Callie gaped at her father as he admitted his actions.
"You…you brought him here. You…brought him here. You…brought…him…here…." Callie said, she was saying it more to herself than to her father. Yet no matter how many times she said it, it would never stop being true. Her gaze returned to Inman soon enough, her shocked expression was still there.
"Why?" She whispered.
"Callie," Inman kneeled down and put his hands on Callie's shoulders.
"I know he's different, but the bottom line is that he's all alone and he needs people like us to take care of him-"
"Here's my horse! Ruff, ruff!" The boy jumped in between them suddenly. Callie jumped away from the boy and Inman, giving them both a grotesque look, until she recognized the wooden horse the boy held in his hands.
"Hey! That's mine!" Callie protested.
"Oh please Callie you haven't touched it since you were teething. Your bite marks are still on it."
"That's beyond the point. That is my property and he stole it. You stole it!" She yelled to the boy who was now running around the yard, galloping like a horse.
"And you've never stolen anything in your life?" Inman asked, pointing to the bell that was still lying on the ground. Callie looked over her shoulder and motioned to Ray to stand in front of it. Ray smiled innocently and he scooted over to the left slightly to hide the bell from sight.
"But that's beyond the point Callie," Inman said. "We can't take him back to his tribe, we don't even know which one it is, not to mention it's dangerous." Inman said in a tone that disapproved of any idea that might have popped into Callie's head just then.
"He'll stay here just until we find somewhere else for him."
"But Father-"
"No buts, Callie. He stays. If anything I'd think you'd be the one who'd understand the most. Will was in the same boat as this little guy and you befriended him without a second thought." Inman said.
"Will doesn't think a horse goes 'ruff, ruff'…" Callie trailed off and turned to look at Will who was standing by Ray and the bell.
"…do you?" She asked.
"No!" Will said defensively.
"Well you're just going to have to show him what noise a horse really makes, and any other barnyard animal sound that he doesn't know." Inman said as he stood up and brushed the grass off the knees of his trousers.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I believe I'll go over to the church and explain to them about their missing bell."
Callie stood still as she watched her father walk out of the yard. Ray and Will slowly walked up to her, yet she chose to wait a while until she acknowledged them. She let out a monstrous sigh and whirled around to face them.
"Alright, forget the bell. All of our energy and planning is going into keeping this guy alive, or not driving me to the point of insanity and killing him in more thorough terms." The boy came trudging over although Callie was too deep in thought to notice, until…
"Horsey! Ruff! Ruff!" The boy said as he made the horse slowly gallop up Callie's side, and most defiantly not without sound effects. Callie stayed still for a surprisingly long time, although her face defiantly showed how aggravated she was getting.
"Pa-da-dum, pa-da-dum, ruff, ruff…" the boy said as the wooden horse climbed higher up Callie's arm. Callie's right eye started to twitch, her eyebrows were furrowing closer together.
"Pa-da-dum, pa-da-dum, ruff, ruff, pa-da-dum…" the wooden horse was just passing her left ear. Callie's fists started to clench and unclench.
By the time the horse had reached the top of Callie's head she had shown more restraint and discipline than Ray or Will had ever known she had in her. The boy placed the horse on top of Callie's head and made it howl like a wolf. Callie squeezed her eyes shut only for a second before snapping her head to the side where the boy stood, causing everyone to go deathly quiet. She rolled her head back and that caused the wooden horse and the boy's arm to fall away from her and back at his sides. She grabbed the boy by the shoulders, Ray and Will winced a little, fearing to see what she was going to do. However all she did was push him away.
Will and Ray stared at her in disbelief. They expected the boy to have no face by now, yet the only thing he didn't have was the two feet closure between him and Callie. Callie put her hands over her face and let out an aggravated groan.
"I have no idea how I'm going to keep restraining myself…" She trailed off.
"Look Callie, maybe we can alternate times with him. He can stay at my house some nights and some at yours. I'm sure Grandpa Frank won't mind as long as he doesn't talk to him." Ray said.
The wooden horse suddenly appeared again between Ray and Callie, alternating from looking at one or the other.
"Really? Oh Ray you have no idea how great that would be- would you get that thing away from me?" Callie suddenly screamed at the wooden horse and swatted it out of the boy's hand.
"I'm…a horsey!" the boy called, and then started to gallop around the yard. Callie watched him for a second before dropping her head and shaking it slowly from side to side.
"Now you're a horsey!" the boy said as he jumped on Callie, sending them both crashing to the ground.
"Grass…taste…funny." The boy said. Callie grumbled something that no one could understand since her words were muffled by grass and dirt.
"Higher Mother, I want the bun higher on my head." Roseanne said as her mother was piling her blonde locks on top of her head.
"Honey, if I put it any higher it would fall on your forehead." Anita said laughing a little.
"But George likes high buns!" Roseanne protested. A gagging sound emerged from the corner of the room suddenly. Both Rosanne and Anita looked towards the corner where Callie sat in a worn out armchair.
"Be quiet Callie!" Both women said in unison, in much different tones though. Rosanne had been seeing a young man by the name of George for almost a month now and was officially completely infatuated with him. This meant beware of serious cases of nausea whenever the name George was mentioned for everyone else.
"Callie Caldwell. Someday you'll meet a man that will turn your head right around and then you'll have to watch what you say." Anita said as she toyed with Roseanne's hair. Callie's other two sisters, Evelyn and Annette; who had just come into the room, burst out laughing in rhythm with Roseanne.
"What man would have her?" Evelyn asked as she laughed. Callie wasn't bothered, but she did grab a pin cushion covered with pins lying nearby.
"Excuse me for not wanting to jump the first peacock that flies by." Callie shot back.
"Callie, if you're going to be a pest then we'll just choose to ignore you." Roseanne stated. Callie wasn't listening; she was too busy sticking pins in the back of Evelyn's dress. She's sure in for an unpleasant time next time she sat down. Callie thought to herself.
The boy crept into the room while the chatter amongst the women; not including Callie though, and scurried over to where Callie sat.
"I'm thirsty!" He whispered to her.
"Ma, the kid's thirsty!" Callie called, pointing to the boy.
"Callie, I'm a little busy. Why don't you get him something to drink?" Anita said, sound a little more aggravated by her daughter now.
"But Ma-" Callie started before she noticed Evelyn going to the other easy chair.
"You know what; I will get him something to drink. Come on shorty!" Callie said quickly before she sprinted out of the room with the boy trailing behind. They had just reached the top of the stairs when Evelyn's shrill cry rung throughout the house.
"Callie!" She screamed. Callie chuckled to herself and continued down the stairs.
As they headed to the kitchen Callie could feel the boy's hot breath on the back of her neck once again. She stopped abruptly.
"Want to give me a little elbow room?" Callie asked. She starting walking again and the boy let up about half an inch. Callie stopped around after a few steps.
"Want to give me a little more elbow room?" Callie asked again. The boy let up another inch.
Callie strode into the kitchen and when right for the glass bottle of clear water on the counter and thrust it at the boy.
"Here's some water, bye." She said quickly as she headed for the door. She looked over her shoulder abruptly and was stopped by the surprising sight. The boy had a shoe in his hand and was pouring water into it. Callie wasn't sure what confused her more, the fact that he was pouring water into a shoe or the fact that he managed to find a shoe out of no where in about three seconds.
"Mother! That stange kid is using a shoe for a cup!" Callie called up the stairs.
"Well stop him!" Anita called back. Callie rolled her eyes and turned back to the kid.
"Look kid-"She grabbed the shoe and the bottle from him. But before she could finish her sentence the boy let out a shrill scream. Callie jumped a little and turned to get a glass from the cabinet.
"Calm down! Calm down! Here you go!" Callie said as she held out a glass of water. That shut him up for a bit.
"I like waaataa." He said.
"Yes, yes, I know! Just take it!" Callie said, losing her temper ever so slightly. Frightening the boy slightly, he dropped the glass causing it to shatter on the floor, and of course the boy's screams came back again.
Anita, Roseanne, Evelyn, and Annette soon came rushing in.
"What on earth is going on down here?" Anita asked.
"He's lost it! That's what's going on!" Callie stated, pointing sharply at the boy.
"You scared him Callie! Nice work!" Annette snarled as the four of them passed by her to console the boy.
As if on cue, Inman came rushing into the kitchen as well. He looked at Callie, then at the boy and his wife and other daughters.
"Oh no, are you okay?" Inman asked.
"Well not really! That little maniac has caused…" Callie trailed off as Inman walked straight past her to the bustling group behind her. Callie's mouth dropped open as her family fell all over themselves over the boy. Callie's eyes narrowed as she glared at the boy.
"That's it, buddy. You're out of here." She whispered to herself.
The curtains made a soft whispery noise as the wind came through the open window in Will's bedroom. Will was having a dream about England. He and his father were being congratulated by the Queen herself for heroic acts during their adventures at sea. His mother was in the audience cheering for them and at the end of the ceremony she ran up and hugged them both. The feeling of his mother's warm arm wrapped around his neck felt so nice, until it felt like something wet stuck in his ear. Will's head jerked and he cried out a little. He opened his eyes to see Callie hovering over him with a grin and a wet finger.
"Callie, it's the middle of the night." Will croaked.
"You honestly don't think I know that?" Callie asked. "Come on, get up."
"What? Why?" Will asked.
"We're taking the water-sucker away from here. We have to do this at night so my Father or anyone else who is so in love with him can't stop us." Callie said with a hint of bitterness in her voice.
"You already can't take him? It's been one day!"
"Longest day of my life. Now get up." Callie ordered.
"What are we going to do, just dump him on some orphanage's door?" Will asked, sounding sympathetic to the boy.
"No, nobody deserves that. Not even that psycho." Callie stated. "We're taking him back to his tribe."
