Journey to Psitharis

Chapter 17

            My small victory against the guy who imprisoned Roland was a hollow victory. I was glad Roland made it out of Dream Land, believed most ardently that he did in fact make it, but I wish I could have followed him before returning to my suck-ish reality. Something about the chase, the temporary truce I had achieved with my single-minded captor, made me feel like I had finally accomplished something positive in either of my worlds for a change. Once I was fully awake and realized where I had to be in an hour I felt my lifted spirits fall back to earth once again.

I hated school; despised it beyond all imagining. The only thing I still liked was art class, and since it was the only class I shared with the Terrible Twosome, the joy of learning to sketch and paint and create shadows and light on paper was lessened by the fact that the girls who ruined my life still sat across from me. But the pranks and the comments had stopped, replaced by the eerie silence and hushed whispers that fell whenever I entered the room. I had easily gotten used to being the school oddity, but I had to admit it was a lonely affair. I wanted someone to talk to. I missed Peri badly, would have gladly suffered Tonya's company for one bus ride, but I would never admit that to anyone. I existed, getting each day over with as quickly and with as little effort as possible.

Just before Christmas, somebody unexpected made his grand return. As I walked into the main foyer I noticed him standing there, glaring at me. My heart stuck in my throat; Mr. Daniels was back. Feeling suddenly guilty for no reason at all, I tried to maneuver myself into a group of people. Of course this didn't work, because just as soon as I got near anyone they made a hasty retreat, leaving me singled out as I walked in the door. Mr. Daniels walked toward me, this time smirking smugly, as if he knew something I didn't. He stopped me by raising his hand in a "halt" sort of motion. "Miss Parker, could you go to guidance before you head to class? We will inform your homeroom teacher of your arrival." Thoroughly cornered, I turned right to head to guidance instead of heading straight to go to my locker. I figured he was going to try to bust me for the outburst in Ms. Martin's office, and I knew Ms. Martin would probably be happy to elaborate on my unacceptable behavior that day. That's it, I'm getting suspended, I thought. I sat in one of the chairs in the waiting room, marking the moments until I faced the firing squad. I could have called my mother to get her to back me up. I even seriously contemplated doing so. In hindsight I was so glad I didn't.

When the secretary motioned for me to go in I was terrified. Nothing good could possibly come out of this meeting. I figured I was getting ready to spend the rest of my junior year either lounging at home or trying to prove myself in a juvenile detention facility. Neither of those things were going to happen, but maybe it would have been better if they had.

Mr. Daniels seemed to be very happy for a man who spent the last month out of a job. "Miss Parker." He smiled, gesturing to the empty chair. I noticed Dr. Tonsch had made a return visit; he was leaning against Ms. Martin's desk as I walked in. He had that blasted file in his hand. Ms. Martin was sitting at her desk, looking uncomfortable. I didn't know if she looked that way because of me, or because of the two men who thought she was incapable of doing her job. Either way I figured we were both in for it.

"Welcome back, Mr. Daniels." I replied snidely. If I was going to be falsely accused and shipped off to a detention facility I was going to earn it. In turn, Mr. Daniels ignored my sarcasm and pretended I was in earnest.

"Why, thank you for saying so Miss Parker." He said a little too warmly. "I hear we had a couple of issues with our first guidance session. I'm here to see that this session goes a little better."

"I'm sure you are." I answered. "So, how long before we head out to juvie?" I wasn't going to trust this guy for a second.

Mr. Daniels chuckled. "No need for that. We are here for you. We want to make sure you are well taken care of. Now, let's see," Mr. Daniels grabbed a similar folder to Dr. Tonsch's and began to flip through the pages, "I guess we should start from the beginning. Dr. Tonsch and Ms. Martin have done some extensive research on your behalf. And the investigation into the alleged 'harassment' yielded some disturbing results the school board felt would best be handled if I were returned to my position. The people who investigated the 'incident' discovered some prior abuse claims submitted by your grandparents when you were eight years of age. In this report, they alleged that your mother, the woman who sat by your side for all of those interviews talking about your otherwise stellar home life, had actually broken your arm in a fit of rage. However, the report wasn't made until two months after the incident occurred and your mother had abandoned you and your little sister. Are these claims true?"