The Little Town of Lillston

Into the Chamber of Principal Kindell

Bryson found some gauze and large band-aids under the sink in a first-aid kit, and he slipped on a large sweatshirt to cover his arms and hands and went to sleep in Hunter and Sophia's room. Sophia stayed in their parents' room for the rest of the night after she encountered the Inverted Boy. Hunter wanted Bryson near in case anything else tried to pry its way through the windows. It took a while for Bryson to fall asleep. He kept glancing at the windows, wondering if he'd spot the clown or not. He didn't spot it all night, which made Bryson frustrated. When the morning finally came and his mother woke them for school, Bryson was not in a good mood. He forced himself to say as little as possible, and he became so lost in his own thoughts at breakfast that he had managed to eat one bite of toast before they had to leave for school.

His father was gone by the time they woke, but their mother noticed Bryson's mood, and the circles under his eyes. When she parked at the school and Hunter and Sophia hopped out of the car, she stopped him.

"Bryson, what's going on?" she asked softly. "Couldn't sleep again?"

"Yeah," Bryson mumbled, his hand on the door.

"It's going to be eighty today," said his mother. "Why're you wearing a sweatshirt? I mean, I know how you are with your clothing, but..."

"I didn't feel like wearing a shirt," said Bryson, tugging his sleeves further over his arms. "I'm going to be late."

His mother sighed. "Alright. Well, I'll pick you up after school!"

Bryson hopped out of the car and gripped the straps of his backpack as he followed his siblings into the school. Hunter and Sophia didn't say much as they headed for their first class. Bryson grabbed books from his locker and headed to his first hour, which he wasted, lost in his own thoughts. Today, he was supposed to sneak into Kindell's office during lunch. Where Kindell would be heading from eleven to twelve, Bryson didn't know. But he did know that he had agreed to go with Jack, who would most likely bring Kyle, who would in turn torment Bryson. He'd get caught. Bryson knew he'd get caught. But he couldn't back out, because Jack wouldn't be so willing to share any secrets of his with a kid who was too scared to walk into a vacant office. No one in school talked about the monsters in Lillston openly, and for Jack to talk to Bryson, the new kid, was... a miracle; a gift Bryson wasn't ready to throw away. He needed Jack, for the purpose of gathering information to help his siblings. Callie's information couldn't be trusted. She relied too heavily on rumors.

"Need any help?"

Bryson had been staring at his new homework packet given to him by his second hour science teacher. Callie, who was halfway through it, had paused, noticing Bryson hadn't managed to scribble even one word on it. He set down his pencil and shook his head. "No."

Callie frowned. Her eyes darted to Kyle and Jack, who were talking quietly to themselves, stealing glances at each other's papers. "How was your night?"

"Fine," Bryson mumbled, chills running down his arms. "Callie, I don't really want to talk right now."

"William Michelson," said Callie. "I think he could be assigned to Beech Boulevard along with Lucas. William lives on Spruce Street, which is right next to Beech Boulevard, and his house is only a block away from Lucas'. No, there isn't a "w" on the list, but there is an "l", and William has two "l"'s in it. I'm sure it's him. He and Lucas are friends. The only one I haven't figured out yet is the "a". I think-"

"Callie," Bryson sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair. He was aware of students eavesdropping on their conversation. "Not now."

Callie suddenly grabbed his arm, and Bryson's spine straightened. Pain spiked through his arm, but he didn't care. What he cared about was Callie's grip, which was nearing forceful. Bryson had let his sleeve slip, and she had seen the bandages he had wrapped around his torn hand.