Sudden Independents - By Ted Hill Page 0,69
strewn into yards. Even furniture decorated the lawns, rotting and falling apart. Scout’s boots crunched over the jagged pieces of porcelain and fine china. He always kept his eyes open for baseball gloves, or better yet, an official Boy Scout uniform with an Eagle Badge.
“I can’t believe the way they’ve ruined everything here.”
Raven reached for his hand. “They’re just kids.”
“Must be due to Chase’s influence if Molly’s theory about him being Catherine’s opposite holds any water. That dude must seriously put out some bad vibes.”
“He’s bad. Trust me.”
Raven averted her eyes. She never openly discussed her past life in Denver. Molly told Scout to have patience and understand that she still needed the space and time to heal, but there were things he wanted to know.
“You and him used to be close? Is that it?”
Raven tore her hand away and ran. Scout followed close behind, soon reaching out for her to slow down.
“It’s not what you think. Chase is always sick and he never let’s anyone touch him. So there was never that between us. But the things he made us do to other people was horrible,” she said, gasping to catch her breath. “I can never tell you what it was like. I can’t tell anyone. I just want to forget everything.”
Scout gently pulled her to him. “It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it.”
Raven hugged him tightly, reminding him of Catherine. Scout squeezed back.
“I’m sorry,” she said as they started walking again. “Thanks for not pushing it. All I want to do is help you guys get that little girl back and then get the hell away from this place. I just wish I could get Kessie out of this mess when we leave.”
“Is it okay to assume you were pretty tight with Kessie?”
Raven punched Scout in the arm. “She was there for me when my sister died. We did everything together after that and took care of each other. I’d do anything for her and I know she’d do the same.”
“Even now?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re playing for the other team, Raven. Might be different if she found out.”
They turned the corner and crossed the street to the eatery where Hunter and Ginger bumped into Patrick earlier. The place was closed and Scout doubted their ability to find anything new. That wasn’t the purpose for their night stalking anyway. They were just out stretching their legs. Hunter and Ginger were doing the real work in the daylight. Scout and Raven were waiting for when Catherine was found and everything went down. Then they would be needed.
Raven led Scout to another street where a fire lit the sky. Dark smoke drifted upward in one long chain. A group of kids gathered by the blaze like demons of different shapes and sizes, summoning midnight. Raven and Scout worked around the side of a nearby house and climbed its fence to pull themselves up on the roof for stealthier observation.
Below in the street, teenagers were busy throwing whatever they could find into the growing bonfire. Small kids danced around, picking up smaller objects, gleefully tossing them at the inferno’s edges. Four boys swung a couch and counted to three. The couch landed inside the flames, launching sparks into the heavens. Burning embers fell on the boys, who quickly scattered amid laughing echoes.
Scout found a place to sit in the shadows of the roof’s fireplace and Raven huddled next to him. The fire alleviated the nasty odor that hung around the large city like flies around an open sewer. The smell also reminded him of the last big fire, the one that claimed all his possessions.
“What are they doing?” Scout asked.
“Burning stuff and trying to keep warm, I guess.”
“So this is what city kids do for fun.”
“It beats staying indoors and staring at the walls.”
Scout watched the progression below. “At least there won’t be any trash left when they’re done. They should have fire parties on every block until this place is cleaned up.”
Raven craned her neck for a better look at something and Scout followed her line of sight to a group of kids seated on the ground below. Scout thought he recognized a girl as she stood and left the others.
Raven waved Scout to follow and they crept, making scratchy noises scooting across the rough shingles to the edge where they had gained access.
“Who is it?” Scout whispered.
“Kessie.”
Kessie opened the gate to the backyard. Scout figured she was probably going to the bathroom. Raven scrambled over the