13. Agents

The next day was like every other day. Boring. Thalia was making her way to her fourth period class, when she saw two men standing outside the door, conversing with Mr. Brunner. She awkwardly walked passed them and into her classroom and slid into her seat. This week had been a lot easier since Cindy was nowhere to be seen since yesterday and it was just plain wonderful. Thalia pulled out her things as the bell rung and Mr. Brunner wheeled in with the two men trailing behind him.

The teacher, Mr. Roberts stood up to greet him and then, with a soft nod, Mr. Brunner left as Mr. Roberts turned to the class to gather their attention. He loudly cleared his throat and raised his hands for silence, which slowly but surely he got.

"Good morning class," he said. "Today we have some visitors!" He gestured at the two police officers who nodded at their audience. "This is Agent Carter," he said, as the guy with cropped blonde hair and white-ish skin stepped forward; he wore a blue t-shirt with a black jacket over it and jeans. He had a few scars to show off on his cheek, but otherwise he seemed like a nice guy. "And Agent Rudder," he said, as the other guy, a little bit taller, chocolate skin and a nice bald head stepped forward; he wore a long sleeved wine colored shirt with jeans.

"They are going to talk about gun control and its major importance," the teacher continued. Then he narrowed his eyes at us, looking over his glasses. "I expect they'll have your full attention," he said threateningly; like they'd find themselves in detention if they did otherwise. Thalia's palms grew a little sweaty, but she told herself they were just going to talk. It wasn't that bad. So, she sat back, shoved her fists into her jacket pockets and listened as the two agents began talking. Agent Carter walked to and fro as he told us about a story when he was younger and how a gun fight had taken his last partner's life and the person who'd done it had only been sixteen.

Agent Rudder leaned against teacher's desk with his arms crossed, waiting for his turn in the presentation.

"Anyone here know how to use a gun?" Agent Carter asked and waited as kids looked at each other and stayed silent. He looked at Agent Rudder, and that was his cue. He stood up, while Agent Carter took a step back to hand him the spotlight. He pulled out a gun and a few people gasped, which made him chuckle. Thalia gripped the sides of her seat, but resisted the urge to squeeze her eyes shut.

"Don't worry. This gun was created solely for presentations. It's made of real gun material," he said, knocking the metal gun against a desk. "But it's not a real gun," he said. He began to explain the different parts of it. The safety, the bullets, all the components that made a gun.

"This presentation gun also weighs as much as a regular 9 mm gun. Anyone want to see how heavy?" he said, as kids shot their hands up. Thalia shrunk back.

"How about you?" Agent Rudder's voice sounded and when Thalia opened her eyes, he was looking right at her. A few kids turned to look at her, some expectant, others envious. Thalia's breath quickened. She wanted to refuse, but she didn't want to look like a weakling in front of the others, so she nodded and he beckoned her to the front. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and shakily walked to the front. He smiled encouragingly and Thalia tried to hide the shaking of her hands. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, including Mr. Roberts who had finally looked up from his computer.

"Here you go," Agent Rudder said as he handed Thalia the false gun. She hesitated, just staring at it.

"Come on," he smiled encouragingly. Thalia reached for the gun, her hand slightly trembling and she took a quick breath to stop the shaking. It's not even real! Her fingers gripped the gun and her hand shook even more. A shiver ran through her body and the barest trace of sweat fell down her temples. She glanced at Rudder and saw him staring intently at her; like he was trying to read her thoughts.

"Yeah, it's heavy," she said quickly, handing him the gun again. He almost dropped it she let go so quickly. She turned and tried to walk confidently back to her seat. Rudder wore the slightest frown, but it disappeared so fast, most people didn't even catch it. He turned back to the rest of the class and began letting other people hold it while Thalia slumped into her chair. She lay her head down and tried to catch her breath. She felt hot and cold at the same time and she felt nauseated. After a few more stories, the first bell to signal the end of fourth period rang and the agents began bidding their farewell. Thalia looked up and saw Agent Carter walk out the door, while Agent Rudder looked serious as he whispered something to Mr. Roberts, who shot a quick glance in Thalia's direction. She wondered what that was about, but ignored it as the second bell rang and everyone stood up and left.

Thalia was able to forget for a while the shaking and trembling she'd felt in fourth period as the rest of her day dragged on. Two periods after fourth, a kid wearing a lanyard walked in with a tiny green slip. Mrs. Cinser, Thalia's math teacher grabbed the slip, read it and then walked towards Thalia's desk.

"Here you go hun," she said softly as she set down the piece of paper on her desk. Thalia read it and sighed. The school's psychologist wanted to speak with her. Thalia hated them. At first, she had been totally indifferent towards them, but when her father left her, all they asked her was how she was feeling, and thus a hatred for them was born. Even with her father still with her, Thalia usually preferred to deal with things herself, without others butting in with unwelcome curiosity. Thalia grabbed her bag and walked out of the classroom and downstairs to the office of Dr. Woodrow.

In the time it took Thalia to get to the office, she tried to control her unwillingness of going, but she knew that when Dr. Woodrow wanted something, she would get it eventually. She did so the first couple weeks during Thalia's freshmen year when Cindy had embarrassed her in lunch and Dr. Woodrow had a few curiosities that apparently only Thalia could quench. She sighed.

The door to Dr. Woodrow's office was open and Thalia softly knocked on it. The doctor looked up and smiled.

"Welcome," she said. "Come, sit," she said, gesturing to the chair next to her desk. "Close the door on your way in."

Thalia closed it, maybe a little too hard and sat down. Dr. Woodrow looked at her. Her blonde curls framed her face and her silver eyes studied Thalia as she laced her fingers over her desk.

"Something you need to tell me?" Thalia asked annoyed. Dr. Woodrow placed the top of her hand under her chin as she spoke.

"Thalia, are you okay?" she asked sincerely. Thalia's eyebrows knotted.

"Of course," she replied. "Why?" Dr. Woodrow's face took on a look of concern, sadness and caution as she explained, almost hesitantly.

"I was told about your behavior in fourth period today," she said. Thalia's fingers gripped the armrest as Dr. Woodrow continued speaking. "I was told you seemed… distant?" Dr. Woodrow said, asking the last word as if Thalia would come right out and explain everything, but she remained silent.

"Thalia, you can tell me if something's wrong. That's what I'm here for," she said, giving Thalia a warm smile. Thalia leaned forward.

"Nothing's wrong," she said. Dr. Woodrow squinted her eyes slightly.

"Thalia, I'll just come right out and say it, because it seems you aren't going to tell me anything soon," she said, leaning forward on her desk. "Agent Rudder told Mr. Roberts about some concerns he had about you. Something about the way you behaved in class when you came up to the front of the class," she said, watching Thalia closely for some reaction. Thalia tensed. That's why she had seen Agent Rudder whispering with Mr. Roberts. What had he told him? Had her fear been that evident? Thalia swallowed down her doubts and tried to bring forth her façade and forced a smile.

"I'm fine Dr. Woodrow," she said, forcing every word to come out light and sincere. Dr. Woodrow looked down and leaned back.

"I want you to come by every Friday afternoon for a session," she said. Thalia stared at her in disbelief.

"Why?" she asked in shock. "I said I'm fine."

"Either way, I will see you here this Friday at 3 o'clock and every Friday after that until I say we're done," she said, taking out a pen and scribbling down in a notepad. Thalia wanted to argue, but she knew she wouldn't get her way no matter how hard she tried. She sighed and stood up. With one more glare at Dr. Woodrow she left her office.