After Jeff left last night, I unpacked my bag into the dresser in my room. That is really the only thing in there. The room is beside the janitor’s closet so there is always the smell of bleach floating in, my bed is a cot by the window and the dresser is on the other side of the room. The bathrooms are at the end of the hall I have to share one with two other people. The upside about this is that the janitors get our own floor so none of the students will ever get in my way.
They put me to work right away as soon as the students went to their classes. I have to sweep every hallway in this building before they get out for lunch. There is barely a speck of dirt on the ground, but I do it anyway because its better then being sent back to the courtroom for not completing the given probation. Judge Mcphee would love that she could send me away to some disciplinary camp and never have to hear of me again like she wanted to in the first place. It was the jury that sent me here to New York. They thought it would help me strive towards good citizenship. Yeah right!
I hide out in my room at lunch so I don’t have to talk to anyone, especially the students flooding the halls.
After lunch I go around the school and empty all the garbage cans. I have to do this twice a day; after lunch and at the end of the day. The other janitors say it is worst after lunch because the bags are bursting with garbage.
I grab the garbage trolley and get started. The last room I walk into has music playing. A girl starts singing. The beginning verses of ‘Man in the Mirror’ by Micheal Jackson.
I look up at her and we lock eyes for a second, but it feels like forever. Her voice is so…. I turn my head and walk out the door.
Chapter 3
Everyone’s gone off to their rooms early. From the sounds of it every single student here is practicing right now.
I take the broom down to the cafeteria lay it against the wall and start folding the tables and pushing them to the end of the room. I take out my I-pod and unplug the earphones so the music fills the whole room. Then I pick up the broom and start sweeping. The music starts off slowly and I sing along with Troy from ‘High School Musical’.
I start using the broom as a mike.
The electric guitars come in and the music gets faster. I drop the broom and slide across the floors on my knees. I pound my fists on the floor and jump on to my feet. “Voices in my head tell me they know best.” I think about all the teachers and principals that bossed me around even the judge. They thought they knew everything about me. But they didn’t.
I run along the top of the tray counter and flip off the end, slap my hands on the wall and shout out the words.
I pick up the broom again and sweep the rest of the dirt up, my every move belonging to the words being sung. I spin in circles and lean against the wall, press my cheek against it, then jump back and sing. “ Can’t choose so confused what’s it all mean”
I finish the song with a big scream.
“Aaughhhhhh!”
I’m out of breath and trying to suck all of the air back into my lungs. I hear a thunderous sound of clapping and cheering. I turn around and stumble backwards at what I see. The whole cafeteria entrance is full of students and teachers. I wipe my face, noticing for that the first time that my eyes are watering.
The girl I heard singing earlier comes up to me.
“That was amazing.”
Her big round eyes sparkled, the colour of the sea.
Well so much for staying invisible this summer.
“Uhhh, thanks. You were really good too, I mean, umm, when I heard you earlier while I was, uhhh, emptying the, umm…”
She looks like she’s about to burst with laughter.
“I know what you mean, and thanks.”
“Dude, what was that? Those moves were killer, man!”
A dark guy bigger than me comes over and slaps me on the back, pushing me forward a little.
“Uhhh, thanks. I guess.”
A teacher comes up to me. At least I am assuming he’s a teacher, although he doesn’t really look like one with his shoulder length brown hair that looks like it hasn’t seen a brush in a month and light washed ripped jeans and a plaid button down top.
“Hey I’m Mr. Smith. Are you a student here?”
“Umm, no I’m Scott Connors sir, I’m here for probation.”
“Right. Who’s your social worker?”
“Jeff Gray”
“Ok what do you say we give him a call? Because from here on out you are Spotlights newest student.”
Great.
Chapter 4
“No way, I’m not doing it.”
“Come on, Scott. Judge Mcphee thinks it will help you with becoming a good citizen. Besides everyone here saw you perform yesterday and said you were amazing, even the teachers.”
“First of all, I don’t care what the judge thinks, I’m not doing it. Second, I was not performing I was working. They shouldn’t have made a big fuss over it. And third, the teachers are not going to turn me into a circus freak like everybody else here.”
“They don’t want to turn you into a circus freak, they want to help you get better.”
I jump out of my chair at the sound of her voice and turn around, the girl from yesterday is standing in the doorway.
“Beth Hanley, sorry, I didn’t get to introduce myself last night.”
My face is on fire and my hands are getting sweaty. I wipe them on my shorts and hold one out.
“Umm, Scott Connors nice to meet you again.”
I offer her my chair, but she shakes her head. I wipe my hands on my shorts again.
“You should give the singing a chance, maybe even acting. You’ve got the voice and a lot of the moves. The teachers really aren’t that bad and you will probably be with Mr. Smith most of the time. He’s the best.”
“Mr. Smith does seem pretty cool. I don’t know though I have a lot of work to do.”
Jeff laughs, but pretends it’s a cough and takes a drink of water.
“Oh come on, if you start coming to classes and maybe be in the concert at the end of the summer. I will help you with your work.”
I look over at Jeff. Could I really split my work? Jeff must have understood why I looked over at him and nodded. I turn back to Beth.
“Well umm, I guess maybe that would be all right.”
“So you’ll do it?”
“Yeah, I guess I will.”
“Really, thank you, thank you. You won’t regret this, Scott. You will be glad you gave it a shot.”
She jumps up and down and gives me a quick hug then runs out the door. I turn and look at Jeff. He’s grinning from ear to ear then winks at me.
“Shut up.”
This just makes it worse. He grabs his stomach and starts laughing almost falling over. I shake my head and walk out of the room.
Chapter 5
“Okay, everyone take a seat. This is Scott Connors. He will be joining us for the rest of the summer.”
I lift my hand in kind of a half wave. It seems like everyone’s eyes are glued to my head.
“You can take a seat over there by Jake.”
The guy that slapped me on the in the cafeteria lifts his hand up and smiles at me. I walk over and sit next to him.
“Great now let’s get started. Scott, you came just in time to get ready for the end of school show.”
I look around the room. Everyone seems to be falling out of their chairs with excitement. After everyone quiets down, Mr. Smith tells us to line up at the front of the classroom. This class is going to be the opening for the show. We are going to be singing ‘Man in the Mirror’.
Beth starts off singing with her beautiful voice hitting all the right notes. I close my eyes and it takes everything I have not to start singing with her. When we get to the chorus I let my voice soar out into the room giving every word my all. We were only practicing, but I sing as if I am performing.
I don’t know where I got my voice or my love for music. My whole life I kept it to myself just singing
along with my iPod or the radio, but it feels nice to show everybody a different side of me, rather than the foster child who is always getting in trouble.
When I return from my own mind I realize it is only me and Beth singing. Her with a beautiful sounding melody and me giving it a soft harmony. When the last note on the piano sounds everyone turns to me. Great now I’ve done, I got myself kick out of class the first day.
“Scott, you are going to be closing the show singing a duet with Beth.”
Whoa, what. Okay I did not see that coming.
Beth looks back at me and smiles her eyes sparkling. I smile back at her and nod yes to Mr. Smith.
When class is over, I meet Beth in the janitor’s closet and we get buckets, soap and sponges. I tell her I don’t mind doing it by myself if she has something else to do (but really I’m hoping she will stay).
“No, I don’t mind. That was our deal you come to class and sing in the concert and I help you with your work.”
I smile at her and we take our buckets and fill them up with soap and water.
“What are we doing with this anyways?”
“We have to wash the off the outside windows. I think we only have to do the first floor though. The janitors that have been here longer do the top floors.”
“Okay.”
She pulls her hair up and takes her bucket outside. We go around back and start washing the windows. It’s quiet at first, neither of us talks. Then the question comes, it always does.
“Why are you here, Scott?”
“Umm, I got into trouble back home and they sent me here to work on being a good citizen.”
She doesn’t question me on what I did and I am thankful for that, just where I am from.
“Maine. I lived in a foster home my whole life because I have no clue who my parents are.”
“Oh. I’m really sorry, Scott, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“It’s ok. I am actually lucky I didn’t have to keep switching foster homes like most kids do, and Jeff is a pretty nice social worker.”
We go around to the front of the building and finish up. Beth doesn’t ask me any more questions, we just talk about the concert and what we are going to sing. Every so often our hands brush against each other as we get our sponges wet again.
After we are done we go inside and grab a snack. Beth says she has to go practice so she gives me a hug and says she will see me later.
Chapter 6
The summer has gone by in a blur. I’ve been practicing with Beth while we have been cleaning and Mr. Smith takes us to the auditorium to practice on stage. When Beth joins in with me after I sing the first verse I get the shivers. Her voice is so pure, it captures me every time. She isn’t like any other girl I’ve seen or known. She’s very kind and understanding, but likes to take control, while all the other girls are gossiping and giggling over something the guys say. She is studying her music and running the parts she finds difficult. I hope this summer isn’t the last time I see her.
The night before the concert Beth, Jake and I go to Dairy Queen and get a pre-show treat. I can barely eat my chocolate sundae because my stomach is about to over flow with butterflies. I rerun the lyrics in my head so much that I zone out of the conversation, thinking of all the ways I could mess. Jake waves his hand in front of my face and I look up at him.
“Did you hear what I said, Scott? There is going to be Julliard scouts at the show tomorrow.”
“Who are they?”
Both Beth’s and Jake’s mouths drop open.
“Are you kidding me? Scott! Julliard is the best performing arts University in the world. Scouts are the people who come and check out how good someone actually is, if they have heard good things about them.”
“Well I have nothing to worry about then. They definitely won’t be looking for me. I didn’t even start taking classes till half way through the summer.”
“What? Oh man, Scott, have you got it wrong. Do you even know what you do to the people watching when you sing?” Jake says finishing his ice cream and pointing towards mine.
“Yeah. Sure you can have it. I’m not that hungry.”
“Yeah Scott I think I even saw Mr. Smith’s eyes watering the other day while we were practicing.” Beth gets up and throws out her garbage.
Well then. No pressure.
When we get back to school, Jake says he has to go talk to one of his teachers and leaves Beth and me in the cafeteria.
“I think I am going to go take a shower and go to bed so I can have a good sleep.”
I nod and brush my hand through my hair.
“Yeah, I think I will too.”
“Scott? Are you all right?”
“Yep, just really nervous. Aren’t you?”
“A little. But I have done this loads of times.”
I rub my face with my hands. Then Beth takes them in hers.
“Look at me, Scott. There is nothing to be afraid of I am going to be right up there singing with you.”
“Nothing to be afraid of?”
“Nothing.”
“Promise?”
“I promise you, Scott, there is nothing to be afraid of.”
She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and then leaves to get ready for bed. I put my hands in my pockets and watch her go.
Chapter 7
After we warm up, I go to the bathroom and splash cold water on my face and look in the mirror. I give myself a little pep talk consisting of ‘don’t mess up, don’t mess up, don’t mess up…’
I get through the first act just fine, but mostly because I am in the back row. I close my eyes when Beth sings and listen to every word, smiling when she hits every note beautifully.
When we return backstage I give her a big hug and tell her she did brilliant.
“Thank you. Now see? There is nothing to be afraid of.”
I just smile and nod, going over my pep talk again in my head. We go sit with the people waiting to go on. I lay my back against the wall and close my eyes going over the words in my head. I must have lost track of time because before I know it Beth is pulling me onto my feet.
We get into the wing and wait for the curtains to open. Beth looks up at me.
“Ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be I guess.”
“You’ll do great, I know it.”
The curtains open up and the music starts slowly. Beth kisses me and gives me a little push onto the stage. I lift the mike to my mouth and look out at the audience I start singing the first verse of ‘Start of Something New’.
Beth walks on and winks at me then looks at the audience and starts singing.
Then we both sing together and let our voices ignite the room.
During the next verse I walk around Beth and spin her into my arms then back out we use the complete stage and sing feeling every word within our souls. Then we walk back to the center of the stage and look out at the audience for the bridge. The music slowing down.
The back stage curtains open up behind us and everyone steps out and sings the chorus with us.
Everyone drops out so it is just me and Beth. And we sing back and forth.
“The start of something new”
“The start of something new”
Then we finish off together.
“Start of something new.”
Our voices blend together on the last note and I take Beth’s hands. When the music stops everyone in the audience is on their feet. Even the scouts in the front row are giving a standing ovation. Looking out at the audience with Beth at my side, know this is the start of something new.
***
The Last Witch
Sierra MacDonald
My bare feet were cold against the wet moss as I walked through the graveyard. It was dark, but the moon was bright enough to see the shadows of the trees on the ground. My only thought was that I had to get to the church before it was too late, or else my chances of surviving would be limited. I knew somebody followed me and I had an
urge to run, but I knew that I couldn’t. I had to wait for the right moment.
I finally reached the church. As I opened the double doors, I had a chance to glance behind me quickly, but I saw nothing. The doors slammed shut loudly so if anyone were to come in, I was sure to hear them and would have the chance to get out of there. I shut the doors behind me and began searching for a light.
There were no light switches, but I found an oil lantern and a lighter sitting on a table at the back of the room. I lit it and moved it to the center of the room, setting it on a table so I could see the whole area. I walked up the aisle, passing all of the bare seats once filled with religious families celebrating god; that’s when I heard a crashing sound and everything went dark.
I prayed the lamp had just fallen off the table, but I knew the odds were slim. Somebody purposely knocked the lamp over and I knew because I heard light footsteps approaching me fast. I sprinted up to the altar, tripping on the stairs on my way, bumping into various objects including a huge pack of candles, which I hoped that the person would trip on.
When I reached the top, the moonlight shone through the window and I could see the figure of a tall broad man, but it was strange because although I couldn’t see much of him he looked oddly familiar.
I glanced around the room for something, anything I could use as a weapon. I looked up to find him standing directly in front of me, holding a gun to my head.
I heard a loud gunshot and thought it was all over. But to my surprise my eyes opened to the man lying on the floor, dead. I saw the shadow of a second man standing in the entryway of the door, holding his own gun pointing directly at the man on the floor. He was as tall as the first, though seemed close to my age. There was just enough moonlight I could see his black hair and glowing blue eyes.
I had no time to think. I wasn’t sure if the man was helping me or not, so the only thing I could think to do was run. I made my way to the emergency exit and half way back down the graveyard when I realized the second man was not following me at all. And while I know it sounds stupid, I had to go back. He didn’t chase me, so I figured the man had no intension on harming me and I still needed to retrieve the key located somewhere in the church. The key unlocked an ancient chest, a chest that got me into this whole situation.
You see I’m a descendent of some sort of witch. My kind were always supposed to wear a certain necklace to protect us from danger when we turned sixteen. It was circular with a picture of a sun and a moon together; they call it the necklace of majestical power. My necklace was locked in that chest and since my mother and father died when I was only a young age, I had no way of knowing I was a witch; until I started to have those visions...