Breakfast and Lunch

The Second Chapter

I couldn't sleep the night I killed the rabbit. I was too excited to see Victoria's reaction to her injustice being punished, I was as breakfast early, the rabbit still hung from the rafters and I was worried no one would notice it, but I waited for the hall to fill. Billy came in, smiling, as though he was having a good day and I was pleased his day would be ruined. Victoria was helped down the stairs by Miss Murdock and then I saw fit to draw attention to the rabbit. It was easy, really, to make the dead body squeal and twitch, as though it had been hanging while it was alive. The children and staff all looked up at the spectical and they all were horrified.

Victoria was looking between Billy and I, I winked at her, a smile on my face, she paled, her hands covered her mouth, she was scared of me. The rabbit fell limp.

We were told to take our breakfast in our rooms and I waited until Miss Murdock made a move to help Victoria.

"I can help her miss." I said, the woman looked shocked but nodded. "You need to help the poor rabbit."

Miss Murdock offered me a strained smile and I picked up my breakfast and went to Victoria.

"What did you do Tom?" Victoria whispered. I picked up her breakfast as well and offered her my arm, she leaned on me heavily, she walked weirdly, bent over, like her legs weren't strong enough to hold her up.

"Its Billy's rabbit." I explained.

"The rabbit didn't push me." She argued, "And now Billy will hurt me more - he'll want revenge." The halls were empty now, my companion and I had reached the thin rickety stairs.

"I'll protect you." I told her. Vowed even, I knew I was capable of it. I wanted to reassure her. I let go of our breakfast plates and they floated in the air, Victoria's eyes went wide in shock and I held both her arms.

"Tom." She whispered. I helped her up the stairs without saying a single word. At the top of the stairs she plucked her plate from midair and turned to face me. "Thank you." She mumbled then went into her room. I made my way back to room 27 with my breakfast plate, now held fast between my hands. I wondered what she was thanking me for, exactly, for punishing Billy, I'd assume.

The day went by weirdly, the rabbit in the rafters had set the children on edge. Our first event, or class would be mathematics with Mr. Lancar. And all 42 children were put in the same class, we were taught only the basics, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, fractions and decimals, weights, times, tempertures, quantities and how to count money. He set different work for the older children and simler work for the younger. Victoria sat by me but didn't speak to me. Billy was looking at me angrily. I smiled at him, no a plesant smile.

I wanted him to know I killed the rabbit and I wanted him to know I'd do the same to him if he crossed me again. They whispered, Billy and his friends, looking over their shoulders and Victoria and I. The attention was making Victoria uneasy and she showed her discomfort.

"Don't let them know they bother you." I whisper to her, she looked surprised that I'd spoken to her but didn't say anyhting back, and while she tried to hide her discomfort she did a poor job of it.

It was at mealtime I was pulled away from the others, Mrs Cole had a hand over her eyes and was apparently content to ignore me sitting in front of her desk.

I was missing my lunch for this.

"Tom," She finally spoke, "Do you know anything about the rabbit? What happened to the rabbit?"

"No ma'am." I replied easily.

"You got into a fight with Billy yesterday, didn't you?" She asked and I nodded.

"He thought I pushed him, but I didn't. He fell on me. What does that have to do with the rabbit? Do you think Billy killed it?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Billy didn't kill it. It was Billy's rabbit." She told me. I didn't smile, even though the woman was playing into my trap.

"I thought the pets were for everyone." I told her and she looked caught, she nodded.

"Yes they are." Mrs Cole put her hand to her eyes again. "You can go Tom," she muttered and I stood and left the room. In the lunch hall Mrs Murdock was on the ground next to Victoria cleaning up the spilled content of her lunch tray. I stood over them.

"What happened?" I asked her. She shook her head. Miss Murdock stood with the tray in hand.

"Nothing to worry about Tom, Vicky just fell." She said. Victoria cringed at the nickname, I new she didn't like it. Mrs Murdock was lying, I knew she was. It wasn't just a fall.

"Don't lie." I told her, she looked shocked but I offered my had to Victoria. "What happened?"

Victoria pursed her lips and shook her head, but I saw Billy and his friends watching me apprehansively. It was them, whatever they did. I grabbed my own lunch tray and an extra fork.

"Share mine." I ordered. Victoria looked as though she was about to protest but her stomach rumbled and she blushed.

"Thank you Tom." She mumbled quietly.

"Don't be frightened of them." I insisted, "They're nothing."

She looked ar her hands in her lap as she answered me.

"Maybe to you." She said quietly. "They'll hurt me."

I didn't know what to say to that. I should tell her to defend herself - hurt them ack but she was so little and weak, and kind. There was a kindness about her that bordered on stupididty, she wouldn't hurt those kids no matter how much they hurt her becasue she didn't like to hurt things. Only I already knew I couldn't be around her always - especially when she was confined to her dorms, I was a boy, I was not allowed into the girls dorms.

The rest of that day was quiet, for the most part. The staff were all quiet and a good deal of the students - Victoria and I included - but everyone else were whispering. The dead Rabbit still hung on everyones thoughts. Who killed it and why had they strung it up in the rafters of the breakfast hall. I was delighted to hear the other children speculate that it was a warning to Billy - and even more delighted when people drew the conclusions he was being punished for how he treated everyone else.