flashback

n i n e

 

Ceon

            I went to bed after Danyelle left with a bad feeling in my gut. I like to think that it was because of my fear for my siblings, but in reality it was probably because I ate too much KFC fried chicken. I had definitely found my comfort food. I lied on my cot, feeling nauseous. I definitely needed to drink some water. I got up and opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. As I sat on a barstool and sipped my water, waiting for the waves of nausea to subside, I spied the telephone that we—I barely paid for each month. We hardly used it; in fact we used it so infrequently that the company gave us an inactivation fee. I only used the phone for emergencies, and sometimes I had to make prank calls just so I wouldn’t have to pay the $29.95 inactivation fee. Sarai and Matt used to get a hoot out of it. I smiled in memory of Sarai’s missing front teeth. My smile turned into a frown, and felt miserable. I stared at the phone, remembering Fletcher’s words: She says that if you need anything you can call the number 646-923-0012. I picked up the phone and called Danyelle.

Fletcher

     I walked into the dim sunlight from the train station and breathed fresh air. Matt and Sarai breathed too. I looked down at them and smiled. I looked around. Sheathing was different. Very different. There were bike racks all over, and a lot of booths and vendors littered on the streets instead of a mall, like in Studebaker. I looked at my Casio. It was already almost 8 o clock, and it was still bright here in Sheathing. It was probably dark as night back home. It was a bit ghetto, and you could hear it in the southern drawl of people in the street. I looked up into the sky and saw a pale sun, hidden behind pink and orange clouds in a purple sky; a beautiful sunset. It was like being in a sunny gray place. Bright and dark. I sighed and squeezed Sarai’s hand.

I thought to myself. I should go to a public place where lots of kids are… A place where we’ll seem plain and ordinary; like any other kids. Then it hit me. I grabbed the twins’ hands and looked for the nearest little old lady. I saw one, with wrinkles around her eyes and a tight gray bun at the nape of her neck. Her eyes twinkled in the sunlight. She looked as if she had smiled many smiles in her lifetime.

     I walked over to her and asked her quietly, “Excuse me ma’am, but would you happen to know where the central library is?” She smiled at me and pointed to a bus stop across the street. “That there bus gun take you to the central library on Edgerton Boulevard. It the second to last stop, I believe. The bus stops in front of a big, gray building with the name engraved righty there in the front.” I smiled at her, as did Matt and Sarai, and after thanking her, began to walk away. “Hold on now,” she said. “Ya’ll are just so sweet!” She pressed a dollar each into the hands of Sarai and Matt and a fiver in mine. We thanked her goodbye, and crossed the street to wait for the bus.

     When the bus arrived, it was packed as a tin of sardines. However, the twins and I squeezed in and the doors closed right behind us, leaving a trail of people behind. I heard their curses and yells through the glass door. The driver rolled his eyes. Welcome to Sheathing, I thought, to your right is the darkest sunshine in the world. Sarai and Matt rocked uncontrollably back and forth as the driver weaved violently through traffic. Matt looked green. I led him quickly to a seat and gave him some water from my knapsack to steady his stomach. Just as his face began to return to normal, I saw the big gray building that the old lady had described to me. I hoisted my knapsack over my shoulder and picked up Sarai and Matt’s. I grabbed their hands again. When passing the driver, I thanked him. “You’re welcome, kiddo,” he said to me. Sarai and Matthew thanked him too, and we got off the bus. We made our way through the crowd to the entrance of the library. I pushed open the doors and led Sarai and Matt into the library.

     As soon as I got into the library, I expected to be greeted with the voices of children and laughter. Instead all I heard was the ticking of the clock. The library was empty, except for the librarian, a geeky, zitty teenage girl who was looking who was at sweet sixteen dresses online. “Welcome to the Sheathing Library,” she said, monotonously.  I looked around and grinned. It was a small library with a small collection of adult books. However it looked like it was more geared to kids, because the set of phonics books alone was probably twice the size of YA books. There was a set of tables and chairs, and a small television and telephone in one corner. Bending down to Sarai and Matt, I whispered, “Sarai? Matt? Welcome to our new home.”