Freaks: Year Two

An Owl Fight

Toby looked down at his feet. Francis had gone back to rarely speaking, how great. Francis was a very quiet kid, he rarely talked. Toby noticed that he had gotten much more talkative when Jasper had gotten his Hogwarts letter and once he had gotten his hearing aids. He always talked about Hogwarts and always wanted to know about it. He would ask Jasper about the owls and if the teachers were nice and if his new home was better than his old one. (Jasper had to tell Francis that this place was still his home and said that he missed them very much but Toby knew that Hogwarts was much more of a home than this place could be.) Francis talked a lot (for him anyway) this summer but now that he was going back to school and that Jasper was gone, he was back to his untalkative self.

Toby checked the clock again. "We need to leave in two minutes."

They all nodded and finished up their breakfasts. Francis only ate half of it but it was better than nothing. Toby grabbed the dishes off the table and told them to brush their teeth while he washed the dishes.

They got their bags and left the house. The school they were going to was pretty close to their house. It was only a ten to fifteen minute walk and so Toby locked the door and they went on their way.

They were all quiet as they made their way to the school and Toby looked at the three of them. Ethan was dragging his shoes across the pavement, slouched, Francis was quietly walking and Edgar just looked on edge. Toby was trying to think of what to say. "Are...you excited for school?"

"No," Ethan said immediately.

Toby sighed. He should have expected that. He looked at Francis and Edgar, hoping he would get a better answer. "What about you two?"

Edgar shrugged and Francis shook his head.

Toby sighed again as the group of them continued to walk to the school. He didn't know why the three of them were so down about school. School was an escape, a better one anyway. "Look guys I know it sucks that we can't go to Hogwarts but...at least you three still have a chance right?"

Ethan bit his lip. Toby had a point there but he still felt bitter "If we were magical we would have shown it by now." He kicked at a pebble that was in front of him. "Not that I want to be," he muttered.

Toby rolled his eyes. "Ethan, we all know you want to be a wizard."

"Shhhhh!" Ethan hissed. "Not so loud." He looked behind him to be sure no one had heard. "You know how weird that sounds?"

"Sorry," Toby said. "But whether you like it or not, you can't keep making these comments when Jasper is around. It makes him feel bad."

"He should feel bad," Ethan said and he stalked off ahead of them, hands stuffed in his pockets.

Toby watched as he went ahead and suppressed sighing in exasperation. Toby knew it was not Jasper's fault he was magical and none of them were but it still hurt. He got an escape after all. He was now free of their father for months and months on end while they weren't. He was free from their alcohol and drug-infested house and they weren't. He was happy and safe and they weren't.

Don't get jealous, Toby thought. It wasn't Jasper's fault that he was a wizard and he wasn't. It wasn't his fault that even if the others were wizards the starting age for Hogwarts was eleven. None of it was his fault.

But a part of it still really hurt.

Toby looked at the younger two who were quietly walking alongside him. "Now remember, you have to behave."

They both nodded.

He gave a pointed look at Edgar. "You need to, okay?" He really could not forget last year when Edgar kept getting called down to the office for causing trouble. It was breaking something in the class, or snapping at a kid for being mean about Jasper or getting into fights with the other kids. The list went on and Toby was just relieved that their parents had not been called because that only meant Edgar would get in trouble and then that could start up another inquiry which would end with their mum trying to sort it out and their dad in a fit.