Who Delivers the Blue Sheets?

Robert was reading Holes when he heard the familiar light slapping sound of the blue sheet being dropped into the basket. Normally he paid this action no mind. The blue sheets were as much a part of the school's schedule as lunch or Quiet Time, so why should he? Today was different, though. He supposed it was mostly boredom with Holes. It was one of his favorite books but after having read it a dozen or so times, anything would start to get boring. He needed to find something else of interest and he supposed finding out who delivered the blue sheets was as good a thing as any. Robert looked up and although it was only a split second since he had heard the sound, the door was already closed and the blue sheet was sagging sadly against the side of the basket Ms. Collins kept next to the door. Robert looked around and saw the other children were paying no attention. They were reading their own books, doing homework or sitting quietly with their head on their desk. Robert looked forward at Ms. Collins, who was grading some papers at her desk.

"Ms. Collins?" Robert asked.

She looked up at him. "Yes, Robert?"

"Who brings the blue sheets?"

Ms. Collins looked back down at the test she was grading but she was too late. Robert saw something flicker in her eyes. "Oh, I don't know, Robert. I think it's whoever is available during Quiet Time. I don't think it's the same person every day."

"So how come we never see them?"

Ms. Collins looked up to address him, her face perfectly calm but Robert knew he had seen her face change. "Well, Quiet Time is only an hour, Robert. They have a lot of classrooms to go to." She smiled at him. "Now go back to reading your book."

Robert sighed and looked down. He knew he wasn't going to get anymore answers from her.

After school ended later that day, Robert was walking home with Kenny, who was probably his best friend. They had a group of guys they ate lunch with and played on the playground with but Kenny was who he spent the most time with. He could tell Kenny just about anything, including the fact that up until last year, Robert still had to wear diapers when he went to bed at night. Kenny never laughed or told anybody, so Robert knew he was okay.

"So who do you think drops off the blue sheets?"

Kenny shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. A janitor or one of those ladies who sits in the back of the classrooms, I guess. The aides or whatever they are."

"So how come we never see them?"

"Because it's like Ms. Collins said," Robert continued. "They have the whole school to do and Quiet Time is only like an hour."

They walked for a little while in silence. Robert finally spoke.

"You don't really care, do you?"

Kenny shook his head. "Not really, I mean, it just says who was absent on it. It's not that interesting."

"I guess you're right."

"So are you going to be online tonight?"

"Probably," Robert said. And that was true. But he didn't think Kenny was right about the blue sheets not being interesting. From the walk home until he went to bed that night, it was all he could think about.

The next day, Robert decided he'd be ready to get a glimpse of whoever brought the blue sheets. He hadn't told Kenny about it because he was pretty sure Kenny didn't understand. He felt a little foolish about it himself but he kept thinking of Ms. Collins' face. There was definitely something to see.

As always, Quiet Time took place right after lunch. Robert made sure to use the bathroom in Ms. Collins' room right after lunch ended. He didn't want to miss anything. He had Holes open in front of him but he wasn't really reading it. He kept watching the door and he was convinced he was being discreet about it until he heard Ms. Collins' voice.

"Robert?"

Robert slowly turned around to face her. She was looking at him sternly from her desk.

"Do you need anything?"

The other kids looked up.

"No, I'm okay."

"So why don't you go back to reading, okay?"

Robert nodded. "Okay," he said. From across the room, Kenny shot him a confused look. It was quick but Ms. Collins was extra alert today.

"Kenny?"

Kenny looked at her briefly and then dropped his head back down to his math homework.

"I'm working!" he said.

Robert looked up and saw Ms. Collins was looking at him. He dropped his head down guiltily. As he did, he heard the door quickly creak open and the blue sheet was dropped into the basket. He wanted to look up but it wouldn't have mattered anyway. It seemed to take place in less than a second.

Later that night after dinner, Robert brought up the blue sheets to his parents. His mother was watching television and his father was reading.

"Who do you think drops off the blue sheets?"

"What's a blue sheet?" his father asked without much interest.

His mother turned away from the television. "What's that, sweetie?"

"The blue sheets they drop off during Quiet Time. They say like who's absent and stuff," Robert said. He watched his parent's faces closely but there was no change.

"What about them?" his mother asked.

"Who brings them?"

His mother turned back to the television. "Oh, I don't know, I suppose a teacher's aide or something."

Robert was disappointed at his parent's lack of interest. Maybe he was overreacting and had misread Ms. Collin's face.

"Yeah, that's what Kenny said."

His father still hadn't looked up from his book. "Why do you care? Seems like pretty boring stuff to me, pal."

"I don't know. I've just never seen them. They drop them off so fast you can never get a look and it's always during Quiet Time, when we have to stay in our rooms."

His father remained uninterested. "If that were my job, I'd probably be in a hurry to get it done, too."

And that was the end of that.

Robert was determined to get a glimpse, though. Even if his parents and Kenny didn't care, he did. Even if his glimpse of the mysterious deliverer of the blue sheets turned out to be the sweater-clad arm of a teacher's aide, at least he'd know. So when the next morning came along, he packed his digital camera into his backpack. Devices like digital cameras, cell phones and Nintendo DS' were strictly taboo at school. If you were caught using one, it was promptly taken away and you wouldn't see it again until the end of the day. Two times and it was gone until the end of the week. If you were unlucky enough to get caught three times, it would be sent to the principal's office, where you had to come pick it up with your parents. The system seemed to be working. Robert didn't know anybody who had to have their parents come in to retrieve a DS or a phone, so kids were either really careful or just didn't like the prospect of losing them for a whole week.

That was the reason Robert didn't ever bring his camera or PSP to school. He kept his phone tucked safely in his backpack in case of emergencies but otherwise, he left everything at home. It just didn't seem like it was worth it. Even if the teacher didn't see you, there was always the risk some scummy kid would steal it from you. He was especially protective of his camera. It was a birthday present from his parents and a compromise for the expensive video camera he wanted. The camera had over twelve megapixels and a memory card that allowed him to capture over one hour of video. He hoped the reward would be worth the risk.

Right before lunch, Robert carefully removed the camera from his backpack to show Kenny, whose eyes widened when he saw the camera.

"Why did you bring that?" he asked.

"So I can get video of whoever brings the blue sheets. I'm just gonna turn on the video mode and let it run since it's always so quick."

Kenny rolled his eyes. "You're so weird," he said. "If Ms. Collins sees that, she's taking it away."

He walked away and Robert immediately wished he hadn't shown him. It made him feel dumb. He really hoped it was worth it now.

Lunch came and went. Kenny didn't say much to him, which made Robert feel even worse. It came time for Quiet Hour and Robert carefully brought his camera to his desk. Ms. Collins was grading papers and as soon as Robert sat down, she looked up at him. Robert kept the camera on his lap and hoped he didn't look too guilty as she continued to stare at him. Finally, she broke her gaze and went back to correcting the stack of papers in front of her. Robert brought out his Social Studies homework this time and opened the book. He figured maybe she wouldn't be as suspicious if he worked on different things.

Like usual, everybody quietly settled into their various activities. The clock ticked loudly and rhythmically. It was another thing Robert usually never noticed but it was driving him crazy today. His palms were sweating as he carefully removed the camera from its case. He did his best to keep his eyes on the Social Studies book while still being aware of what was going on by the door. So far he seemed to be doing a pretty good job, Ms. Collins hadn't said anything. It had been twenty minutes and still no blue paper. Robert had tried to figure out when the sheet usually arrived and it seemed like it was at the half-hour mark, so he had another ten minutes. It was almost unbearable. The seconds ticked slower than ever. Robert tried to focus on a chapter about Columbus but couldn't. He didn't like Columbus, even if he did discover America. He was an ugly guy who dressed like a girl.

After agonizing through his book for what felt like forever, it was finally a half hour past. Robert turned on the camera. It made a tiny dinging sound as it turned on. Robert had forgotten all about it. It was barely audible usually but today it may as well have been a dump truck starting up. A few kids looked up and of course Ms. Collins did, too.

"What is that?" she asked sharply.

Robert tried to hold his ground and focus on the Social Studies book.

"Robert, what do you have?" she asked again.

Robert felt blood rushing to his face but he didn't look up.

"Robert!"

He slowly looked up and faced her. She looked angry.

"Nothing!"

Her anger visibly deepened. "Let me see what's in your other hand!"

"It's nothing!"

She stood up and walked over to him with her hand extended. As she did, Robert heard the sound of the door opening and the blue paper dropping into the basket. He sighed and brought his camera up on his desk. She grabbed it and walked back to her desk.

"You'll see that next week!"

Robert felt a jolt as she said this.

"Why next week?"

"Because I said so!" she said. She opened her top desk drawer and started to set the camera in it.

"Wait! Will you at least put it in the case?"

She looked up at him and he saw her anger had softened.

"Fine," she said. "Bring me the case."

He got up and brought her the leather case. Everyone in the class was watching him now. Ms. Collins took it and put the camera in the case and set it gently in the top drawer. As Robert walked back to his desk, he saw Kenny shoot him the same confused look as before.

"All right, everybody, back to whatever you were doing!" said Ms. Collins.

And everybody went back to what they were doing but Robert had never felt so embarrassed.

After school ended Ms. Collins quietly asked Robert to stay behind. Kenny was waiting in the hallway, poking his head in the doorway every few seconds.

"Kenny," Ms. Collins finally said.

"I'm going!" Kenny said and he quickly left, leaving Robert alone with Ms. Collins.

Robert was seated at his desk. Ms. Collins came over and sat down at the desk next to him.

"Do you understand why I had to take your camera?" she asked.

"I guess."

"Are you sure? 'I guess' doesn't sound like you understand."

Robert shrugged his shoulders. "I just don't get why it's gone for a week. I don't ever bring in stuff like that."

Ms. Collins sighed. "Well, Robert, it's not just the camera. You've been very distracted all week. Quiet Time is for all of us to catch up on work, read a good book or relax. You're usually so good about it. What's different about this week?"

"I don't know."

"Quiet Time is the same as it ever was."

"I guess."

There was silence for a few seconds before Ms. Collins finally spoke. "How about I make a deal with you?"

"Okay."

"If I give you back your camera now, do you promise to just read or do homework like before?" she asked.

"Sure."

Ms. Collins stood up and walked over to her desk and took out his camera from the top drawer. She brought it over to him and set it down. Robert looked up at her.

"I know it's dumb but I just wanted to see who drops off the blue sheets."

Either Robert had really read her wrong before or she was ready for this but Ms. Collins' facial expression stood firm this time.

"It's probably just Mrs. Atkins, Robert. There's absolutely nothing to see. You can go now."

Robert stood up and grabbed his camera.

"See you tomorrow. And things are going to be back to normal, right?"

Robert nodded. "Yes, Ms. Collins."

She smiled at him. "Okay then, good night."

"Night."

Robert walked out of the room, with a strange fluttering feeling in his stomach. Ms. Collins face had stayed the same but her voice hadn't. She was a nice lady and a good teacher but a bad liar. He supposed that made his own lie okay but it didn't really matter. He had to see who delivered those blue sheets. He had never been so sure about something in all of his nine years.

When bedtime came later that night, Robert couldn't sleep. He was excited as he was scared. There was definitely a sense of danger that he usually only saw in movies or read about in books. It made him excited for school in a way he never thought possible. He decided that even if it ended up being nothing, the fact he had his own mission and purpose was definitely something special. None of the other kids could say that, not even Kenny. It felt like forever but Robert was finally able to settle down and go to sleep.

Kenny was waiting for him when he came out of his house to walk to school the next morning.

"So what are you going to do to get in trouble today?" Kenny asked with a smile on his face.

"Shut up!"

"Calm down, I'm only kidding!" Kenny said defensively. "Why weren't you on Xbox live last night? Did you get in trouble cause you had to stay after?"

"No, they didn't even notice. It was only like five minutes and she gave me my camera back."

"That's cool."

"Yeah."

"So are you still trying to see who drops off the blue sheets?" Kenny asked.

"No, I don't care. You were right, it's pretty dumb."

Robert realized it was the first time he had ever told Kenny a lie. It didn't bother him, though. He thought this was bigger than his friendship with Kenny, even if Kenny knew he used to wet the bed.

When they got to school, Ms. Collins gave Robert a big smile.

"Good morning, Robert," she said cheerfully.

"Good morning, Ms. Collins."

"Let's take our seats, everybody! We've got a lot of work to do today!"

The kids, Robert included, dutifully took their seats as Ms. Collins began to talk about two-digit multiplication.

The day was routine enough but Robert found his heart racing as Quiet Time approached. He didn't eat most of his lunch and even gave his chips to Derrick, the annoying kid who tried stealing your food whenever you turned away.

Quiet Time arrived and Robert realized it was now or never. It might get him sent to the principal's office or even worse, make him a joke with the whole school for the rest of the year, maybe even his whole life but he had to see.

Robert was aimlessly scribbling in a notebook as his cover this time. He must have been doing a pretty good job as Ms. Collins had only looked at him a couple of times in the fifteen minutes since Quiet Time had been underway. It was either that or she trusted him. Robert supposed he felt a little guilty about that but then he reminded himself she had obviously been lying to him, too, so he guessed it evened out.

After ten more minutes of idling drawing in his notebook, Robert decided it was time to get ready. He stopped writing and looked up to see Ms. Collins staring at him. How could she possibly know? Robert could feel himself starting to sweat. This was going to be harder than he expected. Robert looked back down and started drawing again. He could feel sweat all over his body and his mouth was dry and tasted sour. He wondered if he could hold out and do it at this point. He looked up again but Ms. Collins was still looking at him.

"Robert?" she asked carefully.

Robert swallowed. "Yes?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine."

Ms. Collins put on a fake smile. He was sure it was a fake.

"Okay then. Keep writing."

Things suddenly went to slow motion. Robert heard the door creak open and he suddenly felt a little dizzy and disoriented. It was as if he was no longer completely in the room but merely an observer of everything going on. He felt himself standing up and he saw Ms. Collins' fake smile turn into a look of panic. Robert turned to the door just as the blue sheet dropped in the basket and the door shut. He ran to the door and opened it.

"Robert!" Ms. Collins cried out as she jumped to her feet.

Robert ran into the hallway and his feeling of disorientation deepened when he saw the hallway was dark. For a split second he thought the school was closed and everybody had forgotten about him. He looked to his right and saw something take a sharp left down the corridor. His eyes widened. It wasn't someone. It was something and it was BIG. For reasons he'd never be able to explain, he ran after it. Ms. Collins was running behind him him with her arms outstretched, her high heels clacking quickly and desperately on the hard, tiled ground.

"Robert, stop!" she yelled.

Robert continued to run in the direction of the mysterious shape. He was almost to the corridor when he felt Ms. Collins' cold, slender fingers grab the back of his shirt. Despite her small frame, he felt himself yanked back and spun around with amazing strength.

"You can't see them!" Ms. Collins said frantically.

"Why not, what are they?"

"Please, we have to get back inside the room!"

She started to lead him away when Robert saw a large shape appear from around the corridor. He was wrong. It wasn't BIG. It was MASSIVE. Ms. Collins saw it and started to run but she wasn't quick enough. It reached out to her with arms the size of tree trunks and paws as big as the wheels on his father's truck and grabbed her. She screamed as it lifted her off the ground like a rag doll. Robert couldn't make it out exactly but he realized this was probably a good thing. Ms. Collins continued to scream but it was drowned out by a guttural growl that rattled Robert to the bone. The growling stopped and so did Ms. Collins' screaming. It was replaced by a crunching sound and Ms. Collins suddenly had rivulets of blood running down the entire length of her quivering body.

The next thing he knew he was running out of the school screaming at the top of his lungs. He wasn't completely sure but he could swear he heard it chewing.

The school was shut down for three days.

Kenny found the days to be long but the nights were worse. He heard his parents talking in insistent whispers but he couldn't make out what they were saying. His parents, along with the police, had wanted to know what he and the other kids had seen and heard. The truth was, they hadn't seen anything because once the screaming had started, everybody was too scared to move. Kenny tried to tell them he thought he heard something like a growl but everybody seemed quick to dismiss it. He didn't understand why. He wasn't lying.

There were all sorts of stories as to what happened. It was an escaped mental patient or a wild animal that had somehow gotten into the school undetected. Regardless, nobody had been caught yet. Kenny supposed those were explanations but something still felt funny to him about the whole thing. It didn't matter, though. Nobody would care what he thought. If he could get the other kids to try and uncover what really happened, they'd lose interest about as quickly as they gained it, kind of like when he and Robert had planned on building a fort with some old scrap wood they had found one summer.

Robert was another issue entirely. He hadn't returned Kenny's phone calls and he hadn't signed onto his Facebook since he started getting weird. When Kenny asked his parents about it, they sat him down and said Robert was all right but he had to go away for awhile. Kenny tried to find out more but they would only smile weakly at him and change the subject.

When school came back, Kenny noticed some kids were still gone. Mrs. Williams, the principal came to their class to speak. Mr. Carl, the school psychiatrist and two other men Kenny didn't know were with her. Kenny didn't pay much attention to what she was saying. She spoke softly about what happened and said that she and Mr. Carl would be available to talk if anybody needed them. Steve Adams raised his hand and asked about Robert. Kenny stared at Robert's empty desk and found himself hating Steve. Steve wasn't friends with Robert, who was he to ask about him? Mrs. Williams

told them that Robert was okay but she didn't know when he'd be back. After that they left and a new lady came in. Her name was Mrs. Breakey and Kenny didn't like her. She reminded him of Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter. He found himself missing Ms. Collins and Robert more than ever.

Quiet Time came along like usual that day. Mrs. Breakey barked at them to be quiet. Kenny brought out Small Steps and started reading. At exactly half an hour past, he heard the door open and the blue sheet being dropped into the basket. For some inexplicable reason, he suddenly found himself too scared to look up.

Back to: Vol 1, Issue 2