Chapter 27

A Conversation Overheard

It was the morning of October 24th

There was a knock at the door. Anne awoke in what had been a heavy slumber. (It was a wonder she awoke at all…for her snoring was so loud.) She got out of bed and put on her robe, glancing just briefly at the time. It was 7:00. She frowned. Who would be calling at this hour?

By the time she reached the front door, the knocking had become rather desperate.

"I'm coming!" She hollered. She undid the bolts on the door and pulled it open.

Standing on her doorstep, looking slightly unstrung and smiling unnaturally was Mr. King. When he saw it was her his smile widened a bit. It was a little creepy.

"Ms. Garret. I apologize…and I know it's early…but do you think that I could perhaps talk to your son for a moment?" Anne, who was still groggy from being awakened so early in the morning, yawned and then smiled herself…apparently oblivious to the odd way the man was carrying himself.

"Good morning, Mr. King. I'm afraid Gregory's still sleeping…perhaps you can come back later?" Mr. King cleared his throat.

"Well, you see, it's kind of important…I…er…have reason to suspect that your son has taken something from my house." He gave her a falsely apologetic look.

Her smiled froze.

"He's…stolen…?" She looked slightly staggered.

"Oh…well…I'm sure it was just a joke…and he couldn't have possibly known how important it was…but I would like to have it back…so if I could just…"

"Oh…Mr. King…I'm so sorry! Please come in…I'll wake him up this moment!" She stepped out of the doorway, allowing a relieved looking Jeff to enter her home. Once she had taken his coat and had made sure he was comfortable in the living room she turned sharply toward the stairs and headed towards Gregory's bedroom.

"GREGORY!" She hollered. Mr. King flinched a little. "Gregory Garret get down here right now!"

Mr. King watched her head up the stairs before scowling and resting his chin in his hand. He supposed he should just be glad that it was Gregory who had taken the papers from him and not an old resident…otherwise he might be in a lot more trouble then he was now if he got the papers back from Gregory right away.

Anne, who both furious and horribly embarrassed, barged into her nephew's room without any consideration for the boy's nerves.

"Gregory!" She bellowed towards…no one at all. For a moment she looked slightly off kilter. Her rage vanished, turning into confusion.

"Gregory?" She approached his empty bed…as if to make sure her eyes were really seeing an empty bed or not. Then, after a moment of quiet consideration…she turned towards the closet and yanked it open.

"Hiding will only worsen…" Her words cut off. He wasn't in his closet. She frowned and just before leaving Greg's empty room, checked under the bed just to be sure.

Mr. King watched her curiously as she descended the stairs…looking perplexed. When she got to the bottom she crossed to the closet across from the stairway and opened it.

"Ms Garret?" Jeff questioned while standing…worry edging into his voice once more. "Umm…your son?" Anne closed the closet door, frowning.

"His jackets gone…"

"What?" Mr. King asked, horrified.

"He isn't here." Her looked of confusion had turned to that of anger and worry. "I can't imagine what in the world has gotten into that boy!" She turned to Jeff.

"I apologize…he's usually so well behaved."

Mr. King didn't appear to be listening.

"I don't suppose I could look for the files in the boys room?" He said this partially to himself, then, noting the look on the woman's face he backpedaled quickly.

"I'm sorry. The important thing right now is finding your son. We can take my car." He stood and headed for the door. Anne's look turned from that of outrage to that of relief and gratitude.

"Thank you so much Mr. King!" She said as she grabbed her own coat from the closet and followed him out the door towards his car.

XXX

Gregory walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. The sky, a rosy color associated with sunrise stretched out above him. One by one, the lanterns in front of the houses along the road winked out.

Normally he didn't go out for walks…especially at 7:00 in the morning…when it was cold out…but on this morning he had awoken at 6:00 and, feeling restless and frustrated had decided to give the exercise a try. He had been up half of the night with a busy mind…and after finally getting to sleep at 3:00, had had a series of nightmares that he had awakened from, all of them unnaturally clear and unfading.

When he reached The Skellington School he crossed the street and headed down Sovereignty Road.

Formidable St.

…Kicking at stones randomly and thinking to himself. Every once in a while a foreign thought would enter his mind and send him off into another, entirely different train of reflection. The streets were fairly empty. It was, after all, 7:00 on a Saturday morning. No one in his or her right mind was up…and so he assumed, gratefully, that he wouldn't be disturbed. (Except…so close to Halloween…no one in town really was in their right minds.)

It took him a little a while before the thought finally surfaced…but it did eventually come. It was then, when he has the sense enough to wonder where exactly he planned on going.

Gregory stopped, aware that he was about thirty feet from Town Hall. He looked up at the clock, hoping to catch the time. For a moment he started.

12:00

Then, slowly, the remembrance that the clock had stopped (had, in fact, stopped long before him and his aunt even moved into town.) filled his mind. He frowned and shook his head, as if to shake out the cobwebs.

Out of habit…he thought to himself. I looked up at that clock out of habit…but I've never been here before…and as far as I know…I've never lived in a place old enough to have a clock over its school and Town Hall…so how…could that thought have come to me?

He shivered.

Soon, it will play a piece of her song…towards the end now…because it's almost Halloween.

And for a moment, Gregory almost imagined the clock hand was at the fifteen…and he could almost hear the first notes of a lyric. He shook his head and backed away…seeing, of course, that the clock hands had not moved an inch.

"Wow…maybe I'm going nuts."

"Well…talking to yourself is a sure sign of that." Said a loud voice behind him. Gregory jumped and spun around. He was relieved to see it was just Mr. Venison, who's stern brown was furled in an untrusting manner. (But it was okay…because he looked at everyone like this.) He wasn't alone. At his heel was Marion, who looked as though he were trying to shrink into his father to avoid Gregory's gaze.

"You're keeping well, Greg?" Mr. Venison asked. Gregory nodded, rubbing his forehead a little to clear what cobwebs had been there.

"Good." He cast a weary look at his son…who seemed to be finding something VERY interesting with a crumpled leaf at his foot.

"Just out for early shopping. Wife's mother is coming." He gave a look that all men everywhere could relate to when facing a long week with their in-laws. "It's early…but I'm glad I ran into you…seems my son has been less then hospitable lately." He gave his son a sharp look. Marion looked as though he wished a crack would swallow him whole.

Gregory, for a moment, was amused when it occurred to him that Marion no longer seemed to be frightened of the Wayward kids coming to get Marion if he associated with him. He now, in fact, seemed to be wary of Gregory himself. Greg saw a reflection of himself when he first came to town in the boy's behavior. He was glad. He knew he shouldn't have been…but he was tired, confused and frustrated enough so that he didn't much care.

"I understand Marion apologized…but…seeing the way he's been behaving…I don't think he did much of a good job. Now I have some business in the Town Hall…shouldn't take long…but I would not have any problem leaving Marion here so that you boys could work this out." He adjusted an array of things he was holding in his arms. Marion gave him a horrified look.

"But dad!" He quieted when he saw the look his father gave him. "I'll be right back." He said, before leaving his son, thus, taking away what cover he had given him.

Marion gazed at Gregory for a moment, his eyebrows creased in concern. Gregory raised his brow, then turned away from Marion and considered walking further down the street; his contemplation was broken, however, when Marion spoke to him.

"Is it true…that…um…you and Violet are…er…friends?" Gregory turned towards him, faintly surprised. Marion recoiled slightly when he did.

After considering this, Gregory shook his head.

"No…we're not friends…she hates me." He said simply. A look of sudden relief flooded across Marion's face.

"Oh good…I thought…I mean…the way you were acting…I thought you were one of them."

Gregory felt slightly annoyed…he wasn't sure why…still; he suddenly wished Marion's dad would come for him and take him away so he could be alone again.

"Hey listen, I'm sorry about before. I mean…Violet scares the crap out of me…it wasn't like I didn't like you or anything…I just didn't want to get on her bad side…you know the way she is…and her brother is a mental case." Gregory felt something like a hot ball of wax growing in his stomach. He actually sounded cheerful now. Since Gregory had first set foot in that school, Marion had done nothing but avoid him for his own safety…now…he wanted to be friends…just like that.

A wave of vertigo hit him that he associated with a sudden assault of fury…it occurred to him that he may have been spending too much time around Violet in the last few days.

"They do seem to be leaving you alone now though…hehehe…I guess part of that is because of the beating they took the other day. They've left almost everyone alone in fact…except for Justin…a sheriff found him taped to a park bench the other night around 10:00 at night…can you believe that? Still…if it was him who taught those guys a lesson…he must not be near as bad as everyone thinks…" Gregory felt he couldn't listen to Marion talk for much longer. He decided this was a good place to cut in.

"Justin's a weak minded insufferable little brat with a fruity fashion sense and arrogance all the way up to that pasty, sticky hair do. Ten o' clock you said? Haha…we taped him up at around 3:00."

For a moment Marion looked as if he had been slapped.

"You? You did that?"

"Mostly Violet did…but I helped. I'm glad…I hate that kid."

Marion took a few unconscious steps back.

"I thought…I thought you said you weren't friends." He said nervously.

"Oh we're not." Gregory said, while stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I just blackmailed her into helping me with something…I've never even talked with Edward though…course…he doesn't seem to be the sort of person you could really hold a conversation with. Far too stupid, mm?" He laughed bitterly and was almost shocked when he heard himself do it. It had the desired effect, despite its foreignness to his own ears. Marion recoiled visibly, his eyes sliding hopefully towards the door into town hall.

Gregory was grinning at him now, in a grin he really hoped was at least half as maniacal as that of the Waywards'.

"You black mailed Violet!" He looked shocked and horrified. "How?"

"Wasn't too hard. I backed out though…that way she can get into her own trouble…payback you know…I don't like it when people treat me poorly. She's so stupid she actually believed it"

"You set Violet up?" Marion asked in a shaky voice. Gregory just grinned in response.

Of course it wasn't true. Gregory HAD blackmailed Violet, but she had been in such bad shape at the time it didn't make much difference...and the reason he had asked her to help him, rather then anyone else, was because of what Brutus had told him. Whether they were horrible children or not, the Waywards still had a spirit that the rest of the town did not. They chose to show their spirit in cruel and bitter ways, true, but it still didn't change the fact that part of them…perhaps a part they had even forgotten from a long time back, was doing everything because they felt betrayed. They felt the town had betrayed itself and their father. (Well…Violet did anyway…Gregory had a feeling Edward might just be that sort of person who takes pleasure in seeing other people suffer…and didn't have to have any other reason aside from his own entertainment.)

In other words, they were NOT good kids deep down inside…or even decent kids for that matter…but in some horrible, twisted way…they made a lot of sense.

"Yeah…" Gregory lied. "I set her up."

At that moment, to the immense relief (Although, Marion was by far the most pleased of the both of them.) Mr. Venison came out of The Town Hall and motioned for his son to follow him.

"All done…I hope you boys have made up." Marion didn't bother to answer. Rather, he hurried away from Gregory, seeking out his father as though he were some sort of sanctuary.

Gregory nodded to Mr. Venison when he waved farewell and then started to walk back down the street towards Royal Street.

Hallow Lane

For a second he wondered if lying had been such a good idea. After only a moment he shrugged it off. Marion was too much of a coward to speak to anyone about what he had said…and no one else had heard him…and even if he did get in trouble over it…he was far too tired to care at that present time. He was just about to thoroughly shrug it off when he heard a noise behind him.

It's Jeff his mind told him; It's Jeff or Justin or it's one of the Wayward kids and my nightmare is going to start all over again. He turned slowly, his face blank. And was not at all surprised to see he had been right…well…partially right anyways.

At first he was just exhausted enough to try and convince himself it was a hallucination. Violet, standing far enough away from him now so he might have a head start and a prayers of a chance to get away if he started running at that very moment…but close enough to where he had been standing to over hear every…single…word he had said. She looked furious…and…she was holding a bat. The situation…did not look good.

XXX

They had spent a good deal of the evening at Brutus' the day before. For a long time after they left Violet waited for the moment when the eerily calm behavior he had developed in the past hours would fall suddenly. When it did come, he would try to fight with her and she would hit him once in the face and stomach and then would hold him down with his arm twisting behind his back until he called mercy. This was a normal ritual between them whenever either of them grew angry with each other.

When he didn't do this she grew nervous. Early that morning she had told him that she was going out to smash mailboxes and that he could come if he wanted. She had said it in a voice that said, very clearly, to stop moping and acting strange, or she would skip all of the stuff on his side and just go to the part where she kicked his butt.

For a moment, he didn't budge, then, reluctantly he had followed her. He was still moping when they got out to town…but at least he had reverted to somewhat normal behavior.

He had been hassling some small creature when Violet broke away from him, upon seeing the top of Town Hall cresting above the surrounding buildings. She remembered something that Brutus had said the night before about Mr. Kings residential records and had approached the building to see if she couldn't weasel them out of the guy at the desk on that very morning.

This, however had stopped her. She had entered the conversation at the point where Gregory had just finished verbally bashing Justin. (Which she had been perfectly fine with.) From then on, the conversation arose within her a series of emotions which raged across her mind so fast that it was hard to keep track of them all.

She felt momentary surprise and disbelief followed by foolishness, embarrassment and finally anger…which ultimately cancelled everything else out. (There were other things in there as well…but Violet hardly held with feeling anything like hurt or betrayal anymore. In her mind these were weak emotions.)

After it was over when she was watching Gregory walk away she felt even more fury. In that time she had come out of the place where she had been hiding and was standing in plain sight, waiting for him to notice her…waiting for that oh so pleasant and comforting look of surprised terror to cross his face right before she re arranged it. It almost didn't come.

Finally, before realizing what she was doing, she rose the bat that her and Edward had been using on mailboxes and slammed it loudly into the siding of the house she was standing next to. Gregory stopped, turned slowly. When he caught sight of her his eyes widened…but rather then seeing fear she saw guilt and shame in them. She didn't think he knew that was what he was showing…but that's what was there. Suddenly, she hated him. She hated him because she knew that he had tricked her and she knew that at this time, at least, she wasn't going to do a thing about it.

Without a word she threw the bat hard enough to the ground so that it cracked when it hit the pavement. Then, she turned and walked away.

She was upset for many reasons. But the biggest reason was that Gregory had actually done it… he had hurt her. He had used something that tied in with her dad and the town and she had believed him! Now, all hopes of getting rid of that idiot King fell away. Of course he had been leading her on. Jack was dead, King had no dangerous secrets…and everything…everything had been one enormous lie. How could she have been so stupid?

"Oh…but he'll pay." She said venomously.

She didn't notice when Jeff King's car drove by.

Okay…wow…this chapter changed under my fingers. Oh well…I hope it didn't suck…tell me if it did. : )