Tony is still avoiding me. He won’t look at me. He won’t talk to me. He will not enter if I am in a room. I wish I knew what to say. I have tried to apologize. I have never seen him this angry with anyone before. I don’t know what to do. The cold shoulder he is giving me is breaking my heart. I keep hoping that Scat will walk through the front door.
I feel so bad. No one told Tony that Scat was missing. I was updating the bulletin board in the admin hallway when Tony asked me where Scat was. I just stood there and stared at him. I finally told him that I was sorry. Scat had been missing for days. I tried to explain to Tony why we think Scat left. That he left to find medicine and that Jonas and Matt went looking for him. Tony was so angry that he yeld at me for being irresponsible. He said I should have been more reliable and that it’s my fault if Scat is dead. I don’t blame him for yelling at me. We should have told Tony that Scat was missing sooner. Scat was not my primary responsibility. He just appeared on our door step one day, dirty and hungry. Tony became is big buddy. Tony is the one who took care of him. This is going to sound stupid but I honestly didn’t realize that I should have been taking care of Scats needs while Tony was ill. I just assumed that everyone took care of everyone. I have a tremendous amount of responsibility around here. I try to make sure that life around Bear Country runs smoothly. Most of the time it does.
The Journal Club has finished with the flyers for the up-and-coming festival. Evan, and J.T. have done a wonderful job again. It amazes me how creative they can be. They will be distributing the flyers around town today. The festival is the one time of the year when everyone gets together and has a good time. We forget about our sorrows and pain and enjoy ourselves. I am a little worried about the Central Bobcats. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they don’t cause any trouble. Sherriff Pete is working on obtaining people for security of the festivities. It is going to be a challenge for him. He is asking for help from around the community.
Madie
It rained all night long. I love the rain. I seem to sleep well when it rains. It is going to be a busy day. I promised Casey I would watch the baby a little while so that she can take care of herself. She is the cutest baby. I hope Casey gets to enjoy her for a long time. I am not so sure I would want to take on the responsibility of having a baby. There are so many things to worry about. Babies don’t seem to do as well as they used to. No medicine. there is limited things you can do when they get ill. No one talks about the things that can go wrong. I wonder if Casey worries about the baby getting ill. I would worry.
I saw Tony up walking around a little while ago. He was heading toward the showers. It’s a good thing because he was starting to smell really bad. If he had been severely ill for much longer it was going to be a challenge to get people to sit with him.
I forgot to take my journal with me yesterday. I went for a walk, a long walk. Went by my old home and someone was living there. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. It has a very homey feel. I wanted to run up to the people living there and say, “get out this is my home.” I didn’t, I just stood there. I stood there for a long time until my stomach said It was time to eat. I said goodbye to my home and went looking for food.
Update, Tony is getting better. He is still sore and bruised, but he isn’t dead. This is a good thing because without him Bear country just wouldn’t be the same.
As for Scat, he is still missing. I am beginning to think we will never see him again. It has been days, and he is so little.
Madie
Scat trembled in the center of the ring; fists raised more out of fear than readiness. The gym echoed with the goon’s cruel and loud insults. He wanted the boy to strike first. But Scat was afraid, he shuffled left, then right, his heart pounding as he tried to stay out of reach. When the goon finally lunged, Scat ducked and moved to the far side of the ring. Scat scanned the gym as he moved, eyes darting to the doors, the rafters, even the shadows where the other goons watched and jeered. Somewhere in his mind, he searched for a way out, a gap in the crowd, a loose board in the floor, anything. But there was no escape.
It has been a long day. Matt and Jonas have still not returned with Scat. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Scat is doing fine and that he didn’t get caught by the Central Bobcats. Tony was his best friend, is his best friend.
Scat had been confined to the room for two days; hunger gnawed at his insides. The scraps of food tossed into the room by one of the goons was barely enough to feed a toddler. It did little to dull the ache in his stomach.
He wasn’t alone. Other boys shared the space, each of them quiet and trying to avoid attention. The only times the door creaked open were for three grim purposes: to march them to the bathroom, to force them into chores, or worst of all to drag one of them to the gym.
The Central gym had become a place of dread. No one wanted to be chosen. The Goons never explained, never asked. They simply pointed, and the unlucky boy was taken.
Those who returned, if they returned, came back limping, bleeding, broken in body and spirit. Eyes dull, ribs bruised, sometimes unable to stand on their own. The silence afterward was always the loudest part, boys staring at the floor, pretending not to see, knowing it could be their turn next.
Scat didn’t cry. Not yet. But fear was settling deep in his bones, and hunger was only one of the many things eating away at him.
JT had been trimming festival flyers that afternoon, when the chime above the front door rang out, he barely looked up. Most days, it meant someone hoping to place a lost-dog notice or a desperate personal ad. But this time, it wasn’t a lonely heart. Two of the Central Goons stepped through the door, bringing with them the cold, unwelcome presence of Xavier Boulder’s influence. They didn’t bother with small talk. One of them, broad-shouldered and sneering, announced they were acting on Xavier’s orders. Central was recruiting. They wanted muscle. Guards. Enforcers.
JT kept his tone even, his hands steady. Supplies were low, he told them. Nothing could be printed, not now.
They weren’t interested in excuses. One of the Goons stepped in close, his voice low and threatening. The message was simple: if the posters weren’t ready in two days, they’d return and flatten the Bear News.
JT didn’t flinch until they left. But after the door shut and their footsteps faded, a silence settled over the room that felt heavier than before. He tried to shake it off, went back to trimming flyers like nothing had changed.
But it had.