Zack and Cody Martian thought a lot about what happened to a girl named Ericka Walters. She came one day out of the blue, after their 2nd year at Seven Seas High, on board the S.S Timpton. It was the holidays, and zack and Cody were home at the Timpton Hotel. Here's what really happened that fateful mouth…
she hides the bruises with the linen and lace…
It was July, and Zack and Cody martin were home for July and august, and then back on the boat in September. They were in the lobby when a woman and her daughter came in, and started talking to Mr. Moseby. The woman shook hands with Mr. Moseby, and she and her daughter left. The next day, the woman and her daughter moved in as permanent residents. A few days passed, and zack and Cody rarely saw them. One day, the daughter came downstairs to the lobby, wearing long sleeves, even though it was the middle of July. She introduced herself as Erika Walters. She and her mom had lost their home in a fire, so they were staying at the hotel as their permanent home. She had long, chocolate brown hair, and with eyes to match. "Ericka, why are you wearing long sleeves? It's almost 90 degrees out!" zack said one day. "Long sleeves hide the bruises." Ericka answered simply. Zack and Cody looked at each other. "Bruises?" Cody repeated his face a mix of concern and confusion. Ericka said nothing, but rolled up her sleeves reviling a line of dark purple bruises. Zack and Cody gasped in unison. Ericka answered there unspoken plea for information. "My mother beats me. If I do something she considers bad, I get beaten." Zack and Cody were silent, awestruck at Ericka's confession. "ERICKA!" the sudden yell shook them out of their stupor. It was Ericka's mom. She grabbed Ericka and dragged her to the elevator. Zack turned to Cody and said "you think we should help her?" "no." Cody answered. "We might get hit to. It hurts to say that, but there's nothing we can do."
Somebody cries in the middle of the night. The neighbors hear but they turn out the light. A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate. When morning comes it will be too late…
About an hour after that ill-fated conversation, they were still in the lobby, talking to maddie, when they heard sirens. They stopped at the front entrance to the Timpton. Mr. Moseby came running in to the lobby just as paramedics and police officers ran into the lobby, heading for the elevator. Mr. Moseby and a paramedic talked. The more they did, the more confused Mr. Moseby looked. He eventually let him go, looking confused. A few minutes later, Ericka's mom came into the lobby in handcuffs. "Why is Ms. Walters in handcuffs?" Mr. Moseby asked indignantly. "Sir, this woman is under arrest for child abuse" a police officer answered. Mr. Moseby looked shocked and aghast. He then told zack, Cody and maddie to go home. Maddie stayed with zack and Cody for the night. None of them slept. The next morning, they asked about Ericka. Mr. Moseby said that she wasn't going to be coming back.
A statue stands in a shaded place, an angel girl with an upturned face. Her name is written on a polished rock. A broken heart that the world forgot…
About a week after that ill-fated night, zack, Cody, maddie, Carey, Ericka's mom, and Mr. Moseby stood in a graveyard. The polished rock at their feet read; Ericka A. Walters 1998-2011. She was , Cody realized, a Concrete Angel.