Eli Fletcher: Mark of the King: Book 1

hapter Two

“Marco, why don’t you and Allaryce go with him?” she says and then waits for them to leave. “I’d still like to know what happened,” she tells us after Marco and Allaryce are out of earshot.

“Billy told Marco to hit Jefferey,” Fiona blurts out. “After he did, Jefferey fell to the floor and Billy told him that he runs this place. Allaryce tried to kick him, but he grabbed her foot and she jumped away, that’s when Billy kicked him in the stomach. But Jefferey wrapped himself around Billy’s foot and knocked him to the floor; then he got up and grabbed his bag and went to the bunk room.”

“Did Jefferey do anything to Billy?” Miss O asks.

Fiona shakes her head quickly. “No, he looked mad but didn’t do anything, but Billy looked scared,” she says, finishing with a giggle.

“Thank you, Fiona. I think it may be a good idea if you don’t hang out with Billy so much anymore. I know there aren’t many kids your age-”

“They’re the only ones my age,” she interrupts.

Miss O smiles. “Not anymore.”

Fiona hides a smile as she looks at me shyly out of the corner of her eye. My face burns for a moment so I look away from her.

“I didn’t want to hurt him; I didn’t think that would be a good first impression,” I tell her.

“Well, that was a very mature decision, Jefferey,” she says. “Fiona, why don’t you take him to the cafeteria; it’s almost your lunchtime.”

“Okay, Miss O,” she says and then stands up.

“I’ll talk to Mrs. Katz about Billy and his friends,” she tells me but I shake my head at her.

“Please, just let it go; I can handle Billy; they didn’t hurt me. Besides, I’ve been dealing with people like him at each group home I’ve lived in,” I tell her.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Miss O smiles and then nods at the door. “Go on and head to lunch; Fiona’s a nice girl. She’s a little quiet, but kind to everyone.”

I look over my shoulder to see Fiona outside the door, apparently not listening to our conversation.

“Thanks, Miss O.”

She looks at me curiously, her head cocked to the side. “For what, Jefferey?”

“For helping me with friends…or trying to anyway. You’re the first of any of my teachers to really do that.”

Her smile spreads immensely. “You’re welcome, E…Jefferey.”

I join Fiona in the hallway where she’s leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window next to the door, bouncing off of the metal framing as she hums to a tune in her head.

“So, which way to food? I’m starving,” I ask her.

Fiona bounces off of the frame again and then skips a couple times down the hall still humming her random tune. I follow her to the set of double-doors I remember being to the cafeteria. A single-file line of children is already spilling out of it. We join the line behind some kids who look to be about eight or nine years old.

“So, how long have you lived here?” I ask Fiona while we wait.

She shrugs. “Most my life, I guess; I really don’t know any other place.”

“You’re lucky; the longest I spent at one place was my first foster parent. I was brought there when I was a baby and then had to move when I was about six.”

“Why’d you have to move?” she asks, following the line as it moves forward; the sound inside grows louder with each step we take closer.

“Something happened that got my foster dad killed-”

“Oh my gosh!”

“-and the house was destroyed.”

“That’s terrible,” she says sadly.

I shrug. “It’s something that seems to follow me to each group home or foster home.”

“That’s so sad,” Fiona says, stepping into the room where it’s roaring with dozens of voices.

I nod to agree with her. “Yeah, the last one was the hardest. Mr. Finch was a great teacher and, like the others, died protecting me.”

“Protecting you from what?”

I shrug. “I have no idea. Yesterday, this guy just appeared out of nowhere, blocked the hallway so I couldn’t get to the playground and then Mr. Finch just shows up with a sword and tries to fight the guy. He told me to run and the next thing I know, I’m outside and the building collapses on top of them both.”

“Wow,” Fiona whispers wide-eyed.

“Yeah,” I agree, my throat painful with emotion.

Fiona wraps her fingers around my wrist and squeezes gently. I look at her hand for a moment. No one outside of foster parents has really ever shown me any kind of affection before; I’m not sure how to respond. Do I try and hold her hand? Do I pull away? No, I don’t want to do that. She lets go and I look up and my eyes meet hers. She flashes a smile and then turns toward the line again, picking up a brown plastic tray. I follow behind her, watching the lunch lady fill a rectangular compartment plate with a sandwich, mixed fruit, a dinner roll and a small bowl of soup.

“Do you know anything about your parents?” Fiona asks.

I shake my head. “No. I’ve grown up in either group or foster homes.”

“Why hasn’t anyone adopted you?”

I shrug my shoulders. “I guess they’re afraid their house will collapse or burn down, too,” I joke with dry sarcasm.

Fiona chuckles and then looks at me scared before we sit down at one of the long lunch tables. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have laughed at that,” she apologizes.

I grin, shaking my head. “It’s okay, I wasn’t being serious.”

She sighs and then takes her seat.

“Did they tell you anything about your parents?” I ask her.

She bites into her sandwich and nods slowly. “A little, but they said there wasn’t much to tell. My mom was young and couldn’t afford to take care of me, so she brought me here; she didn’t tell them who my father was, though.”

“At least you know your mom could still be alive,” I say hopefully.

She nods. “True.”

“So, what’s it like here?” I ask her, trying to change the subject from our absent parents.

“It’s fun, for the most part,” she says, looking up at the entrance of the cafeteria where Billy, Allaryce and Marco walk in. “I should go,” she says nervously.

“Why? He doesn’t really run this place,” I tell her.

“I know he doesn’t, but…” she looks up at Billy again. “I gotta go,” she says and then picks up her tray and moves down the table where the other three can join her.

I stare after her in disbelief for a moment and then Billy sits next to her, glaring at me until I look away.

Here we go again, I think, letting out a heavy sigh and then eat my food in silence.

________________

“Eli!” a woman’s voice echoes in my mind.

I can’t see where I am. Everything is pitch black. Then suddenly a white dot appears in front of me. I feel my arm reach towards the dot, but I still can’t see my limbs. The dot gradually becomes larger as if growing or spreading.

“Eli!” the voice calls again.

“My name is Jefferey,” I reply.

“Eli!” the voice repeats.

I twist around to see if there’s someone else here with me, but no matter what direction I turn, the light remains directly in front of me, growing larger and larger; no, closer and closer. As my heart races, anticipating what is moving towards me, the light takes shape, stretching from a ball into an elongated shape with flowing rays at the top. No, not rays of light, but floating strands of glowing, golden blonde hair atop a head with an angelic face.

“Hello, Eli,” the beautiful woman says.

“My name is Jefferey,” I correct her but stare at her in awe. “Who are you?”

“My name is Elizabeth; I know you better than anyone, Eli.”

“Are you…? Are you my mother?”

The woman nods her head. “I am,” she says.

“Are you dead?”

She nods sadly this time. “Yes, I am visiting you through spirit form. Another will visit you soon, one who has the power to bring me back to you so we can be together again.”

“But, we’ve never been together,” I argue.

Her mouth spreads into a kind smile. “We have, but I was taken from you when you were just a baby,” she tells me.

“That’s why I have no memories of you.”

“Yes, Eli, that’s why you don’t remember me.”

“How do I know you’re who you say you are?”

She laughs sweetly but her mouth never moves. “You are so smart, Eli, but you can trust me; I’m your mother.”

“Prove it,” I say and then feel my heart begin to race.

“Eli, why are you acting like this?” Elizabeth asks.

“You’re not my mother,” I say and try to run, but no matter which way I turn, she remains directly in front of me. Suddenly she slaps me in the face. I touch my cheek but don’t feel anything but the sting from her slap.

“Do not disrespect me!” she screams in my face.

I try to run again, but her hand strikes my face again, this time, her nails leave three gashes in my cheek.

­________________

I sit up with Miss O standing above me; water is dripping from my head to my shoulders.

“What happened?” I ask. “Why am I all wet?”

“I threw water on your face to wake you up,” Miss O explains and then looks over her shoulder at the boys standing behind her; Billy and Marco are sitting on the edge of their beds, watching me like some sort of freak on display. “Okay, boys,” she says to the one who sleeps in the bed above mine along with a group of five other boys from down the hall, “you can go back to bed now; thank you for coming and getting me,” she says and the surrounding boys slowly back away and make their way back to their beds.

I touch the stinging area on my left cheek and wince when I do.

“Why don’t we go get you cleaned up?” Miss O suggests, stepping away from my bed. “I’ll be outside, why don’t you bring another shirt with you to change into when we’re done?”

“Okay,” I reply and then swing my legs out from under the sheets as Miss O leaves the large room.

With a new shirt out of the top drawer of the dresser next to my bed, I join Miss O in the hallway and follow her to the administration office. She turns on lights as we go and then unlocks the door to the nurse’s office where she finds a box of bandages. I look at her confused but then touch my face again. Pulling my hand away from my cheek, I see blood on my fingertips.

“What the…?”

“What did you dream, Eli?” Miss O asks.

“Why are you calling me Eli?” I ask her.

Miss O sighs. “I’m sorry, I meant Jefferey.”

“You’re not the first person to call me that; why do people call me Eli by mistake? And how did you know I was dreaming?”

Miss O looks nervous and hesitates before answering. “Why don’t you try and get more sleep and then come to my office in the morning so we can talk?”

“Why can’t we talk now?” I demand.

Miss O looks around nervously but there’s no one around. “Because you need to sleep, Jefferey, now, let’s go back to the room.”

“I can’t sleep,” I tell her when we return, my mind wound up too much to settle down.

“Try praying,” she says and then turns and leaves the room before I can argue any further.

I lie back down and stare at the bottom of the bed above me. Who was that woman in my dream? Was she really my mother? How is there blood on my cheek if it’d just been a dream?

I don’t sleep much as the questions continue to bounce around in my head, and as soon as we’re woken for breakfast, I put on my clothes and rush through the others to get to Miss O’s office.

Her door is locked and I don’t see her heading this way. I head for the cafeteria and find her helping herself to some breakfast. I take a seat across from her, ignoring the food line, as soon as she sits down.

“Jefferey, now is not a good time. Why don’t you get something to eat and then we’ll go talk in my office?”

Frustrated, I shove myself away from the table and get in line behind Marco; Billy and Allaryce are a few people ahead of him. He grunts at me as he takes his plastic tray and I grunt in return. Maybe he’s not such a bad guy; at least he’s not trying to punch my guts in this morning.

“Hi,” Fiona whispers behind me, making me jump, which makes her giggle. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” she says quietly.

“It’s okay,” I tell her moodily.

“How did you sleep?” she asks, ignoring my bad attitude.

“Not great,” I reply shortly.

“Did Billy and Marco do something?”

Marco grunts and looks around me at her.

“Oh, hi Marco, didn’t see you there,” she says apologetically.

He grunts again and returns to his tray that’s filling with food.

“I had a bad dream,” I tell her.

“Wanna talk about it?” she asks.

I shake my head. “I’d rather forget it happened; it was really weird.”

“Well, I’m here if you change your mind,” she says as we watch the lunch lady fill plates with food to put on our trays at the end of the line.

“Thanks,” I say, my bad mood slowly melting away. This girl has a strange effect on me; I like it.

“I had weird dreams too, but everything was jumbled up like I was seeing a bunch of other people’s dreams at once,” she goes on.

“What do you mean? How could you tell they were someone else’s dreams?”

She hesitates for a moment. “I could see them as if I was in the dream, but nobody noticed I was there,” she says secretively.

“What did you see?” I ask in the same hushed tone.

“At first,” she says, picking up her complete tray after I move away with mine; I spot an empty space at one of the tables where we can both sit together. She waits until we sit down and starts over again. “At first,” she continues, “it was one of the little boys dreaming about cakes and ice cream; every time he got near the end of one, it would refill itself and change into a different flavor,” she laughs and I join her, digging into my oatmeal. “And most of them were something silly like that. But then some of them were seeing scary stuff, like monsters with long claws for hands reaching around corners and traveling through the shadows to pull them into these dark places; I’m amazed none of them woke up screaming. But then…” she trails off and doesn’t say another word, staring at her breakfast but not moving.

“Fiona?” I say and nudge her but she only shakes her head at me. “What’s wrong?”

She shakes her head again and then Billy steps up with his two best friends: the banshee and the grunting gorilla. Fiona holds her hands over her mouth as if trying not to laugh, but I have no idea why.

“Good morning, Billy,” I say casually, taking another bite of oatmeal.

“Fiona, come with us,” Billy demands and she shakes her head. “Fiona, come with us, your real friends,” he adds and she shakes her head again.

“Billy, you’re not actually in charge, so you can’t make her do anything,” I say as if to remind him.

“Allaryce, did you hear something?” Billy asks.

“Nope, just some annoying squeaking sound,” she replies.

“That’s what I thought, nothing,” he emphasizes, slamming his hands down onto the table, glaring at me.

I shake my head at him. “Yeah, you’re real intimidating, Billy,” I say, setting my spoon down on my tray. “But, the thing is, you don’t scare me at all. You’re, what, eleven? Your head barely comes up over my shoulder and I could probably mop the floor with that wiry blond hair of yours, but I won’t,” I add, quickly holding a hand up to Marco and fixing my eyes on him and for a moment he looks startled and backs off. “However,” I continue, “your time bullying everybody in this place is coming to an end,” I tell Billy, lowering my voice as I become extremely aware that the cafeteria has fallen incredibly silent.

“Bullying? You think that’s what I’m doing?” he laughs in my face, still trying to tower over me.

“Billy, I’ve dealt with someone like you at every group home I’ve lived in and you’re all the same. You threaten everybody one by one until they do whatever you say, but what they don’t realize is if they all stuck together they’d be stronger than you.”

Murmurs from some of the older kids just barely younger than us begin to spread throughout the cafeteria. I look around to see why our conversation has gone on for as long as it has to find Miss O sitting at her table still, watching us; even the lunch ladies have stopped serving food out of curiosity.

“There’s been someone like me at every group home you’ve lived at, huh?” he says, standing up and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Yep,” I say with a nod.

“Why have you lived in so many, Jefferey?” he asks for everyone to hear; I clench my fists and grind my teeth as he continues. “Did people get hurt, Jefferey? Did you get them hurt?”

It happens quickly; quicker than I expect. Anger, sadness, guilt; all those emotions come flooding over me and I lose control of myself. I pop out of my seat and use the bench I’m sitting on like a springboard. I leap for Billy but he moves out of the way and I fall into the table across the aisle. I barely feel a thing, so I push myself up and get ready to make another attempt at him, but someone grabs me by the shoulders and someone else grabs my wrists. The next thing I know, Fiona is standing in front of me, looking straight up into my eyes; her mouth is moving but I don’t hear what she’s saying.

“…lm down, Jefferey, calm down. Look at me, right here,” she repeats in a soothing tone.

“Thank you, Marco, you can let him go now,” I hear Miss O over Fiona’s soothing voice. “Let him go!” Miss O repeats and he does, stepping around me and Fiona to join Billy and Allaryce.

“Come on, Jefferey, let’s go,” Miss O says firmly and turns me towards the double doors. The murmurs from the kids grow into animated retellings of what’d just happened between me and Billy. “You too, Billy,” she says as we walk towards the exit.

“But, Miss O!” he whines but all she does is whip her head around to make eye-contact with him. His mouth snaps shut and he flinches at her glare, but he immediately follows, Marco and Allaryce right behind him. Miss O doesn’t stop them so Fiona follows as well.

“You three sit out here while I talk to these two,” Miss O tells Marco, Allaryce and Fiona and they each sit down in a chair placed against the wall next to her office door. She then pulls out her keys, unlocks her door and yanks open her door for me and Billy to enter. We do in silence, each taking a seat facing her desk while she shuts her door and storms around to the other side.

“Never before have I seen such behavior in this home and that goes for both of you. Fighting in the cafeteria? Taunting each other in front of the rest of the children! I won’t tolerate it any longer. Jefferey-”

We’re interrupted by a knock on the door just before the overnight custodian comes in with Mrs. Katz standing just outside the door, her hands on her hips, eyeing each of the five of us kids.

“What is it, Carl?” Miss O asks concerned.

“I just thought you should take a look at what I found in the upstairs boys’ bathroom,” he stammers as he pulls out his cell phone. A couple of clicks later he hands her the phone and steps back to give her space.

Miss O stares at whatever picture is on his screen at the moment and then she presses her lips together. “When did you discover this?” she asks.

“Just now as I was doing a final run-through of the facility, making sure I didn’t miss any lights or dispensers before clocking out.”

“And you’d already cleaned this bathroom?” she asks; Billy and I exchange confused looks.

He nods nervously. “And I never heard anyone get out of bed after I finished this morning around five. Not long after that the kids started waking up to go to breakfast.”

Miss O glances at the clock on the wall, just above her door, showing that it’s a quarter to eight. “Thank you, Carl, do you mind if I send this to my phone?”

“Of course not, Ma’am,” he stammers and then Miss O sends the picture to her own phone. “Thank you, Carl, go home and get some sleep,” she says handing him his phone.

“Thank you, Ma’am,” he says, taking back his phone and hurrying out of the room.

“Did either of you use the bathroom before breakfast this morning?” Miss O asks before Mrs. Katz can even open her narrow mouth.

I shake my head and look at Billy who’s also denying being in there.

“Then neither of you know anything about this?” she asks, pulling up the picture she’d sent herself from Carl’s phone and facing it towards us.

Across the seafoam green tiles and a few mirrors is a message in red writing that says, “See you soon, little worm!”

“Billy, are you okay?” Miss O asks and I turn towards him to find his face pale with his mouth hanging open.

Billy shakes his head terrified but doesn’t say anything.

“Can you tell me what it says?” she asks.

He shakes his head again, clenching his teeth together.

“Can you write it for me?”

She hands him a piece of paper and a pen. He scribbles down what he sees in the picture and then pushes it away from him. Just before Miss O picks it up, I manage to see what he’d written: I’m coming for you, maggot!

“That’s not what I saw,” I say quietly.

“Mrs. Katz, I think Billy could use a visit with the nurse,” Miss O calls out to her.

“My goodness, what’s happened to him?” she asks, helping him to his feet.

“Well, he didn’t write what Carl found on the wall, I can tell you that much and if he didn’t do it, then Allaryce and Marco are off the hook. Fiona, can you come in here please?” Miss O calls and as soon as Mrs. Katz has Billy out of the office, she sits in his seat.

“I didn’t write anything on any bathroom walls, Miss O,” Fiona says quickly.

“I know that, Fiona; neither one of you did, but I want to know what you see,” she says and then shows Fiona the picture.

“See you soon, little worm. Who’s a worm?” she asks.

“Is that what you see, Jefferey?” she asks me and I nod my head.

“I thought it was; Jefferey, you wanted to talk to me about something, but it’s something I’m not sure you’re ready to hear yet,” she says.

“About why you and other grown-ups have called me Eli instead of Jefferey?” I challenge her.

Miss O nods, looking me straight in the eye.

“Why don’t you think I’m ready to know why I’ve been called that before?”

“You’re going to have to trust me, Jefferey.”

“Is Eli my real name?”

Miss O sighs. “Yes, but-”

“But what? Why haven’t I been called by my real name my whole life? Is my last name even Kidd?” I demand.

Miss O shakes her head. “It’s Fletcher.”

“Fletcher? My name is Eli Fletcher?”

With another heavy sigh Miss O nods her head. “Yes, but it may be a good idea to keep going by Jefferey Kidd for now.”

“Why?”

Miss O opens her mouth but then closes it again for a moment. “Because there are more than just these monsters after you; there are people who worship and follow them who want to find you as well.”

I look at Fiona, wondering if she should really be here to hear all this. From the look on her face, I’m thinking she shouldn’t be.

“Look, Jefferey,” Miss O continues, “why don’t you just let the discovery of your real name sink in for a while first. If I tell you anything else, it’ll overwhelm you.”

“You mentioned monsters,” I remind her abruptly.

“Jefferey,” she says in exasperation.

“What monsters?” I demand.