Author Games: Circle

Task Three | 11-20 Entries

11 // CAMDEN FISHER

Thymus vulgaris; Thyme represents courage, and bravery in the face of death.

*

The man was sat at the kitchen table, reading the news. In his other hand, he held a mug of black coffee, which had left a faint stain on his upper lip. Crumbs dusted the top of his jacket, but he hadn't yet noticed either of these discrepancies. He grumbled to himself as he set down the cup to turn to the next page.

"Oh, Charles, did you offer anything to our guest?"

Mrs. Engell gently touched Camden's shoulders as she brushed past him on her way to the kitchen. The young boy was seven and a half now, and a bit taller. His hair was growing consistently messier the older he got.

They called him a "guest" here. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"No, I'm sorry. I must've forgotten."

"That's okay," Camden squeaked, proud when he didn't stutter. "I-I don't need anything."

"Well, you must eat breakfast! It's your first day of school, after all. What kind of parents would we be if we didn't send you off with a little something in your stomach?"

Parents. Parents of a guest? Camden hadn't really had parents before. Only his Grandfather, and he had died three months prior. The first family he'd fostered with - the Pools - had had three young children, one of them Camden's own age. Mr. and Mrs. Pool had never called themselves Camden's parents, so why - ?

"Camden?"

"O-Okay."

"So it's a yes to the bagel then?"

He ducked his head, focusing intently on the warped wood of the table. It was oak; Camden could tell from the distinct grain pattern. "Yes, please."

"Good. Very good. Cream cheese?"

Camden managed to shake his head. Mrs. Engell presented him with a cloth napkin and a plain bagel, though he could sense the tiny frown settled on her face. She wanted him to eat more. But at the moment, he felt he'd barely be able to stomach the bagel.

"Are you nervous?" She pulled out the chair between Camden and her husband and sat.

Camden hesitated.

Mrs. Engell patted his arm gently, causing him to subtly draw away, feeling suddenly shaky. "Don't you worry, I'm sure everything will be just fine."

"You know, son," Mr. Engell set the papers aside, folding them sloppily and placing them in front of the final vacant seat. "When I was your age, I was terrified of school. Of what the other kids would think of me."

"Right!" Mrs. Engell chimed in. "But you're a charming boy, I'm sure, and very handsome too. I wouldn't worry too much about making friends."

Camden didn't really want friends. His Grandfather had been his friend, and he had joined Camden's mother up in Heaven. His cat had been his friend, and he wasn't even sure where that 'blasted creature' had gone.

" - And that's why Science was always my least favorite subject. Ready to go, son?"

Camden brushed away the crumbs from his bagel and nodded, feeling quite constricted.

The school that Camden was going to attend was rather small in size. When the Engell's car rolled up to the front, the first things that jumped out at him were the towering fir trees sheltering the roof of the run-down building. The second thing that jumped out at him was just how run-down the building truly was. Some of the paint was peeling off the side, one of the windows was blocked off with blue tarp instead of glass, and the sign that was supposed to read "MacMillan Primary School" was missing a few letters.