The Gate Keeper

by William Mezger III

  Chapter 12

  Confrontations

  I

  The day after Amica picked him up; things began to turn south for Henry at school. Henry was exhausted from his first night of training. He walked through most of the day in a daze. He was standing at his locker when Britney came over. She talked in a sweet voice.

  “We were supposed to get together yesterday,” she said.

  “Oh Britney, hi. Listen I totally forgot, I had to work,” Henry said

  “I don’t usually let people stand me up you know and get away with it Henry, We were supposed to work on our project, you do still want to be partners don’t you” she said.

  “What? Oh yeah sure, but I am going to be working a lot over the next couple of days. New job training and all, why don’t you get started and maybe next week we can get together and work on it,” Henry said

  “Who was that girl yesterday?” she asked in her sweetest voice. She did not say which girl she meant, but she didn’t have to, Henry knew whom she meant.

  “She is a friend from work,” Henry said cautiously.

  “Is she the reason you ditched me yesterday?” she asked in voice that was less sweet. He could tell Britney was up set.

  “She is just a friend, we work together and she was giving me a ride,” Henry said.

  “Okay, I trust you Henry,” she said giving Henry a kiss on the cheek in the same place that Amica had. “Why don’t you call me over the weekend and we can set up some time to get together.”

  “Sure, that sounds fine,” Henry said.

  Henry was very busy with training over the weekend, and he didn’t call her, but in his own defense she didn’t call him either. He got the silent treatment all day Monday. He heard through the grapevine that Britney had been very upset he had not called all weekend. His sister told him he had too much going on in his life to deal with girls who acted that way. He liked Britney, but she never talked about anything but the project. Shelly said that she was using him. He didn’t know, maybe Shelly was right. He had tried to read Britney using his talents. They had come a long way over the last couple of days but he just couldn’t focus enough at school. He decided to just keep his head down, he didn’t really need her as a partner; he was perfectly capable of working on the project by himself. He decided to let time sort it out.

  The next day was Tuesday, and Britney was like a completely different girl, she found him early in the morning while he was at his locker. She was leaning on the locker next to his when he closed the door.

  “Hey Henry, I’ve missed you, why haven’t you called me?” she asked sweetly.

  “I’ve been working,” he said irritated. He was tired. Between the physical and mental exertion of training on top of his schoolwork he was starting to feel punchy. He was tired of all the drama. Henry realized his sister was right. He had too much going on in his life to deal with a girl who acted this way.

  “I don’t think I am going to be able to be your partner, I’m really sorry. I am just too busy,”

  “I see, but you have plenty of time for that bimbo in your life,” she said starting to get snotty. He allowed his frustration at the whole situation to get the better of him.

  “Her I have time for, what I don’t have time for in my life is you, because all you do is cause drama,” he said then began to walk away, leaving her with a stunned look on her face.

  “OH REALLY,” she yelled, “And I suppose that bimbo is much better than me,” she cried. Now Henry was really upset. Britney was attacking his new friend, he knew he should have kept walking, but turned around instead.

  “I told you she was just a friend, and yes… she is better… than you…will…ever…be” Henry said slowly. He regretted the words the moment they were out of his mouth, not because they were untrue, but because they were mean. He tried to apologize to her for saying something so mean, especially in front of a crowded hallway, but she had already turned, and was hurrying the other way.

  When he got to English class that afternoon, Britney was wrapped around Paul and shooting him dirty looks. The bell rang and she went to her seat for class but refused to talk to him the entire period. The pushing in the hallway began the next day. It started subtle at first. Henry did not make the connection the first time someone bumped into him, and he dropped his books. It could have been a mistake, but the second time in as many passing periods was not. Henry dropped his books, and the person who bumped in to him kneeled down as if to help him pick them up.

  “Paul says hello,” the kid said, stood then walked away. Henry recognized the kid’s face as being on the football team, but couldn’t remember his name. Thursday was worse, and by Friday things had gotten very bad. The bumping had turned into pushing, and shoving. If he was near the lockers it meant a shove into the lockers, or the walls, and a bruised shoulder. Once they caught him as he walked through the fire doors that divided the different sections of the building into fireproof compartments, and slammed him into the center post of the door. That hurt particularly bad; it left a pretty good mark on his chest.

  At training that night Amica noticed he was still showing up with bruises, he had been able to hide them from her so far. He really liked her, and although he had talked to his sister a little about the bullying, he was not sure he wanted Amica to be a part of that side of his life. Henry had been very good at compartmentalizing his day, but as he worked in training breaking down his walls it became harder, and harder. He was trying very hard to learn to just let all of the fear, shame, and anger he was feeling go, so he could focus his mind. Henry thought he was improving quickly, especially during the evening. During the day, was different. Sometimes he would succeed, and then someone would slam into him again, and keep walking without even looking at him. He would feel that shame again; they didn’t even bother to even look him in the face while they did it. They didn’t even have that much respect for him.

  Henry and Amica were standing in front of the gate waiting for Sir to open it; it had been a particularly nasty day for him, with the doorpost incident still fresh in his mind when Amica spoke.

  “Why do you let them do that to you?” she said. Her words reverberated in his head, because her words were almost an echo of his thoughts, at first he was not sure if she had spoke them, or he had. Henry felt his face burn with shame.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Henry said quietly hanging his head.

  “Why don’t you tell someone; put a stop to it?” she asked. He had thought about it, but he wasn’t even sure how. It was rarely the same person, and he couldn’t blame the whole football team although most of them involved were on the team. He knew Paul was behind it, but since Britney had gotten back with Paul his level of sneakiness had increased significantly. Not only had Paul made sure he was not around when Henry was getting pushed, but he never laid a hand on Henry personally. Henry knew who was behind everything, because every once in a while he would be at his locker, one of the only times he had to go near the walls, and someone would body check him, and whisper the same thing that had been said to him on that first day, “Paul says hello.”

  “It’s not that simple; you just don’t understand,” he said the volume of his voice rising. He wanted to tell her, but he was afraid she wouldn’t understand, that she would think less of him.

  “Then help me, help me understand,” she cried back. She was very upset. Henry thought he saw disgust on her face, but he couldn’t think clearly enough to focus.

  “I’m…” he started to tell her everything, he desperately wanted to, but in the end was too ashamed. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore, it’s none of your business,” he said louder than he meant to. He felt bad for not telling, and now for raising his voice. He was always usually so mellow, and quiet; he felt so much shame he couldn’t meet her eyes all night. He even slipped out, and walked home while she was in the locker room. He just didn’t have the nerve to face her.

  There friends
hip limped along for a couple of more days with both of them carefully avoiding the subject of his frequently appearing bruises. After the first time they had fought he decided he was going to tell her, but he just didn’t know how.

  Britney was at his locker Monday morning just appearing as she had done that first time she had visited him. “Hey Henry, long time no talk,” she said in that super sweet voice she had. She was right the two of them had not spoken a word to each other not even in class since that morning last week. He had tried to apologize to her for being cruel, but he took one look at her, and thought better of it. She had this look that told Henry she was not ready to speak to him civilly yet.

  “About that day, I never meant to be mean. I hope you understand that,” Henry said. He meant it as well; he was not the kind of person who tried to hurt other people’s feeling.

  “Oh, I know you never meant to be mean Henry, are you still with that…girl?” she asked. She paused before she said the word girl; Henry got the distinct impression that when she said “girl” there was another word she was thinking. She knew he was she was still picking him up every day after school.

  “I told you before, that we are just friends, I am sorry about hurting you,” he said.

  “All in the past,” she said pleasantly. Henry was not exactly sure why he said what he did, maybe because she seemed in a really good mood, or maybe he was just tired of the events of the last couple of days.

  “Hey, since you are talking to me again, you think you could ask your goon of a boyfriend to lay off of me in the hallways?” Henry asked. Britney smiled a smile he had never seen before. He knew she was human, but there was something so predatory about her smile that it caused him to think of Roberts, and her sharp teeth.

  “Oh Henry, I’m afraid I can’t do that,” she said still smiling that predatory smile. “No one treats me the way you did, especially not a friendless loser like you, without getting what’s coming to them,” she said turning, and heading down the hall. As she walked away she said over her shoulder, “enjoy your time in the halls”. It was not until this conversation that Henry had considered that it was Britney using Paul. Although Henry realized she had probably not been directly responsible for his abuse to begin with, she most certainly was now.

  That day was very tough for Henry; he was confused. When it was time for Amica to pick him up he had tried to focus on the events that were ahead of them that evening. He planed to talk to her eventually, but he just didn’t know how to wrap his head around everything.

  II

  Amica sat in her car waiting for Henry, she was nervous about tonight. After weeks of training she was finally going open her first gate. When she was little, she had found a map of her home world’s gates in the things her mother had brought with them. She would sneak into her mother’s room, and pour over those maps for hours whenever her mother wasn’t looking, planning different rescue missions. She promised herself one day she would find him, and bring him home. As she grew older, she looked at the maps less, and less, realizing that after so many years he was probably dead. He was such a powerful keeper; if he were alive he would’ve found a way to escape by now. Found a way to come home to her. She promised she would prepare, and if there were a chance she would go, and look for him.

  She saw Henry walking across the parking lot, and was relieved to see there were no new marks on his face. He was still showing up with new bruises. She had tried to talk to him about it, but he had staunchly refused, it was the only time they had a full out argument. He was being bullied at school, despite the fact that he had put on some serious muscle tone between the protein supplements, and the boot camp like exercises that Sir had been putting them through. She had tried to tell him to stand up for himself, but he said it was more complicated than that, and it was none of her business. In the end it broke her heart, she realized that short of following him around the building, and confronting the students personally there was nothing she could do until he was willing to ask for help.

  “Hey, you ready for tonight,” she asked when he opened the door, and sat down.

  “Not really, I’m still terrified you’re going to kill us all,” Henry said back teasingly.

  “That’s not fair, you heard Sir last night, that hardly ever happens, besides he smiled when he said it. I am 85% positive he was making that up.” Amica said.

  “85% huh, that’s still not very encouraging, where do you want to go for dinner, I told the twins I would bring them each a milk shake,” Henry said. Henry had been trying to bring them different food items trying to get the Sphinx twins as she thought of them to say something to him. As much as it pained her to admit it, the food was always eaten, and the wrappers neatly placed in the wastebasket when they left for the evening. Sometimes it bothered her they ate what Henry brought for them, and never said thank you, but it didn’t seem to bother Henry. She said something to Henry about it once, and he had said something interesting.

  “When they are ready to talk they will, but in the mean time I know that I have done something nice for them, and that’s enough thanks for me” he said. In the end she thought Henry was probably right. Sometimes it was nice just to do something nice for another person. She did not understand, how Henry was abused in the way he was, and still stayed so good. It was one of the things she truly loved about him. She would have been filled with so much rage, and anger, but he just seemed sad and lost.

  “Danny’s Dog House has great fries, and a really good milk shake, why don’t we go there,” Amica said pulling out of the parking lot.

  “Oooooh yeah, I used to go there with my grandfather; they have amazing hotdogs. Great idea, I’ve never had a shake there are they good?” Henry asked. It was one of her favorite places for a milk shake, and a shake was starting to sound really good. They picked up dinner; it was Henry’s turn to pay.

  When they got to work, she watched closely using the training she had received. She would never really be able to see the world the way Henry could, but she had worked very hard to be able to see as much as she could. In the end, she knew the more she could see the easier her gate openings would become. She was determined to become as good as possible. Henry set the milk shakes down on the counter, and she saw it. It was only there for the briefest glimmer of a second, bit she had seen it. They smiled, just the fraction of a smile, and it only lasted a second, but she had seen it. She would have thought she was imagining things, but the look was mirrored on both their faces. She smiled. Maybe Henry’s isn’t crazy after all. She had been talking to the sphinx twins for months, but always kind of in a slightly patronizing tone. She had never really thought of them as actual people, granted they never moved, or talked where anyone could see them, but it was still not fair of her to talk to them that way.

  “Hey guys, listen I know I’ve been kind of snarky. Maybe even rude sometimes, but it was always meant to be in good fun. So no hard feelings?” she asked, not really expecting any answer. What she got instead of the expected silence made her day. Harold, and Justin smiled.

  They were Sirians, the same as Roberts, from the planets surrounding the binary stars Sirius A, and B. Many of their kind lived here on earth, having moved here for a better life when their home world became over populated. Amica always hated when they smiled too big. Their mouths had so many teeth, and too many of them were canines. When the Sirians showed a lot of teeth it always made her feel like they were going to use them on her throat. The sphinx twins however used just the right amount, not allowing you to see the sharp points hidden with in, but large enough to show you they were happy.

  “Amica, we better get going, or we’re going to be late,” Henry said. The door buzzed, and Henry opened the door holding it for her.

  “Thanks Henry, you’re right, and I’m starving, so do you guys want anything special tomorrow?” Amica said. When there was no answer she gave them a long look.

  “Alright then, luck of the dr
aw it is, “ she said a smile forming on her face.

  III

  After dinner, they stood in front of the gate waiting for it to open; she stood next to Henry, trying not to say anything. His body had been covered in bruises from the first moment they had met, and it was hard to keep track of which bruises were new. It made her so angry to know that someone was hurting her friend and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She was trying desperately to hold her tongue. She had confronted him about them several days ago. She had not handled it well; things had gotten out of hand.

  He didn’t say more than two or three words the rest of the evening, not even to encourage her on the treadmill. She had not realized until that moment how much his encouraging words helped her get through her runs. Not only had he not talked, but he had also avoided her eyes the rest of the evening. He had even walked home waiting till she went into the locker room slipping out unnoticed. The next day she had waited for him in the school parking lot, not sure if he would ride with her. She had backed into the spot so she could see the kids walk out of the front door, sitting there waiting for him to leave the building was the longest 15 minutes of her life.

  She thought back on their conversation the night before, and realized that maybe she should have taken a more delicate approach. She was sure that she had pushed him too far, and he was not going to be her friend any more. She had not had a friend in over 300 years; she had been so lonely. She was friendly, and chatty with lots of people, like the twins upstairs, but she had not had someone she could talk to. His personality, and demeanor always put her at ease, as if her troubles had melted away, she did not know how she would go back to the life she had. He walked out of the building, and over to the car as if nothing had happened the night before.

  He was talking about what was on the schedule for the day, and she had just gone with it. They had not talked about that night, or his bruises since that moment. She knew that if she were truly his friend she should push him to open up about what was wrong, to help him. She knew what she should do, but wasn’t brave enough to do it.

  She tried to get her game face on. Over the last week they had been drilled, and worked to with in an inch of their lives. Every time she thought there was nothing left to give Sir wrung a little bit more from them. They had continued the same routine as the first night with yoga, and meditation followed by the exercise routine. Sir had been increasing the reps, and times on the runs every night, asking them to add a few more. In the end, as much as she had felt like she was going to die after the first night, it had actually been the easiest night they had had so far. The next night the quizzes had begun. Before they began their yoga exercises he put them on the treadmill at a decent walking pace as a physical warm up, while they walked they had to work computer simulations containing the information they had learned so far on a screen built into the treadmill. The simulations had varied from simply calibrating the sensors on a new gate, to building a fully functional gate from components, and spare parts on their screen. Last night had been the hardest night by far; it had been a final exam of sorts. They had to construct a fully operational gate, calibrate the sensors, and then walk the gate through a simulated opening, all while performing a light jog on the treadmill, the speeds changing to simulate the physical energy it would take to do each task. The schedule for tonight was slated to increase the difficulty level again, because instead of a simulation they were now going to actually build the gate, connect it to the power, align the sensors, and open the gate. It was going to be her first opening. It was only going to be a level one copper gate, but she was still nervous.

  Amica checked her watch; the time for the gate to open had past. She turned towards Henry, and he was just looking at his watch as well, with a worried look on his face.

  “The opening time has come, and gone,” Henry said.

  “Yeah, I just noticed that as well. You weren’t supposed to open the gate for us tonight were you?” she asked.

  “No, he was very adamant about not touching the gate until after I had constructed my own. I hope nothing has gone wrong,” Henry said.

  “I do too,” Amica said. Henry was just opening his mouth to speak when she saw the gate begin to glow faintly.

  “Look, the gate is opening now,” Amica said. The opening was slower than she had seen before, starting as just a faint glow brightening slowly.

  “I have never seen an opening go this slowly,” Henry said.

  “I don’t like this, I hope everything is okay,” Amica said. The gate swung open in front of them, and Sir stood there looking very tired. Amica had never thought about how impossibly old he had to be. She had never seen another member of his species before, and did not know how long they lived, but at one point he told them he had been training keepers for 12,000 years. If he had been training that long she could only imagine how old he was before they began. Most of her people only lived around 8-9 thousand years, she had no idea how old he was, but when he stood there in the open gate he looked every day of it. His shoulders were sagging, and his mustache fur was droopy. The two of them hurried through the gate, and he closed it behind them.