Hiatus: Scene 2

Venessa and Avonari arrive at school just in time and take their seats. The first two classes pass by smoothly. Their third-hour class is P.E. The teacher stands in front of the class and interrupts their chatting.

Mr. Cortez: QUIET, MAGGOTS!

The class keeps talking.

Mr. Cortez: Are you deaf?! SHUT UP! *he blows his whistle*

The girls are quiet.

Mr. Cortez: Each new generation of yapping freshmen girls I have to teach is a year closer to my retirement! And each generation’s worse than the last one! Y’all are on your A.R. glasses every single second of your lives! Well, I’m here to give your life worth! ‘Cause if you don’t learn while you’re young, you’ll be useless as adults!

Jen raises her hand.

Mr. Cortez: WHAT?!

Jen: I bet your gym teacher said the same thing about your generation.

Mr. Cortez: *curses repeatedly for a few minutes* Don’t tell the principal about my swearing! I can have you expelled for swearing faster than he can fire me! Now, run three laps around the gym! Everyone! NOW!

The class obeys. Mr. Cortez plays a remixed Disney soundtrack as the girls run around the gym.

Avonari: What music is this?

Venessa shrugs: Someone thought Let It Go from Frozen would be good as a metal anthem.

A girl runs into the volleyball net and falls to the ground. Mr. Cortez blows his whistle.

Mr. Cortez: Hazel! Get up! This is the third time this week!

Hazel: Sorry!

Mr. Cortez: ‘Sorry’ won’t cut it in college, Twinkie! Now, get up!

Venessa turns around. She remembers Hazel Grace Wilson from the Keeper files. She was labeled as ‘Hiatus’, meaning that she had given up her gift, but would get it back later.

Mr. Cortez:(to Venessa) Hey, Ice Pop! Get back to work!

Venessa: Oh, right!

She keeps running until Mr. Cortez blows his whistle again.

Mr. Cortez: Today, we’ll be playing dodgeball! Dodgeball teaches you softies the most important lesson there is: If violence doesn’t work, you’re not using enough of it!!! This stays in the gym!!!

He sets up a line of dodgeballs at the center of the gym and picks teams. Venessa is placed on Hazel’s team.

Mr. Cortez: There are only three rules: If you get hit, you’re out! If you catch a ball, the one who threw it is out! Clean up any blood that gets on the floor before class ends!

Venessa bites her lip:(to Hazel) Is he always like this?

Hazel shrugs: Pretty much.

Mr. Cortez blows his whistle and the game starts.

Venessa: You’re Hazel, right?

Hazel: Uuum…Yeah. You’re the new girl?

Venessa nods.

Hazel: What? I didn’t hear you…*she gets hit by a ball*

Mr. Cortez: You’re out, Twinkie!

Hazel limps sadly over to the sidelines. About ten minutes pass before Venessa is hit with a ball.

Mr. Cortez: Out, Ice Pop!

Venessa: Ugh! When are you gonna stop calling me that?!

Mr. Cortez: When you stop being an N.D.!

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Everyone drops their dodgeballs except Avonari.

Jen: N.D.? As in ‘special’?

Girl 1: Like ‘slow’?

Girl 2: Oh, don’t worry, she probably just has ADHD. Lots of us have it, too.

Jen: I think he meant neurodivergent. Is that what you meant, Mr. Cortez?

Mr. Cortez: I…am not allowed to display that medical information. All I can say is ‘yes’. And it’s not ADHD. It’s something else…that starts with an ‘a’.

Venessa puts her face in her hands out of embarrassment.

Avonari: Wait, why’d we stop the game?

Jen: Hmmm…Oh, wait! No way! She’s on the autism spectrum! That explains so much!

Girl 1: Yeah! Maybe that’s why she doesn’t talk very much! She can’t!

Venessa bends down and puts her face in her lap.

Avonari: What the heck are you guys talking about?

Jen: It explains why she dresses so weird!

Avonari: You guys dress so similar it’s like you’re robots! What gives you the right to…

Girl 2: Yeah, and why she’s in that group home! Her parents probably didn’t want a child who was trying to kill them all the time!

Mr. Cortez: Don’t worry, guys. I know all about this. I worked with kids with low I.Q.s.

Avonari:(to herself) The poor kids…

Hazel stands up: Guys, stop. This is petty! Y’all are acting really stupid right now! Now, I don’t know Venessa very well, but from what I’ve seen, she seems pretty capable. If I were you, I would look for evidence to back up your claims before you make them.

Jen: Well, I found my evidence from a reliable source.

Hazel: Oh, really? What source?

Jen shrinks a bit and hesitates: Every Disease Explained in Thirty Seconds.

Hazel nods: I see.

She sits back down. The bell rings. P.E. class is over. The rest of the day goes smoothly until Venessa gets home. She immediately rushes to her room and cries into her pillow, feeling angry enough to break something, but too depressed to do it. Annelise opens the door to her room. She sits beside Venessa and holds her hand.

Annelise: What’s wrong?

Venessa tries to form words but can’t. Annelise touches her other hand to Venessa’s and sits still for a few moments. She flinches in pain and tears well up in her eyes.

Annelise: It doesn’t matter, Venessa.

Venessa: W-what?

Annelise: How your brain works. That’s not important to me, or Cory, or anyone here. It won’t change anything about our love for you.

Venessa: You…You realize how cheesy you just sounded r..right?

Annelise smiles and nods: I don’t care. It gets the point across.

Venessa: I…why are you doing this?

Annelise: What?

Venessa: Why do I get to be a Keeper-in-training? People who fight in battles are supposed to be…able.

Annelise: When the Commander looks for Keepers, he looks for strength of character. That is what he saw in you, and that is what I see in you.

Venessa hugs Annelise, and this takes her by surprise. She hugs Venessa back and smiles warmly. Venessa lets go.

Venessa: I…I’ve gotta go read Frankenstein for English.

She runs downstairs to grab her tablet. Annelise sits in silence for a while, pondering what just happened. Her mind seems to be somewhere else. Cory steps in.

Cory: Is Venessa okay?

Annelise nods: She’ll be okay.

Cory: How are things at Keeperville?

Annelise laughs: Keeperville, huh?

Cory frowns: Is something wrong?

Annelise nods: He’s anxious. Something’s coming.

Cory: Well, yeah. You’re gonna be able to feel the emotions of humanity’s top threat. He’d be worried about you, Annie.

Annelise: It’s not that…Well, that’s part of it. But there’s something else. The Hostilities sometimes watch me, psychically, to determine Beyond’s mood. They did it in my recent episode. They think I can’t see them, but I can. I think…I think they’re planning something. Another major attack, like the nuclear missile launch of 2052.

Cory: What is it?

Annelise: I don’t know. Only he does. As for their efforts to gauge Beyond’s mood by my condition, they should know that it’s never safe for them as long as the Keepers exist.

Cory: Has he said anything about what’ll happen to you? When you feel Wyverna’s emotions?

Annelise shakes her head: He hasn’t said anything. He seems to feel…like it needs to be done. He’s already told me that I won’t become like her, but that doesn’t say a lot.

Cory: What do you think will happen?

Annelise: I…I think I know what could happen. Like I know what could’ve happened last time if I was like the rest of you.

Cory: Please don’t talk about that. I never want to see you go through that again.

Annelise: I might have to, Cory, and it might be worse than last time.

Cory hugs her: Why did you agree to this?

Annelise: There are people depending on me. Everyone is depending on me. I can’t fail them. If I had said ‘no’...

Cory: Then Beyond probably would have had a backup plan.

Annelise: He would have, but I have a responsibility that he gave me. So, I trust him, even with this.

Cory sighs: I guess I should, too, huh?

Annelise nods and smiles: I know you can’t help worrying about me, but I pledged to do whatever it takes to protect this world, and so did you. Remember that.

Cory:(jokingly) Is that an order?

Annelise bursts out laughing: Yes, it’s definitely an order. You haven’t asked me that for…thirty-two years! Why’d you decide to now?

Cory shrugs: I don’t know. It seemed like the right moment.

The two of them sit together for a while before heading downstairs. Josie greets them on the way down.