The bald boy looked up from his food and smiled at Tobias. “I’m Archie.”
Tobias and Charlotte nodded in acknowledgment.
“People say I’m friendly, but I can’t always remember if I am.”
“You are,” Charlotte said.
“I must have learned that growing up,” Archie said proudly.
“Where’d you grow up?” Tobias asked.
Archie tilted his head and scrunched his forehead. “What do you mean?”
“I mean where are you from?”
“I can’t really remember.”
“Maybe he was born at school?” Charlotte joined in.
“Maybe,” Archie said. “I can’t remember being anywhere else. Where are you from?”
“I’m not sure,” Tobias answered in a confused tone. “Michigan?”
“That doesn’t sound right,” Charlotte said.
“It probably isn’t,” Tobias admitted. “I guess I can’t remember either.”
A few more students gathered around Tobias and Charlotte and began to point at Charlotte’s ears and ask them meaningless questions. The Eggers kids tried their best to answer, but their brains were failing them.
When there was a break in the interrogation, Tobias decided to ask a question himself. “What’s Student Morale Day?”
“Just one of the best days of the year,” Archie answered for everyone. “The teachers put on an amazing parade, and you get to clap and wave as much as you want. Two years ago, Professor Himzakity tossed out mints from his parade float.”
“Sounds great,” Charlotte said.
“It was. In fact, people are still talking about it. I know I am.” Archie smiled. “Witherwood really is a wonderful place. You two are lucky to be here.”
“We know that,” Charlotte said.
A bell sounded, and the students shuffled back to their seats. Archie looked at Tobias and smiled. Professor Himzakity called the class to order as the attendants took the cart and left.
“Well,” the professor said smugly, “I hope you enjoyed the food we provided you.”
Charlotte nodded, while Tobias stared at the cover of his book, begging his brain to hurry up and kick in.
Professor Himzakity looked at Tobias and Charlotte. “Why don’t you two scoot your desks even closer?” he suggested. “It will be easier for you to focus on the book.”
Tobias grabbed the edge of his desk and jerked it toward Charlotte’s. Charlotte, thinking it was her responsibility to move closer to him, jerked hers toward him at the same time. As a result, her desk jammed directly into Tobias’s fingers. It was the kind of hit that would make even the toughest person wince—like stubbing your toe hard against a metal table leg on a very cold night and then taking a whack at it with a sledgehammer. The sharp bolt of pain shot through Tobias’s arm and up to his brain.
Tobias leapt from his desk, screaming and waving his hand. Professor Himzakity put both of his hands on his cheeks and howled like a sympathetic stick. Everyone else just watched Tobias’s embarrassing dance and tried not to laugh.
After about thirty seconds, Tobias settled down and slipped back into his chair.
“Sorry,” Charlotte said.
Tobias wanted to holler a bit more, but there was something about the horrific, shocking pain that had cleared a small portion of his head. He shook his wounded fingers and stared at his sister.
“Don’t worry about it,” he finally said.
Professor Himzakity stepped over and looked at Tobias’s fingers. “They don’t appear to be broken,” he said. “You’ll have some tremendous swelling.”
Tobias kept quiet as his fingers throbbed.
Professor Himzakity walked back to the front and began to lecture about the need for obedience and how the world had forgotten its importance.
It struck a partially clear-minded Tobias that what his professor was now teaching didn’t seem to have much to do with animals.
CHAPTER 15
A TAXI DRIVER NAMED SAM
Sometimes the things we don’t understand are frightening. I don’t understand algebra as much as I should. That’s why I would hate to run into algebra in a dark alley. Tobias had been in a happy, foggy state, but now his brain was reminding him that there were a lot of things at Witherwood he didn’t understand. Strangely, he couldn’t decide whether he should be happy or terrified.
Ralph Eggers looked out the taxi’s window, desperately searching for any sign of something he might remember. Life had been very strenuous the last couple of days as he had come to grips with not knowing who he was. It was hard to function when you couldn’t remember your own name. You and I might know he’s Ralph Eggers, but he surely did not.
Physically, Ralph was in good shape, aside from the broken arm and a few small cuts. After the doctor had discovered Ralph’s amnesia, the hospital had kept him an additional three days for testing. What they learned was that Ralph had lost all of his personal memories. He could remember how to eat, but he couldn’t remember a single meal he had ever eaten. Likewise, he knew there were fifty states, but he couldn’t remember if he had ever visited any of them. He was perfectly healthy, but he was missing his memories.
The hospital checked with the police to see if there were any missing persons, but none had been reported. So needing the bed space, they had discharged Ralph. Having nowhere else to go, he headed to the local YMCA to live until he figured out who he was or until somebody came looking for him.
Mr. Eggers checked into the YMCA and immediately called a taxi. The Red Cross had given him a few hundred dollars before he left the hospital to help him get back on his feet. So Ralph used some of that money to pay for the taxi he was now riding in.
The taxi driver was a medium-sized fellow with a big belly. He had wiry black hair that was thinning unevenly on the top. His eyes were close together, and his nose was smashed over to the right side. His taxi smelled like beef jerky and bubble gum. Ralph had chosen to sit up in the passenger seat so he wouldn’t feel like he was being chauffeured.
“And you don’t even know your name?” the taxi driver asked in amazement as they drove along the freeway through the desolate outskirts of town.
“No,” Ralph said sadly. “One of the nurses called me Blank, because I’m sort of like a blank piece of paper.”
“Blank’s not the worst name,” the taxi driver said. “I got a cousin named Stunk.”
“Really? I guess I should be happy with Blank, then. What’s your name?”
“Sam. Pretty boring, I know. So you don’t remember anything?”
Ralph nodded.
“No fooling? And you aren’t just pretending to avoid paying some bills or to get away from someone who’s after you?”
“I don’t think so.”
“How’d you break that arm?”
“I don’t know. I can’t remember anything.”
“Then where are we going?”
“The doctor gave me the name of the rancher who found me. I thought I’d talk to him first.”
“You think he’ll know something?”
“Maybe. There has to be a reason I was wandering out here. I mean, look at this place. There’s nothing.”
“Yep, it’s a lonely desert. I don’t know why anyone would come out here. But it’s gonna cost you. This isn’t exactly a short drive, and gas ain’t free these days.”
“I know,” Ralph said.
“No memory at all,” Sam said, whistling. “That’s something. What about a wife or kids?”
“Not sure. I wasn’t wearing a wedding ring when they found me.”
“Maybe you were trying to get away from something,” Sam said, playing detective. “Maybe you were running from the law.”
“I don’t feel like a criminal.”
“Nah.” Sam waved one hand dismissively. “And you don’t look like one. Course, my cousin Stunk looks pretty clean, and he’s no good.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, so’s his mother
,” Sam added. “I’m not sure there’s much hope for Stunk, but it’ll be interesting to see if this rancher has some answers for you.”
Ralph nodded.
“It’s kinda like you were adopted and we’re trying to find where you came from,” Sam said.
“I guess you’re right.”
“You and I are sort of alike. You have no ties that you know of, and neither do I. I drive this taxi because I don’t want anyone telling me what to do. I can work as much or as little as I please, and I have no wife and children to go home to.”
“I guess that’s good,” Ralph said skeptically.
“I don’t know. Maybe it ain’t that great.”
“Yeah,” Ralph agreed.
Sam pressed on the gas pedal and headed down the freeway toward the address Ralph had given him, 2527 Battered Cactus Road.
CHAPTER 16
STUDENT MORALE DAY
There’s nothing very amazing about doing the same thing over and over. Not many people in the world are satisfied with performing the same tasks all day—every day. Even great things grow boring if repeated too often. Swinging can be fun, but if you’re forced to swing for eight hours of the day, it gets old. It’s the same thing with eating. Most people enjoy a good meal, but if you were commanded to eat all day, you would not only get bored, you’d get sick and fat.
Well, for the next few days, Tobias and Charlotte had to do the same thing over and over. And unfortunately for them, they didn’t have the luxury of doing something that was fun. Nope, their days started out awful and stayed that way. But today was different. It was Friday. It had been a full week since their father had dropped them off, and already they were beginning to grow familiar with their surroundings. Today was also the much-talked-about Student Morale Day. Witherwood was buzzing.
Professor Himzakity wanted his class to have good seats for the parade, so he had let them eat their lunches outdoors. They had set their chairs up along the one wide path that ran diagonally through the northwest corner of the gardens. Other students brought out chairs and were taking their places for the festivities as well. As usual, everyone was served sandwiches, apples, and endless chocolate pudding. The weather was warm, and the sky was filled with clouds. There was something magical and comforting about the gardens during the day, and at the moment, things felt even more interesting.
“It feels like I’m dreaming,” Charlotte said. “I think I love it here.”
Tobias didn’t feel the same. He wanted to tell Charlotte that any dreams she was having were really nightmares, but he held his tongue. He would have been just as blindly happy had he not been jolted out of it by the painful smack to his hand from the desks. His mind was clear. It was obvious to him that it was not only Charlotte who had been brainwashed by Marvin, but all of the other students as well. None of them knew where they had come from or how long they had been at Witherwood, and nobody seemed to care. In fact, they all seemed happy.
“It’s so nice out,” Charlotte said. “And a parade for us. How great.”
“Yeah,” Tobias agreed, looking up at a long banner that said STUDENT MORALE DAY hanging from one of the lampposts. He studied the gardens around them, curious as to where all the animals they had been chased by were. He thought about Lars, the small creature they had found, and wondered if he had survived.
“I like the gardens,” Charlotte said.
Tobias wanted to holler and tell everyone what was going on, but for the time being, he needed to act dumb so that nobody would take him to Marvin again. He needed time to figure out a solution to their bleak situation.
In the last two days, he had been working hard to map out every bit of Witherwood he had seen and could remember. He had taken some paper from the trash in the kitchen and used his pens. He had drawn their room, the second floor, the gardens, the halls, the kitchen and cellar, and of course the square room. He hid the papers under the loose floorboard in his room. As his mind got clearer, he kept remembering more and more things to document and map.
At night when Charlotte was asleep, Tobias explored Witherwood, carefully avoiding the singing voices that roamed the halls. He had made a new key from another old spring, and it worked well. Last night he had discovered a library in Severe Hall that he was hoping to get back to explore tonight.
“Eat your pudding,” one of the teachers said through a megaphone. “The parade will begin shortly.”
As they all ate, sunshine slid down through the tall cottonwoods in the gardens and painted the students’ faces with shadows and light. It made Tobias look illuminated and caused Charlotte’s white skin to appear cracked and uneven. Archie was sitting next to Charlotte. He leaned over to ask if she wanted to trade him her sandwich for his apple.
“They won’t give me a fourth sandwich,” he complained.
Charlotte smiled and made the trade.
Archie’s bald head reflected some of the light from above. His brown skin and dark green eyes made him look wise. However, the things he said often made him sound the opposite. He took a big bite, chewed a little, and then looked at Tobias and said, “I’m glad you guys are here.”
“Really?” Tobias asked. “Why?”
“Because she shares,” Archie said, holding up the sandwich.
Charlotte stared at him. “Where’s your hair?” she asked. “You’re not old. You should have hair.”
“I don’t know where it went. I used to have a lot, and then one morning I woke up and it was gone. I was sad at first, but now I don’t mind. Being bald is sort of my thing.”
“Did you go to the doctor?” Tobias asked.
“No. Ms. Gulp took a look at it. She said it’s fine.”
A small band of teachers began to play music on trumpets and drums, announcing that the parade was about to start.
“Don’t you think there’s something unusual about this school?” Tobias asked, desperately wanting to know more about what was going on here. “Something mysterious?”
“It’s just a school,” Archie said, confused. “But there is a secret.”
Tobias leaned in over Charlotte and closer to Archie.
“I shouldn’t talk about it,” Archie uttered guiltily. “But the Catchers are real.”
“Catchers?” Tobias asked, his heart pounding.
“Quiet,” Archie said, suddenly nervous. “Or you’ll lose your hair too.”
“What are they?”
“I can’t remember. Sometimes I hear things, and I’m not sure what to do about it. I also don’t know where the older kids go.”
“What older kids?” Tobias asked. “Do people graduate? Do they get out?”
“I can’t talk about this anymore,” Archie said sadly. “The parade’s going to start.”
“But—” Tobias tried.
“Parade,” Archie insisted.
Large wood doors in the middle of Never Hall were pulled open, and the band began to play louder. Everyone’s head turned to see what was coming through the doors. A cart with wooden wheels was being pulled by two teachers. It was the first float in the parade. In honor of Student Morale Day, all the teachers were wearing colorful suits and ties. On top of the first wagon was a miniature replica of the mesa with a little model of Witherwood. Painted on the side of the wagon in blue were the words STUDENT MORALE DAY.
“Everyone clap!” one of the teachers near them ordered.
All the students surrounding Tobias and Charlotte began to clap excitedly. The first float passed slowly in front of them, moving down the wide dirt path. Right behind the first entry, there was another large wagon being pulled by Orrin and a tall woman. Orrin had on a faded tan suit that made him look like a short ice cream cone with a scoop of bald on the top. Their float was a papier-mâché man that had no facial features and was missing his left hand. The word painted on the wagon said CHARACTER. Tobias watched students he didn’t know on the other side of the path clapping and waving madly.
“Is it just me, or are these floats lame?”
“It’s just you,” Charlotte said. “Look how beautiful.”
Charlotte was pointing to the third float, which was a faded papier-mâché rock with the word COMMITMENT painted on it.
“Really?” Tobias said.
Charlotte clapped even harder.
Professor Himzakity was pulling the fourth float with another male teacher. The professor waved as much as he could while he pulled. His sticklike body was dressed in a green suit and a pink tie. In the outfit he resembled a praying mantis. He pulled with one hand and waved at his students with the other. Everyone waved back with vigor. As he passed by, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of Life Savers. He threw them, and the students went wild.
“They’re going to be talking about this for years!” Archie said, holding on to a Life Saver he had caught and looking like he was about to cry.
On the float Professor Himzakity was pulling, there was a big pot with a short teacher standing in it. The teacher had a megaphone and kept repeating, “Established in 1805, established in 1805…”
The noise of the megaphone and the small band combined with the clapping of the students to make a sound that almost resembled fun. A wagon with the word SCIENCE on the side and a papier-mâché rainbow on top passed by, followed by a wagon being pulled by Ms. Gulp. She was wearing a gold suit that was a bit too tight. It was weird to see her in pants. Her float had two cardboard boxes covered with paper flowers. Painted on the side were the words PROPER BEHAVIOR.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Tobias said in disgust. “This is what they were bragging about.”
“I know,” Charlotte said. “I wish it would never end.”
Well, it did. There was just one more float, and it was the most surprising. Sitting on top of a wooden wagon was Fiddle. He was in a big leather chair holding his Rubik’s Cube and staring out at the other students. He looked lost and confused. Painted on the wagon was the word WITHERS.
Tobias tried to get Fiddle’s attention, but he was engrossed in his cube and trying not to look up.
“Fiddle!”
The crowd was so loud Tobias could hardly hear himself. As soon as Fiddle’s float passed, the band started playing faster, and all the carts turned around and headed back through the large wood doors. As quickly as it had begun, the parade was over.