Wacko Academy

by Faith Wilkins

  The kind nurse was just coming back from the phone call. She told me she’d just been speaking to my mom, who would be here soon.

  She turned to Dustin. “Do you need me to call your family?”

  He shook his head. “My family already knows where I am. They’ll be here soon too.” He sounded so confident, the nurse believed him instantly.

  “I have to get out of here,” he whispered as a police officer walked in.

  “What! Why?” I whispered back, eyeing the officer, who was now talking to the nurse at the front desk.

  When I turned around, Dustin was already backing away. “I’ll be back,” he mouthed, before turning and walking briskly down the hall and out of sight.

  Home at Last

  And so I stood alone, watching both the nurse and the police officer shoot a quick glance in my direction. By now a few more officers had entered the building, forming a small crowd around the main desk. The first officer said something to the others. Now they were all staring at me, including the other patients. Feeling my cheeks grow warm, I looked away.

  After more talking, one of them broke away from the group and walked toward me. He appeared to be in his early twenties, younger than the rest. I guessed he was chosen because of my own obvious youth. They believed that he would be able to get more out of me since we were closer in age. I noticed one of the badges on his chest read Officer Hunter Davis.

  Once he had reached me, he removed his hat, revealing floppy brown hair.

  He smiled, showing me that he meant no harm. “Hello there. What’s your name?”

  “Lily,” I answered quietly, wondering what I was gioing to tell him.

  Deciding to break the ice, he continued with more polite questions about my age, where I was from, and if someone had contacted my parents. Then he started in with the tricky stuff.

  “Could you tell me how you got here?” he asked softly.

  “I…I . . .” My mind was running a total blank. I had no idea how to explain to him what had happened. It was an unbelievable story. Besides, I didn’t want to give Dustin away.

  “Lily!” I heard a familiar voice shout.

  I turned my attention away from the young officer to see my mother running toward me.

  “I can’t believe it. You’re alive!” she cried, pulling me into a tight hug. I stood up to hug her back and buried my face into her shirt, breathing in her scent. She smelled like flowers and a pinch of cinnamon. Mom held me at arm’s length to study me.

  I was only slightly aware of the officer standing to the side, watching us.

  “You’ve grown taller!” she marveled, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She was right. I was nearly her height now.

  My mother gave me the once-over. “Where are your glasses?”

  I laughed, explaining that I had gotten contacts.

  She cocked her head to one side, eyebrows raised. “Hmm . . .”

  I laughed again. “It’s a long story. Where’s the rest of the family?”

  Mom smiled. “They’re at home waiting for you. Let’s get out of here.”

  At this time, Officer Davis stepped in front of us. “Ma’am, I assume that you are this girl’s mother.”

  Mom nodded. “That’s right. I’d like to take her home, if that’s all right with you.”

  “I understand, but we’re trying to figure out what happened here, and it appears that your daughter has a great deal to do with it. I’m going to need her statement.”

  My mother wrapped a protective arm around my waist. “Not without a lawyer. Look, we will do whatever you ask of us, but obviously my daughter has been through a lot tonight and needs some rest before she gives any kind of statement. Now, you have my word that we will be back first thing in the morning and then you can ask all the questions you want.”

  Officer Hunter looked thoughtful for a second, gears turning in his head. “That sounds reasonable, but I’ll have to ask my chief first.”

  He made his way back to the first officer, who was now speaking with the parents of one of the mutated children. The two men talked a little and I thought I saw the chief give a small nod. The young police officer came back.

  “You’re free to go, but we’ll need you back at this hospital by ten o’clock tomorrow morning to help us figure this thing out. Have a nice night.”

  My mother flashed him one of her most dazzling smiles. “Thank you, Officer.”

  We exited without a backwards glance.

  When we arrived home, I was eager to see my dad, and yes, my siblings too. It was dead silent inside the house. I turned to Mom in alarm.

  She got a funny look on her face, like she was trying hard not to laugh. “That’s weird. Maybe they’ll be in the dining room.”

  I couldn’t figure out why they would be in the dining room, since it was only for special occasions, but I followed her into the room.

  “Welcome home!” everyone yelled.

  The whole room laughed at my shock. Our dining room was filled with family members and friends. There were streamers and balloons. A big banner read Welcome Home Lily!!! The dining room had been loaded with chips, cookies, cakes, pies, and other treats.

  Malerie, Asialie, Amanda, and Ella ran up to hug me. Chase and Louis were close behind. Tears ran down my face in streams. I had missed them all so much. The girls were crying too. The guys hung back a little, not sure what to do. Laughing, I pulled them into a hug. They both hugged me back with ferocity. And was it me or were their eyes kind of wet too?

  When the group hug broke, I eagerly searched for my dad, brothers, and sister. Once I had found them, I momentarily forgot about my friends and ran to my family.

  I smacked into Dad at full speed, nearly knocking the wind right out of him. He stumbled back a little. Then he snatched me up into a bear hug. I curled up in his arms. He cradled me and held me close, just like he used to when I was little and kissed my forehead. I took a good look at him. His eyes glistened with tears. Everyone seemed to be crying because of me. Oh well. At least they were happy tears.

  Aaron and Eric hopped around us, yelling my name. My sister was calmer than the crazy boys, but she still seemed ecstatic to see me. I left my father’s strong arms to hug them. They were all talking to me at once, asking me questions and giving me the scoop on what had gone on in my absence.

  Grandma Imani came to greet me. (I later learned that she had been there for a few weeks to support my mother.) There were more hugs and tears.

  So I spent the rest of the night laughing and eating with my family and friends, happier than I had been in a very long time.

  Farewell, for Now

  The next morning, my mom drove me to the hospital bright and early, as promised. We had gotten there earlier than the police, much to my relief. I still didn’t really know what to tell them.

  Dustin, Marcus, and True were sitting in the waiting room, tense and alert. They waved at me when I entered. I waved back. The nurse eyed Dustin suspiciously, wondering where he had been last night, I suppose.

  While Mom talked to the nurse at the desk, I plopped down next to them.

  “Sorry I left,” I apologized.

  True shrugged. “Don’t be. You had to see your family. It’s been nearly six months. Nothing to be sorry about.”

  The guys nodded in agreement.

  “So how are the kids?” I asked. “Is everyone OK?”

  Their expressions didn’t relieve me in the least. Dustin cleared his throat and told us what they knew so far. The doctors were still running tests on Cameron. She had apparently been exposed to a number of dangerous chemicals. From what he could gather, they didn't really believe that she was going to make it. But she was tough. She would show them all. She had to.

  As for the others, Theo needed some kind of bone marrow transplant. They weren’t sure what to do with Lucas. A vaccine was in the process of being made for Brianna. The girl with the skin problem was going to need major surgery.

  I put my head in my hands. Thi
s was a lot to take in at the same time.

  True patted me on the arm. “They’re all going to pull through.”

  Glancing at her through my fingers, I asked, “Where’s your family?”

  She explained that her dad was coming for her.

  My mom walked over to us. She informed us that we were able to see Cameron now, but only two at a time. Her family was supposed to be coming soon, so we had to hurry up.

  Dustin and I followed a nurse to her room. She had been hooked up to all these tubes. She looked so small in that bed. Dustin rushed to her side while I took her hand.

  “This is all my fault,” he commented, staring at her unconscious face.

  I reached over to put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not your fault. It’s your dad’s and those so-called scientists over there.”

  He shrugged my hand off. “That’s true, but it’s also my fault.”

  I gave up, knowing that he wasn’t ever going to stop blaming himself. Cameron still lay there with no objection. I knew that if she were awake she would be setting him straight. Maybe her getting better was the only way he would snap out of it. I stared at her for the longest time, willing her to at least twitch a finger or something. She didn’t move a muscle. I sighed.

  “The police want to talk to me about what happened,” I said conversationally.

  His head snapped up. “You can’t tell them about the school.”

  I frowned. “Why not?”

  “Because they won’t find anything. A while back, one of my dad’s associates got suspicious and tipped off the Feds. Everything was locked down somehow and all they saw was a normal boarding school. After that, Dad got rid of the guy. If you know what I mean.” He dramatically ran his finger across his throat in a slicing motion. “Everything’s already been locked down on campus.”

  Feeling a little sick, I asked, “What do I say, then?”

  Dustin thought for a minute, and then advised me to say that I couldn’t really remember. All I knew was that someone had threatened to hurt my family if I didn’t come with them. I couldn’t see the person’s face since they were wearing a mask.

  “When they test you,” he continued, “they’ll see that you were drugged. It’s probably still in your system after all this time. That kind of stuff doesn’t just go away.”

  I shook my head, reasoning that they would be questioning the others too. Besides, it didn’t add up. We had just come into the hospital with a group of horribly mutated kids. I had to remember something.

  He nodded. “You’re right. Tell them the people who kidnapped you were experimenting on children. You did what you could to get them out.”

  I had to admit, it sounded like a pretty good story, but I still felt uneasy about lying to the police. Couldn’t you, like, get arrested for doing something like that? Well, it was either death or jail. Either way, the options weren’t very good. I bit my lip, wishing there was another way to remain safe and be truthful.

  “You know I’m going back, right? That’s why I couldn’t let them see me,” Dustin said, changing the subject completely.

  I looked up to see him frowning down at Cameron. It seemed as if he was concentrating really hard on something, like making her open her eyes. At that moment, he appeared to be much older. His expression was weary. The shadows under his eyes had darkened. He wore the same clothes he had been wearing yesterday. They were wrinkled and dirty. His curly hair was a tangled mop on his head. I had never seen him look so unkempt. It was unsettling.

  “You can’t go back,” I objected, resting my free hand on his shoulder. “Your father will find out what you did and he’ll hurt you.”

  He glanced at my hand, then looked up at me with a sad smile. Sunlight coming in from the windows made his already beautiful eyes sparkle and shine. I had never noticed it before, but he had light brown highlights in his hair. It gave him a little more life. It made him look more like himself again.

  “Whatever he does to me, it won’t be that bad. I can take it. He can’t kill me. I’m the heir to his stupid business. No matter how much he punishes me, I’m never working for him again. No more recruiting for me. I’m done.”

  I searched his face. He was serious. Too serious for a teenage boy. Where was that sly smirk that got on my nerves?

  “I want to go with you,” I told him, even though I really didn’t. I felt it was the right thing to do. The mission hadn’t been fulfilled.

  Dustin stared back at our sleeping friend. “No way.” His voice sounded so cool and sure, it annoyed me. He had no right to make decisions for me.

  Taking my hand off of his shoulder, I held my head up high in defiance. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

  He managed to run his hand through that mop of hair and heaved a tired sigh. “Maybe not, but I’ll try my best to stop you. Look, you just got back with your family. Do you really want to disappear again?”

  My head went down an inch. “No,” I said quietly.

  “Anyway, my dad might not kill me, but I don’t know what he would do to you. What if… what if you ended up like Cameron? Do you honestly think I could live with myself if that happened?” He looked up at me now, mortified by the thought. “Promise me you won’t do that to yourself and your family. Promise you won’t do that to me.”

  I tore myself away from his penetrating eyes. “Fine. I promise, but what about the others? They’re still trapped there. And what about the school? They’ll just take kids from there to replace the ones that escaped.”

  Dustin assured me that he would do everything he could to get them out. I wasn’t so sure about what he would be able to do. Now that he had tried to help people escape, his father was going to have him on an even shorter leash.

  The nurse came in to tell us that our time was up. Cameron’s family had arrived. As we followed her out, the first one I saw was her brother. He looked to be about nineteen. He had the same eyes and hair as Cameron. Her dad was a balding man in his late thirties, early forties. His facial expressions were unreadable. The last to hurry past us was her mother. She was slightly heavyset and her frizzy red hair had been pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her face was red and blotchy from crying. She kept wringing her hands, a few tears still trapped in her eyelashes.

  Neither of them noticed us as they scuttled after the doctor. When they had reached Cameron’s room, I heard a loud moan from her mother and then weeping. The father was in the midst of trying to calm her down while her brother quietly identified Cameron as his sister. Then he and the doctor immediately began to discuss her condition. Someone closed the door and all was silent.

  I tried to swallow the painful lump in my throat, but it wouldn’t go away. A few stray tears ran down my cheeks. I brushed them away before anyone could notice. Well, Dustin pretended not to notice, but he didn’t say anything.

  We sat back down at our seats without another word. Seeing our expressions, True frowned.

  “No change?”

  We both shook our heads. She was just about to say more when a tall buff man entered the emergency room. He searched the room for a second, until his eyes settled on us. He reached us in a few long strides and towered over us with a morose expression.

  True grinned. “Hi, Dad!”

  Dad? I couldn’t see the resemblance.

  He cleared his throat. “Sweetie, would you like to leave now?” The word sweetie really did not go with his stature or his voice, which was deep and gravelly like a jazz singer’s, only scarier.

  She nodded. “Yes, I would.”

  “Wait,” I said, touching her arm. “Don’t you have to wait to talk to the police?”

  She shook her head, explaining that she lived nearby and the police had already made an agreement with her parents. Her explanation seemed strange to me, but I let it go. I hugged True goodbye and promised to see her tomorrow at the hospital.

  Once she had gone, the boys decided to go too. Like Dustin had said, he could not be seen. Marcus had flat out refused to let Dustin g
o by himself. I followed them to the door. This was it. I was never going to see them again. I hugged them both.

  “Well, take care,” Dustin mumbled, unable to meet my gaze.

  “I’m going to miss you,” I admitted. “Can you believe that?”

  He snorted. “No, I can’t.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Just be careful. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if anything happened to you. So stay safe.”

  A ghost of a smile flickered across his face. “I’ll do my best.”

  With nothing left to say, he turned and walked out, hands in pockets. I watched him go, unable to shake the worry.

  Suddenly he stopped mid-step. He turned back around and briskly came back. I stared at him, wondering what the heck he was doing.

  With a determined look on his face, he leaned forward and quickly pecked my cheek. His neck was all red, just like it used to be whenever he was nervous about something. My cheeks burned. All I could do was stand there with my mouth wide open.

  “Goodbye, Lily,” he whispered.

  I blinked. “Bye.”

  With that, Dustin left for good. He was halfway to the car, where Marcus patiently waited, when I realized something.

  “Wait!” I called, running after him. “You never told me how you got that map.”

  He smirked. “I will.”

  I frowned. “When?”

  “When I see you again,” he answered simply.

  I smiled. “So you’re saying that we’ll definitely be seeing each other again?”

  Laughing, he put his hands on my shoulders. “Of course we will. I do have to check on Cameron. Plus, I’ll have to tell you when I free everyone.”

  My smile faded. “You can’t do that all by yourself.”

  He shrugged. “Sure I can. I have Mark to help me. By the next time we talk, my dad’s school will be officially closed.”

  I put on a brave face and tried to smile. Everything was going to be OK. It had to be.

  “I’ll be fine. Trust me,” Dustin assured me. He looked me over one last time. Then he slowly leaned in to kiss my other cheek, not as quickly as the first time.