Darry stayed on the phone for five minutes before settling it back on the cradle. Mia hadn't allowed herself to listen to the conversation; she didn't want to know what that monster was telling her brother.
"That was your piano teacher," Darry said as he beckoned Mia to the dinner table, where Soda had already settled Pony at his spot. "He wanted to know how Ponyboy was doing. I told him Soda and I both have to work tomorrow and he volunteered to come up and watch you two."
"That's nice of him," Soda commented. He began to fill plates with roast beef, passing them around the table.
"I'm not a child," Pony grumbled. "I can take care of myself. I don't need a babysitter."
"Look, Pony," Darry started. "I don't want you by yourself with only Mia here. If you fell or something and needed help up, Mia couldn't help you. Besides, I didn't ask; he just offered and I accepted."
Mia felt her stomach clench inside her body. The happiness that she had felt earlier that day dissolved into anger and sadness. She remember the resolution she had made earlier that day, though, and didn't speak a word. Besides, Pony would be there and he couldn't possibly harm her if he was there, right?
"Anyway," Darry continued. "He's going to be here early tomorrow morning, probably before you guys even wake up. So just be aware of that, okay?"
Pony just grumbled again, but Mia dropped her fork, her appetite on a new hiatus. Darry and Soda, though, did not notice; they were too preoccupied with Ponyboy, making sure he had enough food.
Mia went to bed early that night, but she couldn't get to sleep, afraid of what the morning might hold.
XXX
Mia woke with an odd feeling that someone was watching over her. She tried to shake the feeling, to go back to sleep, but the feeling, the air in the room, would not allow her to. She opened her eyes and stifled the scream that was half way out of her mouth.
"I missed you, my darling," Mr. Crane purred, standing over her bed. he reached down and began to stroke her long, reddish brown hair.
"My brother," Mia began as she sat up, clandestinely pushing aside Mr. Crane's hand. "He must be awake by now."
"No, he's fast asleep," Mr. Crane replied, pushing Mia back down on the bed. "You see, he woke up earlier, but I gave him a pain pill. He'll be out for hours." He sat down the bed himself. "I like your room; it's so...quaint in a childlike way."
"Why are you doing this?" Mia asked, her voice angry in a calm, cool way, absent of the usual hysterics. "Why don't you find someone your own age?"
"Other girls," Mr. Crane replied, undoing his pants, "Mia, they aren't like you."
His sheer mass on top of the small girl prevented her from moving. She didn't struggle to get away like she had in the past; all she did was close her eyes, remove herself from the situation. It hurt, hurt more every time. But it didn't cripple her. In the name of her future, of her piano playing abilities, she could tolerate it.
When he was finished, he rolled off of her, releasing his tight grip on her arms and zipping up, buttoning his pants.
"If you would like to get dressed," he said, standing at the door, "I'll fix breakfast and then we'll practice piano."
She waited until he was gone before getting out of bed, chanting over and over again, like a mantra, this will not get to me... this will not get to me... In spite of herself, she cried.
XXX
Mia resolved to herself that she wasn't going to leave her room until Pony woke, even if it took all day. She locked her door, pushing her dresser over it. Then, she took her time getting dressed, brushing her hair until it shone brilliantly through the sun streaming through the gossamer curtains. It was now Saturday, over a week since she returned to her brothers. For a moment, she reflected on that time, how much had changed. Once upon a time, about nine days or so ago, she had been a child. Now, so many things had changed.
She found her backpack and dug through it until she found her new textbooks, assignments mentioned, not yet due, and began to work. As she studied Shakespeare and ancient history and algebra and ecosystems, the outside world began to fade until nothing existed save for the words written in her books. Knowledge was her power, her books her savior through her time in Texas. In a small rural town, books had no real importance, but Mia loved them.
When she ran out of homework to do, memorized every poem she could, did arithmetic until her hand bled, she sat back down on her bed and read Sophocles. In fact, it wasn't until the afternoon that she heard Pony's bedroom door open, his soft voice floating down the hall, that she shoved her dresser out of the way and came out herself.
She smelled the scents of something savory, sage perhaps, or maybe something even more potent than that. And then there was that aroma that lay just slighting underneath that smelled sweet and rich. She heard the music next, her little spinet becoming art, used by a monster.
Ponyboy was sitting in his pajamas at the kitchen table with a steaming bowl in front of him, blowing thick spoonfuls of soup from his spoon before shoving the utensil in his mouth.
"Hey Mia," Ponyboy said through thick mouthfuls. "Nice to see you awake. Would you like some soup? Gregory made it?"
The music stopped and a moment later, Mr. Crane appeared, standing in the doorway like some angelic demon.
"Mia," he purred, much the same way he did when Mia first woke up. "Have some soup, my dear. It's my own recipe and I think you'll find it heavenly."
"I'm all right," Mia replied. She sat next to Pony at the table, hoping that being close to her brother would somehow eradicate the evil that stood in the kitchen.
"Oh, but you must eat something!" With a flick to his wrist, he opened the oven to reveal an apple cobbler. "I'll let you have a piece if you promise not to let your older brothers know I let you have dessert for breakfast."
"I'm fine," Mia replied. "I'm not hungry."
"No...no...I insist, you have to eat something." Mr. Crane winked at Mia as he pulled a bowl down from the cabinet and filled it will steaming liquid. He set it in from of Mia along with a spoon. "Here you go."
All of a sudden, Mia had a violent fantasy of throwing the steaming liquid over the man, scorching him, killing him and reclaiming the innocence he had so forcefully taken. Instead, all she could do was stir the soup around, carrots, shreds of chicken and celery bobbing around in the murky broth.
"Eat up," Mr. Crane said, his hand resting on Mia's shoulder, his warm breath in his ear. "Then come to the living room so we can practice."
She as still as she could, not moving until she felt his presence leave from behind her, the soft piano music resuming in the background.
"You know," Ponyboy said thougtfully as he took another bite of soup, "I thought it was going to be lame have Gregory here today, but it's really not. He's really cool. You're so lucky to have him. Think about all you're going to learn from him! I can see it now, Amelia Curtis, concert pianist. Has a nice ring to it, huh?"
Pony smiled at Mia, who could thinly, forcefully return it. She wanted to tell him, wanted to so much that it hurt on the inside, but she didn't what to say, how to start. Even if she did know the right words to describe what Mr. Crane did to her, he might be angry with her, yelling and screaming at her what Mr. Crane had told her..."Don't ruin a good thing..."
"Hey, are you okay?" Ponyboy looked to Mia with concern. Her eyes had been closed and she shook ever so faintly.
"I'm fine," Mia replied hastily, but even as she said it, Ponyboy could hear the fine tremors in her voice, as if she was forcing back tears.
"Hey, Mia... it's all right." He stood up and gave her a hug. "What's bothering you? You can tell me."
"I know," Mia replied. A few tears escaped her eyes, but she hastily brushed them aside before Pony could notice anything. "Nothing's bothering me. I just have a stomachache, all right?"
"Okay," Pony said, but he was not convinced. "Do you want to lie down again?"
"No," she replied. "I guess I'll go practice piano."
With that, she picked herself up and walked to the living room. Pony started to resume eating his soup, but decided against it. He found himself a book, and went to the living room to sit on the couch and listen to the sweet music being produced by Mia and her teacher.
XXX
When Darry and Soda walked in from a long day of work, the first thing that struck them was the aroma: a heavenly mixture of sweet and savory. The second thing was the interior of the house itself: it was clean, surfaces sparkling, floors vacuumed clean. The third thing was the noise, the soft music coming from the spinet, where the hands of Mia and Gregory quickly moved along the keys.
"Oh, hello," Mr. Crane said pleasantly as he stood up from the piano. "Mia and I were just doing a little bit of practicing."
"It sounds fantastic," Darry commented. "Did you clean the house?"
"Well, Ponyboy and Mia slept pretty late, and I had nothing to do, so I cleaned."
"You didn't have to," Darry replied incredulously.
"I clean when I get bored. It's sort of stress relieving, you know?" He smiled pleasantly before heading towards the door. "Anyway, dinner's in the oven. I made tuna noodle casserole and homemade bread. There's some apple cobbler on the counter for dessert." He had his hand on the door when Darry spoke.
"You have to join us for dinner, then. You prepared it, after all."
"Oh, I couldn't," Mr. Crane replied, but already, he had removed his hand from the door. "You and Soda just arrived home from work. You guys need some family time."
"No, no I insist. We're just going to wash up, then we can eat." Darry smiled politely, yet firmly, before leaving the living room for the bathroom. Soda followed suit, hoping to wash the motor oil from his hands.
"Come with me, Mia," Mr. Crane said as he headed for the kitchen. "You can help me set the table."
XXX
Darry, Soda and Ponyboy sat, raptured, by their dinner guest. Mr. Crane had traveled, traveled all over the world. He had been to Egypt and China, ridden double decker buses in London, ate gyros in Greece. They listened to the fantastic stories as they ate the food so meticulously prepared, so engrossed that they did not notice Mia, who sat with her hands folded in her lap, her head bowed.
When they were finished with their dinner, Mr. Crane stood up and began to clear the table.
"No, allow me," Darry said hastily as he stood.
"No, no sit down," Mr. replied with a pleasant smile. "You've been working hard all day. Allow me."
Darry sat down awkwardly as he watched Mr. Crane collect the plates and deposit them in the sink. Then, he took the apple cobbler, putting it on the table with a few saucers.
They dug into their dessert with gusto, everyone save Mia. She couldn't stand the idea that this monster was sitting here, in her home. It made her sick, violently ill to her stomach. She had to get away. She waited until everyone had finished their cobbler before she spoke up.
"Do you want to hear me play piano?" she asked softly. Everyone turned to her, as if they suddenly become aware of her presence.
"Sure." Soda stood up alone with Ponyboy. Darry and Mr. Crane, however, remained in their seats.
"You guys go on," Darry said with a wave of his hand. "Gregory and I'll be there in a minute."
"Okay," the three youngest siblings agreed as they traveled to the living room together. Moments later, they heard music floating into the kitchen.
"Thank you," Darry said after a few moments of silence. "Thank you for everything. Mia... she's going through a bit of a tough with school and everything and you... well, you're just helping her out by just being there."
"It's my pleasure," Mr. Crane replied with a smile. "There's absolutely nothing I'd rather do than spend time with Mia. She reminds me so much of my sister."
"How old is your sister?"
"She would be about Soda's age." Mr. Crane looked down at the floor, suddenly very sad. "She was about Mia's age when she... when she passed away."
"I'm so sorry." For a moment, Darry was sad, too. He could not even imagine for a moment what it would be like to lose his siblings, especially Mia, who was so sweet, so innocent, who had the rest of her life spread out in front of her, untainted by the violence the boys had come to know and accept. "What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"
"It's kind of a long story," Mr. Crane said with a sad smile, looking up at Darry.
"It's all right. There's plently of time."
"Her name was Rachel," Mr. Crane started. "And she was a lot like Mia--incredibly intelligent, beautiful. Our mother walked out on us when we were only kids. I was ten; Rachel was only three. She hardly remembers anything about her.
"Anyway, our father was an abusive drunk. When I got a full ride on a music scholarship to the University of North Texas, I jumped at the opportunity, but I couldn't leave Rachel with our dad. Even though I could have lived on campus for free, I chose to live in a shack about five miles away. I brought Rachel with me. I worked when I wasn't at school.
"Well, anyway, it was a Saturday and I was in the library where I worked when the police came and told me they found Rachel drowned in the lake about half a mile from where we lived. It was winter, you see, and the lake was half frozen over and she had thought that she could skate across it. I guess that's what she thought."
Mr. Crane had tears in his eyes, and he sat with his elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped beneath his chin.
"I was supposed to be protecting her and I wasn't there for her," continued Mr. Crane, his voice thick with agony. "There's nothing worse than knowing that you're little sister is being hurt, killed right under your nose. And you could have stopped it and you didn't. I miss her so much ever day. It's my fault she's gone."
"Hey," Darry said softly. "It was an accident. You couldn't have known. You pulled her away from an abusive situation and you provided for her the best you could. A tragic accident happened. You couldn't have done anything about it."
They were silent for a few more minutes before Mr. Crane spoke again.
"Thank you for sharing your sister with me. Mentoring her... it's like having another chance to do the right thing, to protect her, you know?"
"Yeah," Darry replied. "I know."
In the living room, the sounds of laughter came floating like butterflies into the kitchen. As he heard those angelic sounds, as perfect as a heavenly choir, he thanked God for the health, the safety, the life of his siblings.
XXX
The next day, Sunday, was one of the few days that both Darry and Soda had off. They all slept late and then shared a large, indolent breakfast. When they were all finally dressed and contemplating the day ahead of them, Soda announced that they needed to go grocery shopping. Darry offered to stay with Ponyboy and Mia, not feeling like going anywhere, decided to stay home as well.
"See ya'll later," Soda said as he ran out the door.
Ponyboy, doped up on his pain medication, was fast asleep on the couch. Mia took the opportunity to worth out a particularly hard math problem from the back at the book, sitting at the kitchen table with her head in one hand, chewing pensively on a pencil.
"Hey, kiddo," Darry said, sitting down with a fresh cup of coffee in his hand. "Whatcha up to? Homework?"
"It's not really homework," Mia replied, staring thoughtfully at her book. "More like a challenge... for fun, you know?"
"Gosh, Mia," Darry laughed, smiling as he took a sip of coffee. "I think you're the only kid in the world that likes to do math for fun." He shook his hand, wrapping his hands around the warm mug.
"Darry..." Mia said uneasily. She put her pencil down, putting it in the binding of her book and pushing the whole lot away from her. She had been thinking about the words she would say all night long, not sleeping much. She had rehearsed again and again and again. Now it was time to tell him; she couldn't let Mr. Crane hurt her again. "I was thinking... well, I have a lot of homework and piano takes a lot time away from school work. And I was thinking... well, I was thinking that I should probably quit piano and chorus to focus... well, to focus more on school."
Darry rubbed his face with one hand. He looked angry and Mia was suddenly sorry for saying anything.
"Mia, don't do this," Darry muttered. "You can't just give up on something just because something gets hard. Do you know how much time Mr. Crane has put into teaching you?"
Mia looked down at her feet, bare, skeletal with her bones poking sharply through. She imagined for a moment the rest of the school year, the rest of her life with Mr. Crane. Just the thought made her cry, thick, salty shameful tears making their way down her cheeks, resting at her chin before falling to the floor.
"Mia," Darry said, his tone softening. He put his arms around her and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head, rubbing her back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout. You're just an amazing piano player. I don't understand why you'd want to quit. Just stick with it, okay? Believe me; you'll be glad you did in the end."
"Okay," Mia sobbed through her tears. It felt good to be hugged, but even hugs from her big brother wouldn't stop nor erase the evils in Mia's life.
"Shhh..." Darry whispered. "It's going to be all right, baby."
His words only made her cry harder.
