The Tension Builds before the Showdown (9)

The other boys from the orphanage, with Simon Dewwart as their leader, crawled slowly up the same hill that they used to run back to the orphanage the day before. They wanted to try and stay out of sight from Fenix and Jewellyn. The intent was to surprise them and then give them the business. They paused, giggled, and whispered about how they were going to razz and torment those two. They knew Fenix was an easy target, and they also figured that again, he would 'chicken out'.

Simon got up on his knees. "We'll fan out here behind the hill and then jump out and surprise them. Next, encircle them. I don't think that panzy Fenix is ever going to climb that tree." He spat on the ground, wiped his face off with the sleeve of his shirt which was already encrusted with snot. "He makes me sick with his mushy poetry and the way he talks." Here he prepared to mock Fenix. He put his hand on his heart, made an absurd 'pompous' face and then said, "I shall not climb yonder tree until I have assuaged my hunger." He turned back to the boys who were laughing almost to the point of crying. "Now what do you suppose assuaged means?" he asked them with a sneer.

"I'll bet it's a word he just made up, something to make him sound smart." said one of the boys self assuredly. "Yeah," someone else in the crowd confirmed. The other boys turned and nodded to each other, with the general consensus being that such an odd word could not possibly exist.

"Well, I'll tell you boys, there is such a word. It means 'to relieve of.'" Simon scanned the crowd looking for anyone who would doubt him. No one did. "So what we are going to do, is go on a mission of mercy here. We, my friends, are going to assuage him of his fears, his fears to climb the tree; his fears for us."

"Uh, how are we going to do that?" asked the same boy who declared assuaged was a made up word. Some of the other boys scratched their heads, perhaps wondering why indeed they would want to do that.

"We'll knock him about so hard he'll become unconscious. Then he wouldn't be afraid of us now, would he?" And he woudn't have to worry about climbing that stupid tree either." Simon smiled broadly with his arms folded across his chest as if to say, 'Marvel at my brilliance everyone.' This started a murmur amongst the boys, nodding their heads again. They looked at Simon as if he were some kind of god who always had the answers, and who can always see the irony in things.

"So for now boys lets just lay low here behind the hill...they'll come soon enough." Simon looked up at the sky and smiled. It was a little past the mid-day sun.

Jewellyn could feel the negativity coming off of Fenix in waves, though his outward appearance betrayed little emotion. Sometimes when Jewellyn felt these feelings, it was hard to identify the source or even what the feelings were about; though usually she could tell whether they were good or bad. Gradually though, she was learning how to filter these feelings and to even tune some of them in or tune some of them out. She was still a novice at this but she knew more and more that she had a special power.

"I still don't see the other boys down there." Fenix felt a little unsure of exactly what was going on, or whether he should even go through with this. "Perhaps they will not show up and I won't have to do this."

Jewellyn knew the fear and the dilemma he was going through. Though much to her surprise, she found herself saying, "But if we don't meet the challenge now, they will never leave us alone. Even if you fail and make a bad showing, at least you tried. You didn't chicken out. That alone sometimes makes a difference."

Fenix turned to look at her and raised his eyebrows. He thought a few moments and then said, "I fear that you are correct, Jewellyn. I can't always run away from my problems." Realizing that didn't make him feel much better though. They both exchanged glances, nodded, and began to walk down towards the showdown with the tree.

Back at the orphanage Aunt Tildy was looking out through the window, reflecting on things. She was also worried a bit about the showdown at the grove where that tall tree was. As much as she wanted to summon help for Fenix and Jewellyn, she would not. She knew that if she did send someone there to help, or to get them back, that they would only suffer more teasing and taunting in the long run. She also knew their self assuredness and confidence, as little developed as it was now, would never grow if she or some of the other adults were intervening all the time. Aunt Tildy sighed. She though of how 'yes, you have to guide children, and teach them as best as you can about right from wrong.' All the teaching in the world however, couldn't take the place of actual experience. You had to experience the joys and the hard knocks in life to really mature. Sheltering them would only make them invalids and would be the same as not having respect for them; not allowing them to learn and grow.

She shifted her weight and looked down at the counter and thought some more. The urge is so strong to try and protect them because you know that the world is often cruel and harsh, and sometimes even indifferent to a person's attempts to make something happen in their lives and then it doesn't come through for various reasons. At some point though, you have to let go, as heartbreaking as it can be. You have to cut the umbilical cord and set them free. You can only pray that they will be somewhat happy; that they will manage to avoid some of the worse horrors life could throw at them...Aunt Tidy felt a surge of emotion as she thought, and one lone tear rolled down her eye. She watched out the window at some butterflies, flitting randomly about. They are so carefree, she mused.

She thought of how school would resume again tomorrow and this made her think of how some of the students were close to being done with school, like Fenix and Jewellyn; she hoped that somehow, maybe that they could end up at the Collegium in Haven. They both had exceptional talents and were good learners. She knew of some of their special skills; Jewellyn seemed to know who was feeling what; and there were times when Aunt Tildy swore she seemed to hear Fenix in her head somehow. She wasn't totally sure about that but it seemed very strange...