Stranger Nights

Chapter 21

Henry Baker was asked no questions. His parents had remained silent when he woke up. Henry supposes that they know where he had been. They probably knew why he hadn't come yesterday and they probably guessed that he did not run away like the church kids. They looked on to him with disappointment. The only words they uttered to him were,

"Be at the church at 4:30."

And so he was. It was the least he could do after all.

For the second time this month, which was far too many, Henry Baker found himself in the creepy insides of the church. All kinds of kids were sitting in the pews. There were people with piercings and different colors in their hair and there were kids who wore white and necklaces with crosses. They were all mixed together, but tried to remain as far away from the other side as possible.

Henry caught sight of Charlotte. Thankfully, she was sitting in the back row. Her yellow scarf was brought up to her nose. Henry noticed that she did every time she was in the church. Henry thought she was trying to hide. He wished he could try to hide too, but if he brought his letterman jacket all the way to the top of his head the Minister would say he was possessed. Henry chuckled as he took his spot next to her.

"Why are all the non-church lurkers here?" Henry whispered leaning into her slightly. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Did you not get the notice?'' she asked, her voice muffled by her scarf. She was slouching low in her seat and didn't look at him when she spoke. Again Henry thought she was trying to hide.

"What notice?" he asked her. She sighed and took out a crumpled up piece of yellow paper from the pocket of her red jacket. She handed it to him. He smoothed it out and read it, eyes turning wide at the last sentence. "Penalty of food rations?"

Charlotte nodded.

"Minister Elliot must be really angry to threaten penalization of food rations."

Food rations, like I've told you before, is what you get paid with for doing a certain job that benefits your community. To be penalized food rations means you will get some of it taken away. Meaning you only have about five weeks of food to live on. No one not even the people who despised the church with every ounce of their being wanted to risk that. Even Aaeesha who was sitting glumly in the corner.

Henry looked around the church looking for others he recognized. Many he had seen at the dance after it turned, as Ginger liked to put it, classy to trashy. They sat with the same look Aaeesha did, frowning and glaring at whatever kid wore a turtleneck.

Juliet Henderson sat up near the front, surrounded by boys. One of them was the strawberry blonde who had asked to dance with her at the dance. Her twin ,Toby, sat at the far edge of the pew reading a book. Ginger sat laughing with a girl with short black hair. When she noticed him she threw him a peace sign before going back to laughing. She didn't seem to care where she was, as long as she was having fun.

"Move over." Henry heard a voice say. He turned and saw Freddy standing over Charlotte.

"There's not enough room." she said stubbornly.

"I'm sure you can squeeze me in." Freddy said talking through his teeth while forcing a smile.

"Okay then you can sit on Henry's lap." Charlotte said defiantly. Freddy turned bright red.

"Charlotte just scoot over." Henry scolded. Charlotte turned her glare to her cousin, but moved anyway.

"So what is this meeting about anyway." Freddy asked slouching like Charlotte and crossing his arms.