Forsaken World (Book 1): Innocence Lost

by Watson, Thomas A.

  A boy behind them at another table leaned over. “You gifted geeks get to watch TV during school?” he spat out with a sneer.

  “Scott, I’m not in the mood to break your jaw, so don’t push it,” Lance said over his shoulder.

  Scott turned back around and lowered his head over his plate. “See, he eats what I can’t identify,” Ian said, looking over Lance’s shoulder at Scott. “Search for intelligence continues.”

  Scott mumbled.

  “You say something, Scott?” Ian asked, putting his juice down. “Lance may not be in the mood to break your jaw, but I am.”

  “You’re going to get in trouble again,” Amy said, grabbing her tray and getting up. “I don’t know how you two stay in the gifted program as many times as you’ve been in trouble.”

  “We’ve never been in trouble,” Ian protested, getting up.

  “You’ve never been caught,” Amy corrected. “Who put the skunk in Ms. Wright’s car?”

  Both snickered. “Have no idea,” Lance said, grabbing his tray and getting up.

  “Out of the whole school, you two were the only ones called to the principal’s office.”

  “So?” Ian shrugged. “That doesn’t prove anything.”

  “Who broke in to Mr. Kennedy’s science lab, let the animals out, and dressed the spider monkeys and rabbits in drag and left a pig painted fluorescent yellow running around? You two were the only ones called again.”

  “Wasn’t us.” Lance grinned, putting his tray in the rack. “We would never stoop to such juvenile actions.”

  “Sure,” Amy said, rolling her eyes as they moved to stand in line as the teacher came over.

  Ian leaned over to Lance’s ear. “It’s been a month. Let’s think of a new one,” he whispered.

  “We need to lay low,” Lance whispered back. “A prank every month at school is pushing it.”

  ***

  As Ms. Penny parked the van, everyone jumped out and ran for the house. Allie’s brownie troop meeting was canceled, and track practice was canceled for the boys. Ian and Lance ran to the den and turned on the projector TV, filling the screen on the wall with the X-box logo as they grabbed controllers.

  Hearing his phone, Lance groaned and dug in his backpack. He pulled it out and saw a picture of his dad. “Hey, Dad,” he answered.

  “Hey, sport, how was school today?” his dad asked, and Ian started digging in his backpack for his own phone. As he grabbed his phone, it started ringing with a picture of his dad.

  “It was good as school can be,” Lance said as Ian answered it.

  “How are things there?” his dad asked.

  “Ah, normal, Dad. We were just going to play some X-box,” Lance said as Ian walked out, talking to his dad.

  “We called Jason, and he said there were reports of riots in Nashville. Have you heard that?”

  “Yeah, they canceled track today and the scout meeting Saturday until it quiets down.”

  His dad was silent for a second. “Yeah, we’ve heard of riots on Oahu and Maui. But you haven’t heard of anything close to home?”

  “No sir. We drove through town so Ms. Penny could check on her daughter and kids at her house, and it was normal,” Lance said, holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he looked through the X-box games.

  “Yes, your mother talked to Ms. Penny before she picked you up,” his dad said.

  Suddenly Lance caught something in his dad’s voice. “Dad, are you worried about something?”

  “No, son, I just don’t like being here when things are happening there. It’s called worrying about your kid,” he chuckled.

  “It’s just people going crazy finding out there is life out in space, Dad. On TV today in civics, we watched a preacher say that was impossible since God only created man and Earth. There were protests with people carrying signs saying a bunch of stuff. Any idiot can look up in the night sky and realize we aren’t the only life.”

  “An idiot wouldn’t admit it, son,” his dad laughed.

  “Well, you’re right there.”

  “Your mother is right; you were born old.”

  “Not you too, Dad,” Lance moaned. The way Lance drove himself, his mother always said he was more mature than he showed in many ways but much less so in others.

  Lance talked to his dad for half an hour, and then his mom got on the phone. “How’s my big baby boy?”

  “Fine, Mom,” Lance huffed. “I’m not a baby.”

  “You will always be my baby,” she said, and Lance could tell she was grinning.

  “You sunburned yet, Mom?”

  “I don’t burn; you got my skin color thankfully. Your father, on the other hand, is burnt to a crisp. He sat outside all day drinking drinks with umbrellas.”

  Lance laughed. “Mom, don’t beat up Dad because he got sunburned.”

  “I won’t,” she laughed. “We moved our flight back to Oahu Sunday morning and will fly out that afternoon, baby, so we will see you Monday night.”

  Jumping, Lance sat up straight. “You’re leaving early?”

  “Yes, that was the first flight we could get off of Hawaii back to Oahu.”

  “Mom,” Lance asked, getting worried, “is everything okay?”

  “Yes, baby. We just want to be close when stuff like this happens.”

  “Mom, when I was at the jamboree last year, there were riots everywhere, and you and Dad didn’t come to get me.”

  Silence answered him for several minutes. “Yes, honey, I forgot about that after that policeman shot that robber,” she said then covered the phone with her hand, and Lance could hear his mom talking but not what she was saying. “Lance,” she said, uncovering the phone. “We’re still coming home early because your father has had all three hospitals he works for blowing his phone up, begging him to come to work.”

  “That sucks,” Lance said, dropping back on the couch. “He can’t even have a fun vacation with just you.”

  “Aw, that’s so sweet, baby,” his mom cooed. “Don’t worry; your dad is a big boy and will get over it.”

  “Mom, you’re making me nauseous,” Lance droned.

  His mom laughed. “Well, call us if you need us. We’re just getting up and are going to try surfing today.”

  “Now that I want pictures of,” Lance laughed, picturing his parents on surfboards.

  “Be nice, sweetie, and we love you.”

  “Love you too, Mom, and you and Dad hug each other for me. Bye,” Lance said, hanging up the phone.

  Lance pulled out a game and loaded it up then sat there playing Call of Duty until Ian came in without his cellphone. “Douche, you could’ve waited,” he said, dropping down on the couch and picking up his controller.

  “I’m only playing the computer, dweeb,” Lance said, stopping the game. “Your parents tell you they are coming home early?”

  “Yeah,” Ian groaned. “Allie’s still talking to them.”

  “Well, Mr. Oliver gets a reprieve,” Lance said as Ian turned on his remote. Mr. Oliver was the old man that lived between Ian’s and Lance’s houses. He and his wife were over the HOA for the neighborhood and kept making rules about kids playing and what they could do. There was a large botanical garden and park in the middle of the subdivision that was now off limits to all kids unless they were accompanied by an adult.

  “We can still do it,” Ian offered.

  “It will take us all Saturday night just to herd the goats to the woods behind the park. Then, we would have to let them in the park Sunday night because they will report them missing at the farm Monday, the day our parents get back,” Lance said. There was a farm full of goats a mile from the subdivision, and they had come up with a plan to put the goats in the park and Mr. Oliver’s yard to eat the plants and manicured grass.

  “Damn, it was a good plan,” Ian said, pressing the button to join X-box Live.

  “Oh, we are still doing it but later this year, like a day before we go to the cabin one time,” Lance said. “I haven�
��t seen Doug’s car home. Have you?”

  “No,” Ian said, leaning back on the couch. Doug was the last close friend of the families in the neighborhood, and they called him Uncle Doug. He owned a security company and lived several houses down and across the street from them. When the families went on vacation, hunting, or camping, Doug always went with them. “Dad said Uncle Doug had personal business to take care of and couldn’t go with them to Hawaii.”

  “I think I might join the military like our dads did,” Lance said as Ian searched for a group to play with online.

  “You’re not going to be a doctor like your dad?”

  “Hell no,” Lance said, stretching out. “He’s married to my mom and his job. When I leave work, I want to leave work and not have to worry about being called back at all hours of the night.”

  “Yeah, that does suck big donkey dicks,” Ian said, choosing a group and grabbing his headset. “Well, you can do like he did and become a doctor after the Army.”

  “Nope, I will be a computer programmer after the military,” Lance said, and they both put on their headsets.

  Ian adjusted his mic until it was in front of his mouth. “You think our parents are worried about the stuff going on in some of the cities?”

  “Why? We live in a small town,” Lance said, getting ready to play.

  “A small town twenty miles from the city limits of Nashville,” Ian said as the game started.

  “Twenty miles is a long ways,” Lance said. “Stay together, and let’s kick some ass,” he said and hollered, shooting two people across the screen.

  Chapter 3

  March 11

  Like only the young could do after staying up till three a.m., the two jumped up off the couch at seven as Ms. Penny came in the front door. “Hey boys, did you have fun last night?” she asked, closing the door and hanging her purse on the coat rack.

  Lance grinned. “Oh man did we. We beat up a team from Brazil for three hours.”

  Not understanding and knowing it had something to do with the “internet,” Ms. Penny nodded. “That’s good, dears. Go get cleaned up, and bring down your clothes so I can wash them.”

  The boys came back down with their dirty clothes and put them in the laundry basket then turned to see Allie already at the counter eating waffles. “When did you get up?” Ian asked, walking over to sit beside her.

  “When Ms. Penny came in,” she smiled with syrup on her face.

  Grabbing a rag, Lance went over and wiped her face. “You need to get the syrup in your mouth and not your face, ladybug.” He grinned and sat down at the counter.

  “Thank you.” Allie grinned up at him as Ms. Penny carried the laundry basket down to the basement. When she was gone, Allie leaned over to Ian. “Ian, you need to watch what you yell playing your games.”

  “I wasn’t that loud,” Ian said, loading waffles on his plate.

  “Carrie heard you next door,” Allie said. “I don’t know what, ‘Motherfucker, shank me again, and I’ll kill your cat,’ means, but I’m sure Momma would ground you if she heard it.”

  With his eyes bulging out, Lance’s mouth dropped open upon hearing those words come out of little Allie’s mouth. “I don’t care what we say, but you don’t say it,” Lance told her, fighting the urge to grab a bar of soap.

  “You said some bad words too, Lance, so don’t threaten me,” she said then shoved a piece of waffle in her mouth that was too big. The two just stared at her as she chewed up her food and swallowed. Grabbing a glass of milk, she continued, “You kept yelling, ‘You slimy cocksucker that butt fucks his own momma.’”

  “Allie, we are sorry, but you need to quit saying what we say,” Ian said, looking over at the bottle of dish soap by the sink.

  “You said them, so I can,” she said, stabbing a waffle. “I was just saying so you won’t get in trouble in case Mr. Oliver or Carrie’s mom and dad heard you.”

  As Ms. Penny came back, the two started eating, wanting Allie to never cuss again. When they were done, they ran upstairs and changed then ran out back, jumping into the heated pool. It had been unseasonably warm the last few weeks, so the boys started hitting the pool whenever they could before the swim meets started in a month. After they raced several times around the pool above and below the water, they moved to the side as Ms. Penny came outside.

  “Boys, I’m going over to Lance’s to make sure the house is straight. Allie’s over at Carrie’s, so don’t run off till I get back because Jason is still asleep,” she said, digging in her purse and pulling out a set of keys. They both waved as Ms. Penny backed out from the driveway beside the garage where Jason’s car was parked. Ian’s mom and dad’s cars were the only ones allowed in the garage.

  “If Allie says those words again, I’m washing her mouth out,” Lance said, looking over at Ian.

  “I’ll hold her.”

  Wiping water off his face, Lance asked, “You think we should watch our mouths?”

  “Hell no. We’re thirteen; she’s eight,” Ian said, waving his hand out. “We have earned the right.”

  “We’ve only been teenagers less than a month,” Lance chuckled.

  “So,” Ian huffed. “I turned thirteen February the sixteenth and you the twenty-fourth. We’re not youngsters anymore.”

  They hung on the side of the pool, just listening to the birds and resting when Lance turned to Ian. “You hear any kids?”

  “No, but I’m sure they are just sleeping late since this is normally a school day,” Ian said, pushing away from the wall. “One end to the other under water. Ready?”

  Pushing off and swimming to the shallow end, Lance laughed, “Sure if you’re ready to lose.”

  “You’re a little girl, Lance. You can’t beat a manly man like me,” Ian said, swimming after him. The two raced three times with Ian taking the title for the day. Then, they climbed out, and Ian grabbed a towel. “Basketball?”

  “Sure, twenty-one or horse?”

  “Twenty-one first; then, I’ll beat you at horse,” Ian laughed.

  “In your dreams,” Lance said, running over and pushing Ian back into the pool and took off running to the house.

  Ian came up spitting out water. “Oh man, for that, I’m taking your tampons away!”

  Lance skidded to a halt and turned around. “You don’t even know what a tampon is used for, dweeb.”

  Getting out of the water and walking over taking Lance’s towel because his was soaked, Ian chuckled, “Yes I do.”

  “Okay, then what’s it used for?”

  Wiping his face off, Ian said, “I’m not telling you because you don’t know.”

  “Yes I do.”

  “Okay, then what’s it used for?” Ian challenged, wiping his chest off.

  Lance grabbed the door handle. “I’m not telling you because you don’t know. You can’t lie for shit,” he said. “You don’t look someone in the eye when you’re lying like you’re doing now.”

  “Just like you walk away when you don’t know. You love telling people what you know.”

  “I know,” Lance lied and walked in, and then a shiver ran up his body as the air-conditioned air chilled his damp skin. Feeling like his swimming trunks were about to become a block of ice, Lance took off running upstairs.

  When they were both in shorts in Ian’s room, Lance turned to his buddy. “Never knew my pecker could crawl inside me.”

  “Shit, I thought I lost mine when I took off my shorts,” Ian said, walking over to his closet to pull out his basketball.

  “Maybe that’s what a tampon’s used for; tie the string to your pecker and pull it out?” Lance offered.

  “Then why does my mom use them?”

  Shrugging one shoulder, Lance admitted, “Haven’t figured that one out. But that could be one use for them.”

  “Happens again, and I’m willing to try it,” Ian laughed.

  They ran downstairs and out the front door as Ms. Penny pulled back in the driveway. They waved at her and ran around the
other side of the house toward Mr. Oliver’s, where the basketball net was set up behind the awning for the RV.

  They were in their third game, the tie breaker, when they heard, “You boys are making enough racket to wake the dead!”

  They turned to see an elderly man, Mr. Oliver, standing next to the white picket fence that surrounded his entire yard. The fence was put there to keep the boys from using his yard to go back and forth to each other’s houses. “We’re just playing basketball, Mr. Oliver,” Lance sighed, wiping sweat off his face.

  “You’re just bouncing the ball to disturb me and the missus,” he growled. “I ought to call the police!”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time,” Ian mumbled, bouncing the ball loudly and catching it.

  “No respect, you little heathens. We need to get all you kids out of this neighborhood!”

  Cutting his eyes at Ian, Lance grinned. “Then who would you yell at, Mr. Oliver?”

  “Why you little punk, I ought to get a belt on your bottom!”

  “I’m being polite, Mr. Oliver, but if you threaten me, I promise you won’t like it,” Lance said, taking the ball from Ian.

  “You threatening me, boy?”

  “No sir,” Lance said as he dribbled the ball, “just stating fact, sir.”

  “Lawrence, you leave those boys alone before I come over that fence and beat you to death!” they heard bellowed from behind them. They turned to see Ms. Penny storming out of the house. “Their basketball goal is over a hundred yards from your house, you old coot. You can only hear them when you come outside, and even then, I have my doubts!”

  “You can’t talk to me like that, Penny!”

  With her face red, Penny blew past the boys, charging the fence in a fast walk. “I can talk to you any way I wish, Lawrence. You aren’t a cop anymore and were never any good when you were one!”

  “I should call the police on you, Penny. That’s a threat!”

  “You can call all you want, but everyone in town knows you’re just an old fart that wants to feel important,” Penny bellowed, stopping in front of him and putting her hands on her hips.

  Not taking his eyes off the two, Ian leaned over to Lance. “He hits Ms. Penny, we take him. We’ll think up an excuse later,” Ian said, and Lance nodded as he dropped the basketball, ready to charge Mr. Oliver.