MIDDLE GRADES FICTION — SCIENCE FICTION

Samantha Fraser Protector of the Weak

Space Cadet Academy — Chapter 2

Samantha hated being called by her full name. When asked, she always referred to herself as Sam. She had a temper that matched her red hair. It was her temper that usually got her into trouble at school, and at home. She was like her mother Margaret Fraser, hot tempered. Because of that, there were often fireworks between the two of them. Sam’s father had abandoned her and her mother two years earlier, just as Sam was beginning the first year in the middle school.

While her father had still been at home, the conflict between her parents had left Sam feeling emotionally battered. Her dad hadn’t ever physically hurt her. He loved his daughter. He tried to be nice to her mother, but it didn’t take much to set him off and have him storming out the door when another argument erupted between them. It didn’t really matter who was to blame, in Sam’s mind. She blamed both of them for not setting aside their issues with each other and focus on her. That was the worst of it. Not being good enough to have her parents focus on being her parents. It left her feeling alone, unheard, and unloved.

Sam did love her mother, but it was so much harder now with her mom now working a second job. Money was an issue now that her father had left. Sam ended up spending too much time alone in the small apartment. They had been forced to move into their small flat when house had been sold because of the divorce. When the two of them were at home, her mother’s tiredness and Sam’s frustrations would often clash. It was as if the abandonment by her father had shifted the battleground to mother and daughter.

Sam’s anger was carried to school. It was rare that a smile would appear on her face anymore. She was an intimidating person. However, she wasn’t a bully. If anything, she was the self-appointed protector of students being bullied. Her protection of these students was often enforced with not-so-subtle physical punishment. Over the past two years, the number of times Sam had been sent to the principal’s office, had been growing in frequency. Since the start of the new school year, she had already been to the office twice. This was her third trip to the office in less than two weeks.

“Samantha Fraser, what have you done now?”

“What did Ms. McLean tell you?” Sam fired back, still angry with Josh Wiggins who had purposely spilled his soft drink all over Ned O’Leary’s notebook by the locker. Josh was a lunk, an overweight bully whose father owned a local car lot. Ned, a small shy boy, was Josh’s primary target.

“Did you pull Josh’s hair? Yes or no.”

“Yes, but he deserved it after ruining Ned’s notebook. The teachers here don’t do anything to stop Josh’s bullying. All they do is go after anyone who tries to do what they should have done.”

“I’m not interested in your excuses, young lady. You know that your actions are unacceptable in this school. I’m sending you home for the rest of the day. You’ll need to bring your mother to the school tomorrow. If your behaviour doesn’t change, you will be expelled. Violence is not tolerated in our school. Your behaviour crosses the line, Samantha.”

“But what about Josh? He gets to do whatever he damn well pleases, and it’s okay?”

“Watch your language, young lady. We are dealing with your behaviour here, your anger, your tendency to violence. We are not here because of something Josh did or didn’t do. I agree that there was an unfortunate accident, which resulted in a soiled notebook. And that is what it was, an accident. You blew it up into something else, then acted as judge and jury, punishing an innocent boy as a result.”

Sam stared daggers at the principal.

Principal O’Farrell disliked the girl in front of him. She didn’t know her place, like most of the other girls. She needed to be taught a lesson. He was determined that he was going to be the one who would teach her that lesson.

Sam stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her. She waited while the office secretary got the necessary suspension form ready. She looked around the office and saw a poster advertising something called the Space Cadet Academy. The advertisement talked about free tuition, adventure, and challenge. When the secretary called her name for the second time, Sam turned and took the envelope addressed to her mother and left.

The bike ride back to the apartment somehow calmed her. The sun was shining, and it was unseasonably warm. Knowing her mother wouldn’t be home until the late afternoon, Sam decided she would head to the city library where she could pass her time. She hated being alone in the tiny apartment. It wasn’t too far out of her way to reach the library. Parking and locking up her bicycle, she went into the quiet library. Just inside the doorway, she spotted the same poster advertising the Space Cadet Academy. ‘Maybe that is an option,’ she told herself.

“Mom, the principal sent this to you,” Sam said, feeling bad about making her mother’s day more stressful.

“Oh Sam, not again,” her mother said, with a tone that was more about feeling defeated than anger. Margaret Fraser knew that Sam’s acting out was really a cry for help, but she was too tired and had lost her confidence as a mother.

Margaret read the letter and looked at Sam with surprise. “It says the school is considering expulsion. They want me to come in tomorrow. I can’t go, Sam. I just can’t handle it right now.”

“It’s okay Mom, I’ll just hang out here at home and keep up with my lessons until you can get some time off. At least I won’t get into trouble here,” she said, with an attempt at humour.

“I’ll talk with Jerry and see if I can take an hour off tomorrow afternoon. He might let me make up the hour so I don’t lose pay,” her mother said, mostly talking to herself.

“Sure, Mom. Just call the school and set up the appointment, whenever. Let me know so that I can bike over to meet you there.”

Their evening meal was prepared in silence. As they finally sat at the small kitchen table to eat, Sam brought up the idea of going to the Space Cadet Academy.

“Mom?”

“Yes, Sam.”

Pulling the folded poster she had taken from the public library, a duplicate of the one she saw in the school office, from her sweater pocket, she said, “I saw this poster. What do you think, Mom? It says we wouldn’t have to pay any tuition if I get accepted as a student. On the plus side, classes don’t start for another two-and-a-half weeks.”

Margaret looked at the poster briefly before setting it aside. “First, let’s just find out what the principal has to say tomorrow, Sam.”

Previously

Thanks to the people who read and interacted with the first chapter. Hopefully, this second chapter will keep your interest.

Melissa Coffey, Brian Lageose, K.B. Silver, Jo Letke, Carrie, Chris O.

As well, here is a shout out to my newest followers:

Domino Cat, Amy Barlowe, Jess, Michael Fritzsch, Jo Letke, Jeff Russell, The Kayro 👑, and Dr. Lutz Kraushaar