Witherwood Reform School (7 page)

“What kind of question is that?” Charlotte asked.

“It is an unusual question, but a question just the same,” he reminded them. “Just answer please.”

“I'd rather not,” Charlotte said.

Orrin scribbled something on a piece of paper and stood up. He stretched, giving both children a clear view of the yellow sweat stains under his armpits. He dropped his arms and cleared his throat.

“We don't get many surprise students,” he said, staring at Tobias. “We are very selective and have a strict … approval process.”

“Then maybe we should just go,” Tobias said.

“I don't think so,” Orrin replied, vigorously scratching at the rash on his right arm. “It is wonderful to have you here. Besides, we could use your help.”

“Help?” Charlotte asked. “The sign outside said this was a school.”

“Don't believe everything you read.”

“So this isn't a school?” Tobias asked.

“Of course Witherwood is a school.” Orrin nodded. “It's actually a great institute of scientific learning. And I must say, it seems fortuitous that you dropped in when you did.”

“Fortuitous?” Charlotte mumbled in disbelief.

“I know, it's a big word for a kid,” Orrin said patronizingly. “No need for you to use it. I believe certain words are for certain ages. You may want to stick to a vocabulary more suited to your age.”

“So this is a school that believes in bad vocabulary?” Tobias jumped in.

“This is an institution that believes in furthering the cause of science and wonder. We are not a dictionary.”

“That makes no sense,” Charlotte pointed out.

“Ah, children.” Orrin stared at Charlotte with his mixed eyes. “You both seem nice, honest. But you're really just young and … well, that's about it. I suppose your smaller arms can reach behind cabinets to get things that have fallen, but I'm not sure what else you offer. Yes, I hate to say it—I'm afraid youth is wasted on the ignorant.”

Orrin took a few minutes to preach to the Eggers kids about the importance of being obedient. It was a typical grown-up sermon that left Tobias and Charlotte feeling even more desperate and unhappy about where they were. When he was finished, Orrin stood up, smiled, and told them to follow.

Like an ugly dungeon master, Orrin retrieved a set of keys from one of his front pockets. He jingled the keys and then pinched a gold one with his index finger and thumb. He stepped over to a trophy case and slid the glass front open. With his right hand, he pushed a loose tile on the wall and exposed a keyhole.

“We'd go through the main hall,” Orrin explained, “but there's something going on in there that we should probably avoid.”

Orrin stuck the key in the hole and turned. The lock clicked, and he pulled open the back of the trophy case, exposing a large doorway.

“That would be kinda cool if I wasn't so scared,” Charlotte whispered to Tobias.

“I agree,” her brother whispered back.

Orrin turned and looked at them. “There are many things here that might surprise you. I'm still learning of new halls and closets. Of course you'll not need to bother with such things. Watch your head as we step down.”

The three of them walked through the hidden door. Charlotte stayed right behind her brother, holding on to the back of his hoodie as if it were her lifeline.

The trophy case was an entrance into a large room that had much more character than the office. The space was filled with filing cabinets—hundreds of them lined the walls and were stacked throughout the room, creating a maze. The cabinets were different colors and sizes, and all had white labels on the front of the doors and drawers with letters and symbols scribbled in black marker. The ceiling was covered in pressed tin with images of stars and planets.

“What's this room?” Tobias asked.

“That's not important. In fact it's probably best you pretend it's not even here. That's what I do when things are none of my business. Now, let's keep walking.”

After six turns through two different rows of cabinets, they arrived at a black door that was tall and thin. Orrin took his key and unlocked it. He bowed and pushed the door open so that Tobias and Charlotte could go first. Tobias stepped through and found himself in a stone corridor that ran alongside a large open courtyard.

“This area is called the gardens,” Orrin said. “Such a beautiful spot. The school was built around it. It is an important part of Witherwood.”

The gardens were like a giant courtyard, larger than six football fields, with the massive school buildings on all four sides. The school halls seemed a little like stone arms wrapped around the space. Hundreds of cottonwood trees stretched up into the yellow sky, their branches spreading out like leafy nets. Beneath the trees, large purple bushes circled a running fountain. There were two short statues near the edge of the courtyard, one of a man in a uniform and the other of a man hefting a sword into the air. Old iron lampposts lined most of the paths that wound through the gardens. One lamppost had a small banner hanging from it that read STUDENT MORALE DAY.

The space reminded Tobias of Central Park in New York City. Tobias had never been there, but his parents had visited many years ago, and his mother had sent him a postcard with Central Park on the front of it. Tobias could still remember what she had scribbled on the back.

Wish you were here.

Tobias wished the same thing of her now.

Orrin instructed Tobias and Charlotte to move faster. They passed a large group of kids sitting on a metal bench at the edge of a dirt path near the fountain. The children were wearing school uniforms, the boys with ties and the girls with skirts. The students looked up and instantly began to whisper and point in their direction.

“As I was saying,” Orrin told them. “You two will be a curiosity for some time. Just arrived, and already you're the talk of the school.”

The three of them followed the outdoor corridor that ran along Severe Hall until they reached the far side of the gardens. They entered through a red door with CAFETERIA painted on it. Inside there were high, vaulted ceilings and rows of polished tables made of dark wood. It looked like the inside of a church that worshipped eating. The tables were empty, and the room hummed, thanks to large metal freezers against the wall. Charlotte pointed to a giant stained-glass window with the image of a puffy blue animal on it. Tobias nodded and sniffed. The air smelled like pine cleaner and bread.

“Ms. Gulp!” Orrin hollered. “Ms. Gulp!”

A red-haired woman stuck her head out of a door near the tables. “Hold your pants,” she yelled, disappearing behind the door again.

“Ms. Gulp will take you to the back of Weary Hall,” Orrin said. “Enter the seventh door on the left. Do you understand?”

Tobias and Charlotte nodded.

“I'm not going with you,” Orrin said, scratching at his arm. “Sadly, I've got things to take care of. Ms. Gulp will find a place for you. Yes, it's true she had some sort of accident as a child. I believe she tripped while running around a pool. So her words and advice don't always make the most sense.”

Charlotte nodded.

“Of course pool safety is no laughing matter,” Orrin added.

Neither of them was laughing.

“Anyway, the seventh door is your room. Best not to touch any of the other doors. Go into the seventh door, pick out two beds that don't look like they are being used, and stay put until someone comes for you.”

Both children nodded.

“If you leave that room before instructed, you'll find yourselves in an uncomfortable pinch,” Orrin warned them. “Stay put.”

“Is there a bathroom?” Tobias asked sincerely.

“Of course there's a bathroom,” Orrin said. “A school without bathrooms? That's just wrong. It's behind the sixth door.”

“So can we open the sixth door?” Charlotte asked.

Orrin looked confused. “Yes, Ms. Gulp will give you a chance to wash up. But don't try anything foolish. There are eyes in places you might not expect.”

“But there are no eyes in the bathroom, right?” Charlotte asked.

“No more questions, please. I'm having a hard time thinking straight. Ms. Gulp!”

A big, box-shaped woman busted out of the door, mumbling, “I said I was coming.”

The woman looked like a package that nobody would want to sign for. She was wearing clear rubber gloves and made a creaking noise whenever she moved. She was taller than Tobias and had red hair that was pinned back with two big clips. The top half of her was bulkier than her large lower half. There was nothing noteworthy about her appearance, besides the fact that she was wearing a brown blouse and an ugly blue skirt.

“They're all yours,” Orrin said. “We'll keep them in Weary Hall for the time being, seventh door.”

“Of course,” she said.

Orrin waved good-bye, and Tobias and Charlotte followed Ms. Gulp over and through a wide stone arch that framed the entrance to a long hallway. The walls were marble and lined with narrow storage lockers. The floor was covered with a plush burgundy carpet.

Ms. Gulp creaked down the hall with the Eggers kids following. Her wide behind stretched across the hall, causing Tobias and Charlotte to look anywhere but forward as they walked. When Ms. Gulp passed a set of stairs leading to the second floor, she stopped to let them catch up.

“Can you walk less slowish?” she prodded. “I'm old, and I'm not struggling.”

“We're not struggling,” Tobias argued. “We're right behind you.”

He hadn't meant it to be a joke, but Charlotte laughed when he said the word
behind
.

“Youth,” Ms. Gulp said with no emotion. She then began to walk and creak again.

Past the stairs, there were some brown leather couches and a large stone fireplace. A small fire was burning in its belly and making everything hot and uncomfortable. The huge school seemed eerily empty.

The hall became thinner while the carpet got thicker. The walls were covered with pictures and certificates. One wall had a poorly painted picture of a fat man sitting on a chair. Below the picture was a small gold plaque that read HYRUM WITHERS.

“Like Witherwood?” Charlotte asked Ms. Gulp.

“Did someone tell you to look at the pictures?”

“No,” Charlotte said, embarrassed. “But—”

“Butts are for smacking,” Ms. Gulp said, cutting Charlotte off. “Keep your eyesight to yourself at all times. Now come on. Put the lead into it.”

They walked down the hallway, passing a door about every thirty feet. All the doors were wood and matched the ones at the front of the school. Each had an eagle on it, holding something different—a pencil, a stalk of wheat, an arrow. One was holding what looked like a telescope.

Carved on the sixth door was an eagle carrying a bucket in its talons. Ms. Gulp allowed Tobias and Charlotte a few minutes to wash up in the bathroom behind it. The washroom was much bigger than any they had seen before. There were a few private stalls and some large stone showers with heavy blue drapes in front of them. The sinks were in the shapes of animals with porcelain feet and exaggerated mouths that functioned as the water basin. It almost felt dangerous washing up. Once they were finished, Ms. Gulp walked them to the seventh door.

It had a carving of an eagle with scissors in one talon and a ribbon in the other.

“This is your door,” Ms. Gulp said. “You're not to wander. It takes two to … well … it takes two to mess things up.”

She grabbed the brass doorknob and pushed the door open. Tobias and Charlotte walked slowly into the blackened room. Once they were all the way in, Ms. Gulp slammed the door and locked it, leaving them alone in the dark.

Tobias reached toward the wall and felt around. He flipped a light switch, and three yellow overhead lights snapped on. The room was longer than it was wide, with two rows of gray cots lined up against the walls. Each row had ten cots, and each cot looked uncomfortable. At the opposite end, there was a window with green curtains hanging limply.