Deamons

Chapter 16 Home of the lost Boys part 1

Home of the lost Boys

Starke wakes to laughter and smiles. He sits up quickly assessing which boy around him is the threat. He cannot find one. Every type is there mostly younger then he is. They want to know where is from. Why he is on the couch. What is in the bag. He can smell bacon cooking and possibly oatmeal. From where he is he sees the director pass from what must be the kitchen to the dining room to put a large bowl on the table. He is so hungry. "Whose turn is it to set the table? It should be done by now. I should not have to check the board," he says loud enough for the whole house to hear.

There is a rumble from upstairs then he hears it at the top of the steps. He attention focuses there. It is three boys his age. One casts him a wary eye. Here it comes. He does not know if he should stand up ready to fight. He does not want to get jumped here on the couch. He wishes the director was not in the kitchen where he cannot see what is going on. Is it not his jobs to stop such altercations? The young boys are in front of him so he decides to stay seated.

The wary eyed boy passes. He goes straight in the kitchen and comes out with some plates. He is setting the table. It must be his turn for that chore. The other two older boys stop at Starke looking him over. "What your name," the shorter of the two asks. "Starke." "Yo you just get here and get to go bowling. You lucky yo." Then the taller boy chimes in. "Hey good to meet you Starke I am Dodger you want to be on my bowling team? You a good bowler?" "He look like a good bowler. He white. White people know how to bowl yo. Check this out Starke. Dodger here still pitches the ball between his legs with two hands," the shorter boy says. "Well I knock more over then you. Starke, you on my team or not?" Dodger asks. "I don't know if I can go or not," Starke answers. "See yo he don't wanna be on any cat's team that pitches the ball down the lane with two hands between his legs. Don't sweat it Starke I don't wanna be on his team either. You with me." "Oh, Starke you cold man, but it's all good. You're still alright with me. You don't have to like me for me to like you," Dodger says. "It's not that," Starke says, "I don't have any money." "Ah man yo, you don't need no cash to bowl. None of us have positive cash flow." "Yea Starke we are all broke. They pay for us to bowl we just have to take bologna sandwiches from here. They don't feed us at the alley," Dodger says. The shorter boy chimes in again, "Yo Starke you like bologna?" "No, I hate it but I will eat it," Starke answers. "Yo I hate it and I ain't gonna eat it. You arright with me Starke, Give me five. Don't leave me hangin' yo," The shorter fellow holds up his hand all smiles. Then Dodger gets a look across his face. It's a half smile half astonished. "Hey shorter I am white do all bowl good?" "Oh, Dodger you just can't be all white," Shorty answers.

Starke likes these boys. He believes he can be happy here. The bacon smells awesome too. Something about the smell of bacon in the morning can make just about any situation seem alright. Inside the deamons were quiet. Hope stared over at them not liking it. It was not like Rejection to no be looking out the orbs of the eyes. "Hey Intuition what do you make of this?" Hope asks. "Not a thing. Everything is still. I don't get a read on anything."

"Come on in boys! Soups on!" the director announces. "Soup for breakfast?" Starke asks. "Nah," Shorty is laughing, "you funny Starke. He was in the Navy. That was something they said there for chow time. I don't know why he don't just say chow time." Starke was hungry too. He went over and stood by the table. The other boys hustled into a seat and started digging in. They must have been hungry too. The big boy that set the table notices Starke standing there and points to the spot he set for him.

"Now hold on boys! You know the rules," the director says. Then they all bow their heads and say grace. Starke could get used to it here. He could forget his friends back home if he had new friends and maybe when he is eighteen he can go live back at his great aunts. Then an officer lets himself in. The boys look back at him. He must come there often because they don't look shocked. "No one has a court date today Barney," the director says to the officer. "Who's that?" Starke asks Shorty. "He takes us to our court dates and stuff like that. He arright, for a cop." He emphasized the, for a cop, part. Clearly, he does not like police, Starke thinks.

"Not here for a court date. They are wasting my time using me for a taxi today," Barney the cop says. "How so Barney?" the director says. Starke is so hungry. The boys are passing the food around after taking their share. He is not worried there is plenty. It just smells so good and his stomach is growling. "I have to run some boy Starke down to child services in Annapolis. He here yet?" "He is right here. Sit down for a minute I just got the food on the table. He needs to eat yet." The boys are complaining they do not want Starke to go, insisting its not fair he is going to miss bowling. "No time. I got to get going now. I have another run and this one is taking me way out of my way." "Let me pack him something then," the director says getting up. "No time for that either. He is here so we have to go now. Right now."

The director wants to make a stand. Starke's stomach churns, part hunger part nerves. He likes these people. They are nothing like he expected. Obviously, the director and officer Barney have had a cordial relationship before. The fact that the director is willing to risk that over him eating breakfast speaks volumes about his character and heart. Starke gets up and gets his bag. Refusing to cost these people anything on his account. Rejection is chiming in, screaming in really.

"You're scum! These boys aren't your family! You have no family! Your mommy! Your daddy! Want you dead! What kind of kid has a mommy and daddy that wants him dead? A reject!" Rejection looks worried. He is waving his hand for the other deamons to come over.

"Hey let him eat! That not cool!" "Is he gonna be back by noon for bowling?" "Don't worry Starke we going to the movies next weekend, you won't miss that." "I want him bunking in my room. Peewee wet the bed all the time he stink. Put peewee in Shorty's room and Starke with us little kids." "Yea he look tough! He can keep the monsters away for us little kids." "He don't wanna bunk with pipsqueaks, yo! He bunking with me. He cool and I don't like the pee smell." They all are speaking at one time. What a home. So much there to drown the deamons out.