The Other Side of Envy: The Ghost Bird Series: #8 (The Academy) (3 page)

“Wait,” I said quietly. “We won’t hurt you.”

“
No te haremos daño
,” Nathan said.

The boy stopped, putting his back to the door frame. He made fists. “
Vete. Nosotros no queremos aquí. ¿Cómo se enteró de nosotros?
”

I didn’t need Nathan to interpret to tell me the boy was warning us to back off and go away.

“We won’t hurt you,” Nathan said. He said something in Spanish and I understood he was repeating himself in their language. He said something else, too, longer and then finished in English. “We want to help.”

The boy started to talk. The girl talked over him, both of them speaking in Spanish.

Silas started to retreat behind us. Where was he going? He was tapping at his head, tilting it and listening. He returned to the front.

I turned my attention to the group. Now that the two older ones had moved, I realized what I’d thought was shadow before was actually the other kids. I counted all seven: four boys, three girls. The two oldest ones looked to be our age, and the rest ranged all the way down to the one year old. Seven wide-eyed dirty faces looked at us, the youngest waiting for the older ones to tell them what to do.

My heart tugged at the sight of the smaller ones who looked terrified. If only they knew. We’d help if they’d let us.

Nathan started talking then. He rattled on in Spanish, without looking at me, completely focused on the kids. He addressed the boy, then the girl. The boy interrupted him, sounding defensive and then made a shooing motion, warning us to go away. Nathan held up his hands, spoke again, motioned to me and then continued talking.

I’d never heard Nathan use Spanish. I wasn’t even sure I had known he could speak the language. I learned new things about the boys all the time; that one more new thing cropped up didn’t surprise me, I was just in awe of his ability.

I stepped closer, trying to look unthreatening.

One of the kids looked out from behind the others, staring right at me. I smiled, or tried to. I was mostly trying not to hide behind Nathan and feel so nervous, like one false move could send them all scattering.

Footsteps returned behind us. I turned to see Silas was back, carrying bottles of water, and on top were a couple of plastic bags.

The moment Silas stepped into view, the boy and the girl immediately pulled back. The boy jammed his shoulder into the door. The girl barked at the little ones. I imagined she was telling them to get ready to run.

“Wait!” I cried, holding up my hands.

“
¡
Espera!
”
Nathan said. “Please, don’t run.”

The boy stopped for a moment, but kept his grip on the doorknob.

I stepped back slowly, taking some of the bottles of water from Silas. I thought it’d be better if I did it.

I tucked one under an arm, opened the other and then brought them both forward, holding them out to the girl.

The girl stared at me.

“
Trajimos agua
,” Nathan said, in a calmer voice. “Water. We brought water.
Agua
.”

Silas suddenly stepped forward. “
Agua
,” he said quietly slightly accented.

They seemed to relax at this, studying the two of them.

“
Pensamos que estabas sediento. Podemos hablar
?”
Nathan said.

“
Podemos hablar?
” Silas repeated.

How brilliant! My heart leapt. Silas may not know the language, but he could appear to be just like them if he repeated Nathan a bit. I was happy to let them talk. I held out the bottles again, stepping forward once more.

The girl stepped forward, taking the bottles from me. She passed them to the kids, who spilled out from behind her to grab for the bottles.

“We’ve got more,” I said, taking the other bottles from Silas and opening one.

Silas knelt, and the kids came up, each taking their own from him. I helped the smaller ones open the bottles. Inside the bags were white crackers and granola bars. I imagined someone had these in their car and thought to provide them as a peace offering.

The older girl kept an eye on us, listening as Nathan and the boy talked.

I leaned into Silas. “I think we did it,” I whispered.

“Good job, Pookie,” Dr. Green said in my ear.

The satisfaction settled in. We did it. Yes, I definitely wanted into the Academy. If this was a job, and the boys were participating in helping other people, this was what I wanted to do.

BREAKFAST WITH MR. BLACKBOURNE

T
hings moved quickly then. Nathan told the kids we were there to help and how we could do so. Once we proved we weren’t with Border Patrol and we weren’t there to ship them home, it made things easier.

I empathized with their reluctance to return home. I wondered what must have happened to them to run from their parents as they had. If I’d run off instead of meeting Kota, would I have ended up in a rundown building like this?

Kota had us escort the group of kids to the front doors. Nathan explained they wanted to make sure they were healthy, and they would take them to the hospital. When the boy didn’t want to, the girl overrode his decision and said they’d go. It seemed one of the younger boys had allergic reactions to the sheets, either from bedbugs or fleas, and was getting a rash on his leg.

Kota pulled up near the entrance with a black box van. Dr. Green met us at the door.

The boy yelled and pointed at the van.

“No,” Nathan said to him. “No, not taking you back.” He repeated himself in Spanish. He continued to repeat anything he said in both English and Spanish.

Kota remained quiet, as did the others. Nathan did all the talking, which made me nervous at first, but then I understood Nathan was developing a rapport with them. He’d be the one to stay with them until they settled somewhere safe.

“This is just so we can take everyone in the same car,” Nathan said. “Unless you’d like to split up into different cars. We just thought you’d like to stay together.” He repeated this in Spanish and then added, “It’s up to you.”

The boy started to talk, but the girl spoke over him, nodding her head. “Yes,” she said. “
Si
.” She continued to talk in Spanish and then moved toward the van. The little ones followed. Dr. Green opened up the door, and they piled in.

They all went into the van, with some of the smaller ones sitting in laps. None reached for a seatbelt. Kota turned his head, started to say something, but Dr. Green sliced his hand through the air, silently telling him to let go. “Just drive carefully for now,” Dr. Green said. “We’re not far from the hospital. Let’s just get them there.”

Kota pursed his lips, still slightly frowning but nodded. He only wanted them to be safe. I did, too.

Nathan climbed into the passenger seat next to Kota and then they were off.

I stood aside with Silas and Dr. Green on the sidewalk, watching the others drive off.

Luke materialized beside us. His blond hair was tied back in a black elastic to make a ponytail and his T-shirt was a little big on him, which made me think at first it might be North’s, but it was blue, so perhaps it was someone else’s. His clothes were covered in dirt and grime and his face was smeared with dust. Cobwebs hung from his hair.

He stood quietly beside us, looking up the road after the van. “I didn’t get the chance to ask them what their tacos taste like in Mexico.”

Dr. Green turned toward him, breaking into a smile. “I imagine they taste like tacos here, only more...Mexican.”

“I wonder what Mexican taste like,” Luke said. He grinned and then patted at his clothes. “All I’m going to get now is drive-through breakfast. Maybe a Denny’s will let me in.”

“We’re not far from my house,” Victor said, strolling up from around the corner. His sleeves were still rolled up, and hanging from his shoulder was a leather messenger bag. He smiled at me quickly and then looked to Luke. “We’ve got a new cook.”

“Can she make tacos for breakfast?” Luke asked.

“We can ask.”

“I’ve got to get to the hospital,” Dr. Green said. He sighed and then reached out to me, which surprised me because for a second I thought he wanted to walk past me and I took a step back, bumping into Silas. Silas put a hand on my back to steady me.

“Well fine,” Dr. Green said, raking back his sandy blond hair that had blown into his eyes. “I’ll give you both a hug.” He reached out, grabbing Silas by the shoulders and with me between them, hugged.

Silas, once he realized what was happening, wrapped his broad arms around Dr. Green’s shoulders. They squeezed together.

I was squished between them, my face pressed against Dr. Green’s shoulder, Silas pressing into my back. Dr. Green’s sunny ginger scent filled my nose, along with Silas’s ocean. It was an unusual combination and my nose tickled, wanting to sneeze. My arms were out wide between them, unable to bend to hug.

I blushed from head to toe, though secretly I enjoyed the warmth and amusing moments after stressing out about the kids we found. “Ugh,” I said.

Luke and Victor laughed. Silas chuckled, the deep sound reverberating against my bones.

Dr. Green finally let go. I wobbled a step and then breathed in fully. Dr. Green smoothed out his shirt and then winked at me. “Are you busy? Perhaps you and I could go check out the babies again. There’s new ones now and—”

“Hey there,” Luke called out. “About time he showed up.”

Dr. Green’s face shifted from happy to confused until he turned. I realized Dr. Green was asking me to join him at the hospital. The last time we looked in on the babies, he considered it a date. Was he trying to ask for a date?

The moment vanished as a light gray, almost silver BMW rolled up to the curb.

Mr. Blackbourne stopped the car and left it running but stepped out. Gray suit, maroon tie, as elegant as ever. His soft brown hair appeared freshly cut and brushed back away from his face. His steel eyes sparked behind the black-rimmed glasses. A polished diamond that looked out of place in the broken-down district.

I ducked behind Dr. Green and the others as they approached him. My hands smoothed over the jeans and light jacket that I wore over my T-shirt. The others were dressed similarly, but next to Mr. Blackbourne, a sense of being underdressed always hovered over me.

Mr. Blackbourne focused on Luke, the steel in his gaze hardening. “Mr. Taylor, was it truly necessary to crawl through the attic work?”

Luke nodded, causing a string of dust to fall from his hair. The light smile on his face faded. He stood taller and addressed Mr. Blackbourne. “I felt it was,” he said. “There were a few options, but the attic gave me good sound cover. Plus, there were a few holes so I could get a visual.”

“You’ve been taking a few more risks lately,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “I understand your reasoning, but your safety is more important. Miss Sorenson is in need of a situational awareness class. Perhaps you’ll join her?”

My mouth dropped open hearing this. I needed situational awareness? There was a class? Where?

Luke’s head bobbed in an enthusiastic nod. “I could use a refresher, I guess. Besides, I’m hardly in any of her classes at school.” His gaze turned until he met my stare and he smiled more. “Can we take two?”

“Start with one,” Mr. Blackbourne said. He backed up a step, and his attention turned to Dr. Green. “Let’s get them out of here.”

“I was just about to,” Dr. Green said. He put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me forward until I was beside him. “I thought I’d take Sang over to the hospital with us and—”

Mr. Blackbourne raised his open hand and sliced it through the air. “I understand, but I’m in need of Miss Sorenson to join me this morning. We have a few things to discuss. I’ll be taking her to breakfast.”

A silence fell among the group. My heart pumped heavily and my breath caught. It was a mix of feeling something intimate, and being called on by a teacher for being in trouble, and not knowing for sure what you’d done wrong.

I ducked my head a touch, a slight smile on my lips, more to reassure the others that I wasn’t in trouble. At least I didn’t think I was.

Mr. Blackbourne moved himself around the car, and opened the passenger door for me. Excitement ignited my insides. They all did this, and while I was getting used to it, it seemed awkward still from Mr. Blackbourne. Rather, I felt awkward because he was perfection in leather shoes.

I settled into the seat, slipping a little against the gray leather. While Mr. Blackbourne walked around to the driver’s side, I did a short finger wave to the others.

Luke and Victor waved enthusiastically. Dr. Green gave me a wink, but there was something a little off in it. I wondered if he was disappointed I couldn’t join him at the hospital.

Soon, once he was settled behind the wheel, Mr. Blackbourne took off amid the downtown streets of Charleston, and the barrier the other boys provided stripped away. I watched white strips of clouds amid morning blue sky just to avoid looking at him.

It wasn’t that I was nervous with him, but the topic I had to tell him about was difficult to start, and I wasn’t sure what else to talk about. How could someone like me convince the others to allow me to join the Academy with them? Was I even allowed to ask?

Would the Academy even want someone like me? A girl with a dead mother, a stepmother that didn’t want her, and a father who had run away to a new family? I had my own family now, though I was always uncertain of my place in it. As much as I wanted to believe, I also didn’t want to assume too much of what exactly I was supposed to do.

“From what Mr. Morgan told me,” Mr. Blackbourne said, “you did well today.”

I tried to smile, though it felt like a grimace. How much had he heard? “The boys did most of the work,” I said quietly.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “Although there wasn’t much to be done in this situation. Either they took a chance on listening to us or they ran, in which case, we could either try again or use alternate methods of reaching out to them.”