Learning values Standing alone as he usually did, Isaiah Brinks waited for the school bus with twelve other children. He was the only genemorph at the bus stop, but he wasn't the only 'morph that rode the bus. His friend Beckett would be waiting for him in the seat over the wheel well, the lease desired seat on the bus. They always sat together, keeping each other company as the human children ignored them. Keeping his eyes down to avoid catching the notice of the other kids, he thought about the field trip he would be taking that afternoon. His social studies class was going to the museum as part of their studies on 'genemorphs and their influence in society.' He'd felt proud the last few days in that class to hear of the things 'morphs had contributed. He'd even noticed the teasing that usually came his way had eased up just a bit. He put his hand in his pants pocket to make sure his twenty dollars was there for the charter bus fare. It was the first time he'd been given so much money to hold on his own. Between that trust from his parents and the anticipation of the museum visit, he was feeling really good. To be safe, however, he still kept to himself and didn't make eye contact with any of the other kids waiting for the school bus. He was only eight and there were older boys there who would give him a hard time if he gave them any excuse. Sometimes they made fun of him anyway. While Isaiah studied an ant hill near the curb, he heard a shout from one of the older boys. His ears flicked back. The voice sounded like Dennis, the oldest and most careless of the group of bullies. He'd do crazy things that could hurt people, even himself, if he thought it would be funny. He'd been suspended from school once because he dared another boy to play chicken on their bicycles. Tommy, the other boy involved, wound up with a broken finger and Dennis knocked out one of his teeth. "Look what I found!" Isaiah breathed a small sigh of relief. It didn't sound like a fight was brewing and if whatever Dennis had found wasn't for hitting other people then maybe it wouldn't be too bad. He glanced up to see what Dennis had discovered. "It was hiding behind our garbage cans!" Dennis laughed gleefully as he held a young kitten by the scruff if its neck. He waved it a bit, causing the small creature to mew quietly. Isaiah's stomach turned to ice. He looked around at the other kids at the bus stop, hoping one of them might object to whatever Dennis had planned. Charlene and Kimberly were two girls the same age as Dennis. They were really the only ones who would stand up to him in any way. The two were fast friends and could sometimes keep the bully in check when they worked together. Dennis dangled the kitten at a few of the younger children. They simply stepped back to get away from whatever he had in mind. The boy laughed again and turned to his cohorts. "What should we do with it," one of them asked. "Throw it in front of a car!" one suggested loudly. "Let it go," one of the younger girls begged. A few other kids timidly voiced their desire for the kitten's release. Isaiah hoped desperately Dennis would go along with it. He wished he had the courage to step forward and add his vote for releasing it. Dennis grinned and approached the girl, thrusting the animal into her face. The girl squealed in fright and moved several steps away. She didn't speak again, but glared at him with hate. Isaiah knew this was going to go badly if it kept up. He wanted to help but he was too young and small to force Dennis to give up the kitten. If he asked for it, he would simply be attacked the same as the young girl had. He turned his eyes to Charlene and Kimberly. They were standing some distance away, talking among themselves and watching closely. They weren't moving or speaking up, however. If anyone could stop the kitten being hurt or killed, it was them. He eyed Dennis as the boy waggled the small cat in his grip, poked it a few times with a finger and laughed at the sounds it made. He looked again at the two older girls. Why weren't they doing anything? He was sure they could do something about what was happening if they wanted to. Isaiah didn't know where the line was that Dennis had crossed before, but they'd stopped him when he had. Then Isaiah remembered something that washed away any hope of rescue from the older girls. Kimberly absolutely hated cats. She'd said so directly to Isaiah's face the first day he'd waited at the bus stop with them. He felt a little sick, knowing no one would help the small creature. "I know!" Dennis shouted. "Let's see if it can swim! I'm gonna throw it in the pond!" The pond was actually a man made drainage pool, but everyone simply called it 'the pond.' It was half a block long and deep enough to swallow shopping carts. Isaiah knew with terrible certainty what would happen if the kitten wound up in the scummy water of the pond. He'd seen Dennis and his friends toss bottles into the water and break them with rocks thrown as hard as possible. Dennis' aim was deadly. The bully and his friends started walking toward the pond just across the street. A horrible feeling of helplessness gripped Isaiah's heart. He heard the kitten mew again, saw it dangling from Dennis' clutching hand. The idea came from nowhere. The courage to act on it seemed to come with it. With his ears pinned back in desperation, Isaiah ran after them and called, "Hey!" When the boys all turned toward him at once, fear almost swallowed him whole. Dennis could hurt more than just the kitten. If he wanted, he could turn all his friends against him right then. He could easily picture what they could do to him. He thrust his hand into his pocket and tried his hardest to keep his voice steady. "I'll buy it from you!" The cruelty that crept across Dennis' face scared Isaiah more than anything. He realized he'd just made a big mistake and he didn't know how to get out of it. Dennis would take his money, sure. He would pretend he would give the mewling kitten to him. Then he would fling it into the stagnant waters and cheer as it drowned. The feliform felt his legs starting to tremble. Losing the money and missing the field trip would be bad enough. Seeing the kitten die would be too much. "What's the matter, pussy boy?" He waved the kitten at Isaiah the same way he had at the girl a minute before. "This a relative of yours?" The laughter that followed deepened the genemorph's despair. One of the other boys, emboldened by events crowed, "Is this your sister? Meow meow meow, save me pussy boy!" Isaiah tried again. "Please, I'll give you all the money I have for it." He glanced at the tiny creature in Dennis' grip. It's eyes were shut and it mewed again, as if begging for it's life. Dennis' expression changed again. Silence met his request. For the first time, he felt a flicker of hope. "How much?" Dennis no longer seemed to remember he had the kitten. He was focused entirely on Isaiah. The greed in his eyes was plain to see. But the genemorph still had a problem. Dennis couldn't be trusted. How could he get this to work? A familiar sound reached them. The school bus had turned a corner a few blocks away and was approaching fast. Dennis wouldn't wait long. He looked from the bus to Dennis, then to the kitten. "How much!?" Dennis repeated loudly. Isaiah felt lost but was unwilling to back down. He pulled out the twenty dollar bill from his pocket. "I have twenty dollars," he said, keeping the bill in sight but close to his body. Dennis held out his hand and took a step closer. The bus was only a block away now. Isaiah glanced at the boy standing next to Dennis. His name was Fredrick and he was one of Dennis' closer friends. Fredrick's eyes were also glued to the money. Inspiration struck. Dennis was holding the kitten high with one hand while holding out his other. The boy took a step closer, almost close enough to snatch the money away if he wanted to. With all the courage he could muster, Isaiah thrust the money at Fredrick and said, "Here, take it!" Fredrick grabbed the bill eagerly. Isaiah immediately turned to the larger boy and said, "He's got your money." Surprised by the genemorph's move, Dennis yelled angrily, "Hey, that's mine!" The instant he turned toward Fredrick, the arm holding the kitten aloft dropped. Isaiah reached out and pulled the animal from Dennis' unresisting hand. Then he ran. He stopped two blocks away. Dennis hadn't followed. No one had. The bus was still sitting at the stop, but the driver was out. He was trying to break up the fight between Dennis and Fredrick. Isaiah finally turned his attention to the kitten. She was small but healthy looking. As he cradled her carefully in his arms, she stopped mewing and began to purr. He stroked her tabby fur as he walked back home. His father had already left for work. He was lucky he got back when he did, for his mother was in her car getting ready to leave for her job. She shut off the engine and stepped out, a look of puzzlement on her face. "Tux? What's wrong, baby? What is that?" He quickly explained what had happened. His mother's expression changed, but not to anger. It was something softer and deeper. She dug a cell phone out of her purse and called someone. "Theo? Yeah, it's me. Can you do without me today? Something important's come up." His sharp feline ears heard a buzzy voice reply. "Thanks. See you tomorrow." She closed the phone and put it away. Isaiah still wasn't sure how his mom felt about what he'd done, but he didn't think she was too upset. He hoped she understood. "So let me see if I have this right." She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder and watched his hand stroke the kitten's back. "You gave up the twenty dollars we gave you, gave up the chance to go on the field trip you've been talking about all week, stood your ground with that Parker boy and risked missing some of your classes. All so you could keep this little kitten from being hurt." The feliform's ears flicked once, but stayed up. He hadn't realized just how much he had let go and what he had done for the little creature. But judging from the sound of her voice, she didn't disapprove at all. He looked up at her and nodded. His mom smiled sweetly at him. He thought he saw a glint in her eyes as well. "Oh Tux, you've got such a big heart." She leaned down and kissed him between his ears. "Well, you were going to be at the museum most of the day anyway. I don't think it will hurt if you just stay home today. We can look through the paper and see if anyone's put an ad in for a lost kitten." Isaiah rubbed the kitten's small head and said, "What if no one wants her?" A few moments of thoughtful silence passed, after which his mother said, "I think we might be able to talk your dad into letting her stay with us if we can't find her owners." Tux looked up, his ears and whiskers quivering. She smiled at his excitement. "First things first, though. We need to see if she's hungry or thirsty. We need to see if she's litter trained. She'll need a bed, at least for a few nights." Careful not to drop his passenger, he put his arm around her. "Thanks mom." She hugged him back, and together they went back into the house.