape told her.

Amanda gave a start of surprise. "Oh no, Caesar. You—You must have heard wrong." She exclaimed.

But she could feel him shaking his head. "They fight. Will said no. Will say Caesar stay at home. Will say Caesar with his family. Why does Caroline want Caesar to go?"

Amanda swallowed hard around the lump in her throat. "I don't think," Amanda began very carefully. "that she really wants you to go, Caesar. I guess she's afraid they won't be able to take care of you when you grow up. I guess she wants you to get to know your own kind when you're older."

"Own kind?" Caesar asked.

"Yeah, you know, other chimpanzees, other apes? Others ... like you." Amanda said.

"Chimpanzee ... Apes ... Caesar is ape." Caesar fell into a thoughtful silence, and it occurred to Amanda that the word 'ape' did not mean too much to Caesar. Had Will never told him anything at all about what he was, about his own people?

"How spell chimpanzee? Ape?" Caesar asked.

Letting go of Caesar, Amanda turned and picked up her laptop. She opened notepad and quickly typed out the two words for Caesar to see.