Connections

Chapter 7: Field Trip

It was a week before I thought about the incident again. I managed to delude myself into thinking that maybe I had been tired and had imagined it. But I knew I hadn't because I started noticing things I'd never seen before. Like how Ruler's eyes flash every time Melanie or Chris come into the room, or how his voice hardens whenever either Ric or I speak about anything Animalz invented, which was most things. Let's face it, we Supernaturals might have built upon some things, but we haven't invented much. There was the cure for cancer when I was 7, but even that was formed out of notes Animal scientist. And now I know that Ruler's never gotten over it. There's also the way he tenses whenever Ric or I hesitate just before we call him dad. I can't believe I've never noticed these things before.

I was so preoccupied by my new observations that it wasn't until the next Friday that I even remembered the incident with Ruler and the Animal, and that was only because Melanie entered my room in a huff. "What's the matter?" I asked. True to our words, our truce had lasted so far, and it seemed that with each day that passed, Melanie's kindness to me seemed to take less and less conscious thought.

"Susie Jacobs was replaced." she answered in a monotone voice while I started at her blankly and she rolled her eyes. "Susie Jacobs was the lady that lived next to me and my family. She had two sons and a husband. I learned this morning that she was replaced sometime this week. Her husband had been absent, and everyone thought that he was just putting extra work in at his Masters house, when really he had been wandering the streets in grief. He came back this morning a mess."

"Did you say an Animal was replaced?" I asked, my voice sounding far away to my ears. No. It couldn't be true. Because if that was true, then what I'd seen last Friday night was true and my week of blissful ignorance was over. This situation could no longer be ignored. My conscious wouldn't allow it. Sometimes having a conscious is worse than having nagging parents.

Melanie glared at me. "Do you not have working ears? I just told you that, yes, an Animal got replaced. But you don't believe me about Ruler, so why do you look like I just told you the world is going to end in five minutes?"

"Because...because I'm afraid you might be right about Ruler." I admitted. Admitting that is something I'm proud of, believe it or not. I had to give up a lot of pride to say that, and I think Melanie picked up on it because instead of rubbing it in my face like she had every right to, she just nodded.

"Good. Because I was dead serious." she said simply.

"But...how? It just doesn't make sense. How could Ruler manage to keep such a big secret from Ric and I? I mean, it was right under our noses, right in our own home! And we never once questioned him..." I trailed off as the topic started to quickly depress me.

Melanie, however, was not one to let me wallow in my own self pity and quickly kept me talking, "What made you change your mind, anyway?" she asked. God, how I wished she hadn't asked that question. Because now I would have to retell the events of that horrible night again. I could barely tell it to Ric, and he hadn't spoken to me or anyone since, too lost in how own thoughts. But it didn't matter because I think she deserved to know. I mean, since she knew about it, that meant it obviously affected her, and therefore she should know the story...or at least whatever I knew about it, since it's become painfully obvious that I don't know very much about where I live. So I told her the whole, horrible, story.

To her credit, she didn't say "I told you so." But that didn't make speaking about Ruler in such a negative way any easier. Instead, she said, "This is crazy."

"Oh, really?" I said sarcastically. "Did you just realize that?" I asked, blinking innocently, the sarcasm still heavy in my voice.

"Shut up!" Melanie said, but instead of the order having the sting it would have had a week ago, she said it halfheartedly, almost like the groups of friends I hear at school when they talk to each other. Were Melanie and I actually becoming...friends? It was a strange thought, being friends with an Animal. I mean, I know for a fact Ruler would freak out if he knew. But I couldn't dwell on that too long because Melanie continued talking, "I mean, we have to do something! We have to do something! Sly, now that you believe me you have to help us! You know this is wrong!" Melanie said this with such passion and conviction in her voice she might have been able to get Ruler to agree to help her. But I fought the urge to agree with this passionate, activist Animal because...well, this was my home and what she was talking about would bring it down.