My Soul To Take Page #5

Give me a minute,

all right?

- Hey, Frank.

- Hey.

He's been dead

at least 12 hours.

What the hell

hit him, Jeanne?

Two miles of this,

for starters.

Any knife wounds?

Nothing obvious. Could take

an autopsy to know for sure.

Come on.

What? You're not thinking what

I think you're thinking, are you?

What are you thinking?

Probably there was

alcohol last night.

Might have gotten tipsy

on his way home.

- Kid's in my 12-step.

- Sorry.

Well, we'll know

quick enough.

The autopsy will tell us if there's

any alcohol levels in the blood

or any water in the lungs.

And I'll check for

a knife wound. I will.

Sixteenth anniversary.

One and six is seven. We didn't

let them kill him last night,

first time.

And it was Bug's turn.

It's kind of funny.

I get scientific in 16 years

and you go voodoo on me.

What did your grandmother say? What?

Did she tell you not to worry

if somebody you thought was dead

just might come back alive?

If he was evil enough?

Call me when you know

something, yeah?

Okay.

Connecticut Condor?

Turkey Vulture.

You find Jay?

No, weird.

He always answers.

I saw him.

Where?

In the boys' bathroom mirror.

He was in the river, I think.

He tried to say

something, but...

Bug, it's best not to think

about your nightmares today.

It wasn't a nightmare.

Whatever it was.

Look, all seven of us

are on edge today.

Seeing the Ripper

in all sorts of weird places.

It's like Brandon said,

the way the cookie crumbles.

For us.

Just for today.

You're a condor. You eat death

for breakfast, remember that.

Where you going?

Call me after Pratt.

Pervert.

I'm sorry I screamed.

I don't blame you.

You should

get out more, Bug.

Shop. It's what I do

when I'm scared.

You're scared?

Angry, is what

I meant to say.

Stay safe.

Don't let the Ripper get you.

Payback time!

Think twice,

jockstrap!

You know what Fang would do if

she knew you were moonlighting.

Yeah, well,

nobody's looking.

But somebody's

listening, Sasquatch.

Think about it.

I tell Chandelle,

she tells Fang.

We all know how Fang doesn't

like you off your little leash.

She'll mark you. Put you in the

river with concrete flippers.

That's actually just

peachy, you know.

I'll let Ripper get you two.

You know, Bug, a lot of people

have seen him already today.

It's not even dark.

Must be scary

living in a house

with no father to protect you.

You know, I bet if you look

up "rectum" in the dictionary

they would have

a picture of Brandon there.

You don't know fear, Bug.

You puked on Brandon O'Neil.

You're a hero

of the revolution.

Hey, Penelope.

Hey, Jerome.

What was it this time?

You're wearing those

squeaky shoes again.

You can really hear that?

Got to go. See you.

See you.

Hey.

Hey.

So, I heard you're

seeing Principal Pratt?

In 15 minutes.

They called my mom at work.

I'm doomed.

We're all doomed, Bug.

It's the human condition.

The next life's

the thing to focus on.

It's Melanie Pratt.

She wants me to pray with

her. You want to come?

I'll be with Father Pratt.

Right. Well, God hears you, wherever you are.

If things get too hot, just

turn on the prayer-conditioning.

Bug, it's best not to think

about your nightmares today.

I've got to cross

that bridge twice a day.

Shop. That's

what I do when I'm scared.

You don't

know what fear is, Bug.

You puked in

Brandon O'Neil's face.

I mean, you're a hero

of the revolution.

Must be pretty scary

sleeping in a house

- no father to protect you.

- Cops!

If things get too hot, just

turn up the prayer-conditioning.

Fear ye the Ripper!

Lord, this is a sin not of hate but of love.

So please remember,

you put the apple

and the happy little snake

together in one small garden,

so, you know things can happen now and then.

And just wrap your

arms around Melanie

and let her know that,

no matter what,

you're there for her

and love her to pieces.

Amen.

Thanks, Penelope.

Now you.

I'm so ashamed.

Don't be.

It's a baby, not a bomb.

Lord, it might

as well be a bomb.

I mean, I feel so guilty.

But you know

how Brandon is.

"Please, please,

pretty please."

But I still should

have said no.

He said it would

make me feel special.

It hasn't.

It's made me feel

fat and stupid.

My father will be

the laughingstock.

My mother

will probably die.

My little sister Amy, she'll

join a cult or something.

Who is that?

Melanie!

Melanie, run!

Melanie?

Die now.

If I should die

before I wake...

Adam?

...I pray the Lord

our souls to take.

Adam?

Adam, Principal Pratt

asked you a question.

The end is near.

Did you know

your daughter's pregnant?

What?

She's in my

prayer group. Duh.

Bug!

I'm sorry.

I'm not myself, Mom.

Mr. Pratt, what

was the question?

It's not important.

You can go now, Adam.

And take your

creature with you.

Your mom and I are going to chat for a while.

We'll speak at home, Bug.

Straight home.

All right.

I'm so sorry.

I don't think he got much sleep last night.

Yes, Ripper Night.

It's an outrage that

it's lasted this long.

And for a sensitive

child like Adam,

it can be especially

dangerous.

I was checking Adam's file

and it's remarkable,

not so much for what's in it,

but for what's not.

Pardon?

I've been a principal

here for six months

and I can find no

medical files for him,

except his vaccination

records, of course,

which are the one thing

he absolutely must have

in order to attend

school here.

Bug has no medical

issues, really.

If he did, we'd have

no way of knowing, would we?

I'm his mother, I would.

Well, that's right.

You're a nurse

at Riverton Community.

Head Nurse, OBIGYN.

Uh-huh.

Are Adam's records there?

Adam has never

been hospitalized.

Has Adam ever been tested?

Neurologically, I mean.

Neurologically?

Why would he be?

Well, since I've

been principal here,

he's awakened twice

in study hall screaming.

He's got chronic migraines.

He's claustrophobic.

Claustrophobic?

Last year,

I was told, a friend put him

in an empty locker just for fun

and he was so hysterical

he had to be sent home.

Brandon O'Neil

is no friend.

He's a bully

who never gets

more than slap

on the wrist.

I'm talking about Adam

here, Ms. Hellerman.

He has serious issues.

And today

he terrorized a classroom

with this monstrous bird

that he built.

It vomited on them.

And worse, he's obsessed

with this California buzzard.

Not a hummingbird,

not a robin,

not an American eagle, but

a bird that eats dead things.

California Condor.

Whatever.

It eats dead things.

Native Americans

considered it sacred.

It cleans the earth

to make room for new life.

Maybe they understood

something we don't.

I want you to listen

to me very carefully.

Tomorrow,

I am sending Adam

for psychological testing

to a state facility in Boston.

You what?

For Adam's safety

and the safety of the normal

students in this school.

It is my responsibility, and

it is my legal right to do so.

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