Sing Today Die Tomorrow

Chapter Two

The backpack grew heavy as Ryan hurried home. Fallen leaves circled around him on the ground and the daylight dwindled.

He thought about Amy and Jordan sadly and stopped at the street corner out of breath.

A gust of wind blew a yellow paper smeared with dirt against a tree trunk on the sidewalk. He snatched it. What he read sent a chill up his spine:

Attention students and faculty,

Early Friday morning, the school surveillance system recorded a masked intruder in the principal's office copying papers from student files. This is now a police matter and extra precaution is in place.

Thank you,

Principal Pearson

Suddenly, Ryan saw a vision in color in his mind. Someone stood behind him and removed a blindfold from his eyes. Ryan saw the inside of a shed. He let the paper go and the wind whisked it away.

---

He arrived at Eleven Maple Road. Someone waited in a red, sports car with the engine running across from the house. Tinted windows concealed the driver.

Mr. Ross left his car in the driveway and Ryan jumped over the short fence. He hurried to the backyard and knocked on Grace's bedroom window, but she didn't respond.

Something rustled in the woods in the distance and Ryan scanned the knotty trees, but nothing showed itself.

He turned the knob on the back door, but it didn't give. He saw the tall, black figure standing behind him.

He hid behind the oak tree.

In a few minutes, he peeked around it. Mr. Ross appeared, staring at the house with his arms crossed.

Ryan crunched leaves with his boots, moving to the next tree and stepped on a stick with a crack.

He rushed behind the trunk and waited. Then he peered around it. He expected Mr. Ross to turn around, but he didn't. Then he blinked and Mr. Ross disappeared.

Ryan knocked on the front door and the driver in the red car lowered the window, but Ryan didn't see a face.

Grace opened the door. "You're late," she said. "Mom's at work. Dad just went to the backyard with sage."

Ryan shut his bedroom door and locked it securely. The smell of sage smoke lingered everywhere.

"Grace," called Mr. Ross. "Is Ryan home? The light's on in his room."

"He just got here," said Grace.

Mr. Ross knocked on the bedroom door firmly. "Come out here and eat dinner. The food's going to get cold." Hunger pained Ryan, but Mr. Ross pained him too. "Come on, Ryan. I'm making a plate for you."

Ryan opened the door apprehensively.

Mr. Ross sat at the kitchen table glumly near a glass of milk and a plate of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas covered with gravy.

Ryan sat down and picked up the fork. Mr. Ross gripped his hand tightly.

"I waited here for your bus, but it didn't show up. I called the company and they told me what happened. I called the police and they said you told Officer O'Brien you missed the bus. You could've asked him to call me. You shouldn't be walking. The driver went to the ER and I doubt his replacement drives any better than he does. I'm taking you to school tomorrow."

Mr. Ross pushed the plate of food closer to Ryan angrily and Ryan swallowed a mouthful of mashed potatoes hungrily. He ate some more and Mr. Ross glared at him.