Breaking the Curse

Chapter 9

The Forbidden Forest was lit up by a swarm of flashlights. More than two dozen search and rescue volunteers were combing the woods for Sebastian. They wore orange vests and serious faces.

Among them was Mr. Oliver, Sebastian's science teacher.

He walked slowly toward Captain Jack, who had been leading the search since Margaret had reported her son missing.

"He's a good kid, you know," Mr. Oliver said to the Captain.

Jack turned, surprised to hear the science teacher speak. He had always thought he was a quiet and reserved man.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Sebastian. He's a good kid. A great one, actually. He's smart, curious, creative. He never gets into trouble."

Jack nodded and looked away.

Mr. Oliver extended his hand to the Captain.

"I don't think we've met. Oliver Queen. I teach at the town school. Biology and science."

Jack shook his hand. Then looked elsewhere.

"I never liked science," he said.

"Maybe you had a bad teacher," Mr. Oliver said.

"Ms. Pearson was a nightmare," Jack said.

"Pearson? Oh yeah. She's still around, believe it or not."

"Oh, I believe it. She's probably immortal," Jack said.

They both laughed briefly, then returned to their grim task.

"So you're from here?" Mr. Oliver asked.

"Camp 111, you?" Jack asked back.

"Camp 101. We just missed each other."

They walked for a while. Jack seemed lost in thought.

"My daughter, Jenny. She loved science. She understood all that stuff about relativity, black holes, and whatnot. Maybe she got it from her mother, I don't know," Jack said.

"Your daughter. What grade is she in? Maybe I can have her in my class," Mr. Oliver said.

"She lives in the city. With her mother," Jack said, lying about the real reason why his daughter wasn't with him anymore.

Jack slapped Mr. Oliver on the back and said "Thanks for coming out, teach. I appreciate it."

He walked faster, leaving Mr. Oliver behind.

A nearby volunteer whispered to him:

"His kid, she died a few years ago."

"Oh, I didn't know."

"And his wife left him a few weeks after the funeral."

Mr. Oliver felt a pang of sympathy. He looked at Jack, who was now far away.

The police and the other volunteers continued to search for Sebastian in the dense forest, even though they had no clue if he was really there or not.

-___-

Miles was restless in his room. He hated being stuck at home while his best friend was missing. He wanted to go out and look for him. He had an idea. He turned to his brother, Ellis, who was lying on his bed.

"We should go out there and help find Sabastian. Staying here isn't going to bring Sebastian back," Miles said.

"And how do you propose we do that, huh? Take our bikes and ride across town?" Ellis said.

Miles smiled and pointed at their open window.

"You've got to be kidding me, man," Ellis said.

"No, I'm not kidding, man. He's our friend. Don't you care about him?" Miles said.

"Fine, fine, let's go then. But if Mom finds out, you'll take the blame, okay? And don't make me go through the window. You know I hate heights," Ellis said.

"Okay, okay, let's go."

Miles and Ellis sneaked downstairs. The stairs creaked. They peeked into the living room. Their dad was fiddling with the TV. The picture was fuzzy and full of static. He hit the side of the box in frustration. The boys hurried past him. He didn't notice them.

Miles and Ellis got their bikes out of the garage. BAM! A shadowy figure landed behind them. Miles jumped, but it was only Adeline, their sister. She had climbed down a drainpipe to sneak out of the house too.

"Shit! Who's there?" Miles said.

"What are you doing here, freak?" Adeline said.

"We took the back door."

"Damn it!" Adeline looked back at the drainpipe and then at her brothers.

"You're not going to look for Sebastian, are you?"

"You're not going to see Michael, that douchebag, are you?" Ellis said to his sister.

"Don't tell Mom, deal?" Adeline said.

Ellis spat in his hand and offered it to his sister for a handshake.

"That's gross, Ellis," she said.

A jeep flashed its lights up ahead. A signal.

"Michael's here. I gotta go. Don't do anything stupid," Adeline said.

"You have to shake on it or it doesn't count, big sis!"

But Adeline was already gone. She ran to Michael's car and got in before Ellis could say goodbye.

"Say hi to that douchebag for me, will ya?" Miles said.

Adeline flipped them off and the jeep sped away.

Ellis wiped his spit off with his jeans, got on his bike with Miles, and pedaled off into the night. Above them, a street lamp flickered.