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“If you’ll all just form a single file line on the sidewalk, we’ll release each student individually.” Principal Mossley remained calm despite the shrieking.
“Maggie! Katie!”
Emily buried her face against Tessa’s shoulder and Tessa stepped into line with the rest of the parents.
“Don’t you dare touch me.” The woman jumped from the curb and away from the principal’s outstretched hand. Her normally perfect braid was coming undone and wild hair billowed around the face of the PTO leader Tessa had heard speak at the last meeting, but she struggled to remember her name.
“Sharon, please get yourself together,” Principal Mossley tried to reason. “You’re causing a scene.”
“Give me my daughters.” Sharon’s face twisted into a snarl as she lunged past the security officer who stood shoulder to shoulder with the principal.
“Mommy!” Two little girls with matching ribbons tied into their pigtails came skipping through the open doors. Sharon paused long enough to wrap her arms around them and glanced over at the other parents who were trying to avert their gaze.
“You’re all sheep. You are never going to survive this.” Sharon spit as she guided her girls away.
Tessa let the words roll off of her and tried to keep them from burrowing too deep in her mind. She wasn’t a sheep, but she wasn’t going to lash out right now and scare her children.
“Why was she screaming like that?” Emily whispered.
Tessa adjusted her weight so Emily was seated on her arm. “She’s just scared. People do dumb things when they are afraid.”
That’s what your dad always said. Tessa pushed the thought away. He never trusted anyone because he was the sheriff of a small town. It was a requirement of the job or something. But she knew that was his biggest fear. Too many people in one area and what they could do to each other if they were afraid. The parent behind her pushed too close to her back and Tessa’s whole body tensed. Just breathe. Everything would be okay once she got the kids back home.
The line moved forward until she was standing in front of Principal Mossley. “Mason Ward is my son. He’s in 2nd grade. Mr. Bank’s class.”
“Mason Ward,” he turned to call out to the security officer. Yellow sweat stained his shirt collar and the principal didn’t meet her eyes. He was scared too and she felt the sudden need to help in some way.
“Thank you for protecting our kids and I’m sorry you had to deal with that. You’re a great principal.” He gave her a tired smile and motioned to the next person in line.
“Hey, Mom.” Mason raced out of the doors and came up to meet her on the sidewalk.
“Mason,” Emily shrieked as she wiggled out from her mother’s arms and wrapped her brother in a tight hug.
Relief coursed through her when she saw his gap-toothed smile and messy head of brown hair that seriously needed to be cut. His collectable keychains bounced against his spiderman backpack as he jumped up and down.
“The whole school is dark. It was so cool. You should have seen it when everyone screamed. Mr. Bank gave us an extra recess.”
“Sounds cool.” Tessa reached for their hands.
A burly man wearing a Metallica t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off shoved his way through the back of the line that had formed all the way to the fence. “I’m not waiting to get my kid. Willow!”
“Let’s go.” Tessa pulled her children through the parking lot and past the orange cones to get them away from whatever crazy scene was coming next.
“Old Blue.” Mason pumped his fist in the air when he saw the truck. “Is Dad home already?”
“Not yet.” Tessa hesitated, pushing her kids behind her back. Did I forget to close that? The driver side door was open. She reached for the passenger handle and pulled it towards her. A woman with stringy black hair and bloodshot eyes froze, staring up at her from under the steering wheel column with a screwdriver in her hand.
“What do you think you’re doing? Get the hell out of my truck.”
The woman glanced at the screwdriver and Tessa lunged forward, clawing under the seat for the hatchet Landon always kept there. Her pulse raced as her fingers slipped over the jumper cables and enclosed around the steel handle. She yanked it free in a solid sweep, holding it above her head like a battle ax. “I said go.”
The woman staggered backwards. Her dilated pupils were fixed on the dull and rusty blade. She raised her hands into the air. “My bad. I thought this was my friend’s truck. Same color and all.”
Tessa didn’t move until the woman had retreated across the street and then she scrambled into the truck, pulling the kids in behind her and slamming the doors shut before locking them.
“Who was that, Mom?” Mason stared at the hatchet still clenched in her fist. She dropped it to the floorboard and kicked it beneath the seat. Her hands shook as she reached over to buckle Emily’s strap.
“Just some crazy lady,” Tessa whispered. “Get your seatbelt on.”
