Click.
It was dark, and I was laying down on my back. Where did the guys go? Momentarily disoriented, I looked opened my eyes and realized I was in bed, in my room. I'd been dreaming again. It was so vivid. The palm of my hand even stung a bit where the ball had hit my glove.
Click.
The sound came from my dresser. Startled, I looked that way to see Mama gently closing my jewelry box. She had the scimitar broach in her hand. Was she taking it? Maybe it had come with the mirror, and I hadn't noticed. Was it hers?
Still caught in the fog of sleep and dreams, I couldn't even ask. I just watched, as she glided across the room and placed the broach on the nightstand beside my bed. I looked at her face. On it was a kind, but worried expression. She looked at me, then at the broach, then the dresser. Turning back to me, she wagged her finger, as if to scold. Then, she faded from my sight.
What? What the heck was that all about? I picked up the broach and examined it. It looked the same as before, jeweled scabbard, tiny chain, and real, sharp little blade. I glanced at the mirror. For just a second, I could see Mama's face there. She nodded at me, then disappeared.
Okay. I didn't understand any of that, but okay. I guessed that she wanted me to keep the broach near me. Folding my hand around the cold metal, I snuggled back into my pillow. No way was I going back to sleep tonight, though. I may be tired, but I was too... weirded out...
*******************************************************************
As I brought my glove down from in front of my face, I saw the team coming toward me. Hands patted my shoulders and flipped my braids. Jostled about by the bigger boys, I had to struggle a bit to keep my balance. Tommy gave me a huge grin. He was vindicated; I'd proved the benefits of his choice to let a girl play on his team, not that most of the guys doubted me.
Through the sound of the celebration, I could hear Bradley's teammates telling him off, teasing him about being caught out by a girl. He glared at me, threw down the bat, rolled up his sleeves, and pointed his finger. "Stupid bitch! You ain't no girl! You can't make a..." and suddenly he was surrounded by my buddies.
Tommy said, "Ain't no call for that, buddy. It's just a game." He picked up the bat, and handed it to Bradley. "This is yours, ain't it? It's a nice bat. Thanks for letting us use it."
Bradley looked around. Realization dawned on his face. He was separated from me by a wall of other boys. He was outsized, and outnumbered by my friends. He took his bat, turned on his heel, walked to the edge of the field, and spat on the ground. "It ain't real baseball if a girl's playin' it, nohow."
As he wandered off, Grace came out onto the field to remind me that I had to get home before Mama did. I didn't want to get caught.
"Thanks, guys! That was a great game! Can't wait 'till next time!"
Tommy knew I was grateful for more than the game. "Ah, don't mention it," he muttered, and pretended to punch me in the arm.
I grinned. "Gotta go!"
I ran back to the house, and began working double time in the garden. I needed to have enough weeds pulled to justify the amount of dirt on my clothes. Grace went back into the house. For about ten minutes, I worked in silence, with only the sun on my shoulders to keep me company. Then, I heard the door open, and shuffling in the grass. I looked to see Grace approaching .
"Mama's on her way up the street."
"Thanks," I said, not too worried. "Do I look like I've been weeding the whole time?"
Grace started to nod, then looked behind me. "What do you want?"
I turned to see Bradley walking toward me, dragging the end of his bat through the grass. Something was very wrong about him. He didn't just look angry any more. He looked kind of... lost.
"What are you doing at my house, Bradley?" I positioned myself between the boy and my sister. "Grace, go get Dad."
I didn't hear Grace move.
"It's all your fault. You cheated!" Bradley glowered at me, his head lowered, stalking toward the garden with heavy steps.
"How, Bradley?" I took a step back, and turned slightly, "Move it, Grace!"
I heard her retreat a little in the grass behind me. Then, she shouted my name. I spun around to look back, and Bradley was right in front of me with that bat swinging toward my face. My chin took the full force of the downward hit. There was a nauseating crunch, and I felt my jaws give way. Pain seared through me as my cheeks tore open, and I felt my chin slam into my chest. My scream of fear and agony came out in a gurgle as blood ran down my throat. Gagging, I fell backward with the force of the impact.
I heard Grace yelling, "NO! Stop it! Leave her alone!" as the bat rose for another whack at me. Footsteps pounded on the stone walkway from the house to the garden, and my father's voice bellowed, "STOP!"
Once more the bat fell toward me. I put my arms up to defend myself.
Crack!
The sound wasn't quite as clean as hitting the ball. My broken arm fell across my chest. I groaned, trying to roll away. The bat came down again, hurling toward my face. The last thing I saw, right in front of my eyes was a huge wooden
Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Epilogue
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