Sabrina the Schemer

by Karen Rispin

  "Look," Kristi said. "I know you don't like Sabrina. She's been really weird to Anika, but I don't think she's a thief."

  "And Anika is?" Lisa demanded.

  "It was in her drawer," Kristi said.

  "Let's get out of here!" Lisa said, turning her back on the others.

  That night I lay awake for a long time. Nobody had ever called me a thief before. It was a horrible feeling. I squirmed on my bed. Tears stung the backs of my eyelids. It wasn't fair. What if Mr. Jackson believed them? Would I get expelled from school? I kicked to get my foot free of tangled blankets.

  "Shhh!" Sabrina hissed.

  I held still. How had that money gotten in my drawer? Had Sabrina really put it there? She sure found it quickly. I sighed. She must really hate me. So much for being kind to your enemies. Besides, how could I now, anyway? I had to prove I didn't do it. The only way I could see to do that was to prove that Sabrina did do it.

  The next morning before Sunday school, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson together gave me a long lecture. It was about how God wants people to be honest. I kept saying I hadn't stolen the money. That didn't even make them pause. They were sad and earnest and they just kept talking and talking. I wished I could go off like a rocket, shoot straight through the roof, and get out of there.

  That day felt very weird. I kind of hid inside myself so that even Lisa seemed far away. Really she was hanging onto me half the time, talking and talking.

  "Sabrina is just asking for it. I don't see why the Jacksons don't kick her out. I don't get why they lectured you. They are so-o-o stupid. Anybody could tell Sabrina did it," Lisa said on the way to church.

  I only grunted. Everything was so complicated.

  At church the routine of singing, offering, and the sermon went by in a daze. I shifted on the hard bench, wishing the sermon was over. I heard some of the words Pastor Isaac said, but I wasn't really listening. He was talking about how we ought to serve each other. We ought to think first of others the same way Jesus did.

  Suddenly he said something very loudly as if it had burst out of him. I jumped as he bellowed, "We must trust Jesus Christ! We must not grab power for our own tribe! Christian leaders are to be servants of all those they lead!"

  There was dead silence. I looked around. Why were all the grown-ups so tense? Suddenly I remembered what Muthoni had said. Her dad wanted to stand up for all the people, not just Kikuyus. He was in trouble because of that.

  My heart gave a double thump. Pastor Isaac was Kikuyu. Was he in trouble, too? I remembered that angry-looking man I'd seen at his house. Now Pastor Isaac was saying the politicians were wrong to fight only for their own tribe. He was saying it right out in public. Would he get beat up like Christians did before when they wouldn't take the oath? I glanced over at Muthoni. Her eyes were wide and scared.

  I turned back to the pastor and really listened.

  "We Christians should not be like others," he said. "They have no one to care for them. They fight to make a place for themselves. We are not like that. We have Jesus to take care of us. Instead of protecting ourselves, we must first obey Jesus Christ. He will take care of us."

  His round brown face was sweaty. I wondered if he was scared. "The Kikuyu are my people," he said. "But Jesus is my Lord. What he says must come first." He looked fiercely around the room.

  He read the part that said, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God. And trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's house. I would not tell you this if it were not true."

  Those verses were about heaven. Suddenly I wondered if he thought he might be killed for saying what he was saying. My mouth fell open. No wonder he was sweating. They wouldn't really kill him, would they? I looked nervously around. Was I imagining things?

  After church I saw Thomas Njerogi march right up to the pastor. He looked mad. I stared after him for a second, then started to look for Muthoni. I wanted to know what was going on.

  "Hey, where you going, thief?" Sabrina called. "Doesn't being in church make you feel bad?"

  I dodged away from her and kept looking. Then I saw Muthoni way down the path, walking with Amy and Kristi. I started to run after them, then stopped. Would they talk to me? Kristi thought I was a thief too. I dropped into a walk.

  "Are you trying to run away, thief?" Sabrina taunted, coming up behind me. "They're going to kick you out of school. Then your parents won't love you so much."

  "They will too!" I yelled. I spun away from her with my chin in the air.

  She called after me, "The mission will have to admit your family is rotten. They'll kick you out of Kenya."

  I ducked my head, suddenly afraid that Sabrina was right. I frowned. I would not think about this. It felt too horrible. I shook my head violently and looked around for someone who could tell me about Pastor Isaac. At least that kept me from thinking about being called a thief.

  I didn't see Lisa coming. She must have heard what Sabrina said. She was beside me suddenly, yelling at Sabrina. "Leave her alone, you degenerate baboon!"

  Sabrina glared at her and marched away.

  I blurted, "Lisa, did you think Pastor Isaac was talking about politics? You know, oathing and stuff, like Kristi said that time?"

  Lisa shrugged. "How should I know?"

  I spun away from her and headed back toward the church.

  "Hey, Anika, where're you going?" Lisa called after me.

  "I want to know what's happening," I said, stopping and looking back. "What if they put the pastor in jail? You want to find out?"

  "You're crazy, Anika. It was just a sermon. Come on, we're going to miss lunch."

  "I'll just look quick and come back and catch up with you, OK?" I said and started for the church again.

  At the church there were little groups of people standing around talking, mostly in Kikuyu. Everything looked calm and normal. I frowned. Was it all my imagination? I shook my head. I knew I'd better get going to catch up with Lisa or she'd be mad. I started to leave through a different door. That's when I heard Thomas's voice sounding high and upset. "But you are abandoning your brothers!"

  I froze. Pastor Isaac's voice came from just outside the door. "No, I am following my Lord," he said. "Which is more important, Thomas, serving the Kikuyu or serving Christ? Think for yourself."

  After a moment Thomas muttered, "Christ, I guess, but can't we do both?"

  "Not by taking pagan oaths. Not by seeking power at the expense of others. We need to trust Jesus to look after…"

  I shook myself and frowned. I shouldn't be standing there listening. Slowly I backed off, then walked quickly toward the door I'd come in by. A few seconds later I was running hard down the path after Lisa.

  I tried to tell Lisa about what I'd heard.

  "Anika, stop talking about tribes and politics. It's too scary!" she said. "I don't even want to hear about it."

  In the next couple of days I tried to find out what other kids thought. I couldn't. The other kids didn't completely ignore me, but they wouldn't look at me. It was like I made them feel embarrassed. Sabrina called me a thief whenever Lisa wasn't around. I went on doing all the normal things, but my stomach hurt a lot. The other kids hadn't kicked me out of the fort, mostly because of Lisa standing up for me.

  Friday afternoon we were fixing a spot in the fort roof. Muthoni was up on top. "Hey, somebody hand me up a piece of bark," she called.

  I ran to get one and held it up to her. She looked at me, then looked away. Her hand reached out and kind of fished around in the air for the bark. She wouldn't even look at me to see to grab the bark. Suddenly I'd had enough.

  "Everybody look at me!" I screamed. "I am not invisible. If you think I'm a thief, say so, but quit ignoring me!"

  Everybody did stare at me then, and I couldn't stand it. Shaking, I bolted up the hill behind the dorm and sat in a tree until suppertime.

  That next Saturday Mom and Daddy came up. When I first saw their car I wanted to run away. What if they thought I was a thief, too? What if th
ey were coming to take me out of school? Maybe the Jacksons just hadn't told me I was expelled yet. I stood there stiffly watching them walk toward me.

  Mom gathered me in her arms and hugged me. The feel and smell of my very own mother surrounded me. Suddenly I was crying. Sandy, my little sister, was already there. "Sandy tells us you've been accused of stealing?" Daddy said with a question in his voice.

  I nodded miserably.

  "Oh, Anika, why didn't you call us?" Mom said, reaching for my hand.

  I shrugged. I hadn't even thought of it Calling home wasn't easy. The phones didn't always work. We were only allowed to call when there was an emergency.

  "This is a hard question, but we need to know," Daddy said in a kind voice. "Did you steal?"

  I shook my head indignantly. "No way! Daddy, I didn't! Really!" They just had to believe me. I couldn't stand it if my own parents didn't believe me.

  "Take it easy," he said. "It's OK, honey. We didn't think you did, but we had to know for sure."

  "Do you want us to take you home?" Mom asked. "No fair!" Sandy blurted. "Anika can't go home without me!"

  That made me almost smile. For a second I wanted to go. To just leave and be out of this mess. I sighed. It wouldn't do any good. I'd have to come back some time. I couldn't let Sabrina Oats kick me out of school. Already I didn't like going to the fort because of the way she made all the other kids act around me. After a minute I shook my head and said, "No. I'd better stay here, I guess."

  We all prayed together about it, then nobody talked about it anymore. We had a great day together. Mom had brought up a whole chicken dinner. It was the best! I felt way better by the end of that day.

  After they left, I remembered that I had wanted to ask them about Pastor Isaac and politics.

  The next Sunday the pastor didn't speak. There was a guest speaker from Australia. Usually the pastor introduced guest speakers. He didn't that day.

  "Lisa, do you see the pastor?" I whispered.

  She looked around and whispered, "No. Why, should I?"

  I just shrugged and wished I'd remembered to ask Mom and Daddy about it.

  Monday afternoon after school Lisa headed for the fort. I didn't follow. "Come on, Anika," she said impatiently.

  I shook my head and scuffed my feet in the dust on the path.

  "Come on!" she repeated.

  "No, I'm not going," I said. "Muthoni and them won't even look at me. It's like I'm invisible."

  "You aren't going to let Sabrina win, are you?" she asked. "They haven't let her into the fort yet, and they haven't kicked you out. They just don't know for sure you didn't do it. But they kind of think Sabrina maybe did."

  I just shrugged.

  "Quitter!" Lisa said. "I don't care. I'm going. Sabrina isn't going to wreck my life even if you let her wreck yours."

  She left. I ran away up the hill. Tears stung my eyes and poured down my cheeks. I couldn't quit crying. I had to stop running because I couldn't see. The boulder I ended up sitting on bit into my behind. My head and throat hurt from crying. It just wasn't fair. I felt like Lisa wasn't my friend anymore.

  After a bit I got up and wandered off to my favorite tree. For a while I just leaned up against the cool bark. Then I climbed up to the lookout branch. Sitting there quietly watching the wide Rift Valley made me feel a bit better.

  "God, you're strong. Stronger than anything," I prayed. The tree leaves whispered in the wind. "You helped me be strong in love when my half brother Rick turned up. You helped me make it up Mount Kenya. Please help now."

  Miss Garrett had made us memorize all the words to all the verses for that song "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." When she did that, I thought it was a drag. But now the words of the last verse came back to me. "Do your friends despise, forsake you? Is there trouble anywhere? In his arms he'll take and shield you. You will find a comfort there."

  I breathed easier. The wind stroked my hot cheeks and swollen eyes. After a bit I thought, Maybe if I just ask Sabrina. Maybe if I say I don't hate her. Maybe then she'll admit that she's the one who stole Kristi's money.

  I slid out of the tree and went to find her. She was on her bed, reading. I stood in the doorway. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. Suddenly she sat up and saw me.

  "So what do you want, Anikat? You were going to sneak in and steal something else, only I was here?"

  I shook my head. "Don't!" I said. "You know I didn't do it. Can't you just tell them?"

  "What do you want to do? Get me kicked out? No way. My parents already hate me." Then she tossed her head. "Besides, you can't prove I did it anyway."

  "Didn't you?" I asked.

  Her face twisted like she was going to cry. "Get out of here, Anika Scott. I hate you! You keep making me do stupid things. First it was the popcorn bowl, now this. I hate you and your rotten illegitimate brother and your parents who keep sending you chow and coming to visit. I hate you! I hate you!" She was yelling; then she started pitching things at me.

  A spiral binder hit me in the side of the head. I ducked out and slammed the door just as her math book hit it. I stood there staring at the door. My stomach felt like it was full of hot, heavy lead. Tears stung the back of my eyes again, but I shook my head furiously. I would not cry. I'd had enough of crying already.

  I spun on my heel and headed up the hill. It was almost suppertime anyway.

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  Chapter Six

  I stomped up the hill on the path to the dining hall. Why hadn't God made Sabrina confess? I wondered. She'd practically admitted it to me, but nobody would believe if I told. It wasn't fair. God was supposed to make things OK. I was halfway up the hill when running footsteps sounded on the path behind me. I started to run, too. I didn't want to talk to anyone. My throat was way too tight with tears to even say hi.

  "Hey, Anika, wait up!" Lisa yelled.

  I stood still, but didn't turn around. I could hear her breathing hard after she stopped beside me. Was she going to yell at me?

  "How come you were going up to supper without me?" she said between breaths. "I thought we were best friends."

  A flood of relief went through me, but my throat was too tight to say anything.

  She put her arm on my shoulder, then took it off again when I stayed stiff. "Don't be mad."

  Why couldn't she see I was just stiff and quiet because I was trying not to cry? I shook my head and managed to say in an almost normal voice, "I'm not mad. I thought you weren't going to be my friend anymore when you left."

  "Hey, just because I think you're wimping out by quitting the fort doesn't mean I'm not still your friend," she said.

  There was a long pause. A grasshopper flew out of the tall grass and clicked across our path.

  "Did you know we're invited to the junior-high youth group hike Friday?" Lisa said suddenly. "Mr. James is taking us up to Lookout Point at night. We have to hike in the dark. I hate hiking!"

  I think she was trying to distract me. If she was, it worked. I really looked at her for the first time. "Up Lookout at night?" I blurted. "No way!"

  Lisa nodded. "Yeah, we have to. It's mandatory."

  To get to Lookout Point you go straight up the high steep ridge behind school. You climb and climb through the tangled forest until you come out to a clear space way up high. The school buildings look smaller than Chiclets way down below. I'd never been in the forest at night. Lisa was nuts not to like hiking. She started to walk up the hill, but I stood still thinking about the hike. It would be awesome.

  "Come on, hurry!" Lisa said impatiently. "There's the second supper bell."

  I got through that week mostly by thinking about how much fun it would be to hike up Lookout Point at night.

  Partway through supper Friday night Lisa went up to get seconds on bread. She came back with this huge grin on her face. Her eyes were practically glowing, and she didn't have any bread. Instead of sitting down she motioned wildly for me to follow her and almost ran for
the exit We scraped off our trays and stacked them, then she grabbed my arm and pulled me through the door and out away from the buildings.

  "Guess what!" she said, making a little hop. "You'll never believe it! Darrel Anderson asked me to walk with him on the hike tonight. Darrel Anderson…" She let go of my arm and hugged herself, spinning in circles.

  I stared at her, openmouthed. Sure, Lisa looked older than me. But to have a ninth-grade boy ask her… I shook my head and blurted, "Are you allowed?"

  She shrugged. "It's not a date or anything. He just wants to walk with me." She started spinning again. Suddenly she stopped and stared at me. "What am I going to wear?" she blurted and ran for the dorm.

  "He won't be able to see you in the dark anyway," I called after her, but she was already gone.

  By dusk the sixth- to ninth-grade kids were moving. Mr. James had counted all the kids, then said, "OK, let's stick together. No one is to turn back without telling me. It's not going to be easy climbing in the dark. Help each other."

  He prayed, then we were off. People were running, talking, teasing, all in a huge blob as we started up the road. Of course Lisa wasn't with me. I didn't really care. It was fun to be loose, by myself. I could be wherever I wanted to be on this adventure.

  The blob of people strung out into a line as we hit the path up the ridge. Big trees loomed above us, cutting out the last bit of light from the sky. Flashlights flicked on. Yellow patches of light swung wildly, glinting off huge dark tree trunks.

  "Ooooh, scaaary!" Trevor Norton yelled. Another boy coughed like a leopard. Some of the girls screamed, but not like they were really scared. I laughed and jumped up to touch a low-hanging branch. Some of the ninth-grade girls started to sing. More joined in until almost everyone was singing.

  "Praise the name of Jesus! Praise the name of Jesus! He's my rock. He's my fortress." The song echoed from behind me and in front of me.

  Looking at the huge trees in the dark made me remember the forest on Mount Kenya. God really had helped me then. He was real! I smiled wider and sang with all my heart, "He's my deliverer. In him will I trust!"