by Craig Smith
if he was okay. Just as Gunter put his lunch box back in his bag Siswe came up to him.
“Gunter, I have to speak to you.” Siswe seemed to be worried about something and looked over his shoulder as if someone was watching him.
“For sure, Siswe, what would you like to talk about?”
Siswe looked at Fred and Ryan. He would sound crazy to them he was sure of it, but he had to at least warn him. “You remember when we were at the mall?”
“Yes?”
“And we were looking at that bike through the window?”
“It was a nice bike, what about it?” Gunter was confused. What was Siswe getting at?
“While we were looking at it, someone I know saw us...” Siswe didn’t know how to say what he had to say without sounding strange. The bell rang and everyone started wandering off to their classes.
“And?” Gunter was very curious.
“Come, Gunter, we have to go. We have Mr. Haversham now and you know how upset he gets if anyone is late!” said Ryan.
“I know, best not to keep him waiting,” replied Gunter. He really wanted to hear what Siswe had to say, but he knew if he was late the teacher wouldn’t scold him as much as another student. He didn’t want it to look like he was getting special treatment, which some of the teachers and students seemed to be giving him. “Siswe, I so want to hear your story, but is it alright if we continue this during next break?”
“Okay. Meet me here?”
“No problem.”
Gunter stood there for a moment more as he reached down and picked up his bag. As he did so it gave him a really good view of the back of Siswe’s retreating neck. He saw a tattoo he had seen before. It sent a chill through his body. It was the same tattoo he had seen on the man that had shot him. The man that had terrified him. The man who haunted his nightmares. Was Siswe a part of the same gang the hijacker was in? Could Siswe even be the man who had shot him?
He felt a hand grab his shoulder. He almost jumped out of his skin.
“Hey!” said Ryan. “You okay?”
Gunter nodded.
“Cool, we had better go, Mr. Haversham’s class is on the other side of the school.”
“Yes,” replied Gunter simply. Was Siswe just playing him for something? Were they afraid he might identify the man who shot him? Was this gang really that big that they had members in schools too? He couldn’t stop the questions from popping up in his mind. He only had a couple hours before break to figure what he was going to do.
11:45am
Siswe sat in his Geography class hardly paying attention to what the teacher was saying. He couldn’t get Jacobs and yesterday’s frightful events out of his mind. It was halfway through the lesson when he heard a sound he had heard before. It sounded like a familiar car engine. He wracked his brains trying to remember where he had heard it before. An image of Jacobs beckoning him into a car passed through his mind. It was that beat up Nissan Jacobs had used, the vehicle sounded just like it. He looked out of the window. He couldn’t see anything resembling the Nissan. Was it his mind playing tricks on him? Or was Jacobs looking for him? Either way he was troubled. He couldn’t wait until second break to be able to confess to Gunter.
The teacher was just about to tell them something when the intercom came on. It was the principal. He was known for his formal way of speaking.
“Good afternoon, students of Heathwood High School. I have the great honor to announce that Meredith Kutcher a respected author and motivational speaker is here today to give us a speech, but unfortunately due to her very busy schedule and time constraints her speech will be held during second break.”
Everyone in the class groaned.
“I know this might be an inconvenience to some of you, but we as a school, our own little community, can’t let up the chance to hear this special woman speak. It’s just too much of a great opportunity to miss, but rest assured that you will be given ten minutes before her speech in the hall to eat your lunch. No littering or rude behavior will be tolerated. I expect to see you all in the hall on time, no excuses will be accepted.”
Siswe’s head sunk. There was always something getting in his way. Maybe he would be able to get a spot next to Gunter in the hall and tell him then. He just hoped that he would be able to explain things to Gunter without scaring him or making things worse than they already are.
12:00pm
The hall slowly filled up. Gunter could hear a lot of complaining. The students were unhappy about their break being taken away. He didn’t mind it himself. At least he wouldn’t have to see Siswe. Part of him wanted to talk to him and find out about the tattoo, but the other part of him remembered the intense pain and the nightmares that had plagued his mind the last few nights. Somehow he was going to have to sort it out, but he wasn’t sure how. He would have to talk to James and Mary about it. They would know what to do. Once he was in the hall, and his eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting inside; he spotted Siswe on the other side of the hall searching for something or someone. Gunter hid behind Ryan’s considerable bulk. Ryan frowned when he noticed this, but didn’t say anything.
They all sat down. The principal came on stage. He was a middle-aged balding man, who seemed to wear a suit one size too small for him, but this didn’t seem to phase him at all. He was oozing with confidence and seemed to give a look that made it clear that if anyone stepped out of line during this speech they would get into serious trouble.
Gunter leaned forward, and looked to the left. He could see Siswe on the other side of the hall. Gunter moved back before Siswe could spot him. A woman in her early thirties came out on to the stage. She wore a peach colored dress suit and what looked like a forced smile on her face, as if talking to mere children was beneath her. She also wore a huge hat, that was covered in flowers.
“Looks like a right stuck up cow,” commented Ryan. Gunter and a few others sniggered. He knew it was rude, but that was the sort of impression he got from the woman as well. A teacher at the end of their line gave them a stern look. They all quickly closed their mouths, and tried their best to look as if they were paying attention to what was being said, which was a very hard thing to do because her voice was a dull drone. Gunter thought that the only thing she could motivate you to do was to fall asleep.
2:10pm
Siswe was very worried. He hadn’t seen Gunter since first break and now it was ten minutes past the last bell. He wondered if he said or done anything to Gunter to upset him. He wanted to look for Gunter, but he was still stuck in class. One of the kids had a made a fool of himself and everyone had to stay an extra ten minutes. Once the teacher finally let them go Siswe came rushing out of the room, and almost knocked someone over as he made a mad dash for the front of the school. He heard one of the teachers shout his name, but he didn’t stop. Something told him he had to find Gunter and find him fast. He finally reached the front of the school.
Through the crowd of milling students he could see Gunter getting into a car. He sighed when he saw that his friend was getting in to a car with Amy and what looked like Fred and their mother. At least he knew they were safe for now. He checked the rest of the street; there didn’t seem to be a battered Nissan anywhere and there were no other suspicious cars he could see either. With confidence that Gunter and his exchange family were safe for today, he made his way to the side of the school where his uncle normally picked him up. He made a promise to himself that he would get to school as early as possible the next day so that he could explain the whole thing to Gunter.
He opened the taxi’s door. “Hello, Uncle.” He plopped down in the comfy seat. He was relieved that the day was almost over and he could get some rest.
“I’m not your uncle,” said a voice he knew all too well. Jacobs turned around with a big grin on his face. He sat in the driver’s seat.
“What have you done with my uncle!” screamed Siswe.
“Chill...” Jacobs brought out his gun and pointed it at him. “He’s alive, for now.”
“What do you want?”
“Shut up.” Jacobs leaned over and smacked Siswe clean across the face. It stung like burning fire. “Do you think you can call the police on my place and get away with it?”
“I...”
“They tore the place a part. Everything I own is now ruined because of you! I can’t go back there now, they will be looking for me,” Jacobs spat. “And now I’m going to ruin your perfect little life. I’m going to make you wish you had never been born.”
Siswe was in full panic mode. He tried to go for the door, but Jacobs cocked his gun and placed it against Siswe’s head. “Make a move and you’re dead, and besides you don’t want me to kill your girlfriend do you?”
“My girlfriend?” asked Siswe perplexed. The door forgotten. Was Jacobs on drugs? More than likely he guessed, but even he should know he didn’t have a girlfriend. He heard some muffled sounds behind him. Siswe turned around. Melody was tied and gagged and the guy he had seen with Jacobs in the mall was holding her. He had a gun in his hand too.
She looked at him with huge eyes. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. Her eyes were pleading with him to save her. Even though she had treated him badly so many times before, there was no way she deserved to be treated like this.
“Leave her alone!” blurted out Siswe. “She has nothing to do with this!”
By the anger that flared up on Jacobs’s face he knew he