The Mini Badass

Chapter 6

Shane tied Jim to a tree despite his protests and since then he's seemed to calm down.

Lori is pretty insistent on me going to 'school' with Carl and Sophia. So that's where I am, sitting between Carl and Carol as Lori reads to me and Carl.

"Sorry if I scared your boy." Jim's voice interrupts Lori making her turn to him. "or your little girl." He directs to Carol. "Or you." He says nodding to me.

"You had sunstroke. Nobody's blaming you." Lori tells him, placing the book down in front of me and Carl.

"You're not scared now are you?" Jim asks, staring at me. 

"No sir." I tell him, shaking my head before turning my gaze down to the book.

After a moment of me slowly muttering he words to myself Jim speaks again. "Your mama's right, sun just cooked my head is all." He says to Carl.

Carl almost completely ignores him, keeping his attention to the book before us.

"Your dad was in it." Jim says again but this time I ignore him, knowing he ain't talking to me. "You were too, you were worried bout him. Can't remember the rest."

"You worried about your dad?" Jim asks Carl making me look to him.

"They're not back yet." Carl explains shaking his head.

"We don't need to talk about that." Lori buts in, rubbing her sons back while I keep reading.

"Your dad's a police officer son." Jim says, blatantly ignoring Lori. "He helps people."

"Probably just ran into some folks needing help. That's all." He says not comforting Carl or me at all. "There is nothing that will stop him from getting back here, to you and your mom. I promise you that."

I place my head down on our book as I've reached a word I have no clue how to pronounce. 

Shane thankfully saves me though as he asks. "Who wants to help me clean some fish?"

"I do." I announce standing up, as anything would be better than this.

The other two kids follow me as we all try and catch up to Shane.

Just moments into cleaning the fish I regret my choices as the smell alone is about to make me vomit. 

Once we finish Shane and Carl go check on Jim and Carol takes Sophia to go check on Ed.

I stay back, helping prep the fires pits for the fry tonight.

Shane starts cooking while Sophia and I talk, around the now burning fire.

Carl joins in too, actually talking to us though and soon enough the fish are ready to eat.

Everyone sits together enjoying the feast we have tonight. I finish pretty quickly and set my 'plate' down on the floor.

"I've got to ask you man. It's been driving me crazy." Morales says to Dale as I lean against Sophia's side.

"What?"

"That watch." Morales answers pointing to said watch.

"What's wrong with my watch?" Dale asks, now fiddling with it.

"I see you everyday, the same time, winding that thing. Like a village priest saying mass." Morales jokes and Andrea nods, backing him up.

"I've wondered this myself." Jacqui says before taking another bite of fish.

"I'm missing the point." Dale says, a little embarrassed. 

"Unless I've misread the signs, the world seems to have come to an end." Jacqui says as Sophia leans forwards putting her place down.

"Then there's you everyday winding that stupid watch." Morales taunts while Sophia rests her chin on the back of my head.