Something Happened Read online

  “Good. I’m not really surprised by the sleepwalking. It’s pretty common.”

  Rion lifted the bag off the counter. “I got her some art stuff. I thought it might help her too. We could do art together,” she finished lamely.

  Chambers smiled. “How about here? How’s the adjustment?”

  “It’s going fine.”

  Chamber raised a brow. “Really?”

  Rion’s defenses went up but she tried to remain calm. Did Chambers assume it wouldn’t be fine? Does she know something? “We’ve been fine. Getting used to each other. Learning boundaries and stuff.” A voice told her she should tell Chambers about her fears. She should tell her about Beckett’s habit of getting up at night and hiding things and making noises. But, Rion knew, if she told Chambers everything the woman would be disappointed—maybe even angry.

  “It’s fine to take a while to adjust. Even children who have not experienced a major trauma often have behavior difficulties.”

  “Beckett’s fine,” Rion caught herself saying before she decided to speak.

  Chambers studied her for a moment. “I’d like to talk to Beckett now.”

  Rion couldn’t tell if the social worker believed her or not. “OK. Uh, do you want me to leave or something?”

  “No,” Chambers finally smiled. “I’ll go to her. We can talk in her room.”

  Rion watched the woman go into the bedroom and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Remembering the haunted look on the detective’s face, she strained to hear what was being said in the bedroom.

  Rion couldn’t hear anything specific. Chambers had shut the bedroom door and they were, apparently, speaking softly. Her skin prickled as she imagined all the things Beckett could be saying to the woman. Beckett didn’t even have to lie to cause Chambers to be concerned. Does she remember me shaking her? Rion felt like she was going to be sick. Her guilt clung to her, just waiting for Chambers to see it. Rion began doing the breakfast dishes to keep herself busy.

  When she heard the bedroom door open she spun, regretted how fast she turned around, and tried to smile to hide her nerves. “How did it go?”

  Chambers’ brow was furrowed. She slid onto the stool that Rion and vacated. “Can I have a glass of water, please?”

  “Sure.” Rion studied the other woman’s face. Was she confused? Or disturbed? Or just generally concerned. She handed the woman a glass of water and sat on the opposite side of the counter.

  After taking a sip, Chambers finally spoke. “I’m concerned.”

  Shit. “About what?”

  “About Beckett. About how well she’s adjusting.”

  “What did she say?” Rion tried to keep the fear out of her voice.

  “Not much. That’s part of the problem.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I am concerned by how withdrawn Beckett still is.”

  “But you’ve said yourself, it will take time to adjust,” Rion fought to keep her voice at a neutral, not panicking level.

  Chambers sipped her water again, considering her words carefully. “I’m concerned that her being here is detrimental for the both of you.”

  Rion stared at Chambers trying to come up with a logical defense. Is Beckett better off with her? The question barged its way into the front of her mind. The kid was scary. Clearly disturbed. Rion had to be honest with herself. She had no idea how to help the kid. So, what did it serve either of them for her to be here?

  Then she remembered Mr. Polowski. It had been the memory of her time at the Polowski house that had convinced Rion that she didn’t want her sister in the foster care system to begin with. Like a ghost that she couldn’t exercise, she remembered the smell of his cologne. Cheap, sweet, and how it hung around for days no matter how many times she washed.

  Chambers continued when Rion didn’t say anything. “I’m considering the possibility of placing her somewhere else.”

  “No,” Rion’s voice was stronger than she had realized it would be.

  The social worker looked at her not unkindly. “Rion, I know you care about your sister. I know…what it was like for you. In some of the foster homes that you were in. But, I can assure you—”

  “Look,” Rion knew she was being rude to interrupt the woman. “I don’t think Beckett’s…condition is going to change if she goes somewhere else. Everyone, you and the therapist, have all said that it will take time. Time that can be spent with a blood relative, or time that can be spent with strangers. Isn’t it better for her to be with someone that she’s related to? Someone who knows what it is like to come from a shitty home life?” Even as she argued for the right to keep Beckett, she wondered if she was doing the right thing.

  Chambers’ face softened further. “I asked Beckett if she wanted to stay here.”

  Rion’s throat seized. “And?” she croaked.

  The social worker smiled slightly. “She said the same thing. More or less.”

  Rion tried not to show how surprised she was. “She did?” Her throat tightened again, but for different reasons.

  “Yes. She said she wanted to stay here. With her sister.”

  Tension and fear melted off Rion is a cold rush. “Oh,” was all she could say.

  “I’m not entirely convinced this situation is for the best. But, like you said, I’m also not convinced that she would be any different anywhere else.”

  Rion took a deep breath. “Thank you.”

  “I’m recommending that you take some parenting classes.”

  “What? Why?” As the fear and worry began to abate, Rion evaluated the situation more clearly. “Are you here because the other kids have been picking on Beckett?”

  “It’s not just kids being mean.”

  “What else is it?”

  “Her teacher expressed concern about Beckett’s emotional and mental state.”

  “Why?” Rion felt anger flare up. Indignation tightened her jaw. She had made it a point to discuss Beckett with Mrs. Frakes. She was even going to talk to her today but the woman hadn’t made time for her.

  “Beckett has apparently come to school exhausted—”

  “She’s been sleepwalking! When she does that she doesn’t rest well.”

  Chambers held up a hand. “I understand. But, if the sleepwalking is being aggravated by her situation here—if her home life is causing her stress, we need to try to curtail that.”

  Rion stared at the social worker in shock and anger. “I—but—I mean…” she sputtered. She took a deep breath. “I understand,” she finally forced herself to say. What could parenting classes hurt? “It can’t hurt, right?”

  Chambers was clearly relieved that Rion was open to the idea. “Wonderful.” She crossed the room to her binder and pulled a shiny brochure out. “Here. This is a great organization. Give them a call. They will get you set up with a meeting and class schedule.” She handed Rion an envelope. “Here, this is a voucher to cover the fees. Normally, if they are court appointed, the parenting classes have fees. But, this will take care of that.”

  “Thank you,” Rion took the papers, unable to meet Chambers’ eyes. "Is this 'court appointed?'"

  "No!" Chambers assured her quickly. "Just social worker recommended."

  After Chambers left, Rion went to Beckett. She was sitting on the bed working in her school notebook. “Hey kid. How are you?” Beckett looked at her and shrugged. “How much homework you got left?”

  “Not much.”

  Rion relaxed a little. Anytime Beckett spoke to her she felt a little better. And she was impressed the kid was doing her homework on her own. At least she didn’t have to fight with her about that. “How about we do something fun? Then you can finish your homework.” Beckett shrugged and slid off the bed. Rion wasn’t sure who needed the art therapy more—her or the kid.

  They sat at the kitchen counter, side-by-side. Rion twirled the brush between her fingers, struggling for an idea. She thought about painting trees, landscapes, fruit—all the usual. But, none of it was i
nteresting enough for her to try. Each time she picked up a tube of paint, she put it back down. She snuck a peak at Beckett’s paper and realized she must be having the same problem. The kid’s paper remained as blank as her own. Finally, Rion sigh and grabbed an apple out of the bowl on the counter. “Let’s paint this,” she tried to smile. Beckett stared at her for a long moment before shrugging and picking out the red tube of paint. Together, they painted the banal apple in silence.

  Eleven

  Friday morning, after dropping Beckett off at school, Rion tried to catch up on work. She hadn’t realized how hard it would be to stay focused and current on her work with a kid in the house. She was used to being able to do work throughout the evening. Now, a lot of that time was filled with cooking, taking the kid to her appointments, and dealing with sleepwalking. She sat on the futon with her computer and started answering emails. Before long, she was knee deep in databases and responding to messages.

  When her phone rang, she stared at it feeling her stomach sink. She didn’t normally get calls this time of day from numbers she didn’t recognize. Something told her this was not going to be a good call. She took a deep breath and answered the call.

  “Ms. Webster?” The woman’s voice on the other end sounded frazzled.

  “Yes.”

  “This is Emma Chase. The principal at Archer South.”

  Fuck. Rion’s stomach twisted. If Beckett’s principal was calling, it definitely wasn’t a good call. “OK?”

  “I need to you come to the school. There was an…incident.”

  “Is Beckett OK?”

  “…she hasn’t been hurt.”

  “Who has?” As soon as Rion asked the question she regretted it.

  “Well, no one was hurt. But, something did happen. It would be better to talk about it in person.”

  “OK. OK. I’m on my way.” Rion was already standing as she hung up the phone. She headed for the door before she stopped and turned in a full circle looking for her shoes. She pulled on her boots, hopping to the door. Then she remembered she was still in yoga pants and kicked her boots back off and rushed to the makeshift dresser next to the futon.

  Once she was appropriately dressed, she rushed out of the apartment and nearly collided with Kerry who was coming in the front door. She looked like she was making her walk of shame. She was pale, her hair un-brushed, and she was wearing a party dress and carrying heels. “You alright?” she called after Rion.

  “I don’t know. Something happened at Beckett’s school.”

  “Do you need me to come with you?”

  Kerry’s offer settled her panic a little. She stopped running and turned. “No. Thank you. I’ll let you know what happened later.”

  “You better!”

  Even though there were available seats on the train, Rion didn’t sit. She was in too much of a hurry and sitting felt too slow. She shifted her weight to accommodate the rocking of the train. Concentrating on remaining standing took enough effort that it gave her something to do. There was nothing she could do other than give the train time to make it to the school stop. As she waited, all the possibilities flickered through her brain. Chase said that no one had been hurt. But did that just cover physical injury? Beckett could be having some kind of breakdown. What if the kids bullied her into trying to hurt herself? Or one of the other kids?

  By the time Rion made it to the school she was sweating. She buzzed the office and after confirming who she was, the magnetic lock on the door disengaged. A secretary showed Rion to Ms. Chase’s office and the principal greeted her with a tight, perfunctory smile. “Please, have a seat,” she gestured towards one of the two chairs across from her desk. The woman was maybe in her thirties with short red hair. Her glasses were framed in thick black plastic that somehow emphasized the lines around her mouth.

  “Where’s Beckett?” Rion asked.

  “She’s with the school nurse.”

  “Why? I thought you said she wasn’t hurt.”

  “She was not physically hurt.”

  “What happened?”

  Ms. Chase took a deep breath. “I’ve been briefed on Beckett’s background. I understand she has had a difficult time.”

  “Yes.”

  “Mrs. Frakes also told me that some of the other kids have been picking on her.”

  “That’s what I was told.” Rion tried not to squirm. The principal’s look was no nonsense. Stern but kind.

  “Mrs. Frakes also assured us that she has been working to keep the instigators away from Beckett.”

  “Yes.”

  Chase sighed. “Well, there was a substitute today. She didn’t know about the issues.”

  Rion could feel her stomach souring. As her initial panic began wearing off, dread set in. “What happened?” she asked for what felt like the tenth time.

  Chase didn’t meet her eyes, but addressed her desk. “They were having recess outside. Some of the kids managed to catch an injured bird. It couldn’t fly apparently. When the ring leader of the troublemakers saw Beckett looking at it, he started taunting her. Apparently, they tried to make her put the bird in her mouth.”

  “What?!” Rion stared at the woman in shock and outrage. “That’s—that’s—that’s fucking assault!”

  Chase raised both of her hands. “The boy will be dealt with accordingly. His parents have been called. He will be punished.”

  Rion’s heart slammed in her ribs. “What did she do?”

  “The witnesses said she didn’t do anything for a while. She just stared at them. But, then, they apparently grabbed her shirt and ripped it.” Rion’s breathing was shallow and her throat tightened. “At that point, the witnesses say Beckett grabbed the bird and twisted his neck.” Chase looked ill when she raised her head again.

  “Jesus fucking Christ! This is how you protect the kids at this school!? My sister was assaulted. Have you called the police?”

  “Not yet. Beckett never called for help or looked for a teach—”

  “Are you trying to say this was Beckett’s fault for not getting help?” Chase tried to interrupt, but Rion refused to allow her the chance. She raised her voice and plowed on. “You should damn well know that a frightened girl—a kid to scared to call out for help—is not the one at fault here!” Her voice was ragged and her throat burned. She didn’t realize she had stood up until she was looking down at Chase.

  “Please, Miss. Webster,” Chase held out her hands again. “We will punish the kids. No one is blaming Beckett. This is absolutely not her fault.”

  “Where is she?” Rion asked again.

  “She’s with the nurse.”

  “Why?”

  “She—she isn’t speaking.”

  “That’s just how she is,” Rion snapped.

  “She’s kind of…” Chase’s severe demeanor finally began to crack with what looked like guilt or remorse. “She seems to have gone catatonic.”

  “How could you let this happen?” Rion bit out the words angrily. “You’re supposed to protect kids. But…but this happens? How?”

  “I’m sorry,” Chase was looking at her desk again. “I really am. Her regular teacher wasn’t here…”

  “So, when a sub is here, all bets are off? Everything slips through the cracks? What if she hadn’t hurt the bird? What if the boys had pulled her clothes off? That’s rape!”

  “Wait—”

  “No! I’m not going to wait for anything except an explanation on what you plan to do now?” Rion knew she was out of control. She felt like her insides were on the outside. Everything was raw and aching and she couldn’t hold in her anger. She struggled not to cry.

  “The boys will be dealt with appropriately.”

  “I don’t want them near my sister again!”

  “Understood.”

  “What happened after she—the bird…?” Rion could feel her limbs shaking and she wished she could make it stop. She slammed her butt back into her chair but perched on the edge.

  “Some of the other ki
ds ran for help—finally. Others were in shock...”

  “What did Beckett do?”

  “She—she started screaming.”

  All the air hemorrhaged from Rion’s lungs. “Screaming?” She was both appalled and horrified for the kid. But, she was also shocked. What must she have been feeling to make that much noise? The quietest kid in the world screaming? “I thought you said she was…catatonic?”

  “She is—now. Several teachers got to her and when the touched her she—she freaked out. She started flailing and hitting at them. They tried to subdue her without hurting her. After a few minutes…she basically fainted. She was only out for a few seconds,” Chase held up her hands. “When she came to, she refused to speak.”

  Rion’s eyes burned and her throat was raw. “I want to see my sister,” she was surprised by how calm she sounded. She certainly didn’t feel calm.

  “Of course,” Chase stood up and hurried from behind her desk. “Follow me.”

  The principal’s shoes clacked against the tiles as she led Rion through the office and into a large room with several smaller rooms leading from it. As soon as they entered a woman jumped to her feet. She was dressed in jeans and a scrub shirt with teddy bears on it. She had brown hair streaked with gray and she looked pale. It was impossible to tell if her pallor was normal or from the situation. Her eyes were wide though, and her hands visibly shook.

  “Gemma,” Chase began. “This is Rion Webster. Beckett’s sister.”

  “H-hello,” she held out her hand but when Rion didn’t take it she seemed to realize the situation didn’t call for proper formalities.

  “Where is she?” Rion glared at the nurse.

  “Right here,” Gemma crossed to a closed door. “She seemed ready to rest so I shut the door so as not to disturb her.”

  Rion stared at her until she opened the door. Rion’s throat lurched in a strangled sob when she saw her sister lying on a low, padded table. Her dark hair was tousled and there was dirt on her face and hands. She was curled into the fetal position with her fists tucked under her chin. She was staring, wide-eyed, at the door. She didn’t react when Rion entered—as if she didn’t even see her. “Leave us alone,” she ordered the principal and nurse without looking at them.