The rest of the day passed uneventfully, like most Saturdays on the Hill. The report of what happened at the trial trickled through the Dorms. No one knew if there was a future date for the conclusion of the affair. The Council issued no announcements.
Reed made a point to personally tell Lucy about the hearing. He was forced at her insistence to reveal how Elijah appeared to have been treated during his imprisonment, and the horror in her eyes made him want to punch somebody. He did not tell her how the Chairman had ended the interview.
Even though the case hung open-ended, Dorm life went on. The initial reaction after the arrest subsided once it was clear nothing more would happen in the near future. It was as though the Hill had paused, shrugged sympathetically, and gone back to its wild business. Reed couldn’t bring himself to go on like everything was normal.
That evening, he sat alone in his room, listening to the sounds of carousing coming from the hall and up through his open window. It was Saturday night and spirits were high, but he couldn’t—wouldn’t—join in.
He hadn’t been by himself very long when the door opened and Reagan breezed in. He stopped when he saw Reed sitting on the nightstand, staring out the window. “Yo, dude, what are you doing? Everybody’s looking for you. Come on!”
“Don’t wanna,” Reed replied gloomily without turning his head.
Reagan was shocked into momentary silence. He came around the desks and stood in front of Reed, incredulous. “What did you say?”
“I said I don’t wanna,” repeated Reed, still not moving.
“You don’t wanna? Why, are you in mourning? Come on, it’s Saturday night! The pool’s hopping. Don’t you want to have some fun?”
Reed turned from the window abruptly. “Fun? Your kind of fun? How could you? I saw you the other day, Reagan. That was gross, dude, really gross.”
Reagan blinked. “What?”
“You and Taylor at the pool day before yesterday—I saw it. Why would you do that?”
Reagan, actually serious for once, furrowed his brow. “What do you mean? Do you mean when we… but I’ve always done stuff like that. You’ve seen it before, and you thought it was great.” He searched Reed’s face. “What’s wrong with you, Reed? This is the way I’ve always been. I haven’t changed, but you… you have. What happened?”
Reed looked back out the window. He couldn’t deny something had changed, but he wouldn’t admit it, either. He pulled at his ear. “I just don’t think it’s… I mean, you shouldn’t… Don’t you even care that your roommate’s in jail?”
Understanding swept Reagan’s face. “So that’s it.” He pulled up a chair and plunked down directly in front of Reed. “Do I care? Well, I guess I do, sorta. But I don’t see what that’s got to do with us. Elijah made a choice that got him where he is now, and that’s his problem. Why should it affect me? Life’s good right now; why not enjoy it? I chose to be where I am, too. I’m getting what I want, and he… well, he thinks he will later on. We all have a choice, Reed.”
“But what if…” Reed’s voice almost dropped to a whisper, “what if he’s right?” He swung around and stared at Reagan. “What then?”
Reagan leaned back in his chair slowly. “Careful, Reed. That’s the kind of thinking that got Elijah where he is now. It could change your whole life forever. Think about that. Is it worth it?”
“Believe me, I am thinking about it.” Reed turned back to the window. “I’m thinking, but… I don’t know what to think.”
“Yeah,” Reagan agreed, rubbing his chin. “It did that to me, too, after he talked to me about it the first time. I didn’t know what to think, but… I got over it. You will, too.” He stood up and stretched. “But right now, I’m going swimming. The girls await.”
He moved over to his shelves, whistling as he kicked off his clothes and tossed them into a pile on his bed. Once he was ready, he moved over to the door, towel around his neck, and opened it. “Come down whenever you’re ready,” he said. “There’s plenty to go around.”
The door slammed, but Reed remained staring out the window at the darkening sky. His mind was too full to answer.
By the next morning, he still hadn’t gotten anywhere. Though nothing else filled his mind for hours on end, it was no use. Processing it all on his own was like trying to put together a puzzle with a missing piece. The sensation left him feeling restless and moody until he was knocked breathless by an event that set the whole Hill buzzing.
It first struck him when he was on his way to a late breakfast at the Mushroom. The air was electric, tingling around his ears as he walked along the sidewalk. Something had happened; he could feel it. The sensation grew stronger and stronger until he thought he couldn’t stand it another minute. He was just about to ask the next random person what was going on when he met Lucy at the bottom of the North Stairs. She grabbed him by the elbow without so much as a “good morning.”
“Did you hear what happened last night?”
“No, I haven’t heard a thing. What?”
She looked around and lowered her voice. “Early this morning, Director Connors got a call from the Council. They are furious! Nothing like this has ever happened before, and they don’t even know how it happened.”
“What?”
She took a breath and pronounced each word impressively. “Reed, sometime last night, nobody knows when, Elijah escaped from prison.”
“What?” Reed grabbed her arm. “How?”
“Nobody knows! They didn’t even realize he was gone till they went to get him out of his cell this morning.”
“But…” Reed stuttered, “how? I mean, now what? Won’t they have every cop out looking for him?”
“I’m sure they will, but I bet they’ll be quiet about it.” Lucy tossed her hair. “This doesn’t make them look good. Besides, if God got him out of jail, He can keep him that way. Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Do you know where he is? Have you seen him?”
“Shh! No,” she whispered, looking around again. “I haven’t, and I don’t think I will. He probably won’t contact us for our own safety, even if he’s still around here. They are going to be watching us closer than ever. We’ll have to be extra careful now.”
Reed hadn’t thought of that. However the Council managed to track down Elijah could work just as well for the rest of them.
He lived the next several days in extreme caution. By mutual consent, none of the group saw each other except on chance encounters around the Dorms. Reed didn’t venture near the apartments and did his best to blend in with the crowd.
The search for the escapee was, as Lucy predicted, kept low key. Not a word came from the Council or Director Connors concerning it. Still, news of the escape had already swept through the Dorms, and everyone knew a search was in progress. But Elijah had disappeared. As time passed and no new leads surfaced, the people of the Dorms began to whisper that he had escaped completely, perhaps even leaving the country. The excitement lapsed as the hours turned to days and, gradually, it subsided and was forgotten.
Reed couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to Elijah. He doubted he would ever see him again. It was unlikely, even impossible. Even if he never did, he wouldn’t forget him. Reed was stirred in a way that could not be undone, and his searching hunger had redoubled to a yearning that cried for fulfillment. He could only hope that things would be made clear to him like Elijah had said.
Even after the excitement ebbed on the Hill, Reed remained wary. The Council’s silence worried him. What were they up to? He guessed their next move would be quick and relentless, like a lightning bolt, and no one would see it coming.
One warm evening nearly a week after the escape, Reed was on his way down to the city. He’d gotten a message from a few of his friends earlier, asking him to come down to the Boulevard to “hang out.” Having nothing else to do, he agreed and started out not long after supper. It had been a long day; he was ready to relax.
The sun had already set as he made his way along the now-familiar route. Dusk was gathering in little pools between the buildings and trickling into street corners. Sparrows flitted across the glowing sky like late children hurrying home for dinner. The streetlights had not yet turned on. It made Reed nervous to be out alone this time of day, but he couldn’t spend his life locked in his room. Besides, he could look out for himself.
As he turned down a cut-through to the next street, an odd feeling leapt into the pit of his stomach. It was something he had experienced months ago on the night when the boy from the Dorms was beaten in this same area. It was an uneasy, almost sick sensation. All his senses snapped on alert, but it was too late.
A figure appeared right in front of him, blocking the narrow alley. Reed nearly jumped out of his skin and took a step back. It was an older boy, much larger than Reed, with a dirty white tank top, scruffy face, and bulging, brawny arms. Reed eyed him, fighting panic, and wondered how fast he could run.
The boy spoke. “Goin’ somewhere?”
Reed forced himself to sound calmer than he felt. “Yeah, back that way, actually. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll be leaving.”
“Suppose I do?” The voice was behind him. Reed spun around and saw another hulk blocking the alley in that direction. Trapped.
“What do you want?” he demanded, doing his best to keep an eye on both at the same time.
“Us?” said the first boy. “Nothin’. But somebody else wants you.”
“Me? Well, tell ’em I’m flattered but no thanks. I’ve got friends waiting for me.”
“Do ya?” said the second boy, moving a step closer. “Funny, I don’t think so. Ya know, we sent that message. Your little friends aren’t waiting for you. They have no idea where you are. Somebody else wants you, and they don’t take no for an answer. You’re coming with us.”
“Oh, really? Well, whoever this is, they should find better staff than two sasquatches that don’t wear deodorant. I’m not going anywhere with you creeps.”
The first boy narrowed his eyes. “Listen, kid, we’re talking about the Council here. Whatever they say goes.”
“I don’t care who we’re talking about. You’re not taking me anywhere.”
“I’m warning you, kid. We have orders to bring you by ‘any means necessary.’”
Reed got his back against the alley wall and braced himself. “Come and take me then,” he shot back.
It was an invitation. The first boy lunged at him with surprising speed. Reed was quicker. He shot out a strong kick that met the stomach of the oncoming crook and sent him reeling backward, gasping. The second one was on him in an instant but also fell back, deterred by a well-aimed fist that connected firmly with his jaw. Reed kissed his throbbing knuckles. “Frick,” he muttered, “it looks a lot easier in the movies.”
The first boy tried again. Reed beat him off once more, but not without having a little of his own blood drawn. He scarcely had a second to wipe it from his lip before the other boy was on him. He met with less success than his companion.
Again, they each tried, but Reed drove them off once more, fighting for all he was worth. After a few more attempts, both assailants withdrew to consider their options. Apparently, this wasn’t going the way they had anticipated.
Reed wiped a trickle of blood from his chin and gingerly touched his throbbing eye. He couldn’t hold them off forever. They weren’t very bright, but they would catch on soon enough and attack him simultaneously. There would be nothing he could do then except make them pay dearly for their prize. He gritted his teeth as the two separated and moved into position on either side of him.
Without warning, a broad figure dropped from the building above Reed’s head and crashed onto one of the attackers, throwing him to the ground. In the same instant, another swung off the roof and slammed into the remaining brute feet first. The force caught the boy full in the chest and threw him against the alley wall. Before he could recover, the new arrival landed in front of him and socked him in the jaw with each fist. The first thug picked himself up from the street, but the broad attacker was already raining punches on him mercilessly.
In the skirmish that followed, Reed remained where he was, astonished. He offered no help in the melee, but it didn’t seem like his help was needed. The two ruffians were getting the worst end of the deal. Reed had never seen such fighting, if it could be called that. His mysterious rescuers laid into the other two so relentlessly that there was barely any resistance. It ceased to be much of a fight and became more of a pounding.
At last, the first assailant slammed his opponent in the gut with a breathtaking roundhouse kick and, as the thug doubled over, caught his head between his hands and cracked it on his knee. The ruffian collapsed without a sound. At the same time, the slighter figure caught his adversary by the forearm and, with a peculiar twist, flipped him easily over his back. Something clicked in Reed’s mind. That trick seemed familiar somehow.
The mugger hurtled through the air and landed heavily on his back in the street. In an instant, he was on his feet again but turned to run, vanishing into the gloom.
The two victors did not follow. Dusting their hands on their jeans, they turned back to where Reed leaned against the wall, struggling to think clearly and doubting his senses. The slighter one looked him up and down. “You all right?”
The voice was unmistakable. Reed’s knees gave out and he slid down the wall to the ground. He tried to speak but found his mouth was full of blood from his busted lip. He spit it out and gasped, “Elijah?”