House of Korba

  “Are they dating or what?” Nathan asked us in a low voice.

  “Not that I know of,” I said. “I think they’re friends.”

  “Maybe they were friends,” Nathan said. “They’re on a date.”

  Karen reached us and gave a little wave to Kota and then to Nathan. “Hi guys. Can we sit with you? This place is crazy.”

  “If you want,” Nathan said. He grabbed my arm and then tugged at me. “Come on and scoot down a bit.”

  I did. Karen sat next to me and Derrick sat next to her. Kota took a seat behind me.

  “Can you believe this?” Karen asked. She waved her hand at the people. She was in the same leather jacket I’d seen earlier. Her pixie hair had grown out a bit. “Okay, last year, the game wasn’t nearly so crowded.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t be here,” Derrick said.

  “Are you kidding?” Karen asked. “We can’t miss out on this. I bet everyone’s thinking there’s going to be another bomb threat. Or the ones from this week are all a build up to tonight.”

  I shared a look with Kota and then with Nathan. I’d felt the same thing, but would people just show up thinking a bomb would actually happen?

  The game took another hour before it started. From what I could see, a policeman walked around the perimeter, or maybe it was two and they exchanged places. There were big guys with black shirts with yellow lettering, marked “Security”.

  The overhead speakers were louder today. They were probably turned up to be heard over everyone in the stands. Eventually most people settled, with handfuls of people circling to find friends or seats. There were some students that I thought I recognized. With so many people, though, it was hard to pinpoint anyone acting suspicious.

  Amid the chaos, and while the speakers blared that the game would start soon, and concessions were being sold, I spotted a familiar man with white hair and speckled face.

  I nudged Nathan and then looked at Dr. Roberts. I didn’t want to point with Karen right there.

  Nathan turned his head, staring off. He nodded, grinned and then leaned in to whisper, “We did call in a few favors, but in this crowd, it’ll be worth it.”

  I’d heard of favors, but I meant to ask him later exactly if that was important. They seemed to bring it up a lot.

  Karen carried on a conversation beside me, pointing out people she knew and telling Derrick some gossip.

  Nathan leaned in close, keeping his arm up against mine. He might have been feeling the chill, too. Kota’s knees met my back, allowing me to lean back a bit.

  In an odd way, I was listening to Karen, and at the same time, I avoided looking at her. She was there. She wasn’t a threat, I knew that, but I didn’t want to meet her eyes.

  I know it was silly. When I turned her way, I looked at other people in the stands, but then turned back to look at Nathan, or looked at Derrick. I smiled, nodded at conversation points, but for the most part, I was quiet. Nathan talked. Kota talked.

  I checked my phone a few times. No messages but another excuse to look preoccupied.

  Finally, the game started up, with introductions of each team. There were fog machines at the home team’s end of the field, and they flooded the field at waist level as the players were introduced.

  There were screams and shouts for all the players so that it was hard to hear. I stood up just as North and Silas jogged through the fog and joined the rest of their team.

  “Peanut,” Nathan said in my ear. “Keep an eye on the game. If you see players acting funny, nudge me. I’ll watch the stands on this end. Kota’s going to get the other side. Try to focus on unusual activity.

  I wasn’t sure what ‘unusual activity’ looked like, but I preferred having some sort of job and something to focus on.

  The game was starting to become familiar to me, even if this one had more fanfare than others. Eventually, I learned to drown out the sounds as white noise, and that made it easier to focus on individuals and not get too distracted.

  Dr. Roberts walked back and forth in front of the stands. He’d stand near the front rail, lean over it, and then walk to the other end, wave to someone, move back to where he was standing and then lean over the rail again. It was suspicious, but since it was Dr. Roberts, I imagined he would soon find a way to keep security busy.

  It began immediately. As soon as the first kick happened, Dr. Roberts started pointing and hollering. He was louder than the people around him. I couldn’t really hear what he was saying from where we were, and I was grateful. With a hand over my heart, I was holding it as if I could stop how intensely it was beating.

  A couple of people in Security T-shirts showed up. They talked to him. I tried to keep an eye on the field, but didn’t miss Dr. Roberts getting escorted to a seat. Dr. Roberts kept talking to them, though, and when one turned away, he grabbed his arm and waved his hand, talking more.

  This lasted for at least fifteen minutes.

  “Crazy old man,” Karen said. “Started drinking early. Surprised they’re letting him stay, but I guess they aren’t going to kick him out for shouting too loud.”

  I hoped Dr. Roberts wasn’t going to risk getting kicked out to keep Security’s attention. However, the security team seemed reluctant to move too quickly, and took to standing by while surveying the crowds. I guess if they had to be anywhere, they may as well focus on the stands.

  The game dragged on a long time. Every call took several minutes to sort out. The announcer would relay what they were, and the crowd would hoot or growl back.

  For the most part, North and Silas sat on the bench for this game.

  By halftime, the away team managed to get ahead by a touchdown.

  Dr. Roberts continued to talk to the Security people, and I caught on the field how other Security members were being kept busy with different people. I couldn’t see specifically who it was or what was happening, but Victor’s plan to keep Security occupied seemed to work.

  I didn’t see how anyone could get a phone call into the game. It was so loud. People stomped on the metal steps. The overhead speakers were blaring. I’d gone with some of the boys to a club once, and I thought the noise level at this game was louder than that.

  Halftime featured several girls who were running for homecoming, and the winner was going to be announced at the dance tomorrow. All of them were given time to talk, about...something. The whole thing was drowned out by the talking in the stands and other people shushing the talkers.

  Nathan leaned into me. I think he groaned, but I felt it more than heard it.

  Kota leaned forward and spoke in my ear. “Did you want to run for homecoming?” he asked. “I never asked.”

  I shook my head, my eyes wide the moment he asked. I turned, looking at him, quietly pleading to not let that ever happen to me. Homecoming queen? I didn’t like it when students looked at me when I was called on in class to answer questions. I’d never survive homecoming.

  Kota smiled and appeared amused by my response. He reached out, gripping my shoulder and giving it a rub and then winking at me. I didn’t know what it meant, but I guess I didn’t have to worry about it. I wasn’t going to run.

  At that moment, the phone in my bra was getting cold, and keeping it where it was, it was freezing against my skin. I tugged it out, putting it in my back pocket.

  Nathan spotted it and then laughed. “What’s wrong with the shelf?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “Too cold,” I said.

  He made a face but then shrugged. I wasn’t sure if he understood but didn’t want to distract him.

  When halftime was over, the game started again. The third quarter seemed to take forever. I caught myself watching the clock, willing the game to hurry along. If we managed to get to the end of the game without an incident, I would consider that a win.

  The game suddenly changed on the field, and the noise from the crowd woke me up from my constant studying of people to focus on the players. One of the opposing team members had stolen the ball. In the next
play, the ball was dropped again, and our team got it back.

  There was a whistle, a change of players, and North and Silas took to the field. I supposed they couldn’t fake injuries by sitting on the bench. They’d have to play a little to get away with it.

  The ball was put into position, and then the team players clashed. There was an uproar from the stands as the ball was lost amid a pile of boys on top of each other. I’d lost track of North and Silas in the confusion.

  That’s when I noticed movement in the stands and spotted Security walking away from Dr. Roberts. He yelled. He threw his fist in the air and cried out something. Security ignored it. They retreated to the bleacher steps and down.

  They weren’t the only ones. Others across the field, recognizable by the yellow lettering, started moving toward the field, toward the entrance.

  I sat up sharply, watching what was happening for a moment. I reached back, gripping Kota’s leg and then looked at him.

  Kota had his attention on the stands and then looked at me, his eyes wide, asking what I needed.

  I curled my fingers at him to get him to bend over so I could talk. He put his ear near me and I cupped a hand around it. “Security is meeting up by the front gate, it looks like. Is this...a commotion?”

  He sat up quickly, and then his first glance was down at Dr. Green. Dr. Green was facing the field, watching the game. Maybe he couldn’t see that other security teams had wandered off and were acting funny. I couldn’t find Mr. Blackbourne.

  Kota stood, glancing around the stands. After a minute, he stood up on his seat, looking around. He dropped after a moment, taking out his cell phone and typing into it.

  “What’s up?” Karen asked. “Looking for someone?”

  “Uh,” Kota said. He touched his glasses at the corner. “Actually, yes, our friend was going to join us after halftime and I forgot to go meet him to show him where we’re sitting.” He started to move, wedging through rows of people. “I should go find him.”

  Karen returned to her conversation with Derrick. I didn’t like that Kota was going alone. I tapped at Nathan, and when he met my eyes, I was pointing quietly at Kota.

  He shook his head. He pointed at me and then at the stadium stands. We had to stay right here.

  At least he was aware.

  Again the crowd was in an uproar, and I directed my attention back to the game.

  There was another pileup, with our team underneath the opposing team’s players. Referees were busy trying to pull each person up, and checking to make sure they were okay. North sat on the ground, clutching at his ankle and appeared to be shouting. Silas stood by. Guess they couldn’t get injured at the same time, either. That would look funny.

  Over the commotion, I sensed something was off. Security couldn’t be seen at all now. I wondered what was taking so long. I quietly held onto Nathan to try to see what he thought.

  Nathan’s attention had been caught, but not at the field.

  I followed his gaze to the scoreboard. Underneath the score and the time, there was a big TV screen that usually displayed commercial logos and some pictures of the players. Some of the bulbs needed replacing, but it worked for the most part.

  Now the scoreboard was displaying a wash of colors, and then static snow like the signal had been interrupted.

  Then the lights of the screen changed, displaying a simple square in the middle. At first it was stationary. Then the perspective changed into a 3D box. It rotated again. The box started to shake on the screen.

  Some of the other people started paying attention to it. People pointed toward it, redirecting attention from the game to the screen. Karen said something next to me about it, but I was dodging my head trying to see around someone. I stood up on the seat, trying to look over the sea of heads.

  The announcer asked people to calm down and let everyone know that the game would continue shortly and that the injury didn’t appear to be bad. It didn’t seem as though the people in the booth had noticed anything else.

  In bright flashes, the box on the screen blew up, a cartoon explosion with lots of blinking. There were bits of cartoon debris that fluttered around the box, scattering the pieces.

  And then the box came back. It did it again, only this time the sequence was faster.

  “Nathan,” I shouted. A panic was filling inside me. Somehow, I knew. This was it, whatever it was. “Something’s wrong.” I don’t know how I knew, but I did. That display board didn’t show anything but ads before and now suddenly the image of the explosion felt like a message.

  Nathan gripped my arm, sitting on the edge of his seat. Caution was one thing. Giving into fear was another. If we started to move too quickly, it could escalate everyone else around us into panicking.

  Karen stood next to me, her face trained toward the screen. “Who messed with the screen?” she asked. Derrick stood up next to her, checking it, too. Everyone around us was looking now.

  “It’s got to be a joke,” Derrick said. “A bad one. After the week we had.”

  A rumble started below the stands. At first, it sounded like everyone was stomping their feet and making noise that rattled the bleachers.

  Then a thick, white cloud formed below the stands, filtering up through the spaces between the benches. When I turned, more of it billowed out of pipes hanging in every corner of the bleachers.

  “Oh shit,” Karen said. She reached for my arm, clutching it like she needed to hang on. Nathan was on my other side, turning, looking where we were looking. His blue eyes wide, his mouth dropped open.

  I’d never seen him in such a panic. I froze, not knowing what to do.

  A fearful scream overtook the sounds of the rattling stands. Another joined it. There was a rush, and a swoop of people started running for the steps to get out of the path of the fog swirling up at our feet.

  “We have to get out of here,” I said, my voice off pitch with the fear filling inside me. With the fog lifting and the smoke coming down from the corners, it started covering everything. It crept up my legs, licking across my skin, cool and thick.

  A broad hand met my back. Smooth. Confident. Calm.

  “Derrick,” Nathan called at him, loud in my ear behind me. “Grab Karen. We have to go. Now.” He clutched me closer around the waist, grabbing my hand and directing me to step long and down, stepping down the seats instead of the flooded walkways filled with people trying to get around and get out of the stands.

  Derrick followed his lead. Karen held onto my other arm and we moved forward together. If one teetered, the other caught and stabilized.

  But we weren’t fast enough. The fog overtook us until it was coating our faces, surrounding our bodies. We couldn’t see where we were stepping before, but now we couldn’t see in front of our faces. Karen and I gripped at each other to hang on. Nathan clutched me tighter.

  “Keep moving!” Nathan called. “Don’t stop.”

  “There’s too many people,” Derrick said. I could feel it. I was right behind Karen. She swayed at a rush of people going by. The stadium was shaking louder. Screams were louder down here. Voices, shouts, stomping feet, the rattling of the stands. It all consumed us as much as the fog.

  “Jump the front of the stands,” Nathan said. “Go over that rail. Don’t worry about the stairs. We’ll run out into the field.”

  My mouth filled with the fog, trying to catch my breath. Nathan’s hand moved, covering my mouth.

  “Try not to breathe too much in,” he said.

  It was hard to move forward with the whole stadium shaking, but we went as fast as we could.

  At the base, the crowd of people trying to get out was pushing to the side to follow the ramp down. Derrick clamped onto the rail and jumped over, getting on the other side and lowering himself down. Nathan caught up and followed.

  “Let’s go,” Karen said, squeezing my arm and urging me forward.

  I grabbed the rail, throwing my leg over and lowering myself down. The moment Nathan had his arms around
my waist, I let go and he put me down next to him.

  “Run!” he shouted.

  I tried. For a moment, it was all white.

  When we broke clear underneath the wall of fog folding down in front of the bleachers, the change was significant. I sucked down clean air. My lungs felt chilled and thick and I needed fresh air to squeeze out the fog, and the fresh air was cold and the cycle continued.

  Nathan tugged my arm, not stopping. When I stumbled again on the uneven ground, he grabbed me around the waist and lifted.

  I hugged him around the shoulders, watching behind us.

  The stadium was swamped with the thick smoke, some areas thicker than others. The fog still billowed from the top corners of the bleachers. Other students had taken Nathan’s idea to jump the bleachers and run out into the field. Additional students and parents were trampling down the ramps, stampeding forward. Some teachers were trying to direct people out and to the parking lot.

  Nathan slowed at the far end of the field by the fence. He put me down, turning to witness the ongoing chaos.

  Karen and Derrick did, too. We were well away from the others. Most students that had followed by jumping gathered on the field with the football players and coaches, checking out what was going on.

  North and Silas split away from them, helmets off. North waved to us and then started jogging. Silas ran after him. Nathan waved back, signaling and we waited.

  “What was that?” I asked. “What happened?”

  “Who rigged the fog machines?” Silas asked as he approached and stopped.

  Nathan had his phone out and started punching at the numbers. “Calling Kota.”

  “Sang,” North said, reaching for me. “Where’s your phone?”

  I felt for it, and then held it out for him. He took it, punched at the screen.

  It didn’t light up.

  He punched at it again.

  Nothing.

  “Did the battery die?” he asked.

  “It was fine earlier,” I said. Then I looked at my phone.

  It had a pink cover.

  The last time it had a pink cover was a few days ago when Luke borrowed it to make the swap. I was sure when I looked at it before, it wasn’t on there.