June 1, 2017
The first day back to Sanctuary Middle School was weird.
Charlie had been away for six weeks. Some of that time was in the hospital but most of it was at home. She was sick of watching TV and reading books, something she never dreamed she’d get tired of doing. But her dad—and her doctor—had insisted she take it easy. She walked with a slight limp and wouldn’t be able to run track, even if she had wanted to.
After being excited about going to school, the night before she was supposed to go back, she was sick-to-her-stomach nervous about it.
She’d woken from a reoccurring nightmare she’d had almost every night since she had been released from the hospital. She knew where the dream stemmed from.
Charlie had never told anybody, but the first night Officer Grant was sent to guard her room, Ellie had come to see her.
That night, she’d woken with the feeling that someone was watching her. Looking over, she saw the silhouette of a girl in a hospital gown standing in the doorway. The girl was holding something in her hand.
“Hi, Charlie.”
It was Ellie.
She was about to call out when she heard the sound of the toilet in her hospital room bathroom flush. Both girls looked that way. A second later, the door opened and Officer Grant stood in the light from the bathroom. When he saw Charlie was awake, he swore lightly under his breath.
“Oh man, I was trying to be quiet. I’m so sorry I woke you.”
She started to answer but when she looked over at the door, Ellie was gone.
Ever since she had come home, each night Charlie dreamed she was in the hospital again but in her dream when she woke, she saw Ellie holding a bloody knife and Officer Grant stabbed and dead on the floor. Right when Ellie got to her hospital bed, Charlie would wake in a sweat, heart racing, sometimes crying.
Tonight, when she woke from the nightmare, the anxiety about going back to school was almost too much.
“I changed my mind,” she said, coming into her dad’s bedroom in the middle of the night. “I’ll just wait until next school year.”
They sat and spoke for an hour until her dad convinced her it would be better to face her fears and go the last week of school rather than wait until fall.
So, here she was.
Looking down the hallway where her locker was, everything seemed surreal. It was like she’d never seen it before. She paused at the science room with the skeleton in the window where she had met Ellie and Sienna every morning.
She wanted to blend into the walls, to crawl into the window and hide. Then it got worse. Someone noticed her. The whispering started. Everyone stopped in the halls to stare.
Taking a deep breath, Charlie hoisted her book bag tighter onto her shoulder and limped to her locker. She wanted to stop and take a puff of her inhaler but everyone was staring so it would be weird.
Her dad had told her to hold her head high so she did.
She met people’s eyes, despite how intimidating it was to have people clustered in groups whispering and shooting glances her way.
But then she noticed something strange, when she caught a girl’s eye, the girl smiled at her. And then it happened again. And again. People were nodding and giving shy tentative smiles. It was bizarre.
At her locker, it took her a few tries to get her combination right. She hadn’t realized until then her hands were shaking. She’d just shoved her backpack inside and taken out her math book when she felt someone beside her.
Fiona Harris.
“Here I’ll get out of the way,” Charlie said, moving aside so Fiona could get into her locker.
“Oh, I already got my book, I just wanted to say hi,” Fiona said with a smile.
“Hi.” Charlie felt stupid. She didn’t know what to say. It was sort of awkward. She tucked her book under her arm and glanced around. Most people had gone back to paying attention to each other instead of her. That was a relief.
“I also wanted to tell you I’m glad you came back to school,” Fiona looked down at the cracked tile floor as she spoke. “Someone said you were going to transfer. I’m glad you didn’t.”
“Thanks, me too,” Charlie said.
“Do you want to sit together at lunch?” Fiona’s face turned red.
This time Charlie smiled. “Yes.”
Later, she was telling her dad about it over dinner when he got a serious look on his face.
“Your mother checked out of her hotel this morning,” he said.
“I know.” Charlie looked down.
“You sure about your decision? You can still change your mind and start the school year off in Fort Bragg. Fresh start, all that. I’ll understand.”
But his eyes were so sad, Charlie knew he was just saying that.
This time, she looked up and smiled. “Yes. I don’t want to go live with her. I want to stay here with you. You are my home, Daddy.”
He leaped up and gave her a big hug, swinging her around until they both nearly fell down laughing.
It was the first sleepover her dad had let her go on since the “incident.”
This was how she wanted to celebrate the last day of school—by doing something normal again. He reluctantly agreed, saying he’d spoken to Fiona’s mother and father and they had his phone number if Charlie needed him.
Charlie was riding the bus home with Fiona and her little sister, Meg, who was a sixth grader. She had sat by Fiona in the lunchroom all week and found they had a lot in common. They had both decided to try out for the community theater auditions the following week.
“I was in Mary Poppins last year,” Fiona said. “It’s a lot of work, but a lot of fun and cool. You could also help with the set if you don’t want to act.”
That sounded good to Charlie. She’d love to work on the set, painting and building props.
Meg kept interrupting their conversation to talk about what happened to her that day.
“Meg,” Fiona said, exasperated. “She always tries to steal the spotlight. She wants all the attention.”
“But she’s so cute,” Charlie said. “I wish I had a little sister.”
“Oh god, no you don’t,” Fiona said rolling her eyes. “She’s not cute at all. She’s a pest. Truly.”
“Well, you’re lucky to have a sister.”
Fiona smiled. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
The sisters got off the bus before her. Charlie got stuck behind a few other kids taking their time gathering their belongings to get off the bus
By the time she got off the bus, Meg was at the next block, but Fiona was standing there on the sidewalk waiting. “You ready?”
Charlie nodded and smiled.