The rest of the school day was uneventful. Some parents came to pick up their kids, including Henry’s grandparents, leaving Jude alone until closing time. He kinda wished he’d just left with Henry or faked an illness. Anything other than sitting at school would’ve been better. He couldn’t stop thinking about the library, and that creature.
He could barely hold himself back from running out of his classroom and yelling ‘freedom!’ once the final bell rang. He hurried over to the front gates of the school, passing Mollow’s office window on the way. He froze in his tracks for a moment. The meeting. In the hustle and bustle, he had completely forgotten. Then again, was he still expected to show up? Wouldn’t Mollow be busy dealing with the whole fire issue?
Before Jude could make the decision, however, he heard someone call his name. He turned in the direction of the sound and instantly saw his dad. He was walking over to him from the school gate, accompanied by Jude’s Mom. He was a little surprised to see them. The last time they came to fetch him at school had been about five years ago in second grade.
As soon as they reached Jude, Jude was trapped in a hug from his Mom.
“Are you alright?” Hannah Blake asked, “We got an email from the school about what happened. Were you in the library?”
Jude saw a group of ninth-graders snickering as they walked by, and he quickly broke free from the hug, “I’m fine! Let’s just go home.”
“In a moment,” His Mom said, “We just need to discuss something with your principal first.”
“What?” Jude sighed. It was probably the detention thing, wasn’t it? “Alright, I’ll go.”, Jude said.
“He requested us all to come,” Jude’s Dad finally spoke up, his arms crossed over his chest, that familiar stern scowl on his face. Jude knew that look. It meant, “explain yourself now or forever hold your peace.”
“I skipped class,” Jude shrugged. Mollow was gonna make it sound worse, anyway.
“Jude!” Hannah scolded.
“The class was useless, anyway,” Jude argued, “All about magic and…”
“I see you’ve finally arrived,” Mollow’s voice interrupted Jude and almost made him jump out of his skin. “Yes, we have,” Jude’s Dad said, “Is this about Jude skipping class?” Mollow grimaced, “Partly, yes. But there’s something else too. Follow me.” He turned toward the office, leaving no room for questions. Jude’s parents started walking toward the office and Jude reluctantly followed.
They walked into the building, moving down a hallway to Mollow’s office. The smell of the office was as leathery as ever, the distinct aroma of too much wood polish in the air. It wasn’t Jude’s favorite place in the world. Mollow invited them to sit, giving Jude a small footstool to sit on while his parents were invited to the ones in front of Mollow’s desk.
While Jude tried to find a comfortable way to sit on the lopsided footstool, Mollow started up his computer. From his vantage point on, nearly on the floor, Jude could barely see what was going on, so he relied on listening for now. It was probably about the library book, or some ‘special’ detention or something.
“So, I suppose you’ve already heard about the library?”
“Yes, we have,” Jude’s Dad replied.
“Well, our librarian Mrs. Botha believes she has found the responsible person.”
Jude frowned in confusion, feeling the color drain from his face. This was quickly replaced by a feeling of frustration. If this conversation was going where he thought it was going… no way. Why would they think he burned down the library?
He remembered Mrs. Botha’s face after the incident, but there was no way Principal Mollow would fall for it too… would he?
“You… you aren’t suggesting that…” Hannah started.
“No, I am not suggesting. We have evidence,” Mollow stopped her, “Please watch the security footage and you tell me what you think. I’m just going to text Mrs. Botha to join us while you all review the footage.”
Hannah turned to Jude’s father, “Alan? You can’t believe that Jude would-?”.
Jude cleared his throat. “I’m right here you know. I didn’t burn down the stupid library. Mrs. Botha just hates me. ”
“Before anyone says something they might regret later, let’s let the video tell the story, shall we Mr. Blake,” Mollow interjected.
“But I didn’t do anything!” Jude shouted.
This was so dumb. But then realization dawned upon him. He was in the library. He was in the computer lab for that matter before it all went up in flames. The creature! If he could just get to see the video himself. He could show them the creature, then this mess would be cleared up, right? Feeling at least a little more hopeful for the outcome of this situation, Jude got up. “At least let me see the video for myself.”
“Of course,” Mollow said, “But it won’t change anything.”
Jude was counting on that statement being false. It had to be. He loved books! Why would he burn down a library? He was pulled back to the present by the swift entrance of Mrs. Botha at the office, her scowl set in place as she looked over at Jude. Mollow greeted her before turning to Jude’s parents. “Alan, Hannah, shall I?”
They nodded silently and Mollow clicked on an MP4 file on the computer. Jude’s full attention was focused on the video, waiting for the angler-fish-gecko-thing to appear. He kept his eyes on the window sill in the video, waiting for it to reveal itself. As he watched the events unfold in the computer lab, he felt more and more anxious. It seemed to take forever for the video to finish, and the creature was nowhere to be seen.
He could see the fire starting, but it was all wrong in the video. It started from beneath the window sill instead of from the top. Jude blinked, staring wide-eyed and confused at the video. The silence in the room made it feel like he was underwater, rendering him incapable to speak up. It was all wrong. It had to be wrong. His parents stared, shocked, at the video. His mother slowly turned to him.
“Jude… did you?” She didn’t finish. But she didn’t have to.
“I didn’t,” He answered. It was useless, and he knew it, “Someone messed with the video. It just isn’t right. Replay it. We’re missing something.”
“Puh-lease, I watched that thing a dozen times to make sure,” Mrs. Botha said while rolling her eyes. “Are you suggesting that you aren’t the one responsible? What were you doing in the computer lab then? Students aren’t allowed in there without permission.”
Jude almost snapped at her.
“What was the lab doing unlocked then?” Jude asked in return, “With the door wide open, may I add? That’s asking for trouble.” He realized too late his words weren’t helping his case in the slightest. If anything, he might have just made the whole thing worse.
“Jude!” Alan shouted, disbelief strong in his voice, “You did this!? I can’t believe this! Back-chatting teachers I can deal with. Suspension letters, manageable. You haven’t been arrested in four months! I thought things might be getting better. Now it seems like you were merely flying under the radar while planning this. Did you… Did you set the library on fire!?”
“Dad-”
“What were you thinking!? You endangered hundreds of lives with that ‘silly prank’!”
“I didn’t do it!” Jude shouted, “I wouldn’t do that, and you know it!”
“Then who did? You were in the computer lab a few minutes before it went up in flames!”
“Alan,” Hannah spoke up, “let’s not jump to conclusions just yet…” She said, still looking a bit suspicious of the situation.
“This is solid evidence, Hannah,” Principal Mollow said, his voice calm, “If Jude’s suspicious behavior and presence in the computer lab doesn’t convince you then I don’t know what will. You two are lucky I didn’t call the police straight away.”
“We appreciate that. But, just for the moment, let’s give Jude the benefit of the doubt.” Hannah said. “Let’s not just assume it was Jude without exploring other possibilities. It’s not fair. I understand that the circumstances are suspicious, but this is all a bit much, even for Jude. He hasn’t been arrested in months. He hasn’t been in detention for weeks. He only skipped one class today, but he has clearly been trying to do better.”
“The perfect time to set up a stunt like this then,” Mrs. Botha sneered.
“I wouldn’t call it a stunt, Charlize,” Principal Mollow said, before turning back to Jude’s parents, “Hannah. Alan. I’m afraid, if we cannot discuss this rationally, I have to call the police. We can continue this matter in court.”
Jude froze. He wondered if he should just come clean and tell them about the creature, and hope for the best. But he couldn’t see that ending well. If anything, he’d just dig his grave deeper or even end up in a clinic or something. He knew his track record was problematic. He’d probably end up in prison – he’d already been arrested five times. Jude had no idea how the law actually worked, but he was smart enough to know that nothing good could come from blaming it on a magical creature that wasn’t supposed to exist.
Hannah shot up in her seat, startling Jude out of his thoughts. She banged her fists against Mollow’s desk, “You are not calling the police! Now I’m not going to stand here and say that Jude is a well-behaved kid or a model student! Because I know he isn’t. I’m his mother. But that doesn’t mean my husband and I are going to allow you to jeopardize our son’s future like this!”
“He’s doing that pretty well by himself, actually,” Mrs. Botha muttered behind Jude as he and his Dad sat there in shock.
Jude knew his mother had a way to make people listen to her, but he’d never seen this side of her. He had heard some stories, though. She went over to Roger’s preschool once to talk sense into the principal after he ignored the bullying. Roger never got beat up in pre-school again.
The principal’s face was a mix of anger and shock. Then Alan stood up, “I agree with Hannah,” He said, “We should not jump to conclusions here. The evidence, as you put it, is very circumstantial. Seeing that the computer lab was unlocked, anyone could’ve planted a bomb or something before Jude arrived.”
Jude felt relief was over him and had a sudden urge to hug his parents. The next words to come out of their mouths put that urge to sleep immediately.
“We’re not suggesting that we simply let this go either,” Hannah said. “The mere fact that he instantly jumped to the top of the suspect list clearly demonstrates that we have a real problem. I do not believe that he needs to be punished, but he does need help. And I know just the place.” She turned to Alan. “We talked about this a year ago. If things got out of hand, we’d send him. We agreed.”
Alan stole a quick glance at Jude. Jude didn’t like where this was going. “What are you two talking about?” Mollow asked.
“After Jude came back from the police station for shoplifting, Hannah and I had a long hard look at our available options.”
“And again, I was making a stand. Those cookies were way too expensive,” Jude interjected.
“Do you know Komodo Hall for Troubled Kids?” Alan questioned. Mollow looked interested, “I’ve heard about it before, yes. It’s a disciplinary camp, I believe? I heard it’s located on an island of all places.”
“It has lost some of its popularity, but I went reading about it,” Hannah said, “It looks promising. Graduation is not only tied to your marks but also your behavior. Unless you show significant improvement in your behavior, there will be no graduation. It lasts about four weeks, and there is also very little, if any, contact with family. It sounds harsh but they promise a good outcome.”
“I believe what Hannah is getting at is that we want to make you a deal,” Alan said, “We’ll send Jude for one full term to Komodo. Should he fail to graduate, we’ll alert law enforcement ourselves. In the meantime, I’ve got a good friend that could help us find the real person behind this.”
Jude couldn’t keep quiet anymore, “Excuse me? I’m still here, by the way. Don’t I have any say in this matter? It’s my life you’re ruining!”
His mother turned around and glared at him “No! Mrs. Botha is right about one thing: you are already doing a wonderful job of ruining it yourself. Your dad and I have tried to help you, but you’re not listening.”
“But I didn’t set the library on fire. You can ask Henry. He knows.”
“It’s not just this,” His father said, “It’s everything that led up to this. Even if it turns out that you are not the one who set the library on fire, you committed your fair share of transgressions in the past. I bailed you out every single time the police called. We need to stop this fire before it takes on a life of its own.”
Jude ignored the Dad Pun. Such a terrible time to do that. “Oh, come on!” Jude said, “You said it yourself - I haven’t been arrested in four months!”
“That’s not the point,” His mother said, “I’m proud of you for trying, but I am not convinced that you have truly changed your attitude. You’ve got a lot to make up for.”
Jude wanted to offer a rebuttal, but he knew it was useless. Everything he said would be ignored or shot down. But even Jude could understand what was at stake. If he didn’t go to this ‘Komodo Hall’ place, he’d have to go to court and possibly prison. He doubted they were going to arrest the angler-gecko instead of him.
Mollow stood up “Charlize, I think they’re reasonable enough.”
Mrs. Botha sighed, “As much as I hate to admit it - I agree. The boy can use this as a learning opportunity.”
“Ok. When can he be sent to this camp?” Mollow asked.
“We’ll have to contact them when we get home,” Alan said, “Until then, we don’t know exactly.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Mrs. Botha said, “I need to go now, though. My granddaughter’s twelfth birthday is today. Good seeing you again, Alan and Hannah.”
“Sure it’s not your great-granddaughter?” Jude asked.
Did he just say that out loud? By the look on his parents’ faces, he must have. “We best be going as well,” Alan said, “Come on, Jude. Thank you for understanding, Mr. Mollow. We’ll give you a call once we know more.”
Jude turned around, and they left the office.
“One more thing, Jude!” Mollow said as Jude was about to leave the office. Jude turned around with an annoyed glare, “I’ll see you for detention tomorrow during the first break.”
Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse.