Beware of the Light

At The Zoo

When you walk into the zoo a feeling of freshness fills your lungs. You look around wondering where to go first. You decide to quickly go round the main park before it gets hot. You stop at every exhibit. Always something incredible. Something you'd never see anywhere in the wild of North America. Crawling, rolling South American armadillos. Their shields up. No weapons, just protection. No want to fight, no need to fight. And as you watch them roll and tumble you spot through a window the sad face of a tiger.
It was the first day of Grade 8 at Marc Hutton High and the freezing cold of Winter was finally starting to thaw. Although Steven wore a heavy jacket he shivered as he walked into the school. Steven was lean and broad-shouldered. He could see his misty breath in front of his face as he timidly walked down the hallway. He tried to keep his head high as he walked into his new classroom, but he felt confused and lost. He looked around the classroom searching for a familiar face but, he saw nobody that he knew. He had told his mother it would be like this but she had insisted that the schools they were going to were horrible. He didn't believe her for a second. The only reason she wanted him to go to this school was because his uncle was the football coach. God, he hated football. He looked out the window, trying to stare clearly through the frosted panes, but everything seemed a blur. He saw the other kids had already formed some type of groups. Some big muscly kids in the right corner. A group of posh girls stood next to the door looking at their reflections in hand held mirrors and whispering gossip. He put down his bag next to a desk marked Steven that stood in the fourth row. "That's my place, chump," a deep voice startled him. 
"No. This desk is marked St-" He turned around. He was looking into the face of a bully. The meaty muscly build of a football enshadowed him. He recognized him as the kid that terrorized the next block down the road. One encounter was enough for a lifetime. He could almost hear his mother's voice saying, Maybe he's changed, but he couldn't believe that. "Steven. That's right." He couldn't believe it. His worst nightmare had come true. Steven Hofmeyr was in his class. "Sorry. I'll go sit somewhere else."
"You bet you will. Get moving ass," Hofmeyr said and slapped him on the bottom. He squeaked in painful surprise. "Faggot," the bully said and walked back triumphantly to his laughing friends. He felt the whole class look at him at the mention of that last word. He wished he could disappear as he picked up his bag and walked back to the front of the class to look for his seat. He found his seat in the second row, but there were a group of kids huddled around it. He tapped one of the bent-over members of the group on the shoulder and said, "Sorry to bother you." The girl's golden blonde hair whipped past his face as she spun around to face him. "No need to worry." He looked into her metal grey irises for a few seconds. The girl spoke again, "Sorry where are my manners? It's nice to meet you..."
"Steven."
"I'm Felicia."
"It's very nice to meet you, Felicia," He looked down at his feet shyly, "I'm sorry to say I think this is my desk."
"Would you like us to move," Felicia said politely.
"May I join?"
"Oh right. Sure. No familiar faces here either."
"You don't know anyone here," he asked surprised.
"Not until this morning."
"I haven't seen you before either. Are you from around these parts?"
"No. My dad's a trucker and he all of a sudden decided the bridge across the Orange River wasn't good enough. So we had to move to this godforsaken town."
"Where do you live?"
"26 & 27 West."
"Then you know Steve Hofmeyr all too well."
"He really is just a big bloke."
"Well, he's standing right there in the group of muscly kids."
"Not at school too."
"Why? What did he do to you?"
"He stole my shirt and pants, dumped garbage on them. Tied me to a tree and made me dance. I had to dig through the garbage," she shivered, but continued to speak, "And put on my dirty, seeping wet, smelly clothes and walk all the way home."
"Was that the first time?"
"Yep. How about you? You ever gotten caught by his gang?"
"Yes."
"What happened?"
"They hung me from a tree limb by my underwear. Got a ladder. Drew on my face and stomach with a permanent marker. Sprayed shaving cream all over my body and covered me with toilet paper."
"What did you do?"
"I snapped the tree branch, ran home and told my mom."
"What did she say?"
"That I must avoid the neighbourhood."
Felicia covered her face dramatically and let out a long sigh.
"Don't worry. You could wait out the afternoons at my house. We live in 24 & 25 East."
"Can I really?"
"Of course. My parents would be only too happy to help you."
"You sure," she said as they finally started walking back to the group. The bell rang and he answered her, "I'm sure."
So you run to the wild catteries, determined to cheer up a tiger. Once your little legs can't run anymore you stop and take a breath. You look around and enter the catteries. The tiger is looking away from you and you call out to it. "Come here, kitty, kitty." But when it comes you can't seem to make it smile and profoundly you walk away. The cougar is much closer than the tiger and you jump in joy as you see its lolled out tongue ready to lick itself.
Steven fidgeted with the envelope as he walked around the school in search of Felicia. Steven's flowing brown hair was trimmed back for their eleventh-grade prize giving. He walked around the corner in the midst of a group of girls. He took a deep breath, put the envelope in his pocket and tried to walk as confidently as he could. "Felicia," he said as he got closer, he felt everyone's eyes turn to him, "I need to talk to you in private." He led her back around the corner.
"What is it," she asked, curious as to why he wanted her.
"You'll see," he said and handed her the envelope. She opened it up quickly and read the letter.