The Forgotten

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 

Tony was back to his Uncle’s home, but he was home alone. On the floor, he saw a bead that looked like it came off of a piece of jewelry. He picked it up and unconsciously rolled it in his hands, thinking about how he was supposed to go to school today. He put the bead in his pocket and was heading out the door when a call came in. He usually never picked up the calls so he let it ring into the answering machine. “Hey Ralph,” a male voice spoke, “Just letting you know that we have her now. We will be waiting for you; just follow the left path to the oak”

Mike concluded that his uncle was odd, and was out the door with his bag swung behind him. School. He didn’t like that idea very much.

 

Veronica got some snacks and was out the cafeteria doors before any of her class mates could call onto her. She didn’t want to be noticed as she had some work to be done, so she headed up to the library where she’d sneak-eat and do some work. She tried to elude the thoughts that she did not want to be in High School anymore. College, perhaps.

Absent-minded, she didn’t see the student that sat on her table across from her. She only worked mindlessly with her only goal to complete the assignment before the bell rang. Only after a while did she get that never-wrong feeling that someone was watching her. So, she looked up.

“Hello” brown eyes browner than hers looked into her eyes, and almost sent shivers down her spine. But she was no girl to be moved by such tactics of a young, manipulating boy.  She scowled at him so hard that he was worried for her now tightly creased brows.

“Veronica, was it?” He grinned, exerting a confidence she so utterly hated.

“What are you doing here?” she finally got the voice to speak

“This is my first day here,” he explained “I was hoping to see you, actually”

Her brows creased more now “Oh. Well, here I am…” He could hear a stretch of thought and decided she didn’t recall his name. Any of the two.

“I’m Isaiah,” he inputted.

“I didn’t ask for your name” She responded softly, as it trying to compose herself. She certainly had lost her manners. She was never rude to anyone, but for some reason she was holding a grudge against him from the rude awakening he gave her at the tutoring center. “I’m sorry,” she apologized, avoiding his face.

He smirked “It’s ok; I was on my way to the Dean’s office”

“Already looking for trouble?” she said, not looking away from her paper.

“No, it found me.” He said, but there was no humor in the tone. “I’ll see you this afternoon, take care” With that, he strutted off; unaware of the eyes he caught. Veronica however, saw. It must have pained him to be nice to her; must have made him very uncomfortable. She saw everything in his eyes. She was the bitterness and hatred that lurked there. She knew what he was; he was a rebel, a ruthless one. He didn’t care for none else but himself and defying authority. It was no wonder why he was so behind on his studies.

 

In the Afternoon, Veronica sat on the table, a little concerned about her new work schedule. It seemed she was booked for a whole month. Booked for Isaiah Newman. How angered she was. It was unfair, he is just a spoiled rich kid who thinks he can do whatever he wants to do, take up whoever’s time he wants to. She would not take it lightly. There were not many people working today as most tables were unoccupied.

When Isaiah came in and sat down, she simply pushed the book in front of him.

“Ok, Isaiah, I see you’ve made sure I’m stuck with you” she said grudgingly.

He nodded nonchalantly and opened the book to the first chapter.

She watched him for a minute as he scanned a page of the book, but she didn’t expect the sad look on his face when he looked up at her and started to speak. That was when she realized that she had caught him off guard. The character he expressed to her was all an act. “Yes, I think we have things to teach each other” She imagined a wink to accompany that statement. With that, she forgot about what she saw.

Be professional, she told herself as negative words reached the tip of her tongue.

Isaiah noted her nervous state, but he didn’t miss the smile that was near breaking through. She was easily flustered. He smiled at the thought. She was the major key, and he would find a way.

They got on with the lesson, with Isaiah giving up most of the time, saying how pointless the subject was and how he wanted to give up. Veronica found herself always reminding him that it was his money –or father’s- and his education. She told him that he was behind and needed to be caught up, there was competition out there, and she herself knew as she was struggling in school to make the grades to get into a good college. He didn’t care…. Or he had given up all hope. She observed him while he worked. Almost awkward holding the pencil like he despised it, or was new to it. There were many things odd about his whole composure, as if he was in the wrong body.

When he was done, he would give her his work and she’d see his neat writing, also seeing, from the corner of her eyes, his composure. It was like a child waiting for approval and commendation. “Nice, nice.” She said, smiling at the paper in front of her. He had mastered the main concept. She was so pleased; there was hope after all.

It was the first time he saw her smile. It moved something in him to see her smile, and all because he had put a little more effort in learning. It was a genuine smile, like none he’s ever seen. He couldn’t recall anyone smiling at him like that, not even his father. When he started thinking of his father, his fist clenched on the pencil in his hand. Looking up at her, his clench got harder and images started to surface.

“Are you ok?” she asked, looking down at his fist.

It was dark all around him again, all was silent. He could hear some chains, and it seemed they only got louder and were in only his head. Then he saw his father, his innocent father who had wronged no one in his life.

“Isaiah” she called out, but he seemed too far gone, spaced out into a world unknown. He heard the low hums he took comfort in. Those hums calmed him down, especially when he was in the dark. Amidst the clinging of the chains, the hums got louder and he found refuge.

“Isaiah” Veronica pushed at his clenched fist, almost in panic. He was too far gone. She didn’t think he could even hear her. His eyes were directed at her, but he was staring through her. She pushed harder until his eyes focused to look into hers.

Her image came out of the darkness and he slowly resurfaced.

“Thanks” he said. She was taken aback now; “for what?” she asked.

“You complimented my work”

 Did he know he was gone? Did he know how long it was that he was frozen in that world?

“Yes, I did” she handed him back his book and looked up at the time. “Well, our session is over” It had been alone two hours and she was hungry. “We will pick up where we left off tomorrow; bring your brain.”

He seemed dazed, not commenting. She walked to the desk to clock out, but watched him as he, stiff as a rock, got a piece of paper and was completely lost in drawing. His back was bent to a diagonal line from the char to the edge of the take where his head was close to his pencil as if every detail of the drawing was important.

That was the way she left him, huddled up in his drawing.