When Sal woke up, it was raining heavily. The rain poured down mercilessly upon Strong Edge, pounding on the rooftops. The streets were empty, without even an occasional car to drive by to break the silence.
He stretched his naked arm out of the window and the droplets splattered on his fingers. The house was quiet. Sal checked his phone: six am. He was hungry. He couldn’t stop thinking about his meeting with Seth. His story had been crazy…unbelievable.
Sal had done some Internet research on cannibals who had been hung from a tree. He found a newspaper article describing how the police had arrested a couple for child abduction when a Millie Wilkins had disappeared from a playground and was found in the couple's house along with two other children. The article didn’t mention the couple being hung from a tree. Sal didn’t believe Seth would lie to him, even though he hadn't been able to “read” him.
It had been quite strange, like there had been a warm shield around him, unlike the cold, armor-like shield which used to be around Robin.
He received a text message:
Thank you for listening to me, Sal. It meant a lot. I really like you. See you later. Seth.
Sal wanted to text Seth back, but his number had been listed as unknown.
He likes me, Sal thought, lighting up like a Christmas tree.
Seth had wanted to take him to see this Darwin.
Seth could take him anywhere.
Sal got quickly dressed and grabbed his keys to the bus from the table. He was planning to go to The Diner.
He slid silently down the stairs, hoping Angel wasn’t awake, lest she'd bark and wake the household. He looked for her and found her asleep in her dog basket before slipping outside, closing the door behind him, and heading straight for the bus.
Inside the bus, he found a shelter from the rain, and he put his shoes on. As he put the key into the ignition, a figure appeared in front of the bus. Sal couldn’t tell who it was at first because the figure was obscured by the weather. It walked around the bus to the driver’s site. Sal rolled down the window to find intense blue eyes looking back at him.
It was Carl.
“Did you really think you could go to The Diner without me?”
Carl and Sal looked like a couple of drowned rats by the time they'd entered The Diner. There were only a few people present at that hour, eating breakfast.
They sat down in a booth in the far corner. Sal swore it had been the very same booth in which Seth had been sitting in when he'd first seen him.
“So, you finally decided to come down from the treehouse. As you can see, I've already killed all the zombies.”
“Yeah, I was only hiding from the Governor. You know he brutally killed Hershel, right?”
Carl laughed, then he became serious. “You do know that people still like you? No one hates you or thinks ill of you, Sal.”
“Thinks ill of me? When did you start using sentences like that? When did you get so grown up?” Sal studied his brother. He'd matured a lot since graduation. The look in his blue eyes had somehow changed.
“You're my kid brother. I have to look out for you.”
“You always have.”
“Sal, I'm still serious about leaving. I've never been more certain of anything in my life before."
Sal took a bite of his breakfast. The food helped to fill the growing void inside him. Sal swallowed his food, having made a decision. “I hung out with Seth last night," he said, blushing. "He told me a story from his past.”
“What I'm trying to say is that you should believe in yourself. You shouldn’t walk away from your feelings.” Carl sat listening with a foolish grin on his face. “Who would have thought Sal, that great seducer, would finally meet his match?”
“Shut up, will you?” Sal threw a pickle onto Carl’s plate.
Carl's laughter seemed heartfelt.
They ate and carried on small talk for a while before an opportunity arrived in the form of one of the Mackeys. Mrs. Jackson’s colorful clothes seemed to light up the place like a stick of dynamite. It felt out of place to see her there. At school, she always drank green smoothies and low-carb food. She glanced nervously around at the tables while waiting for her take-out.
Once she'd left The Diner, Carl put some money on the table and hurried along after her.
“Yo, Carl…wait.” Sal cursed his long legs as he wrestled himself free of the table and followed Carl out into the rain in search of answers.
They cornered Mrs. Jackson by her car like a couple of hungry sharks cornering a seal. Mrs. Jackson didn’t seem surprised to see them there. “I was beginning to wonder when you were going to show up.” She put her take-out in the back of her car. She never gave the boys the chance to talk because she knew exactly why they were there.
“First of all, let me explain something to you: I did notice Louise. She showed all the signs. Her father didn’t show much interest in her schooling or in anything she did, but she was constantly aware of what she was doing so she wouldn't upset him. It was more like she was afraid of him, really.
"She also seemed to be suffering from low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression, and her grades dropped rapidly over the semester.
"She'd started behaving in a way that wasn’t appropriate, such trying to befriend every boy in school.
"She was frequently absent from school, and when she finally did attend, she was reluctant to leave, like she didn’t want to go home. I think the only reason she didn’t run away or try to commit suicide was because of her younger brother, Larten.
"That being said, keep in mind that older children may not talk about the problem because they fear the offender or want to protect them. They may also feel as if they won't be taken seriously.
"Children who are the victims of child abuse are being let down by the system because professionals often fail to pick up the signs of abuse. Many teachers feel confident they're able to recognize the signs of abuse, but schools do not always fulfill their potential roles in preventing incidents by educating children about seeking help.” Mrs. Jackson looked shameful.
"Research has found that although many children feel unable to disclose they're victims of abuse—sexual or otherwise—professionals often unfairly place the responsibility on them to identify their abuse.
Meanwhile, schools frequently fail to fulfill their role in giving children the ability to recognize abuse and seek help when necessary, making the early identification of victims harder.
"Too much is expected of the victims themselves. Not only do many feel unable to disclose the abuse, but they wait too long to see their abusers charged.
"The bad economy presents newer and bigger challenges. Savings, budget adjustments, and even decreases in this area have a massive human cost, and in the long run, short-term savings are very expensive. With decisions made for financial reasons rather than according to the child's needs, the system winds up failing those in need.
"At Strong Edge High, we're changing the school policy to make sure young people are taught about safe and healthy relationships at school, giving them the life skills they need to help them stay safe and face the challenges of growing up in today's world." She was soaked through her clothes by the time she was done speaking.
“And no, I don’t know where Louise is, and even if I did, I couldn’t tell you. I’m sorry. I’d only wish that I could have done more.” She got into her car and got ready to drive away.
The teacher shouldn’t have disclosed the information the way she did about Louise but that was the impact Sal Williams had on people. You didn’t deny him a goddamn thing.
Bad economy, Sal thought as he got ready to approach Mrs. Jackson's car, but Carl stopped him off. “No, Sal. Let her go. Mrs. Jackson has done all she could. We’ll find another way.” They watched Mrs. Jackson drive off, shocked at what they'd just heard: the government was deliberately letting children down due to money.