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The Life of Another - Chapter 6

© Jake Atkinson

On the way out I stopped to ask Mrs. Patterson for a pen and paper through gestures and received a pad of sticky notes and a pen. I quickly wrote "Cafeteria?" on the paper and she laid out easy directions, taking the time to make a small map on the note. After I mouthed a thank you and handed them back she responded with "Why don't you keep those? You'll probably need them again." After another silent thank you I was out the door.

The bell hadn't sounded yet but I knew my solitude would be short lived. Unsure if I would need money or a student I.D. to buy food I headed back to my room and grabbed both. To avoid a separate trip I also took the time to grab the duffle bag, it was only half full and the weight was manageable if I kept my right shoulder out of the equation.

My luck ran out just as I exited the main door of the dorm building, the bell sounded. F%#k! By the time I get to the cafeteria the line will be long. Waiting in line means people, people who might want to talk. Screw it, maybe if I exchange the clothes first the lines will be shorter by the time I'm done. I kept my gaze down and walked briskly with what I hoped looked like rushed intent. People tend to be less likely to stop and talk if you look like you are rushing somewhere important, I hoped.

Other than the occasional glance from random passers-by I made it undisturbed just as a heavy-set 35ish looking male skunk was locking the door. His fur coloring was reversed, being mostly white with black striping and he wore oversized clothes. "I recognize that bag, you must be Roger. I kinda thought you might be coming back after watching some of the stuff Jenna threw in there. Look, I gotta get to lunch." he said as he unlocked the door. "Why don't you toss it in here for now and come back afterwards?"

I took his suggestion and he locked the door again. As we walked down the hall I had a flash of inspiration. I whipped out the pen and sticky notes and wrote out "Can't talk for a couple days" and stuck it on the corner of my chest like a name tag. I offered up a grin as I wrote out "Time saver" on another note and showed it to him.

"That's too bad. Anyway, I gotta drop off the keys and get going." he said as he ambled down the hall.

Real charmer I thought as I headed up a nearby staircase.

I sat down on the top stair where I hoped to go unnoticed while I waited for the lines to shorten at the cafeteria. As I lingered, I spun around so my legs ran parallel to the stair edge and leaned against the wall. The hallway seemed empty as I closed my eyes and tipped my head back, my ears folding against the cool surface. Damn, I'm beat and the day is barely half over. If only I could eat and crash in bed for the afternoon. Maybe they'd understand if I skip the call. I revelled momentarily in the fantasy knowing full well I'd do what had to be done, I always did whether I wanted to or not.

Someone jostled my knee and I opened my eyes to look up at a fifteen year old Gray Wolf. He was wearing a red T-shirt, dark blue jeans, a Burwell Academy baseball hat and a Hall Monitor badge on his chest. After being out of school for years it never dawned on me there'd be a patrol. As soon as he spoke I realized a fundamental mistake, he was a she.

"How does someone manage to fall asleep on the stairs?" she said with one ear cocked to the side.

I rubbed my face and pointed to the note on my shirt. "Aw, poor puppy got a sore throat?" she said derisively.

I rolled my eyes and pulled the note pad from my pocket. Her attitude rubbed me the wrong way and I wrote "I was very busy being dead last night, please excuse me." I rose slowly and brusquely slapped the note on her badge as I turned and started down the stairs before she had a chance to read it.

"Hey!" she called out.

I waved a hand dismissively over my shoulder without turning and kept walking. After a couple of steps I heard the crinkle of paper as she peeled off the note.

Her tone changed, "Hey, hold up. Are you Splash?"

The moniker caught me off-guard enough to make me pause and half turn my head, my ears swivelling towards her.

"I didn't notice your tail before, you gotta be the guy. The whole school's been talking about last night."

She came down the stairs and we stood side by side as she continued, "What's your name? The news wouldn't release it, ya know the whole 'minor' thing."

I wrote "Roger, you?" and showed her the page.

She replied "Didn't really want to keep calling you Splash but don't be surprised if that's your nickname for awhile. I'm Tami."

Now that she wasn't in dominant officer mode I felt my distaste abating. The tomboy look with her ears poking out of the holes in her hat had a certain charm. I wrote another note, "So officer Tami, off to jail or can I go to lunch? I'm starving."

The Wolf continued in her loud tone "Everyone gets a warning the first time, besides falling asleep on the stairs isn't exactly like vandalizing a wall or something."

I half expected her to turn her head to the side and spit like the ball players on TV. The image made me smile as I wrote, "So what's with the name Splash?"

She responded "I wasn't there but the stories have it you appeared in mid air in the rec. room at South 2 dorm along with a ton of water. Someone even said there was a fish flopping around."

I wrote "Was it big? I always sucked at fishing."

"Hah!" she said as she punched my arm. "You'll have to ask Chris, you practically landed in his lap, at least that's what Dylan said, guess you could ask him too, they were both there. Chris is a huge tiger, 'cept he's sorta blueish purple and Dylan's a hyena."

I nodded and wrote out "Thanks, need to go before cafeteria closes."

She took a dismissive tone as she said "Better hurry but if ya miss it you'll be fine. There's a kitchen off the rec. room in every dorm, can always thaw a pizza or something."

I wrote on the back of the previous note "cool, thanks."

She responded, "Words are free. I gotta get over to the barn, someone keeps defacing the sign. See ya around Rog." she said as she stepped away.

I continued towards the main door of the building and let my mind wander around recent events. Now that I know there'll be a spotlight on me I'm definitely skipping the cafeteria, I've been living on microwavable fare for years, why stop now? Splash... great, I don't even like to swim. I wonder if I'll run into more hall monitors between here and my dorm... better play it safe.

As I reached the main door I paused to look through the glass for any badge wearing students and yearned to use my old talent to do a quick spot check before heading out, it would have been so easy to zip around my intended route and see if anyone was going to intersect it.

Damn, I really need to spend some time figuring out what this body can do. I'd best wait and practice alone outside somewhere though. The way his f _#c__ ked up mother acted it must be something significant. Music! Geez, give the kid a total complex and make him think he might have caused the accident besides... Does she really believe that crap?! What poe-dunk sh#thole does this kid come from anyway?_

And Aunt Sue, probably some Bible thumper. If that's the case at least she'll be easy to manipulate, I can wrap those Neanderthals around my little finger. Whoa, where's all this anger coming from? I tried to turn it off and failed. Guess I should give that up. I took a breath anyway and played devil's advocate with myself in an attempt to calm down. She might be alright, give her a chance. If she ends up being trouble I can always fake it and be whatever she expects me to be. F _#c__ k, I've faked my way through most of my life in one way or another, won't be hard to continue the trend. Good job brain, now you're beating yourself up._ I thought sarcastically as my cold toes got slowly wetter along the damp pathways outside. The cheap flip-flops only protected my paw pads and did a poor job at that. The sun was shining brightly in a blue sky but the air was still cold as I made it to the dorm entrance without issue.

I found the kitchen on the main floor, the way it was stocked I felt as if I were in a small, up-scale convenience store. The back of my throat was raw but downing a couple mushy bean and cheese burritos proved easy enough. As I ate I realized it was my trachea and vocal cords that took the brunt of the damage from earlier, swallowing gave my esophagus little to complain about. Once again my mood improved substantially on a full stomach. In my foul temper earlier I had pulled open the refrigerator door so jarringly that it sent the contents spilling onto the floor. I had simply stomped around the bottles of ketchup, mustard, mayo and tubs of butter but now felt like a total jerk about it and quickly picked them up. My thoughts continued as I washed the containers before replacing them.

Ok, this Aunt Sue thing and the impending funeral will be easy enough. Guessing by the mother's situation and how long it took to get ahold of another family member this probably isn't the closest knit bunch. Let's hope it's a basic cremation and little or no service. Between my injuries and all that's transpired it will be easy enough to play the part of a brooding, quiet teenager.

Around the time everything blows over the first switches will be falling. I felt a giddy rush at the thought. In the past I always made it a point to check news sites for tell-tale signs of my work but felt little more than the satisfaction of a task completed. Now I felt more just thinking about it than I had when I was actually doing it. My thoughts were interrupted as the bell rang signalling the end of lunch. I waited a few minutes for everyone to get to their afternoon classes and then headed for the admin office.

"Roger, excellent timing, I was just about to place the call. Please come in and have a seat." said Mr. Burwell as I closed the door. He produced his cell phone again and after a few swipes and taps slid it across the leather blotter on top of the burled walnut desktop.

I spun it to face me but didn't pick it up as he dialled the speaker-phone and it began to ring.

"Hello?" a female voice answered.

"Hello, Mrs. Vaugner, this is Nigel Burwell. I have Roger on the phone with us now if you have a few minutes to talk."

She sounded shaken as she responded "I uhm, Roger. I'm sorry we didn't get to talk earlier, there's been so much to do." Her voice was quavering but it carried a tone of resolve. "I, I'll be there soon. I should be there tomorrow morning. I'm sorry I can't make it tonight. I can only imagine..." she swallowed hard. "I can only imagine what you've been through. Roger, I know it must seem overwhelming right now but we'll face it together. You won't have to do it alone."

I typed quickly while she talked and was ready to hit enter as she paused. "I'm sorry Aunt Sue, I don't know what to say except thank you."

She continued, her composure improving as she said "Roger, I know we have a lot of catching up to do. Maybe something positive will come out of all of this. Just, just hang in there and know I'll be there as soon as I can."

This woman seems to genuinely care. The mom was such a train wreck it was easier than this in a way. What do I say?! I took a tight breath and began to type. "I'll be ok Aunt Sue, I know it's hard for you too. I lost a father and you lost a brother." the computerized voice intoned. My intentions seemed to have the opposite effect I had hoped for.

She sobbed loudly and then choked herself to an abrupt stop, her determination showing through again. "Roger, you've really grown since I last saw you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry I wasn't in your life more but things can be so complicated at times."

Mr. Burwell entered back into the conversation as he leaned slightly towards the speaker-phone. "Mrs. Vaugner I want to assure you that Roger is in good hands here. He's already met his first room-mate and is getting settled in. We have a vested interest in all of our students here and we'll make sure he is safe and cared for. We have guest accommodations at the school; please accept my invitation to stay here as long as necessary."

The solemn depth of Mr. Burwell's charismatic voice had a reassuring effect on both of us. Sue responded with renewed strength "Thank you Mr. Burwell, I think that would be best. My plane is scheduled to land there at 8 am your time."

"Excellent, I'll arrange for someone to pick you up at the airport, my assistant Mrs. Patterson will be on the line momentarily to go over the details with you."

I typed out "Thank you both." while he was talking and hit enter when he paused.

"Good bye Roger, I... I'll be there soon." It seemed as if she wanted to say something else but held back.

I hastily typed "It will be good to see you, good bye." I didn't like the way it sounded but I hit enter anyway, unsure of what else to say.

Mr. Burwell tapped a button on the phone, "Mrs. Patterson, I have Mrs. Vaugner on the line. Would you please arrange for her transportation from the airport? She'll be staying with us at the school for a time."

"Of course" she responded after which Mr. Burwell clicked off the speaker-phone. I started to slide the cell phone across desk to return it but he held up his hand.

"We have been working with the authorities to sort out the details of your accident. As you may be aware there were multiple incidents that night. I know it would be hard to type out all the details but would you be able to give a short account of what you remember?"

Damn, alright. Ok, I prepped for this back in the exam room waiting for that hideous breakfast. Keep it simple, the less said the less that can come back to complicate things. I began to type. "Sometimes I get carsick, they let me sit up front, it helps to watch the road. I was nodding off and kinda leaning on the door." I hit enter and waited for the app to stop talking.

"I see." he said "We were wondering why you were in the front seat. Please, go on."

While his tone was reassuring his voice carried a penetrating timbre that made me feel as if I were on a witness stand trying to lie while he cross-examined me. I swallowed and started typing "The car shook hard and I snapped fully awake. All I saw out the window was black then white and then black and it started flooding. Somewhere before the flooding there was an impact but I" I hit enter and stared at the screen long after it finished talking.

Mr. Burwell jumped in "Roger, I know this is hard but any detail could be important, no one here is blaming you and you aren't in trouble. Please, take a moment to collect yourself and just type what you remember."

I took a deep breath and enjoyed the momentary distraction of a coughing fit. Mrs. Patterson was called and promptly brought a cup of water and a box of tissues both of which I used before typing out "I totally freaked. I tried the door but it wouldn't open. Water was coming in fast, it was so cold it took my breath away." I hit enter and waited for the voice, then continued "The driver wasn't moving. I hit the window with my elbow but it wouldn't break."

I stopped and stared momentarily then followed up with "I tried the door again, I thought I'd break the handle off I yanked so hard. The water went over my head and I lost it. I thought I was going to die." I hit enter and flashed back to my own accident and waking up in Roger's body, my shaking hands weren't feigned as I held the phone and looked up at Mr. Burwell.

"Is that the last thing you recall?" he asked.

I nodded as he leaned back in the chair causing its braces to creak under his shifting bulk.

"It turns out your door was locked, they were all locked. Most taxis, including this one, have an automated system that locks the doors during travel. They are supposed to release automatically if there is a sharp impact but they didn't. That aside there was damage from the accident that prevented the doors from opening."

I nodded again and made brief eye contact before turning my gaze down to his mane. The slowly shifting hues of orange and black had an almost mesmerizing quality and I began to feel calmer.

"You've been through far too much already. We'll send someone up tomorrow as soon as Mrs. Vaughner is ready. Until then, please take care of yourself and come to anyone on staff here regardless of the hour." He slid a printout of contact info for himself and several staff members across the desk.

I nodded and rose, folding the page before putting it in a back pocket. I mouthed a thank you and stepped out of the office.

The bell rang and I glanced at the clock on the wall behind Mrs. Patterson. Wow, that period already ended? Sure didn't feel like I was with Mr. Burwell that long. Too much to keep track of I guess, anyway the donation room is right down the hall, might was well get that over with. I steeled myself and plunged into the throngs of students shuffling between classes.

Wolves are common enough, I thought to myself. Maybe I won't...

_"_Hey, are you Splash?" called a voice from behind me.

One of my eccentricities has always been a secret loathing of people who insist on stopping to talk in crowded hallways, oblivious to the needs of others. Bearing that in mind I turned and waved to the thirteen year old male otter without breaking stride.

"I thought you were in a coma." he said.

I sighed and stopped, pointing to the sticky note still on my shirt that stated I couldn't talk. As feared we became rocks in a river, other students forced to flow around us.

He was about eye level with the note and stared at it only briefly before blurting out the obvious, "Why not?"

You know it kinda requires talking to answer that right?! I thought. My ears flattened and my upper lip drew back with a slight tremble as I felt a flash of anger.

The poor kid almost wet himself.

The moment I saw his obvious fear my ears shot forward and I held up my hands apologetically. "Sorry, I..." I rasped and started coughing. I tried to bury my muzzle in the crook of my left arm to muffle it.

"Uh, I'm sorry!" he blurted out before darting around me and down the hall.

Damn, I gotta learn to work with these emotions, he was just a curious kid. I mean it's not just the kid it's this crowded hall, the noise, the looks, still I could have taken the time to write out a response. I was the object of more than a few stares but no one said anything to me directly as I turned and continued to the donation room. The mutterings never stopped until I all but dove into the room and the door closed, shutting out the noise.