The Dragon Lady of Hamilton High

  * * *

  12

  Everything became a blur around me. I felt Tony pick me up. The other kids moved around us, crashing waves rolling by. I heard adult voices and realized we were in the office. Tony put me down on a bed. I was disoriented.

  “Erin, can you hear me?” Fear resonated in Tony’s voice. He was struggling to slur his words.

  Another person was in the room with us. “Mr. Burns, why don’t you go back to class?” Her voice sounded strict.

  “I’m not leaving her. I knew she shouldn’t have come back to school yet. She just got out of the hospital this morning.”

  “That decision is up to her parents.”

  “She ain’t got none no more. Her mom died yesterday.”

  The woman gasped. “Good heavens!”

  I could feel Tony’s breath on my face. I blinked and the tears cascaded downward. I felt like I was drowning. Tony’s fingers gently pushed them away. “Come on, Erin. Just talk to me.” His voice was soft and quiet.

  I felt out of control. My body was shaking. I captured his hand with mine, searching for something to grab hold of. “I don’t know what to do.” My voice cracked. I had never felt so lost before in my life.

  Tony enclosed me in his arms. It was like having a living dragon wrapped around me. “Just breathe. You got to keep doing that.”

  The woman came back. “I have a doctor from the hospital on the phone. He wants to know if she’s eaten anything.”

  “She had a little lunch. Not very much. She didn’t have much time because she got here half way through the lunch period.”

  I blinked enough tears out of my eyes to see the school nurse standing in the doorway with a phone receiver in her hand. “Yes, I understand. Thank you, Doctor.” She hung up the phone. “I’m going down to the kitchen to get some food. Here’s a bottle of water. See if you can get her to drink it.” She handed the bottle to Tony and disappeared.

  Tony opened the bottle and held it to my lips. “Little sips.” He kept his arms around me.

  I managed to drink almost half the bottle by the time the nurse returned. She had a container of yogurt and one of applesauce. She handed them to Tony with a spoon. Another student came in. She left to take care of him.

  Tony opened the yogurt. “Look at this, the good stuff. This is what the breakfast kids get.” He read the label. “Protein is just what you need.” He loaded the spoon.

  I managed to take it from him. I finished off the yogurt and was working on the applesauce when the nurse returned. “Doing better?”

  I put the spoon down. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She came over, took my pulse and blood pressure, and frowned. “Still low. Finish off that applesauce and water.”

  Another student appeared at the door. I recognized him from somewhere but couldn’t place him. He looked like he was in pain. “I’m sorry, Nurse Kern. This headache is still bothering me.”

  She seemed to study him for a moment. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a couple of small bottles, and selected one. “Just a moment, Henry. I’ll give you another aspirin.” She went into the hall and pulled a bottle of water from a case and handed it to him. She tapped a small blue pill out of the bottle into his hand. He popped it into his mouth and chugged down the water. She nodded at him. “Hopefully that will take care of it.” She moved toward her desk and the boy left.

  A lump formed in my throat. I looked up at Tony. “They shouldn’t be doing that. Rebecca was given so much aspirin that it made her dangerously ill. She ended up in the hospital.”

  Tony frowned. “School nurses always do that.”

  He made me finish off my applesauce and water. I kept thinking about the boy, trying to remember where I’d seen him. The nurse came back in and checked my vitals. “That’s better. You should be good to go back to class.” She looked at the clock. “The period is almost over. When the bell rings, go to your next class.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  She managed a tight smile and went back to her desk. Tony helped me sit up straight. “At least I’ll be able to look after you.”

  I sighed. “I didn’t get the reading done.”

  “That makes two of us.” The bell rang and he helped me up. “Maybe Professor Linton will go easy on us because we weren’t in class yesterday.”

  As we were moving through the office, Principal Granger called to Tony. I didn’t want him to get in trouble because of me. The principal cleared his throat. “Well done, Mr. Burns. Nurse Kern told me what happened.” He glanced at me. “I’m sorry to hear about your mother. If any other students give you a hard time, let me know.”

  Tony led me out of the office. He looked as surprised as I felt. “If this keeps up I’m going to lose my bad-boy reputation.” He grinned at me. “You should be a parole officer or something.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” That really wasn’t the direction I wanted to go.

  Some of his buddies came up around us. Tony shot them a warning look. “If you even say anything mean to her, I’m gonna pound your face.”

  They all backed off a step. The one beside him held up his hands. “Wouldn’t dream of it!”

  They tagged along with us until we got to my locker. I grabbed my books and we headed for Tony’s locker. His was closer to the classroom. I caught sight of the boy who’d come into the nurse’s office. He was walking with a girl. I recognized her. The breath caught in my throat. “Now I know where I’ve seen him.”

  Tony shut his locker. “Who?”

  The guy that the nurse gave the aspirin to earlier. He’s over there. He was with the same girl. She gave him some little pink pills in a baggie.”

  Tony swung around and looked at me. “Little pink pills about as big around as a pencil eraser?”

  “Yes. How did you know?”

  Tony led me toward the classroom. We got to the door and Tony pulled me close. He found my ear. “Remember the girl who died the day you got here? Davy pulled a baggie of little pink pills out of her pocket. That’s what we’re tracking.” He pulled me into the classroom.

  We took our seats back in the corner. David looked at us and frowned. “Erin! What are you doing back in school?”

  I shrugged. Tony gritted his teeth. “Stupid social services. They dumped her in foster care and the den leader didn’t want to deal with her and had her dropped at school.”

  David looked horrified. “That’s insane.”

  “Tell me about it. We spent last hour in the health room.” He scooted his chair closer to mine and put his arm around my shoulders. “She’s in no condition to be here.”

  Professor Linton came in. He glanced in our direction and walked back to us. “Mr. Burns. This is against classroom policy.”

  Tony scowled at him. “Would you rather have her fall over? The nurse just kicked her out of the health room.”

  Professor Linton stared at me. I wanted to shrink down to nothing. His mouth drooped at the ends. “You don’t look like yourself today. Where is your dragon?”

  I looked down. “All of my clothes are back at the apartment, which has been declared a crime scene. A nurse pulled these out of the lost and found box at the hospital.”

  His brow furrowed. “Are you going to be okay, Ms. Dawson?”

  My throat started to constrict. I fought with it. Tony tightened his grip. “Erin, breathe.” His voice sounded concerned.

  I managed to. “I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say.

  David looked away. Tony pulled me closer. “You’re gonna make it. I’ve got you.”

  Professor Linton looked confused. He turned and walked back to his desk. He picked up the stack of papers and began walking around with them.

  David pulled out his homework and glanced back at us. Tony had his hand on my wrist. I realized he was taking my pulse. David’s face wrinkled. “Is she okay?” His whisper blended in with the shuffle of papers and other quiet chatter.

  “I think so. It’s a little fast.” He looked at m
e. “Take a couple of deep slow breaths.”

  I did as he directed. I watched Professor Linton work his way down our row. He gave me and Tony back the papers we’d turned in on Friday. “I realize neither of you were here yesterday. Did you happen to get the assignment from Mr. Jensen?”

  Tony looked up at him. “I’m sorry but Erin was in the hospital yesterday and I was more worried about her being alive than a reading assignment. We’ll get caught up with it in a day or two.”

  Professor Linton’s eyes got big. I think he was putting pieces together. “Oh, my goodness.” He went to the front of the class. “The reading assignment for today was chapters seventeen and eighteen.” He began talking about the motifs Steinbeck used in chapter seventeen then we moved into the discussion on the Joad family’s challenges on the road in chapter eighteen.

  As we moved toward the end of the chapter, my gut tightened. I remembered what had happened after the officer had stopped them for a fruit inspection. I started to shake. Tony tightened his grip. I looked up at him. My eyes had gone blurry again. Everything looked like it was behind rippled glass.

  Professor Linton asked the question that I knew was coming. “What did Ma Joad reveal to the rest of the family after they crossed into the valley?”

  I closed my eyes and the tears streamed down my face. One of the other girls who was sitting in the back of the classroom called out the professor’s name. “Something is wrong with Erin.”

  Everyone turned and looked at me. It felt like the world was caving in on me. I buried my face in Tony’s chest. His arms wrapped around me protectively. I could hear his heart beat.

  “Mr. Burns, is Ms. Dawson all right?”

  Tony tensed. I felt him swallow. “I think she knows the answer to the question on an all too personal level. Ma tells everyone else Grandma was already dead before the officer stopped them.”

  The room was silent. I struggled not to cry. The tears just kept flowing. What was wrong with me?

  I could feel someone close to us. “Ms. Dawson?”

  I felt the tension in Tony. “Just leave her be. I’ve got her. Class is almost over. It won’t do us any good to go back to the nurse. There’s nothing she can do. She can’t bring Erin’s mom back any more than Ma Joad could bring Grandma back.”

  Professor Linton gasped. “I’m so sorry.” The bell rang. I heard his footsteps walk away. He cleared his throat and reminded everyone about the assignment and the next chapters to read.

  Warm moisture fell on my hand. Tony shook a little. He was crying, too. He wiped his sleeve over his face. “Come on. We got one more hour of hell in this place.” He helped me up.

  David looked terrified. He leaned close to Tony. “You’re stretching a very thin line.”

  Tony growled. “Get out of my face before I rearrange yours.”

  David backed off. I put my hand on Tony’s chest. “No. He’s right.” I struggled to walk out of the classroom by myself. The realization of David’s warning chilled me. Tony was an officer. He could get in serious trouble if someone thought more was going on than it was.

  Tony stayed close. Somehow I made it to my locker. I didn’t look at him. I was afraid to. I was so out of control I hadn’t been thinking straight. He touched my arm. “Erin? Are you going to survive gym class?”

  I closed my locker and slung the backpack over my shoulder. “At least I’ll have Galeru. She’s on my leotard.”

  He tugged on the sweatshirt. “Maybe you need to put a dragon on this.” He put his arm around my shoulders and walked me down to the gym.

  His arm was comforting. I felt guilty. We stopped by the gym doors. I could hear Rita’s voice. I shivered. I had to go forward. I had no other choice. Rita’s voice was getting closer.

  Tony pulled me close. “Do not let her win. You are stronger than her.” Rita came out the doors. Tony kissed me.

  Rita gasped. I looked up at Tony. His gaze was intense. He smoothed a loose strand of hair back from my face. “I don’t care what anyone else thinks. Not Davy, not Rita, not the teachers. Nobody.” His sincerity scared me.

  Rita turned and walked away. I managed to swallow. “I have to change for class.” My voice was shaking.

  “I know. I’ll see you after class.” He let me go.

  It took all my strength to turn and walk into the gym. I went into the locker room and sagged against the wall.

  Jill came up to me. “Erin?” She looked around. “Britany, go get Ms. Addison.” Jill pulled me toward a bench. “I heard some kids talking in the hall. They said your mom had died.”

  I sat down. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Ms. Addison came running in. “Erin! Jill, what happened?”

  “Her mom died yesterday. I don’t know why she’s even in school.”

  I dropped my backpack on the floor. “There’s nowhere else for me to be right now. The lady said I had to go to school.”

  Ms. Addison sat beside me on the bench. ‘You don’t have to workout if you’re not feeling well. You’re more likely to injure yourself. Why don’t you sit in my office?”

  I looked at the faded sweatshirt. “Can I at least change into my leotard?”

  “Sure.” She called to the rest of the girls. “Let’s hit the floor.” They all piled out after her.

  I changed my clothes and took everything to Ms. Addison’s office. I sat in a chair and pulled the cardboard and black marker from my backpack. I stared at the empty cloth. There weren’t any stains to inspire me. I looked down at Galeru and thought of another Australian dragon. I looked at the shirt, struggling to see Eingana on it. She was the dragon of creation and destruction. I’d seen a picture of a cave painting of her. She reminded me of a dragonfly.

  The memory of Tony’s arms around me came back unbidden. I saw the dragon wrap around the shirt. I began to lay out the sketch. I had it mostly blocked in by the time the bell rang.

  Ms. Addison came into her office. She stopped and looked at what I’d been working on. “That is amazing!” She inhaled sharply. “That’s what was missing. You weren’t wearing a dragon.”

  I put the cardboard and pen away and slipped the shirt on over my leotard. I already had the rest of my clothes on. I looked down at the design and could almost imagine the feeling of the dragon’s six arms wrapped around me. “It helps.”

  She gave me a hug. “I know how hard it is. I lost my mom when I was fifteen. She was killed in a car accident.”

  I looked at her. “Does it get any easier?”

  Her face turned to a sad smile. “You’ll never stop missing her but it does get easier with time.”

  Tony peered around the door and sighed. “One of the other girls said you were in here.” He tilted his head. “Your new dragon friend has six legs. What’s up with that?”

  “Eingana was probably based on a dragonfly. She’s from Australia.”

  “Yeah, I hear they got a lot of weird critters down there. Furry ducks and bears with built in pockets for their babies.”

  The laugh somehow made it out. “Duck-billed platypuses are mammals, not birds and koalas aren’t really bears. They are marsupials.”

  He grinned at me. “I knew that.” He held out his hand. “So where are we headed? The dojo?”

  “I am.” I went out of the office and he took up his position a step behind and to one side. He held the door for me as we went out. It was raining. I pulled my raincoat out. Ri Riu looked wrinkled, like he’d been in the water too long. “One of my last surviving dragons.”

  He pointed at the sweatshirt. “With a growing fan club.” He turned up his collar and started walking with me.

  “Tony, you’re going to get soaked.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing I’m not the Wicked Witch of the West. I won’t melt.”

  I stopped by the door of the dojo. The overhang of the building gave us some shelter. “I don’t want to get you in trouble. I’m worried that I already have.”

  Tony put his hands on his hips and looked down the
street. The muscles of his face twitched. He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment then looked back at me. “I care about you. There’s nothing illegal about that. I know the limits. I’m an adult and you’re a minor. I know we can’t have a physical relationship.” He looked down. “And I probably stretched the line when I kissed you.” He was shaking. Tiny droplets had collected on his eyelashes. They abandoned their perch as he blinked. He pushed them away with his fingers.

  I felt my chest tighten. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to hurt him. He had been the only thing keeping me together today at school. “Tony?”

  He looked up at me. “I should go. Max is here.” He pointed behind me at the door. I heard it open. Tony turned away. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He walked away.

  I was confused. I felt empty, deflated. I heard footsteps behind me. I could hear Max breathing.

  “Erin, are you all right?”

  There was no way I could answer that question at the moment. “What choice do I have?” I looked at him. “Fusan taught me that the only thing in life we can really control is our actions and our reaction to everything around us. I haven’t even been able to do that today.”

  Max pulled me toward the door. “Come in out of the rain. Have a cup of tea.”

  I took off my dripping raincoat and soggy sneakers in the entryway and carried them through the dojo. Max had a small heater going in his office and suggested I put them there. He handed me a cup and I made myself some tea. “Have you seen Philip today?”

  “I did. I stopped in this morning. The doctors hope to release him in a few days but it will be some time before he can come back to the dojo.”

  I watched the darkness spreading out from the tea into the water. “I still want to go see him.”

  Max leaned against the counter and studied his own cup. “Philip doesn’t want you to come.” His voice was soft.

  My throat tightened. “Why?”

  He looked up at me. “He doesn’t want you to see him like this. It’s pretty scary.”

  “Considering yesterday, it can’t be any worse.”

  Max sighed. “Give him some time to heal.” He put the cup down. “Besides, I promised Ms. Parker that I would drive you to the home before your curfew. It was part of the agreement so that you could continue here.”

  “I have a curfew?”

  Max grinned. “Most kids do. Yours is ten on school nights and eleven on weekends. I assured her that we eat regular meals here. She was concerned about that.”

  “Probably because I crashed from lack of enough food in my system. I hadn’t had a chance to eat lunch yesterday.”

  Max pulled the teabag out of his cup. “Can you tell me what happened?”

  I did my best to explain. My eyes began to burn again and my throat tightened. I struggled to breathe. “I don’t know what to do, Max. I’ve never felt so lost. Even when Mom and I were jumping around, I always kind of knew what to expect. But now everything has changed.”

  Max put his cup down. He embraced me. “Erin, somethings are beyond our control. While it’s true that if the men had not chased your mother, she might not have died but those things have already happened. All you can do now is mitigate the aftermath.”

  “But I have nothing left.”

  He gently pulled my chin up. I looked into his dark brown eyes. “You have you. Your talents and skills will carry you forward, in whatever direction you choose to go.” He brushed the tears away with his thumb. “You have incredible gifts. My mother told me after my brother died that where one door closes, another often opens.”

  I hugged him. “Thank you, Max.” I stepped back and he let me go. “I should probably go change.”

  I went into the locker room. Amy and Linda were there. They both looked at me. Amy came up and hugged me. “Max said you were in the hospital yesterday. What are you doing here? Are you all right?”

  I was getting used to this question. “My mom died and I hadn’t eaten. My blood sugar dropped and I crashed. I was on IVs all night and I’ve had friends making sure I eat.”

  Linda’s face had gone taut. “Your mom died? That’s horrible!” She hugged me. “Are you going to be okay to teach?”

  I wiped the salty tracks on my face away. “I hope so. I felt bad because of Sunday and then yesterday. I feel like I let Max down.”

  Amy put her arm around me. “Sunday wasn’t your fault, Erin. Yan had no right to suggest that it was.”

  I didn’t want to go there. I glanced at my watch. “I have to get changed. Classes will be starting soon.”

  I got into my gee. By the time I came out, students were coming in and getting ready for their classes. I made it through afternoon classes without an issue. We sat down to dinner. I felt lost without Philip beside me. Yan glared at me from across the table but said nothing. Max made sure I finished my dinner. I washed my plate and headed for the classroom.

  Yan was the next to come in. “I went to visit Philip this afternoon. He doesn’t want to see you anymore.” He turned and walked out of the room.

  I began to tremble. I sat down zazen and wrapped my arms around myself. The air fought to get past the tightness in my throat. It wasn’t just the words he’d spoken but the way he’d said them, cold and filled with anger.

  Ryan came in. “Erin?” He knelt next to me. “Are you okay?”

  I managed to get enough air in to talk. “I’ll be okay.” It didn’t sound very convincing.

  Ryan touched my shoulder. “You’re shaking. Do you feel sick?” I didn’t answer. He jumped up and ran out of the room.

  Max came running in a moment later. He knelt down and grabbed my wrist. I realized he was taking my pulse. “That’s a little fast. And I’m concerned about the way your breathing. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

  I tried to get my heart back under control and focused on the air moving through my body as Fusan had taught me. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  Max sat zazen next to me. “I can take you home early.”

  I shook my head. “I’ll manage. I need the focus.”

  He took my pulse again. “That’s better. If you start to feel ill again, please let me know. Having you whole is far more important.” He rose and helped me to my feet.

  The others had come into the room. They had been standing at a distance, quietly waiting. Linda and Amy both came over. Amy put an arm around my shoulder. “We’ll watch out for her.”

  Max squeezed my arm. “May I tell the others so they understand what is going on?”

  I nodded. Linda put her arm around me, too. “We’re here for you.”

  Max went to the front of the class. Ryan, Steven, Yan, and Marcus fanned out around us. “You all know what happened to Philip on Sunday but another tragedy occurred yesterday. Erin’s mother was killed a few blocks from here.”

  Ryan gasped and looked over at me. “Was she the lady hit by the bus over on Pacific?”

  I nodded. The others looked shocked, even Yan. Max put his hands into closing posture, right hand covering left fist at his chest. “Life is a precious gift. When it is taken away, those left behind feel lost. Erin is struggling to find a new balance for her life. As fellow Junior Masters, I’m hoping that you will be there to help her. Let’s begin with some Tai Chi.”

  After class was over, everyone except Yan came up and gave me a hug. Yan had disappeared right away. I went in and changed back into my street clothes. It had gotten cold but all I had was my raincoat. Linda felt the thin material. “That doesn’t look very warm.”

  “It’s all I have. Everything else was at the apartment and the social worker told me it had been declared a crime scene so I couldn’t go there and get anything.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Why? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “The only thing I can think of is that the men who were chasing my mother must have broken into our apartment trying to figure out where she was working.” And maybe they were looking for the envelope but I didn’t
say that. It was already too complicated.

  Max was waiting for me. “It’s almost ten. Good thing it’s not far.” We went down to his car and I got in. He looked over at me. “Did something happen between you and Yan?”

  It was a direct question. I took a deep breath. “He had been to see Philip. He told me Philip didn’t want to see me.” I managed to keep breathing.

  Max pulled up in front of the foster care center. He looked over at me. “I don’t think Philip meant ever again. He just doesn’t want anyone to see him like he is right now.”

  Yan had been to see him. I wasn’t going to argue that point. I looked up at the building. “I better get in. Thanks for the ride. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He touched my arm. “Erin, if you need anything, call me. I mean that. I know you feel alone right now but you’re not. You have friends.”

  “Thanks.” My eyes were burning again. I got out and walked up the steps.

  The woman was waiting by the door. “That’s pushing it pretty tight. I expect you to be punctual. This is a special arrangement. Don’t abuse it. Go get ready for bed. Lights out is ten thirty.”

  I found my way back to the room with all the bunk beds. By the sounds, there were obviously other rooms like this one. There were girls of all ages, some getting into pajamas and others brushing their hair. A few of the younger ones were playing and some of the older ones were reading.

  I went to my bunk. There was a girl sitting on the top, dangling her feet over the side. Her skin was a soft brown, like coffee with creamer stirred in. She looked down at me. “So you the new girl. What your parents do?”

  I put my backpack down beside the bed. “They died.” I stripped off my jacket.

  The girl gasped. “What you got on your shirt?”

  “This is Eingana, she’s a dragon from Australia.” I noticed the pile of linens and a pillow. I began making the bed.

  The girl swung around and leaned over to watch me. “Ms. Auger, she gonna give you hell for that shirt. She don’t like no gang stuff.”

  I tucked in the sheets and spread the thin blanket over them. “My dragons have nothing to do with gangs. They are historical creatures of mythology.”

  “Whatever.”

  The girl on the bottom bunk next to me looked up from her book. “You’re the Dragon Lady, Tony’s girl. I’ve seen you in school.”

  I studied her. I didn’t remember seeing her before. “My name is Erin.”

  “I’m Kirby and run of mouth up there is Becca.” She pointed upward. “That’s Heidi. She goes to Hamilton, too. A bunch of us do.”

  All I could see was her back. I’d passed so many students in the hall and they were just nameless faces to me. “How many kids are here?”

  She shrugged. “Probably about a hundred. There’s a boy side, too, but we don’t see them. They don’t even eat with us. If you get caught over there, you get privileges taken away.”

  Becca laughed. “Like we have any?”

  Ms. Auger came to the door. “Lights out in five.”

  I didn’t have any pajamas or even sweatpants. I was going to have to make another trip to the mission free box. I put my coat and backpack in the box under my bed. I looked at the clothes. They looked empty. I was going to need to correct that. I took off my shoes and got into bed.

  Kirby looked over at me. “Aren’t you going to change?”

  “I don’t have anything to change into, just a couple pairs of jeans and a couple of shirts.” The room went dark. The lady took lights out seriously. I rolled over and tried to get comfortable. I’d slept on a cot for as long as I could remember. Mom had added the air mattresses when she’d found them in a free box a couple of years ago. I’d never slept in an actual bed except for the hospital the night before. It felt strange.

  I woke early, as usual. Thin gray light filtered in through the windows. I quietly pulled out a shirt and the things I needed from my backpack. I looked at the blank cloth. No stains to help me. I thought of all the dragons I knew and picked Scylla, a dragon from Greek mythology. She had originally been a nymph but had been changed into a beast. I felt that way right now.

  I was mostly done by the time the lights came on. Ms. Auger was at the door. “Buses will be here in a half an hour. Get a move on.”

  I didn’t have time to do the jeans but I’d live. At least I had the top half done. I pulled out the cardboard and put everything away.

  Becca dropped to the floor beside me. “What you been doing?”

  I showed her the shirt. “This is Scylla, at least the top half of her. I didn’t have time to do the rest yet.”

  Her mouth opened. “You just did that?”

  Kirby pulled her bed together. “She did. I watched some of it. You’re a really good artist, Erin.”

  I got dressed and pulled my bed together. All the girls scrambled at once. Becca waved to me and I joined her at the foot of our bunk.

  Ms. Auger was walking down the row, inspecting the beds. She made a couple of the girls go back and remake theirs. She came to us and stopped next to me. Her eyes squinted. “What are you wearing? Couldn’t Ms. Parker find you any decent clothes?”

  “These are decent. They don’t have any rips and they are clean.”

  She frowned. “I don’t like gang wear.”

  “This is Scylla. She’s from Greek mythology. She’d never let a gang member wear her.”

  Ms. Auger’s eyes went wide. “Well don’t you have a sassy mouth!” A bell rang. “Buses are here. Move it out!”

  I got onto the bus with Kirby and discovered there were about thirty other kids also going to Hamilton from the center. Over half of them were boys. I recognized a few of them as guys that sometimes hung out around Tony. And they recognized me, too. There was an increase in the chatter. I sat down next to another girl as Kirby had sat with Heidi.

  She looked over at me and her eyes went wide. “Dragon Lady! What are you doing here?”

  I shrugged. “My mom died. This is where I ended up.”

  She stared at me. “Damn. Your luck sucks.”

  We got to school early. Kids weren’t even on the steps yet. We all got off the bus and headed for the cafeteria. It was almost as busy as lunch time. I pulled out the card I’d been given and waited in line. I discovered what Tony’s comment the previous day had meant. The food looked better than lunch food. I took a reasonable amount and went to my seat.

  Tony showed up when I was half way through my food. He sat down quietly and watched me until I’d finished everything. He made an over-exaggerated sigh. “That’s a relief. You’re eating.” He traced the outlines on the shirt. “Are you going to introduce me?”

  “This is Scylla. She’s from Greek mythology. She was originally a nymph but Circe got mad at her and turned her into a beast.”

  “That’s one wicked looking dragon. I’m betting she’s not done yet.”

  “Didn’t have time to do the jeans.” I sighed. “I’m not used to someone telling me when to go to bed at night. It’s very precise there.”

  A couple of the boys wandered over. I recognized two of them from the bus. One of them pointed at me. “What did you do to end up in foster care?”

  Tony scowled at him. “Mind your manners before I mind them for you!”

  Another boy jabbed him in the ribs. “Don’t you pay attention? Her mama died. Show some respect to Tony’s girl.” He nodded at me and made some kind of hand sign I wasn’t familiar with. “We got your back.”

  Tony pulled me closer. “That’s better.” He kissed my forehead. “You going to hang in the library?”

  “I should. I’m behind on my homework.”

  “I’ll walk you there.”

  We went to my locker so I could get my books. Kevin was at his locker. He glanced over at me and pulled something out. He handed it to me and walked off. Tony growled at him but I put my hand on his chest. “At ease.” I opened the envelope.

  Tony looked over my shoulder at the card. It was beautiful. K
evin must have drawn it. His fine script inside touched me. I just lost my mom, too. I know it hurts but don’t lose your smile. It’s a nice one.

  Tony looked away. “Jesus. And I had to be a jerk to him.”

  I put the card in my big envelope and pulled a stack of books out. I closed my locker and looked at him. “I make it a point never to purposefully hurt anyone else. You never know what’s going on with them. Even mean people are usually mean for a reason.”

  He hugged me. “You have the heart of a dragon – big, bold, and beautiful.” He pulled me toward the library.

  I managed to finish all the homework I thought I’d missed in period one and three. Tony walked me to my first period class. Principal Granger was standing at the classroom door talking to someone. He saw me. “Ah, there she is. Ms. Dawson. This gentleman is here to see you.”

  I got a look at the man who the principal had been talking to. I froze. It was the attorney.