Planet Urth Boxed Set

by Jennifer Martucci

  Somehow, they witnessed her shove the fifty dollar bill into her pants pocket. John DeNardi offered his thoughts first.

  “Well, I guess it’s safe to bet what she got that for,” he began.

  “Yeah,” Eric chimed in. “I guess fifty is the going rate for a roll in the sack with her.”

  “Huh, so sad though, that she has to resort to turning tricks during school hours,” John continued, raising his voice.

  A few students began to gather. Melissa tried to push through and escape but could not penetrate the unwilling crowd. A hostile audience had assembled and was enjoying the show again. Inspired by the spectators, Eric and John continued.

  “Yeah, man. I guess her daddy doesn’t make enough stacking bananas or whatever it is he does over at the A & P. His little girl has to work during school days instead of just on weekends,” Eric mocked.

  Cruel laughter sounded from the growing mob. Melissa felt the customary nausea that accompanied each encounter with Kevin or his followers. The group crowded her, encircled her in a ring of ridicule. She attempted desperately to break the circumference of the gatherers, but was denied access.

  “Who’d you bang today, Melissa, a student, or have you moved on to the faculty?” John taunted.

  “Leave me alone!” Melissa shouted as she frantically strained a second time, pressing to pass through the fringe of onlookers.

  Undeterred, they persisted.

  “Aww. So sensitive. I didn’t think your kind was so thin-skinned,” Eric derided.

  “Yeah, I thought dirty whores were tough, like they are in the movies,” John insulted.

  “Just let me through!” Melissa screamed on the verge of hysteria.

  ***

  As Gabriel returned from his locker and preemptive meeting with his instructor, he paused at the top of the stairwell. He checked his cell phone to see if there were any messages from Dr. Terzini. There were none. As he placed his foot on the first tread, he heard a voice; Melissa’s voice. It was shrill and distressed. His body immediately and inexplicably responded to her cries sending a surge of adrenaline through him. It activated every cell in him. He ran down the three flights of steps with dexterity and ease, descending them at full speed three at a time.

  Reaching the last step then finally the landing, he ran and rounded the corner of the vestibule. He immediately saw the large group that had formed. In the center of the chaos, Eric Sala and John DeNardi stood.

  “Hey!” Gabriel yelled as he approached the horde. He knew who was at the center enduring their verbal brutality before he even saw her. Melissa, fragile, vulnerable and with tears streaming down her face, was cowed before them.

  Enraged, he screamed, “What tough guys! Picking on a hundred-pound girl!” as he shoved past the outer-edge of the crowd. Gabriel stepped up to Kevin Anderson’s two disciples.

  Toe to toe, with his face just inches from theirs, he growled, “This ends here!”

  Gabriel’s intensity and posturing forced both Eric and John to instinctively back away.

  “Let’s do this right here right now!” Gabriel confronted.

  Eric and John, stunned, offered no response. Stifled and silenced, they stood shiftlessly.

  Talking through clenched teeth, Gabriel challenged and spread his arms, “What, nothing to say now, you friggin’ cowards?”

  Still, neither Eric nor John spoke.

  “Where’s Kevin?” Gabriel demanded once again. “I am ending this, with all of you, today, right now!”

  John and Eric remained quiet and gestured, rather, to the double doors at the rear of the hallway that led to the back parking lot. As they did so, the mob that gathered to witness Melissa’s verbal bashing began to break up. Unflinching, Gabriel glowered at the set of followers. Most squirmed with discomfort before lowering their gazes to their feet and turning to walk away.

  “I will see you both in the parking lot,” Gabriel resolved, addressing John and Eric.

  To Melissa Gabriel asked concernedly “Are you okay?”

  When she answered him, her voice was overwrought and quavering. “Let’s just get out of here.”

  “No! I am ending this now!”

  “Please Gabriel, just let it go.”

  “I can’t let it go. It’s not going to stop. It’ll keep getting worse.”

  “Please!” Melissa begged as she trailed Gabriel down the hallway.

  Although Gabriel suffered at hearing her emotional appeals, he knew he must not be swayed. He recognized the necessity of confronting Kevin in front of his followers. He needed to be shamed the way he and his friends continually attempted to shame Melissa; he needed to agonize as she had over his many abuses.

  Rallied further by his irate thoughts, Gabriel slammed open the metal doors and stalked out into the rear parking area.

  Across the lot, he had a clear view of Kevin holding court beside his sleek Infiniti G37 Sport Coupe, likely regaling a group of his adoring peers with tales of his many sports-related achievements: game winning touchdowns, expertly executed three-point basketball shots and complex wrestling maneuvers.

  Smiling smugly as he spoke, revealing his signature set of blinding-white teeth along with his trademark solitary dimple on his right cheek, Kevin seemed to hold his audience spellbound. He gestured vigorously as he addressed them, giving emphasis to his every account. Every gaze remained fixed on him.

  The group of eyes veiled by adulation for Kevin proved beneficial for Gabriel. It gave him an advantage. Kevin’s admirers did not take notice of his advancement toward them; they did not warn him.

  Utilizing the benefit of surprise, Gabriel strode with confidence and purpose as anger coursed through his veins. But he did so unnoticed. As he drew near, Kevin, as if possessed by his bloated and distorted sense of worth, did not even bother to look up until it was too late and Gabriel was before him.

  “Hey, Anderson!” Gabriel shouted. “I thought I told you to leave Melissa alone!”

  A faint expression of surprise flashed across Kevin’s face before he regained his composure and retorted. “Let your little whore fight her own battles.”

  Hearing Kevin supplant Melissa’s name with such a revolting euphemism evoked a resurgence of rage in Gabriel. He longed to release his wrath on Kevin, to free the contempt he’d carefully harnessed at their last encounter in the woods.

  “You better watch what you say about her, Kevin!” Gabriel warned.

  “Yeah, what’re you gonna do about it asshole?” Kevin challenged.

  Gabriel could tell it was fake confidence. He could see sweat trickle down from his hairline and the wild pulsation of his carotid artery. Gabriel assumed Kevin was hoping he would not accept his challenge.

  “You want to settle this right here? Let’s go!” Gabriel accepted.

  “Go away, Gabriel,” Kevin said. “Don’t make a fool of yourself. You’re not catching me off-guard now like you did at the bonfire.”

  The mention of the bonfire, the night when Kevin drugged Melissa and struck her repeatedly and tried to rape her, was all Gabriel needed to incense him.

  “If by off-guard you mean when I interrupted you attacking a defenseless girl you were trying to rape, then yeah, you were off-guard! I’m not going anywhere! This ends right here, right now!” Gabriel contested.

  Gabriel remained, readied to jump at the first sign of aggression. With his shoulders squared, and feet planted, every muscle in his body yearned to attack. He listened intently and waited for Kevin to accept his challenge, and act.

  “No, man. Another time, another place,” he faltered. “Don’t embarrass yourself. You’re new here. I’ll give you a pass. Just go inside.”

  Gabriel scrutinized Kevin as he spoke. His calm façade was just that. Gabriel guessed he was not the only one able to see past the thinly veiled fear imprinted on his every feature. He decided to exploit his opponents dread.

  “What’s the matter, Kevin? All talk? Are you afraid or something?” Gabriel taunted. “We both know wh
at would happen if we fought again, the same thing that happened at the bonfire. I’d kick your ass again like the little punk you are!”

  “Shut up asshole!” Kevin whined.

  “Why don’t you come over here and shut me up! I’m standing right here!” Gabriel outstretched his arms. “Come on Kevin. What are you waiting for?”

  It did not surprise Gabriel when Kevin did not move toward him. Predictably, Kevin just stood, astonished, unable to speak.

  “Nothing to say now Anderson? Cause all you’ve done for the last few days is run your mouth about how you were jumped, how I, alone, couldn’t have messed you up like I did while you tried to rape Melissa in the woods! Well, put your money where your mouth is!” Gabriel shouted. “Let’s go! Right here right now! Prove to everyone what a badass you really are!”

  Still, Kevin remained silent.

  “Oh! That’s right. I forgot. If I were a drugged and defenseless girl, you’d be all over me. But I’m not, am I?”

  The crowd that moments ago stood captivated by Kevin Anderson, began to slowly distance themselves from him. Gradually, the pack started to thin as onlookers became painfully aware that Kevin would not answer Gabriel’s challenge.

  “See Kevin, even the sheep who worship you here are seeing that you’re not just a coward but a liar!” Gabriel yelled.

  Kevin’s posture degenerated right before Gabriel’s eyes. Instead of standing proudly erect before a captive of audience, he slouched alone. With rounded shoulders, he hunched slightly. His hands were now stuffed in the front pockets of his jeans.

  More students departed. Some muttered negative comments about Kevin as they passed. His self-serving anecdotes would no longer have the potency they did earlier. Kevin had been humbled, shamed.

  Gabriel suppressed a triumphant smirk as he witnessed the effectiveness of his public chastisement of him. Kevin turned toward the driver’s side door of his black sports car and, careful to not meet Gabriel’s stare, climbed in. After starting the engine, he shifted into gear and accelerated quickly. Dirt kicked up and scattered as his tires spun. He left, unceremoniously, quickly.

  Gabriel watched as Kevin sped off before turning to Melissa who had nervously witnessed the entire scene unfold.

  Half-expecting Melissa to turn and run from him, Gabriel was pleasantly surprised when she approached him and wordlessly wrapped her arms around him

  Chapter 10

  After a long day at school that included three tests and a confrontation with Kevin Anderson, Gabriel was glad to leave. He regretted that he could not drive Melissa home; that they could not spend time together. He needed to go home. Terzini would be expecting him.

  He reflected on the day as he drove, losing himself in thought until he arrived at his driveway. As he traveled the length of the gravel-filled path, the Gothic Victorian came into view. The house, positioned against the waning daylight, looked menacing. Its many striking edges were not softened by the shades of gold and orange, but intensified. It loomed darker in contrast, each angle sharpened, every slope steepened. It stood, a blackened castle against a fairytale-hued canvas of colors, cold and dark, puncturing the warm and brilliant backdrop. Pulling up to the garage, Gabriel noticed that the interior lights were on. Terzini was there.

  Gabriel drove into the garage and turned off the engine of the Explorer. He remembered the last time his maker left the laboratory and visited the main house; the confrontation was fresh in his mind. Gabriel had already engaged in enough conflicts for one day. He did not need another.

  He climbed out of his SUV, laden with concern, and entered the house through a door that led to the laundry room. He crossed the laundry room to a flight of stairs. As he ascended the staircase, anxiety hailed his every step. He paused briefly to listen for sounds of activity. None were heard and he continued, unsure whether stillness was a good sign.

  Gabriel reached the top of the flight and stood before another door that opened to a hallway. The corridor led in one direction to a bathroom and the other to a formal living room and dining room. He listened again and still heard silence. The quiet was eerie, unsettling.

  Turning the knob and entering slowly, Gabriel did not see the geneticist at first. The bathroom door stood open, vacant. The formal dining room appeared unoccupied. Gabriel moved forward in search of what he could only imagine would turn out to be an unpleasant visit from Dr. Franklin Terzini. Surprisingly though, his maker was not seated on any furniture in the formal living room nor did he inhabit any corners in the room. He was nowhere in Gabriel’s field of vision. Perplexed, he remained where he was, in the center of the living room, wondering where exactly Terzini was.

  Finally, a man was heard clearing his throat from the kitchen. Surprised, Gabriel moved swiftly to the kitchen and entered only to find Terzini leaning against the granite countertop of the center island, one arm folded across his chest while the other feverishly stroked the lower half of his creased, scowling face. The petite genius appeared deep in thought and looked ill. His thick, neatly arranged jet-black hair provided a severe contrast against his skin that, even in the more forgiving glow offered by incandescent lighting, remained ashen, pallid.

  “Hello, Dr. Terzini, sir,” Gabriel said careful to not reveal his growing unease.

  His apprehension increased as Terzini did not reply right away. Rather, he waited, allowing his beady eyes to search Gabriel’s through wired-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. Inside, Gabriel felt tense, worried.

  Finally, after what felt like an endless period of scrutiny, his maker elected to speak.

  “Gabriel,” Terzini replied remotely.

  “Can I be of any service to you, sir?” Gabriel offered still fraught with questions about the unscheduled encounter.

  “Yes, Gabriel. You can,” Terzini began, enunciating each word with painstaking precision. “I am going out of town for a few days. I am leaving Friday afternoon and I will be returning Sunday evening.”

  “Yes sir,” Gabriel answered still unsure of where the conversation was headed.

  “I demand that you stay home. Do you understand me, Gabriel?”

  Suddenly, Terzini’s intention was clear; he feared rebellion. The bonfire incident had rattled him, made him distrustful of Gabriel.

  “Yes sir.”

  “You must remain here in this house, Gabriel. No bonfires, no skirmishes in the woods,” he commanded icily.

  “Yes sir,” was all Gabriel would allow himself to say. Feigning complete compliance was crucial.

  “I want to be very explicit with my instructions. There should be no confusion. My instructions are not subject to interpretation.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “I do not wish to be carted off at a ghastly hour of the night to the local police station to verify your fabricated identity.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “It is essential that I make my demands clear as we both know what the consequences will be for noncompliance, Gabriel,” Terzini warned bitterly as he stepped toward him.

  Involuntarily, Gabriel flinched when his maker advanced. His heart began to race and perspiration beaded his forehead.

  Terzini appeared satisfied with the response he evoked and retreated, leaning once more against the counter. Only this time, his usually unreadable countenance bore the slightest trace of self-contentedness, arrogance.

  Feeling his pulse rate return to normal and the tension releasing within him, Gabriel internally questioned what was happening to him. Melissa had evoked a similar physical response but it was accompanied by a pleasant fluttering sensation and heightened his senses; it roused and energized him. The phenomenon that occurred with Terzini’s advance was dissimilar. He felt paralyzed inside; dulled to his surroundings, save for the expression on his maker’s face.

  “Gabriel, do you understand what is required of you?” the geneticist questioned, his tone terse and impersonal in nature.

  “Yes sir. I do.”

  “Very well then, I will return
on Sunday sometime after five o’clock.”

  After Terzini stressed his expectations during his absence, he promptly left.

  Gabriel watched as his maker turned on his heels and strode out of the kitchen. The rhythmic clacking of his dress shoes could be heard echoing through the living room and dining room and down the flight of steps which led ultimately to the garage.

  Gabriel was shaken. Uncertain why his body responded as it did, he breathed deeply to steady himself. All the while he resisted the urge to call Melissa immediately and inform her that plans had changed; that he would have access to his car over the weekend. They would be free to be together. He opposed every compulsion that urged him to grab his phone and instead postponed texting Melissa with the good news until the sound of the garage door opening then closing could be heard. When both were heard, he immediately pulled his cellphone from the back pocket of his jeans and began texting.

  ***

  Daniella drove Melissa home from school. She was happy to spend some time with Daniella, but she missed Gabriel.

  As they sat at her kitchen table chatting, three beeps sounded from Melissa’s phone. A text message had been sent to her.

  Picking up her phone, Melissa was shocked to read the text message from Gabriel. It said that his father would be out of town for most of the weekend.

  They would not need to plan a double-date with another couple. They would not need to solicit favors from her friends. Gabriel and Melissa would go on an actual date. She was elated, overjoyed as she turned to Daniella and told her of the change of plans.

  “Daniella, you’re not going to believe this,” she began. “Gabriel just texted me. His dad is going out of town for the weekend!”

  “Get out! Really?”

  “You know what this means right?” Melissa asked but didn’t wait for her friend to answer. “He and I can go out this weekend, on a date!”