Saving Sky (4 page)

S
KY WAS UP ON THE
ladder, a net bag over her shoulder, stripping the last of the fruit from one of their apple trees. These were the hardest to reach, the ones they'd left for the birds.

This was a lot harder than the regular harvest. There was the endless climbing up and down, and scrambling among the branches, and moving the ladder from tree to tree—all for a few measly baskets of fruit. It didn't make sense. Their pantry was
filled
with apples and pears.

But Ana had insisted. Not everybody had an orchard, she'd said. Lots of people would be thrilled to have whatever they didn't need. She'd even told Mouse to cull the windfalls from the ground, looking for any that were only bruised, or only partially rotten. She would cook up the good parts and feed the mash to the horses.

By a little after three, they were finished with the picking, and the project moved indoors. Sky peeled, cored, and sliced the fruit while Mouse did her slow but meticulous best at arranging the slices on dryer trays. Ana presided over the stove, making applesauce and jam.

“Mom?” It was Mouse's worried voice.

“What, sweetie?”

“Will that family be okay?”

“I hope so. Daddy gave the lady his phone number. They can call if they need any more help. I doubt she will, though.”

“Why?”

“I don't know. It's just a feeling.”

“What about the man and the boy? Will that policeman put them in jail?”

“He wasn't a real policeman, Mouse. Just a security guard. I'm not sure he can even arrest people. Anyway, they didn't do anything wrong. And they had IDs; they're legal citizens.”

“He should have arrested the
other
man.”

“I know. It was very strange.”

There was silence for about a minute while Mouse thought this over. Then she started in with the questions again.

“Maybe we should call
them.
”

“We can't, baby. We don't have their number.”

Sky picked up the bowl of scraps and carried it out to
the compost bin. When she came back, Mouse was still at it.

“That man was so
mean
, Mom. I never saw anybody be that mean before.”

“He was crazy,” Ana said.

“But what about the other people? Were
they
crazy? 'Cause they were mean, too. They shouted all this bad stuff.”

Ana just nodded.

“Why did they do that?”

“Oh, Mouse, because they were scared, I guess. And worried. And they were looking for someone to blame. It's wrong, it's terrible; but people do weird things when they feel threatened. And once that man started picking on the family, the others just followed along.”

“That's stupid!”

“Yes, it is. Very stupid.”

“Is it…unusual? For people to act like that?”

“I think so.”

“Like an asteroid hitting the earth?”

“Not
that
unusual.”

“Mom?”

“
What
, Mouse?”

Suddenly Sky burst into tears. Leaning against the cupboard, she slid down and sat on the floor.

Ana turned off the flame under the jam and knelt beside her.

“Oh, sweetheart,” she said.

“It was horrible!”

“I know.”

“And I didn't do
anything
!”

“Of course not, precious. Nobody said you did.”

“No, you don't get it. I didn't do anything to
help
. I just stood there like a stupid lump and watched it all happen. I didn't do
anything
the whole time except try to make Mouse quit yelling.”

“Oh, Sky! That man was huge, and he was dangerous. Keeping Mouse quiet was the absolute right thing to do. You were protecting her. And you knew I had gone for help. Seriously—what else were you supposed to do? Come on, be reasonable.”

“I don't know. I should've stood up for them like Mouse did.”

Ana took her hand and kissed it. “You have a good heart, my dear. You make me proud.”

“I should have done something,” Sky said.

“I know. We all want to be braver and better than we are. That's how we keep growing.”

“You, and Dad, and Mouse—you all tried to help. But not me! Oh no, I was staying out of trouble. I just stood there, watching the cart like a stupid—”

“All right, then,”
Ana said. “What would you like to do?”

“Do?”

“As penance. If you
truly
believe you've done something wrong, and you
won't
listen to me, and you're
determined
to let this eat you up from the inside, then you need to do penance and get rid of the guilt.”

“I don't understand.”

“Do a kindness for someone. You can't do anything for that family from the store, but there's bound to be someone at school you could help.”

“Like with their homework?”

“No. I was thinking of something harder than that. Righting an injustice.”

Sky just stared at her, uncomprehending.

“What happened to that family today was wrong. It was an injustice.”

“I
know
that.”

“But you didn't have the power to stop it. You aren't strong enough to take on a big man like that. You would only have made things worse, and you might have gotten hurt. Mouse might have gotten hurt. But there are plenty of other injustices in the world. Choose one you can manage. Maybe there's someone at your school who gets picked on because he's different. You could stand up for him. That would be a good penance.”

“Like, who?”

“Well, how about Kareem?”

“Kareem?”

“Does he get picked on?”

“Yeah. Mostly by Gerald and his friends.”

“Do the teachers protect him?”

“Not as much as they should. And mostly Gerald does it when they're not around.”

“Well, there you are. Somebody needs to.”

“You set me up! You were thinking of Kareem all along. You said ‘
he
.'”

“True. His father said he was having a rough time. And Monday will be the first day back at school after the attacks. You saw how it was out there today. The kids'll be all stirred up, like the people at the store today. Kareem will need someone to watch his back. Do you think you could handle that?”

“Yes.” (Maybe. She hoped so.)

“Stick to him like glue. Make sure he's never alone. Get your friends to include him at lunchtime. Stand by him in the carpool line. And don't be afraid to call a teacher if things get out of hand.”

“Won't he think that's kind of weird? I hardly know him.”

“Would that be uncomfortable for you?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Good.” Ana smiled. “It should be. It's penance, after all. Now, do you mind if we get up off the floor?”

T
HE LIBRARY AT SCHOOL WAS
open and supervised from six in the morning till six at night, to accommodate parents' work schedules and minimize extra driving in an age of gas rationing. Sky liked being one of the “early birds.” It gave her time to finish her homework, or use the computer, or just hang out with her friends. It kind of got her geared up for the day.

She dropped her backpack at the usual table, where Stef and Graciela sat. “I'll be back in a minute,” she said. “I'm going to go talk to Kareem.”

He was an “early bird,” too, but he didn't join in with the other kids. He sat alone by the copy machine at the only table in the room with poor light and no view of the mountains.

“Why?”
Stef asked.

“I'm going to ask if he wants to join our lunch group. Do you mind?”

“I hate to repeat myself, but—
why
?”

“Because people are like sheep.”

Sky's friends were used to this kind of thing. As if pre-arranged, both Stef and Graciela folded their hands and waited patiently for the rest of it.

“See, after the attacks on Friday, everybody's all upset, and scared, and worried.”

“Yes?”

“And they're looking for someone to blame. And Kareem, you know—well, his parents came from
over there
. And so he's, like, a natural target.”

They nodded. Following her so far.

“Sheep,” Graciela reminded her.

“Oh. Well. All it would take is for one person to start something….”

“Like Gerald or Javier.”

“Exactly. And the others would just follow along, like sheep, even though they know it's mean and it doesn't make any sense. It could get really bad. I saw something this weekend. This poor family. It was really awful.”

“Come on, Sky,” Stef said, a little annoyed now. “You can be clear if you try really hard.”

Sky sat down and focused. “If we ask him to sit with us, then maybe the sheep will follow
us
instead. And if
they don't, and things get hairy, then at least he won't be alone.”

“She did it!” Graciela cheered.

“This is serious.”

“I know it is. You just make it hard not to laugh sometimes.”

“So, is it all right?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

Sky took a deep breath, summoned her courage, and went over there. She pulled out the chair directly across from Kareem and sat down.

“Hi,” she said.

He looked up from his book. She had hoped for a smile, but she didn't get one.

“What are you reading?”

He showed her the cover.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Some kind of science fiction apparently.

“Is that any good?”

“Yes.”

“You know what I really loved?
Anne of Green Gables.
” She paused. When he didn't respond, she rambled on. “Kind of a girl book, though. You might not like it.”

Oh, she sounded like such an idiot! But penance was supposed to be painful, wasn't it?

Kareem was gazing down at his hands, folded over the
closed book, one finger holding his place.

“That was terrible about the attacks,” she tried.

He looked up, troubled.

“Yeah,” he said.

“We went shopping on Saturday. It was really creepy.”

“Creepy?”

“Yeah. Like millions of crazy, panicked people buying everything they could get their hands on. We almost got trampled at Albertsons.”

“That
does
sound creepy.”

“You didn't go out?”

“No.”

Now they were back to the silence again. Sky figured she'd better just get to the point. “I was wondering if you'd like to eat with our lunch group. That's why I came over. You know Ben, right? Weren't you lab partners on that sponge thing? And you'll like Stef, she's funny. And Toby's sort of a nerd, but who isn't, right?”

Better to stop there, she decided, though she hadn't even gotten to Gillian or Graciela yet. Why did he make her so nervous?

Kareem, she realized, was smiling.

“Is this about Gerald?”

“What?”

“You saving me from Gerald again?”

“Oh. Well, sort of. I mean…”

He waited.

She bit her lip. “We would
very much like you to join us
.”

“Thank you,” he said. “I'd be glad to.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“Good.”

He thought she was weird. She could tell. She slid down in her chair a little, trying to look like a relaxed person.

They sat there for a while. He wasn't looking down at his book anymore, but he wasn't looking at her either. He was gazing out into space.

“Gerald's a real horse's you-know-what,” she said.

“Yes,” Kareem agreed, “he is.”

“He was like that in kindergarten.”

“You've known him for
seven years
?”

“Yup. And what a joy it's been.”

“So what was that about the hamster?”

“You heard that? Wow. Well, I wish I could tell you, 'cause it's a really good story. But my lips are sealed unless Gerald, you know, breaks his part of the deal.”

“That's very honest of you.”

“I'm an honest person.”

He just nodded at that and turned away again. Now he was studying the copy machine. She was picking up something odd about him, but she couldn't quite grasp it.

“Are you all right, Kareem?” she finally asked.

When he didn't answer, she decided to wait him out. It took a full two minutes and then some. She timed it by the clock on the back wall.

“No,” he said at last.

Her mouth was shaped for words, but nothing came out.

“My cousin was arrested last night,” he said.

I
N THE MIDDLE OF THIRD-PERIOD
English class, Sky's cell phone began to vibrate. She'd been carrying one since kindergarten, but she'd never gotten a call during school. There were strict rules about that sort of thing. Cell phones were for emergencies only. They were to be kept on vibrate and out of sight at all times.

Must be a wrong number. She held the phone under her desktop and checked.

Nope. The call had come from her mom. And that could only mean something serious: a family crisis or another attack. Ana would never interrupt her at school for anything less.

Sky raised her hand and asked to use the restroom. She could have just told the truth, said she needed to call her mom; but that would have provoked all sorts of questions,
and she didn't want to go there, or take the time.

“All right,” Mrs. Chavez said in an exasperated tone. “Just don't forget to come back.”

Sky tiptoed out of the room. It was a pointless gesture since there was nobody to disturb. The class had already stopped what they were doing to stare at her. By seventh grade you ought to be able to hold it till the bell rang. Or better still, plan ahead.

She hurried down the hall and out the front door. She found a spot on a shady bench and quickly returned the call. It only rang once.

“Sky—oh, thank God!”

A thrill of terror ran through her body. “
What
, Mom?”

“Do you know where Kareem is right now?”

That
was unexpected.

“He's in English.”

“Oh, honey…”

The tone of Ana's voice was alarming. She was clearly on the verge of tears, and she was not a weeper. Something really bad must have happened.

“Something terrible has happened,” she said.

“
What,
Mom?” This was freaking Sky out.

“Kareem's father was just arrested.”

“His
father
?”

“Yes. Right in the middle of surgery. They wouldn't even wait till we were finished! They sent in a replacement
anesthesiologist, said Hanif had to leave right away. Dr. Krohn sent me out there to see what was going on, and there were these two men…they had him in
handcuffs
. They just took him away, still in his scrubs. They didn't even let him change—”

“Mom—”

“Honey, please let me—”

“No, Mom—
Mom
! Listen to me! Kareem's cousin was arrested, too!”

“What?”

“Last night. In Houston.”

“Oh, heaven help us, this is insane. Somebody needs to tell Kareem. Maybe I should call the principal and let her handle it. I'm sorry, Sky; I'm not thinking straight. I shouldn't have dragged you out of—”

“Mom?”

“What?”

“The agents?”

“Yes.”

“Were they in a silver van? Tinted windows?”

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

“Yes.”

“Suits and ties?”

“Sky,
what
?”

“Just tell me. Suits and ties?”

“Yes.”

“Because I think that's them coming up the walk right now. Big muscles, not much hair? Real serious looking? One of them has a reddish mustache?”

There was a short pause. “Yes,” she finally said.

“What if they're here to arrest Kareem?

“No. Surely not.”

“His cousin's a college student. They arrested him.”

“Look, I don't know anything about the cousin, but I can't believe they'd arrest a child. They've probably come to tell him about his father. I mean, they'd have to do that—right?”

“I don't know, Mom. I have a really bad feeling about this. And they just walked in the door. There's not a whole lot of time.”

There was a pause while Ana thought it over. “You're right,” she finally said. “We need to do something. See if you can get him out of class. Tell him to wait behind the Dumpster in the back parking lot. I'll leave right now. I can be there in ten minutes to pick him up. He shouldn't use his phone. It'll be traced.”

“Okay,” Sky said. She was shaking all over. “I'm hanging up now.”

“Go!” her mother said.

Sky snapped the phone shut and hurried back inside. She opened the classroom door and, in a voice as calm as she could manage, said, “Excuse me? Kareem, your mother's
here; and she says she's been waiting for twenty minutes, and you're going to be late for your dental appointment.”

It wasn't a good story; she was painfully aware of that. Nobody scheduled dentist appointments for the middle of the day. But there hadn't been time to come up with anything better.

Kareem didn't move. He just looked at her with a stricken expression. When the class stopped staring at Sky and turned to stare at Kareem instead, she winked at him, hard. He closed his book, slid it into his backpack, and headed for the door.

“Don't forget to sign out, Kareem,” the teacher said. “Sky, you can sit down now.”

“Actually, I never made it to the restroom. Sorry!” She winced cutely. “I ran into his mom in the hall. So I came right back.”

The teacher gave a loud sigh but waved her away. Sky shut the door and grabbed Kareem's arm, pulling him down the hallway in the direction opposite the main entrance.

“What
is
this?” he asked. “My
mother
?”

“I made that up. I'll explain in a minute, but right now we need to walk as fast as we can without calling attention to ourselves.”

They turned the corner, and Sky spotted the band room. It was empty. “In here,” she said.

“Okay,” Kareem said once they were inside.
“What?”

“Wait. In the closet first.”

She opened the door. It was really more of a storage room, full of instruments and stools and music stands. “Sit back there,” she said, pointing to a spot behind a large box. “That's perfect.”

“Sky, will you
please
tell me what's going on?”

And so she did.

 

He sat hunched over, his face in his hands, shaking with quiet sobs.

“We'll do something about this, Kareem. We'll call our congressman, call the newspapers. They can't do this.”

“Yes, they can,” he said. “They already have. And your parents shouldn't get involved. They might be arrested, too.”

Sky wanted to say something, but for just a moment she couldn't come up with the words.

“Go back to class. The longer you're gone, the more suspicious it looks. As soon as the bell rings and everybody's in the hall changing classes, I'll go out the lunchroom door and wait behind the Dumpster.”

“Mom said not to use your phone,” she said.

“I know. It'll be tapped, and it has a GPS device in it, too. You'd better take it with you. Toss it in a trash can in the hall.”

“Okay.”

“You might want to wipe it off first.”

“Why?”

“Fingerprints.”

“Oh, for pete's sake, Kareem!”

“What kind of car does your mom drive?”

“A white Toyota Electra. She'll take you to our house.”

“Okay.”

“It's way out in the country,” she said. “Near Pecos. You'll be safe there, I promise.”

She very much hoped that was true.