“The dump,” Will said to himself. “Shoulda seen that coming.” Will stood at the top of the stairs to the basement. At the bottom of the stairs were two open doors that led to the basement. Trash bags were scattered around the doors. The twins trudged their way through the doors. It smelled rank, not rotting-corpse rank but enough to piss Will off.
Will groaned, took a deep breath, and waded into the trash and debris. He passed through the doors into the basement.
The room was as big as a basketball court. Before the explosion it had been the school’s storage area, but everything worthwhile had been raided. Piles of black plastic trash bags, ruined furniture, and debris filled the room. There were hundreds of piles, some knee-high, some almost to the ceiling. To Will’s surprise, every light in the room except one was still working. Not that it helped anything. The lights cast a bluish tone across the wall-to-wall junk.
There was a small crowd of white-hairs gathered at the wall to Will’s left. They stood around the only other door in the room, which was shut. On it was a sign that read BOILER
ROOM. Will recognized most of the group-they were the ones who pulled David out of the quad. There was Leonard and the runty kid with the funnel, but there was no sign of David or Lucy. Without acknowledging Will again, the twins settled at a small three-legged table, pulled out a dirty pink string, and started playing cat’s cradle with each other.
“Yeah, okay, later… nice hanging with you… and your snotshirt,” he called after them, but they ignored him.
Will walked to the boiler room door. Leonard Jong stood guard. He still couldn’t get over the fact that Leonard was one of the ones who helped get David out of the market. In middle school, Will once saw Leonard scream and run away crying when a squirrel got too close to him.
“Leonard… hey. You remember me, right?” Leonard shrugged. It was sort of a yes, a shy yes.
“I’m looking for David.”
“He’s inside.”
Leonard’s voice was quiet and melodic.
“Thanks,” Will said as he reached for the door handle.
Leonard pushed Will’s hand away.
“Nobody go-” Leonard said, and then Will couldn’t hear the rest.
“What?”
“Nobody goes inside,” he said, this time only slightly louder.
“Yeah, but I’m his brother.”
“I-don’t know that.”
Leonard’s voice dropped an octave midsentence. Will wasn’t buying it.
“I saved him in the market. You were there. Let me in.”
“A lot of people want to see David right now.” Will rolled his eyes and grabbed for the door handle again.
Leonard grasped his wrists. Will shook them loose and balled up his fists, ready to fight. Leonard squeaked.
“Looks like you’re B-list around here, Spaz,” someone said.
Will scoured the huddle of Scraps nearby for the speaker and saw Smudge leaning against the wall, smirking back at him. Will sank. If there was a worse witness to his rejection at the door, he couldn’t think of one.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Will said.
Smudge thumbed the Scraps beside him,“These stalkers came for protection. I came ’cause… well, I just wanted to see what happens next.”
“Protection?”
“Yeah. Your bro’s, like, the next Moses or something.” Will glanced back at Leonard and the four Scraps who came to his aid. They eyed Will suspiciously.
“I think he’s changing clothes in there,” Will said in an attempt to sound off the cuff. “That’s why they won’t let me in.” Smudge’s smile widened.
“Lucy’s in there.”
“Oh. Yeah?” Will said.
“They might be taking clothes off, but I’m not sure they’re putting ’em back on,” Smudge said.
“Shut up.”
“Hey, man, I’m just saying. He saves her life one day, goes toe to toe with the most powerful guy in school the next. I’m not imagining any dry panties in that room.” Will remembered the fantasy painted by the Freak girl he’d overheard in the hall. Just be glad David’s alive, Will thought.
But he could feel jealousy rising up in him.
“I rescued him,” Will said.
“Not the way I heard it.”
Did everyone have their eyes closed when he saved the day? This was unbelievable.
“I don’t believe you,” Will said. “Lucy’s not in there.”
“What’d she think of the necklace?”
Will pressed his hand on his pocket. He could feel the links of the fine chain through the worn denim. He had forgotten all about it with everything that had happened. And suddenly, it seemed much less special.
“I–I haven’t seen her yet,” Will muttered.
The door that Will wasn’t allowed go through opened.
“Well, here’s your chance,” Smudge said.
Belinda emerged from the other room. Everyone went quiet.
Kids gathered around like band groupies. There were ten of them.
“He’s ready to speak,” Belinda said. Her voice warbled with reverence. She stepped aside, and David appeared in the doorway with Lucy next to him. Will tensed up. Lucy had her arm wrapped around his waist, and his arm was around her shoulder. Will needed them to stop touching each other.
Immediately.
Lucy was supporting David, walking him gently as he winced with every step. His neck was purple, and he had a swollen eye. Lucy was so tender with him. Will remembered her sweet touch in his hardest moments of Wild-Trek, her kind words, her total belief in him. And now it was all for David.
This wasn’t the heroic return Will had been hoping for. He turned away and stepped into the shadow of the nearest trash pile. He didn’t want to be seen by them yet. He was sure David
hadn’t noticed him, and Lucy had her eyes on David, but Will knew Smudge was watching him, probably loving it.
David spoke. His voice rasped from the abuse to his throat.
It only made the Scraps listen more intently.
“It’s been a hell of a day.”
Nervous laughter bounced around the clearing.
“A lot of you know about Belinda’s idea of forming a new gang, so Scraps like us could be fed and protected. I know that’s why you’re here right now. I don’t know if I can be what you need, and I’m sure things will get harder before they get any easier, but none of us should have to fight alone. The gang begins now with all of you. I am officially accepting Belinda’s offer to be your leader.”
Everyone burst into cheers. Will didn’t make a noise.
13
Warm copper light splashed against
Lucy’s bed. She watched it sparkle like raindrops on her dress. Lucy smiled. Over to her right, beyond the fort of broken school desks that carved out her sleeping area, Leonard was unfolding an emergency fire blanket. The light from a halogen work light beamed off its crinkled metallic surface.
