"Oh…dear God. I believe I shall faint." Mrs. Victoria Lukan put the back of her skinny hand to her forehead. She had been chatting casually at brunch with her good friend Margret (before their riding date) when she was called down to the Country Club's main office. It had been amazingly embarrassing for Victoria to be called down in the middle of her story about her trip to Italy. Then she had walked in to find out that her only daughter had NEVER entered the classroom that day. Mrs. Lukan's legs grew slightly wobbly as she clutched onto the French phone. "She…never attended…class?" She reiterated.
"Yes, Mrs. Lukan. It seems so." The principal stated again. Victoria sat on the leather couch practically sliding off of it.
"Wh…why?" She asked. Why did her child do this to her? HOW? They had specifically gone over why Blossom HAD to go to school. Why hadn't God blessed her with an obedient child? But, no, she had to pick up the most deformed child some plebian left on her doorstep.
"I have no idea, Mrs. Lukan. Please excuse me." The principal hung up leaving the phone dead. Victoria shakily put down the phone with a cling. She took a few minutes to take in what the principal had said. The large empty room eating up her thoughts. Finally, Mrs. Lukan whipped out her little black cell phone like a cop taking out a gun. She pressed a speed-dial button for home. A low and dull voice answered the phone.
"Lukan Estates." James stated calmly, stretching out the "Lu" in "Lukan".
"Put Nana on the phone, James. Now!" Mrs. Lukan kept her panicked voice down as best as she could. It seemed so difficult for her to grasp the thought of her daughter running off. ESPECIALLY after being instructed NOT to do so.
"Yes, Madam." James's voice replied. She heard him call for her faithful friend. "Anna. Anna Nana. Madam is on the phone." A few minutes of scuffling could be heard and then a dulcet tone with a slight Irish accent spoke into the receiver.
"What seems to be the matter, my dear?" Anna Nana's voice rang through the phone line.
"SHE IS GONE NANA!" Victoria cried, louder than a lady should. "I mean…Nana, is Blossom with you. I so desperately need a word with that young lady." Mrs. Lukan cleared her throat. She could hear some uncomfortable shifting on the other side.
"My dear, I don't mean to worry you…but she isn't with me." Nana replied as calmly as she could. Mrs. Lukan's throat tightened. Her knuckles turning white as she clutched the cell phone. "You see, my dear, Xaiver dropped her off at school hours ago." Victoria put a hand to her mouth.
"Dear God, Nana. She has left her school and gone off somewhere. DEAR GOD, she is playing…dare I say it, hookey. What have I done, Nana? What have I done to deserve this? Now I fear she shall never attend the correct college. The Lukan's are doomed! We shall be the LAUGHING stock of the community! Oh God, I feel I shall have to hide my face." Mrs. Lukan paused a moment imagining the horror that she might befall.
"Now calm down, my dear!" Nana insisted, patting the phone lightly as if it would help comfort her mistress. "I'm sure little Blossom hasn't gone far. She probably has a very good reason for leaving. The poor thing out there, all alone. Probably scared and lost." Nana clutched the phone in worry. "Don't you worry, my dear. I'm…I'm certain we'll find her."
"Get the police! Get the FBI! Get Scotland Yard!" Victoria cried into the phone waving her hand frantically.
"My dear, please! Remain calm. Besides, Scotland Yard in England."
"It does not matter, have them shipped over for Goodness sake." Mrs. Lukan calmed herself down. The very thought of her tiny girl running around a large city in that irreplaceable uniform…the uniform! "Oh God! That uniform, Nana! Do you realize how hard it is to get the specific requirements in a uniform for a girl with no shoulders? Do you realize?!"
"It's all right my dear. I'll have James, Xaiver, and I begin a simple search. We'll call the police and have them look out for her." Nana reasoned. Victoria grew very serious.
"If they cannot find her, I will give $500,000 to the person who does…as long as she's safe." Mrs. Lukan knew that amount of money was a lot to the common person. It wasn't really that much to her but…that little girl was her only heir.
"Madam are you sure you want to-"
"That's my final decision, Nana. Call me if you locate her." Victoria Lukan hung up the phone, returning to her cold, reptilian-like disposition. That little girl was going to get QUITE a talking to.
* * * *
"DAMN IT!" Jack Fisher slammed down the phone back onto its cradle. "Thanks for nothing Mother-"
"Jaaaaaackkkkkk." Nancy whined from her position on the sofa. She was lying stomach-down, her head resting on the armrest, locks of brown hair dripping down it. Jack had just completed one of the thousands of calls he'd made that morning. That one was to the school to see if his darling child had arrived there. Unfortunately, she hadn't. "It's not their fault, you know. You're the one that used your fist on the poor thing." Nancy pointed out as she rolled onto her back. Jack Fisher was fuming. He waved his hand about grumbling, a little rise in his voice every now and then. Mostly during the cussing. Nancy just put a throw pillow over her face.
"Where could she have GONE, damn it?" He asked himself more so than his good-for-nothing wife.
"Jack she could be anywhere. You know how Bubbles gets distracted." Mrs. Fisher's voice was muffled from underneath the white-tasseled pillow. Jack raised his hand but instead of striking her, waved her off.
"Maybe she's at one of her friend's houses." Mr. Fisher picked up the phone.
"You already called her friend's homes three times. She's not there." Nancy stated. Jack rammed the phone back down, breaking out into a fit of cussing. He ended it grasping the back of his head with his hands, as if it physically hurt. "Besides Jack, you hit the kid with your fist. I mean she hit the counter really HARD, Jack. She could really be hurt somewhere."
"Don't you think I know that? Huh?! Haven't I been trying for YEARS not to hit her like that? You know I never hit her in the face before! God damn it!" Jack cursed himself some more and paced nervously behind the sofa Nancy was lying on. He was still dressed in his navy blue bathrobe as his slippers scuffed against the carpet.
"Well you know, you shouldn't a' hit her like that. The poor kid" Nancy stated simply. Jack's blood began to boil. He gained a wild look in his blue eyes. He grabbed Nancy off of the couch with such power, Nancy's head snapped back. "OW!" Jack pulled her by the elbow as hard as he could, back into the kitchen. He put his hand on the back of his wife's head and forced her down, eye-level with the hole in the wall. It had long since stopped smoldering and stood there in bleak silence. Jack forced Nancy's face to practically fit inside the hole.
"Look at that, Nancy!" Mr. Fisher and pulled her hair a bit till Nancy yelped. He forced her head back down to it. "Do you see that, Nancy?" Jack coerced her face to almost be cut up by the sides of the jutty hole. "DO YOU?!"
"YES, YES JACK!" Nancy yelled. Mr. Fisher threw her back down to the tiled floor. Nancy touched her face and the back of her head as she lay there in fear. Jack stood there fuming further. "I see it." She murmured softly clutching her robe.
"Damn it. What am I going to tell the company? The neighbors? What am I gonna tell those damn big shots." Jack rushed a hand through his short blond locks. They fell in front of his eyes daringly. "If they catch wind of this, that could be it. Oh God…what am I going to say about this? How am I going to explain that my five-year-old daughter blasted a hole in the wall and left?" Mr. Fisher pondered, now pacing in the kitchen.
"Well…" Nancy began quietly, "no one said they had to know." Jack's blazing eyes shot toward her.
"Of course they'll know, Nancy! I have enemies out there! Competitors who will do ANYTHING to get a head of my business. And…and who KNOWS where Bubbles is! For God's sake she could be on the South Side dead in some gutter somewhere." Jack sat down suddenly and put his head in his hands. Mrs. Fisher crawled over to him, shaking, and patted his leg gently.
"It…it's okay Jack. You go to work…I'll go look for her. You know she probably went to the park or something. You know she really loves the park." Nancy reassured.
"The…the park. Yes, that's a good idea. You look for her there. I'm already late for work anyway." Jack got up and headed toward the stairs. He put one green, fuzzy slipper on the front step and looked back to Mrs. Fisher. "You better find her, Nancy." He said in a steely cold voice. He began to go upstairs further, leaving Nancy's blood running cold. She heard him pause and then remind her: "And remember to smile when you go out, Nancy." With that, Jack Fisher headed up the stairs to prepare for work.
* * * *
"You make me feeeeeeeel….you make me feeeeeel…you make me feel like a nat-ur-al woman!" Red Robins sang from her desk at her work, her feet comfortably resting on the desk. Her high-heeled shoes rested on the floor. The desk was cluttered with paper work and frames filled with pictures of one particular little girl as well as that girl's grandparents. The computer screen was running a scrolling marquee. But all the paper work seemed to go unnoticed by the blue-clad woman as her Walkman played a soothing song into her ears. She closed her eyes singing along with the song, her troubles melting away as Celine Dion belted out the lyrics to one of Red's favorite songs.
"Ms. Robins." Derek Martin, Red's esteemed boss, crossed his arms as his employee continued to groove to the music only she could hear. Although, the office was blessed with Red's voice as she cued them in by singing the lyrics. "Ms. Robins." Derek continued a little annoyed.
"You make ME feel!" Red continued, unaware of his presence.
"MS. ROBINS!" Derek yelled. Ms. Robin's eyes popped open and she quickly took her feet off of her desk, followed by her headphones, all the while nearly crashing backwards in the chair.
"M...Mr. Martin! I'm so sorry Mr. Martin! I'm so sorry I-"
"Let me guess, Buttercup went to kindergarten again?" Mr. Martin asked. By now, Derek had gotten used to a specific routine this specific employee went through. She had a five-year-old daughter, and every time her daughter hit a milestone, the whole office knew about it. Red had a special way of dealing with her "little baby growing up"; she would drown her sorrows in music and be sure to sing at the top of her lungs. The whole office would hear her versions of famous songs and had now learned to ignore it. Although, the customers did find it odd. Red blushed slightly.
"Yes, Mr. Martin. I'm sorry for the disruption, it just always gets me a bit upset knowing that my little baby is-"
"-growing up. Yes, Ms. Robins I know." Derek finished. Red smiled weakly. "You know, Ms. Robins, you remind me very much so of another red-head that worked in a particular bank. Although she had her own TV show and her bosses name was Mr. Mooney." Mr. Martin finished staring down at Red through his spectacles. Ms. Robins coughed politely.
"Is there…something you wanted to talk to me about…Mr. Martin?" Red queried.
"Actually, yes there is. It appears you have a phone call from Golden Acres Elementary. I have a feeling this may have to do with you're Buttercup." Derek softened a bit watching the woman's face react in shock in fear.
"Oh please, not again." She whispered and adjusted herself in her comfortable chair. "Th-thank you Mr. Mooney, I'll take it here." Red put a hand to her mouth softly. Mr. Martin nodded and decided not to remind her that his name was "Martin", not "Mooney". He walked away softly.
Red picked up the receiver cautiously and pressed the red flashing button marked "two".
"H…Hello." Red put on her most professional-sounding voice. The voice on the other end was a sweet delicate tone. The woman's very voice seemed to have a smile within it.
"Hello, Ms. Robins? This is Rachel Green from Golden Acres Elementary."
"Yes, I remember, we spoke on the phone." Red's throat was tight and dry as Ms. Green continued.
"Yes, that's right. Anyway I have some bad news concerning your daughter, Buttercup." Ms. Green's voice turned serious. "It seems your daughter has struck another student and has run off." Ms. Green had a problem with subtlety. Red's heart raced and she quickly grew worried.
"Well, how's the other student? How's my child? Where's my daughter now?" She questioned. There was a pause.
"I'm afraid she ran off and-" Ms. Green was interrupted by the sound of a door opening in the background. "-and here she is now. Hold on a moment." Ms. Green was feeling a bit relived, that her student had returned.
At the moment Ms. Green was on the phone, she heard the sound of her large wooden door open and a soggy but healthy Buttercup enter the classroom. Her yellow dress was still damp but she wasn't dripping on the light-colored carpet. Oddly enough, Buttercup had brought along two other little girls. One, Ms. Green recognized very well, and the other was someone whom she had yet to meet.
One of the little girls was a redhead with oddly colored eyes. She hung in the doorway, seeming most shy. There was another little girl trying desperately to convince the redhead to enter the class. The other little girl was Bubbles Fisher the bright and happy ray of sunshine in the classroom. Although, it seemed that the "ray of sunshine" had a dark mark on the side of her cheek. The strange thing about the girls was they all looked alike. None of them had any noses or ears or fingers or shoulders even. Rachel Green wondered if Buttercup had brought along her redheaded sister or cousin. Either way, Ms. Green had to deal with a few things first.
"Buttercup." Ms. Green sounded extremely angered with the young girl. Buttercup put on a sweet little smile, one that she had learned to control and use at will. She spoke softly and looked up with her big green eyes, digging her little Mary Jane into the carpet.
"Yes, Ms. Green?" The child's very tone dripped with a sugary innocence that quite contrasted with the other students' depiction of an enraged little girl bashing in Mitsy Lordanceson's face. But, Ms. Green had danced this waltz before, and remained stern.
"I don't know about your old school, young lady, but at Golden Acres we do not tolerate our students to beat-up any other student and flee the scene of the crime." Ms. Green narrowed her eyes. She quickly realized that she had used a term the child probably didn't know yet ("scene of the crime") and was about to correct, but the little girl quite understood.
"I'm sorry Ms. Green. I didn't mean to hurt her that much. She was just being so mean." Buttercup kept up her innocent act, her huge green eyes looking up sadly, "All I wanted to do was make friends. But she just kept on pushin'…an' pushin' me. Oh Ms. Green, I never meant to hurt her! And when I saw what I did…oh please forgive me!" Buttercup buried her face in her mitts and let out a few fake sobs. Ms. Green's heart melted, she never meant to make the child cry.
"Oh…oh there there, Buttercup. Mitsy wasn't too badly hurt. Oh…oh don't cry." Ms. Green patted the girl on the back softly when she heard the voice on the phone speak up again.
"Ms. Green," Ms. Robins spoke, an annoyed tone in her voice, "put Buttercup on the phone." Buttercup's saddened expression turned to one of surprise and fear. Ms. Green handed Buttercup the phone. Buttercup shakily took the receiver and put on a wry smile, though her mother couldn't see it.
"Oh…h-hey Mommy. I didn't know you were on the phone…heh heh." Buttercup looked nervous.
"Buttercup Melissa Robins you've done it this time!" Red was furious. Here she was, scared out of her mind and worried half to death about her precious child, and then she walks in the door and begins to use that old "I'm-a-sweet-innocent-little-girl" act on the teacher! That child was going to get an earful, and the whole classroom and even Red's whole office would hear it. "How dare you run off of school grounds like that! You scared me half to death! And what did we discuss just this morning? I said to tell a teacher Buttercup. UGH! I wonder if you even listen at all!" Ms. Robins finished her rant after get up and waving her arm around to express to the phone how upset she was. Red sat down suddenly, her co-workers staring a bit. She let out a deep sigh, one of her thick bangs blowing upward. "Are you all right, Honey?" She finally asked after calming down.
"I'm okay, Mommy, I never meant to let you down." Buttercup's voice was almost a whisper. Red began to feel horrible. She just knew her daughter could play her like a fiddle. She sighed again softly, leaning back in her comfy chair.
"No…no Sweetheart. You didn't let me down. I just…I get so frightened that one day you're going to bite off more than you can chew and you're going to get hurt. You know how I feel about violence and I've tried so hard to get you to realize that you don't get involved with people like that. Then they'll think you're just a bully. At least you're okay." Red could practically feel the depression in her child's voice.
"I'm sorry, Mommy. I'll try not to do it again. It's just…she started makin' fun of you and our family…I couldn't let her do that." Buttercup looked to see Ms. Green standing over her shoulder, waiting for the phone. "Sorry Mommy, I gotta go. Ms. Green wants her phone back."
"We'll talk about this more at home, okay Muffin?" Red said softly.
"Okay Mommy. Bye. I love you."
"I love you too." Ms. Robins smiled a bit and heard some soft "awwwws" from behind her. She glared at a few of her fellow employees who liked to eavesdrop.
While Ms. Green and Ms. Robins said their "goodbyes", Bubbles struggled with getting Blossom to come in the classroom.
"I PROMISE you Blossom, they won't make fun of you." Bubbles was getting very exhausted with trying to convince Blossom. She was just so stubborn! Blossom felt her knees a little weak and her legs a little shaky.
"But…but I am different and so very rich. They will be mean AND jealous. I just know it." Blossom remained in the doorway, not budging from the wooden frame as if preparing for an earthquake. Bubbles just about gave up when Ms. Green confronted them.
"Hello little girl. My name's Ms. Green. Are you new?" She asked sweetly.
"Oh Ms Green!" Bubbles began, "This is Blossom an' she's from another school an' she's vistin' us today cause the kids at her school were soooo mean and rude and…and in-courage-able. So she hasta come here today." Bubbles completed. Ms. Green seemed skeptical.
"Well, isn't this kind of sudden? I mean, I can't just accept a little girl into my class for a day without the permission of the office and her parents and all." Ms. Green saw that familiar happy grin on Bubbles's bruised face transform into a frown.
"Oh please Ms. Green! PLEASE!" Bubbles practically begged.
"Yeah Ms. Green." Buttercup interjected, "She's got nowhere else to go. The kids at school ran her out and her parents…" Buttercup couldn't finish that. She wasn't sure on the circumstances so she bantered on from a different angle, "…and she wants to try out our school. If she likes it enough, she'll come here. Please Ms. Green…PLEASE?!"
Ms. Green looked at the tiny redhead by the door; she seemed so sad and shy. Ms. Green couldn't make Gene, the teacher she left in charge after she found Jaime to be an inadequate monitor, waiting forever. She gave in.
"All right." She replied. The three leapt with joy. Such tiny children and so much a like. They bounced happily. It was going to be a looooong day.
