Chapter 3

In a diner across the street from the school, the air conditioning was on full blast, and it was like a winter wonderland there.

Today was the last day of orientation, so Dad had reserved the whole diner.

The tables were all piled with food, and it was all stuff Dad liked to eat—cheeseburgers, fishsticks, onion rings, and a huge serving of fries.

None of it was the kind of food I liked.

I had a weak constitution from a young age, and I could not handle all this fried food.

When Mom cooked, she made sure that everything was soft and that she used as little oil and salt as possible.

Dad would complain about it every time. “What in the world is this? It tastes like air.”

“Come, Jamie. Have another burger.”

Dad passed Jameson a burger. The patty was thick and juicy.

Jameson smiled and thanked Dad. He ate so heartily that his face was smeared with oil. There was a sense of satisfaction in the way Dad looked at him.

His expression said, “Look at how hale and hearty this boy is! You can just tell from how he eats!”

He was happy with Jameson in a way he was not with me.

“Have some too, Mr. Helman!” Jameson passed him some fishsticks.

“Alright, alright.” Dad picked up his glass and sipped some beer. “Let me tell you something, Jameson. You need to make sure you focus on your academics so you can get into military school next year. You don’t need to worry about your athletics. You have me for that!”

“Thank you, Mr. Helman! I’ll make sure to do well.”

“Once you get in, I’ll take you on a hike out in Greenstone and see the sunrise there. It’s gorgeous.”

They talked and laughed and generally had a great time.

My spirit floated in a corner and watched.

Suddenly, I thought of Mom.

Today was the last day of orientation. Surely, she would be waiting for me in the school gates.

Every time I had a school event, she would attend it. She would hide herself in the farthest corner because she was scared that Dad would scold her if she saw her. He used to say to me, “Your mom’s here again. Does she think you’re three years old?”

Mom always took meticulous care of me.

It was a pity that she could not protect me any longer because Dad thought that boys did not need protection. They needed “training.”

After lunch, Dad rushed back to school to finish the closing ceremony for the orientation. Then, in the afternoon, the orientation leaders had a meeting.

During the meeting, Dad sat at the head of the table with a bunch of documents on the students’ performances.

“Everyone’s performance was pretty good. Some groups were outstanding.” Dad’s gaze swept over everyone in the room. “However, one of the students was obviously slacking. He could not do anything and tried to fake illness to get out of the activities.”

Dad paused.

“My son, Felix, pretended to faint today. It severely affected everyone else’s spirits. I’ve grounded him so that he will reflect on what he did today.”

In a corner, Mr. Mantooth balled his hands into fists in his lap.

He knew that I had not been pretending. He had been leading these orientations for three years and had seen many people who pretended to faint. None of them had looked like me.

Dad looked over at Mr. Mantooth. “Got something to say, Mr. Mantooth?”

Mr. Mantooth was stunned for a moment. Then, he ducked his head and said, “No.”

“Then, let’s proceed with the meeting. I want to talk about the program for tomorrow.”

Mr. Mantooth sat there but could not process a single word.

As Dad was flipping through his documents, Mr. Mantooth raised his hand.

“Mr. Helman, I’ll return real quick. I need to use the washroom.”

Dad did not even raise his head before waving him off.

Mr. Mantooth walked out of the conference room. The second he was through the door, he picked up his pace. He practically ran down the hallway.

When he got to the door of the equipment storage room, he quickly looked through the window.

What he saw made his blood go cold.

I was curled up on the floor and had not moved. In fact, I was not moving at all.

My complexion was all wrong. It was no longer blue but gray.

“Felix!” He pounded at the door, but I did not respond.

Mr. Mantooth grabbed his walkie-talkie. His hands shook.

“Mr. Helman, come to the equipment storage room! Felix’s in trouble! He really isn’t looking good!”

Dad’s impatient voice came through the walkie-talkie. “I thought you were going to the washroom, Mr. Mantooth. What are you doing at the equipment storage room?”

“Please, come over here for a look, Mr. Helman! Felix’s face is gray! It’s been more than three hours, and it’s about 200°F in there!”

The conference room plunged into silence.

Dad suddenly shot up, and his chair clattered to the floor behind him.

His face was tinged green as he strode out of the conference room. He walked so fast that he left a little breeze in his wake.

Mr. Mantooth was still standing at the door of the equipment storage room. When he heard the footsteps coming down the hallway, he turned to see Dad hurrying over and quickly stood aside.

When he got to the door, Dad kicked it open. The steel lock exploded.

The hot smell of metal was strong.

“Felix, get up! Why are you still lying there?”

It was completely quiet in the room.

Dad huffed and marched inside.

“Get up! I expect you to apologize to everyone for this nonsense today!”

His tirade cut off abruptly.

I was still lying in the same position on the floor as I had been three hours earlier, when I first collapsed.