The Diversity Story

Chaptel 17: Mary Stands Up

In the middle of the night, the orphans were still on the train, sleeping. Charlie rolled over on the haystack. He opened his eyes to see Mary, awake and sitting at the ledge as the train went by. He got up and went over to her.

"Mary?" He sits next to her. "You okay?" The only thing she could get out was an "mmm-hmm." "You sure? 'Cause, it seems like something's bothering you."

"Charlie, I'm fine. Really." Charlie was not buying it. He knows something is wrong.

"Mary...did something happen at the orphanage?"

Mary didn't answer. She just glanced up at him. She didn't want to tell Charlie about Mr. Fletcher's evil deed. Instead, she said: "I'll tell you when we get to New York. I just...wanna make sure we get away from all of this first."

"...I understand."

"Charlie-"

"Mary-oh, sorry."

"No. Go ahead."

"No, it's okay. What is it?"

"When we get to New York...do...do you think we could-"

"Have a life together? It's that what you were gonna say?"

Both teens' faces were now red. They both know an interracial relationship would mean trouble and they don't wanna imagine the consequences. But will they be able to face them? Charlie took her hand and smiled at her. Before he could say something, they heard a creak from above the boxcar. They got up and moved away from the ledge and over to the haystack. They held their breath until the creaking stopped.

After a moment of silence, something came in and landed in the car. It turned around and Mary and Charlie were petrified. There stood Mrs. Fletcher in a fiery rage. Her clothes were ripped and singed from the fire. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were bloodshot. She aimed the rifle at Mary and shot at her. Before the bullet made contact with her, Charlie pushed her out of the way and took the bullet in his shoulder.

"Charlie!" Mary ran over to him. The sudden noise woke the others and they rushed over to Charlie as Mrs. Fletcher loaded her gun. Furious, Mary grabbed the rifle and tries to pull it away from her.

"LET GO!!" The woman shrieked. "GET OFF, YOU-"

Mary pushed her down and threw her gun out of the train, but not before the woman lunges at her. This makes both of them out of the boxcar.

"Mary!" "Charlie tries to get up but winced at the pain in his shoulder.

Mary grabs onto the railing by the opening while the woman grabs her foot. She attempts to pull Mary down with her, but Mary kept holding on. She starts to kick Mrs. Fletcher in the face until she fell off. Before she fell, the woman grabbed onto another railing. Charlie ran to her side as she struggled to pull up.

"Mary! Mary, take my hand!"

Holding onto the railing, Mary held out her hand. She held herself steady until she grabbed his hand and Charlie pulled her back into the car. They helped each other up and hugged for a few seconds when Mary felt a sharp pain in her back. Mrs. Fletcher had struck Mary with her whip. Before she could do it again, Charlie grabbed the whip and tried to pull it away from her. Enraged, the madwoman threw Charlie at his friends. Mary attempts to get up, but Mrs. Fletcher kicks her down. She then proceeded to whip her all over her body and with every strike, Mary let out a painful scream and fell each time. Her shirt ripped and blood started streaming down her back. Charlie wanted to help, but he was held back by the others. They didn't want him to fall victim to the woman's unstoppable rage.

Mary was on the floor, exhausted. Her shirt was ripped to shreds and soaked in blood. She tried to stand up, but it was too painful. She looked up and saw Mrs. Fletcher, preparing to strike her again. She looked like an animal. Her mouth was foaming. Her eyes were red and twitching. She's out for blood. With one swift move, Fletcher brought the whips down, but she didn't hear a scream. Turns out, Mary had caught the whip and jerked her around, making her lose her balance and fall. Mary stood over her, whip in hand and a grimace that made the woman cower. It was a grimace that reflected years of pain and anger. She wanted to beat her. To show her what she and her friends dealt with over the years. Years of being at this woman's mercy, Mrs. Fletcher was now at hers.

Then, she remembered: Charlie. Charlie was here and so was Nick and Joseph. If she whipped Mrs. Fletcher, will she grow up to hate white people as this woman hated black children? How would that affect a future with Charlie or a friendship with any white person? Would she become the colored version of Mrs. Fletcher? Mary glared at her and just tossed the whip away in disgust.

"Cato...Leon...get her out of here."

As Mary limped over to her friends, the boys did as they were told. They picked Mrs. Fletcher up and threw the woman from the train. She tumbled down a mountain until she landed in a pile of mud. Frustrated, the woman began to crawl out until she came face to face with a rattlesnake.

Back on the train, the black orphans were celebrating their successful escape, the end of the Fletchers, and their newfound freedom. Akela gave Leon a smooch of victory while Regina hugs Cato gleefully. Nick and Joseph hugged each other and hugged Jaliya and Violet. Meanwhile, Charlie helped Mary sit on the haystack.

"You alright?"

"Yeah."

"...so, about that question earlier..." Suddenly, Charlie stopped mid-sentence. Mary cut him off with a kiss that caught him off guard. He closed his eyes and carefully wrapped his arms around her back. The answer was clear. Whatever the consequence be that comes with loving each other, they could care less. The others noticed them and collectively said "aww." When they were done, Mary and Charlie looked over and saw their friends watching them and blushed. They went on to rejoin with the group and each other as the train whistle blew. Mary and Charlie leaned out the opening and watched the train cross a bridge, smiles on their faces.