Hallo everyone! Thanks for deciding to read this chapter. Thankfully I've been given a week off from school so I'm super excited that I'll have more time to work on updates! Anyway, hope you enjoy.
***********
Savannah and I arrived at Penn South Newspaper Company at exactly 1:45pm— forty-five minutes later than our scheduled return time. Perhaps we would've gotten there earlier if an unforeseen accident hadn't taken place on the highway, stopping the flow of traffic and forcing us to wait for thirty minutes until the mess was cleaned up.
Matt greeted us at the door and, as always, he was wearing his signature smile. A flower of relief blossomed within us as soon as we saw him because we knew he of all people would understand. But that flower withered up and died as soon as we saw that Vladlena was with him.
Tried as we did to explain the situation, Vladlena had refused to accept any excuses. Never before had Matt seemed so powerless in his own corporation as in that moment. He tried to convince her that no harm was done and that the lunch rush was a normal thing, but she refused to listen.
"Zis is idleness at its finest!" She declared, her intense gaze burning into our faces.
Savannah and I stood with our hands clasped before us, like children being scolded by a parent, while Matt stood beside Vladlena with a worried look on his face.
"But we're trying to tell you that it wasn't our fault," Savannah defended, careful to keep her tone respectful and not too loud.
Just what was it about Vladlena Komarov that made all of us feel so intimidated?
"But it is your faults! Zyu both should've left vight away!" she chided stubbornly, and we stared exhaustedly at her.
Probably realizing that as the CEO of a big newspaper company, he had much better things to do than listen to her rant all day, Matt finally tried speaking in our defense again.
"Look, it really isn't their fault. This has never happened before and it most likely won't happen again." Matt told her respectfully, then smiling, he turned to us. "You two should head on up to the office. Vladlena here is just making a big deal out of nothing."
"Finally!" Savannah triumphed, dashing towards the elevator before Vladlena could say a word. I followed after her quickly, afraid of being ensnared in her spider web once again. When we were safely in the elevator, we waved playfully to the two of them and Matt waved back amusedly.
Vladlena just huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, turning her head away from us. Matt placed a reassuring arm on her shoulder which she swatted away immediately.
As soon as the doors slid shut, Savannah and I let out the bitter sigh of relief that we had been holding in for the duration of Vladlena's intense interrogation.
I didn't understand why she had made such a big deal out of something so small, especially when the boss himself had been so understanding about it.
"That woman is something else, I tell ya." Savannah sighed, leaning back against the elevator wall. "And that boss of ours might as well have been her employee."
I chuckled, nodding in agreement. "We have such weird employers. . . but I wouldn't trade them for anything. Besides, I think they balance each other out. If Matt didn't have Vladlena, we could get away with anything we wanted. And if Vladlena didn't have Matt then. . ."
"We'd all be miserable and suffering?" she finished for me, and I giggled.
A few seconds later the elevator came to a stop and we stepped out into the third floor lobby. Not surprisingly it was empty, and Savannah and I made our way down the twisting hallways towards where the offices were.
Savannah and I entered the office to find the others deeply absorbed in their work— so much so that they hadn't even noticed our presence at first.
"Well, we missed you too!" Savannah yelled sarcastically, and they all flinched in surprise. Natalie and Jake immediately climbed to their feet, while Blanche stared at us blankly.
"Where have you two been?" Natalie asked worriedly, walking over to us. "Vladlena came looking for you two about an hour ago!"
"Yeah, she was super pissed off when she couldn't find you," Jake said with a lopsided grin. "We told her you probably went out to lunch but when an hour went by and you two didn't come back, she completely lost it."
"Yeah well we've already had the pleasure of facing her unholy wrath." Savannah informed them, slumping down into her chair. "We would've been up here thirty minutes earlier but she held us hostage. "
"Yeah. Lucky for us Matt was there or we would've been stuck down there." I exhaled heavily, sitting down as well. "Though it would've probably helped if he had just put his foot down sooner. . ."
Jake and Natalie shook their heads sympathetically, and I looked over at Blanche to find a displeased frown on her lips.
"Oh, please. Don't you think it's time to stop the chivalry?" She sighed, tilting her head slightly. "You see, what they're really interested in knowing. . . is what happened with the police."
At first I thought that Blanche was just being cynical, but the guilt was written all over Jake and Natalie's faces as they grinned at us nervously.
"Don't act like you're not curious too, princess." Savannah smirked at Blanche, and she turned her head away in disgust. "But I was just getting to that."
Savannah quickly recounted the heart-wrenching tale of our interview with the police and what had happened to Mr and Mrs. Belkin. I couldn't help but noticed that she had deliberately left out many details— ones that would somehow tie the whole thing back to her again, and expose her guilt.
"That's terrible." Natalie breathed, placing a hand over her mouth. "I can't imagine how you two must feel."
"I feel bad about the whole thing, I really do. They were such a sweet old couple and I can't help but feel that we could've done more to help them," Savannah told her regretfully.
"You couldn't have. As journalists, we just don't have that sort of power. It's not your fault." Jake comforted her by placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Jake is right." I piped in. "It was out of our hands to begin with. I think we need to just forget about it for now and focus on our work. You and I are already behind-"
"Zyu two really are something else," a familiar voice came from the doorway, and Savannah and I flinched. Vladlena's tall frame filled the doorway as she stood there with two folders tucked between her arm and her chest.
"I'm sorry. We were just talking-"
"As you two have vightfully said, enough time has been vasted. Miss Calhoun, here is zyur folder." Vladlena pulled out one of the folders and offered it to Savannah. "And Miss Black, I vould like to speak to you in my office."
My eyes widened and I fidgeted uncomfortably under her expectant gaze. Reluctantly, I followed her out of the room and down the hallway to an unpredictable fate.
*************
The loud 'thwap' of the folder hitting the desk caused my heart to jump slightly and I looked from the folder to her uncomfortably. I clasped the handles of the chair I was seated on, then drummed my fingers nervously as Vladlena sat across from me in her chair, her hard expression never leaving her face.
"Relax." She commanded sharply, but her order only had the opposite effect. "In case you are vondering, you are not in trouble."
"I'm not?" I asked, slowly beginning to relax.
"Yes, yes. I've called you here to discuss zhe' details of your next article," Vladlena said, reaching for the folder.
I found it strange that Vladlena felt the need to call me into her office to discuss an article.
Usually, we were only given a folder of information to go on and, up until now, that had always been sufficient.
Was this really that special?
"In case zyu are vondering, the article is nothing special." Vladlena flattened her brow and stared at me with what could've been (though I highly doubt it) amusement. I gaped at her, terrified that she could've read my thoughts.
You could never tell with Russians.
"Then why did you call me in here?" I squinted my eyes suspiciously at her, and she shook her head at my foolishness.
"I called zyu in here because I thought it vould only be fair to explain vhat you're supposed to vrite about. I don't normally, but I figured it vould be best in zis' case. I'll let you read zhe folder first."
I accepted the folder puzzledly then flipped it open. Inside were five data sheets complete with the facts and summaries I would need to start off.
My eyes scanned over the words on the page, and by the time I had gotten to the bottom, my eyes were wide with shock and disbelief.
"Judging by zyur reaction, I vould say you are familiar with it, no?" She raised an eyebrow, and I nodded sadly, still unable to believe what I had just read.
And to think that after all these years, I had given no thought or consideration to this place, despite it being the place that has plagued my memories.
"I am," I muttered, looking up from the folder. "I used to go there back when I was a kid. They've changed the name since then which is probably why I never thought of there till now."
Yes, it was true.
Happy Hills Elementary School had since become Cheshire Hills Elementary, a change that had been enacted in the fall of 1988.
Sure, the name of the school had changed and perhaps the teachers teaching there as well, but. . . surely the classrooms were still the same, right?
And the playground!
Surely, the big red slide with the dent in the middle must still be there. Not to mention the swing set where one chain was shorter than the other. . .
What about the schoolyard?
Did the lustrous green grass still stretch for miles and miles, only being contained by a tall fence. Were those pretty purple flowers that grew in the school's garden still there?
And the beehive... yes, the beehive.
The one I had spent my time poking at before Author came along. Was that still there too?
And most importantly. . . the oak tree.
The oak tree that held so many memories.
Memories of a boy who was no more, and would be no more. . .
"I don't understand." I quivered , clutching the paper tightly in my hand. "Why are they shutting it down?"
"Vell if zyu look at the second page, it vould tell you but I suppose I vill save you zhe effort."
Vladlena went on to explain there were many reasons why the school was shutting down, but lack of money and resources was the main cause. Cheshire Hills Elementary had always been a private institution and had been responsible for funding itself ever since the school opened in 1930. However, due to lack of proper management on the part of the headmaster, most of the school's funds had been swindled, and the school was now left with an insubstantial amount of money to keep it going.
To add this already bad situation, students in the school started coming down with stomach illnesses and the parents began to blame the school's water supply.
When I asked Vladlena why the school hadn't appealed to the town council for help with funds, she told me that they did. Apparently, the school appealed to the mayor and the council but they refused to contribute any money on the basis that the school had rejected past offers to be bought by the government.
However, after Vladlena had finished her account, I began to suspect that the real reason behind the council refusing to fund the school was an aforementioned request that had been made. An Italian investor had offered millions to buy out the property if the school ever did shut down. Knowing the people running the council, (a so-called "friend" of mine being one of them) this offer alone would've been enough to end it all.
"I can't say I'm surprised. I happen to know for a fact that our beloved town officials would do anything for some extra change." I scowled, feeling utterly disgusted at the person I knew for sure definitely had had a say in that decision.
"Regardless of vhether or not that is the case, it is not illegal. Vicked, perhaps, but not illegal. However, ve vill forget about that for now. Zhe people at the school have asked us to write about zem in our next issue because zey hope that zhe public vill help them."
"So you chose me?" I asked confusedly. "Why me?"
"Vell, I don't believe in specially assigning cases, but zhe people at zhe school specially requested you." She spoke at me as if she was just as confused as I was about this whole thing.
"Well. . ." I hesitated nervously, a whirlwind of emotions blowing around in my head. "Then I suppose I have no right to refuse them. I mean, they asked for me."
"Vell, luckily for you, zyu'll get to spend half the day there for zhe entire veek."
"The entire week?" I asked in disbelief.
"Yes, the entire week. But zyu better be back by one pm sharp every day, or vee might have a problem." She narrowed her eyes threateningly and I gulped.
"I- I can do that. What exactly should I write about?"
"Check zhe folder," she said simply, waving a dismissive hand at me. "Zyu can leave now."
Without hesitating, I grabbed the folder and scrambled out the door. I let out a sigh of relief as soon as I was away from Vladlena's gaze then walked down the hall back towards the office.
The question of who had asked, or why I had been asked to write the article plagued my mind.
Sure, I used to go there. . . but I assumed many journalists who worked at Penn South did as well. Not to mention that it was thirteen years ago and I just couldn't believe that anyone had taken the time to dig through thirteen years of records to find me.
And then to know where I worked?
It may have been easier than I was giving them credit for, but I still couldn't think of who had done it.
But to think that after all these years, I would be going back to that school.
More than ever, it seemed that fate was insistent on tangling me in the spiderweb of the past, and that with every passing day I was going further backward rather than forward— a strange, yet oddly comforting, thought.
I knew that going back there would bring a strong sense of nostalgia, and that seeing all those familiar sights again would probably trigger some of those crazy schizophrenic memories I was having.
I couldn't help but wonder what sorts of changes had been made, and what kind of students were attending there now. There was no doubt that despite all my delusional hopes, lots of things had changed.
It was hard to believe that the school would be closing down, and for what? A corrupt, unethical council whose only interest is to line their already overflowing pockets?
It was truly disgusting, but I knew it couldn't be helped.
And to think they were going to build a law firm on the property! Then, all of the precious classrooms and everything else would be gone.
Yes, everything would be obliterated.
Gone. . .
Everything.
Even my beautiful oak tree. And when that was gone. . .
There would be nothing left to tie me to the little boy whom I had lost.
**********
Welp, thus ends another chapter. I really hope you enjoyed it. If you did, feel free to leave a vote and a comment.
The next chapter should be up pretty soon, so yeah! Also I'm thinking of ending some chapters with a poll, just for funsies.
Poll: Who do you think would make (makes) a better boss? Vladlena or Matt.
As always, I love you guys so so much. Adios!