A Day in the Life of the McCoy's - Chapter 2

Crystal's parents are subjected to some questions by the principal of their daughter's school during a meeting.

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"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. McCoy, please have a seat." The principal of their daughter's school motioned towards the two sturdy oak chairs positioned in front of his large oak desk.

Mr. Blueberry observed through his glasses as Crystal McCoy's parents awkwardly entered his office.

They bickered briefly over who should close the door, then argued again about who should sit on which chair.

It was clear that these people were anxious. Mr. Blueberry had met them once before, during a school fair about a year ago, and they had been lively and relaxed back then, cracking jokes here and there.

But now, as he watched them sitting rigidly in their chairs with nervous glances darting around, it was as if they were completely different people - almost afraid, even. Their eyes held a sense of unease like skittish animals sensing danger lurking nearby. The shift in their demeanor was striking, and Mr. Blueberry couldn't help but feel curious about what had caused such a drastic change.

They could not be afraid of him now, could they? Mr Blueberry made a mental note to ask his secretary if he was a frightening appearance.

"I'm Glad you could make it," Mr Blueberry said, once more surprised as his voice—which did not sound loud at all—startled Crystal's parents.

"Yes, yes, of course." Mr McCoy said, fumbling with his glasses. "Anything for our beloved daughter. What can we do for you, Mr Blueberry?"

"Well," it was now Mr Blueberry who became uncomfortable as he shifted in his seat, twisting a pencil between his fingers as he struggled to find the right way to phrase his question.

"This may sound a bit… odd, but are there any inexplicable occurrences happening at your home?"

The tension in Mr McCoy's eyes was palpable as soon as the question left Mr Blueberry's lips.

"Inexplicable things? Like what?" Mr McCoy asked, with a slight chuckle that couldn't entirely hide his unease.

Mr Blueberry hesitated before responding, his voice low and hesitant. "Things disappearing without explanation. Objects being moved to places they shouldn't be able to reach. Colors of objects changing from white to purple in the blink of an eye." The words hung heavily in the air, leaving a sense of unease and disbelief in their wake.

Mr. McCoy leaned closer, his face full of concern. "Are those things happening here at school too? I mean, are those things happening here?"

"Yes, they do," Mr Blueberry replied with a serious expression. "Just yesterday, my black Chevrolet, which was as dark as the depths of the night sky, magically turned bright pink. And that's not all - Mr. Zoland came to school wearing a black blouse in the morning, but by the end of the day, he went home with a green one and bunny ears on his head. Can you believe it?"

"Forgive me for being blunt, but what does any of this have to do with my daughter?" Mr. McCoy said.

"Our janitor overheard a conversation between your daughter and her best friend, Kylie, where Crystal claimed to possess magical powers. Normally, I wouldn't pay attention to such trivial talk of a pair of self-centered juveniles. However, after witnessing strange occurrences in the school and taking into consideration Crystal's potential resentment towards both myself and Mr. Zoland, I felt it necessary to bring it up to you both."

"Well," Mr. McCoy rose from his chair, his movements urgent as he guided his wife to do the same. "I'm afraid we've wasted your time," he said with a hint of apology. "We haven't seen anything unusual here, I'm afraid. Right, Dear?" He turned to his wife, who nodded meekly and avoided making eye contact.

"Crystal is just Crystal," Mr. McCoy continued, dismissing any concerns with a wave of his hand. "Sure, she's a bit of a headache, but which teenage girls aren't?" He chuckled at his own joke, unaware or uncaring of how it came across. Mr. Blueberry returned a polite smile.

"If we see anything unusual at home, you'll be the first to know it." Mr McCoy winked as his hand landed on the doorknob.

Just as he was about to open the door for his wife, the principal stood up and asked, "What about those boys?"

Mr. McCoy turned around, confused. "What, boys?"

"Haven't you been following the news?" Mr. Blueberry approached them from behind his desk. "Those five boys who mysteriously disappeared last week. They were last seen at the local mall, and some witnesses reported seeing them talking to a girl around your daughter's age."

Mr. McCoy's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching. "Are you insinuating that my daughter is involved in their disappearance, Mr. Blueberry?" he said.

"Well, I can't rule it out completely," replied Mr. Blueberry, calmly but firmly.

"Do you hear yourself?" Mr. McCoy's snorted. "A teenage girl abducting five boys? Can you even imagine such a thing?"

"Normally speaking, no," Mr Blueberry replied coolly. But this is not a normal situation, is it?"

Frustration and confusion etched across Mr. McCoy's face as he turned to his wife, who looked equally confused.

"Okay, I believe we are done here." He turned and marched out of Blueberry's office, dragging his wife behind. The sound of their footsteps echoed down the hallway.

As they settled into the car, they sighed deeply and exchanged glances. "I thought that man would never stop prying." Mrs McCoy said.

Mr. McCoy rubbed his forehead and rolled down the car window, lighting a cigarette to calm his nerves. "We can't blame him," he said. He's just trying to make sense of all these inexplicable things that even we can't make sense of."

Mrs. McCoy turned towards her husband, watching him take a drag from his cigarette before blowing out the smoke through his pursed lips. "Do you think Crystal is involved?"

"Of course she is." He snapped. "That girl should learn to be more subtle."

"You mean like this?"

Both Mr. and Mrs. McCoy tensed at the sound of their daughter's voice coming from the backseat. Mr. McCoy glanced in the rearview mirror and saw his daughter appearing in the backseat as if out of thin air.

Although it did not surprise them to see their daughter pulling off such a stunt, seeming that they knew what she was capable of, it still did startle them. It was a nerving thought to know that Crystal could just show up anywhere at any time she pleases. It was dangerous to assume that Crystal was not there, even though she always could be.

They had learned it was best to assume she was always around, watching and listening to everything they did.

Mr. McCoy gazed at his daughter's eyes in the rearview mirror, mulling over these thoughts.

While his daughter had not explicitly mentioned her ability to read minds, Mr. McCoy was certain she possessed the skill or, at least, the potential to develop it. Perhaps she was already able to do so but hadn't thought to try it yet.

If that were the case, Mr. McCoy didn't want to be the one to make his daughter aware of this power and potentially make her even more dangerous.

Crystal's hand landed on Mr. McCoy's shoulder, causing him to flinch. She spoke in a voice that resembled a parent praising her child, "You both did well in there. I'm proud of you."

"What does that sleazeball think anyway?" Crystal scowled as she looked at her school's entrance. "Did you know he checked my ass out once?" she said while looking at her dad in a way that expected some shocked reaction from him.

Mr McCoy picked up on her expectation and found it wise to get along with it.

"He did what?" he exclaimed, fake anger filling his eyes. He reached for the car door handle, intending to confront the man. "I'm going to teach him!" He was about to get out of the car, but just as he hoped, his wife stopped him, pulling him back.

"That was sweet of you, Dad, but leave it. I'm going to handle Mr Blueberry myself." Crystal said with a grateful smile. She patted her father's shoulder before turning to face her school.

Suddenly, a realization struck Mr. McCoy. "Mr Blueberry was talking about some missing boys."

Crystal looked confused for a moment before waving her hand dismissively. "Huh? Oh, that."

Mr McCoy frowned. "So you are involved in this?" He swallowed hard, berating himself for letting his presumption seep into his tone.

"Absolutely," Crystal replied with a smirk as she reached into her cleavage. A small glass jar was between her thumb and finger, which she presented with pride as if it were some valuable treasure.

"Here you go, boys!" Crystal opened the door and released her captives, dropping the tiny dots who were once five normal boys onto the streets. The exhausted, hungry, filthy, and traumatized boys gazed up at their enormous captor as she waved goodbye before slamming the car door shut with a resounding clang.

"Let's go to Wendy's; I'm starving," Crystal said.

Without complaint, Mr McCoy started the car and drove towards the nearest Wendy's, leaving the insect-sized boys to fend for themselves in a hostile environment.