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Prologue
Micah Donahue slipped quietly into the classroom without making a single sound. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was in the area. Once he was certain no one was around, he turned back in the direction of the object of his desire. His eyes focused on the glass candy jar like laser beams. His mouth began to water at the sight of the gumballs, sweet tarts, lollipops and the red licorice. Micah had never been able to resist the sight of candy, particularly when it was dangled under his nose by his teacher, Mrs. Craddock.
Mrs. Craddock dangled the candy in front of their ten-year old eyes on a daily basis. If you did really well on math quizzes or tests you were allowed to come to her desk and pick three pieces of candy from the jar. Problem was, Micah wasn’t good at math. It was his least favorite class in school. So he’d never had the chance to pick a piece of candy from Mrs. Craddock’s candy jar. It was pure torture! Each and every time she announced the names of the kids who had earned candy from her jar, Micah felt as if someone was jabbing him in the side with a knife. It hurt! Sometimes it felt as if he was the only kid in the entire class who hadn’t been rewarded.
A feeling of shame filled his insides. If only he was smart. Like his brother Daniel, who was crazy smart. He got straight A’s. Or his brother Jason. He knew everything. And his brother Parker, who was the oldest, set the bar high for all of his siblings. That’s what his dad always said. No one ever pointed out to him that he wasn’t as smart as his siblings, but Micah knew it right down to his core. The day they gave out brains, Micah must have been absent.
Gingerly, Micah lifted the top off the candy jar, half expecting an alarm to start wailing. His heart was beating like a drum inside his chest. Was he having a heart attack? Or was it just guilt? He knew in his gut that this was stealing, but he was determined to get some candy. It was the forbidden fruit. Now he knew how Adam and Eve had felt in the garden of Eden. Sometimes it was hard to be good and follow the rules. Micah picked out a few pieces of candy, trying to make as little noise as possible. He folded a piece of licorice in half and immediately popped a piece in his mouth. He shut his eyes as the sweet taste hit his tongue. Licorice was his favorite candy. He loved it more than anything. Not all licorice though. Just the red type. The black licorice tasted like medicine.
One by one he popped all of the candy in his mouth, savoring the different flavors. Suddenly, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. It sounded like heels due to the clickety clack noise. Then he heard the low murmur of voices. He froze. It sounded like Mrs. Craddock. Oh no! If he was caught in here standing near the candy jar he would be in so m
uch trouble. He might even get detention. Then he would get punished when he got home. Maybe his parents would ground him and he wouldn’t be able to see the new Logan Mars movie.
His parents didn’t play around about misbehaving in school. He darted his eyes toward the closet where Mrs. Craddock kept all of the school supplies like chalk and erasers. As quietly as possible, he moved toward the closet and stepped inside, sitting down on the cool floor. There was just enough space for him, although it was a bit tight. He couldn’t make a single sound or he would be found out. Mrs. Craddock already didn’t like him, and if she caught him hiding in the closet he would see her mean side for sure.
He cringed as he imagined her looking down at him from behind her thick glasses and saying, “Well, Mr. Donahue. What mischief have you gotten into now?”
The sound of footsteps rang in his ears. Mrs. Craddock wasn’t alone. She was talking to someone else and complaining about the food being served in the cafeteria. He prayed she wouldn’t find him hiding.
“Remind me never to forget my lunch again,” Mrs. Craddock said, her voice sounding annoyed. “That cafeteria food is nasty.”
“It isn’t that bad, Felicity. I actually like their meatballs,” a woman responded. Micah knew the soft, lilting voice of Miss O’Reilly. She had come all the way to Pelican Bay from County Cork, Ireland. She was young and pretty with dark brown eyes and rounded cheeks that were always rosy. Every time Micah saw her he felt his heart beating a fast rhythm inside his chest. She was his crush. He thought she was the nicest teacher in the whole world. And someday if he could, Micah wanted to marry her. On the last day of school, he wanted to leave a big bouquet of flowers on her desk for her.
Mrs. Craddock let out a snort. “Tasted like mush to me.” Micah heard a sound resembling a drawer being opened. He could hear the rustling of papers.
“Here it is!” Mrs. Craddock said in a triumphant voice. “I’m so happy that I found it.”
“That’s great news!” Miss O’Reilly said in a chirpy voice.
“What a shame!” Mrs. Craddock said, making a tutting sound.
“What’s wrong? What are you looking at?” he heard Miss O’Reilly ask.
“Some tests I have to hand back to the students this afternoon. If Micah Donahue doesn’t get his grades up, I might recommend that he be kept back a year.”
Oh no! Mrs. Craddock was talking about him. His face felt flushed and sweaty. She was talking about holding him back a year. His stomach began to painfully contract in protest.
“Oh no!” Miss O’Reilly said. “Micah is such a sweetheart. And he seems so bright. Surely there’s another alternative.”
“You’re wrong. From everything I’ve seen, he’s not very bright.”
Micah froze as he heard the statement from the lips of Mrs.Craddock. His stomach clenched. Is that really what she thought of him? Didn’t she see anything smart about him?
Mrs. Craddock continued to speak. “Thank goodness he’s handsome. Those looks of his are his strongest asset. All the girls in the class are competing with each other just to get a smile from him or a look in their direction.”
