The Perfect World (The Perfect World Series Book 1) (8 page)

While he was pondering this dilemma, his food dropped down into the food slot. The container was covered in tin foil, which he peeled back to reveal the hot contents inside. It was chicken nuggets with some tater tots. Cyrus didn’t particularly like tater tots, but it was far better than anything else he’d been fed recently. Before long, the lock clicked open, and Ms. Linda strode in with her garbage bag.

He sat up to greet his caretaker, but froze when her gloved hand picked up the piece of paper he’d gotten a short while ago. She read what it said, then put it in the garbage. He was about to protest what she did, when Ms. Linda looked at him sharply, and he closed his mouth.

“I found the note in Ms. Hannah’s room earlier today. I would advise that you never do that again Cyrus,” Ms. Linda spoke in a no-nonsense tone. “Ms. Hannah has been diagnosed with a slight sickness and is to be isolated from others for a short time. If you do not wish to catch her sickness, then you shouldn’t do things like this.”

“Sorry, Ms. Linda,” he spoke sullenly. She ignored his sulkiness and went on with her business.

“Trash?” she asked as per her normal schedule.

Cyrus listlessly picked up the empty container and threw it in her bag. She nodded her thanks to him, then started to leave. Before she did, she turned to him one last time and spoke in a soft voice.

“Cyrus, for your own good, you should try to follow the rules. Also, you shouldn’t ask so many questions. It isn’t good for you.”

The young boy was going to ask her to elaborate, but she left before he could. Ms. Linda had sounded strange to Cyrus when she said that. She didn’t seem mad at him. Rather, the short woman seemed to be almost sympathetic towards him. Lying back down and mulling over the events of the day, he could only wonder what it all meant.

A few days later, Melody was back in class with them. She looked a little more subdued, but otherwise she seemed fine. The red-haired girl even gave Cyrus a small smile when she saw him as they sat in the circle for group discussion that day. He returned the smile, happy that she was all right. Melody didn’t interrupt the class again that day, not that Cyrus had really expected her to.

Otherwise, the days passed as they normally did. The schedule of group discussions mixed with computer classes was the same for weeks on end. The time was passing slowly for the young boy as this Saturday would mark another trip to see the animals. By Cyrus’s count, they should have been back to see the animals at least once before this trip, but for some reason they hadn’t. Ms. Linda hadn’t answered him when he asked her about it, and no one else had given any explanation as to why their visit had been delayed. Thus, he could hardly wait as he went to bed that Friday night. Cyrus thought of the soft, golden puppy that had stayed with him until the attendant had gotten mad at him.

Before he knew it, the sun was peeking through his windows, marking the start of the morning. Yawning and stretching, he heard a thump from his food slot and reached inside to retrieve his breakfast. Cyrus wrinkled his nose at the contents. There was a Satsuma orange, which he liked, along with another container of dry, lumpy oatmeal. Using the small spoon that came with the oatmeal, he mixed the Satsuma pieces into the hot breakfast cereal.

Maybe that will take away some of the blandness
, Cyrus thought, though he doubted it himself.

He put a spoonful in his mouth and decided the orange slices did help a little, though not enough to mask the total gooey, unpleasant flavor of the dish. He ate a few spoonfuls, then put the lid back on it and set it aside.

Ms. Linda came in shortly after that and helped him with his morning routine. Again, she told him to contain his excitement and be patient because they would be leaving shortly. Cyrus paced about the room until the lock on the door clicked open, and he rushed outside.

The other children lined up quickly, and soon enough they were filing into the black van to head off to see the animals. He swung his legs back and forth on the bench as the vehicle started moving and continued to do so for most of the trip. 

When they arrived, Cyrus was eager to get down from the van and see the horses. He wondered if he’d have that same mare again. Then his thoughts turned to Mr. Vale. He hoped that maybe the old attendant would be able to answer one of his questions today.

Ms. Linda unlocked the gate to the farm animal area and got everyone into a line. Then they waited by the entrance to be greeted. Expecting the rugged Mr. Vale, he was shocked to see a tall, younger man walking towards them. He had thin brown hair that was cut short, green eyes and a pleasant, albeit vacant expression. He lacked the knowledgeable presence that Mr. Vale had, at least that was how Cyrus saw it.

“Hello there, kids.” He greeted them in a throaty voice that almost sounded hoarse. “You can call me Mr. Gero. I’ll be replacing Mr. Vale, who has become sick since the last time you were here.”

Cyrus’s eyes widened at the words, and some of the other kids shifted uneasily. The last time he had seen Mr. Vale was during their last visit when they had asked him some questions.

“I’m not certain if the sickness is serious or not. Best that you kids don’t think about that,” Mr. Gero spoke to them as he led them towards the horses. Once they were inside the pens, he turned to them and pointed to the brushes. “Now, I’m told you’ve been here enough times to know what to do. So let’s get started!”

The children obeyed quickly, and they started brushing their horses in silence. Though Cyrus normally enjoyed this activity, he found himself plagued by thoughts about Mr. Vale. What if the sickness was serious? What if he had to be quarantined? Even worse, what if it was his fault? It didn’t help that there seemed to be more of those black armored guards around. Cyrus couldn’t see through their helmets, but he felt like their eyes were focused on him.

His questions remained unanswered and stayed with him throughout their visit. Normally the highlight of his month, Cyrus felt like his stomach was full of water sloshing about inside him and making him feel like he needed to puke. He went through the chores in a daze, not knowing if he was really here or there.

The uneasiness in his stomach subsided a little when they were taken to the cat room, and Big Guy was still there. He didn’t talk to Big Guy the way he normally did, but Big Guy was as sullen as ever. He smiled, and his mood lightened a little. At least, he knew what to expect from this fat orange cat.

In what felt like a very short time to Cyrus, they left the cat room and made the long walk out to the fenced yard where the dogs were kept. Once they were told the rules again, he snatched the first ball he could get and ran to find the golden puppy. He wondered briefly how big the puppy was now since it had been a while. He ran straight to a big pack of dogs and didn’t see him. He stopped and looked around the yard. Still no sign of him.

Worried now, the young bushy-haired boy walked around for a bit. No matter where he looked, he didn’t see it. He squinted his eyes and kept looking in every corner, at every angle, thinking that if he didn’t give up he’d find the small golden dog who had hung around him before.

“He’s not here.”

Cyrus whipped around to see the red-haired attendant who had gotten angry with him during his previous visit. He looked up at her, feeling another wave of fear settle in his stomach.

“What do you mean?”

“He got sick. He’s gone,” the attendant said mildly before moving on. She didn’t see the heartbroken look on the boy’s face as she left, nor would she have cared if she had.

Cyrus stood, shaking a little, holding the ball limply in his right hand. He felt cold and clammy, wanting nothing more than to go back to his room and curl up in his bed.

A tap on his shoulder made him lift his tear-filled eyes. He saw Scott give him a look of concern. He gave the ball to the black-haired boy, then walked slowly back across the yard. When he arrived where Ms. Linda was standing, she gave him an exasperated look.

“Cyrus Wright. Did you get in trouble again?”

He didn’t look at her, but just nodded. She didn’t respond for a minute, and he felt her eyes searching him. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

“Well, go sit down by the fence Cyrus,” she said in a gentle voice that he rarely heard from her. He slumped down next to the fence, bringing his knees up and resting his head against them. Wrapping his arms around his legs, he sniffled and cried as quietly as he could into them. He didn’t know why he thought he needed to be quiet about it, but he decided it was probably for the best.

While he sat there, he heard the attendant for the dogs come up and ask Ms. Linda why he was sitting there. His caretaker explained to her that he had been bad, and he was being kept away from the dogs as punishment. Cyrus couldn’t make out the words, but he could tell that the attendant approved of his punishment. If he had looked up, he would have seen the smirk on her face as she left to check on the others.

Curled up in a ball, the tears were running more slowly now, but they were still coming. If he hadn’t asked Mr. Vale a question, maybe he would still be here. If he hadn’t hogged the puppy’s attention for himself, then he might not have gotten sick.

Cyrus had finally calmed down when it was time for them to go back to their building. He got up listlessly and took his space in line. He didn’t notice where he was going or those around him. Suddenly, he was back in the van, and they were going home. He didn’t look at anyone, and he didn’t care much what was happening around him. He just wanted to go back to his room.

When he was finally there, he immediately got under the covers and took a short, troubled nap. He was startled awake when his dinner arrived in his food slot. Cyrus pulled it out and placed it on the top of his dresser, not feeling the least bit hungry. Cyrus laid his head down on the pillow and attempted to go back to sleep. He had almost succeeded when his lock clicked open. Frowning, but knowing that he needed to go to the bathroom, he got up and left his room.

He lumbered into the bathroom only to see Scott standing by one of the sinks.

“Are you all right?” Scott asked mildly as he examined Cyrus’s stooped posture and downturned mouth. “You don’t look too good.”

“I’m fine, I think,” Cyrus answered slowly, trying to find the words.

“Are you sure?” Scott asked again, clearly not believing the answer.

“I guess,” Cyrus replied softly. “I’m fine, but they’re not.”

“Who?”

“Mr. Vale from the stables, and the little golden puppy from where the dogs are kept. Remember what Mr. Gero said about Mr. Vale? About how he had gotten sick since our last visit? That was the time I asked him a question, and he got in trouble with that guard. Now he’s gone.”

Scott nodded that he understood, but said nothing. Cyrus took a deep breath to calm himself, then continued.

“Then, there’s that puppy. You know the one that wouldn’t leave me alone the last time I was there. He followed me everywhere, and I said he liked me best. The attendant got really mad at me about it. Then, when we went back today, the puppy was gone. She said he had gotten sick and wasn’t there anymore.”

Cyrus bit his lip to keep from losing it again. Scott decided to say something so that the other boy could have more time to collect himself.

“You think it was because of you?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe. I don’t know. They’re sick now, and I think it was because of something I did. I asked Mr. Vale a question without the rest of the group, and I was the one who kept playing with that puppy even when I was told not to.” Cyrus scrunched his eyes up before he continued. “So, why did they get sick? Why wasn’t it me?”

“I don’t know,” Scott replied, meeting Cyrus’s green eyes, “but I don’t think their getting sick is because of you. Mr. Vale wanted to answer your question until the guard stopped him. As for the puppy, he was following you everywhere. There was nothing you could do.”

Cyrus nodded bleakly, not feeling any better.

“Cyrus, listen to me. I don’t know why they became sick, but I don’t think it was because of you.”

“Then why did it happen?” Cyrus asked in a small voice. He looked at Scott as a terrible thought occurred to him. “What if I am making people sick? What if I make you sick? What if you have to go away?”

“Cyrus, if you made people sick, I would be gone by now.” Scott noted astutely. “We see each other much more than anyone else. I feel fine, and I’m not going away.”

“Are you sure?” Cyrus asked timidly.

Scott rolled his eyes and turned on the sink next to him. He cupped his hands under the water, and when he had a sizeable amount in his hands he flung it at Cyrus. The brown-haired boy yelped as he got wet.

“Hey! Why’d you do that?”

Scott grinned and sprayed water at him one more time before he answered. “Because I told you I’m not going away, but you won’t believe me. So I thought I needed to show you how much trouble I can be. No one would want to make me go away unless they want a lot of trouble.”

Cyrus looked dubious. “I don’t know …”

This caused him to get another spray of water thrown at him. Scott grinned triumphantly at him as Cyrus stared down at his wet clothes.

“You don’t know, huh? I’ve just hit you three times, and you haven’t been able to stop me. If you can’t stop me, why do you think anyone else can?”

Cyrus frowned. “I wasn’t even trying.”

Scott’s grin widened. “Then try. See what happens.” He cupped his hands under the sink again. “I’m going to guess that you’re going to get wet again.”

Cyrus turned on the sink next to him. “Guess again!”

The two boys engaged in a water battle for the next few minutes until both of them were laughing and considerably wet. Cyrus called it off when he started feeling like he needed to use the toilet. All this water wasn’t helping. 

“Okay, okay,” Scott told him as he turned off the sinks. His face was wet, and he rubbed some of the water from his eyes. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Cyrus.”

“Sure,” he replied as Scott walked past him and headed for the exit. “Hey, Scott?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks.”

Scott shrugged his shoulders as if it was no big deal and disappeared back to his room. Once Cyrus had finished his business, he walked back to his room and was surprised to find that he was actually hungry.