by Smoke, Lucy
He shrugged. "I thought you'd be done by now."
"It hasn't even been–" I stopped, closed my eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and released it slowly. I did this several more times before I felt calm enough to open my eyes. Marv stared back at me, patiently waiting for my meltdown to end. I wanted to strangle him with his own dress shirt. Instead, I focused on one thing. "What do you mean I'm not going to school today?"
"Our time line has moved up." He reopened the door quickly, setting my phone on the sink counter before stepping back out into the hallway. "Get dressed, we're leaving as soon as you're ready. I'll be in your room."
I changed out of my pajamas and into a pair of longer, jean cutoffs and a plaid, button-down shirt in record time. I tossed my clothes into the laundry room as I crossed to my bedroom and slipped in as fast as I could. The bed was already remade, the corners tucked in all the way around as I had seen in military TV shows. I frowned at it as Marv sat in the lone corner chair, a pair of underwear hanging from one post of the backrest. Blood flooded my cheeks, setting them aflame. I scrambled across the room and yanked them away, hiding them behind my back as his eyes came up from his phone. Hopefully, he hadn't seen them.
"Ready?" He stood.
"I have to check on my mom first. I'll meet you at your car."
He sighed. "Bring your phone. I'll be waiting out front."
I paused as I turned back to my bedroom door. "You didn't...?" I left the question hanging in the air.
"I parked down the street," he assured me. "Now go. Hurry." I dropped the underwear next to the bed and kicked it under the mattress with my toe before dashing back across the hall to snatch my phone from the bathroom counter where Marv had left it. From the doorway to my mom's room, I couldn't hear him lifting the window screen.
"Mom?" I whispered into the darkened bedroom. A lump under the covers stirred. "Mom?"
"Go away!" she yelled back.
I sighed. Bad morning. I hoped Marv wouldn't be too upset with waiting.
"I'm off to school," I lied. "Do you need anything?" A wrinkled fist shot out from under the covers, lifting the blanket enough for her to glare at me.
"I said, go away!"
I exhaled slowly before creaking the door open just a bit more. She slammed her blankets back down over her head.
"I might be gone later than usual today. There's some crackers and snacks in the cabinets if you get hungry."
"Get out!"
I waited a second, then two before finally nodding, though she couldn't see, and backed out, closing the door behind me.
Back in my bedroom, I pulled out my phone and checked the messages. What was I supposed to bring? What did Marv mean that the timeline had moved up? There were no less than two text messages from Marv already telling me he was in the car and parked in front of the house across the street from my duplex. A single text from Knix sent an hour or so ago and another from Texas, less than ten minutes before.
Knix: Tell Marv to check his phone.
Texas: Bring alternate clothing.
What? Why did I need extra clothes? What kind? I typed a reply to Texas and asked, but Marv texted me once more a minute or so later asking where I was. I decided to just grab something extra and if they didn't like it, we could always come back. At least I had something to bring. It would have felt odd leaving the house without a book bag on a school day. I ran back to my room and dumped the contents of my school bag onto my now pristine bed. I tucked in another shirt and pair of shorts as well as a light jacket just to be on the safe side. As the summer heated, everyone's AC would be running at full blast.
I reached under the bed, scrambling for the laptop that Marv had lent me – no time like the present to return it – as well as my Chbosky novel. They went into the bag and I zipped it up, sliding both straps over my shoulders. Keys in hand, I paused at the front door, mentally ticking off a checklist. A low meow had me cursing and rushing for the kitchen as my phone pinged. Another text from Marv.
I poured fresh water into a bowl and put a can of tuna out in Cleo's usual spot. Big, round cat eyes watched me as I flitted from one counter to another, preparing the items and putting things away. I scrambled faster every time my phone vibrated, but still it didn't feel fast enough. I rinsed my hands, wiped the wetness from my fingers on the back of my shorts, and I rushed for the front door. Cleo followed, completely uninterested in the food and water I had just set out for her and I shooed her away. I opened the front door and nearly jumped a mile when I heard a voice from behind.
"Where are you going?"
Spinning, my hand clutched over my chest, I gasped. "Mom!" She stood in her bedroom doorway, her gray, frizzy hair pulled at the top of her head in a small, barely there, bun – the strands thin enough that I could see through to her scalp. "You scared me." I panted. "I told you, I'm going to school."
"What is that thing doing here?" She pointed one thin finger at the kitten at my feet that looked up at the both of us like a young child between two arguing parents.
"It's a kitten, she's staying here until I can find her a better home. Her name's Cleo."
"I don't want it here. It could have rabies." She grimaced, letting her hands fall to her sides before rising to clasp the front of her robe closed. "I'm already sick enough as it is. If you're going to live under my roof, you respect my rules, or I'll have to toss you out, just like your brother." I didn't bother mentioning that after so many threats and even a few actual tosses, he had decided to leave on his own.
"I'll find her a home as soon as possible, Mom, but right now, I have to get to school."
"No!" she yelled. "You will get rid of that thing right now, young lady!" She stomped past me, through the living room, and into the kitchen. Cleo meowed up at me from my feet. I listened to the sounds of my mom rifling through the kitchen before the shattering of glass had me hurrying in behind her. She was standing above Cleo's food with the tuna can dumped over and the glass water bowl smashed at her feet. "I want that thing out now!"
"Okay Mom, I'll find her a new home," I said hurriedly, hoping that if I appeased her she wouldn't get any worse. "Let me clean that up." I rushed forward and bent down to start gathering the broken bits of the glass bowl before she could step on any. My cell phone pinged again in my back pocket and my back stiffened.
"What was that?" I closed my eyes at the question, but there was no doubt that she knew exactly what it was.
"It was my cell phone," I replied, standing. I glanced at her over my shoulder and shook at the way her eyes narrowed on me.
"I haven't given you a cell phone. Where did you get it?"
"The landline was turned off and I decided to get one in case Michael ever–" I started.
"I said, where did you get it?!" she shrieked.
I trembled, the broken bits of glass clenched in my grasp, cutting into my skin. I loosened my hold.
"Erika gave me an old phone of hers and I–" It sounded like a lie even to my own ears, but maybe that's just because it was.
"Give it to me." She held out one hand, while the other remained on the lapels of her robe. The phone buzzed again. I mentally cursed the guys for their continued texts and myself for not having put the phone on silent.
I dropped the glass in the trash and reached into my back pocket, retrieving the brand new looking device. I placed the phone in her palm and she began to click through it, reading the screen.
"Who are these boys?" she demanded.
"Friends from school and work," I said slowly. It wasn't exactly another lie. I had met them at school and work.
"Why are they texting you so early and so much?" She read through some of the messages, her eyes squinting as if she found them difficult to read.
"I-I..." I didn't know what to say, how to respond without another lie, because even I didn't know what they were texting about. I hadn't read the last few.
"Respect," she said suddenly, pulling her face away from the glowing screen. "I never said you were allowed
a cell phone." She moved to the sink and I stepped forward, one of my feet almost tripping over Cleo as she rubbed against the inside of my ankle with her hackles raised towards my mom. "No more of this," she said. "You need to learn to respect my rules."
I watched in shock as she stuck the phone down the sink drain and leaned over, flipping the garbage disposal switch up. Loud cracking noises shattered my stunned silence as the blades inside began to whir, destroying the phone. I lunged for the switch on the wall, but my mom stood before it as if daring me to shove her aside. Air clogged my throat as I stood there and listened to the sounds of the phone screen fracturing, the metal and glass pieces sticking to the insides of the disposal, which was just one more thing I would have to pay to fix.
After several moments of the raucous volume, she finally reached back and flipped the switch down, cutting off the horrendous noise. Her feet shuffled across the vinyl kitchen floor as she paused and glanced back down at the cat.
"Remember what I said," she snarled. "Get rid of it."
I stared at the sink long after she was gone, scared to reach in for the remains of the phone. I would have to explain to Marv and the guys what had happened. I would also have to take Cleo with me today. I was half-terrified that if I left her here, even for another day, that I might come home to find her as the next thing pushed down the garbage disposal. It didn't matter that the thing was now beyond any real repair and likely wouldn't work. If she wanted to, my mom could very well do something equally horrible and I couldn't let that happen to Cleo.
Spotting a dish towel on the counter, I used it to pull as many of the cracked and broken pieces of the cell phone from the sink drain as I could. I kept the pieces bundled tightly in the towel, holding it close to my side with one hand while I bent down and scooped Cleo up with the other. I was sure Marv was still texting me, but considering the condition of the phone, I knew I wouldn't hear any more pings or vibrations, nor would I be able to respond.
Cleo meowed at my face as I opened the front door and juggled her and the towel while trying to lock it behind myself. My book bag bumped against my back as I strode across the street. Marv's dark, shiny BMW was parked across the street just as he said it would be in his last text – the last one I had been able to read.
The bright, yellow school bus that I would have normally ridden to school at this time of the morning stopped several houses down and kids began to board. I glanced at it once before continuing across the street to the BMW. Marv opened the driver's door, but I opened the passenger door and slid in before he could make it around the back fender. He frowned, but returned to his side, and slipped back into the leather interior.
"What happened? I've been texting you like crazy. What took so long? Why are you bringing that?" He motioned to my cat as she curled up in my lap.
Cleo meowed back as though she recognized him, and purred under my soft strokes. I inhaled deeply, rubbing the underside of her chin. Somehow just being near the animal calmed me. "My mom caught me trying to leave," I said. I held out the kitchen towel. "I'm sorry, but the phone didn't make it."
His brow puckered, but he took the towel from me, opening the flaps I had folded it into to reveal the damaged pieces of the cell phone Texas had given me. He stared down quietly before picking up one battered chunk of screen and turning it over and over in his hand.
"I'm sorry," I repeated, quietly. My eyes burned with embarrassment. "I'll try to pay you back," I offered. Cleo bumped her head against my hand when my petting paused.
"She did this?" he finally asked. I nodded, keeping my eyes trained on the black and gray cat in my lap. "What did she freaking use, a blender?"
My head jerked up. The tone of his voice was the furthest thing from angry. It was shocked, yes, but also curious and slightly amused. "It was the garbage disposal," I admitted. "She heard it and demanded I hand it over. She was yelling at me about Cleo when–"
"Cleo?" Gray eyes peered at me from beneath his dark brows.
I gestured to the cat in my lap. "Cleo," I repeated. "She was yelling at me about having a cat in the house, saying she probably has rabies. I told her I was just keeping her until I could find her a good home, but she told me to get rid of her today, and I was afraid that if I left her there..." Everything spilled out from between my lips before I could stop it; the words coming like a flood bursting from a dam.
"It's okay, I understand." He refolded the flaps and turned, placing them behind us on the floor of the backseat. "We'll take Cleo back to the condo. Texas rarely leaves. He'll take care of her until you can find someone else to keep her."
"Thank you. I'll try to find someone else to take her as soon as I can." He reached forward, his eyes softening, the stars coming out to sparkle. With one thumb, he drew a line across my cheek and then traced it for several seconds.
"You don't have to thank me, Sunshine." He smiled. "I don't mind helping you – so long as you stay out of the roads."
I chuffed at the reminder as he drew back and started the car. The school bus roared by as we headed in the opposite direction and I was thankful for the tinted windows of the car.
"Here." Marv passed me his cell phone as we stopped at a stop sign before turning out of my neighborhood. "Text the guys for me. Let them know your phone is out of commission and that we're on our way."
I nodded and pulled up their names one by one before typing a text to send to all of them. I copied and pasted the same message to each of their numbers.
Marv:This is Harlow. My phone is broken. Marv told me to tell u that we're on the way
Slowly, but surely, I was getting the hang of texting, though I found it difficult to keep up with their speed and precision. It was just faster all around to shorten things. The replies were almost instantaneous.
Knix:Where are you?
Texas:What happened to your phone?
Bellamy:K
I rubbed a hand down my face as I read their texts. I decided to start with who had replied first and work my way down. At least Bellamy didn't need a response. I sent Knix a reply first and then Texas.
Marv:We're just now leaving my house.
Marv:My mom found out about the phone and broke it.
I paused, looking over at Marv. "Can you do me a favor?" I asked.
His tornado gray eyes flicked to me once before refocusing on the road. "What's the favor?"
"I don't want the guys to know how my mom broke the phone," I said quietly.
No one else needed to know. It would be embarrassing enough letting them see the shattered remains. Marv's phone vibrated in my hands as I waited for his reply.
Texas:I'll have a new phone for you by tonight.
Marv:I don’t really need one
"If they ask, I won't lie to them," Marv finally said, drawing my attention back. "But I won't tell them what you told me if it makes you feel any better."
"Thank you," I replied. A few seconds later, the phone vibrated once more, Knix's name popping up.
Knix:You're getting a new phone.
I bit my lip and narrowed my eyes at the screen before clicking back to Texas' name. I sighed in frustration as I typed.
Marv:Tattletale
Texas:He's the boss. You have to listen to him.
I glanced out of the corner of my eye as Marv leaned forward and began flicking buttons. The radio came on along with a blast of cool air. I typed a quick reply.
Marv:I listen to Marv.
Texas:You should.
I set the phone aside, done with texting, and turned back to Marv as he drove. "Why can't I go to school today?" Cleo butted her head into my hand again, urging me to scratch her ears. I complied.
"Knix and Bellamy won't be able to work with you tonight. They're busy now. We're supposed to train you on communications before we take you out to work with us."
"What are they doing?" Soft classical music drifted between us, quiet enough for talking, loud enough for the notes to be heard. Marv grimaced, but remained silent. "Can't tell m
e?" I guessed. He nodded. "What kind of communications training am I getting?"
Sharp eyes caught mine and held for a moment that seemed to stretch on forever. It would have been dangerous if he had held my gaze for too long since he was driving, but when he broke off to glance at the road, I felt unexpectedly disappointed.
"You surprise me," he muttered, shaking his head. "It's not really communications, but that's what Iris calls it. It's normal stuff like etiquette and body language and you're going to be doing self-defense training as well, though that's less communication and more general," he said. "Bell's already informed Principal Wiggins. We'll just push the tests you had today further along in the week. He's working something out with a few of your teachers. You might be able to do a few of them from home with your computer."
"How do I surprise you?" I focused in on that little bit, perhaps because it had been said so quietly under his breath, while the rest of it had been in a normal, polite, tone.
"It's nothing," he replied, slowing as we came to a red light. I squinted at him, pursed my lips, and waited. Marv heaved an exaggerated sigh as he looked over at me. I smiled as he began talking. "It wasn't an insult," he explained. "Most people would be less understanding than you've been. You're putting a lot of trust in me – us – and we can't tell you everything, yet. But you're extremely collected about it all. I wasn't like that when I first started."
"Am I supposed to demand answers?" I asked. "I didn't think I would get them either way."
He chuckled. "You're already demanding answers," he said. "But you've been a lot easier to deal with than other people we've recruited. You'll get your answers, eventually." The BMW slid into a small space onto the highway between a semi and a green minivan. "We like those who ask questions. We don't want you to just follow us blindly or not question orders–"
"Orders?" I bit the inside of my lip. I wanted to ask about the other people they had recruited, but it didn't seem like the time. "I didn't realize you were giving me orders."
He smirked, flashing me an amused grin. "Not yet, Sunshine."
"I don't know if I like the sound of that."
