Jack's Shadow

Winter: Three

Jack did not complain about either of his parents' decisions. He was in fact quite relieved to transfer to another school. One minus the students he'd been around without ever knowing for all of his schooling experience.

And although he did not want to see a doctor, he recalled vividly the sight of his mother crying in the kitchen, his father distraught, and he knew that they believed this was good for him. Knew they were trying to put things right. He understood why they believed he needed help. He was unsure what he himself thought. Only knew that he had hurt his brother beyond belief. Maybe it really had been his fault. He knew that he had seen something that night, but clearly it had not been Kyle. Jack was entirely uncertain whether he needed medicine or not. His world had always been the same carnival of sounds and images to him. He knew no different. The idea of medicine scared him very much. It would change his mind. That he knew. He wasn't sure how or what it would be like, but he knew it would happen.

Still, as frightened as he was of seeing a doctor, he couldn't bear the thought of tearing apart his parents' belief that this would help him. That this would start their family back on the right path. He had to be strong for his mother and father. And for Kyle.

Another week after Mr. and Mrs. Kemper's decisions concerning Jack, the boy was starting classes at Glorion Middle School in their local public school district. He began without any sort of medication, because the soonest doctor appointment that could be arranged wasn't until the end of the week. So it was with great trepidation that Jack entered his new school on a chilly Wednesday morning.

His mother had gone into the building with him earlier in the week to speak with the counselor and arrange his schedule, look around and find his classes. Jack had been grateful. Because at least, on his first day, he would have an idea of how to get around.

This school was much bigger than Webster Day School, even though it only held grades six, seven, and eight. Jack got there a bit early. His father dropped him off on his way to work, which got him there before the school buses came. But Jack was glad. He'd be able to take his time locating his locker. Opening the lock. Organizing his materials for his first period. The halls were close to empty, save for a few groggy students and some teachers drinking coffee. The place was somewhat ominous, seeing as Jack was unfamiliar with it. His locker was easy enough to find, though, since he'd found it a few days earlier with his mother.

He was to have seven classes. He was on an eighth grade team called Eight Central, and all of his classes were normal. Communication arts, social studies, math, science, art, P.E., and then, instead of having an end room, which was like a study hall at the end of the day, Jack would go to what the counselor called the Resource Room. It was where he would get extra help. Not only that, but there was going to be an extra teacher in both his math and his communication arts class. Someone whose job it was to make sure kids who needed more help got it.

Of course, Jack didn't think he needed help. He understood things . . . when he paid attention to them. Nevertheless, his parents had spoken with the school and then there had been a meeting where everything about Jack's extra help was decided. It had gone so fast that Jack was really kind of unsure what all of it meant. All he knew was that he would have help.

His parents had seemed to really appreciate that.

The lock was stuck. Jack had turned the numbers properly, but the lock itself was jammed. He sighed, not really aggravated enough to get angry. He just didn't want to have to find someone to get it open for him.

Something shone bright at the corner of his vision. To his right. Down at the end of the hall where a window was. Jack quickly turned to it. But if there had been something there, it vanished. Melded into the sunbeams coming in through the window. Maybe there hadn't actually been anything at all. Since his brother's accident, Jack had noticed that the lights he was so used to seeing were flitting across his vision less frequently. So maybe the flash had been a reflection off the sun.