I look at the boy in front of me as I send him off to The Ranch.
I recall my treasured memories of when he first arrived as a baby on the steps of my school orphanage.
The ragged blanket wrapped around an innocent but slightly off-putting blue-eyed baby.
Brown curls adorned the child’s porcelain white skin.
We knew the child would definitely grow into a strapping young man, but the longer we stayed around him, the more me and the volunteers felt something was off.
We all agreed that being around him, being stared at by his eyes that looked like a frozen lake, made us feel uncomfortable, but we couldn’t point out why.
We raised him with the feeling that he would be a mischievous little brat, causing trouble where ever he went, a little devil, but our expectations were unfounded.
Looking back, I’m not sure why we thought so, especially since he grew to be such a quiet child.
Well, maybe a better way to describe it would be…unperturbed.
As a babe, he never cried, never laughed, and never spoke a single syllable.
He just stared, observed.
When the other kids would play, he would watch.
If they asked him to join them, he wouldn’t answer.
After a couple tries, the kids gave up and he was left alone to continue observing.
When the kids started picking on him, that child would just stare at them with a straight face.
When they took his food or called him names, he would just watch with no emotion.
I don’t believe I’ve seen the boy use a single muscle in his face.
The volunteers eventually started voicing their complaints.
“He’s weird.” “I think there’s something wrong with him.” “He gives me chills whenever I meet eyes with him.” I also started to suspect something was wrong, so I drove him to the nearest city for a check-up.
“Physically, the kid’s in perfect health.” Is what the doctor said, which I thought was strange, because unlike the other kids, he never moved around much, mostly sitting, walking, or standing.
Well, he would climb the occasional tree or two, but I think that’s fairly normal?
I also didn’t think there was anything wrong with him mentally, he is and has always been the top of his class.
If he went to one of the bigger city school, I wouldn’t doubt it if he was at the top of all the classes.
He had always been a smart child, maybe even a genius.
After we got the ‘ok’ from the doctor, we returned to the mountains, where the orphanage was located.
I thought he was a smart but quiet child.
I thought he was an innocent child…
It happened about a month ago, when the child just turned thirteen.
We’re not actually sure of the specifics, the only other person with the boy was his classmate…his victim.
We have no way of knowing the exact truth.
If the victim, Axel, had exaggerated or left out details.
Out of shock and fear, most of us believed everything he said.
It didn’t help that most of the volunteers had a bad opinion of the boy, but…I can’t believe that child would do such a thing…to- to cut Axel’s ear off.
It was time for night roll-call but a volunteer noticed two people were missing.
Realizing one of the boys was that child, I joined the group search.
We searched the surrounding forest for the boys, the sound of crickets croaked along with my old, tense bones.
After about half an hour of walking through the dark greenery with flashlights, we made it to Sunset lake, a well known area that we often use for activities.
Along with the sound of crickets, we also heard a faint screaming.
Pinpointing the location, our group of five rushed over to an area of flat rocks illuminated by moonlight.
When we found the two of them, the boy was hovering over the screaming and crying Axel.
The child had a tranquil expression, while grasping a sharp, bloody stone in his hand.
A pool of blood was seeping into the stone floor as Axel’s bloody hand covered the side of his head.
Tears and snot ran down his pain-filled face as he noticed us.
“HELP!
PLEASE HELP ME HEADMASTER!” Previously shocked frozen in a stupor, Axel’s cries for help reanimated our bodies.
Without having time to think about how or why, the group of five quickly rushed over to try to pull the two boys apart and bring some distance between them.
With lingering fear from the unexpected scene, the other four volunteers automatically go to Axel’s side to try to pull him out, from under the child, not willing to touch the child.
Taking the job, I wrapped my arms around the boy’s torso and tried to pull him away, but immediately found something wrong.
The child felt like a thousand tons, his body was glued to the sobbing Axel, rippling blue eyes stuck on Axel’s pitiful face.
Realizing my efforts were in vain, I tried to communicate with the boy.
He’s never spoken before, but he’s always been an attentive listener and a rule follower.
I try to relax my tense muscles to talk in a soothing voice,”Look at me child, please let Axel go.” I gently turn the boy’s head to face me and met eyes with him and for a second, my body ran cold.
It was the same face as always, but those hazy bottomless eyes filled me with irrational terror.
I tried to remain calm as I kept my stare.
As his eyes meet mine, the child’s eyes dilate and the waves slowly die down in them.
A clang is heard as the make-shift knife hits the rock floor, right before the boy falls into my arms and loses consciousness.
Once we made it back to the school, the sun was starting to come up.
The volunteer carrying Axel immediately called an ambulance and the volunteer carrying the boy immediately left him on an empty bed.
I would have carried him myself but my brittle bones wouldn’t have lasted the trip.
It took a lot of effort before I was able to convince someone to carry the boy.
Tired from the trek, I wasn’t quick enough to stop one of the volunteers from calling the police.
It’s not that I wanted to hide the matter, but knowing that child, he most likely wont speak if he’s questioned, adding to that all the bad rumors about him, the child wouldn’t be in a good position.
There was also the fact that Axel wasn’t the best child in the orphanage.
He often bullied other kids or picked fights with some of the boys.
I believe he is a kind boy at heart, but I wasn’t so sure if we could fully trust his words.
The police ended up carrying out an investigation and made their way into Axel’s hospital room to hear his side of the story.
I was there for emotional support.
According to Axel, he was playing by Sunset Lake and was just about to head back to the orphanage because it was starting to get dark.
On his way, he heard a scraping sound by the rock formations.
Climbing a couple layers of rocks, he saw the back of the child.
The child was sitting cross-legged with his head lowered.
Axel called out the child’s name with no reply.
He got closer when all of a sudden, his body was spun and thrown to the ground.
He struggled to get away but he couldn’t and the boy cut his ear off.
At this point in the story, Axel shivered and clutched onto the bedding of the hospital bed.
A little while after his ear was detached, we arrived and rescued him.
The police investigators wrote Axel’s statement down and left the ward.
I comforted Axel until he calmed down before leaving to get him some juice.
After receiving an apple juice box from a kind nurse, I made my way back to Axel’s room.
As I was about to open the door, the hospital door slid open and I looked up to see a man wearing a black, fitted military outfit.
He nodded before passing me.
I didn’t think about it too much and gave the juice to a pouting Axel.
Axel had to stay in the hospital until his wound healed.
On the other hand…the child.
We confined the child to a single room due to fear from the volunteers.
As expected, the police tried to talk to the boy.
I was with the child at the time of the interrogation because I was his legal guardian.
The officer became impatient with the child’s silence and started becoming more ruthless.
I tried to explain that the boy doesn’t speak, but the officer wouldn’t take that as an answer.
After a two hour interview, the officers efforts were fruitless, the only thing they gained was a bad first impression.
With no witnesses, a mute suspect, and bad rumors, the situation for the child looked bleak, but despite everything that happened, I still couldn’t fully believe that child was bad.
But unlike me, who followed his paternal instincts, the police and volunteers loathed the child with a hint of fear.
I didn’t know what to do.
I couldn’t figure out a way to save the child.
It was at this moment a familiar figure walked into my office.
A young man in his thirties walked into my office wearing a black fitted military outfit.
He explained he was part of “a special, secret sector of the military that focused on child rehabilitation”.
They would take the children, teach, and raise them for free.
But only children with certain circumstances would be allowed to enter, unique children.
I thought he was here for that child so when he also mentioned Axel, I was stumped.
What’s so special about Axel?
I didn’t know, but maybe this was for the best.
He was always a troublemaker, maybe the military will straighten him out.
I leaned back in my chair with a sigh.
This whole incident has made me age at least a decade.
What’s right and wrong, I’m not sure anymore…
“Okay.” I replied.
Hearing my agreement, the man handed me some documents to sign and told me that the boys should be ready to leave in a month.
The children could bring a maximum of one suitcase and no electronics, not that they had any in the first place, we couldn’t afford such a unnecessary luxury.
There will be a bus to pick them up at the end of the month so they don’t need to worry about transportation.
He gave me a few more details and asked if I had any questions.
“…Will, they be taken care of?” Although I want what’s best for those children, I have no information on this man or his background.
Can I truly trust him?
I stare into his eyes and he holds my gaze with an unwavering seriousness,” Of course.” A little while later, he left my office with the signed documents.
I heaved another sigh, and slouched in my chair, rubbing my eyes filled with accumulated fatigue.
Now…how to explain this to them.
Contrary to my expectations, Axel was surprised when I first told him, but quickly accepted the idea of leaving everything behind.
He said that he would miss me and everyone else.
My heart was warmed by his words.
On the other hand…
After that incident, that child had become increasingly despondent, more so than he already was.
He will not even look at me attentively when I talk anymore, he seems to be trying to create a distance between us.
To others it looks like he’s ignoring me, but I’ve raised this boy.
I know him much better than any other and I know he is a kind child.
I’m not sure what happened that night, but surely he had his reasons.
I will put my faith into him and give him the benefit of the doubt.
I wish I could continue raising him, maybe even hear him speak one day, but that is no longer an option.
The others no longer welcome him here.
If that child stays, he will be treated cruelly and I don’t have the means to protect him.
So, I will entrust them to that man.
A month has passed and it’s now time to say goodbye.
A dark blue bus with tinted windows pulled onto the dirt path.
The doors flung open and a different man in a black military outfit walked down.
“You have five minutes.” He stated before he picked up and started carrying two suitcases back to the bus.
Five minutes to say farewell…
I turn to Axel who started sniffling.
We hug for about a minute before he wipes his tears and hops on the bus.
The child…
I look and the ramrod straight figure in front of me.
His skin has gotten even paler from being indoors the entire month.
The boy’s curly hair is in disorder and needs a good trim.
I wanted to cut it before he left but I thought I shouldn’t have any sharp objects near him for the time being.
If one didn’t know what happened a month ago, they would look at this small four foot five inch boy and believe him to be cute and innocent, if not for his blank expression and the uneasy feeling people get when looking at him.
His thin limbs lay despondently by his side as his glazed eyes stare off into space.
I tried to explain to him before that he was taking a trip somewhere, but I’m not sure if he’s aware of the situation around him.
I’m not even sure if he’s noticed I’m in front of him right now.
I call out,” My child..” and the mist in his eyes lessen a little.
I continue, “It’s time to say goodbye.
You have to leave now.” He reacts at the word leave.
The cloudiness almost completely fades as the boy turns his head to face me.
Blinking, he looks at me with his deep blue eyes.
~~~ Leave…
~~~ The unique child stares at the old man.
This kind old man is the one that’s raised him, he knows that.
The kind old man has taught him many things and cares about him very much.
To leave…he knows what that word entails.
He learned it from the kind old man.
For one to leave…the boy knows how.
This is something he’s learned from observing the other people that leave this place when they grow big.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Before I realized it, the child’s arms were already wrapped around me.
I freeze, shocked as warmth flows through my body and my eyes start to grow moist.
I return the hug and before I notice, the allotted five minutes are up.
The boy lets go of me to reveal that expression that I’ve grown used to.
He stares into my eyes with no emotion before turning around and getting on the bus.
I’m left, confused and filled with warmth as the bus drives further and further away.
That was the last time I ever saw the child.