Summer of Changes

Chapter 10 - Discovery

They ran full tilt, hands clasped together.  With punch still dripping down the front of his shirt, Auggie pulled Juliette to go faster.  Just behind them he could hear the heavy footsteps of the policeman running after them.  They weren't going fast, but they weren't going slow either, and Auggie knew that if they just stepped up the pace a bit, they would be able to outrun the large policeman.  Taking a deep breath, he scanned the area, quickly taking in any obstacles or potential hiding spots.  Just stay cool.  Do what you've always had to do – but whatever happens, make sure Jules is okay.  Auggie was good at this.  Hell, alone, he'd have been out of sight in a millisecond – up a tree, behind a bush.  Whatever.  But he'd be invisible. 

Only this time, there was Juliette.

Thinking this, he turned to look behind him to encourage her on.  And in that split second, he realized that the footsteps had stopped.  That was wrong.  All wrong.  He froze, putting his arm out to stop Juliette from flying past him.  Slowly, ever so slowly, he turned around.

"Auggie!"  It was Juliette, in a high complaining voice.  "What's-"  He put out a hand to shush her.

No one. 

"Auggie, for heaven's sake!"  He shushed her again.  They stayed quiet for a full minute, Auggie's senses attuned to every sound.  Then, slowly, he allowed himself to relax – just a bit.

"Let's go, Juliette.  We need to get Daisy and then get out of here."  Juliette just nodded her head, unsure as to whether she was now allowed to speak.  They started to walk once again, back in the direction of the party.  Juliette took in a breath to speak –

And then they both froze.  Only now just audible to their ears was the piercing sound of...sirens.  Sirens that were getting closer and closer.

Juliette's eyes opened wide, and she reached for Auggie's hand.  They looked at each other, Jules' eyes large and scared, Auggie's eyes calculating. 

"We can do this, Jules," he said.  "We've just to do it fast."

That said, once again they began to run full tilt, hands clasped together, but this time towards the party, towards Daisy, and towards the sirens.

- - - - -

Peter looked at the three frozen figures in front of him.  Roger was staring down at the ground, apparently transfixed by a small dead fern on the ground.  Talia was hiding behind David, using him as a shield as she tried to get herself under control.  Finally, Peter spoke.

"I don't want to know what's going on.  But I think that at this point the Cliffhangers need to regroup."  Roger tore his eyes off the fern.

"I don't know where they are," he said painfully.

"I got that impression," Peter said sarcastically.  Then he turned stern eyes onto David.  "Where's Scott?"  David sighed. 

"Just up off the path, you know, in that clearing we found at the cliff."  David was now back to speaking in his old voice, full of sarcasm.  Inside himself, Peter answered David's sigh with his own.  After Roger's awful display, it would take some work to get him to open up again.

"Thanks," Peter said, nodding his head towards David.  He turned to Roger.  "Take these two to their dorms to clean up and then we'll regroup in the lodge.  I trust you can handle that?"  Roger nodded, taking the jab without a change in expression.  "Then I'll see you in fifteen."

Peter turned and headed off up the hill.  His long strides took him easily to the clearing.  He stopped, listening, and then went slowly up the small path.  There was no sound, and for a second Peter thought that David might, once again, have lied to him.  But with one more step he had a clear view, and he was able to see Shelby and Scott sitting off to the side.

Scott's arms were around Shelby as together they stared down at the view.  They were so peaceful that Peter stopped, not wanting to disturb the moment.  Then Scott cleared his throat to speak.

"I love you Shelb," he said, burying his head in her soft hair.  She didn't answer.  There was quiet for a minute, a tense and expectant silence, and then Scott lifted his head up so that Peter could see he was close to crying.  "Don't you have anything to say?" he said softly, his voice taking on the high pitch he used when trying to hide his feelings.  There was another long and tense silence. 

"I can't answer you yet, Scott," Shelby said seriously.  "I need to know who Talia is, Scott.  I need to know."  Scott withdrew his arm from around her, and turned away.  He shook his head.  Then Shelby reached out to him, and he met her eyes.  He nodded, and then took a deep breath.

"Like I told you before, Talia and I grew up together.  We were next-door neighbours.  When we were little we went to the same school, and then we'd come home and play together.  She was always over at my house because her parents were never home, and when they were they were always fighting."  Scott voice was low, close to breaking.

"Then we got to high school and I started getting into football and hanging out with the jocks while she hung out with the intellectual crowd.  Around that time, Elaine met my dad, and finally she moved in.  I was getting really screwed up.  Everytime I'd see Talia at school my friends would taunt her, and I'd just stand by and let it happen."  Scott's voice got even lower, more ashamed, so that Peter had to lean in to hear.

"And everytime that I betrayed her, she forgave me.  Because, because I think, no, I know that she knew.  She knew."

"Elaine?" Shelby whispered.  Scott nodded.

"Even though we weren't really friends anymore, every time I saw her she knew just what to say and what to do to make me feel okay with myself.  She knew what to do to help me keep my head.  And around that time, too, things were getting real bad with her parents.  Then," Scott stumbled over the words.  "One day, I went too far."  He stopped.  Shelby put her arm on his shoulder.  He continued.

"She came to me at school crying and as usual I just stood there and let my friends laugh at her.  And then, and then I laughed.  At her.  She gave me a look I don't ever want to see again and walked away.  She never spoke to me again.  That day, I started doing drugs.  Two days before I got taken to Horizon I heard she'd run away from home.  But by that time it was too late."  A single tear ran down Scott's cheek.  Softly, Shelby reached in and kissed it away.  They sat silent once more, just staring into space. 

Then Peter walked in, and they jumped up.

- - - - -

Ezra was crouched next to Shane on the ground, holding his head on his lap.  Daisy stood off to the side, nervously chewing her lip.  Nearby stood the policeman who'd called the ambulance. 

"Hey," Ezra said softly to Shane.  "It's going to be okay, man."  Shane's eyelids fluttered and finally managed to stay open.  He gave a small smile and mumbled something.

"What?" Ezra asked.

"Is that the girl you told me about – the girl you said doesn't like you?"

"Yeah."

"You kind of misjudged her, didn't you?" Shane stopped to cough and then continued on in a croak.  "But you've got good taste, man.  She's got fire."  He coughed once again, then his eyelids closed and his head went limp on Ezra's lap.

"Is he okay?" Daisy asked, alarmed.

"Yeah," said Ezra.  "He fainted.  But at least the ambulance is here."

The ambulance was driving haphazardly over the uneven grassy ground of the park, coming straight towards them.  Quickly, the policeman cleared the way.  Two paramedics jumped out and collected Shane, putting him on a stretcher and into the back of the van.  The policeman jumped in behind.  One of the paramedics approached them in a quick jog.

"Who else is with him?"

"We are," said Ezra pointing to himself and Daisy.  Then he noticed Juliette and Auggie standing uncertainly at the outskirts of the crowd and he expanded his motion to include them.

"Then get in."  Somehow Auggie and Juliette found themselves herded into the back of the van, the door shut tightly behind them. 

It was quiet inside except for the sound of heavy breathing.  Auggie looked around at the others, and then noticed the big silent shape of the policeman in the corner across from him.  His eyes took in the large black boots, large blue pants, the shirt still damp with...with pink punch...  Crap!  Involuntarily, Auggie took in a big startled breath.  As if in answer, the policeman raised his eyes to look straight at him, then shifted to Juliette, still sitting oblivious next to Auggie.  The policeman's eyes darkened and he opened his mouth to speak.  But Daisy chose that moment to touch Auggie on the arm, and he turned towards her.

"What's going on, Dais?" he asked.

"I think I killed him."  Daisy stated as matter of factly as always, but Auggie could see the pain she was hiding.

"What do you mean?  How could you have anything to do with this?"

"Well," Daisy said, "I picked up a rather large tree branch from the ground and then I hit him with it.  Twice."

"What?" Juliette said, her exclamation coming out in an unseemly squawk.  "Why would you -?" she couldn't continue.

"Well, I decided to play the role of gallant before I realized the classic misunderstanding that had taken place."  There was a miserable silence and Auggie tried desperately to think of a way to lighten the mood.

"Well, you've definitely made swinging large sticks into a habit," he finally came out with, his lips twitching.  Daisy gave a small smile.

"Quite right – but I must say that hitting my father was much more satisfying," she said.

Out of the corner of his eye Auggie could see the policeman eyeing them with a bemused expression on his face.  But then they were at the hospital and they all piled out of the van.  Ezra went in with Shane while the other three sat down in the deserted waiting room.  The policeman checked in at the front desk and then dragged a chair over to where they were sitting and sat down.

"Why don't you just start by telling me exactly who you are," the policeman said abruptly.  The three looked at each other.  Then Auggie took charge.

"We're from Mt. Horizon School.  I don't know if you've heard of it," he said. 

"Yes I have," the policeman said giving them a look that said 'well now that makes sense'.  "And I suppose you were on a school field trip?" he said sarcastically.

"Yes, that's right," said Auggie, matching his sarcasm.  "No, obviously we were playing hooky."  The policeman's expression hardened. 

"So in the space of a few hours you managed to play truant, disturb the peace, illegally consume alcohol, assault a police officer and send an innocent bystander to the hospital?"  Auggie and Juliette looked at each other guiltily and then stared at the floor.

"Well," said Daisy.  "Put that way it certainly sounds quite impressive."  The policeman stared at her.

"Yes," he finally said, and coughed.  Then his face began to undergo a series of strange contortions and after a few seconds he exploded into a snorting, thigh-hitting laugh.  Daisy, Auggie and Juliette looked at each other, all of them sharing the same puzzled expression. 

"Well," the policeman finally said, pausing for one more loud snort, "Unfortunately we've come to the unpleasant part.  I'm afraid I'm going to have to inform your school."  He got up and made his way to the front desk, looking back once more for another laugh.  He left behind a very still silence.

"Somehow I didn't think what happened this afternoon was quite so funny," said Daisy.

"Neither did I," said Auggie.  Juliette sighed.

"And Peter definitely won't," she said in a whisper.  At that thought they all turned in unison to look at the policeman on the phone. 

"Well," said Daisy.  "At least I've got fire."  Then they lapsed into silence once more, each of them contemplating what could only be a miserable fate.