Phoebe Breaks Through - Episode 10
Episode 10
ONE CRISIS AFTER ANOTHER
"Oh! It’s great to be here!” George sighed in relief. “Do I have a story for both of you!”
Suddenly, Luis yelled through the window, “Phoebe! You’re wanted up front!”
“Wait here,” Phoebe told Abby and George. “Just relax for a bit. Don’t go anywhere!”
As she entered the main room, Gilligan turned to her with a blaze in his eye. “Go! Out! Side!” he yelled. “There’s been an accident! Someone called an ambulance!”
Phoebe skipped back to Luis, grabbed the first aide kit, and returned to the courtyard in seconds. There in the gathering dusk, she saw a group of boys clustered around another boy sitting with his back to the wall. He groaned, and Phoebe saw a bleeding knot bigger than a golf ball swelling his forehead. She quickly put on latex gloves, cleaned the cut, and applied a bandage and popped a chemical ice pack.
“No one’s parents around?” she asked.
“Nope. My brother went for my mom.”
The boys looked about twelve to fourteen years old. Phoebe didn’t know them.
“What happened?"
“Skateboarding. We were grinding on the curb and a car pulled fast into the spot. Joel had to jump, and hit his head on the sidewalk.”
She squeezed the injured boy’s knee. “Hey Joel,” she said softly. “How’s it going?”
“Bad. I feel sick. And I don’t wanna go to the hospital. I want to go home!”
A police officer emerged from the darkness. “That you, Phoebe?”
She recognized Chief Santiago’s voice, and stood up as if to attention.
“The boy hit his head skateboarding on the street," she said. "Almost got hit by a car. You might say the driver left the scene of an accident.”
Chief Santiago examined the boy, helped him to stand up, and they moved outside of the gate. The mother came running down the sidewalk all out of breath. A flashing light came up Main Street, and an ambulance pulled to the curb. When mother and son had departed, Chief Santiago motioned Phoebe to follow him inside the courtyard. “You’re doing a nice job,” he told Phoebe. “But I’m worried, not so much about the kid, but about you, and all of us. Are you aware that a powerful group will try to blame this accident – and anything else they can find – on you? Some people are angry at what you and Sammy are doing, and they’ll say these kids are here only because you’re attracting them.”
“Where would they suggest these kids go?” retorted Phoebe.
“I know,” said the Chief. “But in a way they’re right, except that we see it as a positive thing, and they see it as a negative thing. I’m especially worried about the concert on Friday night. How many people is Sammy allowed to have in there? Are you allowed to run sporting events behind the store. Think about it.”
“Chief! Please talk to Sammy!”
“No. You are the one who’s going to talk to Sammy.” The Chief lowered his voice. “They think I’m in league with all of you in some sort of conspiracy. They’ve got a man watching this place night and day. And if I have to show up and demand that Sammy remove his tables from the sidewalk, why don’t you invite him into this courtyard? No permit needed. And don’t tell Sammy or any of your little gang in advance.”
Phoebe nodded. Her eyes glowed. This was a level of trust she never imagined.
PHOEBE COMES HOME (Book I)
PHOEBE BREAKS THROUGH (Book II)
And The Upcoming...GHOST GIRL (Book III)
by John KixMiller
One Crisis After Another illustration
by Carlos Uribe
Learn More About Phoebe And The Players