"Mrs. Hardy, would you please send Damon Lancaster to the office." The loudspeaker crackled to life and managed to garble the words enough to make the history teacher put her hand to her ear. She waited a moment before turning to stare sympathetically at Damon.

"Go ahead and grab your knapsack. It's close enough to the end of the day."

Damon didn't wait to be told twice. Thank God, he thought. No more listening to the old bat tell us what a freaking genius Benjamin Franklin was.

"See ya," Damon said, smiling as he rushed to the door of the classroom.

She looked at him without surprise. It was always something. Damon Lancaster was a usual suspect. No matter what it was, his name was in the hat of those perceived as guilty. "Straight to the office," she said .

Damon slowed down long enough to peer down Monica Dunstan's low cut blouse. "See ya, Monica."

The girl self-consciously made a grab for her plunging neckline. "Creep."

"Take care of the girls for me."

Monica scowled as he winked.

"Straight to the office, Damon." Mrs. Hardy reminded him.

He nodded, grabbing for the door handle. "I heard you the first time."

The empty hallway used to be his oasis. No nosy teachers watching his every move. No jocks bumping him into the lockers as he tried to get from one room to the other. There were corners and vacant classrooms that provided sanctuaries. He could breathe in the openness of the empty corridor. Strange as it sounded, he felt less alone in the vacant hallway.

The thought of walking right past the office and heading out the front door passed through his mind as he turned the corner. He walked slow and deliberate, determined to follow orders at his own convenience. He could see Principal Hamby and the guidance counselor, Mrs. Hudson, standing next to the secretary's desk. Someone else was standing there. A woman, at least it was dressed like a woman. She towered over Mrs. Hudson, and as if suddenly aware he was watching them, she turned to glare at him through the glass.

She strode to the door and yanked it open effortlessly. "You must be Damon." She offered her hand but he merely stared at it. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," she said, letting her hand fall gracefully back to her side.

Damon tossed his black hair out of his eyes.

"I'm Lila Savoy." She met his blue eyes with a look that almost made him take a step back.

"What's up?"

"We are here to accompany you to my camp."

Damon laughed. "Um, no. Not going to any camp with you."

Miss Lila sighed and clasped her big hands together. "I was afraid you'd say that. I have some friends of mine who will help you get out to the van."

Two burly men stood up from the chairs in the lobby and walked closer.

Mr. Hamby cleared his throat nervously. "What camp, exactly, is this you are taking Damon to?"

Miss Lila looked up sharply. "My camp."

"You are out of your mind, Lady." Damon backed up, eyeing the door to see if he could run. The burly patrol were one step ahead of him. They blocked the door. This crazy woman was tangling with the wrong guy. Once his parents found out, this bitch would be hating life.

"Don't make this any harder on yourself. Just accompany me to the van and I'll explain everything."

"You are fucking crazy."

"Language!"

He summoned as much hate in his eyes as he could before he spat out his response. "Fuck you." He balled up his fist and drew back his arm. He turned to look at Principal Hamby. "Call my mom."

Miss Lila smiled, nodded her head slightly, then dug into her large leather shoulder bag. She swiftly handed the Principal a sheath of papers. She looked down at Damon as she released the papers. "Your parents are the reason I'm here, Damon." Not waiting for Mr. Hamby to finish checking out the paperwork, she handed one document to Damon.

It was all legal crap, full of twelve syllable words that made no sense to him. He scanned the paper until one section caught his eye.

JOHN DAMON LANCASTER, 17, IS HEREBY GIVEN INTO CUSTODY OF LILA. M. SAVOY, UNTIL UNDETERMINED LATER DATE. ALL DECISIONS INCLUDING MEDICAL, EDUCATIONAL AND LEGAL, ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF LILA M. SAVOY.

Damon flung the paper away. His parents had given him away.

"Call my parents," he yelled. He was losing it. He could feel his Fuck the world facade starting to crumble. He was scared right now. He would beg. Hell, he would promise them anything.

Mr. Hamby snatched the phone up, staring at the computer screen the secretary had pulled up with Damon's information on it. He looked just as freaked out as Damon.

"Mrs. Lancaster, this Burton Hamby, from Patterson High School. Yes, I'm fine, thank you. We have a bit of a situation here. There are some people here-," he said, stopping mid-sentence to listen. "Yes, Ma'am. I will inform him." Mr. Hamby, replaced the receiver and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He turned to look at the boy. "It seems Ms. Savoy has the legal right to take you."

Damon shook involuntarily. Someone had to help him. Every one had lost their damned minds. "No, I am not going with her." He swung his fists frantically. He didn't care who he hit. They were all against him now. One damned piece of paper signed by parents who were wiping their hands of him, and a bureaucrat who didn't have the balls to stop this. He shoved the secretary's desk and watched as the computer screen teetered before falling over.

Miss Savoy, dug into her purse again and pulled out a canvas wrap. "It didn't have to be like this. This is all because of you, Damon." She shook out the canvas and held up the straight jacket for him to see. "Is this how you want to walk out of here? Is this how you want your peers to see you?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you." His voice came out a low snarl, causing Mrs. Hudson to look away.

Miss Lila motioned for the two men to help her. "If you will," she said quietly.

It didn't take the two men long to restrain the 150 pound boy. Miss Savoy fastened the arms tightly. Her eyes bore into his in a test of wills. "You hate me now, but God has a plan for you."

"Fuck you, bitch." He said, then spit at her.

She turned without bothering to wipe the spittle off of her cheek. "Gentlemen, escort Mr. Lancaster to the van." She reached down to gather the papers together and return them to the leather purse. She finished loading her bag then looked at Mr. Hamby. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Principal Hamby."

"Miss Savoy, what sort of camp are you taking him to?"

"It is a camp to save him."

"Save his life?" Hamby said, his voice full of doubt.

"Our lives are trivial, Mr. Hamby. I am going to save his immortal soul."

She turned away from the man and walked purposefully out of the office.