He pitched his voice louder. “I said, yes, ma’am.”
She walked over and pinched his upper arm so hard he whimpered. “Don’t be sassing me now.”
“No, ma’am. I’m not.”
“Good. Spare the rod, spoil the child. Jasmine!”
Lucas heard his sister running down the stairs from the second floor.
She entered, looking wary and afraid. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Those bathrooms clean?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
It broke his heart seeing Jaz’s scared face. They were both scared.
The doorbell rang.
Aunt Wanda snapped, “Upstairs, both of you! Get in your room, close the door, and do not make a sound!”
They ran up the steps. Jaz flew into the bedroom but Lucas stood out of sight at the top of the stairs to listen in.
It was the social worker, Mr. Gladwin. He asked to see them.
“Oh, you just missed them,” she lied. “They’ve gone to the library with the kids next door.”
Lucas hadn’t seen any kids and wondered if any existed.
Aunt Wanda added, “When you didn’t show up yesterday like you said, I wasn’t sure what was up, so I told them to go on ahead. They’ll be back in an hour or so. Library is having some kind of summer program.”
“So, they’re settling in?” Gladwin asked.
“Yes. No problems, so far. They’re the sweetest things.”
“Okay, good. Glad to hear that.”
“But they both need clothes, pajamas, things like that. Ms. Krebs said their parents left an estate? I almost fainted when she said it was worth about three million dollars. Never seen that much money in my whole life. How do I get access to it, so I can get them what they need? I promise not to spend all three million, at least not today,” she said, apparently making a joke.
Lucas stilled. Three million dollars!
Mr. Gladwin replied, “Most of the estate is being held in escrow for them until they turn eighteen, but as their guardian you’ll be able to tap into a small monthly amount.”
“Oh,” she said as if that wasn’t the answer she’d been expecting. Lucas wondered if Mr. Gladwin was suspicious.
Her voice turned cheery again. “Do I need to fill out paperwork, or what?”
“I have everything with me, but I’m really supposed to see the kids before we start the process, so how about I come back later? I don’t want you to have to wait any longer than necessary.”
“That’s fine. Can I call you when they get back?”
“Sure. I’ve got a full plate today and may not be able to come as soon as you call, but I will stop back by.”
“That’s good enough.”
Not only was Aunt Wanda vicious and mean, she was greedy, too. Hearing Mr. Gladwin leave, Lucas tiptoed down the hall to their room and shared with Jaz what he’d heard.
“Three million dollars!” Jaz whispered excitedly.
He nodded.
“She’s going to try and spend it all. We won’t be eighteen for a thousand years.”
“I know.”
She took in his face. “Does your face hurt?” she asked with concern.
“Yes. Be nice if Mr. Gladwin does come back and gets us out of here.” But the way their lives had been going, Lucas didn’t hold much hope.
That afternoon, Aunt Wanda sent him outside to cut the grass in her backyard. The yard was small so he didn’t think it would take very long. He worried that the ancient-looking mower wouldn’t work, but when he pulled the starter, it started right up. When he lived with his parents, he’d been ecstatic when he grew old enough to take on the job. He’d listened intently to his dad explain how the mower worked and the safety measures that needed to be adhered to, like wearing safety glasses. Thinking about his dad brought back the sadness, but knowing Aunt Wanda was waiting for him to get done, he put it aside and got to work. He was cutting a path from the house to the shed at the back of the yard when he saw a woman exit the house next door. She was wearing a blue uniform that made him think she might be the police and she was carrying a trash bag. He kept mowing while she put the bag into a brown Dumpster, and then she stopped and looked at him as if surprised. She waved. Not wanting to draw Aunt Wanda’s wrath, he put his head down and pushed the mower. When he peeked over she was at the fence that separated the two homes waving again as if wanting him to stop. Because she was an adult, he did.
“Hey there,” she said, “I’m C. C. Crane, and you are?”
“Lucas Herman.”
“You visiting?”
“I live here now. Me and my sister.”
She paused and concern filled her face. “Since when?”
“Wednesday.”
“Really?” She looked over at Aunt Wanda’s house for a moment, then back to him. “Foster kids?”
“No. She’s our great-aunt. Our parents died two years ago. We went to foster care but now we’re here.”
“She treating you okay?”
Lucas hesitated. He didn’t know what might happen if he told the truth and Aunt Wanda found out, so he nodded. “Yeah.”
C.C.’s lips tightened as if she knew he was lying. “Tell you what,” she said, voice kind. “I’m a police officer. If you or your sister need anything, come knock on my door. Even if it’s in the middle of the night, you come. You hear me?”
He whispered, “Yes, ma’am.”
“Lucas!” Aunt Wanda was standing on the back porch. “Get back to work.”
C.C. stared at her coldly. “Morning, Ms. Borden. How are you?”
“Fine. Go bust some crackheads and let him finish his chores.”
She ignored that but told Lucas, “Remember what I said.”
He nodded and restarted the mower. He took a quick glance over at the fence and saw C.C. going into her house.
Aunt Wanda said, “Don’t let that uniform of hers fool you. She’s as corrupt as they come.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Once he was done, he put the mower back into the small shed and went inside the house. He was hungry but there was no guarantee she’d let him eat, so he tried not to think about his stomach.
“What was she saying to you?” Aunt Wanda asked as soon as he stepped in.
“She just introduced herself and wanted to know who I was.”
“And you told her what?”
“That we’d just come to live with you and you were raising us.”
“She ask you about your face?”
“No, ma’am.” He hadn’t looked in the mirror since getting up so he guessed the bruise was starting to become visible.
“Anybody ask you what happened, you say you tripped over something in the dark on your way to the toilet.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Wash your hands and go make some sandwiches for you and your sister.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
A few hours later, Mr. Gladwin returned. “You kids doing okay?”
For the second time that day, Lucas hesitated over his reply, but Aunt Wanda was sitting on the couch watching him intently. She had a smile on her face and a glare in her eyes. “Yes, we’re fine.”
Gladwin turned and viewed Aunt Wanda for a long moment before bringing his attention back to Lucas. “Do you like to read?”
“Yes.” No hesitation.
“What books did you bring back from the library?”
He heard Jaz give a tiny gasp of surprise.
Aunt Wanda answered in her fake cheery voice, “They weren’t allowed to check out any books. They said I had to be with them to get a library card. Right kids?”
“Uh, yes. That’s what they told us.”
Gladwin studied him in a way reminiscent of the way police officer C.C. had earlier. Does he know I’m lying? Please, God, let him know.
Gladwin got to his feet. “Ms. Borden, I need to see the kids’ bedroom to make sure it meets the specifications.”
She stood. “I can take—”
“
No. You stay here. They can show me. We’ll be right back.”
Up in the room, he let them enter first. “Have a seat.” They sat down on their beds and waited. He closed the door.
“I want to ask you a few questions and I want you to tell me the truth, okay?”
They nodded. Lucas began shaking.
“Did you really go to the library this morning?”
Lucas and Jaz shared a look. Jaz said, “We can’t say. She’ll hurt us.”
Gladwin’s jaw tightened. “Not on my watch, so tell me everything that’s happened since she brought you here.”
In a halting voice, Lucas began with having to clean the room before they could eat.
Gladwin appeared angry. “I saw this room when I did the inspection the day before you arrived. She told me she’d have it cleaned up for you.”
“We cleaned it up for us,” Jaz said.
Lucas added, “And we had to take all the stuff out and wash and dry the sheets before we could eat.”
“And the food was cold,” Jaz said tightly.
“It was one in the morning when we went to bed.”
“And she slapped Lucas in the face last night because he accidentally broke a plate.”
Mr. Gladwin bent down and gently turned Lucas’s face so he could see it better. “I saw it when I came in. I wanted to wait until we were alone to ask you about it. You have a good-sized bruise blooming there. I’m sorry about all this. My office placed you here on the recommendation of the worker in Kansas, Ms. Krebs. She said she checked Ms. Borden out thoroughly.”
“I think she just wants our parents’ money,” Lucas said.
“I got that impression as well when she and I spoke this morning. Gather up your things. I’m getting you two out of here.”
Tears sprang into Lucas’s eyes but he quickly wiped them away. “Thank you, sir.”
“Is there someplace you want to go?”
“Yes, back to Ms. Dahl and Henry Adams.”
And after they explained why and answered a few questions he had about Ms. Gemma and the town, Gladwin said, “Let’s see if I can’t make that happen. No. I will make it happen. Again, I apologize on behalf of the state of Ohio for placing you here.”
They stuffed their belongings back into the trash bags. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Aunt Wanda stood up. She looked confused. “What’s going on here? Where are you taking them?”
“Away. I’m rescinding your guardianship.”
Her eyes went wide. “Why?”
“Abuse.”
“What abuse? If he said I hit him, he’s lying.”
He met her hostile glare. “There are two kids standing here. How did you know Lucas was the accuser?”
She froze.
“You’ll be hearing from the state, Ms. Borden. Have a nice day.”
As he escorted them out the door, she began cursing and screaming and calling them all kinds of nasty names but Mr. Gladwin didn’t respond.
Outside, a police car sat at the curb. C.C. stepped out. “Hey, Ed.”
“C.C. Thanks for the call.”
Lucas looked between the two adults with surprise.
Mr. Gladwin explained. “C.C. and I grew up together and now attend the same church. After she met you earlier she called me and told me about the bruise she saw on your face, and how hesitant you were when she questioned you.”
She gave Lucas a kind smile.
Ed Gladwin continued, “Even if she hadn’t called I knew something was up when I stopped by this morning. You learn to listen to your gut in this business, so I went back to the office and ran the background check on her that Krebs out in Kansas should’ve run.”
“What did you find out?” Jaz asked.
“That thirty years ago, Wanda Borden had three of her kids taken from her home by the state of California because of neglect and abuse. She should’ve never been allowed anywhere near you and your brother.”
Lucas glanced over at Jaz and something in his own gut told him the bad times were over. He didn’t know why he felt that way, but he did. “Thank you, C.C.”
“Anytime. Have a good life, Lucas.” She turned to Jaz. “What’s your name?”
When Jaz replied, C.C. said, “Nice meeting you, Jasmine. You have a good life, too.”
She walked back to her cruiser and Gladwin called, “See you in church.”
“You, too.”
She drove away and Lucas and Jazz climbed into the backseat of his car. Once they were buckled in, he said, “Next stop, my office, and then, Henry Adams, Kansas.”
Jaz cheered.
Three hours later, after stuffing themselves at McDonald’s and sitting in Mr. Gladwin’s office while he made calls and faxed papers, Lucas and Jasmine went with him to the airport. There was a white jet sitting at one of the hangars. As they approached it, the door opened and stairs appeared. Lucas looked as confused as Jaz did, but when they saw Ms. Gemma, Wyatt, and Ms. Brown descending, their eyes widened and they ran.
Ms. Gemma scooped them up. “I’m so glad to see you!”
Lucas couldn’t put into words how glad he was to see her, too.
Wyatt stuck out a hand and he and Lucas embraced. “Told you you’d be back,” Wyatt laughed.
Ms. Brown had tears in her eyes. “Thank you, Mr. Gladwin.”
“You’re welcome. I like that fancy chariot you have there.”
“Comes in handy for things like this. You kids ready to go home?”
Lucas spoke for them both. “Yes.” But first he turned to Mr. Gladwin and said sincerely, “Thank you, sir, so much.” He was thankful for him and for his friend Officer C.C.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad things worked out. Take care.”
He walked back the way they’d come and the Henry Adams crew climbed into the white jet and buckled up.
The jet gathered speed and, once in the air, Lucas viewed the city of Cincinnati getting smaller and smaller. He was not leaving with good memories, but he was thankful to have met C.C. and Mr. Gladwin. Across the aisle, he saw Jaz watching Cincinnati disappear, too. They’d survived Aunt Wanda, were still together, and, for the first time since their parents’ death, the future looked bright.
Beside him, Wyatt said, “Brought you something.” He handed Lucas the Harry Potter book he’d had to leave behind. Although it had only been a few days ago, it felt like an eternity. Emotion bubbled up. “Thanks, Wyatt.”
“You’re welcome.”
The bookmark he’d placed inside was still there, so he removed it and picked up the story where he’d left off.
When they arrived at the Hays airport, Leah and Tiffany’s uncle T.C. was standing next to a big black car waiting to drive them home. His welcoming smile and the memory of Pizza Saturday added to the happiness Lucas felt inside. Henry Adams was going to be their home now and these people, his and Jaz’s extended family, and that made him happy, too.
To pitch their tents the Julys needed to flatten the grass, so, mimicking the Plains Indians of old, they danced under the light of the full moon. The night air pulsed with the steady beat of the drums while the wind carried the voices of the singers chanting songs passed down through time; songs of the Lakota Sioux, the Cheyenne, and the Cherokee alternated with songs rooted in the Black Seminoles of Florida, the border town of Brackettville, Texas, and Nacimiento, Mexico.
Tamar sat on her porch in the darkness, letting the familiar songs fill her soul and transport her back to Wewoka, the small town founded in the 1840s by legendary leader John Horse back when Oklahoma was known as Indian Territory. Slave catchers allied with the hated Creeks followed her people west, bent upon returning them to masters who viewed them only as property and not the fierce warriors who’d bested Andrew Jackson’s soldiers again and again in the swamps and high grasses of Florida. Wearing the traditional headdress and a long calico dress she imagined herself among the women and other tribal members who followed John Horse and the Seminole Chief Wildcat south as they fled Indian Ter
ritory on a cold November night in 1849 to seek freedom and peace in Mexico. They walked to Texas and, with the women, she crossed the Trinity River and helped plant corn with the hope of staying long enough to harvest it, only to abandon it because it was too risky to stay with slave catchers dogging their trail like rabid bloodhounds. As they journeyed on, the young and the old died of starvation, drownings, and attacks from other tribes like the Comanche. By March they were crossing the river the Spanish named Los Brazos, the Arms of God, and called on the African deities of their ancestors to protect them as they walked on. Eight months later, in July of 1850, having evaded slave catchers, bands of Creeks, outlaws, bounty hunters, and the US government, John Horse and the Black Seminoles crossed the Rio Grande and found sanctuary in Mexico.
Tamar came back to the present. As the drumming, singing, and dancing continued she looked up at the stars. Her heart was filled knowing that in towns along the borders of Texas and Mexico there were other women just like her, riding the songs and rhythms of the past with the blood of the Black Seminole diaspora flowing in their veins.
“Tamar?”
It was Eula, seated in a chair nearby. “Are you okay?”
“I am. Was lost in the past for a moment, but I’m fine.”
“You were so quiet, I thought you’d fallen asleep.”
In the darkness, Tamar smiled. “Not sleep.” She gazed out at the full moon and saw the dark outline of a large winged bird crossing the glow. She froze. The now familiar caw of the harpy eagle from her dreams sounded on the wind. “Did you hear that?” she asked Eula.
“What?”
When Tamar looked again, the eagle was gone. The night sky held only the moon and the stars. “Never mind. I thought I heard something.”
“I can’t hear anything but the drums and the singing.”
The logical parts of Tamar chalked up the odd sight to her imagination, but the traditional self knew better. She checked her phone for the time. One a.m. The July men had been dancing since sunset. By the light of the moon, she saw them starting to pitch tents, hammering in stakes to the beat of the drums. In another hour or so, it would be quiet enough to sleep. “I think I’m going to bed.”
Eula stood. “I’m right behind you.”