Chapter 19 - This means war

After some questioning at Eddard's shop, the Hunters are escorted to the Police Station and their families summoned. Eddard stayed behind at the shop to board the broken window and sort out a bit of the mess there.

Some more questioning and filing followed at the Station, courtesy of Sgt. Shane.

It is now 6pm, and the relatives arrive - except for Logan's Mom, who was already at the Station doing her shift as a dispatcher.
Al's Dad is here, and Johnny's Aunt Mary.

She gasps and freezes at the sight of Johnny's half-cut hair. It is not a good look. Johnny is also bruised on the chin. "Hey... You OK, Johnny? Does... does it hurt?"

"What happened? Is anyone hurt?"

Being the first there, she has had a little chat with Logan already, and is now standing serious with crossed arms.

Al is visibly upset and while the police get the information they want out of her, she mostly just tries to support Johnny. His hair was the first thing she noticed about him when they met and she always really liked it, so now she seems not quite but almost as upset about it as he is.

She tries to tell her dad the story, but between sniffs and sobs, he doesn't get much more than "Chet... raven... scissors... skateboard..." out of her.

Johnny just couldn't stop shaking after Chet and his crew left the ruined storefront. Adrenaline and shock and anger flooded through him like lightening. The only thing that kept him from foolishly following Chet out of the store was Alana. Her voice brought him back out of whatever dark place his rational mind had gone after Chet cut his hair. He'd returned her hug in the store realizing she'd gone through just as much as he had. The same with Logan. They'd all been brutally attacked.

He didn't say much and let Alana do most of the explaining to the officers who arrived at Eddard's store. He answered questions when asked directly but in a distant kind of way as he finally stopped shaking. The whole ride to the police station in the back of the squad car he ran his fingers through the butchered side of his hair. The last time he'd cut his hair was six years ago when his parents died...and now Chet had taken part of that away.

At the station, Johnny described the Hunters'encounter with Chet and his gang in detail, providing sketches Chet - complete with busted nose and blackened eyes- and the rest of his accomplices, as evidence for the police. He even included a sketch of Solomon Black, as he'd been forced to draw him on the pier, telling the police he'd seen the man across the street with Chet before the altercation began. It wasn't true but at least now the police might be looking for someone like Black.
He agreed to having pictures of his his face taken to document the damage from the punch Chet landed on him as well as the hack job they did on his hair. It all felt so... clinical...just like all the questioning and police presence when his parents had been killed. It brought back a lot of memories that left him a bit numb after the high emotions earlier in the day.

He almost breaks down when his Aunt Mary arrives but manages to keep it together. I'm not okay but I'm alive... he answered his Aunt, voice trembling a bit. They got in a few good shots. he traced his finger over his swollen lip and then ran his hand through the short hacked side of his hair. We're all alive and that's what counts... Truthfully, that was really the case. With Solomon Black directing Chet and his gang, it could've ended much worse than it did.
You should be really proud of Alana and Logan. They were really brave. Johnny turned to tell Alana's Dad and Logan's Mom. I don't think I would've gotten out of there without them.

Johnny's heartfelt words strike a chord with the grown ups, who look at Al and Logan with something like respect.

The parents and aunt, obviously concerned and upset, then ask the Sarge for an explanation and demand that something be done about Chet Paxton and his goons. The Sarge promises they'll go to Chet's that very evening, to placate the upset grown ups.

The Hunters are too tired and shocked after the ordeal to contribute much.

Eventually, the Hunters split up, and are driven back to their respective homes in silence.

---

During the short journey, Alana's Dad mentions that the Library called, saying it is best if Alana stops the volunteering program for the time being.
Just what she needed to top off this day.

Logan feels exposed and vulnerable, and is not surprised to find birds following his every move. Not massive groups, like in the days of the attacks, but... enough to unnerve him.

Anna and Mom notice too, and spend time closing shutters and boarding some windows, for safety.

---

The sun sets on Gulf Haven, oblivious to the Hunters' bleak mood.

Al spends the evening inbetween crying and punching things like her pillows and imagining they're Chet's face. She was already starting to calm down but the news about the library just put her back into upset territory. She doesn't even really like that job, aside from it being something she does with Johnny...

Her parents are understanding today, comforting her as she cries. Benny also tries to help but his attempts at cheering her up only succeed at annoying her, so eventually, he gives up and retreats to his room. Ripper helps Al much more, just by being there and licking her face.

She tosses and turns all night, thinking about Johnny and his super cool hair and feeling terrible for him. At some point in the night, an idea comes to her for how she could make him feel better. It kind of scares her. A lot. But it sticks in her mind until she eventually falls asleep and to when she wakes up again.
Already hearing her parents talking quietly in the kitchen - probably about her - she climbs out of bed and taps down the stairs. She takes in a deep and nervous breath, trying to steel herself, then she steps into the kitchen.
"Mom, dad," she says in that tone that they know usually comes right before she confesses having done something bad. Once both their attention is on her, she clears her throat and wipes her eyes. "I, uhm, I thought about it and I kind of don't like having long hair anymore," she says, trying to sound convincing as her heart races. "Can we go to the hairdresser today?"

Physically and emotionally wiped out, Johnny rides home with his Aunt from the police station. It's not a very long ride back to the house they share but she drives slowly and in silence, letting Johnny work things out for himself as he stared out the window of the car. The simple gesture of holding his hand, a tight squeeze here and there, letting him know she was there for him.
Charlene, without Roger, met them in the garage. It was obvious she'd come straight from work. Tssssch. Charlene let out the breath she'd been holding in a hiss, hands on her cheeks as she caught sight of Johnny. What is it with you and your little white friends? Real firecrackers when you're all together, yeah? Charlene asked jokingly, hugging Johnny tightly. You get in any good locks on the other guy?

Char-lene! Mary hissed. He could've been seriously hurt or killed!

Johnny broke the tension by starting to laugh, really laugh. Whether it was the mental flash of the incredulous look on Chet's face as Johnny's board struck him, the release of so much tension he'd been carrying from the encounter with the bullies or just the feeling of being safe and home, it just filled him with laughter. Mary looked on a bit skeptically at first but the trepidation faded quickly. Oh, yeah. Johnny responded between bouts of laughter. Got him right in the nose with my board. From now on he'll be Crooked Nose to me!

You steer clear of him, Johnny... Mary cautioned. and the rest of his bunch, too. she didn't say it, but a meaningful glance between Mary and Charlene left the phrase 'we don't want to lose you the way we lost your parents ' unspoken but understood.

C'mon. Let's get that shag cut cleaned up a little and have some dinner. Charlene hugged Johnny tight one more time before letting him go.

No. Johnny replied. I wanna leave it like this 'til it grows out again. he ran his hand through the jagged cut Chet gave him. It'll be a reminder for me and a good story for anyone that asks. After it had happened, he'd felt ashamed that Chet had done that to him but now it felt kind of like a scar in an odd way. A scar is a healing wound and coming to terms with what had happened was his first step towards healing the wound Chet had left on him on the inside.

Alright, leave it then. Mary scoffed lovingly. Let's go in and order some pizza and maybe play some board games.

=======

Later that night after everyone but Johnny had gone to bed, he lay on his back staring at the ceiling. He heard the radio in Charlene's room down the hall start playing the national anthem so it had to be midnight, right before the station went off the air until the 5am Ag reports started. Midnight. The importance of the time struck Johnny and he rolled over in bed and pulled out the grandfather's journal from under his mattress and a charcoal pencil from the nightstand. He flipped past the sketch of him, Alana and Logan in the backyard. He felt a pang at the innocence of the sketch before flipping to a fresh page and started sketching a new picture. This one all harsh with thick lines; the blocky outline of Chet's face scrawled onto the age-yellowed page. He paid special attention to the hate-filled, callous eyes, the dark streaks of black under them from the broken nose Johnny had given him and the dislocated and swollen nose between them. Exhausted from the long, eventful day he put the pencil in the book to mark his place and snugged it back under his mattress. His cathartic sketching done for the day, he ket himself slip off into sleep.

"Er... sure?" he says in a tone that tries to be supportive but comes across as doubtful. He looks at his wife. "Right?"

Angela casts a quick glare at her husband, then looks at Al with familiar lines of concern appearing on her forehead and around her eyes. She speaks in a soft tone, "are you sure, Al? You... love your hair. You always have. Do you want to think a bit longer about this?"

Al sniffs and looks down at her hands. "No, it's stupid," she says, trying to convince herself as much as them. "Johnny always says it's way too poofy. It looks ridiculous and I don't want it."

Al puts on a stubborn face at this, ready to argue, but then she nods. She likes Dr. Tom and he seems to always be on her side. "Fine, but if he says it's okay, then we go to the hairdresser afterwards!"

Early afternoon, and Al and her Mom arrive in front of the (now more familiar) brass plate at the door:

___________________________

DR. THOMAS R. LEYENDECKER

PsyD, MA, LMHP
___________________________

They are both let in to Dr. Tom's studio, and find him at his desk, as if he hadn't moved from there for a week.



He stands up and smiles, gesturing to the armchairs.
"Welcome back, Alana... no, Al!" he says, and nods at her Mom. "Take a seat, please."

He sits himself, then asks smiling, "so, tell me: has our little trick worked, keeping Al out of trouble for the past week? The... little chart?"

Al is still wearing it, right next to the Solomon-bracelet. She doesn't think much about it day-to-day, but she always wears it because she knows her mom cares about it.

"Most days," Al admits. "I did something kind of dumb at the library the day before yesterday." She looks down, somewhat embarrassed. "There is a monster in the library and I wanted to find it so I tried to hide in the bathroom there, but that was dumb. And yesterday, some bullies attacked my friends and me..." Tears rise up in her eyes again as she remembers the previous evening. "But that wasn't my fault. I swear."

Dr Tom looks at Mom at the mention of the bullies attack.

"Yes. A very unpleasant encounter..." she confirms, and summarises what she knows of the attack from the police and from their daughter.

"I see... I am very sorry you had to go through that, Al." He says, sounding sincere. He looks up at Mom, "It sounds like, apart from this regrettable bullying episode independent from her control, Al has been keeping a little safer, last week?"

"I... I guess so. She didn't get injured, at least..."

He smiles. "Good. That has got to be an improvement...If you don't mind, Mrs. Patterson, I would like to spend the rest of the session alone with Al."

She stands up. "Oh. Yes, of course, yes..." she says leaving the consultation room and closing the door behind her.


Like he did on her first session, Dr Tom leaves his seat behind the desk to sit nearer Alana, on the armchair left empty by Mom.
"It must have been really scary when this Chet guy and his gang cornered you in that shop, Al? You look quite jumpy, still, if you don't mind me saying..."

Al instinctively wants to act tough and unaffected, but then decides to tell the truth. "I was really scared. Chet is super horrible and he hates Loey and me for some reason. He keeps being mean to us. But this time, he also attacked..." Her voice breaks and she clears her throat. "He also attacked Johnny. And he went way too far with him." She wipes her eyes. "He has this super awesome long vampire hair. And I know that it's also important to him, I think because of something with his culture but I don't really know why. But Chet took scissors and he totally messed it up and now he probably has to cut it all off and I feel super bad for him."

"No, it's not longer than mine," Al replies, shaking her head. Then she makes a face. "And not as poofy either. Mine is kind of dumb. I've grown it since I was super small. Even smaller than Benny. But his is really nice, all black and smooth and stuff. Or, I guess, it was."

Al takes in a breath to prepare herself for what she wants to say next. "Dr. Tom?" she says nervously. "There's something I really want to do. And my dad says it's okay but mom wanted me to talk to you first and get your okay." She hesitates one more time, then she says, "I want to get my hair cut short."

"Well, obviously that's why I want to do it," she tells the doctor. "I want to be a good friend and support him, kind of, in a way."

She forms scissors with her fingers and mimes cutting her hair at about chin length. "But also, he thinks it looks silly and poofy, and maybe he's right. Do you think I would look nicer with short hair?"