Limbo

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Following Lunch on the patio, red lettuce with a creamy sweet mousse and a crunchy root( like a purple carrot) , Marie twirled her spoon in the glass. She had been thoughtful and distant, her dark,and pale waves catching the light making it hard to tell her hair color.

I dabbed at the chocolate crumbs on my plate, so yummy. I don’t know what you call it but it was just like the chocolate dream layered dessert my Mom used to make . So GOOD!! I drank some juice and folded my napkin. I am never sure where you put the napkin when you’re finished with it. I held it in my hand and then crumbled it up on top of my plate.

Marie dropped her spoon onto of her plate, shocking me into a jump, bumping my knee and almost knocking the flower vase over. Marie grabbed for the vase,righted it and carefully looked at the leaves of the two stems in the vase . She was shocked herself and I surmised that she was embarrassed at her manner,too. “Goodness, I was in a fog, !” Marie reached for her salad plate and began nibbling. She always interested me , because she also her salad last with her coffee. Oh well, I tended not to eat the salad at all. The sad expression was still in her eyes. I thought it was from the changing light of afternoon. ” I gather you know the -um – headmaster. ? ” I was nursing a carrot dipped in peanut butter.

“He is not a headmaster, heaven forbid the time when he is in charge. ” She raised her eyes skyward. There are people who like his style of leadership , I am NOT one of them. I have known him for years . He knows just enough to get by, She was stabbing at a piece of parnip and loading green tomatoes onto her fork. “some students and researchers really like his way of doing things”. She picked up her lunch plate and walked it over to the tray set up in the corner . She grinned ,her eyes shining . ” Ok, Joy and I have been talking and you need your own private room. She said that you have not gone exploring . Is this right? Regardless, of his Lordship, you are not going to get into trouble learning about the Council house. ” My eyes widened and started watering. I grabbed my hands in a tight squeeze. ” My own room?” The teardrops darkened the sleeve of my nightshirt. ” Well, I know you have your workroom , but you need a place to take a bath and store your stuff that is more secure than the garden sunroom. ” She was cheerful and her brow lifted puzzled.

, ” You need a place to get away from casual visitors, especially with all the meetings and research starting up in the season. She was looking at the door inside I picked up the rest of the dishes and walked over to the tray” but I am only here temporarily- I am going home soon. ” I was very cold, the afternoon was getting chillier. I started into my sanctuary- albeit temporary! Marie put her arm around my shoulder. ” We should have given you a room sooner. No one does well in Limbo! Not even those who are transistory in their crafts. Let’s get you settled and then I could need another viewpoint . You certainly can help for a bit, couldn’t you?” We sat on the bench against the wall ” So, do you like upstairs, dark room to sleep in or big, sunny and crowded.? We have both ,upstairs and down. ” I like dark to sleep in but I also like sunny ,comfortable uncrowded room. ” I smiled at the number of times that my sister and I argued over whose room was more cluttered and crowded AND WHO was going to be lectured first from Mom and Grandmother!

Lies in Limbo

The brown ,graying hair of the gentleman who came in was quite different from the “professor”. He was fairly tall ,with a thick folder of folders(?) tucked under his arm. The sleeve of the woven coat was folded around the folder, causing a tight vice around his elbow, making his hand red. He put down the briefcase with a loud bam on the edge table . ” What kind of ruckus or joke did you think you were pulling ? It’s hard enough keeping discipline and security without you disrupting the sessions. I don’t like the students here anyway! This is NOT a boarding school!! What Claire thought she was accomplishing by allowing access . It is STUPID!! ( at least I think that was what he was saying, I was having a lot of trouble with his accent. )

“What are you talking about? No one has been over in the conference hall , certainly not little bit and I . We have been HERE! ” Marie was standing just behind me and I couldn’t get to the couch. A room of my own sounded perfect now, with a thick deadbolt and strong hinges.!

” Cyrus is apologizing to everyone in the conference for his absence , because a council staffer stole his cat and was locking her away for being on the premises . He had to plea for her release, because she was accused of destroying property and the staff wanted to turn her over to Security for disposal! ” He came to the doorway and motioned for us to come in. I followed him into my room. His posture was tense and his demeanor was boiling , grounding him to blocking access to the interior of the room.
I looked at him and was angry! I could be just boiling and just as rooted in rug next to the sofa end table just inside the door. I have had enough . ” What? Who does He think He is ? The cat wander onto the patio and came in through the open patio door. She was just looking around . Mr. Cyrus came in and found her , I hadn’t restrained her or called anyone! ” Marie came in and stood with me. ” He was yelling at her about being in here. He was off on one of his power trips like he does when he is flustered by a student. ” Marie looked at the gentleman ” I thought Claire understood , that she was responsible for any trouble HE caused. ”

The folders were sliding and it was all I could do not to yank them away from him and put them on the table or couch or– To my relief, He dropped them on the “game” table and switched on the lamp. ” He has told everyone who would listen . There is going to be dissent and you are going to be asked a lot of questions. ” Marie slid down to the chair and grasped the table edge. ” She is our guest. This is our home. He doesn’t live here and he doesn’t want to have any responsibility except when he doesn’t like something.” The shadow crossed the far window and the room darkened. ” What can we do?”

The calvary too late.

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Two hefty guys grabbed shirts, leveraging their bulk , came up with Zen and the smaller red shirt near the bottom. ” Let me up, your blocking my bellows.” yelled the small red shirt. The security guard pulled him up and shook him.
“Well, little Red Bull!” He laughed as he shoved him into the other redshirts.
Red stepped up and purred at the guard. “HE” Red pointed at Zen. “said that we couldn’t sit down and that we were afright!” Red pouted and waved at the guard.” We were just trying to find a place to sit down and wait for further instructions.” The guard frowned at everyone and then at Zen.
Daniel stood up and waved his hand. ” Zen was defending the girls who were already sitting in the chairs. There are plenty of other places.” The Security guard bore his eyes into Daniel. Daniel’s eyebrow rose and his gaze was just a fierce.
” Girls,- hmph, typical, always trouble.” He turned to the other guard. ” They shouldn’t even be here”” Then, I saw Zen, on his stomach, pinned to the ground with his arms jerked behind him. The second ” linebacker ” guard ( well, it fits), grinned and called.”I got this one!” The first linebacker guard wiped his nose on his sleeve ” Everyone find a SPOT. We don’t know how long THAT is going to last.” He jerked as lightning lit the buildings outside. The linebacker guards shoved Zen between them and started for the side door.
The girls stepped in front of them. “The Red Shirts started it. ” the girl at the center stated. The first security guard stood tall and glared down at the girl. ” Oh! you know? Which one? started what?” The girls frowned , “taking our seats from us.!” The second girl stamped her foot. “Ask anyone!” She looked around but the cluster of people who had been watching the fight, had turned away and were buried in their discs, bags and books.
I looked for Red, the problem. He was leaning against the bookshelves, with a broad smirk. He adjusted his sleeves . ” We , clean, civilized men have to take care of each other. ” He called out to the guards .
I searched for Red Bull, he was across the room, fingering the ear of a petite fashion girl as he slid on top of her. She gave him a scowl and shoved him away, leaving him the sofa .

A blue and silver badge Security man came in from his post in the hallway. He spotted the linebacker guards. “We were just helping Dee out .” brushing invisible dust from her shoulders. The second guard pointed at Zen. ” They – don’t know how to get along with–? You know? ” He caught hold of Zen’s arms, bound in a belt. The blue man peered at the girls and asked ” Are you ok?” Dee and the second girl spoke. “Zen didn’t do anything wrong! He was defending-” The Senior Security man just shook his head, smiled at the girls. ” I’ll listen in a bit.” Disgustingly glaring at the Red Shirts, went shoving the guards and Zen out of the room.

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Targeted

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A surge of people slammed Daniel into my chair, I grabbed the arms as the chair jerked sidewards and into Misty. Daniel caught my chair and pulled it back. ” I’m sorry,” The tension thickened as more people were jostled and tightened into their groups. Daniel sat down on the carpet in front of us as Misty pulled up her feet and we curled in the corner of wing chairs that I had nabbed earlier.

Two guys caught everyone’s attention. One, a red-haired guy from the protest, another was a slim, oriental looking guy. ” Hey, she was siting there! ” Zen called and put his hand to stop the muscled leg from stepping on his book bag.
Red put his hand on the girl. ” She can sit here On TOP of me” His swarmy grin made me angry, as my hands balled up. I wanted to slug him. The two guys glared at each other.
The girl, in question, threw her backpack at Red’s head. Other red shirts pushed in ” I don’t see a chain-with a sign–” He bowed at the guy, glaring at the girl. ” O, your royalness!!” his sneer sounded above the clap of thunder and groups backed off from the red shirts. Girls behind her, picked up their bags and moved towards the windows, taking the girl with them
The smaller blond red shirt guy stepped up, beside Zen. ” Who are you? ”
Zen squared his shoulders and looked at the blond, amber- eyed guy, ” Look, I’m calm, we are all shaken by the storms here. These storms are fierce! ” Zen patted the blond redshirt, while looking at the red wall of shirts behind him. ” It’s alright to be afright!”
Red grabbed him ” You no worth, royal cur” I looked up from my notes just in time to see Zen lose himself in a windmill of slashes from Red shirts ,several slinging the temporary plastic chairs into the coat racks. Everyone didn’t move, didn’t complain just stared.

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Storms

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Yesterday had been so warm and sunny. The skies were blue. I thought and sighed. Today, the sky was weighted and closed in with dark gray stone clouds. The air is heavy and depresses every inclination that I had to work .
I could see from the double bank of windows on the other side of the massive meeting hall, the wind was blowing everything like laundry on a clothes line.
The outburst occurred with such fine drops creating such a mist that all was blurry and dim. The trees were towering high, warning of danger should they crack. I couldn’t help but think of them as army guards with their steel colored trunks and their thin arms catching several banners over the grounds.
Another long moan and thunder rattles the hinges as the wind screeches through the fissures in the door frames.
I faced the wet, glistening crowds, some irritated and snarling, at any the storm.
All the classes on the outer walls, were told to come to the two halls. We were told to come here, instead of English lab. I recognized Chemistry and Languages making their way into the paneled, ornately carved hall.
Clusters of dry, worried or shaken researchers, students and professors crowded in the large meeting room, with their piles of bags, books and other belongings. The bright, wide lights inset into the ceiling defied the gloom from the darkness outside. Study groups who were chattering on floors, stools, or chairs refused to move from their choice already occupied places.

Puzzled, I look over the crowds.
Standing up one of the benches, I noticed that neither Sam, Michael, Sherriel, nor Diamond and his crew were in the room. I wondered why Soucri was in here, she was one of Diamond’s girls and they always stayed together. Another loud moan sounded and the guards in the hallway urged people to get inside . The wind grew louder ,along with the whistling coming from the–building? The windows were coated in some very tough film, seen from the chipping on the corner of one of the windows.

“I just hope that the outer walls hold up” I mumbled .

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Scandal over?

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I adjusted the straps of my backpack more comfortably onto my shoulders. ‘Better posture- walking straight with weighted pack’ I reminded myself. Good exercise to walk and lift weights, which I had been doing when I went home. I frowned-‘not home-home, but my room and study was MY safety nest. It felt like MY home, nobody else’s. My nose started dripping, and my tears drained out of my eyes as I grieved for my family’s home. I wiped my nose on my sleeve, grimacing in disgust- but I couldn’t find the kleenexes. Diamond came up alongside me as did Dianna. She hugged me and gave me her cloth (‘ handkerchief’)? She always had it in her sleeve. Diamond folded my arm inside of his and took my dragging bag.

” Hey, we heard that you were “escorted” out of the Naval Chemistry group’s project.”
I stopped,confused. Nobody had told me I was not in the project? The sun was a brilliant orange ball reflecting out of the windows, caused us to shield our eyes.
I shifted my backpack, causing Dianna to step sideways.
“I have been in that project group. They are condemnatory and conniving.” Dianna said. ” They delight in hurting people in their cutting ways.” She looked pained and far away in memories not far from the top.
I explained about what happened, what I did and how much hostility, anger and shunning happened . “Josh was the monster! ” Anger making my voice rising and making me furious from down deep. I lost all my control.
I waved my hands in the air, people edged away from me as they walked by . ” He was not interested in what anyone else was saying, neither was Angel.” Shaking my head, I stared at the ground.
“He was condemnatory and commanding and yet he looked right though the people who were breathing with every word he announced. I don’t think he saw them at all.” I crossed my arms and hugged myself, looking up the trunk of the tree to our right, just like I had when I looked up at him in front of the board.
Diamond took my hand and guided me out of the pathway which I was blocking. I was lost in the past.
“He hadn’t been in the room before he blamed Amy for something that wasn’t her fault” I wiped my stupid nose that was dripping.” I was the one that had messed up everything . I tried to stand up for her. They had been there a long time.” I stopped and looked at Dianna, still very confused. “Amy was ANGRY with ME! EVERYONE STARTED CONDEMNING ME!!” I twisted the cloth until my tangled fingers were showing purple. Taking the cloth back,Dianna came forward but with the same fear, the same expression that Daisy and Misty showed when they hugged the walls of the chemistry room. “What did I do that caused so many reactions?”

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Stop! What’s that sound?

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Sherriel came and stood behind Michael. She was listening with the intensity of a cat, licking her paw, every muscle ready to attack. “If the troubles come back scurrying, you would know, after the number of times YOU were in trouble.” Michael’s head jerked up to see Sherriel, a slow, long smile changing all the sparks into embers and steam.

“You SHOULD know know as many candle nighterswhich you were assigned.” Sherriel blinked and cupped her hands around his chin locking his ears in. “Micha-! quit it!!” The sharpness and anger in her voice made me back up.
“I said she is under MY FLOCK!” Her fingers tightening and pinching his mouth into a tight line.

Michael’s elbows struck backwards, hitting the slats of the chair. He turned his chin and glared, obviously I was not worth the fight. Chuckling, Sherriel sat down and faced him. Michael rubbed his chin and let out a sigh. “We don’t have to light.” and moved the hair from his ears.
” They are too MANY out of sync with the plans.” Michael growled at me. Obviously, I was included.
Sherriel nibbled on a handful of fries, and finished the fish Sam had left behind. .
She offered a piece to Michael, when she said ” Don’t be too quick to throw ash. IF IT ignites, you are fighting two conflagrations.”
Michael ate some fries and pushed the rest to me.
“Ignorance, that’s all we have. NonBloosh.” He leaned forward brushing my cup.”Is that what you want?” He nodded at me, waiting with the same thin lips.

Sam came running up the stairs, with pink papers in his hands.”It has happened again!,another one!” Sherriel read the back of the paper. “I thought we were clear of those.” She stared at Michael. “Conflagrations!”

Michael’s face curious and anger still steaming. “Let me go, talk around.” He threw his pack over the rail and flew down the stairs.

Sam took a swig from my blue bottle and rolled the blue knobby bottle in his hands.

I felt like I was in a closet, eavesdropping on bits of conversation going on, out in the room.
“Hey, I’m going to get some drinks- Cap?” Sam ruffled my hair. I nodded, as he cocked an eye at Sherriel. I reached and squeezed Sherriel’s hand .
“I’m sorry that I caused you more trouble.”
“You didn’t — we work and settle things down.” Stretching her shoulders,she reached and dropped her sack by the table, then pulled out her tables, charts and the boat bag which held her pens, pencils and tools. Sam walked back and into the table, almost throwing the cups over the top. I rescued one of the precarious ones.
” you okay?” I whispered.
He winced, blinked, setting the cups down. “NO, I’m not!.” he snapped “all the crickety!!” He stared at the spilled Kafir on the top.
All my strength seemed to have seeped out of me. “I’m tired, I’m going to go home.” I picked up my backpack, drank the rest of my community bottle. “Ya”ll look like you need to as well.” I rubbed Sam’s shoulder. “Thanks for protecting me this afternoon.”
“Retreating to your safety place.” Sherriel quipped, but there wasn’t too much energy in it..
Sam nodded. “you need to go home. I’ll see you in the morning.”

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fuse lit

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Michael came up with two bags and two bottles of pink stuff, looking like a fierce warrior . ” You know, there are 3 ways you can change things! ” He slid a bottle over to Sam. Michael’s expression was dark with pure anger as he looked at me from on high.
“You can shove your way of doing things,” He set the bags in the middle of a table to the left of the couches. “on all the others as you did. OR YOU can” Michael unloaded the dishes and wrapped food for two. ” CHALLENGE THE AUTHORITY, tell them THEY ARE WRONG AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DO IT!. WHICH YOU DID !”
Looking down at me, He took a long swig from his bottle. I sank down as far as I could, as we were attracting attention from below. There were scary characters on campus and Michael is definitely one of them.

“You asked if you had the liberty to talk? ” He loomed over me, shaking his bottle near my seated head. ” NO! you do not have the Liberty when you have done all that you have done!” .He dropped his bottle on the table, sounding like a chairman’s gavel.
“YOU did everything NOT to EARN THE LIBERTY. LIBERTY MUST BE EARNED”. Michael’s ears were pink as was his face. “LIBERTY is NOT deciding to quit all the actions that have BEEN DONE BEFORE, BECAUSE YOU DECIDE TO DO. ” Sam sat at the table and began eating, watching Michael roared, and ignored him.

Michael looked at his watch, sat down and took a bite of his pile of mushed beans, sauce and crusty bread. He ate for a few minutes, finished and then, glancing over at Sam, and rubbing his eye, before he continued. His roar soft er but stern. He glanced down at the hallway and moved his chair towards the table and away from below.
” LIBERTY is the CHOICES to follow the rules so all survive in a group together.” His hands smoothed out the napkin that was covered in crumbs. ” No-one person can decide to make up rules of their own! THERE WOULD BE NO AGREEMENTS AND NO WAY TO LIVE TOGETHER.”
I grabbed some of Sam’s fries . “So, what is the third way?” I asked and gave him a small smile, really curious about what WAS the third way of changing things.


Whose? and what kind?

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Sam opened his oversized,blue leather bag and the zipper slid all the way back. “He pulled out a gold edged and metal tipped volume, one of a large, old series in the history library. He brushed off the cover which caused waves of dust. “I talked to Dr. Marie and she suggested that I show you this order of principles.”
The book slipped through his hands and struck the table, leaving a dent in the center of the opaque table. Sneezing, I had caught one edge causing my wrist to jerk down with the weight of the book. I waved at the heavy particles in the air,sneezing again.
Diamond walked up, his shadow casting a shade over me”.
“Are you alright?” he leaned over, brushing my cheek. Looking at the cover of the book, he slung his bag over the back of the chair and sat down by me. “I hear that the Naval chemistry set spit out their opinion that you took over and had you escorted out.” His grin lit up his own rebellious face. “Way to go, lark.” he hugged me around the shoulder.
“What the QUERY is WITH YOU?” He stared at Sam and the antique book. “Principles? Oh how good of your people to volunteer to change the rest of us, to your ways?” Sam held up his hand,showing that tired, sad visage as before.
I was so glad that none of the other class was here, as much as I was hurt and confused, I also felt Sam’s hurt.
“Thank you, Diamond but Sam was trying to explain why I ruffled several of the chemistry groups.” I began twisting two napkins,’wishing hard that they would turn into my cinnamon gum’ I looked at Sam. “I was trying to help get the session going and was only defending Angie and her group.! I wasn’t trying to take over !” My eyes teared up again. I poked myself in the eye, trying to use the twisted napkin to wipe tears away

Diamond wiped my cheek with his sleeve. “You HUTCH guys. ” He growled. ” You have one way to do things and NOBODY ! CAN DO – ELSEWISE!!. YOU HAD TO HAVE YOUR WAYS. Your traditions, Your values, YOUR PRINCIPLES!”
Sam frowned and got up. “IF it was up to you people, WE would have no protections, no rules ,NO BEHAVIOR AND NO PRINCIPLES” Sam’s face grew pale, and his lips drew up, the tunnel between his eyes deepened.
“YOUR PEOPLE -would spray your fluids on the grass and burn it!,IN THE NAME OF FIRST LIBERTY” He bunched up his fists and grounded them into the table top.
Diamond’s face reminded me of his name. His hands tightened into a fist in his lap. “We HAVE THE CHOICE, to do it but WE wouldn’t do that BECAUSE IT WOULD HARM THE GRASS. REMEMBER !”
His eyes had that serious glaze, which meant that an eruption was starting. “DO NO HARM!!” He knocked on the arm of my chair. Relaxing, Diamond picked up Sam’s blue bottle. “YOU HUTCH wouldn’t care about the harm on the Grass OR ANYTHING ELSE.” he huffed. He looked down at me, crossing his arms, then stared at Sam.
“People should be able to decide what to do and how to do actions in their own lives. SO LONG AS THEIR CHOICES DON’T HARM OTHER PEOPLE!”
He squeezed my shoulder, looking at Sam . He gave me a quick hug, “SOMETHING that YOUR PEOPLE TAKE A DELIGHT IN DOING DAILY!” He spit into his hands, as he turned from Sam. “Can I get your Cappy coffee? He smiled and squeezing my shoulder. “Be back in a moment!.” His muscles were hard as a rock! when I tried to squeezed his hand, thanks.

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Liberty? What?

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Joshua got up from the top of the can where he had perched, and he walked to the outline and erased it. Looking in the direction of our group in front of him, he straightened his back and kicked the bottom of the can. The reverberations echoed off the rounded high ceiling, as if a high note sounded from a choir member. Angie looked up from her group’s rows and rows of cards, and smirked. ‘ So like him.’ she thought
“Whoever you are, you are causing disorganization of a project all of us have been working on, for months. I am guessing that you are in the research group with Michael and Sam, so I will just ask them to take you out! Since we have a lot of ideas to put together and we don’t have this space for all the time.” He nodded at the jazzy headband guys to move towards the door.
Sam and Michael caught me by the elbows and — nodding at the Headband guys, Michael walked me sideways and straight to the back entrance. I twisted my elbows and looked behind me at the girls . Sherriel held up my backpack and nodded, before laying out the pictures and the formatted pages we had worked up last week. I sighed, all the evenings we had verified and cross checked. That part had been so boring, but as Sam said we would be ripped and thrown away, if we had wrong facts. Michael’s hold on my elbow pinched and his expression was stone faced with no emotion at all. Sam had an arm across my waist. He kept his eyes on the big safety door until we reached it and Michael stopped. Sam pointed back to our table.
” Tell the others, we will meet them in the 2nd floor study wing.” He smiled at Michael . ” Thank you for staying with us. It is stellar.” Michael eyes opened up and I saw their soft buttery brown, ” D’Accord!” .

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We sat in the over-plumped, sink- into-and-never- get-out couches. Overlooking the entry into the library and the south hallways, we would be easily seen by the others. ” Oh my Lord, I may just hide here for good.” i sank even farther out of sight,
Sam frowned, and his eyebrows drew together knitted in that funny rosette. Sam, the punster, my buddy, the trivia fountain and guide to all things campus, was not now.
“Do you decide what words you are using or is there a ball that just jangles?” he was NOT amused like he usually was. He was fiercely angry and I was stunned.
I just crumbled, drawing my knee up ( losing a shoe), I dropped my head to my knee, and sobbed.
All the condemnation, the anger and the spite caused my brain to just shut down. ‘I just wanted to be back on my couch, buried in the corner, cocooned in my blanket. I would just leave’. I thought.
” Look at me!!- you are not a little kid and you can’t hide from the wrath caused by your actions.” He sounded so closed and yet so loud! ” Look at me- I want to hear! What means did you think you were going to get?”
I cracked open an eye, his navy blue shirt was so close, I could see the tiny orange details were fruit.
I blinked and raised my head, wiping my eyes on the crumpled handkerchief,crammed in my pocket,
I drew in a deep breath. ” I WASN’T TRYING to do anything? ” My face must have shown all the hurt I felt.

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He pressed a blue knobbed bottle into my hand. I took a sip glad to have the cold tickle on the back of my throat. Sam took a sip of his. ” Words matter, they decide who goes where and how actions are started. Words can build and create smiles or describe the beauty of the skies. They can start to lay the ground for the strongest grid ever to be found. ” He scratched the back of his head. “Especially here, -where the rebuild is just starting to congeal.”
He looked hurt and bewildered. He also looked stunned, he kept looking and me and then away, hurt washing over in waves. He swallowed a large amount of the blue drink and barely shook his head.
My eyes teared up again. I felt like I was being slapped by my good friend and I don’t know what I did. ” I didn’t mean to cause trouble . I just thought that we were discussing the project,I would start an outline and we could add to it when everyone else gave their ideas.” Sam twirled his bottle.,looking at the ceiling. “Sherriel has done something like that on the 1854 project.”

Sam reached for my hand and narrowed his eyes. Those were the eyes of thunder and a boiling sea under darkened clouds so there was no warmth! He squeezed my hands and his face was the saddest I had ever seen it. “and THAT is the scariest part of all this- you can’t imagine you did anything wrong! ,like it was your birthright ? ”

At Liberty

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Misty chuckled at me and winked. Leaving the board and walking over to where Sam, Claire and Sherriel were standing or perched. I felt deflated and confused. ‘ Words that I knew that I have used for many years, were suddenly meaning and used in a different way, in an intolerant, stupid way. ‘
I looked around at all the crossed arms, closed confused faces, the pause which made me feel like I had cracked a popular vase. I shrugged .
” I thought it would help to remind ourselves of the field we are talking about hence, the general subject of Chemistry. I circled Chemistry and wrote Solutions, compounds and Results, just as an aid. ” I whined to Sherriel and Claire. ” I thought I was helping in setting up for the discussion”. I spread my hands at Sam.
I was rambling and defending against those looks that I was getting from all the people in the room.
I’m sure that my face was pathetic.
” I didn’t know that everyone would react this way. What was the big deal?” I put my markers away in my bag, still confused and getting angry over such a small thing. “That I wrote out the outline on the board?” I waved at the board, putting my hands on my hips, I had a thin line of a mouth. ” Really, people” ,I sighed. “Of all the problems going on in the world and they are going to pick a fight over an outline ? ”
Sam and Sherriel exchanged those glances . Sherriel came over and grinned. ” Well, you made THEM confused! Good Job!”
Sam cocked his head and stared at me. ” You are moving cloudy fast, aren’t you?” He rubbed a spot behind his ear, looking down, he smiled at me, like a big brother correcting a little sister .
” I thought we were here to discuss the topics and the general ideas BEFORE we decided exactly who we were going to ask to speak.?” Michael pointed at Megan and the guy with the jazzy headband, “Weren’t they going to present the information so that we could put the pieces in order. But you” He shook his head, his furrow creased. “You! I don’t understand!” He turned away, dismissing me as if I was a three year old with whom he was bored. He looked over at Meghan who was shuffling through papers in a stack, frustration etched in her whole body.

The racket that was made as Joshua hit the top of the large cans he was moving, caught all of us mid sentence.
He moved a chair and attempted to stand on it. “Angie, What are these chairs,? I told you last time. !” He snapped at the girl with the notecards at the sorting table, who jumped at the bark.
I didn’t know who this loudmouth was , but not one deserved to speak to a team member in hostile tone like that. I stood on my chair , ” hey you, blowhard. Where is your work? Her team has been here since long before the rest of us arrived. Who gives you the bloody right to come in here and yell like that? ”

Joshua turn and look at me in shock. ” I am the coordinator . Professor Fields assigned me. Who are you to say ANYTHING? ”
Daisy moved closer to the boys in the back, near the door. Members of my table stood up and Misty helped me stepped down and replaced the chair. Everyone else stared at me or Joshua with anger, and confusion. Angie’s group were worried and were looking at anything except what we going on in front of them.
Sam and Michael put their hands on my shoulders I squared my shoulders ,lifted my face and said in my best protestor yell.
“Aren’t I at Liberty, to speak out when someone has been mistreated?”
There was not a breath or sound in the arching cavern.
Sherriel caught my elbow and whispered. “not another word, kapuchick ”

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Accepted Norms

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I looked out the library window. The sky was bright with a pale white sunshine. With its dark,fluttering leaves dotting the sky, it matched the students. Things had settled down. There were no people sitting around, angrily ,spitefully, yelling at other people . The calm was welcomed but you could sense the submerged opinions . After the address from Mr. Joffrey, of all people, the temper of the grounds cooled.

Last night, we started to plan on how to start on the project’s write up. The others were sketching or digging through cards and packets. There were plenty of people, so I went to the large board in the front and starting writing the outline. I wrote Subjects on the left and Topics on the right. The topics had not been decided upon, hence tonight’s meeting. Under subject, I wrote Chemistry, circled it in fluorescent blue ink and arched branches of Solutions, Compounds and Results, pyramid style. Claire held her clipboard and began sketching while looking at the board. She and I were late arrivals who had worked in the Library, catching up.
The guy with red curly hair pulled in place with a jazzy headband, looked up from the lay out and smiled . Angie was the girl I had talked to about the project when I first arrived. She and the others were making the packets that would be given out. He poked her and both stared at me.
Frowning, she looked at him, ” What is going on? I thought we were working on the titles first and then the topics.?” The guy with the headband they all seemed to prefer, nodded as he moved the cards into piles.
“Yes, that is what we are doing, using the large tables to get everything together. Angie pointed at the board. Claire and the guy looked at what I was writing. “Why is that group ignoring what we are doing?”

I stared back at Angie and the research group. “I was getting ready for the discussion, I thought this would be a way where everyone could see, you know,” as I changed the color of the pen – I stopped as everyone looked up, Angie and her guy was angry ]. (‘why?’ I thought ).
Sam looked at the board with the subject on the left side and the lines descending from it. He frowned and scratched his lip. ” I thought we were settling on the Titles and the topics before we decided on the subjects.” The guy with the headbanded red hair nodded. ” They is exactly what we are doing. I got the cards laid out. We just need to discuss”- his eyebrows furrowed together. – “Why?” He pointed to the board and squinted as they looked at the cards comparing what I had written.
“I was organizing points for the discussion.” My marker pen pointed to the diagram, proudly. ” I just thought writing it out would be a good map to shake out the ideas,” feeling like I had made a good contribution. Sam arched his eyebrow, and I turned to watch the reactions of everybody in the room. The expressions made me feel like I was one of the solution slides on the side table.
Meghan, stepped away from the slides she was preparing, wiping her hands off, stood in front of the board. She stood back and back some more. Looking at the cards on the table and at the board, ‘I had seen that expression last week, numerous times.’ Meghan was a ponderer, always careful about what she said. She read what was on the board and smiled in the manner of a cat observing an odd fluffy bird.
” You have an odd way of organization. I will tell you, but I supposed that there are more than one way to do everything? ” She smiled and tilted her head, still the far away look in her eyes, the gears were turning.