It was Saturday morning; the aggressive noise of the morning chaos gently roused Michael from his sleep. A firetruck blared its siren as it zoomed by his window, followed by two police cars and a strew of angry drivers. It’s only 7 AM and someone’s already set something on fire? He thought about dosing back off to sleep, but his phone soon vibrated, alerting him to a text in the SmartChat app.
A: Don’t forget. Meet up at 8 AM. Don’t be late.
Z: I’m just about to head out. It’s a bit of a drive for me.
D: It’s right next to the shop, so no worries. Eating breakfast.
L: Might be a few minutes late.
A: Alright then. What about you, Michael?
A: Michael? Are you still asleep?
…
M: No. I just woke up.
A: Just now?
D: When did you even get to sleep?
M: Our teacher’s gone, henchmen are after us, and I’m more familiar with the basement ventilation than the fifth grade hallway. Forgive me if I need to catch up on some sleep.
L: Fair point.
A: Just try not to be too late. You too, LaNiya.
L: See you there.
M: Got it.
He put his phone back down, then swung his legs off the side of the bed. At least he was the first one awake. He was going to have to force himself to get up. Using what little morning strength he had, he managed to prop himself up on his elbows. He glanced around his bedroom, filled with mismatched furniture and a distinct lack of any personal decorations. A quickly assembled childroom,; mostly likely Jasmine’s doing. As if Luke was capable of doing anything comforting or welcoming.
A loud bang echoed from beneath the floor, like crashing pots and pans. The noise was followed by muffled voices. Looks like he wasn’t the first one up. He could barely make out what they were saying. But considering how loud they were, it could only be about one thing.
“You were his age once.”
“I’m doing the best I can, but it’s a daily struggle with him. It’s stressing me out!”
“You’re not even trying! He’s been through so much already, and all you can do is yell and criticize!”
“Oh, so you’re saying that it’s MY fault he’s a troublemaker? I didn’t tell him to start getting into fights at school, Jaz! That’s on him!”
Great. More yelling. Hopefully, the neighbors interrupt them before I get downstairs. Michaeeal pushed himself off the bed, having found his motivation for the day: leave the house as soon as possible. But whether it was out of frustration or curiosity, he approached his bedroom door, cracked it open, and slipped outside near the banister to hear their conversation.
“All you do is lecture him! It’s no wonder why he never talks to us about anything!”
“Because he doesn’t even listen! Why bother? He’s not even our kid–”
“Shut up! Do you even hear yourself? That poor baby. It’s no wonder he doesn’t trust anyone.”
Michael’s jaw tightened. They don’t get it. None of them do. Adults act like they know everything, but they’re just as guilty of screwing up. They thought they knew how to easily differentiate between good and bad people. But Luke had a special gift for sensing when it was time to give up on someone.
“Like it or not, Jaz, he’s a responsibility. Not a family member. One of these days, he’s going to get himself into more trouble, and they’ll be back to drag him off to another family in another school district.”
“I can’t believe you!”
He could hear Jasmine slam something down; it sounded like glass. He hoped she hadn’t hurt herself. He knew that, out of the two of them, she made more of an effort to talk to him. But as much as he hated siding with Luke, he was right about one thing. This place would never be home. While he appreciated her efforts, he knew that he wasn’t really wanted here. He’d never really belong.
“Well, whether you like it or not, he’s staying with us. We’re responsible for him. And I’m going to make sure he knows that at least ONE of us cares!”
He felt his lips curve into a smirk, after hearing her walk away, and Luke slamsslam something down in frustration. But once he saw her dark brown hair headed towards the stairs, he dashed back into bed. Soon, he could hear her soft knocking on the door.
“Michael? Are you awake yet?” she whispered, peeking inside.
Stretching his arms and yawning, he made a show of having just woken up. Jasmine smiled as she entered the room. She was carrying a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast; in her other hand, she gripped two bottles of Breakfast Essential Fruit & Protein Smoothies.
“I brought you some breakfast,” she sang, her tone much softer than earlier.
“Thanks.”
“I wasn’t sure about which flavor you’d like, so I brought them both. Do you like either of these?”
“Either is fine.”
Her cheerful demeanor faltered a bit. After setting the plate down, she remained standing as if she werewas trying to ask something. He had a feeling he knew what its was, and he didn’t want to participate.
“It’s Saturday. If you don’t have anything planned for today, then–”
“Actually, I do. Have plans today,” Michela interrupted.
He quickly dashed to the bathroom, brushing and started brushing his teeth and washing his face. Thank goodness the closet is in here, too. He could just finish getting ready.
“O-Oh, really?” she said.
He heard her voice fall and knew she was disappointed. Every week, since he’d arrived, she’d been asking him to spend some family time with her and Luke,; and every week, he would refuse. No matter how hard she tried, they’d never be a real family. Being together wouldn’t mean anything if it wasn’t real.
“Yeah, I’m meeting up with my STEM Club group. We’re going to be working on…a robotics project. I’m actually kinda late already.”
He already knew her reaction. ShHe’d choke out ana “Oh, that’s alright. We’ll try again next week.” Then, the sniffles would come. But what he hadn’t expected was the excitement from her voice. He had to recount what he had said to make sure he hadn’t misspoke by accident.
“You’re hanging out? With friends?” she asked.
“Yeah, we’re–”
“That’s wonderful! Who are they? Are they coming here?”
“No, no, no. We’re meeting up outside, near the park.”
“Well, be sure to bring them around some timesometime, okay?”
“Sure.”
He’d finished getting dressed in record time. He dashed out of the bathroom and was about to head out of the bedroom, when he she stoppedheard her stopping him.
“Michael!”
“What?” he asked.
She dangled his phone, smiling at his eagerness to leave.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Have fun, okay?”
After grabbing the phone, Michael looked back to the breakfast plate she’d brought in. He picked up the two breakfast smoothies, making a show of trying to decide between the two. Eventually, he settled on the tropical flavor, stuffing it into his jacket pocket and setting the strawberry bananastrawberry-banana on the nightstand. Next, he quickly grabbed some bacon and stuffed it in his mouth, earning another smile from Jasmine. He also grabbed the two toast and dashed out the door.
“Bacon tastes great! Thanks!” he yelled as he left.
He couldn’t see her reaction, but he hoped he did enough.
When he finally reachedgot to the park, Michael saw Zuriya sitting on a bench. She was muttering something under her breath when he approached her; she didn’t even register when he stood next to her. Her eyes looked slightly red. She, she was slouched over, and she looked paler than usual. He knew she had been the first to arrive, but he wondered if she really got enough sleep.
“Hey, you alright?” he asked, poking her in the shoulder.
“Argh! What do you want?” she screamed.
He quickly scanned around them, making sure no one was looking at them weirdly. He didn’t want to draw attention; two officers were alreadythere were already two officers nearby. They were giving someone a ticket, but they could easily switch their attention if a girl was screaming at someone.
“Hey, relax. It’s me,” Michaeeal hissed.
“Huh? Oh, sorry…I’m just exhausted.”
“Didn’t sleep?”
“Not great.”
On the surface, she looked calm, but Michaeeal could tell Zuriya was still nervous. Her fingers kept drumming on her lap, and her eyes darted around whenever someone walked by. Her stomach growled, startling them both.
“Didn’t eat?”
“Nope. I was trying to leave as quickly as possible. My parents were asking too many questions about why we were meeting up…and I didn’t really know how to answer them.”
“Why didn’t you just lie?”
Zuriya just looked over atas Michaeeal with an annoyed glare. He admitted that even he knew that wasn’t the easiest thing for her. He reached into his pocket and offered her the breakfast smoothie. She looked shocked at his gesture.
“You’re being nice to me?”
“Just take it already.”
By the time she’d finished gulping it down, LaNiya and David were walking over. Asante was trailing behind them, eyes glued to his tablet. He wondered how he managed to get around so easily without looking up at where he washe’s going. Everyone was together, meaning they could get started.
“So what’s the plan?” Michael asked.
“We’re splitting up,” David answered., “Asante and I are going to try to convince my uncle to let us borrow the micro-welder. And you three are going to see about how we can get access to the laser cutter. LaNiya will show you where the store is.”
“It’s basically around the corner,” LaNiya said.
“When you’re done, you’ll meet us back here. Okay?” David asked.
“Actually, why don’t we just meet you back at the shop?” Zuriya mumbled.
“Why?” LaNiya asked.
Zuriya pointed off, and everyone followed her gaze. A black car was parked behind the two officers.
“Ah, I think you’re being paranoid,” LaNiya said, “Come on, let’s go.”
She began leading Zuriya away from the park; Michaeeal followed behind them. David and Asante waved to them as they left. The plan sounded simple. He didn’t think the guys would have much trouble getting the welder. But what was their group going to do? They couldn’t just ask to borrow such an expensive machine.
When they finally arrived at the tech store, the three of them stepped through the glass doors and took in its massive sizethe massive size of the store. The smell of metals and plastic filled their noses. RowsThere were rows upon rows of shelves were, all stacked high with tools, parts, gadgets, and machines. There weren’t many people inside; it was early morning on a Saturday. Zuriya pulled her jacket tighter around herself; her eyes darted all around them at the adults browsing the store.
“Where to now?” Michaeeal asked.
“Let’s try that way,” LaNiya answered.
She led the group down a few aisles as they searched for the section they were looking for. Along the way, the other customers stared at them as they walked around. Michaeeal browsed through the shelves, occasionally picking something up to read it before putting it back. He hoped it helped them look like serious customers instead of suspicious kids.
“Found it,” Zuriya shouted.
He followed her voice to the Industrial Supplies section. He wasn’t expecting the laser cutter to be so huge. The picture online looked about the size of his school desk, but this machine was nearly as tall as he was.
“I knew it was big, but not this big,” he gasped, “Is the price still…?”
“Yep,” LaNiya said, “out of our budget.”
“What now?” Zuriya whispered.
“Maybe they also sell second-hand models. Or damaged ones in the back.”
“Or we could “borrow it” for a day,” Michaeeal joked.
“You mean steal it? They’ll call the cops?” Zuriya shrieked.
“No one steals anything. We already look suspicious, let’s not draw any more attention, please.” LaNiya said.
Zuriya quickly pulled her hood over her head. This time, LaNiya was annoyed.
“Zuriya, relax. It’s a tech store. No one here cares about us.”
“Except that guy,” Michaeeal said, pointing to a store employee walking their way. He was a middle-aged man.
“Good morning, children. Can I help you find your parents? You shouldn’t be wandering around by yourselves.”
“We are by ourselves,” Michaeeal asserted, earning an annoyed look from the employee.
“Well then, is there something I can help you with?”
“Yes. Do you maybe sell any refurbished models of this laser cutter? Or even damaged ones?” LaNiya asked.
“Why do you need one?” he asked, brows raised.
“Uh…it’s for…a school project,” she stammered, “It’s for the STEM Club.”
“STEM Club, huh? Look, kids, this machine isn’t exactly child-friendly. And even the used ones don’t come cheap. Maybe you should come back with a parent.”
The employee crossed his arms, obviously suspicious of them. LaNiya seemed to be cowering and looked flustered. Did she really think that they could just walk inside without any trouble at all?.
“Look, man, we’re just trying to be resourceful. Our teacher said we’d get extra credit if we could pull this project off. How about just helping some kids out?”
The man snorted, but seemed slightly calmed.
“Fine. Let me see what we have in the back. But don’t move from this spot. And don’t touch anything.”
The employee walked away and through some doors. I guessGuess that was where the storage room was. Michael thought about taking a peek himself, but Zuriya grabbed his jacket. He turned to find her visibly shaking. Even LaNiya noticed.
“What now?” he asked.
“That guy over there,” she said, pointing to a man in a black coat near the shop entranceentrance of the shop.
“He’s shopping, Zuriya. Chill.”
“And he’s not the only one looking at us. We’re three ten-year-oldsten year olds. We kinda just stand out,” LaNiya added.
The employee returned. He was pushing a rickety pushcart, carrying an old box, layered in dust.
“This is the only refurbished model we’ve got in stock. It’s definitely an older model, but it should work just fine. Still going to cost you $500, though.”
“That’s still out of our price range,” LaNiya groaned, “Can we just rent it from you? Or at least hold on to it until we come back?”
“Sorry, kid. It’s first-come, first-serve.”
“Alright. Thanks anyway.”
“Can you just leave it here, while we think about it?” Michael asked.
The employee narrowed his eyes.
“If you change your mind, I’ll go back to get it for you,” he said.
And with that, he disappeared behind the doors again. The group stood there, pondering what to do.
“Now what?” Michael asked.
“We could ask Principal Mays to fund the laser cutter,” LaNiya offered.
“She’ll ask about the project we’re using it for. Worse, she’ll likely come down more often to check up on us.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Zuriya squeaked and jumped behind LaNiya.
“Zuriya? What is it–”
But Zuriya just pointed back at the man in the black coat. He was approaching them.
“Good morning, children. I couldn’t help but overhear that you’re working on a school project.”
Michaeeal and LaNiya shared a look. He didn’t think they were being that loud. And they hadn’t noticed the guy when they were talking about the project. Had he been closer than they thought? Zuriya still ducked behind LaNiya.
“Y-yes,” LaNiya answered.
The man smiled. It was a friendly smile, but Michaeeal still felt put off.
“I used to be pretty ambitious in my school projects, too. May I ask what you’re building?”
“Why do you care?” Michaeeal demanded.
“Just curiosity. It’s not every dayeveryday you see youngsters like yourself looking for industrial tools.”
Michaeeal felt his heart quicken, his breathing slowslowed, and his fight-or-flightfight or flight instinct heightened. Something was very off about this situation. They needed to leave.
“Well, there’s nothing we could do about it,” he said, “Let’s go, you two.”
He waited for LaNiya to pull Zuriya away with him. They sped-walked to the entrance without looking back. He pulled them down multiple aisles, hopingdifferent aisles, hoping that they could confuse their location if the man followed them. When the coast was clear, they left the store.
“That was weird,” LaNiya said.
“Yeah. But at least–”
Michaeeal stopped as soon as he saw Zuriya freeze up. His stomach sank, knowing she was on edge. But there was no way that guy had followed their ridiculous path through the store. But Zuriya slowly glanced over her shoulder. Michael and LaNIya froze in place. Beside the store, standing next to a black car, was the man in the black coat. He was staring at them.
“Don’t look at him. Come on,” Michaeeal said, leading the group back towards the park.
But they quickly heard the sound of the car door closing, and its engine starting up. The group picked up the pace, turning the corner. They could see the park down the road.
“They’re following us,” Zuriya whispered.
“Then we’ll have to run,” Michael said.