Free Bat Summer by Sarah Withrow

anything?
    I shove a pawn forward.
    Tom would never play chess. Never in a millennium. He would definitely prefer to look at nudie ketchup pictures than play chess. I never thought I would ever do anything that Tom wouldn’t do. I figure we’re about even. He gets to learn about canoeing, and I get to learn about kites and chess. And about being a bat, but I probably won’t tell him that.
    At first it seems like nothing is happening in the game, and I can see how chess gets its boring reputation. But then I take one of Russell’s pawns and he grabs my bishop without me even seeing it coming. I swear, I had my eyes peeled the whole time and I didn’t see it at all.
    The game becomes like the opposite of watching television. You have to be super aware of all these guys on the board at the same time, plus you have to think what Russell is going to do next. I can see why it has to be a quiet game.
    I use my queen to cream his castle, which is threatening my knight. Then he takes her out with a knight, and my most powerful piece is gone.
    â€œMan, oh, man,” I say.
    â€œYou have to think three moves ahead,” he says. I feel like telling him I’m only twelve, but it’s a weenie thing to say.
    He wins the first game and I ask if we can play again.
    It’s halfway through the third game and Russell has just taken my queen (again), when Elys shows up looking for me. I don’t even see her. I just hear this whisper in my right ear. “Get his knight.” And all of a sudden I see it. You can look at the board for hours and still not see everything going on there.
    I take Russell’s knight. He looks kind of pissed-off at Elys. I think he forgot he was playing a kid for a second.
    I introduce them and Russell plays his bishop. I can’t figure out why he did it. Maybe he’s trying to throw me off the track. I can hear the two of them yammering away beside me, which is strange because neither of them are yammerers. It makes it hard to concentrate so I put my hands over my ears. I could take the bishop with my queen, but that’s just what he wants me to do. Why? He’s not in a position to take my queen…I don’t think. Through my hands I hear Russell talking about his son’s store. Something about special orders.
    Then I see it. He wants me to move my queen because she is in a place dangerous to his king. I hear them talking about glasses and about both needing new prescriptions. I check out the board some more, then move my queen sideways and take out a pawn.
    â€œHa,” I say. “Take that.” Russell looks down at the board. I look over at Elys. She has this glint in her eye.
    â€œGood,” says Russell, then sighs. I got him. I really got him.
    â€œThanks for leaving breakfast on the bed for me, Ter,” says Elys. “I rolled in the toast and had a dream about someone sandpapering my knee. Now the comforter has this huge coffee stain on it.”
    â€œNo problem,” I say. “Any time.” I’m watching to see what move Russell will make. He’s taking longer than usual.
    â€œI thought you said you wanted to go to the Science Centre?” Elys says. I wish Russell would make his move. I want him to take my bishop so that I can get his queen. I wonder if he’ll be able to figure it out. “Ter?”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œScience Centre?” Elys asks.
    â€œUh. I thought Lucy would be here. It was really Lucy who wanted to go.” Lucy doesn’t know anything about the Science Centre. “I don’t know where she is. I hope she’s okay.”
    â€œWhy wouldn’t she be okay?” Russell asks. I don’t want to tell them about the lice thing or her parents’ toilet-paper notes, or the lock on her sister’s door. Bats don’t rat on bats.
    â€œI don’t know…Bathurst Street sure is busy. They should put a crosswalk there,” I say and shake my head to try