Shadow Walker

Chapter Two- A Funeral and some Beatings

     It had been only two days since his parents were killed and Seymour was still completely lost.  He had not been able to figure out just what to do with himself.  Today was the day of the funeral and the first day of his life completely without family.  After the funeral he would be eligible for a foster family, he would go back to school- and this would be his last day ever with the only family he had.

                He pulled the tie of his suit tight against his throat.  This was the one occasion they would get him to wear a suit.  For his family he would wear a suit- but nothing else.  Checking his reflection in the mirror, he was not too satisfied with the look, but he knew he had to be the good son.  As he continued to watch himself in the mirror, he heard the door open as his three roommates came in.  “Well what do we have here?” Scotty laughed.

                “Little boy in a suit.” Micah laughed.

                “Don’t you look so cute?” Sam added.

                “Leave me alone.” Birkhoff replied, “I’m going to my mother’s funeral.”

                “Aww.” Micah taunted.  “Little boy gotta say bye to mommy and daddy.”

                “Just shut up.” Birkhoff replied.

                “Did you hear something?” the three older boys started to circle Seymour.  “I think there is a little boy that thinks he can tell us what to do.”

                “So what do we do?” Scott asked in reply.

                Before Seymour could figure out what the response as going to be, he was lifted by both arms and dragged into their bathroom.  The bigger kids were no match for Seymour and he was upside down with just enough time to hold his breath before his head was dunked into the flushing toilet.  When they lifted him up Seymour though he would get a reprieve, but it was short lived when he was dunked into the toilet again.  This happened twice more before the older boys, bolted, hearing the head woman calling for Seymour.

                When the guys had left, Seymour lifted himself up.  His suit was water-logged and luckily his short hair didn’t show much sign of the water.  Using his towel Birkhoff tried as best he could to clean himself up then walked downstairs where the social worker was waiting.  When she saw Seymour, she just shook her head.  When he got to her, she roughly fixed his collar and replied, “You cannot let those older boys pick on you.”

                Seymour didn’t reply, just hung his head.  He had enough rejection from the kids at school- he just didn’t have any fight left in him.  Especially not today.  “Sure.” He quietly replied.

                “Well, let’s go.  Services start soon.” Meghan, the social worker told him.

                They walked out to the car and Meghan drove him to the church.  The whole way Birkhoff just watched out the window as the trees went by.  Meghan was concerned how quiet he was, but he did have a lot he was dealing with.  When they got to the church, Seymour climbed out of the car and she headed in a couple steps behind him.  When they entered the church, there was no one there.  Meghan was surprised that Seymour and his family didn’t have any friends or anyone to stop by.

                Just a few hours they sat at the viewing and no one showed up.  Meghan watched as Seymour sat in agony- missing his parents- having no one familiar to comfort him and having gotten beaten up by his roommates.  The young man was lost and no one knew what to do for him.  As much as she regretted it, she knew he would probably just get lost in the shuffle- just like most foster kids did.  Her thoughts were interrupted as the Pastor came in.  “Is this the Birkhoffs?” he asked as they watched Seymour at the front of the church.