Liam's Story - Part One

Liam poked his head into the room, gazing around at the portraits and priceless granite statues until his gaze settled on the oak desk and the middle-aged man sitting behind it. The man had dark bags under his deep gray eyes, suggesting that he wasn't getting enough sleep. Liam could understand this; this past week, things had been hectic at the school, what with the low budgets and taxes and all the new rules that the Superintendent kept giving them. The Superintendent was cutting the school's payroll to save money for something he was planning; no one thought it was fair, but you took what you could get. The police had yet to do anything; some thought that the Superintendent was secretly paying them off with whatever money he already had.

Liam thought that was probably what happened. He just couldn't see the police ignoring them for no reason; he had to be paying them off. That was the only solution. The man behind the desk waved him into the room. Liam swallowed and closed the door behind him softly as he stepped into the room. He neared the desk, focusing his eyes on the brass nameplate near the desk lamp and computer. Principal R. A. Skimmer was what it read. Liam frowned at it for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the three sharpened pencils neatly lined up in a row next to the black metal hole puncher.

"You...wanted to see me, sir?" he asked nervously, keeping his gaze away from Skimmer. He twisted the hem of his light gray shirt a few times, and then stopped when he noticed that he was quite shifty.

"Yes," Skimmer said, and gestured at the wooden chair seated in front of the desk with his index finger. "Sit."

Liam did as he was told, sitting down, a few of his sandy bangs slipping in front of his golden eyes. He brushed them back nervously, glancing up at the clock on the wall. 1:33 p.m. It wasn't time for school to be out yet, so why was he down here, in Skimmer's office? Had he done something wrong? He couldn't remember doing anything wrong; a few bullies had been picking on him, but that was usual when you were a skinny, gangly twig like he was. He was used to it. He had done nothing wrong.

So why was he here? He sighed and shifted his gaze, focusing on the calander on the wall behind Skimmer's head. A few slashes indicated that today was the eighteenth of November. Christmas was coming up soon, and as usual, he would not be getting anything. The thought made something in his gut twist, but he ignored it. He was used to being this way; as an orphan, he had no parents, no family to look after him. His few friends could barely be expected to look after him or protect him from the wrath of the bullies or anything. He didn't expect that much out of them.

Just once though, it would be nice to get a gift on Christmas, to share everyone elses joy of opening the neatly wrapped present and finding out what the contents were. At this school, the kids had a choice on whether or not they lived at the school or not. A lot of people who went here were orphans and had nowhere else to go. Some stayed because they had friends here; some stayed because they had problems at home. Some went home because their lives were just fine.

Liam didn't resent them for it, but he wished he had something to go home to, even if there were problems like a lot of kids had.

"Sir?" he asked cautiously. "Why did you call me down?"

Skimmer looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, gray eyes taking him in. "How have you been, Liam?"

Liam blinked, surprised that Skimmer had asked. "Er...okay, I guess," he answered slowly. "Why do you ask?"

"You're looking a bit thin, Liam. I mean, thinner than usual, of course."

Liam frowned. "Well...I...." he trailed off. He couldn't tell him that the bullies had kept him from eating most days, that they chased him and hit him until he cried out for them to stop. He couldn't tell him that, because then he'd talk to the bullies and just make things worse. He couldn't handle things getting worse than they already were. "I'm fine, sir."

Skimmer frowned at him for a moment. "You know that if you're having any problems, you can talk to me about it."

"I..." he chewed on his lower lip for a moment, thinking things through. "I know, sir," he said softly.

Skimmer chortled to himself. "My, but you are polite. Why so formal?"

"I don't know, sir."

"You don't have to keep calling me 'sir', you know," Skimmer pointed out.

"I know, sir," he murmured, then frowned. "Sorry. Sir." he sighed. "I'm sorry. Old habits die hard."

Skimmer nodded. "I understand. Tell me, how are Danny and the others doing?"

Liam frowned. "Erm...they're just fine, sir."

Skimmer sighed, noticing the 'sir'. "That's good. Anyway, the reason I called you down here is-"

"Sir," a voice broke in on the intercom on his desk. Skimmer scowled at it then pressed a button.

"Yes, Edna? I'm in the middle of-"

"The Superintendent is on the way to your room."

Skimmer's eyes widened. "What?! Why?"

"I don't know, sir. He said he had to talk to you." and then she clicked off. She was the receptionist just down the hall. You had to enter her room to even get to the hallway that the principal was in. Liam had entered it moments after Skimmer had called him out of class.

Liam slowly began to rise to his feet. "I...I should go, sir-"

"Go?" a voice asked from the door. Liam froze and heard the footsteps announce the arrival of the big man himself. A hand clamped onto his shoulder. "You can sit, lad."

Liam sat slowly.

Skimmer got to his feet. "Superintendent Ratchet," he said. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

"You can sit, Skimmer," said Ratchet. "And who is this fellow?" he gripped Liam's shoulder a little tighter. "Got a name, son?"

"Liam, sir," he murmured, his head bowed as he stared at his hands, which were clasped together in his lap.

"Surname?" asked Ratchet.

"I..." Liam trailed off and went silent.

Skimmer cleared his throat. "He doesn't have one."

"What?" Ratchet gasped.

"He's an orphan," Skimmer explained quickly. "He doesn't have a last name. No one knows who his parents were; he's just Liam."

Ratchet's grip grew so tight that it began to hurt Liam. He shifted uneasily, longing to leave this room and get back to class. Or what was left of it, anyway. Anywhere was better than this. He'd never liked what he'd heard about Ratchet; he'd never liked hearing him speak at assemblies. This was most uncomfortable.

"Just Liam?" Ratchet asked, his voice a whisper. Perhaps it was a whisper so only Skimmer could hear, but Liam could hear too. "Skimmer--may I speak with you in the hall? Now?"

Skimmer frowned and got to his feet, following Ratchet as he walked out of the room.

Though they were talking with the door closed, Liam knew that Ratchet didn't know about the hole at top of the door, which was allowing their speech to be carried into the room.

"Just Liam?" Ratchet asked. "He has to go."

"What?" Skimmer gasped. "What are you saying?"

Liam clenched his hands into fists as Ratchet answered. "A boy with no surname? Pathetic. He needs to go."

"We can't just kick him out on the street," Skimmer tried to reason lightly.

"We can," said Ratchet. "We will."

"No," said Skimmer. "I won't do it. He may have no surname, but his grades are good, and he's a good kid, Ratchet. He's got a kind heart."

"Heart shmart," said Ratchet. "Get him out. And the other orphans, too."

"WHAT!"

"No orphans in this school. Nor any other school in this area. Orphans aren't allowed to go to normal schools, Skimmer. They have their...orphany schools to go to."

"I can't just kick them out."

"You can," Ratchet snorted. "You will."

"I won't," retorted Skimmer.

Ratchet growled. "Fine, they can stay. For now, anyway. Except that Liam boy. A boy with no surname is not a boy at all; he's just a pathetic waste."

"How can you say that? He's human, just like the rest of us! He has meaning!"

"Worthless," said Ratchet.

Liam could take no more and bolted from his seat, throwing the door open, an arm shielding his saddened eyes from view as he darted down the hall. Skimmer raised a hand, as if to go after him, then said, "Liam--wait!"

Liam shook his head and continued down the hall.

Skimmer stared after him. "Liam...come back!"

Ratchet shook his head. "Worthless." he looked a the door and frowned, noticing the hole. "I bet he heard the whole conversation."

Skimmer glared at Ratchet.

"Go after him," Ratchet said with a smirk. "See if the pathetic child will talk to you."

Skimmer growled, "He's not pathetic! He's a good person! I've known him for years!"

Ratchet shrugged. "Worthless."
_____
_____

Liam walked down the hall to his locket, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his faded blue jeans. His sandy hair shielded his golden eyes from view, and for that he was proud. He didn't want people to see the hurt in his eyes. So he didn't have a surname; so what? Big deal. It wasn't like it was his fault he didn't have one. He'd done nothing wrong that made his parents up and leave. He'd been found when he was three, alone and unwanted int he cold streets on a rainy night, wrapped in a blanket in a cardboard box with a sign on it which said 'Baby for Free'. He still got chills whenever someone said anything about it and reminded him of the stories.

But what could he have done to make his parents hate him that much in just those three years of his life? He wasn't sure, but if he'd done something, it must have been pretty bad for them to do such a thing to an infant.

He stopped at his locker and twisted in his combination, grabbed his backpack. He grabbed his Literature and Social Studies Books, shoving them into the bag, before he zipped it shut and closed his locker. The bell rang a second later, signaling the end of the day. It was time to call it a day.

He sighed and hefted his backpack over his shoulder. The conversation between Ratchet and Skimmer kept replaying in his mind. Why was Ratchet so bent on getting him out, anyway? And the other orphans? What was he planning? He shook his head and puffed out a breath, knowing that he didn't have any answers to those questions.

"Liam, how ya doin'?" someone asked as they slung an arm around his shoulders, walking next to him. Liam sighed.

"Hey, Charles," he said softly. Charles, or Charlie, was taller than him by three inches, and older than him by one year, at the age of fifteen.

"So formal," said Charles, shaking his head as he let go of Liam's shoulder. "So, heard you got called down to see Mr. S. How'd that go?"

Liam looked away, feeling edgy. "I'd...rather not talk about it."

Charles noticed the change in Liam. His brown eyes softened. "It wasn't that bad, was it?"

"I..." Liam trailed off with a shrug.

"I'll have to have a talk with Skimmer next time I see him," said Charles, walking next to him.

"No--Skimmer was fine. It was...It was Ratchet..."

"Ratchet? As in the Superintendent? He was there? What was he doing there? I thought he only called us if he wanted to talk. And did those boring lectures in the auditorium."

"He was there," Liam murmured, keeping his eyes glued to the tiled ground.

Charles kept quiet the rest of the way out of the building, knowing that Liam didn't want to talk. They climbed onto their bus, one of the ones that went to the orphanage. Liam took his normal seat in the back by the window, and Charles sat down next to him.

The bus took off with a cough of smoke, and they were on their way. People were still walking when the bus roared to life, and lurched forward uneasily. Danny plopped down in the seat in front of Charles and Liam, Samuel, Sam for short, sitting down next to him. Chris and Evan sat down on the seat next to Charles and Liam's, Evan near the window.

"Hey, Charlie," said Chris, putting his fist up. Charles smiled and the two hit fists.

"Hey, Chris," said Charles. "How'd that Math test go?"

Chris shrugged. "Got a C, so...yeah."

Charles shook his head. "That's not bad. I heard it was pretty hard."

"You said it," said Chris.

"You okay, Liam?" Danny asked, looking at him with his light blue eyes, a few of his tan bangs sliding into his face. He blew at them in slight frustration.

"Yeah," said Samuel, looking at him with light green eyes. "You're awfully quiet."

Liam kept his gaze on the scenery out the window as the bus drove. "M'fine," he said.

Danny frowned, but said nothing.

Sam sighed and turned to look out the window, a few his caramel bangs sweeping into his eyes. "Ack!" he said, and brushed them back, annoyed. Danny smirked at him.

Charles looked at Liam. "Whatever happened, things will blow over," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Liam sighed. "I guess so," he murmured, debating on whether or not he should tell them what Ratchet wanted, that he wanted all orphans out of the school. He mentally shook himself. He couldn't tell them that; it'd just make them worry. He'd keep it to himself for now.

Hopefully Charles was right, and things would blow over. He desperately hoped so.