Chapter Text
Dawn had risen warm and cozy on Lakewood, the whole neighborhood slowly waking up as well, streets mostly deserted by then. Outside of his kitchen window, fixing himself a coffee, Terrence Blake saw Feltons’ car passing, heading for school: like many others around there, with all of that hullabaloo about the missing kids, they preferred keeping an eye on their children. He couldn’t, not with his morning shift in the way… Not like he would have anyway.
He was in a bad mood. He always was, waking up after drinking too many beers. His head was killing him, a warm coffee being right what he needed… When he had come inside the kitchen, his son Finney was already there, fixing himself a bowl of warm milk with corn flakes. He had an English test, that morning, and he had been studying the whole week for it.
The corn flakes box was on the counter, next to some Penzburg bottles… The kid was reading from a magazine of his, Astronomy, his father still groaning and panting from the second he stepped inside the room.
After pouring his coffee, the man staggered all the way to his chair, Finney giving him just a glance as he took his usual seat, his red cup trembling in his hand. He was wearing his gray boiler-suit, ready as he could be for his morning shift at the Rocky Flats… Eric Cheng, local paperboy, had dropped the morning paper half an hour before, the Blakes being the last ones in his morning schedule.
Finney had picked it up before changing up, leaving it on his dad’s place; the man took it in his hands without even looking at him, the kid now back slurping from his cup. He was already late… He kept glancing at the wall clock, seconds passing: he didn’t like to keep Robin waiting.
As much as he and his sister could, they were both getting used to summer break being already over: it was always so difficult, by the end of it, starting off a new term. By then, three weeks had already passed. This time around, at least, Robin was there too…
Finney had nearly slurped half of his milk, when he glanced just enough to freeze, his spoon clenching among his fingers: his father was looking at him, he lowered his paper just enough to gaze sharply. His eyes stabbed the kid’s, whose hands were already shaking, his alerts hammering…
“You think”, the man took down the paper, scorning, “you can slurp that a little louder? I don’t think they can hear you, up in Boulder…”
And those were the first words coming out of his mouth, since waking up; his head still jarred, the kid getting the hint, nodding… If there was one good thing about school, it was providing both him and his little sister a good reason to stay out of their home. A little later, the little girl finally arrived as well: she had put her favorite jeans on, large and flared, and she combed her hair in pigtails.
She hardly slept, last night, though no dream had disrupted her. She went for the counter, looking for bread: she would gladly fancy a buttered toast, today… It was not that loud, but it was more than enough to startle both of her and her brother.
It was her fault, she had let the box lid slip. Terrence groaned, the way he did before hell broke loose. The whole room froze up, both the siblings tense as ever.
“… Sorry, daddy.”, Gwen begged, Finney ready to step in their dad’s way… their breaths sharpening…
Thankfully, though, all the man did was letting out another groan, much less heavy than the first one; his head lowered on the table as he tried to soothe the twinge in his head. His face was now wrinkling in ache… The little girl took the bread from the box, and sat at the table as soon as her breakfast came out of the toaster.
As she buttered it, she kept her gaze low, avoiding her father’s. Finney shared her smile, as their eyes met, the man already back giving no crap about his own kids.
-
Streets were growing buzzy, kids from the neighborhood heading to school. Police was patrolling the main roads, a soft wind shaking the missing flyers, so many of them being tattered by the past few months… Robin woke up early, that morning, his parents leaving little before he did, driving his little brother Luis to school.
“Seguro you don’t want a ride too?”, Hector, his step-dad, had offered as usual.
And just as usual, the kid had turned him down: their truck wasn’t large enough to fit even Finney and Gwen, unless they stuffed them both in the back.
By now he was waiting next to the alley, sitting on the wire fence’s rail, his bag by his feet; he kept glancing, eager to spot his friend appearing with his sister. Meanwhile, the other kids passed him quickly, their gazes low and cowed.
At last he saw the two of them, the little girl wearing a poncho of hers, brown and filled with yellow fringes. Her brother followed in his Denim jacket, books in his hands; his bag didn’t seem to weigh that much on his shoulder.
“I don’t know,”, she was telling him, “everyone says Fonzie or Richie… Milly says Potsie, but I don’t think anyone should ever trust anyone who wants to grow up and marry Potsie. I think I’ll just stick with marrying Danny Bonaduce…”
It was easier to talk like that, for the two of them, outside of their house… away from their father… Finney fixed his bag on his shoulder, gently glaring at her.
“You’re not gonna marry”, he teased, “a member of the Partridge family…”
“He’s so crucial!”, his sister replied, “I love his voice…”
That was right the kind of lightness they could allow themselves away from home, getting some air from its heaviness. It always felt so brief, but it was something.
Robin was waving at the two of them, both returning it before hurrying his way, Finney as relieved as he always was to find him there…
“Hey, Gwen!”, the kid greeted her with their usual high-five, “… Hey Finn.”
“Hey.”, he returned his smile, Gwen studying the way they were looking at each other… A little later, she was following the two of them, leaving them some space.
Since the term started, they always walked to school together, and Gwen often let the two of them go ahead. She did it on purpose, Finney knew, so grateful she did.
“Really,”, he was telling Robin, now, “when that hand came out of the tub…!”
They were talking about the movie they had both seen last night, each of them at their places; Finney barely caught any sleep, after watching it: so much blood, and some scenes… Robin, on the other hand, had fallen asleep on the couch, in front of the TV. The movie was called The Tingler, and it was nowhere near as scary as it should have been back in the day.
“I thought it was pretty mid,”, he was shrugging now, “if you ask me.”
“No, I liked it.”, replied Finney, “I mean, it was no Psycho, but still…”
“Bueno,”, Robin chuckled, “Psycho’s a totally different level.”
Finney nodded, keeping for himself how much The Tingler had upset him: seeing the bath tub filled with blood, that arm coming out of it, he had struggled to breathe, memories streaming back until he had shut down the TV… Robin didn’t know, of course, Finney realized he couldn’t know: details on his mother’s death had never been given to the press, nobody knew the kid found her in their own tub.
The wind kept blowing softly, dark leaves cracking under his shoes: September finally arrived, and would soon take away what was left of summer… It had been a great summer, though, for Finney. Maybe the best of his whole life…
“I’m going to see Texas Chainsaw Massacre, tonight,”, Robin kind of bragged, “with my uncle! You ever seen it, before?”
“That movie is rated R,”, his friend reminded, “dad would never take me to see it. Also… I’m not really sure it’s my kind of movie, you know what I mean…”
Robin nodded, and couldn’t really blame him: if a bit of blood was enough to make Finney uneasy, Texas Chainsaw Massacre was the last movie he should see…
“I first saw it last year.”, he recalled, “There were screenings at the cinema, and I managed to sneak inside… Trust me, buddy: that movie… Jeez, it’s the best. Ever.”
“… Better than Enter the Dragon?”, Finney noted, in a smirk…
“Vale, second best.”, Robin recognized, both of them chuckling.
“You know,”, Finney said, trying to sound casual, “I heard they’re screening Rocky, now, at the cinema. How about… I mean, would you like to see it with me?”
It had been his first thought since last Sunday, when he and Gwen had passed the cinema on their way for groceries: that really was the kind of movie Robin would like seeing on the big screen. He had been thinking about it throughout the whole week, hesitant to that very moment…
“Yeah.”, Robin exclaimed, a smile on his face, “Yeah, sounds neat… Pero how with your dad? What are you gonna tell him?”
“I’ll think of something.”, Finney replied, confidently.
Robin smiled at that, gladly surprised… Finney, on the other hand, was trying his best to hide how much he was shivering: he was growing more reckless, with time passing, and he still struggled to realize it himself. All because of Robin… Thanks of him, that was more like it. And he couldn’t deny, he actually felt glad about it.
By then, the two of them were approaching the school building, much more kids than before crowding the sidewalks, clustering in small groups or riding on their bikes; the road itself was clogged with cars, many of them honking… They all came from that neighborhood, just like the Feltons. Many more cops now patrolled the sidewalks, fences all around there being filled with missing flyers…
“It’s new.”, Robin stopped, Finney looking just like him at the light pole.
“What?”, Gwen finally reached the two of them, following their gazes: one of the flyers was stitched to that pole, and it was Bruce Yamada’s… It had probably been nailed there the night before, because that was their first time seeing it there.
“Mister Yamada”, Finney mused, “must be putting them up again.”
And thinking so, he breathed in deeply: how long had it been, since Bruce had been “grabbed”? One, two months? Sometimes, he still thought back to the last time he had seen him, outside the baseball field, cheerful as ever… praising him…
“Come on,”, Gwen exclaimed in a harsh voice, “let’s go, we’re gonna be late.”
She hurried ahead of the boys, her heartbeat hastening more and more: every time she glanced at those flyers, by now, she couldn’t help feeling dread… Finney knew, of course, what that was all about: she already told him about her dreams…
The three of them walked in silence, now, barely looking at the flyers they were growing used to: it had been three months at least, by then, since it all started…
“You good?”, Robin asked all of a sudden, Finney heavily nodding…
“You don’t…”, he hesitated, “You don’t think they’re gonna find them, do you?”
“… I don’t think so.”, Robin shook his head, his voice jaded.
By then, there in school, nobody seemed to talk about anything else than those kids, and the Grabber. Especially the Grabber… Since its name appeared on the papers, little had it taken to be on everyone’s lips: parents were worried about it, many of their children being actually pretty thrilled by the mystery surrounding it.
So many rumors spread in the hallways, so many theories: some said it lived in the city sewer, others thought it came from the outside, and there were those saying it actually was the Devil himself… A common rumor was it could hear whoever spoke its name out loud, and it would immediately “grab” anyone daring to…
“Hey,”, Robin tried changing the subject, “do you wanna come by, after school?”
“… Should I keep my science book, as well?”, Finney said, Robin nodding.
“Mister Johnson”, he said, “is no better than Math Max.”
“Don’t call him that.”, Finney reproached, as he always did when talking about mister Maximilian Shaw, their former math and science teacher…
“Anyway, he doesn’t explain right.”, Robin looked at his friend, “… Not like you.”
And Finney couldn’t help blushing, his sister giggling as she spotted him like that…
“My dad”, he said then, “is gonna work late, today.”
Just like that, the three of them finally found themselves in front of their school, kids and children clustering all around. There seemed to be much more cops than usual, today… Gwen waved at Robin and her brother, the two of them hurrying as they heard the bell ringing: they had history class, to start off the day.
There was a black van parked on the other side of the road, eager fingers clenching around its squeaky steering wheel, their owner’s gaze intent on both the kids. He had already taken a few pictures, by now.
-
The classroom was dark, its blinds all lowered down, most of the kids not giving a shit about the slides: mister Johnson was explaining Earth’s stratification, and its layers… Another image slid on the projector screen, depicting a sliced-up Earth.
“The surface layer”, mister Johnson exposed, “is called the Crust, which is solid and very thin. As the Earth separated into layers it began to cool slowly…”
He talked awkwardly, he still did… Everything about him was kind of awkward, from his large square glasses to his awful-looking waistcoats, his voice stilted. It was his first time ever teaching, he was fresh out of university, and it showed.
By then, Finney as well had grown tired of the lesson… He and Robin were sitting behind, and they were glad being nearly through science class. Robin, especially, couldn’t wait for the bell to finally ring… Next to him, Finney was done scribbling.
Right now, he was messing around with his rocket-shaped pen: there was a torch inside of it, on the barrel, and he kept lifting and raising it from his notebook, intent on the way light acted on the page.
“The inner core is solid,”, mister Johnson kept pointing at the screen, “the interior core is molten. The next layer, called the Mantle, is mostly solid, however…”
Finney wasn’t looking his way, or the screen’s. His gaze was low on his notebook, and the rockets he had doodled next to his notes: he had written an F on the first one, and an R on the other… He half-smiled, his fingers passing on them.
Every now and then he looked to his left, his gaze flickering back as Robin seemed to turn. In the dark, nobody could see the red on his cheeks.
His friend was slouched on the chair, fed up with all of that babbling about Earth… Sometimes, looking at his right, he still saw a girl looking his way: it was Daisy Sander, and she kept smiling at him in a weird way… As uneasy as he felt, Robin kept acting like he didn’t give a crap about her. It happened a lot, since the term started, and he didn’t like the way she kept looking at him.
He had never liked her, ever since their first year in that school: she sure was one of the prettiest girls in there, boys all falling by her feet, but she also was one of the most dumb, and stuck-up he ever met, and he’d rather keep his distance.
Also, he knew what she thought of Finney, he had heard her and her friends talking about him… He had never bashed their faces, just because they were girls.
Every time he looked at Finney, his friend seemed nervous, and that made him smile for no specific reason, at least none he could tell… He was always so glad, spending an afternoon with him, and his family was growing more and more used to him. Luis, sometimes, was kind of a nuisance, just as usual… Hector once had to drag him out of the bedroom, and tell him to leave Finney and Robin alone. The two of them were sitting on the bed, Robin playing his guitar…
“Okay, class,”, mister Johnson sighed, mostly unheard, as the bell rang, “see you all next week, and don’t forget your homeworks…”
Everyone was already cleaning their desks and getting back on their feet, Finney and Robin storing their pencil cases and notebooks back in their school bags: at long last, it was over. Until Monday, that was kind of it…
“You ready for the test?”, asked Robin, a yawn finally released.
“I hope so,”, Finney was fixing his bag on his shoulder, “how about you?”
“Feeling positive!”
He always did, since he and Finney started studying and revising together. That would be their first test since this term started, and there was a ten minutes break, before that. Finney needed to go to the bathroom…
“Hello, Robin.”
Hearing so, both he and his friend lifted their gazes: she was there in front of them, and she seemed to be fretting, a huge, kinda creepy smile on her face… Ever since starting middle school, that was the first time Robin found her so close to him, her long golden hair seeming to shine the second blinds were finally lifted from the windows, light finally flooding back inside the classroom.
“… Hey, Daisy.”, he tried looking the other way, “Sorry, we gotta-!”
“Can we talk?”, she grabbed his arm, pulling him, “Just a second, really… Come on, come with me! Trust me…!”
And leaving him no time to process, she started dragging him. Finney looked at him stumbling behind the girl, dazed as ever… There he stayed just for a while, a little unsure, before hurrying behind the two of them.
Robin was now being dragged down the hallway, everyone looking at him and stepping aside to make way: he kept protesting, Daisy’s grip being much stronger than he would’ve ever imagined… He kept glancing behind his back, his feet trying to act like brakes, with poor if any results. Many whispered, all around.
He could feel everyone’s gazes on himself and Daisy, the girl actually looking kind of pleased… She took him all the way outside the building, in a small spot next to the gym. Right there, at long last, Robin’s arm was finally released.
“… What…”, he struggled to catch his breath, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Daisy didn’t answer at first, her gaze on Robin, her eyes shiny and hungrier than ever… Robin didn’t really get what was happening, half of him still processing.
Daisy, on the other her hand, had waited so much for this moment, that now she wasn’t really sure anymore where to start from. Her breath was heavy, excited just like any other time she happened to lay her gaze on another catch of hers.
Meanwhile, Finney had rushed outside as well, looking around… Some kids had seen where Daisy dragged Robin, and he barely thanked them before hurrying that way. He couldn’t really tell why, but he had such a bad feeling…
“I know what you’re thinking,”, he heard all of a sudden, “really, I know…”
He was by the gym, now, and that was Daisy’s voice… He got closer to the spot he heard it coming from: it was the small gap separating the athletic building and the science building, large just enough for two people to fit in…
“But I thought about it,”, Daisy said, “and… you don’t have to be so shy!”
“Daisy,”, Robin kept his arms crossed, “I don’t know what-!”
“Oh,” she grasped them, “come on, Robin, I can see how you look at me!”
They kept discussing like that, Finney leaning just enough to look at them, hiding behind the wall, so close to stepping in… It happened in a moment. Just a single moment. His eyes widened, a strong ache in his chest… His head shook, he took a step back. Then another, legs dragging him away, his breath sharpening…
“S-stop it… Stop it!”, Robin finally managed to push Daisy away, harsh enough she nearly slammed on the brick wall behind her back. Her gaze puzzled.
The kid in front of her was shaking in daze, his hand wiping his lips; he looked at it, traces of the girl’s lipstick on it… its sour taste sinking in his mouth… Now they were both panting, both of them taken aback for different reasons. And the more Robin looked at her, the more awkward he felt, slowly processing.
“… Look…”, he still felt short of breath, shaking away most of his goosebumps, “I don’t… I don’t know what made you… I don’t like you, vale? Like, at all…”
“But…”, the girl replied, her large smile now seeming to falter, “But you should… You’ve been looking at me so many times, lately… You kept…!”
She was at a loss of words, looking so confused… Robin preferred keeping it for himself, but his glances were just because of her looking at him in the first place. And just as well, he kept for himself how uneasy that made him feel…
“I’m sorry, okay?”, he said instead, “I didn’t mean to… give you the wrong idea.”
“But… but…!”, Daisy struggled to believe her own ears, that being the first time a boy… any boy… Any glimpse of excitement was disappearing from her face, as she realized Robin was not joking.
“Trust me, Daisy,”, he was fast getting a hold of himself, “it wouldn’t work. Not in a thousand years, if you wanna know-!”
“You asshole!”, she pushed him as he tried to leave, “You fucking asshole!”
She was so close to sobbing, now, her face red and shivering with anger, unable as she was to conceive any of this: she had never been rejected, before, by a boy.
“You fooled me…!”, she pointed her finger at him, “You took advantage of me!”
“Qué? I never cared about you in my entire-!”
“You’re an idiot, Robin Allison,”, she slammed her foot, “a fucking asshole!”
And just like that, whining and sniffling, she ran away, tears flowing on her cheeks. Robin didn’t even bother to reply it was “Arellano”, and not “Allison”.
“Cabrona…”, he mumbled before getting his bag from the ground, still a little shaky from before… He breathed in sharp, like nothing happened, and just then he remembered Finney, running immediately to catch up with him.
-
Finney just shut himself inside one of the stinky toilets, his legs having dragged him all the way there from the gym: he had barely looked where he was going, so many of his schoolmates yelling at him as he slammed on them… He had not seen them. He didn’t see anything, right now, in front of him, besides Robin.
He had seen them. He had seen Daisy as she threw her hands around Robin’s neck, the kid blushing as she smooched him, his eyes bulging out… Finney wouldn’t stop panting, his eyes squinting, breath hardly coming back to his lungs. His heart kept hammering, his chest aching like it had been stabbed through.
More and more tears kept welling in his eyes, his sighs deepening the more he took in what he just saw… All of a sudden, he heard the bathroom’s door creak open.
“I saw him,”, he heard as it closed, “he rushed inside. And he was alone…”
Finney instinctively crouched up on the toilet, his breath snagging in his throat.
“Hey Finney.”, another voice tweeted, slimy and threatening.
Fear clouded the kid’s mind, rapidly taking the best of him: it was Matt and Matty’s voices, and he could hear their steps probing around the room, echoing harsh…
“Come on out,”, Matt called out loud, “dick weed.”
Finney hoped they shooed, he really hoped so: the last thing he needed now, was them. And they were smart enough to look under the doors…
“Not fooling anyone, noid!”, Buzz’s voice added up, the kid gulping at its sound.
He soon clenched his teeth, his shaky breath steadying despite his head spinning: he was alone, and they could wait as long as they needed for him to come out… Robin, he thought. Robin, where was he… His fists shut, stronger than ever.
One last, deep breath, and he opened the door, the three of his long-time bullies standing between him and the only exit. Just like he feared, running away was off the table… He could feel their gazes on him, not daring to cross them. But they could still hear him sniffling, and exchanged some knowing smirks…
“What’re you doing in our bathroom?”, Matty stepped closer, his hands sinking in his Sherpa jacket’s pockets, “… Huh? I asked you a question, you sissy!”
Finney flinched, knowing how that would end up. He just hoped it would be fast… The three of them were already closing around him.
“You see the sign?”, Matty curled his lip, the door opening behind him, “It says boys.”
“Yeah, boys,”, Buzz already felt his hands tingling in fists, “not fags.”
“… Neither dipshits.”, the voice fizzled sharp.
Just like that, the three of them went pale as sheets all at once, any sort of sass disappeared from their gazes as Robin passed them… Finney had felt his heart thudding the second he saw him entering the room, a pant leaving him.
“Hey, Finn.”
He stepped back as Robin got closer. The latter spotted anyway the red in his eyes.
“… I thought I was clear with you three.”, he was hissing now, shielding him, his eyes flaming to Buzz and his friends: they knew what that meant, for them…
“W-wait,”, Buzz stuttered as the kid approached him, “it’s not our fault… W-we did nothing this time around. He was like this when-!”
Robin firmly grabbed his shirt’s collar, that redhead already whining and begging him not to. His suck-ups stepped back, knowing they could be next in line…
“Robin.”, Finney rebuked his friend, and there was a heaviness in his voice.
“… I’m gonna tell you one last time:”, Robin warned Buzz, then, and his friends as well, “fuck with Finn again… I fuck with you.”
They all shivered as he looked at each one of them, and they didn’t need Robin telling them, for leaving him and Finney alone in the bathroom.
Robin shook his head: as pissed as he was, he really wasn’t surprised; those jerks would never give up on Finney, would they? He had to keep an eye on them.
“… Thanks.”, Finney mumbled, no respite in his voice… He was by a sink, now, washing his face: water came out in hiccups, as usual…
“Are you okay?”, Robin got closer, and the kid nodded at him, forcing a smile.
His books were still in the toilet where he had left them, his eyes still burning with tears… Robin tried to hold his shoulder, but he avoided him.
“… What happened? What did they do to you?”
“Nothing…”, Finney assured in a thin voice, “I’m fine…”
He kept slamming more and more water on his face, unable to look at his friend…
“Finn,”, Robin sighed, then, “you’re gonna have to stand up for yourself, one of these-!”
“I said I’m fine!”, Finney snapped his gaze up, “… Really.”
Right then, the bell finally rang, but Robin didn’t hear it: something was wrong, he could see it. He could tell by the way Finney still trembled…
“Hey, buddy,”, he tried again reaching for his shoulder, “what-!”
“Sorry, I… I-I…”, the kid flinched from him, “Come on, we have class.”
And just like that, before Robin could ask him anything, he had already collected his books and bag from the toilet, rushing outside the door. A few tears dropped as he hurried down the hallway, but he immediately wiped them away.
-
Miss Farnsworth, the principal’s assistant, had come fetching Gwen in the middle of math class, walking her all the way to the office. The little girl wondered what she did wrong, this time around… She had considered asking the woman, as they left class, but she’d rather have the principal herself telling her.
She couldn’t really recall doing anything wrong, lately. But it always felt awkward, when the woman asked to see her… Whatever it was, she just hoped it wouldn’t affect her evening in any way: it was Friday, and both Susie and her mom would be waiting for her to come by in a couple of hours.
And just as usual, she had waited for it all week long, ready for her and Susie to spend another night together… She would bring along her colored pencils, she wouldn’t need to borrow her friend’s, this time around, when drawing… She followed miss Farnsworth through the quiet, deserted hallways, all the way to the office, taking a deep breath.
On the other side of the door, she clearly heard people quarreling, just to hush as soon as miss Farnsworth knocked on the door, allowing the little girl in.
“You wanted to… see me…?”, her eyebrows arched the second she stepped into the room, the principal’s assistant closing the door behind her back.
The office felt hot, light filling it from the locked window. The principal was at her desk, wearing one of her god-awful jackets. Miss Collins was there too.
She was already there, when the principal’s guests had arrived: they already had discussed that matter on the phone with the latter, who had given them all of her permission… Learning it was about Gwen Blake, the PE teacher had refused to leave the office, requesting to know what this was all about. And she hardly had believed her ears, the second she had been made part of that too.
But it wasn’t her, right now, the little girl was staring at, cold sweat flowing down her spine. Both men kept staring at her too, kind of speechless themselves: it had been so long since the last time they saw her, and she had grown so much…
They would never have expected seeing her again, just like this, let alone talking to her… Some would surely say they got some nerve, and they’d be right.
“Gwendolyn Blake,”, the principal cleared her throat, her voice sounding kind of bothered, “this is detective Wright and detective Miller.”
And Gwen, sure enough, didn’t need the woman telling her: during past months, they had been popping up a lot, in there, “investigating”.
It had been a few years, but she had recognized both of them from day one, and so had Finney… Wright seemed to have more gray hair, now. He had been the one including miss Collins in the matter, despite his partner insisting the other way.
“… Miss Blake…”, he pointed at the chairs, the ones they had set for talking, disposed as a triangle: Gwen was supposed to take the middle one, in front of him and Miller. The latter had his pocketbook, and a pen with him.
“They would like”, the principal explained, “to talk to you about something.”
Gwen breathed in deeply, trying not to panic: just because they were here, it didn’t mean they knew… The principal stepped in miss Collins’ way before she could make a step forward. The PE teacher had spent their wait objecting…
“Okay, miss Blake,”, Wright sighed, the three of them now sitting, “maybe you don’t remember, but… we worked with your mother, when you were little-”
“I remember.”, she cut to chase, her hands already scratching her chair’s arms: she didn’t care why they were here, she just wanted them to get out of her face… Both the detectives looked at each other, feeling a little awkward: sure enough, they had expected not to receive the warmest of greetings, from the little girl…
“Okay.”, Wright lowered his gaze, loosening his necktie, “Is it… Is it true you are friends with Amy Yamada?”
And just hearing that name, the little girl couldn’t help shuddering, trying her best not to look uncomfortable; Miller was scribbling, slyly glancing at her.
“Not really,”, she replied, “I barely know her… How is she?”
“It’s not about her.”, Miller stepped in, “… You know what this is about.”
Miss Collins crossed her arms, while Wright gestured at him to refrain from that. He looked straight into Gwen’s eyes, the little girl seriously hoping she didn’t know what all of this was about. But if it was like she feared…
“What did you tell Amy”, Wright asked, some sort of eagerness barely concealed in his voice, “about her brother, Bruce?”
The little girl gulped, holding onto her chair arms, her gaze suddenly flickering to her PE teacher… The woman felt her own heart clenching, her hands tied.
“I told her nothing.”, Gwen assured, and it was the truth: she hadn’t told Amy…
“She told us”, Wright explained then, “you had some dream about him being taken, by a man, in a black van, leaving black balloons behind.”
He took his time with every single word, putting a special weight on “dream”… the principal kept looking at the little girl, Miller still scribbling.
“… Yes.”, Gwen admitted, her heart already sinking…
“What else happened”, Wright leaned forward on his chair, “in your dreams?”
“Why?”, she replied harshly, “It’s just some dreams!”
“Who else knows”, Miller gave her one of his glances, “about this?”
That was his way of intimidating suspects or witnesses, and he actually believed it worked, like it didn’t just make him seem like a dumbass…
“Westminster police found black balloons”, Wright said, “at the scene, Gwen. And we found them where we believe Griffin Stagg, and Vance Hopper were abducted.”
“And we never released these details.”, added Miller.
“… Oh.”, Gwen nodded, realizing what they meant…
“Did anyone tell you about the balloons?”, Wright went on, nervous as ever.
“No,”, she groaned, nervously crossing her legs, “nobody…”
“Then how did you know?”
“I didn’t!”, she replied, “It was just a stupid dream!”
“I’m gonna ask you again,”, Miller gave her another glance, “how did you know?”
Gwen looked at him, her lips thinning: by now, she felt so close to blowing up.
“Detective Miller!”, miss Collins finally stepped in closer, despite knowing she shouldn’t have, the man acting like he didn’t even notice.
“Either there’s a leak in the department,”, he was accusing now, “or-!”
“Or what?”, Gwen nipped his actual guess in the bud, “I am the Grabber?”
“No…”, Wright tried appeasing her, barely getting a chance to.
“You think”, she scornfully raised her eyebrows, already worked up, “I grabbed Vance Hopper, last spring, is that it? Vance got held back twice, I’ve seen him fight, and trust me… He could kick the shit out of either of you blindfolded!”
And just like that, she finally took that stuck-up smirk from Miller’s face, and just as well she astounded the whole office, the four adults now staring at her, baffled…
“Young lady,”, the principal finally made herself hear, “watch your language…”
“Yeah,”, the little girl kept sassing, not minding her, “I took him down, ‘cause obviously I’m the Grabber, you dumb fucking fart-knockers.”
“Gwendolyn Blake!”, the woman snapped on her feet, the little girl keeping her tongue… Miss Collins struggled more and more to keep herself from snickering.
“… Gwen.”, Wright breathed in, “… I know you resent us.”
This time around, the little girl didn’t even look at him, her eyes already glistening, a frown curling on her glum face: she had enough of this.
“Trust me,”, he insisted, “I know. And you’re right…”
Miller groaned, his eyes rolling: he knew his partner meant so, he knew him well. It hadn’t been him, of course, asking for the two of them to be put together on this case… Though he had to admit, Wright was a pretty good detective.
“But now,”, he was still trying to make Gwen reason, “we could really use your help. And if you are having these dreams, like she did, you might be able-”
“I’m not my mother.”, she snarled in his face, “I don’t give a shit if you never find it. You can’t do it on your own? Well, that’s your problem!”
And before the principal, or anyone else could hold her, she finally snapped from the chair… The door shut with a loud slam. Little it took before miss Collins rushed outside of there as well, detective Wright’s teeth clenching with a sigh…
“Gwen!”, the PE teacher called down the hallway, “Gwen, wait…!”
The little girl was rushing through it, her breath sharpening at every single step she took. Miss Collins kept calling her, but she didn’t even glance back at her, though she noticed the woman’s steps were now getting closer and closer…
“Gwen!”, she grabbed the little girl’s shoulder, and then both her arms as she tried to wriggle away: she was panting, her eyes stinging and red with anger…
“Leave me alone.”, she stared, a deep wound struggling to close back.
Miss Collins bent at her height, although avoiding her gaze: she felt terrible, right now, she really did. She should have taken some action before the situation got out of hand… Though it would probably end up like this anyway.
“I’m sorry, Gwen.”, she gently caressed her arms, “Really, I’m sorry…”
She knew little about late missis Blake, just enough to grasp all of that meeting.
“… It’s fine, miss.”, Gwen groaned in a thinner, yet calm voice: she couldn’t resent miss Collins. Just like Finney, she could never have.
The PE teacher wasn’t sure how to calm her down: Gwen Blake wasn’t like her brother, she wouldn’t like talking. She’d rather being left alone, like she said.
“… Look,”, her teacher offered, “why don’t you go getting some air?”
“I’ve got class.”, Gwen reminded, her head being somewhere else.
“I’ll talk with your teacher.”, miss Collins shrugged like it was no problem.
The little girl glanced over, and the woman followed her gaze behind her own back, spotting both the detectives coming their way.
“… And I’ll deal with them, too.”, she winked reassuringly, and Gwen forced out a chuckle, grateful enough to hear so.
As she left, both the detectives were still looking at her, now feeling awkward themselves. Wright, especially, felt his heart aching with guilt, no matter how much time had already passed since the tragedy: in a few days, it would be three years… Miss Collins’ eyes flamed, heavy steps dragging her in front of them both.
Soon enough, Gwen finally found herself outside the building, breathing deeply, but she couldn’t slow down, everything still racing inside of her.
She was finally able to think, now, without those two assholes overwhelming her, both seeming no better than they were back then; now they knew, and likely enough, the whole neighborhood would know soon… And her own father, he would know too! But cops couldn’t have known, had nobody told them, and she hadn’t. They said it had been Amy Yamada, but she had never told her either, and she knew Finney felt just like her about letting anyone know. And then, there was just another person left.