IA_B.O.S.S.

by John Darryl Winston

  “That means I could be hearing the thoughts of others?” he mumbled. He remembered reading about thought transference in the first book he borrowed from her. “I need that book!” he snapped.

  “When I’m finished with it!” she shot back, as they walked into Piccolo’s.

  On the way to MeeChi’s, they talked about D. Naz thought it was odd that they talked about D all day long two days ago, and that night he dreamed of a girl with no voice or face. He asked Meri for her thoughts and surprisingly she had none, yet: only questions.

  “Do you even remember what she sounds like … since you’re too scared to call her?”

  Naz sucked his teeth. “Yeah … I sort of remember.”

  “What about how she looks?”

  “She has big brown eyes, light brown skin, a straight nose that sticks out a little bit at the tip. Her lips are kind of round and the top one sticks out a little. She has a dimple on this side.” He pointed to his left cheek.

  “Stop it!” She startled him. “You’re making me sick.”

  Naz had gotten lost in his own world describing D. “But I still can’t imagine … I can’t see what she actually looks like in my mind,” he said, frustrated. “Dr. Gwen said something like, the description is just a list of information that my mind remembers, like a cake recipe … or something like that, but my emotions—”

  “Ooh, ooh,” Meri cut in. “I know! Strong emotions block the recipe, and until you learn to control your emotions you can never see her in your imagination, or your dreams.”

  “Rrrright.” He was mystified. He couldn’t believe he was listening to a nine-year old or Dr. Gwen on this one, but it made sense. Was Meri a genius, too? She couldn’t be, not with a father like Bearn.

  “So what should I do, Doc … I mean, Meri?”

  They both laughed.

  “Call her,” she said, matter-of-factly.

  He was seriously considering it.

  Naz was so deep in thought as he walked into MeeChi’s that the text that came through his phone startled him. He was sure it was D but didn’t look at his phone just yet. He treated the text like a dessert to savor. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds, but Tone was not on his perch. Naz made a clicking sound with his mouth and from nowhere the African Grey came swooping down and landed on his forearm. Meri let out a surprised scream.

  “The coast is clear; Naz is here. The coast is clear; Naz is here,” said Tone as he made his way to Naz’s shoulder.

  “He’s doing that more and more lately … scares the customers to death,” complained Mr. Tesla, as he came down from the booth.”

  “I taught him that,” bragged Naz. “He’s looking for shoplifters; you know we’ve had more of those since Major General closed.”

  “That’s what the surveillance cameras are for,” said Mr. Tesla

  “The cameras are OK, but Tone’s better. He’s mobile, and he can think in the air. Cameras didn’t stop me two years ago. If Mr. Moussa would’ve had Tone back then…”

  “…none of us would’ve had you,” finished Mr. Tesla, referring to Naz’s unique employment arrangement with the Market Merchants.

  “Exactly!”

  More than two years ago in an act of desperation and resourcefulness, Naz took advantage of MeeChi’s misfortune to earn a much needed job there. MeeChi’s was in danger of losing a loyal costumer because they were out of stock of an important commodity. Naz ran to a nearby market, Piccolo’s, stole the goods in question, then brought the goods back to MeeChi’s before the consumer could leave. When he went back to pay for the goods he had stolen, per Mr. Tesla’s orders, he was caught and almost charged with shoplifting. When his true intentions were realized by Piccolo’s proprietor, Mr. Moussa, his unique arrangement with the Market Merchants was born.

  “When are they letting you back in school?” asked Mr. Tesla.

  “Ummm … next week,” Naz answered sheepishly. He hadn’t told Mr. Tesla or any of the Market Merchants about being suspended. He may have had some special abilities, but he didn’t think he’d ever understand how some adults just knew everything.

  “From shoplifting to bullying in two years … not bad … what next?”

  “I wasn’t bullying; I was defending myself.”

  “Funny thing, if you keep looking for trouble, ultimately, you’ll find it. Be careful.”

  “I will.” He was starting to feel like he had a mom and dad, the irritating kind.

  In the booth, Mr. Tesla’s meals had gradually become more extravagant. They enjoyed pot roast, green peas, biscuits, and mashed potatoes and gravy, Naz and Meri’s favorite. Meri liked to keep all her food separate, and she used two plates to do it. Naz liked his all mixed together, with the exception of the biscuits, and he only needed one big plate to accomplish his goal. For dessert there was homemade apple pie with ice cream on top. The four, including Tone, were serenaded by the usual: Meri’s oldies but goodies station and the sounds of classic Motown.

  When it was time to leave, Naz stopped when he realized Tone was still on his shoulder.

  “Take him with you,” suggested Mr. Tesla

  Naz thought about it for a moment, but then returned Tone to his perch with a handful of sunflower seeds.

  “Not yet, my friend,” Naz said to Tone, as he and Meri walked out the door. “Miss Tracey would have a fit.”

  On the way home, Meri pulled out her book to read under the soft glow of twilight. Naz was in his own world as he thought, time for dessert number two. He pulled out his phone and as he had predicted, the text was from D and read:

  Wer u been

  What does she mean—is she asking why haven’t I texted her all day or does she know I’ve been suspended? He sent:

  Wut u mean

  She responded:

  U havn’t been around

  He saw an opening and responded:

  How u know u a stalker 2 D :p

  She answered:

  I might b wud u like dat naz

  His answer was yes, but he didn’t want her to know, so he opted for:

  I havn’t decided yet

  He laughed. This was getting fun. She responded:

  A stalker and a bully star crossed luvers wut a pair we r

  He almost dropped his phone—a bully? Soul was right; good news travels. But what is this star-crossed lovers? He read it over and over again—Lovers … a pair … is that what we are? He felt like he needed to send something in a hurry or she would think she had rattled him, and he couldn’t let that happen, and make no mistake, she had rattled him. He could barely get his fingers right as they stumbled over the touchscreen, botching the text several times before he was able to send:

  Lol a pair indeed

  He waited for a while and there was nothing—maybe I rattled her. He would wait this one out. He was smiling from ear-to-ear when he noticed Meri staring at him.

  “What?” he asked, dumbfounded.

  “You are sooo … pathetic.” She laughed.

  He shrugged, calming his smile.

  When they got home it was dusk, which was a good thing. It was Devil’s Night, the night before Halloween. Anything bad that could happen would happen on Devil’s night. They rang the doorbell and waited for the familiar, phony Miss Tracey welcome.

  “When are you gonna call her?” asked Meri.

  “Tomorrow,” answered Naz, and he meant it. Just then, another text came through.

  Ur lil sis is 2 cute

  Naz smiled again—don’t let the smooth taste fool you. What a coincidence, Oh, I don’t believe in coincidences. He laughed to himself. It was almost as if D were watching them.

  “Where is she?” Meri asked impatiently, as she rang the doorbell again and again.

  “Don’t do that,” Naz pushed her hand away. He could hear the bell ringing inside the house repeatedly every time Meri pushed the button. He knocked on the door just to be sure, then tried to look inside through one of the windows, but there was only darkne
ss and no movement.

  “Maybe she went to the store,” he said in a pseudo-calm voice.

  But something was wrong. There was no precedent for the situation. He was worried, but Meri seemed only irritated; it had grown dark, too dark for her to read. He knew what to do: the same thing he did whenever he needed to get in and Miss Tracey wasn’t home.

  “You didn’t see me do this,” he said to Meri as he looked up and down the street to see if anyone was watching.

  He went to the side of the vestibule directly under his bedroom window. He looked up and down the street one more time, then jumped up and grabbed the gutter on the edge of the roof. He pulled himself up using the drainpipe and brick wall adjacent to the vestibule. Within seconds he was crouched on the slightly slanted roof.

  “Necessity is the mother of invention,” he said as he looked down at Meri with a guilty look on his face.

  “Hmmm … now let me see … shoplifting, bullying, and now breaking and entering. Mr. Tesla would be proud of you.”

  From his position, Naz could see that Miss Tracey’s car wasn’t on the side of the house where she usually parked it. When Naz went to open his window, he noticed it was closed all the way. He had always left enough room between the ledge and window to get his fingers underneath. He tried to force the window open by pushing up on the glass with his palms, but it locked from the inside. He had never locked his window before—now what?

  It was getting darker and most of the streetlights were out on his block. In anger he made a fist to break the window. He reared back prepared to strike the glass, but pulled up just short. The glass bent inward clearly, on its own, then returned to normal, make a creaking sound in the process. Naz squinted at it in the darkness and shook his head in disbelief.

  “What?” asked Meri, looking up at him.

  Naz examined the glass with his hand, then pushed it, trying to recreate what he thought he had seen—how can that be? “I must be seeing things.”

  “What?” Meri asked again impatiently.

  “Nothing.” When he looked down at Meri, he saw, out of the corner of his eye, two figures standing on the corner. He pulled his phone out and tried to call inside. He could hear the phone ringing inside over and over again.

  “Call her cell phone,” said Naz to a calm but irritated Meri.

  He hung up his phone and climbed down from the roof, all the while keeping an eye on the two figures standing on the corner.

  “Well?” he asked Meri.

  “She didn’t answer and her message box is full.”

  He cursed.

  “Stop cussing.”

  “Sorry.”

  “What happened up there?” Meri said, looking up at his bedroom window.

  “I told you, nothing.”

  Now there was someone across the street, just standing there—this is bad. Where could she be? If we stay here on the porch and whoever that is means us harm, we’re cornered … trapped. What to do? What to do? He thought about calling Dr. Gwen, but she didn’t live in the Exclave. All she could do is call the police, and Naz knew they would never come. Mr. Tesla didn’t have a car. He thought about Fears—the game should be over by now. He didn’t know where Fears lived, but he remembered Fears saying the team had to stick together and look out for each other. The boys on the team had to live close by if they went to Lincoln. He had an idea. It worked before. He pulled out his phone and typed:

  NEED HELP! EMERGENCY! THIS TIME 4 REAL! CORNER OF WESSEN & SMITH

  He sent it to Harvis, and for good measure, he sent the same text to Soul. He decided if he stayed on the porch, he would be endangering Meri even more. If whoever this was meant them any harm, Naz felt he had a better chance out in the open. Just as he made up his mind to step out onto the walk, another figure came from the other direction—great, trapped on all sides. If something was going down, he would take the fight to them. All that he had learned about himself had given him newfound confidence. He was developing a profound belief in his latent abilities, but he still feared for Meri’s safety.

  He stooped down on one knee. “Meri, I’m going out there on the sidewalk. I need you to step back into shadows. If I see you, I won’t be able to concentrate.”

  She nodded.

  He continued. “If things go wrong—”

  “Like what?”

  “Just listen, if things go wrong, I need you to run as fast as you can and scream bloody murder as loud as you can. Run to well-lit areas where you see moving cars. Act like you’ve been hurt, stop a car, and ask for help. Stay away from the dark and abandoned houses. Do you understand?”

  She nodded, looking more excited than concerned.

  “It’s not a game, Meri. Do you understand?”

  “I do.” She nodded.

  Naz stood and began to walk away only to be stopped by Meri as she grabbed his arm.

  “Naz, that day he killed momma, just like I didn't, you didn’t tell the police everything either.”

  Naz looked at Meri solemnly, knelt down again, and revealed to her what he had imagined that day just before Bearn met his maker. Already dazed by a vicious blow from Bearn to the head, Naz had imagined himself as a giant, even bigger than the three hundred pounds plus, six foot six inches tall, Bearn, and choked the life out of him with his huge hands. When he had opened his eyes he saw Bearn on the floor lifeless. With that revelation, Meri stepped back confidently into the shadows.

  He steeled himself as he started down the walk. He looked back and he could barely see Meri in the shadows, which gave him comfort. If he couldn’t see her, they couldn’t either. He took a deep breath and flexed his head side-to-side. Earlier he wished he could have gone back to that first day of school in the Exclave with Ham again. “Careful what you wish for,” he mumbled.

  Twilight had gradually given way to darkness and the lone streetlight on corner began to glow, revealing the two figures now approaching him from the corner were Dill and Denali. He breathed a sigh of relief.

  “What are you two guys doing here?”

  “Payback time,” said a gloating Denali.

  “Really,” said Naz mockingly.

  The figure across the street closed in, and he could tell by looking at Dill and Denali, the figure in back of him was holding his position. Dill and Denali both wielded knives, taunting Naz, and he could only assume the figure now coming into view from across the street was equally armed. Naz recognized him as well. He had fiery red hair that glowed orange under the streetlight. Naz knew him only by the way he looked—Red. Red had come into MeeChi’s a few times, always teasing and taunting Tone, and he was also one of the gang members that Naz had trapped in a vacant office building weeks before. The gang members had originally escaped from a boys’ home and, Naz thought, were currently being held in the juvenile detention center—that's a shame … back on the streets already.

  But the figure behind Naz, what was he waiting for—and why always knives? They must be easy to get or something. Some of the kids brought them to school, even with the metal detectors, which Naz was sure didn't work. But Naz had no fear now, not against knives. They no longer even seemed like weapons to him. He thought about what Ham had said that day in Fears’ office, about having a weapon, and he realized he was a weapon, pure and lethal.

  This had to be quick or it could get messy, and he didn’t want to hurt Dill or Denali, even though they had it coming. He needed to get their knives as far away from them as possible. He didn’t want to make the same mistake Ham did. He checked once more to see if Meri was completely out of sight. She was. It was like chess—even easier.

  “Your move,” Naz said mockingly.

  “Get on with it!” yelled the figure behind Naz with a gruff voice. Naz recognized the voice from earlier that day during his therapy session with Dr. Gwen when he was mesmerized.

  Dill and Denali rushed Naz at the same time, which made them easy to counter. They got in each other’s way. Naz sidestepped Dill, who tried to stab him in the stomach, the
n kicked the knife out of his hand. The knife flew in the direction of Red who was coming from the street, causing him to duck. The knife landed with a click clack sound in the dark street. Less than a second after Naz’s kick, he snapped a back-fist to the bridge of Dill’s nose, causing him to fall blindly on the grass and tend to his bloody nose—one down, two … or three to go.

  Naz wondered when the figure behind him would challenge. Denali, who was thrown off balance, lunged pitifully at Naz. Naz angled in the opposite direction this time. Then using the same move he did in school four days earlier, he locked Denali’s arm behind his back, disarming him in the process. Naz turned to face Red with Denali between them as a shield.

  “Stop!” yelled Naz, “or … I’ll, I’ll break his arm.”

  “I don’t care,” said Red laughing with a deranged look on his face.

  “What do you want?” Naz looked at Dill who was still on the ground, writhing in pain. He wasn’t getting up any time soon.

  “Nothing,” said Red. “It’s Devil’s Night, and we just wanna have some fun. Ready for round two? Nowhere to hide this time.”

  Naz bristled at Red’s comments. He couldn’t reason with Red—he must be on drugs. But Naz really didn’t want to hurt Denali, who was now whining, but he had to get him out of the fight for good or he would become a nuisance.

  “This is gonna hurt you more than it hurts me,” said Naz, as he took Denali’s feet out from under him then hyper-extended his elbow until he screamed. Denali wouldn’t be getting up any time soon either.

  Before Naz could get all the way up, Red rushed him. Naz got even lower and when Red’s body was completely over him, Naz used Red’s momentum to send him flying into the bushes in front of the house. The figure in the shadows laughed, and it infuriated him.