Ataxia

thirty-four

Tears welled in my eyes as I continued to scream his name. I wouldn't accept it. I can't. If Andy wasn't saying anything, the only possibility is ...

"You know, you really should be in a punk rock band, Des. That scream is very impressive."

"Andy!" I ran into him with a tight hug. "You didn't answer me and I was afraid you --"

"Hey," he lifted my chin to help me look up into his worn face. The worn face I'd missed so much. "I'm okay. I was just wrangling up this guy." He pointed behind him, where Radcliffe was tied in a sticky-looking tape, out cold. "I just broke my arm in the process."

"Where's August?" I ask, suddenly remembering why I was really here.

"She's fine. She actually was already escaping when we came here and did half of the work for us. She's waiting downstairs with Mr. Kabadi."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear."

Then his expression hardened. "Now let's discuss how you're going to be grounded for the next year for following us here, putting your life in danger, and acting like a complete idiot." He took my hand and started dragging me out.

"Andy, come on ...," I groaned.

As we climbed down the stairs, Andy gave me a whole lecture on "listening to your elders" and "let adults handle the dangerous stuff" and plenty of other things that I already knew and ignored. But, I mean, I'm a kid and I was sacrificing myself to save my little sister. What was I expecting? A medal of honor for laying your life on the line?

"Des!" Johnnay met us at the bottom of the second floor stairs, out of breath. "We found your sister. She's ... she's with Mr. Kabadi. Did you ... whoa." She said as she laid eyes on Radcliffe, who was unconscious and being dragged on the floor.

"I know," I said. "Thanks for your help."

"You brought other kids, too?" Andy glared at Johnnay, then at me. "So you're not only risking yourself but others, too?" He slapped me on the back of the head with his good hand. "What were you thinking?"

I rubbed the back of my head where he hit me. Ouch. "Sorry." I mumbled.

"Sir, don't blame Des." Johnnay said. "We came here by choice."

Andy scowled and stomped away, muttering something about "crazy kids" or something like that. After he was out of earshot, Johnnay and I laughed.

"You're dad is hilarious," she giggled.

"Yeah, he is."

The moment I saw August, who was waiting in a hidden closet with Mr. Kabadi, I burst into tears and squeezed the life out of her.

"Don't ever do something crazy like this again," I said into her floofy hair.

"I won't."

***

After we hopped into Andy's car (he got really mad at me for stealing Mr. Kasey's car), we drove over to the police station and turned Radcliffe to the authorities. It turns out the guy was illegally experimenting on kids and even adults, too. So he was in jail for life, basically.

The kids who were experimented on were sent to facilities to be protected. August and Andy and I went home and I was grounded for life. No TV, no dessert, no coming out of my room unless it was meal time. So being grounded really sucked.

But not to worry. Hopefully I won't have to risk my life again.

But if I'm going to be totally honest, that rescue mission totally deserved a medal of honor or something like that.