The Boy You Knew

II

Matthew drummed his fingers impatiently against the kitchen table as Ellen Hemmings came into the dining room, placing a cup of tea before him. He flashed her worn, aging face a small smile before he quickly faded back into his thoughts. His foster family had done everything to try and make him comfortable; in less than a week, though, he would be walking the streets on his own with no place to go. He had received many offers to have a full-ride education at several colleges interested in the ACT's he had recently taken, but he found himself more eager to find out where he had been. More than anything, he wanted to be in his brother's household, to accommodate himself with the family he had never met. Nieces. A sister-in-law. An entire family had been made that he had never known about until a few months ago.

"Ellen?" he asked, slowly rising from his chair. "In a week, I'm going to be on my own. What am I supposed to do?"

"Matthew, Roger and I have told you. You're free to stay here as long as you need. All's we want to do is he—"

"...You can't help me. It's not your responsibility after the week is gone. My brother should be here for me."

"Honey, he's..."

"He doesn't believe it's me. Did you hear about how he talked to Dr. Morgan? He signed all the papers and he wanted to talk to me. You and Dr. Morgan made plans to ship me off to him, and you didn't even tell me about it!"

"Sweetie, Roger and I just thought it was best, considering..."

"Considering what? That I'm an alien freak? Because for twenty-four years of my life, I have been gone? And all of a sudden I magically return with knowledge and the ability to be a normal person? I'm normal. Normal...

"People are making a big fuss about me being one of the 4400, because I'm one of the only ones to come back normal. Other people have strange abilities. Not me. I'm normal...normal. You know, my parents talked about me a lot, sometimes right in front of me. How were they to know that I would someday be aware of the things that they said? I was a vegetable. I couldn't really move...couldn't think. I could see and hear things, but I didn't know what they meant. I didn't know that my parents were upset during my brother's senior year of high school. They didn't have much money, and they couldn't spend it on his college because they were too busy spending it on me, sending me to the doctor's for evaluations and tests, and paying for medications to keep me docile. I've still got to get enrolled into High School..."

"Well, at least it will be your last year. Aren't you excited about that? Next year, you'll have your full ride to...well, almost any school you want. Besides, few other boys your age have this opportunity."

"Few other boys appear to be seventeen-years-old, but are truly forty-one. Can you explain any of this to me, Ellen? The media is buzzing about all of these...crazy little things. They buzzed about me for a while. And now all of a sudden, our cars are getting egged, this house, we're getting death threats in the mail..."

"Homeland Security is taking care of everything. If there is a legitimate threat regarding our family, then they will let us know...and get all of us to a safe place. Besides, Mr. Baldwin is coming today to talk to you about that."

Matthew folded his arms about his chest and snorted. He knew that Tom Baldwin worked for Homeland Security, and that his son had been left in a vegetative state after a night of drinking out on the beach. While he knew that Mr. Baldwin would try to be sympathetic and calm during any interrogations, he also knew that the man was quick to anger if he didn't hear what he wanted to hear.

"When is he coming?"

"Any minute."

It wasn't more than a few minutes later when Mr. Baldwin, tall and slender, emerged from his sports car and jovially made his way to the front door, ringing the doorbell twice before he gave a soft knock. Ellen hurried and opened the door, ushering him inside to see the sullen boy sitting at the kitchen table, playing with the soup he was supposed to be eating.

"Hey, Matt. How are you doing?"

"Good."

"I came here to do a little check-up on you. Dr. Morgan said that you had a rough visit in her office the other day."

"Yeah. I did."

"We got a hold of your brother, and it seems like he's regained his senses. He's willing to take responsibility for you. He lives here in Seattle, so you won't be very far from Ellen and Roger."

"He wants me to leave now?" Matt stood and shook his head. "He's given up his little 'freak' angle?"

"You're not a freak at all, Matthew. You're just your average, normal, run-of-the-mill kid. And I think that he realizes it. A week from now, he'll be picking you up here...early morning, so have your bags packed. Thanks for letting me home, Mrs. Hemmings."

"You're very welcome. Do you want some tea, or something to eat?"

"No, have to get going, actually. Some other 4400 that I need to deal with."

"Thank-you for coming. Good-bye, Mr. Baldwin."

As soon as the door closed, Matthew lifted his bowl from the table and slammed it to the floor, allowing a blanket of tomato soup to cover the kitchen tiles. He leaned against the counter and wept as Ellen hurried to his side, trying to grasp his shoulder, trying to ask him what was wrong.

But nobody could understand. Nobody could understand what it was like to be one of the 4400, to be one of the elite human beings who was supposed to change the world around, was supposed to be sucking up to the media about his superior skills and advantages over everyone. No, Matthew Sullivan was forced to lead a different walk from ordinary people, was forced to walk a different walk from the other 4400. He was a normal person; a normal person who happened to be a returnee. Other people treated him like he was a 4400; the 4400 treated him like he was just 'another person.' There was no distinction...he was part of two unique groups.

A freak and an ordinary, pathetic human being.