“Jack! Are you okay?” shrieked a scrawny woman with short, spiky hair.
“Don’t touch him!” cried another, bigger one. Her scent was strong and sweet, like M&M’s. “He might have a spinal injury.”
“No, I’m okay!” Jack started to get up.
“Honey, don’t move,” the sweet-smelling woman cautioned. He hurried to his feet anyway, snatching up Takota and snuggling him against his soft jacket.
“What! What happened? Is my boy hurt?” Takota recognized Jack’s mom from her voice. She pushed through the cluster of mostly women and shoved the lanky, redheaded young man by mistake. He fell into a stand of paperback novels.
“Hey!” he protested, books bouncing off his shoulders. “What gives with people bumping into me today?”
They ignored him, focusing every ounce of anxious attention on the boy.
“Is he hurt?”
“Does someone need to call 911?”
Liz gave her son a frantic yet careful examination while the women peppered her with suggestions.
“Mom, I’m fine. Really,” Jack tried to comfort her. She still had questions.
“You want to tell me what all the screaming was about, then?” she glared at him, motioning at the people gathered around. “Scaring everyone half to death?”
“I slipped,” he explained. “It freaked me out, that’s all.”
An audible sigh of equal parts relief and disdain from the store employees.
“Freaked you out?” a woman with obvious fake hair and false eyelashes blinked contemptuously. “Young man, you darn near gave me a heart attack.”
“What’s going on out here?” Al stood at the top of the steps. “Did I hear yelling? Is the crook still here? Did you get him? Did he hurt somebody—what?”
“Just calm down, Al,” a large woman strode toward the stairway. Roberta. Takota remembered her from the stockroom. She and her son Dillon joined the impromptu meeting. “Jack had a little accident, but he’s all right. The thieves aren’t here. Whoever it was, they’re long gone by now.”
“Whoever it was they were smart enough to erase the surveillance footage,” Al’s words were laced with disgust.
“What!” Dillon piped up. “No video? That bites!”
“Nope, it’s gone,” Al ranted into his office. “What good are the cameras? Why spend thousands of dollars on that stuff when all someone has to do is delete the darned file?”
“Deleted the file, huh?” Dillon eyeballed Jack, then pointed at him. “It was YOU! You did it, didn’t you? Okay, everybody! Back away! This is a crime scene now.”
He pulled an object out of his pocket and held it up, clicking a button while pointing it at Jack, Takota, the stairs, the walls, a drinking fountain—everything in the immediate area.
“Dillon, stop it,” Roberta ordered. “It’s getting late. You have to get to school, let’s go.”
“C’mon, Mom,” Dillon kept clicking. “It’s CSI: Winmart.”
“Let’s go, Dillon.”
“Wait, one more,” he got close to Takota. “Hey! Isn’t that the teddy bear my mom told you to put in the Lost and Found? What are you doing with it? Hey, Mom!”
“It’s no big deal,” Roberta sighed. “You can have the teddy bear, Jack.”
“Oh, Jackie,” Dillon broke into his high-pitched, sarcastic voice. “He wuvs his widdle teddy beaw!”
“You mean the teddy bear you were afraid of?” he shoved Takota in the smart aleck's face. It was only for a second, then Jack pulled him away, but while the two were nose-to-nose, Takota took the opportunity to give Dillon a menacing growl. Predictably, Dillon became surprised, then terrified.
“AHHH!” he yelped, kicking backward, his shoes squeaking on the smooth floor. Most of the others had lost interest by then and dispersed. The few who remained giggled at the comic relief.
“No, no,” Jack’s mom lectured her son, saying it loud enough for her boss to hear. “Fair’s fair. Some poor child somewhere’s probably heartbroken. You can tell the teddy bear means a lot to somebody, it looks so…well-loved. Just imagine the goodwill we can generate for the store if this bear’s reunited with its rightful owner.”
Takota wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean, and didn’t like the sounds of it.
“You know, you’ve got a good idea there. Good thinking.” Roberta smiled at Liz, then at Jack. “Jack, honey. Our original deal stands. You can have the teddy bear, but you have to wait one full week, ‘kay, sweetie? If nobody claims it, it’s yours.”
“Okay,” Jack agreed halfheartedly.
“Okay,” Roberta echoed. “So stick that thing in the Lost and Found, and let’s get on with our day,” she raised her voice. “Okay, people? We’ve got a mess to clean and a store to open. Let’s GO!”
She clapped her hands. What remained of the already depleted group began working hard at making it appear they were working hard.
“And you, kid. School,” she told her son.
“I meant what I said, Jack,” Dillon warned as his mother swept him off by the hand. He shot Jack and Takota each a leer. “I’ll be watching you.”
“That’s enough, Dillon,” Roberta tugged her son to her side and kept walking. Dillon pointed to his eyes, then at Jack, then to himself again while he and his mother made for the doors.
“Did you hear that?” Liz clapped her hands and did a tap dance. “She said I had a good idea! Oh, Jack! If I keep this up, do you know what this means? We’re talking assistant-assistant manager, here! Oh, my. Okay, okay. Don’t get your hopes up, Liz. Calm down.”
“Thanks a lot, Mom,” Jack made his disappointment clear.
“What? Why are you mad at me? You really want that ratty old thing?”
HEY! Takota thought.
“There’s something about this thing, Mom. I can’t explain. Can’t I just have it now?”
“Listen, if it’s a stuffed animal you want, why don’t I buy you a nice, new one?” She pointed toward the far end of the store. “There are about a thousand stacked to the ceiling in the toy department, some pretty cool ones, too. How about we get you one of those?”
“Mom, you’re not listening. I want this one!”
“What’s so special about that one?” Liz began to sound exasperated.
“I told you. I can’t explain.”
“Well, try.”
He sighed and held Takota to his mother’s level. Takota remained still.
“Just look at him, Mom. Doesn’t he seem real? I know, I know. It sounds crazy, and he’s not moving or breathing or…” Jack put his ear against Takota’s chest. “There’s no heartbeat, so he doesn’t seem alive. But the first time I saw him, I swear he smiled at me. And just now, right after I fell down the stairs, he talked to me!”
“Talked to you! Oh, lord. This is your father’s fault! All his talk about other dimensions has warped your imagination! Oh, that man and his crazy ideas! Why can’t he just grow up and be normal?”
“His ideas are not crazy, he’s…”
“Nope,” she interrupted the way only a mother can. “I won’t hear another word of it. You’ll take that thing to the Lost and Found this instant, and that’s that. Got it?”
While he lumbered away from his mother in disgust, Jack maneuvered Takota so the two of them were the same height. Takota kept up his lifeless appearance. It was difficult. The way the boy appealed to him, it made him want to break his silence. Strange? Absolutely. Humans had always been a threat, something to avoid at all costs. And yet, here Takota felt some sort of connection with a human he hardly knew.
“You are real, aren’t you? I didn’t just imagine that, did I?” Takota knew Jack expected a response. He wanted to answer. Better judgment prevailed. Someone might have been watching, maybe even that nasty Dillon character.
“Never mind,” Jack sighed, letting Takota drop to his chest, cradling him with one hand.
It wasn’t long before they made it to the area where it read in big, playful letters, ‘Lo
st and Found.’ Jack ducked under the counter and placed Takota on the second shelf, taking care to make him comfortable.
“Let’s hide you in here a little, shall we?” he concealed Takota behind a pair of stinky shoes. Apparently not satisfied, the boy further shrouded him with an old umbrella. “There. I’ll come back for you, I promise.”
Jack winked and was about to leave when he stopped. Hidden in that crowded shelf, Takota had just enough room to glimpse what had made the boy freeze in his tracks. A haze formed near the Lost and Found. Long, thin shapes swirled in the foggy air, joining to become a tall, intimidating figure wearing tattered rags which flowed in some imaginary breeze.
It went by quick, even by Tanakee standards, and seemed transparent, yet it was there. Takota’s heart jumped into his throat. Jack took a step back. Then the apparition vanished, its long, frayed shreds merging with light and shadow. Takota’s intuition told him the thing had been watching them. For how long, he didn’t know. It gave him an uneasy feeling.
“Um, what was that?” Jack trembled. He took a moment to gather himself, then sprang into action.
“On second thought,” he wiped away the makeshift camouflage and snatched up Takota. “I’m getting a bad feeling about this.”
He zipped open his backpack and eased Takota inside. Normally such a situation would have thrown Takota into a panic. However, somehow he knew in his heart this child might have been able to help the Tanakee, and he felt for some reason he needed to help Jack.
“Seems there’s more than one pair of eyes watching you,” the boy summoned a smile despite his obvious fear. “I can’t risk leaving you here. Don’t worry, little fella. You’ll be safe.”
EIGHT
THAT MORNING, JACK was more lost in his thoughts than usual, and Mrs. Adams noticed.
“Jack,” her voice was an octave higher and about a hundred decibels louder than needed. “What’s the capital of North Dakota?”
“Jack, what are mitochondria?”
“Jack, what’s a troubadour?”
For hours, she kept making attempts at drawing him into the lessons. He would oblige, give the correct answer, then return to his dreamy imagination.
He’d just had one of the most bizarre mornings ever, thanks to a teddy bear. Or was it a teddy bear? Before long, it became too much to tolerate. He pulled his pack from under his desk and opened it just a crack to sneak a peek at the furry little thing. Then he peered at his classmates and reclosed the bag.
As he scanned the other students, butterflies, big as bats, fluttered in his stomach. The kids knew what he had. It felt like he’d stashed a fortune in gold bullion under his desk and they were all waiting for their chance to get at it. At least Amelia smiled at him. That made him feel better.
AT LUNCH, HE wandered to the last table in the cafeteria where the banished few ate their meals. He took a seat next to a kid eating from a Star Trek lunch pail, wearing a Stargate T-shirt and reading a Star Wars comic book. Jack twirled his fork in some runny mashed potatoes, trying to think of what to do. How do you inform someone you have a living teddy bear in your backpack? Impossible. He had to tell someone, though.
“Hey, Jack,” Amelia bounced toward him in a blue, flower print skirt, balancing her tray in one hand. “What are you doing sitting way over here?”
“Shhh,” he whispered. “Sit down. I’ve got something to tell you.”
Her sudden seriousness gave away her thoughts. Jack could tell she sensed his tension and appeared to feel it herself. She seemed ready to sit with him when they were both startled by a sharp, scolding voice.
“Amelia,” Wendy barked. “You coming?”
“Yeah, yeah,” she answered breathlessly. “Just a sec’.”
“Hurry up,” Wendy tossed a condescending glance at Jack. Behind her, Jamie, Heather and Betsy glared down their noses. Wendy led her loyal followers to the table where Dillon and Mike had already taken their normal places.
“I…I gotta go,” Amelia backed away. “Why don’t you sit over here? There’s room at this table.”
He glanced at Dillon, who scowled back at him. “No. I don’t think so.”
DURING THE LAST recess of the day, Jack thought he would have another chance to spill his guts. He waited near the exits while Amelia chatted and strolled with her so-called friends. She noticed him and flashed a big smile.
“Hi, Jack!”
He waved expectantly but didn’t say anything. Amelia’s friends wouldn’t let him.
“Eeeewwww, Amelia!” Wendy hissed. “Gross!”
The other girls chuckled in agreement.
“What?” Jack heard Amelia stand up for him while they ambled to the jungle gym. “There’s nothing wrong with Jack.”
“I guess,” he heard Wendy say. “He’s kinda cute, but he’s really weird.”
He had no idea what Amelia said next. She said something, though, then separated from the group and jogged toward him.
“After school,” she squinted at the bag he had clutched against his chest. “I’ll meet you right here. Then we can talk about what you have in that backpack of yours.”
She didn’t give him time to show his astonishment, though the grin on her lips said it all. She knew he was hiding something. But how? Then he figured it out. He wasn’t so good at acting nonchalant. The way he hugged his bag, people must have thought it was his last possession on earth. He peeked to make sure nobody had noticed, sliding the straps over his shoulders.
WHEN THREE-NINETEEN finally arrived and the bell rang, Jack waited at his desk for the room to clear. In the hallway he took his time, stopping to untie and retie his shoes (which must have looked strange, since his checkered Vans were slip-ons), then pausing to drink from a faucet. Then he decided he needed to stall longer and dodged into the restroom despite not actually having to go. Though nobody was in there, he acted casual just the same. Soon his nerves got the best of him and he forgot where he was, focusing yet again on the creature in his backpack.
“Okay, little guy,” he slipped the bag off his shoulders and opened it to see the mottled fur, the spellbindingly reddish-brown eyes with jade-colored spots just below them. “I’m going to show you to Amelia, and I don’t want you to disappoint me again, you understand? If you just lay there like a dead fish I’m gonna…”
A toilet flushed. Jack shut his mouth. He grew hot with embarrassment. The door on the last stall creaked open and out stepped Lenny Nakashima. Nice kid. Jack’s age. Quiet. Kept to himself.
“Oh, hi. I was just…” Jack tried to cover his tracks. Lenny stood frozen as if he’d seen an alien. His stare darted to the door, to Jack, and again to the door. Then he did his best Tom Cruise imitation, hugging the wall, sliding toward the exit in a room full of lasers.
“Really, I was just talking tooooo…” Jack clung to a shred of a chance he might have redeemed himself. Hopeless. Keeping his distance, Lenny slipped out. “To myself. I was talking to myself! People do that, you know! Oh, heck with it!”
He studied the room more carefully, making sure no other spies were lurking. No harm done. He shrugged.
After a few more minutes, he figured plenty of time had passed for the regular, afterschool stragglers to clear. Dillon and Mike had probably gone, along with Wendy and her entourage. The buses usually filled up quickly and the drivers didn’t waste much time. Nobody wanted to stick around long after that last bell rang. That’s why Jack was concerned whether Amelia had kept her word. He knew she rode the bus normally, and missing it meant a long walk home to Tangled Trail Townhouses.
He approached the school’s main entrance, convinced she’d be there. She was a trustworthy person, he reminded himself while passing through the doorway, emerging into the damp spring day. He scanned the schoolyard. Empty. She’d caught the bus. His mood sank and his feet went into autopilot, taking him on a direct course to Winmart.
“Boo!” wearing a radiant smile, Amelia sprang from behind the thick shrubbery. “Did I scare you?”
&
nbsp; “Yeah,” he chuckled, fidgeting with the strap on his pack. “You did.”
Something strange happened in his bag. He felt the thing shift its weight, and though he’d already seen the creature move and even talk, it made him unsettled.
He ripped the pack from his shoulders and dropped it on the sidewalk. “I can’t handle this anymore!”
“What, Jack? Handle what?” she continued to smile, though nervously.
He felt the butterflies again. “It’s in my pack.”
“What is?” her grin shrank.
“Oh, man. I thought it was just my imagination at first. I mean, how can this little thing be alive, you know? It just sits there. I mean, it doesn’t move at all. But it does move. I mean, it has moved. It’s done things. It saved my life, really. And there are more of them, at least two, probably even more. I think they live in the store disguised as toys. Why, I can only speculate. It’s perfect camouflage, though. Little cryptids, hiding in plain sight, living right under our noses. They’re like a lost species from the…”
“Jack!” Amelia shook his shoulders. “Slow down, okay? Breathe with me. Relax.”
He copied her, taking a couple deliberate breaths.
She used a serene tone. “There. Doesn’t that feel better?”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “It does. A little.”
“Good. Now let me see what’s got you so freaked out,” she reached for the backpack with surprising speed. She almost had the drawstrings untied, and was close to peeking inside when he reacted, grabbing and choking the bag shut.
“Seriously,” he backed away. “I’ve got to explain something to you first.”
Amelia put her hands on her hips and raised her left brow.
“Do you remember last night when you told me I was going to have a lot of big things happen in my life, and I’ll have historic…what was it?”
Jack James and the Tribe of the Teddy Bear Page 8
