Confrontation (4.1)

EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, RIVI SET off for Dan's house. She inspected her surroundings as she turned down the street adjacent to Oak Street. The houses were all clean but cold-looking, almost foreboding. Rivi turned onto Oak Street and walked down to the last house, which bore the number Miss Tate had given her.

To Rivi's relief, after seeing all the unnerving houses nearby, Dan's house looked friendly and lived in. It was a bit scruffy-looking, and its red, slatboard sides needed a new coat of paint, but to Rivi, those were only signs that the house had people who lived, played, ate, and slept in it—that it was a family house.

Rivi walked up and knocked on the front door, and a woman answered.

"Hello," Rivi said. "My name is Rivinaig. Daniel and I are doing a school project together. I've come to meet him. I assume you are his mother?"

"Actually, this is a small group home that my husband and I run. Daniel's parents died when he was eight," the lady answered. "But come on in. Dan just finished breakfast and should be back downstairs in a minute. He doesn't normally have many friends visit."

"He doesn't know that I'm here," Rivi said, hoping the woman would understand that she wanted to surprise him.

"Sit down here," the woman said as she led Rivi into the kitchen and beckoned toward the table. "I won't tell him you're here," she said as she went upstairs.

Rivi sat in one of the chairs at the end of the long, wooden table. She set her backpack beside her and looked around at the kitchen. The friendly design of the kitchen reminded Rivi of her Aunantet family's section in the complex on Aun. The open, spacious room with its light, yellow tones made the space a warm welcoming area. Appliances were arranged neatly on the kitchen's white countertop that ran the length of the room. As soon as she noticed the appliances, her mind filled with the various instructions they were implementing.

Heat to 365˚ for fifteen minutes.

Boil water and percolate.

Keep temperature at ten degrees.

Rivi shook her head and blocked all of the appliances from her mind. She seemed to have to do this more often every day as her mind began to realize the presence of more varied types of electronics on this planet. Rivi was just starting to get used to this wildly unordered society and its many electronic devices vying for her attention.

As Rivi regained her focus, Dan came down the stairs into the kitchen. He froze on the bottom step as he noticed her sitting at the table. She looked over at him and smiled.

"Good morning," she said.

Daniel blanched as he struggled to find something to say.

"How about, 'Good morning,' 'How is the weather outside,' or, 'What are you doing here?'" Rivi smiled half joking and trying to be helpful. "Take your pick."

"How did you know I live here?" Daniel asked, still looking a bit shocked as he went to stand behind the chair opposite from Rivi at the end of the long table.

"Daniel! Is that how you should welcome a guest?" the woman who met Rivi at the door asked, as she came down the stairs in front of three younger children.

"That's all right, ma'am. It was a perfectly valid question," Rivi answered with a smile, as she turned back to Dan at the other end of the table. "I didn't think you would pick one of the questions I suggested. Anyway, Miss Tate told me where you live."

"Oh," Daniel responded.

"Daniel, are you going to introduce your friend to us?" the woman asked.

"Oh, yeah. Rivi, this is my foster mother, Mrs. Erica Broughten. The other three are my younger foster brother and sisters." Dan said, as he motioned toward the three children, who shook Rivi's hand politely in turns.

"What are your names?" Rivi asked with a smile, watching as the children took seats at the long, wooden table.

"I'm Ester," answered a young girl in pigtails.

"My name is Beth," the other girl said shyly, pushing a long, blond curl back over her shoulder.

"I'm Tom," the boy answered with a mature nod.

"I'm glad to meet you," Rivi said, holding her smile in place, even though she began remembering the 149 other children and wondering if they were safe.

"Okay, children, I've got to get you to school. Come on," Mrs. Erica exclaimed, as the children ran off to get their backpacks from various corners of the house. "Daniel, you and Miss Rivinaig should get going too. You don't want to be late."

"Yes, ma'am," Dan answered politely, as he jumped up to get his backpack.

Rivi picked up her backpack from beside her chair and followed Mrs. Erica and the three kids out the front door. Mrs. Erica had just gotten the kids into her car and driven off when Daniel came out of the house carrying his backpack over his shoulder by one strap. With not a word spoken between them, Rivi and Dan started down the street. Dan stared down at the road in front of his feet, leaving Rivi feeling anxious. After few moments, Rivi glanced over at Dan out of the corner of her eye.

"Where's your foster father?" Rivi asked.

"He's at work," Dan answered dryly.

"They seem nice enough. Why didn't you want me to come yesterday?"

"I was afraid you might think ... I mean ... I don't have what you might call a normal home. I have been in and out of orphanages and group homes since I was eight. I've only been here for a year."

"Which is probably one of the reasons Bill and his 'Bouncers' make fun of you?"

"Yes," Dan answered with a dry chuckle, still interested in his shoes.

"I'm your friend, Dan. I wouldn't make fun of you. Besides, I haven't seen my parents since I was young, either. I was raised by a foster family, too. At least you were old enough to have many more memories of your parents than I do of mine. I'm sure they cared a lot for you." Dan still didn't look up so Rivi continued, "Look at it this way: you may not have had a stable home, but you have been to a lot of places, and have learned quite a lot in the process."

"I guess so. Thanks, Rivi," Dan said, as he took a deep breath and lifted his head with a slight smile.

His smile faded, however, when he saw that they were coming to a crossroad.

"What's wrong?" Rivi asked, looking at the three streets from which they had to choose.

To her left was the location of the cold and dreary houses Rivi saw on her way to Dan's house.

"Right heads toward the center of town, straight is the long way to school, and left is the short way," Dan said with a sigh as though the choice bothered him.

Rivi closed her eyes briefly to consult her computer in her pocket for the time.

"We don't have very much time, so short way it is, then," Rivi said, turning to the left.

"That's the street where Bill and his friends live," Daniel said, sounding uncertain.

"Don't worry about them. That is what they want you to do. Besides, we don't want to be late for school."

"Okay," Dan gave in.

All was quiet. Each house looked the same. Every yard looked like they were just daring a single weed to grow or a leaf to fall on it. Even the metal doorknockers looked cold and foreboding on the cool, early-summer morning.

"This place doesn't look like it is much fun to live in. It reminds me of the Aruk's secret facility. Perhaps the only way Bill and his friends find fun is to bully people. Their homes certainly don't look like places I'd be happy in," Rivi commented.

"I've never thought of that before. I thought they looked foreboding because I was afraid."

"I bet this place would crumble to the ground if we were to accidentally tell a joke!" Rivi exclaimed. She and Dan broke into peals of laughter.

"Knock, knock," Dan said.

"Who's there?" Rivi asked, still laughing.

"Two trespassers who have been warned to stay off this street!" a boy called as he stormed out of his house.

"This is a public street, free for use by any traveler," Rivi called, as they continued walking.

Dan went back to staring at his shoelaces.

"Oh, still need the girl to defend you, Danny boy?" the boy asked, as he crossed the grass in his yard to approach Rivi and Dan.

Dan stopped walking and turned to look at him. "No."

A few steps ahead, Rivi stopped and turned her head to look over her shoulder.

"Mmm-hmm, this from an orphan boy with no friends."

Rivi bit her bottom lip and held her breath, praying for Dan to find wisdom.

Dan's face became void of expression and he answered evenly, "My parents live on in my memories and I do have a friend ... Rivi."

"Yeah, sure, but for how long?" Bill challenged.

Knowing that Bill had cut Dan in more ways than one with just those six words, Rivi hung her head as Dan turned to catch up with her, albeit very slowly.

As they neared the school, Rivi decided to break the silence.

"No matter what comes to pass, Dan, if you need a friend, I will be here."

"Thank you, Rivi. I don't normally hear from old friends again after I move. What you just said means a lot to me," Dan said with a slight smile.

"I mean it," Rivi said, smiling and giving him a nod as they entered the school.

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