bookshelf.
“She’s gonna kill me! She’s gonna kill me!” Billy shrieked.
“Billy, stop running. Come here. Don’t keep running; you’re making it worse.”
“No way I’m gonna stop!”
“Zane, sit down! Shane!”
The noise level in the room would have drowned out a jet engine. At just that moment I was extremely glad we were not down near the office where we could be heard.
At last Julie caught hold of Billy. Venus flung herself against them, and I grabbed her, pulled her back in a bear hug.
Venus reacted violently to this. She fought against my grip, rocking back and forth rapidly, knocking her head repeatedly against my chest. She kicked viciously back atmy legs. In an effort to force her into a sitting position so that she couldn’t hurt me, I sank down to my knees. Even though I was much taller and heavier, I had a hard time bringing her into a sitting position.
“Julie, help me,” I said.
Leaving the frightened boys over by the windows, Julie crossed to where Venus and I were struggling on the floor.
“I need to stop her legs. Take hold of them.”
Tentatively, Julie reached forward.
“You’re going to need to be more forceful than that,” I grunted through the effort of keeping hold of Venus. “Just grab them and push down until they’re against the floor.”
Again, Julie reached down hesitantly.
“ Help me. I’m going to lose my grip in a minute. Just grab her legs. Sit on them, if you must. I need to stop her kicking.”
Julie managed to catch hold of Venus’s legs. She leaned forward, pinning them to the floor.
This made things worse. Venus screamed louder and struggled harder.
“Calm down,” I whispered in her ear.
She shrieked.
“Calm down, Venus. When you stop screaming, I’ll let go. Until then, I need to hold you.”
Louder still she went, so loud, in fact, that I could feel my eardrums vibrating.
“No. You need to stop screaming. When you stop, I’ll let go.”
Still she hollered painfully loudly.
“Calm down. Quietly, quietly.”
“I can’t do this,” Julie moaned.
I couldn’t tell what she meant, but assumed she had chosen a wrong position and didn’t have a good grip on Venus’s legs. “Just hang on. It’ll be okay in a moment.”
“I’m hurting her.”
“No, you’re not. You’re fine. Just keep her legs against the floor.”
“I’m really uncomfortable with this, Torey.”
“Just hang on. Please. Just a little longer.”
Throughout this exchange, Venus screamed nonstop.
“Come on, sweetheart,” I said, bending close to Venus’s ear. “Come on, now. Calm down. Quietly, quietly. Then I’ll let go.”
But as it turned out, the decision wasn’t mine to make. “Torey, I just can’t do this,” Julie said. “I know I’m hurting her and it just feels wrong.” And she let go, rising up and backing away.
That was all Venus needed. The small shift in balance was enough for her to break free of my grip. In an instant she was to her feet, to the door, through it, gone.
For a long, stunned moment I just stared after her. Then I glanced around quickly at the boys and Julie. “Look after them,” I said. Then I took off out the door myself.
Chapter Six
F eeling panicky at losing Venus when she was so upset, I trotted through the school hallways, listening carefully for sounds of her. After the loud shrieking so close to my ears, I was finding it hard to hear properly. As I tried, all I could distinguish were the normal noises of a school in session: muffled voices, chairs moving, occasional coughs, teachers speaking. I ran down the stairs, down, down, down until I reached the ground floor. There was no sign of anything unusual. I opened the door out onto the playground.
There was Venus up on top of her wall. She was not in her normal relaxed glamor-queen pose but perched warily, poised to spring. Below her stood Wanda.
I approached very cautiously, fearful that Venus might bolt off if she saw me coming too close. The most
“She’s gonna kill me! She’s gonna kill me!” Billy shrieked.
“Billy, stop running. Come here. Don’t keep running; you’re making it worse.”
“No way I’m gonna stop!”
“Zane, sit down! Shane!”
The noise level in the room would have drowned out a jet engine. At just that moment I was extremely glad we were not down near the office where we could be heard.
At last Julie caught hold of Billy. Venus flung herself against them, and I grabbed her, pulled her back in a bear hug.
Venus reacted violently to this. She fought against my grip, rocking back and forth rapidly, knocking her head repeatedly against my chest. She kicked viciously back atmy legs. In an effort to force her into a sitting position so that she couldn’t hurt me, I sank down to my knees. Even though I was much taller and heavier, I had a hard time bringing her into a sitting position.
“Julie, help me,” I said.
Leaving the frightened boys over by the windows, Julie crossed to where Venus and I were struggling on the floor.
“I need to stop her legs. Take hold of them.”
Tentatively, Julie reached forward.
“You’re going to need to be more forceful than that,” I grunted through the effort of keeping hold of Venus. “Just grab them and push down until they’re against the floor.”
Again, Julie reached down hesitantly.
“ Help me. I’m going to lose my grip in a minute. Just grab her legs. Sit on them, if you must. I need to stop her kicking.”
Julie managed to catch hold of Venus’s legs. She leaned forward, pinning them to the floor.
This made things worse. Venus screamed louder and struggled harder.
“Calm down,” I whispered in her ear.
She shrieked.
“Calm down, Venus. When you stop screaming, I’ll let go. Until then, I need to hold you.”
Louder still she went, so loud, in fact, that I could feel my eardrums vibrating.
“No. You need to stop screaming. When you stop, I’ll let go.”
Still she hollered painfully loudly.
“Calm down. Quietly, quietly.”
“I can’t do this,” Julie moaned.
I couldn’t tell what she meant, but assumed she had chosen a wrong position and didn’t have a good grip on Venus’s legs. “Just hang on. It’ll be okay in a moment.”
“I’m hurting her.”
“No, you’re not. You’re fine. Just keep her legs against the floor.”
“I’m really uncomfortable with this, Torey.”
“Just hang on. Please. Just a little longer.”
Throughout this exchange, Venus screamed nonstop.
“Come on, sweetheart,” I said, bending close to Venus’s ear. “Come on, now. Calm down. Quietly, quietly. Then I’ll let go.”
But as it turned out, the decision wasn’t mine to make. “Torey, I just can’t do this,” Julie said. “I know I’m hurting her and it just feels wrong.” And she let go, rising up and backing away.
That was all Venus needed. The small shift in balance was enough for her to break free of my grip. In an instant she was to her feet, to the door, through it, gone.
For a long, stunned moment I just stared after her. Then I glanced around quickly at the boys and Julie. “Look after them,” I said. Then I took off out the door myself.
Chapter Six
F eeling panicky at losing Venus when she was so upset, I trotted through the school hallways, listening carefully for sounds of her. After the loud shrieking so close to my ears, I was finding it hard to hear properly. As I tried, all I could distinguish were the normal noises of a school in session: muffled voices, chairs moving, occasional coughs, teachers speaking. I ran down the stairs, down, down, down until I reached the ground floor. There was no sign of anything unusual. I opened the door out onto the playground.
There was Venus up on top of her wall. She was not in her normal relaxed glamor-queen pose but perched warily, poised to spring. Below her stood Wanda.
I approached very cautiously, fearful that Venus might bolt off if she saw me coming too close. The most
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