History of the Trap: June Dreams Part 2

SYNOPSIS:  After being visited in prison by Morgan LaDona Tigh, Lance Martin has agreed to Dr. Duncan's request to detail what happened in the time that Lance is calling "the Trap."  Lance begins his journal by describing the morning before the trap fell, where we learn his father was the Principal of Loren High, that Lance is a Junior, and has a sister named Diane who is a sophomore.  After a couple hours at school that morning, where we see how different his relationship with Morgan is.  We meet Lance's best friend, Artie Pentler, and their gang. Just as Lance is ready to ask Ginny Estill out, the Trap falls, and they witness the horrible death of two P. E.students as they are caught in some kind of electrical storm.  The students soon realize, as April marches on, that the so-called storm is something more, and that they may be trapped at the school and it's grounds for a very long time. May involves grizzly murders of staff that remain unsolved, as Lance's father and staff struggle to come to grips with events.  They decide to schedule more activities for the students to become involved with, including sports,  a TV variety show, and the beginnings of the tunnel project. Lance realizes that Ginny has chosen Artie, and finds himself moving closer to the studious, pretty Lisa Carlton.

Chapter 5

June Dreams

2

"I might switch jobs," mused Lisa.

"Jobs?  We have jobs?" said Robert, amused.

"I forgot to get my last paycheck," said Artie.  The group laughed. 

We were gathered for an early morning breakfast of powdered eggs, fresh raspberries and Tang. Artie and Ginny were there, sitting near each other, her arm occasionally on his shoulder.  I was slowly getting adjusted to them being together.  Having a closer relationship with Lisa helped ease that pain quite a bit.  Artie's good buddies, Tom and Robert and Jim and Jerry were there, along with Ginny's sister Mary, and Lisa's best friend, Sue Boschman.  Sue was sitting next to Tom.  They were holding hands.  Sue had finally found something else to think about besides her political and military conspiracies.

"Well, you know what I mean," replied Lisa earnestly.  "We're all making our contributions.  Tom and Robert are building the tunnels, Ginny is painting, Artie cleaning, Mary laundry and seamstress, Robert farming, Sue teaching, and Lance....well..."

"The Sands of Loren!" said Artie, in a mockingly dramatic voice, his hand sweeping across his forehead as if he were fainting with the "vapors".  What a goofy job I had, writing a soap opera for The Hour of Power.  "I do declare, Marty, you are one fine Master of Entertainment."  Everyone had a good laugh at my expense.

"Anyways, Lisa, what "career" change are you thinking of?" I asked, trying to get the conversation back on course.

"I like some of the scientific aspects of what we're doing with farming, and it is a joy to see more and more vegetables and fruits planted."  Thank goodness Mr. Bruschow had a substantial inventory of seeds in the biology lab.  He was a farmer in addition to being a teacher, and brought them for class study, and the possibility of a garden at school, one he was now bringing to life.  "But another aspect of human biology I'm concerned with is human health."  Well, she had certainly improved my health and outlook.  "I've had some conversations with Morgan..."

"Morgan!  Morgan Tigh?" scoffed Robert.  "That stuck up prima LaDona actually talked to you?"

"Oh, Robert, she's not that bad if you get to talk with her.  She was quite nice in telling me about what we were doing in medical care, how we're running out of basic medicines and how she needs more people to help."

"Morgan LaDona Tigh, nurse and friend to the sick.  Who woulda thunk it?" said Artie.

"How is the tunnel coming, Tom?" asked our quiet little Jerry.  He gave so little input; we'd sometimes forget that he was there.

"It's a tough go, Jerry, but I think we've finally got it going a bit.  Still, there's a lot of planning to do," answered Tom.  Tom had moved to the head of implementing the plans that David Yankovich, the genius Senior, came up with for tunnel design.  Tom didn't always agree with David's designs, but he did the best he could to bring them about.  He tried to keep safety first in mind, something that David did not focus on.  This slowed things down a bit, and David had railed at him to bring about things more quickly.  Still, even in his arrogance, David understood that Tom was probably the only one in the Trap, student or adult, with the mechanical skills to make his design ideas come to life.

"Hey, look!  Walt, it's the wild pack of four-eyes!"  Our breakfast was being disrupted by two of the Three Hoodlums, Robert Pelley and Walter Drayton.  Four Eyes was a derisive term that they had attached to us, even though only about half of us wore glasses.  It was meant to deride us as brainy outcasts.

Artie stood up and looked at them with a calm sharpness.  "What is it you want?"

"Why, we're the raspberry police, Farty Arty!  Come to check on your raspberry eating and to give you the raspberries!"  Walter made a fart sound with his arm.  Pelley came over to Jerry, who looked wide eyed and terrified.  "I see you haven't touched your raspberries, tiny boy.  Maybe you should give them to the poor and helpless."  Jerry pretended to be thinking a moment.  "No, wait; you ARE the poor and helpless.  You need to give them to us, the strong and superior."

Artie put his hand on the upper arm of Pelley.  It was almost a reach for Artie, as Artie was only my height and Pelly was closer to six and a half feet tall.  Pelly just glared down at him.  "You wanna think about what you're doing there, Artie?"

"You're not going to assault me here, Pelley.  We both know that.  Now why don't you go to where you're more welcome?  I hear the sewer pipes need to be cleaned and they are just-a calling your name."

Pelley saw the teachers and the disciplinary vice-principal Mr. Tate watching the lunch room.  "No, not here, Farty, you're right.  But you never know.  Sometimes they're not around.  Then who's gonna protect your ass?"

Artie just stared at him.  "Why do you think I need somebody else to protect me?"  Arties's determination was actually unnerving Pelley some.  Walter was swaying a bit, so wide that was almost bumping into the tables.  He was almost twice as wide as our Jim Kurrash, who was an offensive tackle on the football team.

Pelley did not take his eyes off Artie.  "Ginny, what is a beautiful girl like you doing hanging out with these four eyed dweebs?  You could do so much better."  Pelley pursed his lips together as if he was kissing her.  Artie's fists instinctively bunched up.  I hoped he would remember that what they wanted most was for the staff to think that Artie was the one who started swinging. 

Pelley turned his head and saw Lisa and me.  He gave a soft howl.  "Oh, look at you, pretty lady!  Take care off those granny glasses and you are one hot, foxy lady.  You're not sweet on ol' Marty the Martian are you?  I'm not sure the queer little Daddy's boy is playing your side of the field!  Come over here and experience a real man!"

That did it.  I leapt out of my seat to come over and deck him.  Forget Artie.  Forget the staff.  I was gonna get in the first knock.

Fortunately (for me more than Robert Pelley), Mr. Tate and Mr. Clark took that moment to come over to us.  "What's the problem here, gentleman?" Mr. Tate asked.

Pelley and Walter backpedaled a bit.  "Nothing, your lordship, we were just trying to see if they had a few leftover raspberries for my growing boy Walter here.  Jerry, eat 'em or give to somebody.  Don't let them go to waste!"

The hoodlums left to go harass somebody else someplace else.  The remainder of our breakfast was spent in relative quiet.