This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
“Hey, can you pass me the salt, Sam?” Dad reached over with a hand, not bothering to look over as he scrolled through his phone. Across from me, my stepmother, Carol, was also glancing over her emails and not at all interested in talking. I sighed, passing my dad the salt. Then I went back to ignoring everyone and eating tonight’s mediocre carry-out dinner.
“Honey, did you see the news? There have been more attacks on the eastern seaboard,” Carol interjected for the first time since arriving at the dinner table. Carol and Dad exchanged a long look, before they both turned to me.
“You mean the attacks at the high schools?” I clarified, remembering the Twitter hashtags. Carol nodded, but Dad stayed motionless.
“There have been reports in Boston,” she told me, stabbing a bunch of green beans with her fork. She paused. “Aren’t you supposed to go to Boston this weekend?”
“Yeah, for history class,” I replied, eyeing Carol and Dad. They couldn’t forbid me from going. We’d talked about it. I’d been extremely good since we moved. No instances with the principal, no issues with other students, and my grades were decent. All Cs. Except for math. That was a D. And the D did not stand for dope, unfortunately.
“Sam, sweetie,” Dad began, making eye contact me. Then he stopped. “Just be careful.”
“Richard!” Carol exclaimed, but Dad waved his hand through the air. The discussion was over. Carol, still fuming, left the table and went into the kitchen. There was a soft bang of the plates in the kitchen sink. It’d be another twelve hours before she got over her little hissy fit.
“Samantha.” Dad caught my attention. I knew to stop eating and pay attention. When he used my full name, it was never good. “Please be careful.”
“It’s not like I ask for it to happen, Dad,” I reminded him, as I did every time. He simply nodded, not uttering another single word. But that was enough for me. At least I could go. And I prayed that this time, for the first time in a long time, nothing weird would happen. If something did, I was done for. Carol was not the kind of person to give someone more than three tries not to mess something good up.
***
The weekend could not have come faster. Everywhere I turned, Carol was waiting with another snide comment or look directed my way. It was like I had the plague. And she didn’t even know the half of it. If she did, I had a feeling it would be a lot like Dad’s third wife: she’d be running for her Prius with suitcase in hand and her eyes wide in terror.
“Are you all set?” Dad asked me, turning to me as he parked in the school parking lot. I nodded, about to unbuckle and hop out, escaping my parents’ watchful eyes, when he grabbed my wrist. “I don’t mean to be so rough on you. I just want you to be safe.”
“I know. I know you do,” I said rather sharply, making Dad wince. He shook his head, giving my hand a squeeze.
“You know Carol means well.”
“Like Michelle meant well? You do recall that once she found out, she locked me in the basement, right?”
“I remember.”
“And threatened to call the cops?”
“Honey, Carol isn’t like that,” Dad told me. But I had a feeling he was trying to convince himself as he told me. I saw that familiar flicker in his eyes. He wasn’t fully convinced either that Carol wasn’t like the others.
“I hope not. Look, Dad, I’m going to be late. I won’t do anything. I’ve been practicing,” I reminded him, thinking of all those times he’d let me go into the forest preserve and train myself. I’d gotten really good. Carol, if she knew, might be less peeved.
“I love you, Sam. Keep me in the loop,” Dad told me.
“Love you too, Dad,” I said as I hopped out of the car, shutting the door behind me. He turned out of the driveway, leaving me with my duffel bag and backpack, staring at the giant yellow buses in front of me. I was rather excited to go to Boston. But I couldn’t help but think of what Carol said.
There was danger. Dad knew it, too. And I only wish I knew then what was about to happen. Maybe I wouldn’t have gotten on that bus after all.
***
“And this, everyone, is Sally the seal. She’s close to two years old and was born here at the aquarium!” Our tour guide, Hank, pointed over to Sally, who jumped out of the water and sent water splattered all over the glass that separated us from her. I smiled to her.
“This is probably the most boring part of the entire trip,” Trinity said behind me, tossing back a lump of blond curls over her shoulder. She groaned and crossed her arms, nudging Rebecca, her tanned friend. “Let’s go check out the gift shop.”
They wandered away, as did the rest of our group. I hung in the back, stepping up to the glass tank. Sally swam up to the glass, nudging her nose against the glass.
Hi, human.
Hey, Sally, I said to the seal in my thoughts, seeing Sally leap for joy when she heard me. Only Dad knew about this. If Carol knew, she’d worry I’d set our fish in the house on her when she insulted me or said something crass.
Can you free me? Sally waited, hovering just above the surface. A couple elementary school aged kids came up, awing Sally and her admiration for me. If only they knew we were actually talking.
I can’t now. I wish I could, I said, pressing my hand up to the glass. Sally nudged the glass once more with her nose before turning away and ignoring me. I wanted to free that seal. But I promised Dad: no funny business. No trouble. We’d moved far too many times because of it.
As soon as I got to the gift shop, I realized I hadn’t missed much. Trinity and Rebecca were arguing over which plush dolphin toy to buy. A couple of the boys in my class were laughing were Hank the tour guide, who didn’t pick up on whatever crass joke the boys had made. Then my teacher, Mr. Lyle, was purchasing some souvenirs for his children back home in Rhode Island.
“Hey,” a voice behind me startled me. I jumped, turning around. It was only Violet, my sole friend since moving to Providence. “Did you get anything?”
“Nah, it’s too expensive. Did you?” Violet held up a key chain with the map of the Boston Aquarium on it, grinning.
“It’s for my boyfriend in California. And a postcard, of course, but that’s at home. What do you think we’ll do later tonight?” I shrugged, thinking that all I wanted to do was go lay down at the hotel, or draw in my journal. Anything but be out in public. Dad’s words rang in my head: be careful. It’s like he knew that I was going to do something bad.
“I hope we’ll just chill,” I told her. “All I want to do is eat ice cream and rest.”
“You and me both,” Violet agreed. We stopped on the outside of our group. Mr. Lyle gathered us all, pushing up his tortoise shell frames further up his nose. He held up his hands: his signal for us to shut up.
“We’re heading to the Freedom Trail. Does everyone have everything? Is anyone missing?” Dead silence came from our group. Mr. Lyle grinned, ushering us along. Violet and I both eyed each other, thinking probably the same thing: great, more walking. Not that I didn’t appreciate history. I just also appreciated not sprouting calluses and blisters from every inch of my feet.
Sam, help! Help! I turned as we passed the seal tank. Sally was being prodded by one of the staff members, albeit for shots or something, but Sally was screaming at the top of her lungs. In my head she was. Everyone else continued on as they pleased. I winced as I watched Sally, fighting against it.
“Come on, Andy! We have a time schedule to keep up with! Get her out here so we can ship her to San Diego,” one of the staff members warned, making the girl prodding Sally a little more anxious. The prodding got more intense.
Sam! Sam! Please help me! I covered my ears. Violet had stopped when she noticed me not walking alongside her. She poked me, pointing up to the bus.
“Sam, everyone is leaving. Come on,” she begged, tugging at my arm. I shut my eyes as I left. But Sally wouldn’t stop.
Help! Please, free me! I know you can!
As I walked away, I forgot about what Carol said and about what Dad had told me. Sally’s screams became too unbearable. There was a twisting feeling in my stomach and I turned, stopping at once and glaring at the tank. Then I did the one thing I swore not to.
Suddenly, the glass tank burst and shards of glass fell to the floor in clumps. Water rushed out, pulling not only Sally and all her friends, but the staff members. The saltwater seeped through the floorboards and Sally and her friends cheered, thanking me in a chorus of voices in my thoughts.
Thank you, miss!
We owe you!
We will do anything you want!
Sam, you are the best!
“Holy crap,” Violet spat out. I forgot she was next to me for a brief moment and my eyes went wide. Part of me hoped she’d never put two and two together. She’d never suspect I had any part of this. “They really need to fix the tank.” Good, she didn’t think a thing of it.
“Move out of the way! Move away! The seals are dangerous!” One of the managers at the aquarium shouted at us, pushing us away with his hands. I joined our group, who now all had cell phones pointed directly at the seals who were cheering and jumping around, all heading down the pier heading for the wharf. They were going home, to the sea where they belonged.
Sam, we will meet again! We will not forget your generosity!
With that, Sally and her friends disappeared down the wharf. I could hear the distant police sirens in the background. I smiled to myself. At least Sally was happy and away from the creep that was hurting her.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and my smile faded. I was dead meat.
“Hey, Dad,” I said slowly, but his yelling ensued much quicker than the last couple of times.
“What did we agree upon? Did you not want to listen to me this time?”
“Sally was really in trouble and she needed help. They were hurting her!” I whispered into the phone, worried that of all things, someone might hear me and think I was crazy. Or they’d know I was telling the truth and that would be even worse.
“When you get home, you’re in deep trouble,” Dad said. Click.
I sighed, hearing Violet rush up to me. She pointed back to the group, still having trouble not eyeing the mess in behind us, the one that I had created.
“Everyone’s leaving. We should get going. We don’t need to be here,” Violet told me, taking me by the wrist and guiding me back to the bus. I turned around once more, seeing someone staring at me.
She was tall and thin, much like a model. She wore ratty old clothes and her hair seemed bigger than her whole head from where I was. I didn’t know her, but judging by the way she gazed at me, she knew who I was. And that, unfortunately, was not a good thing. Not good at all.
