The Lost Boy

ya.”
    Afterward I smiled at Carlos. “That’s my brother.”
    Carlos nodded.
“Si, hermano! Si!”
    I thought about Russell the rest of the afternoon. I couldn’t wait to see him the next day.
But what can I do?
I asked myself. Would Russell come to Jody and Vera’s home with me so Jody could call the police and maybe rescue him as I had been? Or did I imagine the marks on Russell’s arms to be abuse rather than battle wounds from playing hard? Maybe, I thought, Russell was trying to set me up like he did years ago when he planted candy bars in my rag box, then ran off to inform Mother that he had caught me stealing. He then had the privilege of watching me receive my punishment for my
crime.
Mother had trained Russell to be her spy, but then again, he was only a small child back then.
    That night I tossed and turned in my bed, wondering what to do. Some time in the early morning hours I finally drifted off to sleep. In my dream, I found myself waiting for
her.
My head tilted to one side when I heard Mother’s forced breathing. Our eyes locked for a moment. I saw myself walking toward her. I wanted to talk to her, to ask her – to plead with her – why me, why Russell? My mouth moved, but the words didn’t come. In a flash Mother’s face turned cherry red.
No!
I yelled at myself.
You can’t keep doing this! It’s over!
The shiny razor-edged knife suddenly appeared above Mother’s head. I tried to twist my body and run away, but my feet failed to respond. I tried to yell her away. My eyes followed the knife as it flew out of her hands. I knew I was dead. I screamed for my life, but I couldn’t hear my terror.
    My head bounced off the floor. I found myself scrabbling to stand up. I stood alone in a dark room, unsure whether I was awake or still in my dream. I strained my eyes, searching through the darkness. My heart seemed stuck in my throat.
My God!
I said to myself.
What if I’m still
there
with her?
I emptied my lungs when I recognized the sound of Jody’s son snoring in his bed. Grabbing a piece of my clothing, I held it to my chest as I waited for the sun to come up.
    The next day after school, I physically dragged Carlos to Thomas Edison Elementary. “This no good idea, ” Carlos stated. “Your
mamasita,
she
local”
he said, twirling a finger to the side of his head. I nodded in agreement. I had decided after my nightmare that nothing would keep me from seeing Russell. Carlos and I stopped in the same hallway as the day before. A group of children screamed and yelled as they seemed to run through our legs. As the kids grew bigger in size, I twisted my neck in search of Russell. My eyes found him at the far end of the hall with his head bent down. “Russell!” I shouted. “Over here!” Russell’s head bobbed, but he didn’t make eye contact as he had the day before.
    I felt something tug on my arm. I smirked at Carlos, whose eyes darted in every direction. “This no good. Your mama, she
local”
he warned.
    “Not now!” I said, still keeping my eyes fixed on the top of Russell’s head. “My brother … ah,
si hermano! Si?
He needs help, like me, remember?” I said, pointing toward Russell, who slowed his pace.
    I leaned forward when Carlos grabbed my arm. “No!” Carlos shouted. “You wait here!”
    I brushed Carlos’s hand away. Fighting my way against the tide of children, I made my way to Russell. Still walking, I extended my hand. Russell saw me, but for some reason he kept his head down. I stopped mid-stride.
    My legs buckled. My arm seemed to just hang in front of me. Even before Carlos yelled, I knew something was horribly wrong. “Run, David!” Carlos shrieked. “Run!”
    I looked just above Russell’s hair and saw Mother walking behind him with her head bent down. Mother’s ice-cold, evil eyes locked onto mine as her face came into full view. Kids seemed to dance around her as they scattered in every direction. Inches in front of me Russell stopped, then turned toward Mother, who smiled. Her hand disappeared into her purse as she came closer still. For a split second Mother’s face seemed to hesitate, as she withdrew a shiny piece of metal …
    I lost my balance when my arm jerked backward. I fell on my back; my eyes still fixated on Mother. Above me Carlos began to drag me backward. I knew this had to be a dream, but Carlos’s badgering made everything real. I struggled to stand up, feeling Carlos’s hands lift me to my feet.
    I blinked my eyes and saw