A Tangle of Secrets

by R. G. Thomas

  “Of course. I’m sure you’re anxious to begin your academics here at Superstition High.”

  “Yes, I am,” Thaddeus said; then he added, “As you can see from my records, I have a high enough grade point average to be in the National Honor Society.”

  “Your grades are not what concerns me, Mr. Cane.”

  Mr. Winslow opened a drawer and extracted a small, thin piece of paper that Thaddeus assumed was his class schedule. He wanted to summon the paper to him with the magic spell he’d worked on over the summer and then get up and walk out of the office, leaving Mr. Winslow sitting in astonishment. But he restrained himself. His father had had long talks with him the last two weeks about keeping his magic ability hidden from the rest of the world. Thaddeus understood the need for it, but the more he honed his magic abilities, the more difficult it seemed to be to keep them to himself.

  Instead of performing magic, he sat and stared at Mr. Winslow in a silence that seemed to grow larger and larger within the office. When Thaddeus started to wonder if he might miss his second-period class as well—and maybe every class that day—Mr. Winslow sighed and slid the paper to the edge of the desk.

  “This is your class schedule. At the bottom is your student ID and PIN, which you can use to sign into the school’s website.”

  Thaddeus stood, grabbed his backpack and the schedule, and opened the door, stopping with one foot in the hall to look back at Mr. Winslow. “Thank you. Do you have a school map?”

  “You may pick up a map at the front desk,” Mr. Winslow said. “And I’ll let Mrs. Marshall know I kept you from your first-hour English class.”

  Thaddeus gave a quick nod and hurried back along the hall to the front desk as the series of three calming tones sounded. It apparently signaled the end of the first period, because students suddenly flooded the hallway outside the office. Luckily for Thaddeus there were no students waiting at the desk, and he exchanged a smile with Marlene, the office administrator.

  “Did you get your schedule?” Marlene asked.

  “I did, thank you. Mr. Winslow said that I could get a copy of a school map here?”

  Marlene nodded and handed over a sheet of paper with a copy of the school layout, saying, “Don’t let anyone sell you an elevator pass or a smoking permit.”

  Thaddeus smiled again. “I won’t fall for those tricks twice.”

  Marlene chuckled. “You’ll do well here, Thaddeus. Stop by if you have any questions.”

  “I will, thank you.”

  He took a moment to check what class he had next on his schedule—introduction to Spanish, ugh—and located the room on the map. It was, of course, on the other end of the building. He hurried out of the office and into the noise and battling scents of body sprays, perfumes, and deodorants that flowed along with the jostling crowd of teenagers.

  Chapter THREE

  THE REST of the day was a blur. After introduction to Spanish, he hurried through the crush of students to chemistry, and after that, he headed to his next class, the dreaded gym. As he stood at the door to the boys’ locker room, Thaddeus checked his schedule a third time to make sure he really, truly did have to take gym. Yep, there it was, right before lunch. He drew in a deep breath and let it out, then followed a few other boys into the locker room.

  Since it was the first day, they didn’t have to change into shorts and T-shirts. Instead, the teacher, Mr. Connor, had them all sit on the benches between lockers as he paced before them. He explained what activities they would be participating in throughout the semester and what clothing and equipment they would need to bring for their next class. When the series of tones signifying the end of class sounded, Thaddeus followed the stampeding boys out into the hall.

  It was lunchtime, and Thaddeus queued up in the cafeteria line. He had saved some cash from his job at Superstition Sporting Goods the few weeks he’d worked there over the summer, so he had some spending money now and bought macaroni and cheese, an apple, and a bottled iced tea. When he stepped away from the cash register, he let his gaze travel over the rows of tables filled with so many kids. Another first lunch period on his own in another new school. It was the worst part of a new school, and he knew if he made one misstep during lunch with the entire school watching, he’d never live it down. The times before it didn’t seem to matter as much as today, because he and his father would most likely move again in less than a year.

  But this time felt different, and Thaddeus really hoped they could finally settle down and live in Superstition.

  He saw Dixon, the jock who had pushed him into Andy’s locker earlier, and quickly looked away. Dixon and his girlfriend sat with a group of athletes and cheerleaders, and they were all busy laughing and joking among themselves. Hoping to avoid attracting their attention, Thaddeus lowered his head and walked quickly past their table, heading for a mostly empty table in the back corner. He made it without anyone tripping him or calling him out, and he sat at the far end of the table, away from the two boys and girl already sitting there. Without looking in their direction, he focused on the food on his tray.

  “Uh, hello,” said one of the boys.

  Thaddeus looked up and was relieved to see Andy Harkin sitting at the opposite end of the table. “Oh, hi.”

  Andy rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Are you that scared of Dixon that you didn’t even notice me sitting here?”

  “What? No.” Thaddeus moved down to sit beside Andy and smiled at the boy and girl sitting across from them. “Hi, I’m Thaddeus.”

  “Marty,” the other boy said.

  “I’m Crystal,” the girl said.

  Thaddeus nodded. “Nice to meet you.”

  “They’re in my chemistry class,” Andy said. “They’re outcast weirdos like us.”

  “Um, not really sure about the label you just slapped on us,” Crystal said.

  Thaddeus looked at her ponytail sticking up from the side of her head, dark eyeliner, bright red lipstick, and nose ring. She caught him looking and rolled her eyes. “What? I’m an outcast because I have a nose ring?”

  “I didn’t say anything,” Thaddeus said. “And I’m sitting here with you, aren’t I?”

  “What if I told you it was for a medical condition?” she asked, leaning in and staring him down.

  “It is?” Thaddeus asked.

  Crystal sighed and sat back. “No. But it sounds good, doesn’t it?”

  “Ignore her,” Marty said with a roll of his eyes. “She’s in the drama club.”

  “She must be getting top marks,” Andy said with a grin.

  Crystal sneered. “Funny.”

  Andy sneered back. “Thanks.”

  “So, you don’t have to sit with us if you prefer to act like a badass loner for a while,” Marty said. “You might want to build up the new kid mystique a little bit.”

  Thaddeus chuckled, then shrugged and looked around at the rest of the kids talking and laughing as they ate lunch. “The badass loner routine is getting pretty lame. Maybe it’s time to change things up and aim for being labeled a weirdo.”

  “Then you’ve come to the right table,” Marty said. “Must suck to be brand-new and not know anyone.”

  “It does,” Thaddeus and Andy said at the same time; then both of them laughed.

  “Where are you both from?” Crystal asked.

  “I’m from out east,” Andy said. “My mom lost her job back there and got another one in Stoker’s Mill. Superstition was the cheapest house she could find.”

  “That’s the beauty of Superstition,” Marty said. “Cool name, cheap housing.” He looked at Thaddeus. “How about you?”

  “I’ve moved around a lot,” Thaddeus said.

  “Trouble with the law?” Crystal asked with a teasing grin.

  Thaddeus thought about being interviewed by the police back in Iron Gulch. If they only knew. Instead of telling them that, he smiled and said, “Witness protection,” as he thought that wasn’t a full-blown lie.

  Marty chuckled. “
Right. So, are your parents in the military?”

  “No.”

  “Government?”

  “No.”

  “What do they do?”

  Thaddeus shrugged. “I don’t know. Stuff.”

  “Stuff?” Andy asked.

  “Dudes, he doesn’t want to talk about it,” Crystal said, then looked at Thaddeus. “Marty’s kind of like an old lady, he likes to know all of the gossip. That’s why he’s on the school paper.”

  “Oh yeah?” Thaddeus looked at him. “Like Clark Kent?”

  Marty and Crystal exchanged a smirk, and then Marty asked, “Are you a comics nerd?”

  Thaddeus shook his head. “Not too much. I know enough to get by. And I’ve seen the movies and some of the older TV series online.”

  “Bet you wished you could have pulled a Superman on Dixon Praise this morning,” Andy said.

  “Ugh,” Marty said. “You met Dixon Praise this morning?”

  Crystal groaned. “He’s such a two-dimensional bully character.”

  “There’s one in every school,” Thaddeus said.

  “So you got the infamous locker slam, huh?” Marty asked.

  “That would be it,” Thaddeus said. “Is that his signature move or something?”

  As if summoned by their conversation, Dixon and his girlfriend walked past their table holding hands. Dixon noticed Thaddeus and called, “Hey, it’s the newbie fag couple.” He pointed at Andy. “I’ll be watching for you outside.”

  “You’re not my type, big boy,” Andy called back.

  Dixon took a threatening step toward their table, then stopped when Mr. Winslow, the counselor, appeared beside him.

  “Weren’t you leaving, Mr. Praise?” Mr. Winslow asked.

  “Merely welcoming the new kids to our school, Mr. Winslow,” Dixon said with a big smile.

  “I’m sure you were.” Mr. Winslow raised his eyebrows. “Shall we discuss it in detention?”

  “Nope. No need to.” Dixon allowed Joy to pull him toward the doors, but before he left the cafeteria, he shot Andy a dirty look over his shoulder that gave Thaddeus chills.

  “You boys behave as well,” Mr. Winslow said, then moved off toward the cafeteria line.

  “Well, it’s official,” Marty said as the series of tones sounded. “You’re both on Dixon’s list. And it’s only halfway through your first day.”

  “Kind of a record, I think,” Crystal added. “Welcome to Superstition High.”

  “Perfect.” Thaddeus threw the rest of his mac and cheese away but put the apple and iced tea in his backpack for later.

  World history with Mr. Elder was right after lunch, and Thaddeus was glad to see Andy and Crystal had the same class. Andy sat in a desk behind Crystal, so Thaddeus took the desk to Andy’s right and smiled at them both.

  “I hope you don’t mind me sitting near you,” Thaddeus said.

  “Not unless you fart a lot or eat your boogers,” Crystal said, and Thaddeus let out a loud, startled laugh.

  “Disruptive humor already?” Mr. Elder said from the front of the room and strode down the aisle between Thaddeus and Andy and Crystal. He stood with his hands behind his back and looked between the three of them, until his gaze settled on Thaddeus.

  “Are you all good friends?” Mr. Elder asked.

  “No,” Thaddeus replied, and squirmed a bit under Mr. Elder’s stare. “I’m new.”

  “Me too,” Andy added with an overexaggerated smile that made Thaddeus chuckle in spite of his nervousness.

  Mr. Elder looked at Andy for a long moment, then turned back to Thaddeus. “You’re both new students?”

  Thaddeus met Mr. Elder’s eyes for a split second before nodding and looking down at his notebook. “Yes, sir.”

  “Sir?” Mr. Elder chuckled. “It’s been years since a student has called me that.”

  Not knowing what to say, Thaddeus made a face and whispered, “Sorry?”

  Mr. Elder sighed. “And now you’re offering up an insincere apology. Right when it was starting to look like things may be changing for me.” He turned to walk back to the front of the class.

  Andy and Crystal exchanged wide-eyed looks with Thaddeus before all three of them looked up front as Mr. Elder began speaking.

  “My name is Mr. Elder and I, too, am new to Superstition High School this year. Your previous instructor, Ms. Parkhurst, has been forced to take the year off due to illness.”

  Quiet whispers circled the room, and Mr. Elder held up his hands for silence. “Be still, be still. Yes, I know you’d like to know what has befallen dear Ms. Parkhurst to keep her out for an entire year.” He moved his gaze slowly around the room with one corner of his mouth turned up. “I may or may not know the reason myself. And you may try to bribe the answer out of me with any number of baked goods or gift cards. But there’s no knowing for certain if I know the truth, or even if what I may say is or isn’t the actual malady that has come over Ms. Parkhurst. Either way I suppose we’ll have to keep her in our thoughts and all of us forge ahead to make this year as remarkable as possible. Deal?”

  Mr. Elder looked around the silent room and gave a nod. “Silence equals acceptance, and so I shall take that as a resounding yes.” He walked around to the front of the desk and sat on the edge. “Since I’m new to this school, I’d like to use this first class to get to know each of you a bit.”

  The resulting collective groan from the class made Mr. Elder laugh before he waved them into silence. “Nothing as trite as what you did over the summer, though I’m sure some of you may have some wild stories for us.”

  Thaddeus shifted in his seat and looked down at his notebook, avoiding any chance of meeting Mr. Elder’s gaze. He hoped Mr. Elder called on the kids on the other side of the room first. And that those kids would talk long enough so class ended before it was his turn to talk. He really didn’t want to talk in front of the class, and he had no idea what to say as an introduction.

  You could tell them all you’re a wizard in training and see where it gets you.

  The deep, whispery voice seemed to come out of nowhere, and Thaddeus frowned as he looked around. Had someone said that to him, or had he thought it?

  “Since I’m the one putting forth the assignment, I’ll go first,” Mr. Elder said. “Let’s see, my name is Lawrence Elder, and I prefer Lawrence over Larry, but don’t get any ideas. I expect my students to call me Mr. Elder. I graduated from Boston University many years ago and taught in a few different states until I landed in Stoker’s Mill, right down the road from Superstition here. I taught world history at the Stoker’s Mill Middle School until the dwindling budget left me without a job at the end of the school year. Fortunately this position opened up, and so I’m commuting for now until I can find a decent place to live here in town.”

  “Stoker’s Mill isn’t too far,” a girl near the front of the room said with a nervous giggle. From the sound of her giggle, Thaddeus thought she might have a crush on Mr. Elder, and he could see why. With thick brown hair threaded with gray, blue eyes, and a strong build, Mr. Elder was a handsome older man.

  “About forty minutes one way,” Mr. Elder replied with a nod. “But I’m not looking forward to that commute once winter descends on this tiny town. Anyway, that’s my story. Now, since you know about me, let’s hear from someone in the crowd, shall we? Any volunteers?”

  A few girls near the front put up their hands, and Mr. Elder called on them. Thaddeus didn’t really listen to the girls talk about themselves; he was too busy watching the clock. He had no idea what he should and shouldn’t share. The number of times he and his father had moved seemed to draw a lot of attention, and he definitely wanted to try and blend in as much as possible. Plus, he could not say anything about what he had really done over the summer. That left him being able to talk about moving to town over the summer and getting, then losing, his job at Superstition Sporting Goods. Although, now that he thought about it, he might not want to mention the sporting goods store. The owner, Edg
ar, had closed up shop and moved away pretty quickly. Hardly a surprise since he’d been working with Logan Augustine—a boy able to turn into the frightening and vicious Bearagon.

  “Hey,” Andy whispered. “Thaddeus.”

  Thaddeus looked over at Andy, who tipped his head toward the front of the class. Thaddeus looked in that direction, and a horrible feeling of dread dropped into the bottom of his belly like a bowling ball coated with ice. The entire class had turned to stare at him, and Mr. Elder was looking at him with raised eyebrows and an inquisitive expression.

  “Sorry?” Thaddeus managed to say.

  “I assume you were woolgathering instead of listening to the other students introduce themselves, so I’ll save them from having to listen to your introduction.” Mr. Elder smiled, but there was no warmth or good feeling within it. “I would, however, enjoy reading your 500-word introduction myself, which I expect to be on my desk by this time tomorrow. Is that understood, Mister…?” He shrugged elaborately. “I’m at a loss. Without at least a brief introduction right this very moment, I won’t know how to refer to you as anything other than New Kid Number One. Would you be so kind as to at least tell myself and the class your name?”

  Thaddeus’s face was so hot he feared it would burst into flame. Magical power buzzed up and down his arms, and he fought to keep it from pooling in his hands where it could erupt as who knew what kind of spell. Maybe Mr. Elder might be lifted off his feet. Or something might be flung at the teacher. Or, worse, Thaddeus would summon Mr. Elder right up to him.

  Do it. Blast him with a spell and show him who’s in charge, the mysterious voice whispered.

  He ignored the voice and breathed in, then out. He could do this. It was only his name.

  “He’s having some kind of panic attack,” Andy said, then tacked “sir” to the end of his statement.

  “I see. And you are?”

  “Andy Harkin.”

  “Thank you, Andy. Do you happen to know this young man’s name?” Mr. Elder asked.

  “Thaddeus Cane,” Thaddeus practically shouted; then he lowered his voice a little as he said, “My name is Thaddeus Cane.” He fixed Mr. Elder with a cold look. “Sir.”