I groaned as I woke from the announcer that sounded off loudly in my
ear. I winced as I lifted my head and try to opened my eyes, but I was
unable to do both. I fell against my bed and sighed as I thought about
making another attempt to lift myself from my incessant sleep. I wanted to
flip off who every woke us up at three in the morning (I looked at Squid
watch). They usually woke us at four, but I suspect that the rules must've
changed.
I made myself get up. I staggered to get my balance in my back, which was not an easy task after being slammed or whatever happened to me to bring my pain. I watched the other boys wake up. X-ray and Armpit shoved everyone out of bed and pulled their covers back so that their legs would freeze. I shook my head. I hope that they remember that was my job.
"All right," I said patting X-ray hard on the shoulder. "That'll do."
He pushed his dirty glasses further up the bridge of his nose. Then after a moment of battling whether to give up his weakness of leadership, nodded in submission.
"Thanks X," I said grinning with pleasure at him. He gave me a fake smile before turning his back to me and left the tent.
"Get up you lazy crew of worthless moles," I shouted. Everyone hustled faster after I yelled. I smiled at them as they went out of the tent, each one looking me in the eye, looking for hope like they were going into battle or something. I grabbed one of the bright orange, prison cover ups, put it on, and left the tent with a pleasant yawn.
We all lined up in front of the "library" and were handed our shovels. I grabbed the one with the tape around the handle, the shortest one, before X-ray got a hold of it. He grimaced as he didn't have a choice, but to grab a larger one. I was surprised that I wasn't surprised that I had gotten the shovel. Usually X-ray got it before me, but not today.
We ambled out to our dreaded holes. Everyone took their spots and scooped their first out the ground. I stood their a second, dreading to have to do this again. But everything's got to have a start to it. I sighed and put the dull, point of the shovel to the ground and jumped as hard as I could on to it. First scoop. Million more to go.
***
We all came back sweaty and dirty as usual. I found a piece of wire on the ground to pull my hair up with even though it still hung low on my neck, adding to the heat and humidity. I gasped for a breath, each step I took. By about 2:00, everything seems to fry under the boiling sun.
I headed for the showers to get a drink (I take showers long after the boys have gone to bed for private reasons) and fill my canteen when I noticed Pendanski talking to X-ray and Armpit. Then I smiled. There was Stanley Yelnats. I smiled even broader when I noticed how lost he seemed as he smiled a bit confused as he was introduced to the boys. After being told what to do, he walked lost over to D tent. I quickly walked over to the showers where he wouldn't notice me. I didn't want him to notice me. Not yet at least.
As I filled my canteen, Magnet came over to me ginning. "Have you noticed who's here?" he asked.
I looked hard at him, "Is this a trick question?"
He shook his head.
I screwed the top back on my canteen. "Then can you decide the answer for yourself?"
"Well I was just askin'.he doesn't seem like the type to actually do something bad," he wined.
That's because he's cursed, I thought to myself, of course he didn't do anything. "Well thanks for the heads up anyways, Mag," I said gently as I turned away from him. "And Mag, don't say anything that might," I sighed "Scare him."
It took Magnet a moment to figure out what I was saying. Then he grinned and waved a parting at me. I nodded to him and went back to D Tent.
I watched, from a distance, Stanley (note: this Stanley looks like the character in the movie- Shia LaBeouf *wink*). I noticed how much he looked like his dad. My mom used to work with him when they were still in high school, before they both got laid off because of the war, don't know why though.but that's besides the point. His curly hair laid messily on his head. Poor guy prolly didn't have enough money to buy himself a desint hairbrush, like me. I am destitute, as far as you can go with that word, that's what I am. We both had that in common. He started to walk back outside. I thought quickly about what to do. Maybe I should surprise him, let him know who's boss.but not enough to frighten him.no that wouldn't do him any good. Ah, here's a plan.
I propped myself beside a miniature water tower outside the game room. I took the cap from a nearby passing boy, who after seeing me, didn't mind me taking it. I laid it low on my brow a put a pleasant grin on my face. For the finishing touch, I used my low tone of voice to cover up my natural alto one. I love playing this game.
"Who do we have here?" I growled low. "Stanley Yelnats my I presume?"
Stanley spun around, his eyes looking around wildly with fear and then rested on me. "Yeah?" he replied, a little shaky.
"Bit late to be going to the game room. Have you dug your hole today? You sure don't look like it."
"Naw," he said looking hard at me, guessing who I was, "I just got here."
"Do you lie a lot?" I asked out of the blue.
He thought for a second, while opening and closing his mouth like a fish, somewhat hoping that the right answer would pop into his tiny, little brain. "I am sorta honest," he admitted at last.
"I shall take that as the truth. You better not tell stories in this place," I said slowly lifting the cap off my brow, "Harsh punishments you know."
He stood there looking at me. I knew what he was thinking. He's seen me before. He just can't quite remember. "Haven't I seen you?" he asked frowning.
"It doesn't matter to me if you have seen me or not. I know who you are though. Stanley Yelnats IV."
"Falca? Isn't that your name?"
"No."
"Yes it is. My dad used to work with your mom. They were really good friends-," he pulled out a photograph from his back pocket of his cover- all's, "And I have a picture of you."
My eyes widened at the picture. That was one of my school pictures from the seventh grade. I snatched it from him. How did he get that?
I examined it while he continued, "My dad said that you left school because you didn't have enough money to get school supplies and your grades were poor. You sat in front of me in sixth period. We used to talk all the time."
"And one day a boy said that you liked me, I remember you blushing," I blurted still staring at the picture. I heard him let out a long breath.
"Well, if Falca isn't your name, what is it?"
"Dragon."
"Did you change your name? Legally?"
I tore my gaze from the picture and gave him a that-was-a-stupid- question look. He blushed and put his head down embarrassed before looking into my eyes again.
"That's the name they gave me when I came here because I have a really bad temper," I said as I watched Armpit approach Stanley from behind.
"And her attitude problem," Armpit added as he stood in front of me.
"Uh, hi, Theodore," Stanley said quietly.
I clasped my hand over my head. Armpit you idiot. Armpit.
Armpit violently snatched Stanley's head and put it under his arm. "My name is not Theodore," he growled before throwing Stanley to the ground. "It's Armpit."
"Oh, okay, Armpit," Stanley murmured weakly.
Now this is one of the things I can't stand, and I won't stand for it. "Leave him alone Pit," I growled dangerously behind him. "You touch him one more time, I'll kick your ass."
All the people who had gathered to watch Armpit pick on Stanley, ooed. Armpit spun around put on his meanest looking face, but it wasn't like I was going to run away with fright. Nothing scares me.
"Oh my God, I'm so scared," I said unenthusiastically, "I think my grandma just died of fright."
"You couldn't beat me up even if you wanted to," Armpit said stepping closer to me.
"How much you wanna bet?" I challenged.
"Your shovel," he replied.
"Over your head, fair enough," and before he could think about what I was doing, I laid my walking stick across his face with such force, it sent him to the dirt. Nobody spoke when I twirled my stick back to my side and spat on the ground next to him. "Any questions?"
"Is he dead?" one kid asked squatting sown next to him poking him with a undone paper clip.
"Naw, just knocked out," another kid answered.
"Nice job, Dragon," X-ray noted squinting down at his tent mate.
"Thanks," I said grinning at him.
"Thanks," Stanley gulped.
"Anytime," I replied helping him up.
~ Thanks guys for the reviews!! You don't know how much you encourage me to write. So what so you think? Huh? Pretty short, but it's okay. I've got a long ways to go. Got to go feed the horses. REVIEW WHILE I AM GONE! (~
I made myself get up. I staggered to get my balance in my back, which was not an easy task after being slammed or whatever happened to me to bring my pain. I watched the other boys wake up. X-ray and Armpit shoved everyone out of bed and pulled their covers back so that their legs would freeze. I shook my head. I hope that they remember that was my job.
"All right," I said patting X-ray hard on the shoulder. "That'll do."
He pushed his dirty glasses further up the bridge of his nose. Then after a moment of battling whether to give up his weakness of leadership, nodded in submission.
"Thanks X," I said grinning with pleasure at him. He gave me a fake smile before turning his back to me and left the tent.
"Get up you lazy crew of worthless moles," I shouted. Everyone hustled faster after I yelled. I smiled at them as they went out of the tent, each one looking me in the eye, looking for hope like they were going into battle or something. I grabbed one of the bright orange, prison cover ups, put it on, and left the tent with a pleasant yawn.
We all lined up in front of the "library" and were handed our shovels. I grabbed the one with the tape around the handle, the shortest one, before X-ray got a hold of it. He grimaced as he didn't have a choice, but to grab a larger one. I was surprised that I wasn't surprised that I had gotten the shovel. Usually X-ray got it before me, but not today.
We ambled out to our dreaded holes. Everyone took their spots and scooped their first out the ground. I stood their a second, dreading to have to do this again. But everything's got to have a start to it. I sighed and put the dull, point of the shovel to the ground and jumped as hard as I could on to it. First scoop. Million more to go.
***
We all came back sweaty and dirty as usual. I found a piece of wire on the ground to pull my hair up with even though it still hung low on my neck, adding to the heat and humidity. I gasped for a breath, each step I took. By about 2:00, everything seems to fry under the boiling sun.
I headed for the showers to get a drink (I take showers long after the boys have gone to bed for private reasons) and fill my canteen when I noticed Pendanski talking to X-ray and Armpit. Then I smiled. There was Stanley Yelnats. I smiled even broader when I noticed how lost he seemed as he smiled a bit confused as he was introduced to the boys. After being told what to do, he walked lost over to D tent. I quickly walked over to the showers where he wouldn't notice me. I didn't want him to notice me. Not yet at least.
As I filled my canteen, Magnet came over to me ginning. "Have you noticed who's here?" he asked.
I looked hard at him, "Is this a trick question?"
He shook his head.
I screwed the top back on my canteen. "Then can you decide the answer for yourself?"
"Well I was just askin'.he doesn't seem like the type to actually do something bad," he wined.
That's because he's cursed, I thought to myself, of course he didn't do anything. "Well thanks for the heads up anyways, Mag," I said gently as I turned away from him. "And Mag, don't say anything that might," I sighed "Scare him."
It took Magnet a moment to figure out what I was saying. Then he grinned and waved a parting at me. I nodded to him and went back to D Tent.
I watched, from a distance, Stanley (note: this Stanley looks like the character in the movie- Shia LaBeouf *wink*). I noticed how much he looked like his dad. My mom used to work with him when they were still in high school, before they both got laid off because of the war, don't know why though.but that's besides the point. His curly hair laid messily on his head. Poor guy prolly didn't have enough money to buy himself a desint hairbrush, like me. I am destitute, as far as you can go with that word, that's what I am. We both had that in common. He started to walk back outside. I thought quickly about what to do. Maybe I should surprise him, let him know who's boss.but not enough to frighten him.no that wouldn't do him any good. Ah, here's a plan.
I propped myself beside a miniature water tower outside the game room. I took the cap from a nearby passing boy, who after seeing me, didn't mind me taking it. I laid it low on my brow a put a pleasant grin on my face. For the finishing touch, I used my low tone of voice to cover up my natural alto one. I love playing this game.
"Who do we have here?" I growled low. "Stanley Yelnats my I presume?"
Stanley spun around, his eyes looking around wildly with fear and then rested on me. "Yeah?" he replied, a little shaky.
"Bit late to be going to the game room. Have you dug your hole today? You sure don't look like it."
"Naw," he said looking hard at me, guessing who I was, "I just got here."
"Do you lie a lot?" I asked out of the blue.
He thought for a second, while opening and closing his mouth like a fish, somewhat hoping that the right answer would pop into his tiny, little brain. "I am sorta honest," he admitted at last.
"I shall take that as the truth. You better not tell stories in this place," I said slowly lifting the cap off my brow, "Harsh punishments you know."
He stood there looking at me. I knew what he was thinking. He's seen me before. He just can't quite remember. "Haven't I seen you?" he asked frowning.
"It doesn't matter to me if you have seen me or not. I know who you are though. Stanley Yelnats IV."
"Falca? Isn't that your name?"
"No."
"Yes it is. My dad used to work with your mom. They were really good friends-," he pulled out a photograph from his back pocket of his cover- all's, "And I have a picture of you."
My eyes widened at the picture. That was one of my school pictures from the seventh grade. I snatched it from him. How did he get that?
I examined it while he continued, "My dad said that you left school because you didn't have enough money to get school supplies and your grades were poor. You sat in front of me in sixth period. We used to talk all the time."
"And one day a boy said that you liked me, I remember you blushing," I blurted still staring at the picture. I heard him let out a long breath.
"Well, if Falca isn't your name, what is it?"
"Dragon."
"Did you change your name? Legally?"
I tore my gaze from the picture and gave him a that-was-a-stupid- question look. He blushed and put his head down embarrassed before looking into my eyes again.
"That's the name they gave me when I came here because I have a really bad temper," I said as I watched Armpit approach Stanley from behind.
"And her attitude problem," Armpit added as he stood in front of me.
"Uh, hi, Theodore," Stanley said quietly.
I clasped my hand over my head. Armpit you idiot. Armpit.
Armpit violently snatched Stanley's head and put it under his arm. "My name is not Theodore," he growled before throwing Stanley to the ground. "It's Armpit."
"Oh, okay, Armpit," Stanley murmured weakly.
Now this is one of the things I can't stand, and I won't stand for it. "Leave him alone Pit," I growled dangerously behind him. "You touch him one more time, I'll kick your ass."
All the people who had gathered to watch Armpit pick on Stanley, ooed. Armpit spun around put on his meanest looking face, but it wasn't like I was going to run away with fright. Nothing scares me.
"Oh my God, I'm so scared," I said unenthusiastically, "I think my grandma just died of fright."
"You couldn't beat me up even if you wanted to," Armpit said stepping closer to me.
"How much you wanna bet?" I challenged.
"Your shovel," he replied.
"Over your head, fair enough," and before he could think about what I was doing, I laid my walking stick across his face with such force, it sent him to the dirt. Nobody spoke when I twirled my stick back to my side and spat on the ground next to him. "Any questions?"
"Is he dead?" one kid asked squatting sown next to him poking him with a undone paper clip.
"Naw, just knocked out," another kid answered.
"Nice job, Dragon," X-ray noted squinting down at his tent mate.
"Thanks," I said grinning at him.
"Thanks," Stanley gulped.
"Anytime," I replied helping him up.
~ Thanks guys for the reviews!! You don't know how much you encourage me to write. So what so you think? Huh? Pretty short, but it's okay. I've got a long ways to go. Got to go feed the horses. REVIEW WHILE I AM GONE! (~