Confronting the Fallen (7 page)

“Yeah, Chris,” Jacob spoke up. “Once
you pass the test...”

“Shut up, Jake!” Tyler hissed, looking
around at the other tables. “You aren't allowed to tip him
off!”

“Gees, Ty, relax!” Jacob glared at his
friend. “I'm only saying...”

“A little too much, I'm afraid,” a
voice spoke up nearby and the three boys jumped. They turned to see
Martin walking toward their table. “Speaking without thinking
again, Mr. Saint James? I believe that habit has served you ill in
calculus class, hasn't it?”

Jacob blushed. “Sorry, Martin. It just sort
of...slipped out.”

Martin sighed. “Yes, of course it did.”
He turned to look at Chris. “I see you've finished your meal,
Mr. Wright. I'm happy to tell you that the judge has managed to free
up some time on his schedule and will see you in his office at eleven
this morning.” He looked at the other two teens. “Before
you gentlemen head off to class, would you kindly show our guest to
the entertainment area? I'm sure it will keep him occupied until he
meets with the judge.”

The boys nodded and Martin thanked them and headed
out of the room. As soon as he left, Jacob turned and looked at
Chris.

“You have an appointment with the judge?”
he asked incredulously.

Chris stared at him. “Well, yeah, I guess
so. I mean, that's who brought me here yesterday, so I suppose it
makes sense that...”

“The judge brought you here?” This
time it was Tyler who sounded amazed.

“Yes, he did.” Chris couldn't
understand their reactions. “What's the big deal?”

“What's the big deal?” Jacob repeated.
“The big deal is no one meets with the judge. Well, none of us
kids anyway. Martin or one of the other senior staffers usually goes
through our introduction to the house and all that.” He looked
over at Tyler. “I don't think either of us has ever spoken to
him. Have you, Ty?”

Tyler shook his head. “Nope, and I've only
seen him around a few times. I think he travels a lot, so we rarely
see him in the house. I think it's awesome that you get to see him,
Chris. And if he was the one who actually brought you here...”
Tyler shook his head. “You must be really important.”

Chris laughed at that idea. “I'm not,”
he said. “Just a kid from the streets who got in over his
head.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin and pushed his plate
away. “I'm grateful to the judge for his help, but I have no
idea why he wants me here.”

Tyler and Jacob both looked confused but Jacob
finally smiled as he stood up. “Well, whatever he wants you
for, at least you're here and safe.”

“Yeah,” Tyler agreed. “So let's
show you where you can hang out until you have to meet with the
judge.”

The three teens made their way out of the dining
room and turned left. Chris followed the others as they led him on a
winding, slow-paced tour of the house; both of the boys pointing out
various rooms and making comments as they went.

“Here's the old chapel,” Tyler said
with a nod toward a set of ornate double doors. “It's not used
much anymore, but take a look when you get the chance; it's really
beautiful in there.”

“The library,” Jacob pointed at a
large oak door. “You'll be amazed at the size of that place.”
He grinned at Chris. “If you stay and have to study, you'll be
spending a lot of time in there. It has several computers for surfing
the Net too. Mrs. Stiles is the librarian. She's great.”

Chris was tempted to stop and explore. During his
time on the street, he'd spent hours reading at the main library and
had even taken a few free online courses to try and keep up with his
education. But the boys were moving on, so he just made a mental note
to come back as soon as he could.

By the time the three teens had reached the
entertainment area, or games room as Jacob called it, Chris was lost
and a bit bewildered. He had had about a dozen different rooms
pointed out to him by his two guides and had no idea how he was
supposed to remember all of them.

Tyler must have noticed his confused expression
and, before they entered the room, pointed to a small plaque to the
left of the door.

“Don't worry about keeping it all straight,
Chris,” he said. “All of the public rooms have a sign
next to them, telling you what they are. Are you carrying your
phone?” Chris nodded. “Cool. So just tap on the icon of
the house and it will bring up an inside map of the place with a
small blue dot showing your location. It's easy to find your way once
you get used to the app.”

Chris pulled out his phone and saw the little
picture of a house. He touched it and a small map appeared with a
blue dot in the center. The corridor was there and a room marked ent.
cntr. “Wow, that is so cool,” he said, staring at the
map.

“Yeah,” Jacob chuckled. “Rumor
is, the judge is a gadget freak. We heard that the cell he always
carries was made specifically for him. He loves all the new tech that
comes out and keeps up with everything in the high tech world.”

“Just remember,” Tyler said, sounding
serious for a change. “Any room not marked by a plaque is
private. If you are curious about what's inside, knock first. If
there's no answer, just move on.”

“Yeah, the adults take privacy very
seriously here,” Jacob added.

“Martin mentioned something about it last
night,” Chris added. “He said no one was allowed in my
room without permission.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Jacob agreed.
“Anyway, since we're here, we might as well show you around for
a minute,” he said.

“Just for a minute, Jake” Tyler
cautioned. “We'll be late for class if we don't hurry.”

The boys entered the games room. Chris was amazed.
The room was easily twice the size of the dining room, with groups of
comfortable chairs along the walls.

Every bunch of chairs were centered around either
a video game console or foosball and pool tables. In the center of
the room were more chairs, each with a small table beside them with
hand held video games on each. Other tables with chess boards, piles
of gaming magazines, decks of cards and a backgammon board could be
seen as well. There was a mainstream pop music station playing in the
background. Chris was more than impressed.

“This place is amazing!” Chris said in
a hushed voice. The other two guys chuckled.

“Yeah,” Jacob grinned. “It's
cool. We spend a lot of time here after dinner and on the weekends.
Ty is a video game master.”

Tyler punched Jacob lightly on the arm. “I'm
only fair, dummy. You're much better.”

Chris continued to look around while the two
friends bickered. He knew he would enjoy himself here and he glanced
almost fondly at his two new friends, happy that he had found others
to talk to so quickly. Tyler and Jacob finally stopped arguing about
who was the better gamer and Jacob slapped Chris on the back as they
headed for the door.

“Have fun, bud. Hope your talk with the
judge goes well,” he said.

“Yeah, me too,” Tyler said. “We
hope you can stay a while.” Then he winked and the two teens
left the room.

Chris stood for a moment and looked around, trying
to decide what to do for two hours.

Video games are fun, he thought, but solo playing
is boring. Then he remembered the library they had passed on the way
to the entertainment center. Chris thought that he'd rather read a
book to pass the time. A good book always made him forget things that
were bothering him. He headed out into the hallway and made his way
back to the library.

Chris opened the door and slowly entered the
library. He quietly closed the door behind him and looked around.

Jacob had been right; the place was huge. Rows and
rows of shelves towered to the high ceiling, stuffed with books.
There were several display cases scattered near the entrance and
Chris saw through their glass tops that there were a few old scrolls
and a stone tablet with cuneiform characters on it that Chris found
intriguing. He loved the old relics that his Dad used to show him on
those few times the university had sent him on archaeological digs.

As he was staring at the relic, lost in thought
and memory, the sharp sound of someone clearing their throat behind
him made him spin around quickly, his heart suddenly in his mouth.

A tiny old lady was standing close to him with her
hands on her hips. She looked him up and down without speaking, then
folded her hands and raised an eyebrow expectantly.

“Um, good morning,” Chris said
hesitantly. “I'm Chris, Chris Wright. Are you Mrs. Stiles?”

The lady finally smiled. It changed her whole
face. “Yes, that's correct. Mr. Wright is it? Yes, a new
arrival. I've heard.” She turned and walked to a desk, sitting
down behind it. She waved at a chair in front of the desk and Chris
quickly walked over and sat down.

“So, Mr. Wright. What can the library do for
you today?”

Chris stared at the woman for a moment. She spoke
as if the library itself was a person. “Well, I have a meeting
with the judge in two hours or so and I was supposed to wait in the
games room but, well, I just felt like reading a good book would pass
the time better.” He shrugged at what he was sure was a lame
answer. To his surprise, Mrs. Stiles smiled widely.

“A teenager who would prefer to read rather
than play video games? Oh my. I suspect that you and I are going to
get along famously, Mr. Wright.” She stood up abruptly and
Chris jumped to his feet as well. “So, young man. What topic
would you be interested in?”

Chris thought about for a moment. “I've
always liked ancient history,” he said. “My Dad taught
about ancient religions and I guess I got the bug. I especially like
books about the old Roman or Greek civilizations. Do you have
anything like that?”

Mrs. Stiles looked amazed. “Well, that's a
coincidence for you.” She motioned for Chris to follow her and
headed into the rows of books. “The judge has a passion for
ancient peoples and religions. So we have a rather overstocked
selection on those topics.”

They stopped in front of a towering bookcase
packed with thick leather-bound tomes. “We have a lot of books
on ancient Rome and Greece, Mr. Wright. Feel free to look through
them and find something you like.” Mrs. Stiles smiled at Chris
again and then walked back toward the front of the library.

Chris quickly found a book that looked promising,
returned to the front of the room, grabbed a chair and started
reading. He made sure to mention to the librarian that his meeting
with the judge was at eleven, in case he lost track of the time and
then opened the book and found himself roaming the streets of ancient
Greece.

“Mr. Wright!” Chris bolted upright
from where he was curled up reading on the chair. He caught the heavy
book as it was sliding off of his lap then looked, bewildered, at
Mrs. Stiles.

“Yes ma'am?” he said in confusion.
“Was I doing something wrong?”

The lady chuckled. “Of course not,”
she answered and then pointed to a large clock over the library
entrance. “But you only have ten minutes to make your
appointment with Judge Hawkes, and I know for a fact that he doesn't
like to be kept waiting.”

“Oh, right. Thanks, Mrs. Stiles.”

“You're welcome.” She motioned for
Chris to hand her the book. As he did, she glanced at the cover. “So,
what was such an engrossing read? Ah yes. Ancient Greece. Fascinating
topic.”

“I really like the way the author sucks you
into his world,” Chris said with enthusiasm.

“Hmm, M.F.L. Seguin. Yes, well, I find him a
trifle pedantic myself but to each his own I suppose.” She
smiled at Chris. “If you really enjoy the subject, check out
his wife Amanda's work. She's less cluttered and more imaginative.
Now, you'd best get moving, Mr. Wright. Do you know how to get to the
judge's office?”

“I'm not sure, actually,” Chris
answered. “Could you direct me please?”

After getting directions from the librarian, Chris
waved and headed for his meeting. It only took a few minutes to reach
the judge's office. The oaken door had a plaque that read 'Judge
Hawkes' and, after hesitating a moment, Chris rapped lightly.

The door opened almost instantly and Chris found
himself staring up at Martin, who grinned at him.

“Good morning again, Mr. Wright,”
Martin said. “Please come in.”

“Hi Martin,” Chris responded and
walked into the office. He stood waiting while Martin and the judge,
who was sitting behind a massive pine desk, continued their
conversation.

“I understand your concern, your honor,”
Martin was saying to the judge. “But we simply don't have the
resources to protect someone in Tibet. If they aren't willing to be
transported to Luxembourg, then there isn't anything we can do.”

“That is not acceptable, Martin. Find a way.
Persuade her or guard her, at least until she comes around.”
Martin opened his mouth to speak but the judge cut him off. “That
will be all. Thank you, Martin.”

Martin hesitated, then nodded. “Yes judge.
I'll let you know how things progress.” And then he turned and
left the room, closing the door behind him.

Judge Hawkes sighed loudly and slumped back into
his chair. Chris stood by the door and waited, not knowing if he
should sit in one of the chairs in front of the judge's desk or wait
to be invited.

After a long moment, the judge looked up and
smiled at Chris. He waved toward one of the chairs. “Please,
have a seat, Christopher,” he said, sounding a bit tired. “and
how are you today? Did you sleep well?” he asked once Chris was
seated.

“Yes sir, thanks.”

“Good. Good.” The judge glanced down
at his desk. Chris saw that he was looking at his cellphone again.

“You sure do get a lot of use from that
phone, sir,” Chris said rather daringly.