Fitt

March 21, 2013

Thursday

Frogs and crickets, Mice and seeds, keep from the water, there's snakes in the reeds.

Liza watched the sun play off the children's blond hair as they danced and sang the rhyme. They didn't know why they sang it. The words meant nothing to them. They would never know. Except for the skinny one. His clothes were a little faded and slightly out of style. Nothing too noticeable. A new pair of shoes when he needed them always seemed to throw suspicion off.

Her boy. Fitt. Now called Lawrence. Looked like he never knew the troubles of Odain. The toxic river the rabid animals. Food that sometimes would make a man sick for days.

He knew though. He knew that there was a world outside of this paradise. Everyday she would carry him in, still sleeping and wash him in the kitchen sink. Soon he wouldn't be small enough and she'd have to try something else. But he knew of the dark beyond the wall. He was lucky to have been born with his father's hair. Blond. Darker than most of the children, his still had that touch of gold, where most of the children were almost white.  

She left to do her duties and would be back in time for to pick up the boy. "please just until Second School," she prayed.

He was sitting on the steps to the school grounds he looked scared. When she got there he was holding a sheet of paper and handed it to her. She looked at it, it had rows and rows of shapes and lines on it. Some of it looked like words, she didn't know too many but Dug would know.

She led him back to the kitchen where she would finsh the days work, payment for the boss to keep quiet and occasionally help keep this one in the classes. Once in Second School he'd get to stay. People in the Odain were able to go to Second school if they could pass the quizzes. Most of the questions were beyond even the smartest among them. Many suspected the test rigged but Marline, the upper was once Odanian. She was one of them. She came from the other side and she said they let many of the outers from that side in and this test was no different.

Fitt asked why she looked concerned. She explained that the paper had words on it and she didn't know what it said. He nodded and said he could read it.

The Idea that he could read it at 8 years old and not even in second school was ridiculous. They got to Dug who opened the letter and read. He wrinkled the paper and threw it in the fire. Liza jumped for it but it was already on fire.

He said that Fitt was no longer allowed in the school.

Fitt started to say no. He yelled and told them it didn't say that. Liza dragged him home kicking and screaming.

The next day she didn't let him go to school no matter how much he yelled and screamed.

He stayed home crying and repeating the words he read so many times

Dear Ms. Liza, Mother of Lawrence, called Fitt.

Your son has been very forthcoming with his home life and ways, he even explained the rhyme about the snakes in the reeds. Under normal circumstances we would reject him directly, however the remarkable aptitude he shows for all subjects we want to answer the question of his father. If you don't have any information about this we can do a search for him ourselves, with your permission of course. Please sign this permission form or come in with him in the morning. Thank you Admissions.