Carson's Mark: School of Screams

Chapter Eight

Kennedy pulled the car into the driveway, maneuvering it into a spot close to the front walkway before parking and turning the car off. He let Jack out first before opening the passenger door to get Zeeke. The teen swung his feet out of the car but waited for Kenny to offer a hand before standing. He leaned on the open car door, lifting his injured foot off the ground until Kenny supported him. He limped badly as Kenny brought him down the walkway.
"Just take your time," Kennedy told him when he stopped at the porch steps, a bit unsure. "Let me know if I'm going to fast for you." He put one foot on the first step as Zeeke placed his free hand on the railing and pushed himself up onto the step, lifting his bad foot off the ground.
It took them a minute to get up the steps this way, but it was the easiest way for Zeeke. He limped again as they made their way to the front door, but once inside Kennedy helped him to the nearest couch and helped him sit.
"Just take it easy here for a minute while I go let Chloe and Simon know what happened," Kenny told Zeeke as he rested his sore foot on a pillow. "Then we'll call a doctor to get your foot checked out." Zeeke simply nodded as Jack rested his head on the teen's stomach. 
     Kenny only made it a few steps before he heard the library door open and shut and his sister walked around the corner.  She paused when she saw him, but only for a second before she smiled and walked over to him. 
     "Back already?"  She asked.  Kennedy nodded as he spotted the old newspaper in Chloe's hand. 
     "Zeeke hurt his foot so I brought him back to rest it," he explained.  He pulled the old notes out of his pocket before continuing.  "But we did find these, which seem to have some insight at least."  He nodded towards the newspaper. 
     "Did you and Simon have better luck?"  He asked.  His sister shrugged. 
     "Simon kept coughing, so I sent him back up here to get away from the dust, he should be around somewhere.  We found this, though.  It's got an interesting article apparently confirming the theory about the college having originally been an asylum."  Muffin suddenly came dashing down the stairs, followed by Simon, who now had on a different outfit.  His hair was damp as well, so it appeared that he'd showered. 
     "You're back," he said when he spotted Kenny.  Kenny nodded and explained about Zeeke's injury.  Simon winced. 
     "Sounds pretty bad," he said sympathetically as the group moved back into the room where the teen waited. 
     "Yo," he said when he saw the others.  Jack raised his head and turned to wag his tail at them.  Chloe reached out to scratch under the dog's chin before taking a seat on her favorite couch.  Simon remained standing while Kennedy turned to the teen. 
     "Is your foot feeling any better?" He asked.  Zeeke shrugged. 
     "A little," Zeeke replied, moving his elevated foot slightly.  "Some ice for it wouldn't hurt."  Kenny nodded. 
     "Fair enough," he said.  "I'll get you some, then I'll call a doctor for you.  I know someone close by who offers house calls." Kenny walked to the kitchen for a bag of ice, Simon following.
"So..." Simon started as Kennedy pulled a plastic bag out of a drawer and moved to the refrigerator.
"Yes?" Kenny asked, meeting the other young man's gaze. Simon sighed.
"The child is back," he said. Kenny actually paused as he reached for the freezer handle.
"That's unusual," he replied. "Watchers don't normally follow if someone moves, especially if they go several towns away like you have. He must either be contracted, or he legitimately likes you."
"Contracted?" Simon asked as Kennedy began putting handfuls of ice in the bag. Kenny nodded.
"Sometimes people will hire a Watcher to spy on someone they dislike or are wary of. Typically, the entity will then periodically report back to the contracted party, assuming the human or humans are keeping up their side of the agreement. However, if your Watcher is openly interacting with you, he could have multiple reasons for staying around you."  He closed the plastic bag and wrapped it in a clean hand towel before walking back to the other room. 
     Simon let the subject of the child drop for the moment.  He was more of an annoyance than anything at the moment, so it didn't feel super urgent.  Simon knew Kennedy would talk about it later if it felt needed.  He reentered the room as Kenny handed Zeeke the ice and pulled out his phone to call a doctor. Fifteen minutes later, a knock at the front door caused Jack to bark twice and trot for the front entrance.
Kennedy opened the door and smiled at the familiar figure standing in front of him. The tall, brown-haired man in front of him smiled back. His below-shoulder hair was tied back loosely so it wouldn't be in his way.
"Hello, Kennedy," the doctor greeted him with a friendly yet semi-formal tone, though the smile was that of a close friend.
"Hello, Lucius," Kenny responded as he moved aside to allow the man inside. "Thank you for coming so quickly on such short notice." Lucius shook his head slightly as he followed Kenny into the other room.
"It's no trouble at all," he said. "I wasn't scheduled for anything else today, and I only live eight houses down." Lucius nodded a greeting to Chloe as he and Kennedy entered the room and she nodded back. He gave a smile to Simon as well.
"You seem to be up and about Mr. Hawthorn. The antibiotics are doing their job well, I take it?" Simon nodded and smiled a greeting to the doctor.
"They are," he responded in a friendly tone. "I feel a lot better than I did a week ago."
"Good to hear," Lucius said before turning his grey eyes to Zeeke.
"And by process of elimination, you must be the the young dragon," he said in a friendly tone.
"Yeah," the teen answered. "Name's Zeeke."
"It's nice to meet you, Zeeke," the doctor smiled warmly. "I am Doctor Lucius Drake. I hear you hurt your foot earlier. If you wouldn't mind moving that bag of ice, I'd like to take a look at it and see what's wrong." He spoke with enough respect that Zeeke had no problem picking up his ice bag and letting Lucius check it the way Kenny had earlier.
"It's only a minor sprain," Lucius said after half a minute. He opened the small bag he'd brought with him and pulled out a wrap bandage and began began bandaging the foot. "Just keep icing it and stay off it for a week and you'll be fine." He stood up from his kneeling position. Zeeke nodded and placed the bag of ice back over his foot. The doctor said his goodbyes and left.
After making sure Zeeke didn't need anything else, the other three began to discuss their information so far. Chloe had found an article from many decades before detailing how a certain company had decided to purchase a shut-down asylum and turn it into a private college. A gravelly rumble and hiss came from Zeeke when he heard the name.
"The damn Pyne family again," he growled. His fists clenched. "They can't keep to their own town, they have to come all the way out here and fuck around, too?" The thought clearly angered him, but Simon had also stiffened and his face hardened.
"You're not the only one they've pissed off," he told the teenager. "If only they weren't so crafty about paying off or blackmailing anyone who investigates any accusations. Maybe then it'd be easier to actually get their empire to fall." The other three shot him looks.
"Those are rumors," Kennedy said. "But you sound convinced they're really happening." Simon gave a short laugh at that.
"Ask me for information without asking for information, why don't you," he met Kenny's gaze and spoke calmly and evenly. "I know the Pyne's missing son. He could spill enough family secrets to fill a novel, but he's scared the family will do something irreversible to him if they find out where he is, so I promised I wouldn't tell anyone until I found somebody trustworthy enough to help take down the family without falling into their corruption."
"You know of our family's long-standing issues with the Pyne family," Chloe pointed out. "Everyone in this room has common ground against them. If we work as a group, we should be able to get something."
"What about that hooded figure we saw on the way back?" Zeeke asked Kennedy. "What if they weren't just related to the school?" 
     "You mean 'what if they're connected to the Pyne family?'" Kennedy said.  Zeeke nodded. 
     "It would make sense," Simon said.  "I wouldn't be surprised given some of the other things they've been accused of." 
     "I was planning to go back and do a steak out later," Kenny said.  "Maybe we'll be able to pick up more information if those figures show up."  Chloe gave a small smile. 
     "Lunch first," she said.  "Then steak out."