Frail, Weak and Foreign

Chapter 1

The Adina Van Buren School, France

September 23, 1876

            “Donavu!  Come down here!”

            Soleil Donavu sighed deeply and walked down the steps.  What had he done?  What did he do that had gotten him in such serious trouble?  All he had done was get in a nasty little argument with his roommate that lead to a broken vase, but besides, he hadn’t started the fight.

“What now, miss?” he asked softly.  The eyes of the towering woman standing in front of him glared down at him like sharp daggers.

            “I am very disappointed in you, Donavu.  You were enrolled here to learn, not to misbehave.”  Her voice was so cold and sharp that it sent shivers down Donavu’s spine.  “Marie!” she barked suddenly.  Donavu jumped, and so did everyone else in the room.

            A little pudgy girl came bouncing into the room.  “Yes, miss?” she asked in a small, high voice.

            “I want you to bring Donavu to Master Van Buren.  And make sure that he,” she said, stopping briefly to glare at Donavu, “does not escape.”

            “Yes, miss.”

            And with that, Marie grabbed Donavu’s hand and began to walk to the Master’s office.

*          *          *

            Soleil Donavu was nine years old and he was enrolled at the Adina Van Buren School at the age of five.  From that day on, he had a terrible reputation.  Rumors were always spreading around the village, old and new, about the ‘terrible Soleil Donavu’.  Soleil Donavu has put forty-seven frogs in his teacher’s shoes altogether.  Soleil Donavu has made all the maids suffer terribly.  Although Donavu knew all these rumors were not true, he could not stop them from spreading all over the place.  Whenever a group of friends got together for a drink and a game of blackjack, at least one person in the group would have heard a rumor about Donavu and he would tell all his friends about it.

            Donavu did not appreciate people talking about him behind his back, but at least he knew what they were talking about.  He didn’t have the guts to tell everyone all these stupid rumors were false, but as long as he kept repeating to himself, everything they’re saying about me is not true, he could deal with the trouble.

*          *          *

            Twenty minutes later, Marie stopped very suddenly in front of an old, battered-looking door.  Donavu shivered.  Was this really where the old, wise and powerful Master Van Buren lived?  What would he do to Donavu?  Beat him?  Banish him?  Perhaps, even kill him?

            Donavu turned around to look at Marie, but she had already gone.  Donavu could hear her small wooden shoes tapping along the corridors.  Donavu gulped, knocked on the door and waited.

            It didn’t open.

            Donavu half wanted to run away and go back to his dorm, but he was honest and he didn’t want to get into more trouble than he already was in.  So he knocked again.

            It didn’t open.

            Donavu had such an urge to run back to his room that he stopped himself in the middle of a step.  He turned around one more time, and knocked once more.  When it still did not open, Donavu pushed the door.

            To Donavu’s great surprise, it opened with great ease.  He stepped inside and looked around.  There was Master Van Buren, sleeping with his eyes covered by his hands.  Donavu walked with great caution towards the sleeping headmaster, when suddenly a big, round face appeared from behind the large hand that had been covering it earlier.  Master Van Buren jumped up and said in a cheerful voice, “Well, hello Donavu!  I haven’t seen you for a long time!  What brings you to my office?”

            “I was sent to see you, sir.”

            “Sent to see me?  Oh, how charming! I never get any visitors during the day.  Why, I hardly even…”

            But he never did finish.  For suddenly, his eyes rolled backwards, his arms hung limp onto his side and he fell over, as lifeless as an ant who had been just crushed.

            Donavu screamed so loudly that seven teachers, four maids and twenty-eight students came rushing in to see what had happened.  And when all of them saw Master Van Buren dead (which took a long time, since all the pushing and shoving was very distracting) they all screamed a scream so loud that it was quite possible that the whole world could have heard.

            Suddenly a voice, out of nowhere, yelled accusingly, “He did it!  Donavu did!”

            Donavu’s mouth opened in shock, but before he could shout one curse or insult, everyone began pointing their fingers at Donavu and shouting jeers and giving nasty looks at him.