Dark Friends

by Mark Butler

  Amelia went to the front of the class and she felt every eye in the room on her. Her face turned red and her hand shook as she handed the teacher her schedule. The teacher eyed the schedule critically, stared hard at Amelia, then pointed to an empty seat close to her own desk.

  “Sit there.”

  “I can make room for ya, little tomato.” A prematurely balding boy called from the back of the room. The class burst into uncontrolled laughter.

  “One more comment, Eric, and I'll make room for you in the principal's office.” The teacher said, silencing the room.

  Amelia sat through the class, mostly staring at the other students. She listened to the teacher with half-attention, already familiar with quadratic equations. She was fascinated. Some kids took notes furiously, never bothering to listen to the teacher. Others just listened, never lifting a pencil. One boy fell asleep, folding his arms on his desk and pulling his hood up. One of the black boys leered at a black girl's cleavage the whole class, not even bothering with stealthiness. She either didn't notice or didn't care, because she let her large, bra-less chest practically fall out of her shirt. To Amelia, the class represented both extremes and everything in the middle of the energy-spectrum. There were some kids who tapped their legs and feet constantly, looking for stimulation. Others appeared to either be on drugs or had not slept in two days, their eyes shutting against the light.

  When the bell rang, Amelia nearly jumped out of her chair in fear. She was slightly embarrassed when all the other students jumped out of theirs as well, not in surprise, but in relief. They swarmed out of the classroom like it was on fire, not even thanking the teacher for her competent lesson.

  “Thank you, Ms. Allpure.” Amelia said as she gathered her things.

  “For what?” Allpure blurted out.

  “The lesson. It was informative and well-structured.”

  Ms. Allpure stared at Amelia like she was an alien.

  “Have a good day, Amelia.”

  Amelia's next class wouldn't begin for nearly ten minutes, though she arrived at the room after only two. The door was closed and locked, and Amelia hovered by the door, hoping the packs of raucous boys and chatty girls didn't donate her any attention. After a few minutes, a scarecrow-like man with enormous bifocals walked up to the door and produced a set of keys. He opened the door and caught the stare of the pale, terrified girl waiting by the door.

  “Coming in?” he smiled kindly.

  “Yes sir.” Amelia said, studying his shoes. The teacher thought that was a strange, overly-formal response.

  “I'm Mr. White.”

  “Okay”

  Amelia sat in the back of the class like she had sat on the bus, hoping to fly under the radar. The class slowly filled with students and Mr. White walked them through the syllabus and class structure. After another hour of half-hearted listening and full-hearted people watching, Amelia made her way to her final class of the morning. Biology. Amelia started to feel like all the classes lessons and protocols were blending into a mountainous mush of routine, and she only felt apprehension for one event of the day: Lunch.

  The cafeteria was rowdy and colorful. Here, Amelia realized, the animals ruled. Despite all her mental will-power, she couldn't help but imagine the lunchroom was an African savannah, with all the different animal groups represented perfectly. She only saw gorillas, alligators, birds and the bees. The adults who had procured lunch-duty were huddled in the teacher's lounge area, not even watching the lunchroom. They were there for simple accessibility, not active supervision.

  Catina had not packed Amelia a lunch that day, instead giving her a twenty dollar bill and hoping it would force Amelia to interact with new people. Amelia did not feel right, however, using the money freely. She had choices of the food types, their quantities and how much of it she ate. Instead of getting in the lunch line, Amelia just sat at a table and watched the other kids robotically file into the serving area entrance, then leave the area with a tray of assorted meals. The kids sat in random locations throughout the room, avoiding the gaze of the poor girl who seemed like she couldn't afford a lunch. After a time, Amelia felt a small tap on her shoulder. She looked up, and Jenny was there:

  “Hey girl, what's up?” Jenny said, an upper class-men standing behind her, obviously waiting for her to get back to him. Amelia only gave him a cursory glance, for Jenny was a sight to behold. She wore a tight, black leather skirt and a sleeveless white top. She also had earrings, lipstick and a sparkling purse.

  “C'mon Jenny, let's go” the boy whined from behind her.

  “One minute, honey” she purred at him, causing him to smile broadly, and Amelia thought, lustfully.

  “Amelia, this is Dan. He's a senior. You wanna eat lunch with us?”

  “Hi Amelia” Dan said, “Where's your lunch at?”

  “I'm not hungry.”

  Jenny turned to Dan and stood on her tip-toes, whispering something into his ear. After he and Jenny exchanged a deep, meaningful look, they looked at Amelia with something resembling pity.

  “C'mon, let's sit over there” Dan said, gesturing for Amelia to follow him and Jenny.

  Amelia followed the couple to a huge, round table in the corner of the cafeteria. The table had room for more than fifteen people, though the three students were alone.

  Jenna and Dan ate silently for a minute, then Dan pushed half of his sandwich wordlessly towards Amelia. Finally feeling like she was being told to eat something specific, Amelia tore into the sandwich ravenously. The entire lunch ended up being just the three of them, with Dan and Jenny giving Amelia portions of their meals. After the lunch period was over, they walked together towards Amelia's next class: History. They parted ways and Amelia watched Dan and Jenny walk away, arms around each others waists.

  Her four afternoon classes went by in a flash. Being the first day of school, the actual lessons themselves were minimal. The teachers mostly talked about how the semester would go and in P.E. They made the students stand up and introduce themselves. Amelia felt nervous at first, but let her self-doubt fall away as she saw the casual nature of the introductions.

  “Hi, my name is Amelia. I grew up here and I enjoy reading, writing and hanging out with my friends.”

  The disinterested expressions of her new gym mates was all the validation Amelia needed. It was the first day of school and she finally felt a little less conspicuous, thank God.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Oh my”

  “Yea, I know.”

  “But this, it's huge...it's incredible!”

  “Yea”

  Catina and Steven were lounging on the couch in their living room. Catina held the letter from Dr. Ailez in her hands. Amelia was abused? Amelia is a child prodigy?

  “Well, you suspected that Mr. Ellis could be abusing his charges. What should we do?” Catina asked.

  “Honey, what can we do? Talking to Amelia may trigger painful memories and any hard evidence against the Head Counselor will be long gone.”

  “We have to do something” Catina insisted.

  “I'd love to meet this Dr. Ailez in person.” Steve said off-handedly.

  “Don't hold your breath, he seems like the cloak-and-dagger type”

  “Agreed. Look, I think we should give Amelia more space, let her relax after her huge transition. Maybe after a year or two, she'll tell us everything. In the meantime, we have a child prodigy! Let's celebrate her intellect, not analyze her past.”

  “OK” Catina responded, not meaning it. All of her life, she believed in justice, in karma. She could not sit idly by while she knew about a monster in her own state who had innocent children in his dungeon. She knew Steve would back her up on a dime and support her in any endeavor, but she could not rely on him to take the initiative. Men, she believed, were not callous and indifferent as a rule, but rather as a fault. They could hear about war crimes in Africa, starvation in India and murder in Chicago, then the next moment be laughing and playing with their own well-fed
children. It was not weakness or laziness that controlled their actions, but rather a resignation to the realities of the world. Many men were simply tired of chasing battles, though they would fight if personally threatened.

  “We can discuss our daughter's virtues, of course, dear husband. But I will not give up on this abuse issue.” The steel in her voice reminded Steve of why he married her.

  “I would expect nothing less, beautiful wife.”

  “OK, I'll let you know what I decide to do. Anyways, Amelia is going to be quite a challenge in and of herself.”

  “How?”

  “Here it goes: I'm a genius, I have a high IQ and incredible memory. I'm an orphan. I'm abused. What kind of person do I become?”

  “Unabomber?”

  “No! I'm still a human. What are two most important things in anyone's life, Steve?”

  “The people you meet and the books you read.”

  “Exactly. That is our route, our method of penetration. Books.” Catina smiled proudly.

  “Nice. What should we give her though, the Bible?”

  “How about self-help? Inspiration?”

  “Alright, can I think of something and get back to you, Professor?”

  “Just have your full report on my desk by Monday, Mr. McCrees.” Catina said, climbing on top of her husband and running her fingers through his hair.

  “You know, for a smart chick, you're awfully physical.” Steven said, gasping in her embrace.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Amelia walked home from school. She had studied the street signs during the bus ride that morning and decided to get a closer look at the neighborhood. She figured that with all of the bus stops, she would get home in the same amount of time anyway. On a whim, she cut through Bethe park. Leaves had begun falling and Amelia smiled at the blue sky. She was free. She could be anything. Do anything.

  Taking a deep breath of the clean air, Amelia noticed a disturbance in the foliage. There was a jacket hanging on a branch, twenty feet from the path, just beyond the edge of the trees. Against her good sense, Amelia walked towards the jacket, peering through the undergrowth. She felt blades of grass brush against her ankles and heard crickets chirping in their strange language, searching for their mates. Then she saw them. Jenny and Dan. They were in a small clearing underneath an oak tree. Jenny was touching Dan all over, aggressive. Though male, Dan seemed a bit uncertain, intimidated. Jenny was grabbing hard at him, tugging at his shirt, biting him gently on the chest. Amelia hoped they wouldn't notice her, and she knew she should give them their privacy, but she was fascinated. She knew the biology of human reproduction, of course, but she had never understood the passion that precepted the act of intercourse. It was rough, substantial. Ellis had been rough too, but his roughness was demanding, impatient. This was different. It looked like Jenny and Dan were searching for some secret to riches and royalty, and that secret was buried in the other person's throat, in their chest. They clawed at each other, they fought for their prize. After a few minutes, Jenny began pulling roughly on Dan's belt, and Dan shied away. This, Amelia mused, was her cue to leave before they abandoned passion for awkward fumbling. She turned to leave and her breath caught in her throat. At the far side of the trail, with their backs to her, were Nelson, Elbert and Lisa. They were walking away from her. Amelia hurried back to the trail and tried acting normal, approaching the group from behind.

  “Hey guys!” She called out once they were clear of Jenny and Dan's vicinity.

  “Hey, sup bitch?” Nelson said, grinning.

  Amelia was surprised, but the other kids just laughed and she did the same, thinking that such casual degradation must be a social norm.

  “Nothing's up, asshole” she replied, eliciting a giggle from Lisa. “Did you all just get out of school?”

  “Yea.” Lisa said. Amelia wondered how she had gotten to the park so quickly. She surmised that different schools must maintain different hours.

  “Cool, hey I gotta get home before my parents freak out. Will you guys be up here this weekend though?”

  “We'll be here” Nelson spoke for the group.

  “Awesome. So, where's Jenny at?”

  “Don't know” said Lisa.

  “Home? School? I don't know” Elbert answered.

  Nelson just stared hard at Amelia, telling her that he knew exactly what Jenny was doing at that moment, and letting her know that he wanted the exact same thing, from her.

  “I'll see you all this weekend” Amelia said, walking away stiffly.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Amelia rode the bus to and from school for the rest of the week. She didn't want to see Nelson, and hoped by the weekend that whatever strong feelings he had for her had subsided. She was enjoying, school, however. The classes were excessively easy for her, and she often found herself daydreaming. She dreamed of kissing a boy like Dan. She dreamed of being like one of the blond, feisty cheerleaders who possessively held hands with their football player boyfriends in the hallways. She felt different from all of them, though. She saw every action for what it really was. An insecure high-five there, a manipulative compliment there. Students tested teachers patience and fortitude with snide comments and vulgar language, and teachers forced fake smiles on their faces for long enough to get their paychecks at the end of the month, all the while wondering why they had ever wanted to teach high school. Amelia also saw the racial differences as clear as, well, black and white. We're all humans, she thought, we all have the same internal systems and common ancestors. But, why do we have to hate each other for our cultural differences, instead of celebrating our racial uniqueness? The stupidity that descended on masses of people in times of stress baffled even her powerful mind. She hated when she couldn't logically explain certain human tendencies.

  On Friday a boy in math class worked up the courage to speak to her. Everyone was supposed to be reading chapter four, false proofs, though Amelia had long since finished the section and was staring off into nothing. The boy's voice broke into her silence.

  “I'm Stewart Paleston. But my friends call me Stew or Stewie” he said. Amelia half turned in her chair and looked at him. He was her age, had a shock of orange-reddish hair that fell over his boyish, freckled face. Amelia thought he looked like a gingerbread kid.

  “Hi. I'm Amelia.” she said, getting the hang of introducing herself.

  “I've seen you read really fast and do your work without even trying. I think it's really cool”

  “Thanks...I guess.”

  “Do you think maybe you could tutor me sometime? I'll pay you” Stewie said boldly. Amelia briefly racked her brain for information about Stewie. She had seen him everyday, of course, so she should be able to summon memories. He was smart. He oftentimes finished his work almost as quickly as her. He was never nervous or insecure in class. In short, she thought, he doesn't need a tutor. He must want a friend, then. Amelia knew the feeling.

  “Sure, I can help you. But let's be honest, you are doing fine in this class. You just wanna be my friend, right?” Amelia responded. Stewie's face instantly reddened, matching his hair color. He swallowed his saliva and pressed on.

  “Well, we can start off as friends” he ventured. Now, it was Amelia's turn to blush.

  Amelia got home on time that day and went straight to her room. Steven and Catina were curious, but neither one knew what to do. Amelia seemed to have everything figured out for herself, and they were feeling more and more like the audience to her drama. With sighs of resignation, they settled in for the evening news. To their mutual surprise, there was a young anchorman standing in front of Lisson Orphanage, with a great commotion of police and reporters behind him.

  Through the power of a simple, anonymous letter, one of the worst sex offenders in recent history has been caught today. Jared James Ellis, formerly the Head Counselor of Lisson Orphanage, has been accused and implicated in hundreds of child abuse and sexual abuse crimes that span over twenty years. Rumors have spread like wildfire t
hat Ellis was under suspicion for inappropriate conduct years ago, but administrative action was never taken.

  A picture of Ellis on the day he was promoted to Head Counselor showed on the screen. His over-exaggerated smile and flawless uniform were just enough to hide the madness in his eyes.

  Anyone who knows any of the children at this Orphanage or who may have relevant information concerning Mr. Ellis's conduct is requested and encouraged to notify your local police department. Please stay tuned to Channel Five for the latest developments. In other news...

  Steven turned the TV off. The look that Catina gave him was one of bewilderment and pain. Her round eyes slowly crinkled into wet, teary orbs of shock. Though she and Steven both had strong suspicions, to receive an actual confirmation of their fears was still earth-shattering. Steven walked over and hugged his wife, barely containing his own hurt and anger. After a few minutes of silence, Catina took her face off Steve's shoulder, leaving a facial imprint of tears and snot.

  “We have to talk to her, Steven, we have to”

  “We're her parents. Although we're not especially close yet, and I'm actually trained specifically for this, we're still her parents. I know enough to know that she needs to see an objective psychiatrist. I have a few in mind, already”

  “How do we tell her that she has to see a psychiatrist. And how will a psychiatrist break through her intellect? He'll have to be ready for a battle” Catina said.

  “I'll check around and see who fits our requirements. Meanwhile, we should simply treat her how we've already been doing. If our behavior changes, she'll notice”

  “I can't believe this. I was going to bring that monster down, and it seems that some anonymous letter was all that was needed”

  “I bet Dr. Ailez is thrilled that it's all over” Steven replied.

  “Do you remember the day we picked Amelia up? That was what, almost a month ago? Do you remember her dropping a letter in the mail after we left? Do you think...”

  “Oh my...You're right, she did mail a letter as soon as we left Lisson”