TRUST
A Story of
the Earthshaker Series
By: Adrianne Lemke
Nights
on the street were long, filled with fitful sleep and flinching back to hide in
the shadows anytime footsteps came near. It had been several months, and still
the sleeping conditions wore on me. Anyway, it didn't matter how bad it got out
here, there was no way I was going back to my father.
The
little sleep I did manage was filled with nightmares of what he’d put me
through, and the freshly healed scars on my arms bore evidence of what I was
willing to do—even at the age of thirteen—to get away.
My
ability to track people’s footsteps helped turn my desire for solitude and
safety into a reality, and I’d had few problems with the other street dwellers.
There were only a few I bothered to talk to, and of them I trusted none. After
my first time at a shelter, when a nosy worker had tried to pry into my past to
find my parents, I had refused to enter another. There was no doubt in my mind
that my father would kill me if he ever found me.
The
person I came closest to trusting was a girl my age, named Ally, who lived near
an alley I frequented. We’d met only a few weeks after I’d run away, and she
often snuck food out of her house for me, never telling her parents about the
runaway boy she was helping.
Whenever
my nights got really bad, instead of staying in an alley I’d sneak into her
playhouse to sleep. Tonight was one of those nights. Gang initiations were on
in full-force, and I’d been warned away from the streets by several of the
other homeless people staying in the same area. I risked injury or death if I
tried staying on the streets. Even sleeping in Ally’s playhouse I only slept in
short bursts, concerned I’d be discovered whenever her parent’s footsteps
echoed through the dirt floor. I relaxed only when they finally went inside,
and I opened one of the pink plastic shutters so Ally would know I was there.
Several
hours before dawn, when I knew it was too early for anyone in the house to be
awake, I woke to the feeling of unfamiliar footsteps treading quietly through
the yard. The steps disappeared into the house, and I assumed they were welcome
since they hadn't had any trouble getting in. Ally had mentioned an older
brother who was in college, and I’d never seen him, so it could be that he was
home for a break.
Or so I
thought up until those same footsteps reappeared, the treads going deeper into
the earth casting more solid prints. When I looked out the tiny playhouse
window, the struggling and scared girl in the man’s arms proved me wrong. Her
frightened eyes cast desperately around the yard for help, finally landing on
the open shutter where I was hidden from view. She wouldn't be able to see me,
or even know if I was awake because it was too dark. And I knew there was
nothing I could do to help her without getting in trouble myself, so I put my
hand onto the dirt in the playhouse, concentrating on the shadow man’s
footsteps as he carried my only friend away from her home.
I stood
only when I had the prints memorized. For the time being I was unsure how the
knowledge would be useful, but maybe at some point I’d be able to help. The
first thing I could do, now that the shadow man was out of the yard was to
inform her parents that she was gone without them getting to curious about the
boy who’d been sleeping in their backyard.
I crept
cautiously out of the little house, keeping constant contact with the ground to
make sure no one was approaching. Then I made my way to the backdoor, noting
the open window as I hesitantly approached. Taking a deep breath I pounded
loudly on the door several times, yelling, “HEY!” until someone finally opened
the door. It was Ally’s dad, looking quite upset and I flinched away from the
anger on his face. I stood, cowering under his anger as I told him, “Someone
just took Ally! They went that way,” I pointed off to the left of the house
through the neighbor’s yard.
He
didn't bother asking questions, but only rushed back into the house. I assumed
to check Ally’s room, but I didn't stick around. The only thing that scared me
more than what had happened to Ally was getting sent back to my father when the
police got involved.
It was
hours later, and I felt footsteps approaching the alley where I was sleeping. I
rolled as far under the dumpster as I could get, hoping the dark and grime
would keep people from looking. The hope was in vain as a woman’s head peered
under the dumpster. “You can come out,” she said gently. “No one is going to
hurt you. I just have a few questions.”
I stayed
pressed against the wall and she sat next to the dumpster waiting. “Your friend
Ally needs you to be brave,” she said after a moment. “Her father has seen you
around and knows you would not hurt her. No one blames you for anything. What’s
your name?”
My name
was James, in my previous life. But I wanted no connection to that so I whispered.
“Jason.”
“Jason,
it’s nice to meet you. I’m Alice. I’m a police officer, and I want to help your
friend. Will you help me?”
I rolled
out from under the dumpster, my clothes sticky and stained and my hair too long
and tangled. “I didn't see them,” I said quietly, not looking at the detective.
“But I can find them again.”
A quick
glance at her face showed her confusion, and possibly some concern for the
missing girl. “Jason, why don’t you come with me and we can get something to
eat while you tell me how you can find them again.”
I backed
away quickly, shaking my head. “Easy, kid. I’m not going to hurt you. Just tell
me, was life at home so bad that this is better?”
For the
first time I met her eyes with mine. “Yes.” Her look softened and she said, “I won’t
try to get you to tell me anything you don’t want to. You don’t need to worry
about me sending you back there. Just let me find you some nicer clothes and
get you a meal in exchange for your help.”
My eyes
narrowed suspiciously. “You’re a cop. Don’t you have to call social services
about runaways?”
“If
they’re a danger to themselves or others,” Alice answered. “Are you?” when I
shook my head she nodded. “That’s the feeling I got. Ally’s dad followed her
once and saw you with her. You’ve never tried to do anything to harm her or to
steal anything from their home or yard when you’ve stayed there. Jason, will
you come with me?”
My mouth
turned up in a half-smile, and I nodded slowly. “You won’t believe me,” I
warned.
She
smiled warmly as I followed her out of the alley. “You let me worry about
that.”
Strangely,
she wouldn’t let me say anything until she’d found me a pair of jeans that
wasn’t full of holes and stained, and a long-sleeved T-shirt that was
lightweight enough for the warm weather. She’d tried to steer me to the short
sleeves, but I refused. She’d accepted that I wasn’t a danger to myself or
others. If I wore the T-shirt, she’d be proven wrong about one of those.
We
stopped at a deli, and she made me get vegetables on my sandwich. “You’re on
your own a lot, kid,” she said. “I just want to make sure you don’t get sick.”
Her
actions were confusing. I’d never had an adult take care of me this way, and I
wasn’t really sure how to respond, so I went along with it wordlessly. We
walked out in the park after eating and I knelt along the path. I was about to
show her what I could do to help her find Ally.
“Officer
Alice,” I said when she stayed on the path. “I need to show you how I can help.
It’s the only way you’ll believe me, but first you need to promise you won’t
tell.”
“Tell
who?” she asked.
“Anyone.
Don’t tell anyone.” I waited for her nod. My hands shook as I prepared to give
away my secret to a near-stranger, but I took a deep breath and plunged my hand
through the ground until it was wrist deep. The detective was watching
intently, already showing her disbelief before I poured energy through my hand
into the dirt, a few feet away the dirt began to move and it formed the words:
I AM A TRACKER.
Her eyes
widened in shock while she watched the hardened earth move around seemingly on
its own, and the look changed to one of confusion as she read what I’d written.
She opened her mouth, most likely to ask what a Tracker was, when I felt the
footsteps of one of the guys who’d grabbed Ally. “Officer Alice, he’s here. One
of the bad guys is here!” I wanted to run, but she knelt by me.
“How do
you know?”
“I feel
his footsteps. He’s close. Standing in the park over by the bathrooms. I think
he’s a big guy, the footsteps are heavy.” I closed my eyes to concentrate.
“He’s stomping around, but he seems off-balance, drunk and angry,” I shivered.
“He wants to hurt someone.”
Alice
looked at me in confusion. “How can you tell all that?”
I
winced, but answered, “His steps feel like my father’s after a bad day at
work.” Hopefully she’d leave it at that.
“Come
with me, but stay hidden. I need you to tell me which person it is, and then
I’m going to get him, okay?” I nodded and followed her, concentrating on the
man’s steps as we went, changing her direction as needed. “He’s there,” I said,
pointing to the large man pacing outside the maintenance shed next to the
bathroom. I concentrated harder. “There’s someone moving in the shed,” I told
her. “I can’t tell who.”
The
detective wanted to ask me questions, but she waved me down, and I crouched
behind a garbage can. “Excuse me,” Alice called. “Crandal County police, do you
work here?” the man nodded and she continued. “I got a call about suspicious
activity over here, and I was wondering if I could take a look in the shed…”
before she finished speaking the man began to run, but she was too fast, and
somehow had him down on the ground within a few moments.
My eyes
were wide as I watched her place handcuffs on him, making him lie on his
stomach in the grass. She got on her radio and called for backup, specifically
requesting someone named Dan. She stood outside the shed, making sure the big
guy stayed quiet as she waited for more police. “Stay down,” she warned when I
tried to join her. “I can’t go in without backup,” she spoke quietly.
“No one’s
moving in there anymore,” I told her quietly from my hiding spot. She nodded
and motioned for me to keep quiet. It took only a few minutes for a couple men
in uniforms to join the detective outside the shed, none of them seemed aware
that I was there. They pushed the door open, using a key detective Alice had
found on the big guy and rushed in.
I
waited, barely breathing as I hoped to hear good news about my friend. They
emerged, backing out of the shed as a man appeared, holding a gun to Ally’s
head. Everyone was shouting while she was crying and I stood, unable to stay
hiding while my friend was in distress. “Ally!” I yelled. I felt a rush of
energy and knelt down behind a tree, pounding the ground and aiming my anger at
the man holding Ally. The packed down dirt under his feet growled and shifted
and the man stepped back, waving his gun away from Ally’s head as he tried to
keep his balance, I shifted the ground once more and he dropped the gun,
falling backwards with Ally still in his grip.
The
officers rushed him, Alice grabbed Ally out of his arms and held her, murmuring
into her ear quietly. I stayed down while the guy got arrested and both men
were loaded into police cars. Alice joined me by the tree, watching with me as
an ambulance crew checked Ally. “You saved her life, Jason. Thank you for
leading me here.”
“I made
him fall,” I said in confusion. “I’ve only moved that much once before, it made
my father really mad, and he didn’t even know I’d done it.” I tried to stand,
but I swayed and almost fell. She caught me.
“Do you want to sleep in a bed tonight, Jason? I think
you deserve to after what you’ve done, and maybe you can explain to me how you
were able to do that.”
I shook
my head, “I can’t. It just happens. You really won’t make me go back to my
father?”
“What
did he do?” she asked quietly.
“We
disagreed on how I should be raised, so I left. I’m not going back,” I stuck my
lip out stubbornly, and tried to hide how anxious and fearful I was to be sent
back to him.
She
watched me closely for a moment, probably seeing more than I wanted her to, and
she sighed. “I won’t make you. Come on,” she said. “You can stay at my house
tonight. My sister will be home today, since it’s a Saturday. I’ll leave you
with her while I finish up my report at work.”
“You
won’t tell, right? You promised.” She shook her head and crossed her heart. “I
won’t tell anyone unless you say I can.”
When we
got to her car a man approached. “Alice,” his voice was deep and booming,
softening slightly when he noticed me. “Who’s this?” he asked. I looked between
him and Alice my eyes widening fearfully as I pivoted away from them and ran. I
didn’t stop when Alice tried to call to me, and I kept running until I got to
my spot under the dumpster. His voice and his build, he was my father all over
again. I cowered under the dumpster, breathing frantically and hugging my
knees.
A man
approached the alley several hours later, and I recognized the steps as those
of Ally’s father. “Are you in here?” he called softly. “She said you helped
save her. Jason?”
I rolled
slowly out from my hiding spot. “Thank you for helping my little girl.”
“Is she
okay?” I asked softly, slightly more confident due to his soft tone and the
lack of aggression.
“Scared,
and a little bruised, but she’s going to be okay,” he said. “I brought you a
few sandwiches. If there’s anything else you need within the next couple weeks,
just ask. I should tell you, we’re moving after that.”
My eyes
filled with tears that I wouldn’t allow to fall. My only friend was leaving.
“I’m good. Thank you for the sandwiches.”
His hand
hovered over my shoulder and I tensed and took a step back, so he backed off.
“Anything at all, son. Just name it.”
“Let me
say goodbye to her before you leave,” I said, not meeting his gaze. “Please.”
“Of
course. I have a blanket in the car…”
I shook
my head. “Someone will take it. Thank you.” He nodded and awkwardly left the
alley. If only my father had been as kind, I never would have left. It wasn’t
fair. Why did some kids get nice attentive parents while I ended up with a
monster to run and hide from? What had I done wrong that my own father hated
me, only touching me in punishment and a twisted version of love? My shoulders
hunched and I sat against the wall, tears quietly streaming down my face.
Several
minutes later, after my tears had dried, Alice showed up. “Jason, are you okay?
You rushed off in such a hurry,” she sat where she’d been when I first met her.
“I’m
okay.”
“That
man by the car is a detective. His name is Dan, and he won’t harm you any more
than I would. He’d like to meet you, whenever you’re comfortable with it.”
I shook
my head frantically. “Just you. You helped me get Ally back.”
“You
helped us too. But you should know that was a big risk you took, shaking the
ground under someone holding a gun. He could have pulled the trigger.”
“But he
didn’t,” I said defensively.
Shaking
her head she agreed. “This time. Just keep it in mind for the future. If I ask
you to lead us to someone, and you agree to help, I don’t want you to use
your…ability like that. It might make others realize what you can do, and I may
not be able to protect you.”
“Thank
you, Alice,” I said. “Is the bed offer still available?” I asked shyly, taking
only quick glances at her face.
“If you
want it,” she said with a nod. I nodded and followed her out of the alley. She
held out her hand, and I allowed her to take my hand in hers. “Remember, Jason.
If you need anything, you can ask me, and if you ever see anything that would
require police involvement, get in touch. I’ll try my hardest to show up
whenever you need me.”
I wasn’t
sure how to respond so I allowed her to lead me to her car and take me home. “I
will,” I told her quietly. “I trust you.”
Great short story!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
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