Out of the Wild

It was still dark when Hector awoke from his dreams. Moonlight poured through the single window, bathing the room in silver light. Hector slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. What was that?

He tried to remember but the details were rapidly fading from his mind. He glanced over at the clock. 4:30 am. Naomi would be coming at 5 am, causing him to groan at the lost sleep. Might as well get ready.

He pulled off the covers and sleepily got ready for the morning. Once he was dressed and brushed his teeth, he looked around the room. Quilted covers lay on top of a worn mattress in a wooden frame. A rug covered most of the floor. A coat rack stood in the corner next to his dresser. On top of the dresser were various trinkets he had collected: a few rocks he had broken to find crystals inside, a tooth from a mountain lion that Naomi had saved him from, a Rubik cube that Diego had given as a birthday present (though it never had more than one side completed.) His favorite though, was a small silver coin, a drachma, given to him by his Aunt Luna. He picked it up from the counter and examined it, a small smile on his face.

Greek characters were inscribed around the edge of the coin. On one side, a wolf was carved into it with stars swirling above. On the other side, an alpha symbol occupied the face. Aunt Luna told him she had found it in Ephesus, in the ruins of the Temple of Artemis. She told him she had never seen another, and it was likely the only one of its kind. She gave it to him, "for luck" she said. As he set the coin back on the dresser, footsteps alerted him to Naomi's approach. She poked her head in the room and quirked an eyebrow. "Early start, or did you neglect to sleep?"

Hearing the slight tone of disapproval in the latter part of her question, Hector was quick to defend himself. "Strange dream, but I don't remember it well," he sheepishly replied.

A flicker of surprise crossed Naomi's face but she hid it so quickly that Hector was unsure if he had seen it at all. "I see. Well, finish getting ready, then meet me in the kitchen."

She turned and left the room. Hector walked over to the desk in his room and opened the drawers. He filled his bag with the school books he had set aside. Science…Math…English… as he put the last one away, he turned his attention to the last book in the drawer. It had a tattered black cover and yellowed pages. "Greek Mythology" was inscribed with golden ink on the spine. He picked up and opened the book, scanning through the pages. It held almost all of the stories about the gods and heroes, from the Golden Age of the Titans to Jason and the Argonauts. He was about to place the book back into the desk, hesitated, then placed it in the bag as well. Perhaps this will help me if I can't remember the museum trip too well.

He met Naomi in the kitchen. She had her hands folded under her chin while she glared at the table. She seemed both angry and deep in thought. Hector cautiously approached. "Is everything o.k. Mom?"

Naomi started and blinked at Hector, the cloud passing. "Nothing Hector, nothing at all. I'm fine."

Inwardly Hector frowned. Naomi usually wasn't secretive with her thoughts. Shaking it off as unimportant he joined her for a quick breakfast, then together they left the cabin.

Outside, the world had gone silent. The carpet of snow on the ground seemed to absorb ambient sound, and the air was disturbed only by the flutter of an owl's wings. Naomi strung her bow and locked the door. Then she turned and motioned for Hector to follow her, bow and three arrows in her left hand.

Like the path to the river, the path out of the valley was marked by runes in the bark of the trees. Hector stayed close to Naomi who kept him close while constantly scanning their surroundings. As they walked, a rosy glow slowly shone from behind the mountains.

After two hours of walking (with a short break for Hector to catch his breath), they reached a paved road that looped partly into the mountain valley only to turn back out. A tall metal post marked the stop. This was the point of furthest settlement for a long time, making it the end of the bus line. It was nearing 7 am, and Hector could see the headlights from the bus coming up. Because the road looped around, he was in the middle of the list of stops, the only reason the bus bothered coming out this way. As Hector stood their Naomi turned him around to face her again. "Be good at school, stay out of trouble."

Hector smiled at her. "I will. Be careful Mom. I'll see you in May."

Naomi smiled, then her face turned serious. "Hector, if anything happens while you're in school, anything at all, you need to write home. Do you understand?"

Hector was taken aback. "Of course, but- "

"No buts Hector. I'll explain later but you need to be careful, understand?"

Despite phrasing it like a question Naomi said it like a statement. Hector nodded. "Understood."

The bus was almost at the stop, so Naomi slipped back to the forest. Hector waited, disquieted by Naomi's behavior this morning. As the bus rolled up, Hector stepped on board, nodding to the driver as he did. The driver gave a yawn in reply. "How you kids can be up this early I'll never understand. Must come with being young."

Hector made a show of nodding while quietly ignoring the driver. He took a look around and saw the bus about a quarter-full; most of the kids have taken an entire seat to continue sleeping. In the back though, he saw the face he was looking for. Hector smiled and walked to the back. "Hey Diego!"

Diego drowsily smiled back and took his feet off the seat opposite the aisle from him. "Hey mountain boy. Ready to rejoin civilization?"

Hector rolled his eyes and sat in the now vacant seat as the bus began to move again. "That joke was old two years ago military brat. You need a better one."

Diego waved it off with a yawn. "Maybe later. Only half-awake now."

Diego was the same age as Hector, but was a few inches taller, with tanned skin and dark, curly hair. His face was chiseled but still held the baby fat of youth. Orange eyes seemed to dance with flames, offset by an easy grin. Both of them were strong but where Hector was lean and fast Diego was broader and more heavily built for his age. Diego lived with his father Ajax, a Navy seaman on the naval base during the school breaks. Then while Diego is living at the school dormitory, Ajax will leave on whatever ship he is stationed on. Diego and Hector have known each other for years and despite a rough start, a year ago events occurred that would bind them together. Now Hector was proud to consider Diego his closest friend.

Diego and Hector made small talk for a while before inevitably Diego succumbed to sleep. Hector quietly laughed when he realized Diego had drifted off mid-conversation. He looked out the window, watching the forests give way to farms, and finally to the suburbs. The bus traces a route around the major cities, eventually turning back to the country. Around 9 am, the bus reaches its destination: McKlellan's Academy for Gifted Youth, a private school where students live for the entire semester. Diego and Hector took most of their classes together, and after the events of last year, they managed to dorm together this year. Hector gently shook Diego awake. "Come on, let's get moving."

Diego stirred. "I hate mornings…"

Hector grinned and stood up to leave, Diego following.

They were guided to their room and overseen as they moved back in. Hector lined up his books while Diego stored a chessboard under his bed. Their first day back proceeded as expected, with their teachers focusing on basic review to jog their students' memory. Well, except for one.

"Put your books away! Pencils on the desk! Quiz for a major grade in 1 minute!"

Mrs. Hopkins, or as Diego referred to her, "The Devil's Ex-Wife, cause even he couldn't stand her." A tall woman, with a fierce gaze and the skin plastered to her bones, she looked like she had been mummified and then resurrected to haunt the school. A hooked nose extended over a thin mouth and fingers that flexed in a claw shape. Universally hated by the student body she ran her classroom with an iron fist and dealt out detentions with such frequency the office kept a classroom set aside from the normal detentions for her use. Diego and Hector were her favorite targets which baffled them. Despite Diego's occasional pranks and Hector's tendency to get smart, neither dared to push her limits, only that of other teachers. Despite this, she seemed to have gone on crusade from the moment they entered her classroom.

She scowled at them as they entered. "Late!"

Her shrill voice tore at their eardrums. "Detention Friday night for both of you."

They both nodded mutely as they moved to their seats and pulled out pencils for the test.

"Ignoring a teacher? Detention for the weekend. Shall I continue?"

"No, ma'am." Diego and Hector replied in unison. She glared at them, daring them to give her a reason to extend and appearing disappointed when none was forthcoming. She turned back on her heel and grabbed a stack of papers from her desk. "Let's see what your vacant heads managed to retain. I hope I'll get at least one passing grade this class, though I doubt it."

The rest of the class was silent, pencils scratching against the paper as Mrs. Hopkins stalked back and forth. A minute before the bell she barked, "Time!"

As she collected the papers she counted off, "Failed, Failed, did you even look at the paper, fail… Hector!"

He froze at the doorway and returned to her. "Yes ma'am."

She leaned in; eyes narrowed. "You think you're pretty clever, don't you? The rest of the class failed while you got an A. You must have cheated and looked at the answer key beforehand. For cheating, you get a 0."

A look of utter outrage crossed Diego's face and he opened his mouth to speak, but Hector cut him off. He felt his own temper rise, but his mother's lessons on how to manage anger helped him pull back control. "That's a severe accusation, and as I recall one that requires the accused to go straight to the dean."

Hector met Mrs. Hopkins eyes. There was something unnatural in her gaze, something that was too predatory to be human. "So, out of respect for your decision, when would be a convenient time for you? I will be more than happy to arrange the meeting with the dean since I know you are a very busy woman."

The look in her eyes went beyond hatred, but the implied threat of reporting to the dean kept her from lashing out. "Perhaps I…leapt to conclusions. I will consider this matter and if I decide there is no alternative, I will bring you to the dean. Now get out of my classroom."

Diego and Hector made a hasty exit. Once safely away, Diego gave a low impressed whistle. "Dude, that was awesome! I've never even heard of her being shut down. You'll be the hero of the school!"

Hector winced. "If word gets out, she will have to inflict retribution to protect her reputation. Please keep it quiet?"

Diego mimed zipping his mouth shut, bringing a relieved smile to Hector's face. "Thanks."

Late that night, Diego and Hector were playing chess by lamplight. As usual, the two were closely matched. Diego played strategically, and his moves resembled organized advances and reprisals on the battlefield. Hector, on the other hand, had a more tactical sense. His army was layered with traps, as moving one piece created double or triple threats or allowing one to remain in danger as bait to bring a stronger piece from the back lines to the front. This forced Diego to reevaluate every piece he took and frequently make sacrifices for every move.

The two were quiet for a while when Diego broke the silence. "Living in the valley, what's it like?"

Hector paused to consider, then moved his knight to fork two of Diego's pieces. "It's peaceful, quiet, but dangerous. We don't face the constant traffic and pollution of the city, but we are exposed to predators that normally don't approach cities, and if we are in trouble, we are miles from help. It's relaxing to be surrounded by nature but it takes a lot of hard work. Why do you ask?"

Diego moves to counter the fork, defending his other piece and applying more pressure to Hector's king. "My dad is going on another tour, but it will last an extra month into the summer. They are going to send me to my grandparents."

"What's so bad about that?" Hector slips his knight into Diego's back ranks, disrupting his supporting units.

"Other than them living overseas in Italy? And them ignoring my existence except to feed me and make sure I'm still alive?" Diego rallied his units to drive Hector's knight back. "I was hoping that maybe…"

"You could stay with me?" Hector made a capture with his pawn, delaying Diego's advance and opening up a file for his rook.

Diego nodded. "I know it's a lot to ask but I was hoping." He shook his head and used his own rooks to smash a path through Hector's pawn line. "Stupid idea."

"Not stupid at all. I'd be glad to have you over. I need Mom's permission though, and you will be working hard. We have to get our food ourselves and maintain the house. No modern conveniences or comforts." Hector slipped his king out an escape route, placing it among his pieces and sheltered by a pawn chain.

Diego slowly grinned. "Dad warned me about that. He said it would be good for me though. Did you know he and Naomi were in contact?" Diego used his bishops as long artillery to cut through Hector's pawns.

Hector let his own grin show. "I think it started last year. But who knows? Maybe they've known each other a while." He moved his queen to skewer both Diego's rooks and bishops, putting a look of worry on Diego's face. "But it would be great to have you over."

Diego nodded, a grateful smile contrasting with his worried expression. "Thanks, Hector."

The two boys traded moves for a while before reaching a stalemate. With a promise of a rematch, they slipped into bed. While Diego was out like a light, Hector remained awake for a while, staring at the moon. Soon enough, he too slipped into the realm of dreams.