Why did they do it?

Why?

It was his first trip to the city. It was his sixth birthday, and his mom and dad were taking him to the zoo. He could hardly believe what went on around him. There were people talking on little telephones without cords. The buildings were so tall that he couldn't see the tops no matter how far up he looked. There were also people with cardboard signs who were asking for money in some places. Imagine, just sitting in the middle of the sidewalk in a sleeping bag! Didn't their moms teach them any better? If he did that, his mom would send him to bed without supper.

And now it was time for another new experience. They were waiting on the platform for the subway to come. Dad had just gone to buy some ice cream cones while they waited for it to pick them up and take them to the zoo. He hoped that he could have one of the ones with the caramel inside. Mom had taken him to the corner store to buy milk once before, and she bought one for him then. It was really good. He told her that while they stood there near the edge of the platform and swung their arms back and forth. She laughed, her blue eyes sparkling, her curly brown hair blowing softly around her face. Yes, she agreed, she thought those were the best kind too. But what animal did he want to see first when they got to the zoo? Hmm, the lions would be neat to see. The train should be there any minute. Where was dad? He'd miss it if he didn't hurry. He shrugged to mommy, then turned and looked off in the direction that daddy had gone. Nope, he wasn't coming back yet.

When he turned around to tell mom that, he saw the boys. One of them had scraggly brown hair. Another was wearing his baseball cap backwards and had a big hoop in his nose. The third one was dressed in old sneakers, track pants, and a black shirt that had a picture of a red man who looked like a goat on it. That one was pointing the gun at his mom. He knew it was a gun because he saw some guns on Batman before, except the boy's was smaller and it wasn't silver.

"My husband has all our money with him. Just leave us alone and I promise you won't get in trouble." His mom said quietly.

"Lady, do you expect me to believe that?"

He looked back and saw his dad coming with the ice cream finally, except daddy didn't see the gun. The boy with the hat was watching, and he tapped goat-boy on the shoulder.

"Ryan, uh, I think we should just go man."

"Shut up, Vince. I know what I'm doing!" the leader growled.

"Dude, some guy is coming. He's looking right at us!" Vince told Ryan.

"Look lady, make this quick, or someone here's gonna die."

Ryan started to point the gun at him. He knew what would come next. It would explode, and then he would be dead. That's what happened on Batman. Mom gripped his hand tightly. Oh look, the train was finally coming.

"Bradley, get behind me."

Bradley looked at his Dad and yelled, "He's got a gun!"

His dad started running just as Vince pulled Ryan's arm up, saying "Let's get the fuck outta here man!" and when Ryan's arm went up, the gun shot, and then the boys ran away as everyone else threw themselves to the ground. His mom's whole body jolted sideways. The train horn blared. He tried to hold on to her, but when she fell, she was too heavy for him. Both of them fell in front of the train. He fell between the platform and the track, but she hit the third rail. The horn was blaring again, and the breaks were squealing. His mommy made a gurgling sound. That was right before she went under the train, and something warm and red splattered all over his face. The sparks of the wheels were the last thing he saw.

~*~

As soon as her parents left on their short car ride home, she bluntly informed Patty that they'd need to get another bed in the room, unless they wanted her to sleep with Brad.

Patty said she'd have to check with Elizabeth's doctor first, but she didn't see why another bed couldn't be arranged. They'd have to sleep together for tonight at least, though, because it was too late already.

So far, Elizabeth thought she would like it there. St. John's was the best institution her parents could afford, or so they told her. Never mind that it was full of depressed, suicidal girls, in the past ninety minutes two different people had been carried past her room screaming curses, or that the place was more or less a shrink's training ground, being right next to the university. Something in its sterile white atmosphere made her actually like it. She would just love to get out her paints and cover the walls with pictures. That was also something she wasn't allowed to have. Apparently she might stab herself with the end of a paintbrush. Now that would be an interesting way to die, she mused. So what did they give her? Chalk and paper. She was supposed to exercise her artistic ability with chalk?! Fine then. She made a promise to herself that she'd exercise all over the walls as soon as possible, but she wasn't sure how to make true expressions of her feelings with the colors neon pink, purple, yellow and blue. Fhht. What a joke.

So what exactly was she supposed to do all the time? According to the attire in the closet, she figured she would be there for quite a while. The most exciting event so far was when it came time for bedtime meds, or Happy Pills, as she liked to call them, because hers were yellow antidepressants. It was easy enough to not take them. She just hid them at the back of her mouth under her tongue until they were satisfied that she really did swallow them. Some girl named Josie who looked like a skeleton had stared at her oddly when she spit them out again and gave them to Brad. His pocket was the best hiding place ever, seeing as it was 'invisible', just like the rest of him. He didn't even complain about the spit. It appeared that Josie couldn't quite figure out how she'd made them disappear.
She had found a box full of books shoved up on the only shelf in the room, behind a bunch of stuffed animals. Did they really think she'd care about a couple fluffy rabbits and bears? She shoved them aside and opened the box. It looked like her mother packed it. It was crammed full of Dickens, Shakespeare, Tolkein, and all the essential classics you could possibly fit into a box that small. Lord of the Flies had always been a good freaky tale. Maybe she'd read that one first.

Brad was already asleep. He never got uncomfortable in new surroundings. You could put him in a box at the bottom of the ocean and he'd be perfectly fine with it, as long as there was plenty of ice cream. She always gave him her portion at home, because she didn't really like it, and her parents wouldn't give him any.

Elizabeth watched him as he slept. So peaceful. His chest rose and fell with a steady rhythm. His face didn't show a glimmer of emotion when he slept. Only peace. His skin was smooth as a child's, just like when they met, except now his features were more prominent and masculine, and a lot less round.

She remembered the day that she had first met him. She was with her parents. They had managed to take a moment from their busy schedules to spend some time with her, their only child, and they were taking her to see "The Little Mermaid" on the big screen. It was one of her last 'normal' memories.

When they went into the subway station, that was when she saw him. He was sitting on the edge of the platform, staring at the tracks. He looked about the same age as she was, maybe a year older. She wandered closer to him. She wanted to see what was wrong with the little boy. When she asked him, he looked up at her with sad, misty eyes, but he didn't say anything. She introduced herself. She had always been a friendly child. The strange boy wiped his eyes on his shirtsleeve. She asked him if he wanted to be friends. He was just looking up at her, when her mother (always the worrier) jerked her back from the edge of the platform and scolded her for being so careless. What if Elizabeth had fallen over? People would think she was a negligent mother! Ha! That was for sure.

When Elizabeth looked back where the boy had been, he was already gone, and the train had arrived. She figured his parents had dragged him away too, while she wasn't looking.

She knew there was something different about him when they met again on the way home. Flash of dark hair…He was standing by one of the cement supports. When they got off the train, he looked right at her. She waved a little bit. He wiped his eyes on his shirtsleeve again, and then he kind of smiled a little bit as they walked toward him. 

Elizabeth's father jogged off in the direction of the bathrooms. She was just about to show Petra the boy, but her cellular phone rang. Business, as usual. She had promised she wouldn't bring it on this family outing. Even at that age Elizabeth already knew what 'business call' meant, and knew very well. She told Elizabeth she'd only be a second, and then took it.

While her parents were off doing other things as they usually were, Elizabeth made the most important encounter in her life. Who knew that a couple of kids meeting in the subway station would turn into this?

He finally spoke to her. She said hello, and he said hi back. She asked him why he was sad, and he told her it was because his mommy died. She said she was sorry. He told her it was all right. Maybe they could be friends, like she asked him before? Yes, she said she'd like that a lot. Maybe he could come visit her? He said he could go that very day. But wait, didn't he need to ask his dad first? When she mentioned his dad, he got a little sad again, and told her that his dad would never know. What ever that meant. She was just happy to have a friend.

Her mom finally finished her call, and her dad was back from the bathroom. She told them that Brad wanted to come home with them. They told her it was okay, they didn't mind. She didn't see the little smile they gave each other over her head as if to say "Aw, isn't that cute! Her first imaginary friend!"

*

Now she was being nostalgic, she realized. She slammed the book shut. She had been on the same page now for half an hour, staring at the page without reading. Maybe it wasn't so interesting after all. She set the book on the floor beside the bed and nestled into her bed beside him, truly grateful for his company as he put one arm around her, half awake, then fell back into his rhythmic breathing.

~*~

A/N: How was that for a bit of history?