After See: Chapter Six

By Megan Auffart

"Wait!" Teesha called out and immediately felt a tinge of regret for speaking aloud when Mr. Pary turned around and looked at her. She didn't really recognize the glint in his eyes, but she felt herself backing away just the same. He smiled at her and while it was warm enough to remind her, briefly, of her father's smile, it still wasn't enough to keep her nerves from cringing apprehensively.

"Yes, Teesha?" Mr. Pary asked.

"I want to know what's going on," Teesha said, crossing her arms across her chest. A warding gesture.

"Of course you do," Mr. Pary replied, opening the door so that a blast of warm air entered the air-conditioned room. The car was still out in the driveway and Teesha could see someone's outline through the tinted glass of the windshield. They had been sitting out there for the entire time? "It all must be very strange to you, especially if you haven't seen your aunt in the past two months."

"Three," Teesha corrected.

"Of course," Mr. Pary said, "three months."

Aunt Anissa approached them, walking far faster than necessary. She had a weird look on her face, like excitement or cunning. Teesha couldn't quite identify which.

"Grimald," she said, her voice in that fake higher-pitched tone that wasn't her real voice, "I'm sure Teesha wouldn't mind going with you to see the facility. After all, you're so busy and I'd hate to see you waste your time here."

"Facility?" Teesha asked.

Mr. Pary began to nod, but not in response to Teesha's question. He started nodding slowly, his head moving progressively quicker before he stopped and broke out in a grin. "That's a wonderful suggestion, Anissa. I only have three more families to visit, after all, and I'm sure Teesha would love to learn about our organization."

Teesha stared at the car and tried to make out what the driver looked like, but from the way the light was angled, she could only see the person's outline. Male or female, black or white, she couldn't even tell. But there was something creepy about the chauffeur, something that bothered Teesha considerably. She just couldn't think of what it was, exactly.

"I would really like it if you could come with me, Teesha, so that there will be enough time for me to explain everything," Mr. Pary said.

"Aunt Anissa..." Teesha started.

"Your Aunt Anissa has a very busy day planned out for her," Mr. Pary replied, glaring up at where Aunt Anissa stood, waiting. "She has to spend so much time with Danny, after all, to make sure that he will actually learn something this week. Instead of using all of her funding at the beauty parlor, perhaps, she could some of it on her son, instead."

"I certainly will, Grimald," Aunt Anissa replied, sounding bewildered.

"I know you will, Anissa," Mr. Pary said, "because if you don't, I will personally ensure that all of your funding is cut and that Danny is sent to Roper's Educational Facility for the rest of the season. You know the deal." Teesha had never heard a voice that sounded so hard.

"I...," Aunt Anissa started to argue, but then she glanced at Teesha and stopped. "I'll work with him," said Aunt Anissa, "right after you leave with Teesha."

"Hey, I never agreed to go!" Teesha retorted. "And why should you be alone with Danny, anyway? I saw the way he was acting! He's scared to death!"

Aunt Anissa's face stretched both downward and raging as she reached out and grabbed Teesha by her shoulders. Teesha found herself being pulled right up to her once-kindly aunt. "You are going to go with Mr. Pary," she hissed into Teesha's ear, quiet enough so that Teesha was certain that Mr. Pary couldn't hear exactly what was being said. "If you don't go with Mr. Pary, he will take Danny away. Do you want that, Teesha? Do you want Danny to go to somewhere where you will never, ever be able to reach him?"

"No," Teesha whispered back, glancing towards the stairs where she had last seen her cousin.

"I didn't think so," Aunt Anissa replied, letting go of Teesha's shoulders. Turning towards where Mr. Pary was waiting, Aunt Anissa said, "Teesha's ready to go with you now, Grimald."

"Are you sure?" asked Mr. Pary, his voice light and steady, "because it sounded to me like you were threatening her and I don't tolerate such things, after all."

Teesha glared as her aunt gave her a significant glance. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward, careful to avoid looking Mr. Pary in the eye.

"She didn't threaten me. I want to go with you," Teesha said, "but only if Danny is safe. If he isn't scared anymore."

"Of course," Mr. Pary said, looking at Aunt Anissa. "I'm sure Danny will be much better from now on. Isn't that right, Anissa?"

"Yes," her aunt replied at once, but Teesha didn't look at her. Instead, she stepped out of the front door, only pausing once to shout, "Goodbye, Danny! I'll be back soon!" up towards the stairway before she entered the outside heat of the early afternoon. Mr. Pary closed the front door behind them.

Remembering every cautionary tale about getting into cars with strangers, every warning that her mother had ever given her about rapists and kidnappers, Teesha climbed into Mr. Pary's car, wondering what the in the world she was getting herself into.