Sam's Theory

by Sarah Mendivel

  He didn’t seem fazed though. “Well, I heard him say once that you would be upset if you saw your sister with your mom and then might not be able to run back here if you had to.”

  I stopped pacing and looked at my friend. “He told you that?”

  Rishawn nodded, visibly afraid to say anything more. I sighed deeply and shook my head. “Yeah, he’s probably right. There’s just something that feels off about this.”

  “Yeah, I know. But at least Mikayla’s with him this time. She won’t let anything bad happened to him. Actually, I feel bad for anyone who tries to mess with them!”

  We both laughed, imagining someone trying to give Mikayla a hard time. Suddenly I was able to relax a bit, feeling more confident that our two strongest players were climbing down the mountain together. If anything got bad, Rishawn and I could always run to Theory’s. I looked past the trees and tried to visualize hugging Nova again. “Okay, I guess we’ll just have to see what happens then.”

  “Yeah, they’ll be okay,” Rishawn said reassuringly. He scratched his head again, then offered a smile that signaled trouble. “Hey Sam, wanna play hide-n-seek?”

  I tilted my head back and laughed loudly. This guy never ceased to entertain me, even during the hardest possible moments. “Okay, bud. I’ll count first.”

  “Okay,” he said, bolting into the trees behind me.

  “Ten….nine…eight…” I counted, suddenly remembering the hologram Theory and I processed together. I thought of how hard I worked to beat Him and how Nova still felt like the missing piece of my story. “Seven….six…”

  The little-kid image of Nova’s face resonated behind my eyelids as I counted out loud. “Five…four…” I wondered if Dodger and Mikayla would find her this time and how it would feel seeing her again.

  “Three,….two,….” Would she get along with everyone? Would she forgive me for not finding her myself? Would we still be as close?

  “One…ready or not, here I come!”

  The sun began to dip behind the tip of our mountain peak and color the clouds in pastels. Rishawn and I had spent the day trying to stay busy enough to not worry about the other half of our foursome. Despite our efforts however, the closer we came to sunset, the less casual we were able to act.

  “Do you think they’re almost here?” asked Rishawn, finally breaking our unspoken pact of not talking about them.

  I kicked the side of the canoe we were both laying in. “I don’t know. The note said they’d be here close to sunset. I’m pretty sure that’s right about now.”

  “Hm, yeah. So do you think she looks the same?”

  “Who, Nova?” I asked, having to remind myself that I might actually see my sister soon.

  “Yeah, or do you think she’s taller? Maybe she dyed her hair blue or gave herself a tattoo,” he suggested excitedly.

  As much as I appreciated his optimism, the idea of my younger sister giving herself a tattoo was not super comforting. “Mm, that doesn’t really sound like her. But, yeah, she probably got a bit taller since I last saw her.”

  “So what happened the last time you saw her anyway?”

  I looked up at him, recognizing the kindness in his face. “Eh, it was kind of a rough day.”

  “Well, I think we have time,” he said sarcastically, nodding toward the trees that Dodger and Mikayla were expected to walk through.

  “Hm. Well, He had gotten really angry over something I don’t quite remember. He had really violent temper and usually took it out on whoever was closest to Him that day. For whatever reason, Nova was closest to Him. But she was so little then…I knew that if He went after her, there was no way she would survive it.”

  “Did you always protect your sister like that?”

  “Yeah, well, the best I could. I tried to take it when I could so she didn’t have to.”

  “Hm. How’d you stay strong enough to keep takin’ it?”

  I felt tears begin to well up in my eyes. “It was her. My sister was the main reason I stayed alive.”

  “Wow. You guys must be really close, then.”

  “Yeah,” I said through my tears. “we were.”

  Before Rishawn could ask another question, a duck call echoed off the sides of our mountain. A surge of cold fear electrocuted my system and we fell dead silent. Rishawn and I looked at one another, both wondering if we heard the same thing.

  The air held still, with not so much as a wave stirring in the lake. The call came again. This was it, the warning cry we had been subconsciously waiting for.

  Rishawn and I jumped to our feet, raced to our gear, and grabbed everything we needed: camping knives, flashlights, our packs, and the map of the mountain. Fully equipped to help our team, we waited quietly for the duck call again.

  Quicker than we had grabbed our stuff, the call bounced off the trees again. Rishawn pointed into the dusk. “It came from there! Let’s go!”

  Without another word, we ran into the forest to find our friends. We knew Dodger would only use the duck call if someone had followed them back up the mountain. Was it the cops? Was Nova with them? Was Mikayla okay? Had we planned well enough to deal with something bad happening? Would they get taken before we could get to them?

  I could hear Rishawn’s breathing get louder the deeper we ran into the woods. My forehead began to sweat and I tried to keep track of what direction we were running in. The duck call bellowed again between the trees and night seemed to fall on us just as fast as we were running. I couldn’t yet tell where the call was coming from, but knew it sounded closer.

  Moments later, a tiny light flickered in the distance.

  “That has to be Dodger’s headlamp,” I called to Rishawn, who was still pacing far ahead of me. Because I was so focused on trying to see the light again, I didn’t see Rishawn jump to the side of our running path to avoid a ravine.

  Snap!

  A root fractured under my weight and I collapsed over the ledge of the cliff. The sleeve of my hoodie tangled into the broken root and kept me dangling above a canyon of catastrophe.

  I looked down, making out just enough of a rushing river to know that I was a few hundred feet above my death. My heart stopped and I let out a whimper of fear.

  My sleeve began to rip and I could feel my body growing heavier. I grasped for anything to hold me, but the rock wall was too smooth to latch onto and seemed to be taunting me for being so carelessness.

  Riiiiip!

  I could hear my sleeve giving out. Hyperventilating, I struggled to save myself. “No, no no, please.”

  Suddenly I felt pressure around my wrist and a tug on my arm. “Oh, no you don’t!” I looked up and saw Mikayla gritting her teeth, grunting to pull me up.

  “Mikayla!” I yelled thankfully.

  “C’mon, Sam! Pull yourself up already!” she demanded.

  I snapped back into action, shoving the edge of my shoe into a crevice of the rock wall to push myself toward my savior. We both groaned in pain, maxing out what little energy was left from our run toward one another. Using every muscle of my body, I helped Mikayla heave me back to land.

  “Oof!” we squawked in unison, knocking the wind out of ourselves. We laid on our backs panting, exhausted from my rescue.

  “Dang, girl,” Mikayla managed. “Why the hell you runnin’ so close to the ledge?!”

  I laughed, grateful to be alive. Propping myself up on my elbow while catching my breath, I turned to her. “Friend, you just saved my-“

  “All right, all right,” Mikayla said, cutting me off and rising to her feet. “we gotta go. The cops followed us up here, but I’m pretty sure Dodge threw off our trail.”

  I rested my hand in Mikayla’s, letting her pick me up off the ground. I wiped the dirt free from my outfit and looked at her again. Her face seemed softer this time.

  Taking a deep breath, I tried my attempt at gratitude again. “Thank you, friend.”

  She met me with a quiet gaze, tilted her chin upwards, then loosened her grip on her anger. �
��You’re welcome. Just don’t run so far from the group!”

  I paused, realizing that I had gotten distracted instead of making sure everyone was safe around me. It was an old survival instinct that I needed to update if I was going to keep protecting my new family. “You’re right, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to.”

  She scoffed and motioned to move on. “Whatevs. Sounds like the cops bounced. Let’s go see where the kids ended up.”

  “Okay,” I said, trying not to give away my excitement that we had shared a kind moment together.

  I let Mikayla lead, too afraid to ask what had happened. I assumed they hadn’t found Nova, or else she would have mentioned her by now. We walked briskly through the blanket of ferns, listening for any sign of our crew. I went over the fall in my head over and over again, shocked that I had been saved at the last minute. I wondered what would have happened to The Collective if I hadn’t made it. I wondered if Dodger would be okay on his own and if Theory would ever find out that I had been hurt.

  A loud whisper broke my train of thought. “Guys! Guys, over here!”

  I knew immediately it was Rishawn, relieved that he had somehow managed to stay quiet long enough to not be found by the cops. Mikayla and I meandered into the band of bushes where the group sat, undetected.

  Dodger was holding Rishawn and instantly perked up when he saw we were safe. “Sam! Are you guys okay?”

  Mikayla plopped beside Rishawn and rubbed his head. “Yeah, we a’ight. Miss thang over here tried to go mountain climbing on her own, though.”

  Dodger shot me a confused look. I rolled my eyes. “She’s joking. Everything’s okay.” Suddenly remembering I was mad at Dodger, I whispered to him. “Where the hell did you guys go? Why did you leave again without telling us?!”

  Before Dodger could respond, Rishawn tumbled into us. “Do you think the cops are gone? I’m hungry.”

  Dodger assessed our surroundings. “It’s dark now and I haven’t heard anything for-”

  As if to mock our sense of safety, a group of flashlights began to jitter in all directions in the distance. Dodger pushed all of us behind him and began to roll the bottoms of his pants up, preparing for a second run.

  “What do we do?” Rishawn panicked.

  “We can’t go back to camp. They’ll follow us there and tear it down. We have to go in another direction,” Dodger said, formulating a plan out loud.

  Mikayla’s eyes darted at me assertively. I looked back at her, knowing she wanted me to suggest we run to the secret place I had kept sneaking off to. There was no way I could give Theory’s secret away. I swallowed deeply, hoping it would slow my racing heart and magically make the cops go away for good.

  The flashlights continued to bounce and swipe through the trees, pressuring us to make a decision fast. Mikayla’s eyes burned into me further. I ran my fingers through my bangs, trying to organize the immediacy of the moment. As I lowered my hand, I heard the familiar squawk of a stellar’s jay.

  Scaaw!

  The group stopped panicking just long enough to collectively stare up at the bird that always seemed to visit when I needed it the most.

  Theory was calling.

  The footsteps of the cops grew closer and a light dashed across the top of Dodger’s head. There was no other choice.

  Rishawn pulled at Dodger’s sleeve. “You guys? Where do we go?!”

  Putting aside my fear, I zipped up my hoodie and leaned into the group. “Don’t worry, I know a place.”

  “Needing people is not a weakness. Forcing them into your needs, though, is.”

  -Theory

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  “Hello, everyone. My name is Theory,” she said, standing with her hands folded over one another.

  We were all still catching our breath, after having run through a pitch-black forest to escape the cops. When we finally happened upon Theory’s treehouse, the group was too worn out to ask me the barrage of questions I had been dreading, including why I had kept Theory a secret for so long. It wasn’t until she opened the door to find us all struggling for air that I was able to relax. I knew she would be able to handle the group better than I would.

  Naturally, Rishawn was the first to introduce himself. “Hi, I’m Risahwn! So, what kind of name is ‘Theory’? Did your mama give you that?”

  Theory laughed a bit. “Not quite. But you’re right, it is an interesting name. I like yours. Who gave that to you?”

  “My mama did, of course” he said, as if she had asked the silliest question imaginable.

  “Ah, I see. And,” she said, turning toward Dodger. “what is yours?”

  Dodger respectfully shook Theory’s hand. “My name is Dodger, ma’am. I, ugh, didn’t get my name from my mom either,” he said, doing his best to keep the joke going while staying polite. I was surprised at how gentlemanly he was being, never having seen him talk so kindly to an adult before.

  “Oh? That’s a fun name,” she said casually, as if I hadn’t told it to her a hundred times before. “Where did your name come from?”

  Dodger blushed and took his hand back. “It, ugh.” He cleared his throat nervously. “It’s what the social workers started calling me after I kept running away. It just kinda stuck.”

  “Well, I like it,” Theory said reassuringly.

  Dodger smiled bashfully. “Thanks.”

  “And who is this young lady?” Theory said, turning toward Mikayla while straightening her posture. I watched them stare into each other, as if they each sensed the other person’s strength. Theory folded her hands back together in front of her, silently dedicating herself to grace.

  Mikayla finally caved with a pithy one-worded answer. “Mikayla.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mikayla. I’m glad you made it here safely,” Theory replied, still holding her stance.

  “Miss Theory?” Rishawn butted in. “You got anything to eat? We were runnin’ here and I could really use a sandwhich or somethin’.”

  Theory laughed again. “Yes, of course, Rishawn. Why don’t you help me make food for everyone in the kitchen?”

  Rishawn immediately lifted his nose into the air, as if being invited to a royal gathering. “Yes, ma’am, I will.”

  Theory turned and walked to the kitchen, as Rishawn enthusiastically following behind her like an eager duckling. I chuckled to myself, never growing tired of his energy.

  “So, this lady’s cool?” Mikayla said, once we were all alone.

  “Yes, of course,” I said, almost offended that she would ask.

  “I’m just askin’. Not like I’ve ever been here before or anything,” she said defensively.

  I remembered how Mikayla got in new places, then reflected on how unsure I was when I, too, arrived at Theory’s for the first time. It offered me enough humility to soften my tone and reestablish our alliance. “She’s who I stayed with when I was waiting to meet Dodger at the Lake. She took really good care of me and,” I stopped talking, feeling humbled by what I was about to say.

  “And what?” Mikayla asked, annoyed that I had cut myself off.

  I took a deep breath and shrugged my shoulders. “And she saved my life.”

  Mikayla stood in silence for a moment, studying my expression. “Okay then, it’s safe.” And with that, she shuffled to a nearby couch and plopped down to rest finally.

  Dodger motioned his head at me, leading us to the other side of the room. “So is this where you’ve been hanging out?”

  A sense of guilt pinched at me. “Yeah. I tried to tell you when I first saw you, but there was so much going on and I got distracted. I’m sorry I didn’t bring it back up.”

  He looked at me with compassion. “It’s okay, Sam. I’m glad you were safe and found someone to take care of you. She seems really nice.”

  A feeling of warmth replaced the guilt inside. “Yeah, she is special. Thanks for being so nice to her. You were really polite.”

  Dodger bowed his head and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, yeah. I
mean, I guess it’s kind of like meeting your mom for the first time.”

  My eyes shot up at him as mixed feelings flooded my system. How could he tell that Theory and I were that close? Were we really that close? Did the rest of the group think the same thing? Theory had felt like a lot of things over the last couple of months: a good listener, a mentor, a teacher. But a mom? Maybe she had felt like that a little bit. Did she feel the same way about me sometimes, like I could be her kid? Eh, probably not. Not like I’d ever know, because she was too good at keeping boundaries. I should probably keep them, too, by moving on.

  “Hm, well, I’m sure she was impressed by you. Everyone always is,” I said, reaching for a reply.

  Dodger and I smiled sweetly at one another before Rishawn burst back into the room. “Who wants a sammich?!”

  “Right here,” said Mikayla, already half asleep on the couch. Rishawn passed out our dinner, and then hopped up next to his cousin.

  Theory then followed, handing a cup of tea to Rishawn, per his request. He leaned comfortably into the back of the couch, nonchalantly holding it to his mouth. I watched him intently, waiting for his reaction. Seconds later, he sprung into a seated position and looked directly at me with eyes wider than the plates that held our sandwiches. I tried to hold in my laughter, knowing that his cup had magically refilled with tea, the way mine had my first night here. I smiled at him, holding my finger to my lips before anyone else could figure out what we were laughing at. “Shhh.” He nodded, still looking shocked, trying to lean back into the couch covertly.

  Mikayla came to life after eating, and began retelling the story of how she saved me from the edge of a cliff. We all laughed at her reenactment, each adding our own embellishments to the story of how we got here. Theory sat stoic and attentive, smiling occasionally at our dramatic account of danger. If it wasn’t for the light of a nearby candle, I would have missed the sadness that suddenly fell over her face.

  “Well, guys. I’m spent. I gotta knock out,” Dodge said, finally pulling the reigns in on the stories we all knew we could talk about forever.