The Boy Who Appeared from the Rain
Page 19
Kara guided her sedan around the corner and into sight of the school. Craig placed a hand on her arm. "Park over here," he said, pointing to the curb.
"Not at the school?" she asked.
"No. Let's wait here and see what he does."
She pulled over and shut off the engine. They were right on time. Students began to spill out of Briar Point. Most climbed onto busses; others located their parents in cars queued up in the school's driveway or parked in the lot. Still others crossed the street into the neighborhood to walk home.
"There he is," Kara said.
Zach in his orange T-shirt emerged from the school alongside Cayden, waved goodbye as his friend departed, and slung his dark green backpack over his shoulder, looking this way and that.
Craig followed her gaze and found him. She put her hand back on the key, but Craig caught her wrist gently, stopping her.
"But he's looking for us!" she protested.
"I know. But what if he actually lives close by? Maybe he'll go home. Or maybe someone else will pick him up."
"I don't think so, Craig. He believes we're his parents."
"Let's just watch and see."
But I don't want anyone else to pick him up! That sentiment surprised her. What right did she have to want to take him home with her? What if it was a joke, as Craig's father had guessed, and the boy's family had known where he was all along? That would explain why they hadn't come looking for him at the school this morning. How would she and Craig ever know if they didn't wait and find out?
Several minutes passed. As the students around him dispersed and the last parents waiting in their cars loaded up their children and drove away, the boy scanned the street more anxiously. He paced the length of the sidewalk once to the end of the school building, then turned and came back the other way, tiptoeing along the sidewalk's edge.
"Craig, this is cruel," Kara whispered.
Craig pointed. "Look, he's leaving." The boy had secured his backpack over both shoulders and was crossing the street a few hundred feet in front of them. Reaching the other side, he turned and walked away from them at a steady pace.
"Is he going home?" Kara wondered aloud.
The boy passed through an intersection and continued straight ahead, making good time. They could still see him as he reached the end of that next block. There, he paused a moment, looked around, and turned to the right, proceeding down that street and out of view.
"Let's follow him," Craig said, "but not where he'll see us."
Kara restarted the car and crept to where the boy had turned. Already he was halfway down the block. When he reached the stop sign at the next intersection, he hesitated. He looked down the street to his right, then to his left. He turned 360 degrees, examining his surroundings.
"He's lost, Craig," she said. "He's trying to get somewhere, but doesn't know where he is."
"Looks like he's heading back this way." The boy was walking quickly again, retracing his steps.
"I'll turn us around," Kara said.
She drove a block further, turned around in a driveway, and edged slowly back to the intersection where they had last seen the boy. He had turned the corner and was making his way back to the school. "Why is he going back?" she wondered.
"No one came to pick him up, and he doesn't know where else to go. Poor kid." Craig frowned sadly. "I thought that maybe, if we didn't pick him up right away, he would just go home."
"He needs us, Craig," Kara said, feeling anxious for the boy. "Someone sent him away. They didn't come to get him at school this morning. He needs us."
"He hasn't needed us for ten years! Why now?"
Putting the car in park, Kara sighed and grabbed her head with both hands. "Argh! This makes no sense! If your cousin Elliott suddenly shows up, I'm going to kill him and then make him explain all of this."
As they watched, the boy reached the school and went back inside. They waited. Another minute later, Kara's cell phone rang. She pulled it out and checked the incoming number. Not recognizing it, she shrugged to Craig and answered it. "Hello?"
"Mrs. Fleming?" a young woman's voice spoke. "Wow, I've never caught you on the phone before! This is Mrs. James, the secretary at Briar Point. I have Zach here with me. He says he missed his ride."
"Oh…" Kara thought quickly. "Okay, um—we're running late, actually, but we're nearly there. Give us one minute."
Craig raised both eyebrows, but didn't object.
"No problem, Mrs. Fleming. I'll have him wait for you outside."
Kara ended the call. "The school secretary. Zach missed his ride."
"All right, then," Craig responded. "I guess he's ours a little longer."
Kara drove them the two blocks back to the school and pulled up next to the sidewalk, where the boy stood waiting for them. He slung his backpack off his shoulders and hopped into the back seat eagerly. "Hi, Dad! Hi, Mom!"
"Hey, Zach," Craig replied. "Sorry we're late."
"That's okay," he said. "It's just your first day. You'll get used to it."
Craig made an uneasy expression as Kara pulled the car forward again. "Tell you what, Zach," she said. "See which way we're going? Watch what we pass on our way home. We live really close by. Memorize how it looks, and you'll know how to find your way to our house if you ever want to come visit."
"I could walk home? By myself?" Zach asked. "Awesome!"
Kara glanced over at Craig with a look of mild astonishment, which he returned.
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