The Skeletons In The Closet

Chapter Three

Hazel's POV

I shuddered. I knew exactly where we were. If the humidity didn't give it away, then the schoolyard did. A newspaper flutter across the school ground and Jason went to pick it up.

"The year says 1942. This is you, isn't it Hazel?" I nodded, taking in my surroundings. I wasn't particularity excited to see my old school 'St. Agnes Academy for Colored Children and Indians'.

"Nice name," Travis commented upon reading the sign. Leo and I shared a look. I noticed Nico and Will towards the back of our group. Nico was still in Will's embrace, wide-eyed and tearful. I kissed him on the cheek and smiled sadly before I turned away to face my own past.

Just then the bell rang and kids came pouring out of the door. The kids were mostly black, some Hispanic and Indian. All the girls were wearing dresses, mostly white, and the boys had corduroys or jeans with white shirts and suspenders. Many's shoes looked on their last limb.

And then I exited the school looking shy and meek in my black dress, standing out like a sore thumb. I reached for Frank's hand a squeezed it. This wasn't the memory I'd shown Leo, but it was similar.

Rufus, that jerk, came running up from behind me and smacked my paper sack lunch out of my hands. "You evil gypsy! You're mom's a witch. I heard she killed another man last week with her cursed jewels! Or was it you?" He laughed, a sound like a chorus of toads.

"C'mon Rufus, pick on someone your own size," a voice called from the shadows. My grip tightened in Frank's hand. Sammy walked into the light, grinning, pulling on his suspenders and letting them spring back onto his chest.

Several people sucked in sharp breaths of air. Leo held up his hands, having already seen Sammy. "It's not me," he whispered.

"That's Sammy," I explained, looking straight forward. "Leo's great grandfather."

Connor did a double take.

"Come on, Haze, lets go." Sammy held out his arm and Past me giggled before slipping my arm through his.

The smile on past me's face slipped away soon enough though, despite Sammy's attempts at cheering me up.

All the kids on the playground quieted as I walked by. Some stuck out there tongues, or made rude gestures. Someone yelled "Witch!" as I passed. By the time we'd found a private place to sit and eat, tears were streaming down my face.

Sammy smiled, wiping my tears away. "Here," He said, breaking off a piece of his cookie to share. I grinned, wiping my eyes. "Thanks, Sammy."

I could feel it happening before it started. It was like the color faded and a veil was placed over my eyes. The air was empty of everything...and then it wasn't.

I opened my eyes and found myself in the middle of a dark street. An old 40s car tore down the street, passing right through us. I turned to see an apartment building. Or rather, a bakery. But I recognized it as the bakery our apartment sat on top of. The windows of our apartment were lit up with a golden light, so I led my friends through the dark bakery and up the stairs.

Even though no one could here us or see us, I found myself creeping through the apartment. Voices came from my mother's study.

On our way to the study, we passed my old room. There wasn't much in it, just drawings taped to the wall. I couldn't help but smile when I remembered Pluto coming to visit me on my birthday. And giving me the sketch pad and colored pencils. At this point in time, it couldn't have been two days ago.

I caught sight of myself sitting on my bed, sketching feverishly, my tongue sticking out the corner of my mouth in concentration. 

Upon closer inspection, I saw the drawing was that of my mother. It was beautiful. It showed her smiling softly, her brown curls blowing across her face, her dark skin glowing. She had beads and scarves and other colorful articles in her hair and around her neck. Past me finished and hoped off the bed, eager to show my mother.