Chapter Six

Most days, Charles would wait until he saw me on the sidewalk outside his house before shutting off the television and coming out to walk to school. But the morning after our argument, I got there just in time to see him turning the corner. I ran to catch up, my pursuit made more difficult by an unusually heavy backpack and Charles' rapid, pounding footsteps.

"Hey," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. It wasn't easy, as I was also trying to catch my breath. "What's up?" Charles didn't answer; he didn't even look over at me. His face was set firm by the same angry dismissal I had received last night. I imagine this is what samurais looked like just before an honor-saving suicide. Fully aware now that he was still upset, I decided to play myself as innocently stupid. "You didn't wait for me."

"Couldn't," he replied. His voice as tempered as his countenance. "Got to get to school, so I'll have time to show everyone."

"Look," I said, "you don't have to do it just because I want you to."

"Too late. I'll see you later." He began walking even faster, leaving me behind. I could have kept up, but I figured it was better for both of us if I didn't try. Instead, I walked alone and wondered when things were going to go back to normal between us. It didn't seem like today was going to be it.



By the time I got to school, Charles was apparently already in class. He wasn't at his locker, and I didn't see him at the spot in the cafeteria where we normally sat. I was unloading all the books from last night's homework when Daniel Smith walked over and began spinning through the combination on his lock. I could see from the corner of my eye he was casting me a few short, wary glances. I thought maybe he was still a little nervous from our slight altercation the day before, so I tried to be nice. "Hey, Daniel."

"Oh, uh, hey," he said. His words were quick, fragile staccato notes that, again, sounded a lot like I imagined hamsters would talk. "So, uh, I thought Charles would be with you."

"He's not."

"Yeah, no. He's not. Um, but I guess you heard about him. I guess you already know."

My insides shifted. Charles had told everyone without me? I knew that was what Daniel was talking about, but still I had to ask. "What?"

"He went to the other dimension. That's what everybody's saying. I think he's in the gym. That's what I heard. I'm going there after I get my stuff."

Staring down the hallway towards the gym, I didn't say another word to Daniel. I shut the door to my locker and started off to find Charles.



In the middle of the gym floor, a crowd of students had already gathered, twenty five or so. I watched from the doorway as Charles materialized in their midst. A few people laughed, most uttered monosyllabic exclamations, and the rest began begging him to teach them. Charles glanced around at everyone, seemingly unsure of what to do next; he looked a little claustrophobic.

"Here, try taking this," a girl in the crowd shouted and handed Charles an apple, presumably from her lunch. "Lannie could take stuff and bring it back. See if you can do it."

"I can. Watch," Charles replied. Apparently he had done more experimenting than he had told me about. Charles disappeared and reappeared, apple in hand. "Now watch," he proclaimed. He disappeared. Upon his return, he was no longer holding the apple. "Wait," he said, disappearing again. When he came back, it was with him again.

In response to the simplistic demonstration, my mind dredged up an image of Charles as one of the first ever explorers on the planet. Neanderthal Charles. "I have walked past that tree. I am the village's greatest pioneer." I smiled wryly to myself.

The warning bell rang, and the flock of students issued a disappointed groan.

"Sorry guys," Charles said, picking his way through the crowd, "I'll see you later." He handed the girl back her apple. With a sudden stab of betrayal, I saw that it had been Ashley Frank. Whether it was her or Charles who had wronged me, I wasn't sure. But with as much time as I'd spent dreaming of Ashley, in a just world, I would be the one she was trading fruit with. I pivoted back to the hallway and stalked off to class.



I didn't talk to Charles for the rest of the school day, even at the expense of leaving a book I needed in my locker, just so I wouldn't risk running into him there. I couldn't concentrate anyway, so the book wouldn't have done me much good. All I could think about was Charles and Ashley. Stupid Charles and stupid, beautiful Ashley. I hardly even noticed the last bell ringing until everyone around me was getting up to leave. I slid my supplies into my backpack and walked out the door, stopping first to peek around it and make sure Charles wasn't already at his locker. He wasn't, so I hurriedly opened mine and snatched up everything I needed before hastily retreating to the anonymity of the hallway traffic.

As I walked through the cafeteria to my escape from the building, I swung my backpack out in front of me on one shoulder and began packing up what I'd grabbed. When I looked up again, I was inches from crashing into yet another crowd. This was quickly becoming inconvenient. At the center of the group, I saw Charles for the first time since that morning. Lannie Sanders stood next to him.

"Okay," Lannie said, "here we go." She held up a large, sparkling, green pen for everyone to see. I wondered if that was what she used for her assignments and how many years she must have taken off her teachers' collective eyesight with what had to be unprofessionally bright ink. She and Charles disappeared almost simultaneously. When they reappeared about twenty seconds later, Charles was holding the pen.

"That is so cool," someone declared. "Could you see each other in there?"

"Yeah," Lannie confirmed. "We saw each other, we could talk, it was just like out here."

"What's it look like?" someone else asked.

"I don't know," Lannie answered again, "it's a lot darker than here. You can't really see too much." Charles was nodding along to her answers. With someone else to take the eyes of the crowd, he looked a bit more comfortable than he had that morning. But while Lannie seemed to be enjoying all the attention, Charles gave the impression he was only there to do a job, show everyone something new and go home. As if confirming that thought, he whispered something to Lannie who then declared, "Okay, everyone, we have to go."

The crowd voiced its disapproval but began to disperse. I watched as Lannie and Charles talked for a few more moments before seeming to come to an agreement on some matter and going their separate ways. Before I could react, Charles started in my direction. He apparently hadn't gone to his locker before their demonstration. Making his way through the dissipating crowd, he looked up and saw me. I stared back, still angry but curious as to his next move.

Charles' eyes drifted sideways then down to the floor, and he brushed past me without saying a word.