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Post by Cheza on Jun 16, 2008 18:52:41 GMT -6
Okay, I wanted to bring this story I've been working on (posting at .org in addition to discussing it at the retreat) over to the store for feedback. I know it may be perceived as being strongly anti-war. I always say I support our troops, but not necessarily the wars. This is probably in part due to the fact a former student died in Iraq at the age of 21 when his helicopter went down and he was awarded his THIRD Purple Heart posthumously. He was a Marine, and ironically he and I were in the same room when we heard the news on Sept. 11th. So I hope this doesn't offend anyone.
I reserve the right to change the name of one of the goons and the year of the big battle. The name is the nickname of a student - he has given me verbal permission, but I need it in writing. He is aware of the work - his gripe is that he's not "the big bad". I told him he enjoys beating folks up too much for that...even though the "big bad" shows he can do that too...
The story is called "In Justice".
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Post by Cheza on Jun 16, 2008 18:55:20 GMT -6
This is the first installment in the story I'm working on called "In Justice"...I may make revisions as we go along. I'm not sure how long the finished product will be at this point. Originally, I had planned to make this a play, but the story options within a play framework seemed too limited to me - although Jericho has since pursued a similar train of thought...I'm eliminating an element or two due to that.
Here goes nothing. This is a very rough draft, but I hope you enjoy it.
Peace.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “In Justice”
It all started after the war…that was when I moved in with Grandpa Joe. Dad and mom had been killed in battle overseas. That’s how I ended up here, in Justice. When dad enlisted in the Air Force, all Grandpa could do was shrug his shoulders and say, ‘I will support you no matter what because you are my son, but I do not agree with the war the nation is embarking on’... Mom was a former military brat. She grew up traveling from base to base and the military lifestyle was all she knew. She was in the JROTC in school and was already a Private First Class in the Army when she met dad. He always stayed behind to take care of me and my older sister, Crystal, while mom went on her various tours of duty. The attacks on America were the last straw. He couldn’t sit by and watch anymore; he wanted to take action. I can understand that. Dad always had to feel he was helping in some way, and unfortunately he paid the ultimate sacrifice. Mom died in an attack on her Humvee mere weeks after we got the word about dad. Within the space of a couple of months, Grandpa Joe and I stood beside their caskets in the cemetery that was constructed after some of the rest of the world tried to pay us back for the deaths of their people. The war blew up into a major battle between all the world powers and at the ripe old age of 11 it had cost me more than I cared to count. As for Crystal, she couldn’t deal with it. She ran away. We looked for her for weeks, but it was no use. We never found her. That was over two years ago. “What are you writing there, boy?”, grandpa startled me with his sudden appearance in the doorway of my bedroom. “Just jotting down some memories, gramps,” I replied. I was just thankful he hadn’t decided to affectionately call me “Little Joe” as I am now known - since I live with him. I quickly hid the journal I was writing in and tried to change the subject. “So, what’s for dinner?” Grandpa Joe just grinned. For an old guy he’s pretty sharp. “Well, I don’t know. Let’s go see what we’ve got in the cupboard, shall we?” Reluctantly, I left the comfort of my bedroom to go into the bright light that was filling the rest of the house. My room was lit only by the remaining bit of sunshine that was creeping through the room's lone window as dusk fell. I like my rooms dark. Gramps likes his blindingly bright...maybe that's because he spends so much time in the dark. Grandpa was shuffling around the kitchen opening the cabinet doors when I got there. Quickly, he realized the cupboards were pretty bare. He did manage to find a box of macaroni and cheese, which he held up as he sheepishly smiled at me. It was almost as if he had won a major award of some sort, or felt he deserved an award from me for finding food in the house. “We’ve got macaroni, now to see if we’ve got the milk and butter to finish it up after we boil it,” he said. I already knew the answer to the question and what was coming next. “We’re out of milk,” he said sadly. “Yeah, I know. I drank the last of it when I got in from school this afternoon,” I replied. “Why didn’t you tell me that? I could have picked up some more on my way home!” Grandpa had taken up work at the local newspaper office after the war. He was one of the few people around who could still develop film photographs and that skill was bringing in enough money to keep a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs. “Well, since you didn’t inform me we were out, sir, you can take this money, go get your jacket, hop on your bike, and ride down to the store for some milk...and get some more butter too. You better hurry, she’s about to close.” “Yes. I’m sorry, grandpa,” I grabbed my coat and jumped on my bike to head to Mrs. White’s store. The streets are scary after dark, so I peddled as fast as I could to get there before night fell on Justice. As I was riding down the side of the street at top speed, I suddenly felt someone jerk me off my bike by the back of my jacket and I hit the pavement hard…
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Post by Cheza on Jun 16, 2008 18:56:31 GMT -6
"In Justice": Installment Two “Hey, little man, where are you off to in such a hurry?” I heard a voice say. The comment was followed by a trio of laughs that sent chills down my spine. As my eyes came into focus I realized the voice came from one of the three enormous guys standing over me. I always thought that the world would be a better place if we had a chance to start over, so to speak. Unfortunately, there are still bullies in this world, and I just found myself in the clutches of one of the biggest ones around. Drake Branson preferred to be called “Dragon” on the streets. He contended that his first name did not mean “a male duck” but “dragon” instead. An intelligent villain is worse than one without a brain in his head. However, his two sidekicks, Maggot and Gary, make up for that because they are a couple of morons. Together, the trio remind me a bit of the hyenas from “The Lion King” movie. While Dragon makes his quips, the other two laugh in a frightening manner. I felt someone jerk me off the ground by the neck of my coat. It was Maggot. His long black hair and extremely pale complexion freaked me out. One thing about it, if you met him in the alley after dark you’d see him coming because that pale skin of his would glow in the moonlight. Gary was standing behind the Dragon with a stupid grin on his face. “What’s your name, kid?” Dragon was staring into my eyes with a piercing glare. “J-J-Joe,” I stuttered as I eked out my name. “Well, Joe. Where are you off to in such a hurry?” he said with a sneer getting close to my face. “The store, sir…” by this point I was trembling while Maggot held me up off the ground. My mind was racing and looking for a way to get away. “This is our territory once darkness falls. We don’t like it when people come onto our turf without an invitation,” Dragon acted as if I had intruded on his private party. Maybe I had. Maggot and Gary snickered right away. Before long Maggot’s snicker ballooned into a full-out laugh that made his whole body shake and shook me along with him. “Drake, what are you boys doing?” a female voice cried out. Much to my relief someone was watching…that didn’t mean I was home free, not by a long shot. Dragon and his goons had been known to take care of witnesses after the fact as part of a “clean-up” operation. Dragon motioned for Maggot to drop me. I scrambled to reach my bike, but the trio surrounded me. “Drake, are you going to answer me?” the voice cried out again. Before I knew it I heard the sound of high heels hitting the pavement. I couldn’t see the woman’s features for Maggot and Gary, but as she approached Dragon turned tail and started sweet-talking her. “Don't worry your pretty little head with this. We’re just protecting our turf. We’ve got to keep you girls safe, don’t we?” he said. She wasn’t buying any of it. “Let the kid go. Now.” Dragon acted as if she'd spoiled his fun as he turned to me and issued a warning. “Stay out of here after dark. Next time you won’t be so lucky.” Then he instructed his goons to move out of my way. I ran to my bike, hopped on, and peddled away as fast as I could. I tried not to glance back, but I just had to. I needed to know who saved me, so that maybe I could thank them on another day during the daytime. I glanced back and saw a woman speaking to Dragon like I had never seen anyone talk to him. She wasn’t afraid of him. She seemed almost fearless. As I pulled up to Mrs. White’s store and parked my bike, I looked back down the street once more. Dragon and his goons had disappeared under the cloak of night and the only people left were the girl that saved me and one other. They were standing under the streetlight. Then one went up to talk to a guy in a car that pulled up. I had been saved by a streetwalker. Imagine that. Mrs. White was putting up the closed sign as I ran up to the door and begged her to let me get some milk and butter. She just smiled and told me to come on in. When I got inside where she could get a good look at me she exclaimed, “Lord child, what happened to you?” At that point I noticed blood running down my neck. I told her about the run in with Dragon and his goons. I guess one of Maggot’s rings broke my skin when he was jerking me around. She gathered up the milk and butter. I paid her and started back out to my bike. She said, “Oh no, you’re not riding home. We’re going to put your bike in my car and I’ll give you a ride. I’m not letting you go out on those wild streets after dark again.” “Thanks, Mrs. White.” I said. “Call me Annie son, everyone else does,” she said. As I rode with Mrs. White, I mean Annie, in her car back to my house; I couldn’t help but think how much Grandpa might like to see her. I think he kind of has a crush on Annie. She’s a widow and he’s a widower. They’d make a cute couple. When we pulled up Grandpa came running out. He shouted about how worried he was and that only intensified when he saw that I had been bleeding. Annie relayed the events of my journey to the store. I interrupted to say that someone had saved me and I wanted to try to find her to say thank you. Grandpa said, “Not tonight. You can go out tomorrow to see if you can find her.” He almost blushed as Annie started to pull my bike out of her trunk and ran to help her. Then he invited her to stay for dinner. Grandpa and Annie had a nice chat over the macaroni and cheese. Meanwhile, I could only think about the girls standing in the streetlight, and wonder why that one girl had power over the Dragon…
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Post by Cheza on Jun 16, 2008 18:57:14 GMT -6
“In Justice”: Installment Three Light poured in through my bedroom window to wake me up the next morning. “Dangit, grandpa opened my shade AND the curtains on a SATURDAY,” I thought to myself. I stumbled out of bed with a big yawn and wandered into the kitchen, where much to my surprise I found Annie. “Well, good morning sleepyhead!” she exclaimed. “What would you like for breakfast?” I gave her a quizzical look. I was trying to figure out exactly where she slept last night. She saw the wheels turning in my mind because she quickly started explaining herself. “Your Grandpa, he’s such a sweet man, he didn’t want me going back out on those streets alone last night after what happened to you. I assured him that I would be fine, and I even offered to call him once I made it home safely, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He insisted I stay here, so I slept on the couch. Then I snuck out at first light after I realized you didn’t have any groceries in the cupboard. I ran down to my store to pick up a few things for you as repayment for your grandpa’s kindness.” She was almost blushing by this point. “Now would you like bacon and eggs for breakfast or would you rather have something else?” “Bacon and eggs,” I thought to myself. “I haven’t had bacon and eggs since dad was taking care of us. Gramps and I always eat cereal…” Annie asked again what I would like. “Would you like bacon and eggs or would you rather have cereal?” I didn’t want to appear rude so I quickly stammered out, “Yes, bacon and eggs would be nice. Thank you, Mrs. White.” “Remember…call me Annie,” she replied. “Now how do you like your eggs cooked? Scrambled?” I nodded. About that time the smell of the food must have woke up Gramps because he came out of his bedroom into the kitchen. However, I noticed he was fully dressed as if he were going to work, his hair had been combed, and he smelled of Old Spice. “Here comes Grandpa Casanova,” I thought to myself. “Good morning, Annie. What are you cooking there?” he said. She proceeded to explain to him about how she found the cupboards bare and went to get some food. She asked if he’d like bacon and eggs and they were goofily smiling at each other like a couple of love struck teenagers. I just sat there and watched them. This was more entertaining than the cartoons on the television…until Gramps noticed me looking. “Good morning’, Joe. Why you’re not even dressed! Let’s go find you some clothes.” he promptly, but gently, escorted me back to my room to get dressed. “I didn’t know we had company, or I would have gotten dressed.” I said as Gramps pulled a pair of my jeans and a t-shirt out of a dresser drawer. “I didn’t want her going out on those streets after dark alone, son.” he said. “It’s getting too dangerous to be on the streets after dark - as you found out yourself last night.” “Can I go see if I can find that girl that helped me last night?” My mind returned to the girl with the power over the Dragon. “Slow down…you may go see if you can find her after breakfast. I expect you to clean your plate. Annie didn’t have to do this.” “Yes, sir.” We returned to the kitchen to find Annie setting the food on the table. “Would you like milk or orange juice gentlemen?” Gramps wanted the juice, but I don’t like juice so I got milk. Once again, Gramps and Annie had a nice conversation over breakfast, but I was too busy thinking about the girl and wondering how to go about finding her. Finally it dawned on me that she probably worked that corner all of the time and it was right down the road from Annie’s store. “Hey Annie, do you know anything about the girls that were working the corner last night?” I asked while Gramps glared at me for interrupting their conversation. I was excited, what can I say? “Well, I don’t know much about them, Joe. The older one has been on the streets for a while. I imagine she’s the one that saved you last night. The younger one joined her a few years ago.” Annie said. “Do you know where I could find them in the daytime?” “Not really. I do know that a lot of those girls live in the projects on Second Street, but that’s a dangerous area even in the daylight…” I gobbled up my eggs and bacon as quickly as I could and headed for the door. “Wait a minute son, Annie just told you that’s a dangerous part of town. I don’t know if you should go down there alone,” Gramps said. “Gramps, I’m 13, almost 14 now. I did a lot of growing up when we lost mom and dad, wouldn’t you agree?” Gramps nodded. “I’ll be super careful. I just wasn’t taking in the whole scene last night. Those guys came out of nowhere at me. Besides, I’m sure the police patrol there during the daytime, don’t they Annie?” She nodded. “I’ll be fine, gramps. Please just let me do this. I have to thank that girl.” Reluctantly, partially due to Annie’s encouragement, Gramps agreed to let me go to Second Street on my bike alone. He stressed that I was to be back within two hours. If I wasn’t, he and Annie would come looking for me and embarrass me within an inch of my life. I agreed, grabbed my bike, and ran out the door.
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Post by Cheza on Jun 16, 2008 19:02:38 GMT -6
“In Justice”: Installment Four As I was riding along as fast as I could, I heard a voice yelling behind me. “Joe! Hey Joe! Where ya' goin' in such a hurry? JOE, WAIT UP!!!!” I recognized the voice, it was my best friend, Mike. “JOE! WAIT UP, MAN!” As I heard him peddling fast as he could on his bike to catch up to me, all I could think about was a way to ditch my best friend so I could go to Second Street alone. It’s terrible, but I couldn’t let him go with me. “Hey man, why didn’t you slow down? Are you training for a race or something?” Mike said as he huffed and puffed. “I hear Old Man Johnson’s got a new shipment of baseball cards in. You want to go check them out?” My mind raced for the right words. “I can’t. I’m on a mission and I’ve got to be back home in two hours or gramps is coming after me.” I thought that should be enough information to get Mike to back off, but he’s persistent. “Well, ya' want some company? I can go with you and then we can swing by Old Man Johnson’s if we have time after we complete this mission.” Mike just grinned that stupid grin he always has on his face - in spite of the fact he was still struggling for air. “What is this mission anyway?” “I’m going to Second Street.” “W-w-what are you going there for?” Mike stammered. “It’s dangerous.” “I’ve got to find a girl. She saved me from Dragon and his goons last night.” Then it dawned on me that Dragon and his goons probably live in the Second Street neighborhood. I tried to think of what I would do or say if I ran into them as Mike took a deep breath on his inhaler. I should have slowed down. Mike’s asthmatic and my speed could have brought on an attack. Stupid me. “Well, I’m going with you.” Mike declared as he put the cap back on his inhaler and stuck it in his pocket. I started to tell him he didn’t have to do that; he stuck out his hand and said, “No arguments. I‘m going. We need to hurry if you‘ve got a two-hour time limit and I know the alleys, which are the quickest way to get there. Follow me.” With that, Mike took off on his bike down a nearby alley. I was not too crazy about taking the alleys. The alleys are where all the drug dealers, pimps, and thugs hang out. I imagined they’d be there in the daytime as well as at night, but thankfully that didn’t seem to be the case. We just came across some homeless people as we went on our way, zigging and zagging throughout the alleys of the city. In about fifteen minutes we were standing before the Second Street projects. “So, what do we do now, Joe?” Mike asked as he looked at me. I didn’t have a clue until I saw a familiar form leaned up against the front doorway of the projects smoking a cigarette.
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Post by Cheza on Jun 16, 2008 19:03:38 GMT -6
“In Justice” : Installment Five I stood there staring for a moment. “Is..is that her, Joe?” Mike asked. “No, it’s not.” my eyes grew wide with disbelief. “Well, wh-wh-who is she?” “Crystal. My older sister.” I said coldly. “You never knew her. She ran away before we met. I haven’t seen her in a long time, but it has to be her.” “Well, aren’t you going to go say hi?” Mike suddenly seemed to be the brave one as we stood there surveying the ran down projects. What would I say to her? “Hi stranger, where have you been the past two freakin’ years? Gramps and I searched for you to no end, but we couldn’t find you. You nearly gave the old man a heart attack! Where in the hell did you go?” As I stood there thinking about it, I got angrier by the minute. I turned around to leave, but Mike wouldn’t let me, even though he had noticed my knuckles were white because I had clenched my fists so tightly. “Man, you’ve got to go talk to her. Maybe she knows something about the girl you’re looking for.” By the time I turned back around, another girl was walking up to her. She appeared to be older and was carrying a sack of groceries. She handed Crystal a box of cigarettes. I couldn’t help but wonder when she started smoking. I couldn’t be sure the older girl was the one who saved me, but as soon as I saw her silhouette in the hall after they entered the projects I felt sure she was. I decided to go for it. What did I have to lose? I’d talk to the older girl first and if Crystal sees me, hears me, wants to talk to me…then I’d talk to her too. Mike and I rushed into the projects after the girls. Mike urged me to stay back a bit. His skills for following someone unnoticed were well known throughout the neighborhood, and due to that I was glad to have him with me at this point because I couldn’t think straight. We snuck up the stairs and stopped as we heard the jingle of keys. We watched as the two girls entered their apartment. “Apartment 2A.” I said. “She’s been right under our noses all this time.” “Huh?” Mike was confused now. The reason I came here was not what filled my mind right now. It was too full of rage at finding Crystal here. Mike and I started to approach the door when suddenly, out of nowhere, Dragon appeared and entered the apartment.
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Post by Cheza on Jun 16, 2008 19:05:56 GMT -6
“In Justice”: Installment Six “WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING HERE?” I shouted. Mike slammed his hand over my mouth and glared at me. “Do you want to get us killed?” I shook my head no and he moved his hand. “How much time do you have left?” I had forgotten about the time limit Gramps gave me. I glanced at my watch. “It looks like I’ve got about an hour left. Maybe a little more...an hour and 15 or 20 minutes tops.” “Should we wait to see if he comes out?” Mike asked. I could see the fear in his eyes, because he already knew what my reply would be. “No. I’m going in. If you want to stay here, that’s fine.” “Would I let my best friend go into a room with the Dragon alone? Hell, no! Let’s go!” Mike said. By this point he was jumping up and down on the rickety stairs like a prizefighter trying to pump himself up for a fight. I had to forcibly calm him down and remind him that he could bring on another asthma attack acting like that. "I've got my inhaler. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." he said. I could see the fear diminishing in his eyes as he said those words. "Okay. Here's the deal. We go to the door and knock politely. We wait for someone to open it. Hopefully, it won't be the Dragon. That would be the worse thing that could happen. Hopefully, it will be one of the girls...preferably the older one." "What's our story?" "What do you mean?" "Well, we've got to have a reason for being here...a lost dog...selling something for school...something logical." Mike had a point. I hadn't thought of a cover story of any kind. I was just going to say I was looking for someone who helped me the other night to thank her, which I never expected the Dragon to be in the apartment during my explanation. About that time we saw shadows at the corner down the hall. They were moving toward us, so we ducked into a storage space under the next flight of stairs. That's one good thing about these old buildings...no floating stairways...there's always a place to hide in a run-down old dump such as this one. We peeked out to see Dragon emerge from the apartment and sit in the hall. The shadows, after a very long time, turned out to be Maggot and Gary. Oddly it seemed that Dragon didn't want them to know he had been in the apartment. We quickly pushed ourselves as far back into the storage space as possible to hide in the shadows - completely out of sight - the only problem was that we couldn't see what was going on in the hallway from this position. We could only see straight ahead out of the storage space. Mike squirmed as a big, gray rat crawled across his sneaker, but, amazingly, he managed to keep quiet. Dragon, Maggot, and Gary walked right past us and went down the stairs. Thankfully they didn't see us. Suddenly we heard a door open and close, followed by what sounded like high heels coming quickly down the hallway. "Wait for me, Drake." a female voice cried. Without a doubt, I knew that voice; my identification of it was confirmed moments later when she hurried past us and went down the stairs. Those high heels definitely belonged to my older sister. Crystal sounded a little raspy, but that was probably due to her smoking. I'd know her voice anywhere. She was in a hurry to catch up with the Dragon and it seemed she was one of the privileged few who could call him by his first name...although I got the feeling he didn't like it too much. Maggot imitated her in a high-pitched voice while Gary laughed. Then I heard what sounded like the Dragon slugging both of them. We waited until the four voices faded away before climbing back out of our hiding place. "Okay, Dragon's gone. Now what?" Mike asked. "Now we are going to complete our mission..." I said firmly. "We've got exactly one hour left. It'll take 15 minutes to get to your street and another 10 to get to my place, so that leaves us around 30 minutes to talk. Let's go." We climbed the steps to Apartment 2A and knocked on the door...
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Post by Cheza on Jun 16, 2008 19:09:07 GMT -6
“In Justice” : Installment Seven [/center] I stood there shivering outside the door. I had to know why she saved me from the Dragon. Mike got anxious and knocked again. “Just a minute,” the voice on the other side of the door said. We could hear footsteps inside coming toward the door. The door opened slowly. For the first time, I laid eyes on the one who saved me. I stood there in stunned silence. She looked half-asleep, which struck me as odd since she had been outside recently. “Excuse me, Miss,” I heard Mike’s voice say. “We’ve lost our dog. He’s white with black spots. Have you seen him?” Her hardened features softened. “Sorry, kid, I haven’t seen any dogs around here. I used to have a dog like that myself when I was growing up.” A smile crossed her face. “You two look tired. Would you like something to drink?” “Yes!” I blurted out. Mike shot me a dirty look as I tilted my head to urge him to enter the apartment. She laughed. As we entered Apartment 2A, I surveyed the scene. There were take-out boxes from the Chinese place down the street littering the bar, an astray full of cigarette butts was on the coffee table, and copies of Cosmopolitan magazine were tossed all over the couch. Other than that, the room was fairly neat. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a gaming console and a big screen television set. I thought that was strange. I couldn’t picture this girl playing video games, and I knew my sister hated them. Why would there be a video game system in their apartment? Finally, it dawned on me that it must be for Dragon’s use. Due to the way my sister called after him to wait for her, I guess he must be a regular visitor to this place. “Pepsi okay, boys?” she asked while looking in the refrigerator. “Yes, thanks.” Mike said. I glanced at him and found he was busy staring at me. I knew that look. Mike was trying to figure out exactly what I was up to. My plan was to sip soda and hope that she remembered me from the other night. If she didn’t, then I would have to bring it up. Dragon listens to no one, but he listened to her. I had to know why. As she poured the sodas into a couple of glasses, Mike and I continued looking around the room. It was pretty free of clues. There were not a lot of pictures around. However, there was one that caught my eye. A framed picture of the girl when she was younger sat on a table near the cracked window. In it she looked happy and she was holding a baby on her lap. Mike pointed to a stack of books by the gaming console. “So, she has a kid,” I thought to myself. She came into the living room carrying the two sodas. “Have a seat guys. Despite how the couch looks, it won’t eat you.” We sat down and she handed us the sodas. A cold drink tasted good after all that time hiding in the hall. Mike started blathering on like he has a tendency to do. He’s eating up precious time was all I could think. He was still telling her all about our missing dog that didn’t even exist. “You boys shouldn’t be roaming around here alone. I hope there’s someone with you. It can get pretty dangerous around here.” she said. “No, we came on our bikes, but we have a set time we have to be home,” I said. “I see.” She seemed to be studying my face as much as I was studying her apartment. “I’m sorry, we should have introduced ourselves.” I said. Gramps had always told me to introduce myself to new people, but he had also told me not to talk to strangers. “I’m Joe and this is my friend, Mike.” “I’m Sasha. It’s nice to meet you, Joe and Mike. However, Joe, I think we’ve met before. How did you get that scratch on your neck?” I stammered a bit. “Umm…” “You got that from someone’s ring, didn’t you?” she asked. She remembered me. My mind raced for the correct words. While I scanned the room trying to figure out a way to ask why she saved me from the Dragon, my eyes fell on my watch. “Dammit, my time is almost up.” I thought. "Only five minutes of talk time are left and stupid me, I can’t ask the simple question that is the whole reason we’re here."Suddenly, Sasha’s face broke into a smile. “Those boys shouldn’t have been bothering you. I swear, those three are going to be the death of me one of these days.” So she knew all three. Not only Dragon, but Maggot and Gary as well. It made sense. The trio usually were together. All three probably frequented her apartment. “W…W…Why did you save me from them?” I stammered out. I had never known myself to stutter, but at this particular moment in time that’s exactly what happened. “Save you?” Sasha laughed and tilted her head backward, “Those three wouldn’t really hurt anyone. Their bark is much worse than their bite.” Her eyes were sparkling as they met mine. "Where do you two go to school?” “Riverside High,” we replied in unison. Mike shouted, “JINX!”, and Sasha laughed again. Her laugh filled the air like a beautiful piece of music. Mike is such a dork. He just grinned sheepishly. “What about all the stories about how they took care of people who crossed them?” I said. “They started most of them. Correction, Drake started most of them. Maggot and Gary wouldn’t think of those stories. He’s the ringleader and they’re like Beavis and Butt-head. That’s probably a reference you boys don’t get. I’m dating myself by talking about them.” I didn’t quite understand the reference she made and I sure wasn’t going to ask Gramps about someone called “Butt-head”, but when I said they reminded me of the hyenas she laughed and agreed. “Drake won’t bother you anymore. I’ll see to that. Don’t you worry.” My time was up. I still didn’t know exactly what Sasha’s connection to Drake was, but if I didn’t leave now, Gramps and Annie would show up…probably being overdramatic to embarrass me as much as humanly possible. “I’m sorry, Sasha, but we’ve got to go. Could we come back to see you again sometime?” I said as Mike stared at me in disbelief. Sasha seemed taken aback at my request. “Well…” as she paused, she saw my puppy dog eyes and relented, “Sure, boys. Anytime.” Mike and I thanked her for the drinks, waved goodbye, and exited the apartment. Sasha walked us to the door and closed it behind us. “So, did you get what you came for?” Mike asked as we started walking down the hall. “Yes and no.” I said. I knew I would have to return here later. This visit had only prompted new questions. Sasha was very nice, but I never did meet her kid, which struck me as odd. Besides, I had to know how Crystal ended up there, but I needed more time to figure out how to approach her after two years. “So, will you be coming back here sometime?” Mike asked as I glanced back at the door of Apartment 2A. “Yes.” I replied. “Let me know when you think you will, okay?” Mike said. “I can’t let my best pal run off to this side of town alone.” He was covering up his ulterior motives. I knew he wanted to see Sasha again. He had a sort of lovestruck look on his face. Besides, being in a streetwalker’s apartment was probably the most exciting thing Mike had ever done. As we started down the stairs, we could hear voices in the distance. Dragon, Crystal, and the pair of hyenas were on their way back. “Hurry up! They’re coming!” I shouted. Mike and I bolted down the stairs and back to our bikes. We had to hurry. Time was running out. As we began peddling toward the alley I glanced back and caught a fleeting glance of my sister. I couldn’t let Gramps find her here, and I couldn’t tell him I saw her either…not yet. I had to figure out what was going on with her first.
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Post by Cheza on Jun 16, 2008 19:21:31 GMT -6
"In Justice": Installment Eight Mike and I sped down the alleys racing against the clock to meet Gramps' deadline. We flew past the street people and narrowly avoided hitting the trashcans. One of the cats in the alley felt the need to let us know she didn't appreciate us invading her turf, so she hiked her back and hissed at us. Mike almost fell off his bike. He's not used to cats since he's allergic to them. I, on the other hand, am used to getting hissed at because we used to have a cat back when Mom and Dad were still alive. We didn't talk much on the ride back. We were in too big a hurry. No 14-year-old in his right mind wants to be embarrassed by his Grandfather at someone's apartment, much less in front of someone like Sasha, especially with the risk of Dragon surfacing at any moment with his goons. We decided Mike would be spending the night at my place, that way we could talk about Sasha after Gramps went to bed. As we rode up to my place, Gramps and Annie were coming out the door. "See Joe, I told you that boy would be back in time," Annie said with a smile. "Who's that with you?" "Annie, this is my best friend, Mike." I said. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Mike." She turned to the elder one with my name. "Joe, I really must be going now that he's made it back. I've enjoyed our chat, but I've got some errands to run." Annie said, then she kissed him on the cheek. He didn't really seem surprised. I wondered what they had been up to for the past two hours, but then I quickly pushed the thoughts that came to mind away. "Gramps, is it okay if Mike spends the night?" "Yes, if it's okay with his folks. Have you asked them yet?" "No. Can we go ask them now?" "Sure. Go ahead. As long as I know where you are and that you are not still on Second Street, that's fine. Just be sure you two get back here and inside before dark. I've got to go up to the paper for a bit, and I expect you two to be here when I get back. Okay?" "Yes, sir!" we said at the same time. "We've got to stop doing that," I thought. With that we flipped our bikes around and headed for Mike's place. When we were out of Gramps' earshot we started talking again. "Do you think your folks will mind?" I asked. "Nah, they won't care. There are so many kids at my place they'll be glad to have to feed one less person for the night." Mike has six brothers and sisters, so I understood exactly what he meant instantly. Times were tough, so his parents would probably be happy to have one less mouth to feed a few meals to...that would make their groceries last a little longer. "Do you think we can stop by Old Man Johnson's to see that new shipment of cards?" Mike asked. "I've saved up a bit of money from my birthdays and Christmas and all." Mike's grandparents were well-to-do. They rarely helped his family out, but oddly enough they made sure that all of the grandkids got a good little chunk of money for their birthdays and the major holidays. Mike often offered his to his Mom and Dad to help out, but their pride would not allow them to take it. They told him to save his money. I think they probably meant for college instead of baseball cards or comic books though. "Maybe. It depends how long it takes to get to your house and get an answer out of your folks." At that point Mike started peddling as fast as he could stand toward his house. By the time I caught up with him I was huffing and puffing. "How could a kid with asthma go so fast and not get winded?" I wondered. I guessed it was sheer determination. "He must really want to see that new shipment of cards." When I pulled up to his house, he had already ran up the stairs to ask his mom if he could spend the night with me. She nodded and waved to me. He ran into the house to grab a few things and shove them in his backpack. By the time I began to catch my breath, he was back. "How can you ride that fast with your asthma?" I was still breathing hard. "My Mom has always told me not to think I can't do something. I should always try. If I fail, I fail, but at least I gave it my all," he replied. "A nice philosophy," I thought. "I'm going to have to remember to write that down in my book."We waved goodbye to Mike's mom and headed toward Old Man Johnson's store. "Joe, how old do you think Sasha is?" "I don't know. Older than my sister. I'm not sure by how much." "Hmmm...." Mike's mind was still on Sasha. I wasn't surprised. As we rounded a corner going toward Old Man Johnson's, the sun was beginning to set. "We had better hurry, Mike. It's going to be dark soon." The two of us peddled as hard as we could to Mr. Johnson's store. After looking over the new cards and comics, Mike selected three cards he wanted to buy. We hurried back toward my house. I didn't want to be caught on the streets after dark again. On the way, we passed Sasha on the street. Mike had to speak with that same goofy grin he had on his face earlier. He told her hello. She smiled and said hi back. It was only then that I noticed Crystal standing right behind her and our eyes locked for an instant. She said nothing. Night was falling, so I urged Mike to come on. As we peddled away, I turned my head back to look at my sister, but by that point she was leaning against the lamppost taking a long drag off a cigarette. We made it to my house with lightning speed as night began to fall.
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Post by Cheza on Jun 16, 2008 19:28:51 GMT -6
Here's the next bit...once again, probably not perfect...but tonight I felt moved to write...__________________________________________________________________________ "In Justice": Installment Nine "Did she recognize you?" Mike asked as we pushed our bikes into a corner of the living room. "Who, Sasha?" Mike slapped my forehead. "You know who I mean. Your sister." " SHHHHH, man." I quickly checked the apartment. "Thank God Gramps hasn't made it back yet. Do you know what it would do to him if he heard us talking about SEEING her!?!?!" " SORRRRRRRY!" By this point Mike had moved along to searching the cabinets in the kitchen. Sometimes I think he must have ADD to go with his asthma. His mind seems to jump from one track to another chasing the latest semi-interesting train of thought that has come along only to abandon it quickly as another one pulls up. As he desperately seeked junk food, I strolled to the fridge. "You want a soda?" I asked casually. His eyes grew wide... "Soda? Soda's forbidden fruit at my house. Hell yeah! I want a soda!" He grabbed it from my hand so quickly I thought I might lose my hand in the process. Then he stood there with that goofy grin of his on his face. "Look what I found!" he said. "Cheez Whiz and tortilla chips...we can have nachos." Part of me thought we shouldn't get into all of that stuff. Annie had gotten groceries for me and Gramps out of the kindness of her heart. However, she had brought more than we could logically eat before it expired. I smiled back at Mike. I couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, nachos. We need something to warm the Cheez Whiz in...let's see if we have a microwavable bowl." I rummaged through the cabinets for a bit..."A-ha! Got one." Mike was beginning to get hyped up on the Mountain Dew. Somehow I had the feeling I had just given him the fuel to keep going like the Energizer Bunny all night...and he would be talking all that time. We heated up the Cheez Whiz and took the bowl of dip, the chips, and our sodas over to the couch. "So, when do you think you'll go see Sasha again, Joe?" It struck me odd that he who likes to jump from one subject to another seemed to have found one track that kept luring him back tonight. "I don't know. Why did you have to speak back there?" "It's rude not to say hi to someone you know. Why didn't you speak to that sister of yours?" "I don't know." I wasn't sure why I didn't speak at that moment, but it dawned on me that it was fear that kept me from speaking - fear of how she'd react, fear of her denial of me and Gramps, or fear that she had fried her brain so much running around with that moron Dragon that she wouldn't remember me. "You really need to talk to your sister, man." Mike said. He doesn't understand. His siblings have always been with him. She deserted us....she deserted ME."She's still your family, no matter what you're thinking," Mike said calmly. He was peering into my blue eyes so hard that I thought he must be staring into my soul. "I...I don't know what to say to her...or at least nothing positive to say. I'll just start an argument." "At least you'd be talking then." Mike and I seemed to have a weird system. Whenever one of us wanted to act like a small child...throw a tantrum, sulk, act out...the other one would take over the voice of reason and try to provide a rational take on whatever situation the other one was in. "I don't even know how to begin to talk to her. I mean..." "Do you miss her?" "Yes." "Does Gramps miss her?" "Yes. It broke his heart when we couldn't find her, man. You know that." "Do you wonder why she left or why she's doing what she's doing now?" "You know I do." "Man, then you've got to talk to her. Maybe we can see Sasha again and arrange a time for you two to talk without interference from anyone...including Dragon. Sasha seems to have power over him somehow." Mike was right. I knew he was as much as I hated to admit it to myself. About that time Gramps came in. Since it was getting late, he said he was heading on to bed and suggested we do the same soon...even though it was the weekend. Mike and I told him goodnight, put the bowl in the sink, put up the chips, and put our cans into a bag for recycling. Then we headed into my room. "Let's make a plan," I said. I think I startled Mike because he about jumped out of his skin as we walked into my darkened bedroom. I forgot. Mike hates the dark. I stumbled back into the kitchen to get a spare night light we kept on hand for when Mike comes over. After I plugged it in he seemed to calm down. "What are we planning?" Mike asked. "A return trip to Sasha's tomorrow before you go home. Let's see if she can negotiate a private meeting with my sister." Mike's face broke into a huge smile. "You mean it?" "Yeah." We sat up for hours working out the steps of the plan. "First thing tomorrow morning, we'll have to get out of the house and away from Gramps...but not too early...that would make him suspicious." I said. I really didn't want him to know we were going back to Second Street, so we decided to go with the story that I was going out bike riding with Mike. No particular destination...just out. Mike and I would make our way to Sasha's. Talk to her about Crystal and hopefully be back at his place by noon. Then I could call Gramps and ask for permission to eat lunch with Mike's family because his mom would invite me even though times were tough. It dawned on me that maybe I could take some food with us as a goodwill offering. She couldn't turn it down if her son was eating it when we arrived on the doorstep. Then, I'd make my way home before dark. The plan was perfect. Around 3 a.m. the Mountain Dew wore off and Mike said goodnight as he started to fall asleep. I grabbed my book to jot down what he said his Mom told him about always trying to do things. I slipped off the bed and went to the window. Looking down the street I could see Sasha standing underneath the lamppost in the moonlight. Crystal was climbing out of a car that just pulled up. I couldn't help but wonder how long they stayed out there on the street, or how many men they were with on an average night. "Did she know me?" I couldn't help but wonder. Her eyes were a bit glazed looking. Whether that meant she had been doing drugs or if she just had the deer-in-the-headlights look when she saw me and knew who I was I couldn't tell. I knew one thing. I had to get her out of that lifestyle and back where she belongs.
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Post by Cheza on Jun 16, 2008 19:33:29 GMT -6
"In Justice" - Installment Ten Around 8 a.m. I heard Gramps stirring in the kitchen. I rubbed my eyes and pushed Mike to wake him up. He groaned, rolled over, and continued sleeping. I got up and made my way into the kitchen to see what Gramps was up to. He was making a terrible racket banging pans around. "What are you looking for?" I blurted out. He was beginning to give me a headache. "There it is!" Gramps stood up as he pulled a waffle iron out of the cabinet. "I thought we'd have waffles this morning! Annie brought us all the groceries we need to make them." "Waffles." I struggled to picture them. "It's been so long since we had them." "Yes, I know, but I thought Mike might enjoy them." Gramps was ever the hospitable host. "I'm sure he will - if I can ever get him to wake up." Gramps laughed. "Do I need to make some more noise to see if he gets up like you did?" "No thanks, Gramps. I'll go bother him until he gets up." I stumbled back into my room with one mission - wake up my partner in crime. Upon entering the room, I noticed Mike had taken over my side of the bed as well by this point and had one leg hanging off the side. He's such a skinny kid, but he can sprawl out like an octopus. "Mike...MIke...MIKE! Are you gonna get up today? Gramps is making us WAFFLES." He groaned. The waffle bait didn't work. Now what am I supposed to do? Suddenly, inspiration hit. I leaned down by his ear and whispered... "Sasha's here." He sat up like he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. "Wh...Wh...Where? Where is she?" he stammered. "I knew that'd get you up." "That was low, man." "Well, we've got to get up, get breakfast, and get going...THEN you can really see her." Mike rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he coughed a bit. Then he rummaged around in his coat pocket for his inhaler and took a puff. He woke up in a 20 questions sort of mood, that became evident while I got dressed. "Well, when are we heading out? Do you think Dragon will be awake yet when we get there? I mean...Do you think we might need to take extra steps to avoid him and his buddies?...Should we cut through the alleys?...Does your Gramps suspect anything?" The questions came out of his mouth as fast as rapid firing from a machine gun. I was trying to figure out how to even begin to answer all of them, but I was saved by Gramps yelling that breakfast was ready. Mike quickly got ready for the day and we went into the kitchen to have waffles with Gramps. Gramps is a really good cook. I had forgotten how good because it was so rare for us to have enough groceries in the house to cook anything other than simple things. "So, what are you boys going to do today?" Gramps asked. "Well, we're just going to go out riding our bikes." I said in the most casual way possible. I hated that I was getting so good at lying to Gramps about what I was doing. Mike was busy shoveling food into his mouth. I knew food was scarce at his house, but it was hard to believe how quickly he was devouring his waffle. I kept sliding my eyes over to him. I thought he was going to give us away for sure. Gramps just laughed and made him another waffle as soon as he wolfed down the first one. I think Gramps enjoys having other people around. He always seems to be happier when we have company. I figured it would be a good idea to go ahead and ask if I could stay at Mike's for lunch then. Gramps said it was okay with him as long as I made it home before dark. I knew I could count on Gramps to send some food their way, and sure enough he didn't disappoint. He told Mike to go to the cabinets and pick out a few things he thought his family would enjoy. Standing at the cabinet after breakfast, Mike looked a bit like a kid in a candy store. He knew he should be careful with his selections though, because his Mom is very health-conscious. Soda or sugary cereal would never fly. Mike asked if he could pick out a few canned goods, and Gramps told him to pick out whatever he liked. Mike asked me to help him and we picked out a few vegetables. Vegetables should be safe. We even picked out some we despised like canned spinach, with the rationale being that there were more people to eat them up there, so he would have to suffer through less of it than I would at my place. Besides, anything that could help our cause was worth it. Good things are worth going through a bit of the undesirable stuff, and finally talking to Crystal I had to believe deep down would be a good thing. "Thanks for the food, Mr. Joe. We appreciate it." Mike said. "Tell your parents I said hello, Mike." They were busy exchanging lots of kind words. I just wanted to get on the road. I did my best to hurry them up. "Bye, Gramps. I'll be home before dark." "Be careful boys." "We will," we shouted in unison as I put the cans into the basket on Mike's bike, and tried to get him out the door. Finally, both of us were on the street with our bikes. "It's almost 9 a.m. We should be able to get to Sasha's by 9:30 a.m." I couldn't help but wonder if she'd be awake when we got there. I didn't know what we would do if she wasn't. We jumped on our bikes and headed for Second Street, where I hoped to find the answers to the questions burning in my mind.
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Post by Nancyd021410 on Jun 16, 2008 19:42:45 GMT -6
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Post by Cheza on Jun 16, 2008 19:44:14 GMT -6
"In Justice": Installment Eleven
Across town a bright-eyed two-year-old boy ran into his parents' bedroom. "Mommy, Daddy, wake up!" he shouted as he jumped into their bed. His father groaned, but his mother gave him a big hug and got up to fix him breakfast. "Let's let Daddy sleep a little bit longer. He doesn't have to go to school today," she said quietly as she tousled her son's hair. "What do you want for breakfast?" After thinking for a minute he shouted, "FRUIT LOOPS!" "SHHH. Okay. Anything else?" He shook his head no as they walked into the kitchen. "Go wash your hands and I'll have it ready when you get back." He ran off to wash his hands and came back with a toy airplane. It looked like a military plane. His grandma had got it for him on his last birthday. She sat the bowl of cereal and a glass of milk on the table in front of him. "Put the plane down and eat your breakfast." "Yes, Mommy. Why do you and Daddy stay out so late?" She hadn't expected this question at his young age. "Mommy and Daddy have to work nights. That's why you stay with Kat each evening, so we can work," she said, even though that wasn't entirely true. She "worked" while he ran around with his buddies. By the time she finished answering his question, he had lost interest and returned to doing loop-de-loops with his airplane with one hand while shoveling Fruit Loops into his mouth with the other. His mother couldn't help but laugh. Neither could his grandma when she entered the room and headed for the coffee maker. "So, what are your plans for the day?" she asked his mom as she scrambled some eggs. "Oh, I don't know. I was hoping we could all go somewhere fun. Maybe we could go to the new zoo over in Jackson?" She poured the eggs into a skillet to start them cooking, then she ran her fingers through her long, blonde hair and put it into a ponytail. "I wanted to let you-know-who sleep in. He is SO not a morning person." Her face was weary for one so young. At 17, her life wasn't what she had pictured. She left school when she found out she was pregnant. She was now nightly doing things she never thought she would so she could provide for her son, and doing everything in her power to ensure her man would graduate from Riverside High. At 19, he should have graduated already, but she knows he can do the work. If he will just apply himself, that is. He's just lazy. Otherwise he'd have made it out of high school by now, and their family wouldn't be sharing room and board with his mother in the projects. At least his mom supported their efforts to keep their family together. That was more than her guardian had done. She still remembered the night she told him she was pregnant. A huge fight broke out. For once she was thankful her little brother wasn't home. He didn't have to hear the tone in his beloved grandfather's voice as he told her to get out of his house. She did as he requested. No one could ever call her disobedient. She simply grabbed a few things and headed to her man's place, Apartment 2A on Second Street. As she came out of her momentary reverie, she realized the little boy had vanished and her eggs were about to burn. "Where did he get off to?" she thought. "MATTHEW SPIKE BRANSON! WHERE ARE YOU?" she shouted as she scraped the eggs out of the skillet onto a plate. The little one's first name was that of her late father. She was definitely a daddy's girl and she was the apple of his eye. He named her. 'She just sparkles', he used to say, but those days ended long ago. Every time she saw Matty with his plane it made her think of her father. His middle name, well, that was his father's fault. What else would a person expect from someone who insisted on being called Dragon. "Daddy's up." Matty giggled. Drake was holding him in his arms and glaring at the women in the kitchen. Drake's mother intervened. "She told him to let you sleep, but you know your son, he's as determined as you. You used to wake me up all the time." Sasha walked over to her son and took her grandbaby from his arms. "Come with me, sweetie. Let's go read a book." Crystal never imagined her life would take this path.
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Post by Cheza on Jun 16, 2008 19:48:03 GMT -6
"In Justice": Installment Twelve Sasha adored Matty. She knew Crystal's story all too well. She too had gotten pregnant young, dropped out of school, and then started walking the streets to support herself and Drake after his dad left to fight in the war. Unlike Crystal's parents, he was killed on American soil by another country's bomb. At 34, she had experienced a rough life that wasn't what she had expected. Yet, time had been kind to Sasha. She looked much younger than she was. Many of the guys who stopped by their corner thought she was Crystal's older sister. However, at times there was a hardness and a weariness to her face. Matty was the only one that could take that away in an instant. As Sasha sat with Matty looking through a picture book, she couldn't help but think of Joe and Mike. She knew Joe was Crystal's brother. Crystal was really upset when she saw him on the street. In fact, she cried herself to sleep that night. Drake was still out with his goons at that time, and Sasha was glad. Drake can be tender, but he can also be cruel at times. She did her best to raise her son the right way, but once he started running with his current group of friends he just changed. "We were thinking we might go to the zoo today, Drake." She looked at her son. It was obvious he wasn't that interested in spending time with the family today. "I've got plans." "Son, can't you take one Saturday and spend it with us? Please." She knew she was about to start an argument, but she wanted Drake to be there for his little boy. His dad was until he was taken away, but Drake did not seem to remember that. Any time she brought up his father it would easily force him to shut down completely or blow up. '"He's so volatile..." she thought. "I'm going out with the guys, mom." Drake's eyes were glowing. Sasha knew that meant she had best back off to avoid a scene, but she just couldn't. "Okay, son. I really wish you'd come with us though. Matty would love it." Within moments Maggot and Gary ran into the apartment without knocking. Maggot scooped Matty up in his arms and flew him around like an airplane. Sasha smiled as she thought of Drake's father who used to play airplane with his son all the time. He was an elite member of the Air Force until his plane was shot out of the sky. Matty giggled at the top of his voice. Deep down Sasha thought Maggot wasn't as bad a kid as he liked to make everyone think he was. Gary just laughed and started tickling Matty as soon as Maggot put him down. "C'mon guys, let's go." Drake looked a bit irritated that his friends felt the need to play with his son. Sasha wished he would play with Matty like they did, but he rarely seemed to have the time or the desire to do that anymore. Drake kissed Crystal on the cheek and turned to leave. Matty grabbed him by the ankle, "Don't go daddy. Daddy stay. Go to the zoo." Drake reached down and pulled his son's arms off his leg, handed him to Sasha, and quickly made his exit.
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Post by Cheza on Jun 16, 2008 19:51:35 GMT -6
“In Justice”: Installment Thirteen
Drake seemed lost in thought as he, Maggot, and Gary headed to their usual corner down the street from Mrs. White’s grocery store. The hyenas were surprisingly quiet. Finally, Maggot felt the need to speak up. “Why did you have to be like that?” Maggot asked. “Like what?” Drake knew what was coming and he had no desire to hear it. “Never mind,” Maggot grew silent, but he knew he could not stay that way, “With Matty, I mean…he really wanted you to go to the zoo with him today, and you just blew him off to do nothing with us all day.” “We’re patrolling our turf. That is something that we need to do each day. Otherwise someone else will try to take it over. You know that.” “But Gary and I can do that. You should spend some time with your son.” Drake glared at Maggot. “Don’t you try to tell me what to do. What gives you the right?” Maggot knew Drake might very well beat him severely, but his sense of right and wrong forced him to continue. “I have no right. Yet, I know what you just did is wrong. A kid, a boy especially, needs his father. I didn’t have that growing up, ya know. I wish I had, but my old man skipped town as soon as he got the news mom was pregnant.” Suddenly, Drake slammed Maggot against the wall of Old Man Johnson’s store. His fiery eyes struck fear in Maggot’s heart. At this moment, Drake embodied the dragon he claimed his name represented. “My father was shot out of the sky! I could be killed any night on the streets of this town, you KNOW that! I don’t want him to know that kind of pain!” Drake screamed in Maggot’s face. Gary backed away. At times Dragon truly scared him to his core. “So that’s why he doesn’t have much to do with Matty. He doesn’t want him to get hurt. Interesting,” Gary thought. “Man, I’m just trying to help you!” Maggot yelled as his lanky limbs flailed in the air as he tried to break free of Drake’s grasp. “He NEEDS you. No matter what you think. He loves you and he needs to know that you love him!” At this, the dragon recoiled and disappeared from Drake’s eyes. He almost took on the appearance of a mortally wounded bird. He dropped Maggot and quickly walked away. “Drake, man, wait up.” Maggot yelled. “Leave. Me. Alone.” Drake’s pace quickened and soon he was a mere speck in the distance. Drake ran down to the park. Over the years the playground equipment deteriorated due to the lack of maintenance. Most of the families that used the park left Justice long ago. Job opportunities were scarce. The families who left had to travel far to find another civilized place. The bombs had destroyed many of the cities, but what few were left saw a population boom. The few families that were left behind stayed behind locked doors. The streets of Justice became lawless after dark. Even though the streets appeared safe in the bright sunlight, mothers were too afraid to let their children go to the park to play. Drake stopped to catch his breath beside the makeshift memorial to the fallen at the center of the park. The sculpture towered over Drake and shaded him from the sun. A few faithful life-long citizens built it out of the metal left behind when some of the city’s buildings were bombed. As Drake huffed and puffed his eyes studied it for the first time. He had never really taken time to look at it before. Every time he passed it before he was either too busy or too filled with rage. As his eyes took it in for the first time, he figured out what its abstract parts represented. At the left, there appeared to be an infantry man’s helmet on top of a rifle; to the right, appeared to be a boat. “Army and Navy,” he thought. In between them the sculpture rose up into the sky with outstretched arms. Drake squinted his eyes as he took in the trio of figures lovingly constructed out of twisted metal. “The center is a plane… Air Force…Dad,” he muttered to himself. At the base of the trio was a metal plaque in the shape of a cloud that read, “To all those who fell during the Great War defending our freedom, we the citizens of Justice vow you did not die in vain and you will not be forgotten.”“Did not die in vain?" He thought, “Whoever wrote this must have been nuts. The world is worse off now than ever.”As Drake was about to run away, he realized his shoe was untied. While bending down to tie it, his eyes spied something he never noticed before. Behind the sculpture were tiny, white crosses in meticulous rows. We he went to the back side of the sculpture, he saw each cross bore a name, and the crosses were divided by branch of service. He immediately noticed a cross at the front of the center section bearing his father’s name – Maximillian Branson.
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