The Overlooked

Prologue

Sometimes hidden qualities exist that are unseen and overlooked. Those who seem simple are wise, and those who appear open have what is true hidden inside. The young are capable of more than you think. Our purpose is greater than the world can see. Your heart is filled with love and light. Your extraordinary gifts are alive inside. Though the world may overlook, there is one who will always know that you are more capable than the monarchs of your cities, the presidents of your schools, the peers that look down on you, and the elders that slight you. All you need to know is that you are loved and are beautiful.

Part 1: Character Outline

Elisanna was a thoughtful girl of sixteen. She was often caught staring off into the distance in thoughtful meditation. Elisanna liked to listen to other peoples' words. She could look into their eyes and distinguish by their tone the heart behind their words. She had an unusual ability to understand people and situations and to distinguish others’ emotions and motives. 

Elisanna confided in few people and not many people truly knew her. Some of her classmates, whom she interacted with most often would never have known  how intelligent she was. By watching her interactions with others a new teacher might have thought that Elisanna was an average student, regarding both her social status as well as her classwork, and he would be pleasantly surprised by receiving her exemplary work.

Concerning Elisanna’s personality, her classmates might have classified her as a light-hearted, kind, upbeat, and likeable girl. With a personality that did not stray very far from most other girls her age. Yes, she did have qualities that make her unique, but so did everyone else! These students were always astonished when a tender remark slipped from Elisanna’s mouth and touched them right at the heart. When someone spoke, Elisanna did not seem more attentive than the next person, which was purposeful to some extent, but, unknown to those around her, she was keenly studying their facial expressions, tones, and words which she would remember and ponder later on.  

Elisanna knew more about the human character than some people twenty and even thirty years her senior. Her parents loved her deeply and were sometimes astonished at the carefree and nonchalant appearance she could have while saying something insightful. Her father would tease her and say that she would make quite the actor, or sometimes, an unbeatable foe in the game of poker.   

These unique characteristics and abilities of hers did not make Elisanna proud or stuck up, but they could sometimes humble her. Elisanna thanked God for giving her discernment, and she truly saw it as a gift. She often felt ashamed because, in a way, her careless manner was deceitful regarding how much she actually understood. Nan, her grandmother, would tell her that she should not be ashamed of who she was.

Elisanna’s grandmother was her most dear friend and her confidant. In turn her grandmother respected her and appreciated Elisanna’s wise heart. Grand-Nan always thoughtfully listened to Elisanna’s concerns and thoughts and answered her with wisdom. Nan did not treat Elisanna as if her words were immature or young. She spoke to her on the same level that Nan herself wished to be spoken to, and that is why Elisanna appreciated her so much.

Elisanna’s other friend was Lou. Lou was short for Louella, which Elisanna thought was an elegant name. Sometimes she wondered why her friend had not picked the nickname  Ella, but then she would look up at Lou and realize that the name Ella would never fit her, so Lou it was. Elisanna appreciated Lou because she was a true-hearted person. She was always herself, and always found the right way to tell you the truth. She was somewhat of a “tomboy,” for she liked to climb trees and do sports. She was an “outdoorsy” person who enjoyed vigorous activities that put breath into her lungs. Elisanna often got the feeling that Lou inhaled the very breath of God that gave life and energy. Lou was light-hearted, kind, and all that is loving. Lou was one of the only people who could pull a true, joyfilled laugh out of Elisanna. These two girls, with somewhat opposite personalities, were the perfect pair. Best of all, Lou was a girl of whom Grand-Nan highly approved. She was satisfied that her granddaughter had a great friend in Lou. She hoped and prayed that a little bit of Elisanna’s seriousness and Lou’s lightheartedness rubbed off onto the other; keeping them both at a happy and healthy medium.

Part 2: Mystery Story

School was over for the day, and Elisanna and Lou strolled to Nan’s house. As the girls neared Grand-Nan’s home, they could see the upside down V-shaped roof bending down over the front porch which was wrapped in an elegant white Victorian-style fence. It had large pillars  after every five fence-posts that reached the roof. A large window lightly sat above the pale grey front door allowing sunshine to spill into Nan’s front parlor, which always gave it an open and airy effect. Cozy trees overlooked the corners of Nan’s house, and younger trees ran towards her front yard. Below the porch sat a few light green bushes and spring flowers of many varieties. On the front porch sat Nan in her blue rocker waving at the girls. At the first wave Elisanna and Lou began to run. Even from the patio you could smell the fresh chocolate chip, oatmeal, and raisin cookies that must be baking in Grand-Nan’s oven, and the girls’ mouths began to water.  “You are just in time ladies,” said Nan. “My cookies are just about done baking.” Lou smiled and glanced at Elisanna; they both knew that a fresh batch of Nan’s lemonade would taste scrumptious with her cookies. “Nan,” said Lou, “do you happen to have any lemonade on hand?”

“No my dear,” replied Nan, “but if the two of you will help me juice the lemons I will get a batch whipped right up.” The three ladies walked promptly into the house, cut through the front parlor, and went straight into the kitchen. While Nan pulled the cookies out of the oven, the girls began juicing lemons, and the three of them were soon relaxing on the sofa while enjoying cookies and lemonade.

“So my dears, what troubles have you brought me today?” said Nan. 

“Why grandmother, is it not enough to want to come and see you?” replied Elisanna with a smile. 

“Of course my girl, but you had quite the determined look on your face as you marched towards my home.” 

“Well Nan, you see,” interrupted Lou, “a new student was in class today and Elisanna has noticed something strange about him, as she does, and she is concerned that he is bad business!” With that outburst Lou finished the rest of her cookie and downed it with some lemonade. 

“Yes Nan,” said Elisanna. “It is true. Something about this new kid is troubling me. It is like he has the front of a well-bred teen but, he is hiding something dark inside of him.”

“Well Elisanna, most people do not show their true selves; they often have inner struggles hidden within. Maybe, your new classmate is just dealing with something at home,” replied Grand-Nan.

“You may be right, , but it did feel as if something else was going,” said Elisanna. Nan knowingly smiled and nodded. She understood Elisanna’s gift of perception. Most likely this kid did have something going on, but it may not be something that her granddaughter needed to concern herself with.

When Elisanna arrived home after laughing and chatting at Grand-Nan’s house, she headed to her back yard to sit on the tree-swing. The fresh air, green foliage, and gentle rocking of her seat always helped Elisanna think. She looked back at her morning. Mrs. Becker had announced that they had a new student in their class and reminded them all to greet him and introduce themselves. Almost everyone liked him. He was funny, kind, and cool. Something had been different when Elisanna had greeted him. He had announced that his name was Liam, and he gave her a smile that gave her the impression of some shameful deed hidden within. This impression was not fully formed on a smile, of course; it was reasoned from the way he structured his speech. Everything Liam said was perfect, too perfect, as if he was carefully selecting each sentence. Elisanna was not sure. Maybe she was just being too paranoid. “I mean, some of these clues can be explained away. Like his conversation, Liam may be trying to make a good first impression and that is why he is guarding his speech. His smile that spoke more than just friendliness? Maybe he was just nervous.” These were the thoughts that went through Elisanna’s head, and these same thoughts were what she caught herself pondering during the week, which caused her to keep a careful eye on Liam.

It was Friday afternoon, a week after Elisanna’s visit to Grand-Nan’s house, when Elisanna’s father arrived home from work. Mr. Meyer (for Meyer was Elisanna’s last name) was an accountant at the city's local hospital.  He had arrived home in an agitated manner with some paper work in his hands. He sat down at the table with a piece of lined paper, a pen, and a calculator. Elisanna’s father started jotting down notes on his paper, muttering to himself, and energetically punching numbers into the innocent calculator. While watching her father Elisanna knew that something was not right. Was there an emergency at the hospital, or another staff member's work that had been left undone that her father had to catch up on? Elisanna knew that those were areas that her father was in charge of, but she always felt worried for her father when he brought so much work home. 

Later that evening Mr. and Mrs. Meyer were shut inside the office of their home where Elisanna knew she was not permitted to listen. While Elisanna worked in the kitchen, she overheard the following conversation. “So, it is pretty serious then, Carl?” said Elisanna’s mother to her father. “I’m not sure yet, dear. Someone may have just forgotten to record a purchase or a number may have been jotted down wrong. I will run over the numbers and make inquiries at work tomorrow,” replied Mr. Meyer. After hearing that part of the conversation, Elisanna decided that it was best for her to stay out of her father’s work details, so she turned on the kitchen sink faucet and began rinsing dishes.

On Monday during school Elisanna noticed that Liam seemed a little less outgoing than usual, and his social skills were lacking their usual knack. She approached the side of the study hall where Liam sat to study to see if she could figure out what the matter was. As she sat working on her assignments, Elisanna did not notice anything very unusual going on except for the fact that Liam’s spirits were a little down. That is until another high school boy came in and threw Liam a basketball. As Liam reached up and caught the ball, his sleeve slid down his arm part of the way, revealing some bruising around his wrist. Elisanna was shocked. She thought that there was something off about Liam, but she had not expected this. Elisanna looked up. Had any of the other kids noticed? Well, if any of them had, none of them showed it. 

After the first few weeks with Liam in school, Elisanna’s odd feeling about Liam had gradually dissolved, and she had assumed that like any other kid Liam had just arrived at their school carrying his own teenage baggage. Elisanna now wondered if he was caught up in an unhealthy crowd outside of school hours. I mean, how else could he get bruising like that around his wrist? Elisanna had watched Lou’s brothers rough house, as well as the occasional riot at school. These events occasionally led to slight bruising and even less often a bleed here and there. Usually the injuries were minor, and the members of the conflict came out without much to complain of. 

Elisanna’s worry for Liam lasted all day, and after school she decided to take a trip to Nan’s house. Nan listened to Elisanna’s concerns and was genuinely interested in the welfare of Liam. She told Elisanna that if she noticed any injuries on him again to notify Grand-Nan, and she would look into reporting them to the school. Who knew? Maybe Liam was hanging with the wrong crowd, or maybe he had  some deep family issues going on at home.

That evening as Elisanna entered her home after visiting with Nan, she walked into her parents busy in a heated conversation. 

“Jen, I could lose my job!” said Mr. Meyer. 

“But I do not understand Carl. How did this happen?” replied Mrs. Meyer.

“I am not sure, but the numbers are way off now. This is not just an overlooked transaction. This is a big hole in our accounts, and I am incharge of recording our transactions. If I do not figure out where these bills are going, the authorities might begin looking into it. Who do you think the main suspect will be? The person in charge of finances, me!” Elisanna’s parents had not seen her, and when her father turned and noticed her in the doorway his face turned grave. “Honey I do not know how much of that you overheard, but the less you know about this, the better. It would make your dad feel alot better if you went up to your room and began working on your homework,” said Elisanna’s father.

As Elisanna studied in her room, she thought about what she had just overheard. That minor “unrecorded transaction” had turned into a big missing number from her father’s records. Elisanna knew her father well; he was an excellent accountant, and he loved what he did. No transaction would ever have been unrecorded under his watch. Something was off. 

On Wednesday afternoon during lunch hall, Liam strolled over and began chatting with Elisanna. In the course of their conversation Liam asked about Elisanna’s parents. What were their occupations? Elisanna nonchalantly told Liam that her mother was a caretaker in the nursing home and that her father worked for the city’s hospital. Elisanna did not worry about telling Liam where her father worked because she knew that the crisis with the books was classified information that would never have the chance to leak out of the hospital. Because of this information, Elisanna was surprised when there was an ever so slight change in Liam’s face that could be detected as concern. Could Liam possibly know anything about the hospital situation? If so, where was he getting his information? Elisanna took a second glance at Liam’s face, and it appeared back to normal while Liam continued to calmly talk about formalities that are used in the course of conversation. Elisanna wondered if she had really seen any change in Liam’s features, or if it had just been imagined because of her worries about her father’s case.

Elisanna was walking to her second hour class on Thursday morning when Lou walked up beside her. “Hey, Sannah.” (Sannah is a nickname Lou uses for Elisanna.) “You have not been very talkative with me lately. What is on your mind?” Elisanna looked up at her friend and had the urge to spill her guts out before her right then. She did not know how Lou did it, but Lou always made Elisanna feel like telling her the truth. “You’re right, Lou,” replied Elisanna. “We haven’t spent that much time together lately. How about I tell you what is going on after school.”

During lunch Elisanna ran into Liam and was distressed when he asked how her parents were doing. She gave a polite answer, but saw that Liam knew more than he was letting on. Shortly after asking the question ,Liam found an excuse to walk away from Elisanna and join another group of kids. Now Elisanna’s concern was really tweaked. Why did Liam seem to know so much? After school was over, Lou met up with Elisanna in the courtyard for their walk home together when Elisanna announced, “Lou, I have something weighing heavily on my mind, and the conversation that we are about to have calls for a meeting at Nan’s house.” 

After arriving at Nan’s home Elisanna told the two people that she trusted most all about her father and the thread that somehow tied Liam into the predicament. Nan and Lou both agreed that something strange was going on, but what was to be done neither could decide. The three ladies drank their lemonade and brainstormed ideas for what was to be done about the situation, when Elisanna looked up and with a serious face said, “What if I confront Liam and ask him what he knows about my father’s occupation?” The idea was shocking to Lou, and she wondered how Elisanna had the bravery of even thinking of that. Nan seemed concerned and wondered if the plan would be safe. “I do not believe you need to be worried about it,” said Elisanna. “If I ask him and he knows nothing of the present ‘situation,’ then Liam will just be confused by the question. On the other hand, though, if Liam is aware of what is going on he may tell me, and even if he doesn’t say anything I will be able to see if he knows.”

That night Elisanna’s father sat at the kitchen table, and he looked wiped out. “I have got to tell you, my girls,” he said to his wife and daughter. “I have checked and checked and checked again, and I can find no discrepancies in the hospital's records. We are officially missing $10,000 dollars from our accounts.” Elisanna’s father then turned his eyes towards his daughter. “I trust that you will keep this knowledge a secret from all whom you know, Elisanna?” Elisanna nodded, and then gulped down her nerves. “Yes father.”

Wow, she knew that some of the numbers were off, but Elisanna had never expected the case to be as drastic as it now appeared. This waswhat Elisanna pondered as she sat in her bed that evening. Elisanna looked up at her ceiling and said, “Lord, I know that you care about my family and my father’s job. Please give me the wisdom and strength to do what is necessary to help him. Thank you for blessing our family, and thank you that I can know that you will keep me safe. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.” This was the silent prayer Elisanna whispered that evening before falling asleep.

The next day Elisanna kept a watchful eye on Liam. She made sure to keep track of him wherever he was. Lou helped Elisanna to make sure that Liam did not leave before Elisanna had a chance to speak with him. Finally after school Lou spotted Liam walking out the door and told Elisanna. Elisanna followed Liam on the sidewalk with Lou at a safe distance behind. “Hey Liam!” called Elisanna from behind Liam. “ I have been meaning to talk to you today.” 

“What is up?” replied Liam with a genuine questioning look in his eyes. 

“I have been wondering, what do you know about my father's occupation?” asked Elisanna. 

Liam gave a knowing look. “Not here,” he said. “It is not safe.” Liam looked around him for a better place to talk. 

“We could go to my grandmother’s house,” suggested Elisanna. 

“Sounds like a plan,” replied Liam. The two started heading towards Nan’s house, and they were joined by Lou, of course, which Elisanna explained to Liam.

When the three reached Nan’s house, Nan was seated on the front porch and at the site of the kids understood what was happening. Nan opened her front door and ushered the kids into her front parlor room. As the four seated themselves, Liam began his story. “As you know I am new to town. I have lived with my uncle since I was three years old, and for the entire time I have spent with him, his life goal was to earn more money. My uncle is an intelligent man and has received several job offers over the years which he only accepted if the wage was higher. Recently, he was transferred from his old job to the hospital here in the city. At this new place of work a lot of responsibility and trust has been put in his hands because of his work record as well as a background check. My uncle works with a lot of the hospital's equipment and has been put in charge of maintaining and purchasing the necessary supplies for the hospital’s machinery.” 

At this point Liam sighed. “And that is when he first got the idea. With his hands on a portion of the hospital's funds he could slowly leak out some of the business’s income into his own private account. The only problem would be that the hospital's accounting office would be able to trace it. During my uncle’s electrical training, he acquired the knowledge of forming viruses, and one of these viruses he planted into his software system at the hospital. On the other end he created an account to transfer the funds into. The virus apprehended the computers from recording the transfer of the funds as long as they did not bounce back into the hospital’s accounts. This is where I got involved. My uncle told me of his plans, and during his first attempt of transferring the funds he would need me to monitor a computer, in a storage garage that he had rented out for that purpose, to ensure that the transfer was successfully received into his account. I flatly refused to help him, and that is when he got angry. He grabbed my wrist, shook me, and reminded me that he was in charge.” Up until now the three females in the room had been completely silent and at full attention, but here Elisanna interrupted Liam and said. “It was the bruising on your wrist that at first brought my attention to you.” 

“Yes,” said Liam. “I was hoping that someone who is responsible would see it and look into what my uncle was doing. Purely for the sake of the hospital, for he has never hurt me before. Anyway, the funds were slowly leaking into his account, and everything was flowing smoothly until suddenly, your father started asking the other finance workers if they had forgotten to record any recent transaction or saw any discrepancies in their records. My uncle was surprised. It would have taken much longer for any accountant he had ever encountered to detect the missing funds, this is because of the virus that he had implanted in the system, but I have heard your father is a credit to his profession. Long story short, with my uncle’s growing agitation I realized that his guard was going down, so I began hoping that you, as intelligent as you are, would pick up on what was going on.” 

“So that is why you started asking about my parents,'' said Elisanna. 

“Yep,” Liam said. “And your question today was confirmation that you had picked up on the trail that I had left, and that it was safe for me to tell you my story.” 

Nan and Lou sat on the sofa, shocked. The two of them could not believe what was happening. “Liam,” said Lou, “how could you tell that Elisanna would read your clues if no other kid notices her intelligence.” 

“The same way you did, Lou,” replied Liam. “I can read people a little bit, too.”

After this meeting was finished, Nan contacted the hospital, the police office, and her son, Mr. Meyers, and let them know about the information she had received from Liam. While officers were sent to find Liam’s uncle and the financial situation resolved, some of the officers watched over Liam to make sure that he was kept safe from his uncle. After this incident, Elisanna’s parents were very grateful for their daughter and reminded her to keep safe because what she had done was very dangerous. The police force recognized Lou, Grand-Nan and Elisanna for their service, but it was a private recognition because the whole incident was kept undercover. The citizens of the Meyers’ town never knew what went down that day, and the classmates of Elisanna and Lou continued thinking of them as ordinary girls. No matter what others thought, Nan always let the girls know that she thought they were amazing, and the girls reminded Nan that the feeling was mutual. Unfortunately, Liam’s uncle went to prison and Liam no longer had a home. Mr. Meyer found a way for Liam to stay with Nan temporarily for a few months. By the end of this time, Elisanna’s father had found and made contact with Liam’s grandparents. Liam was warmly welcomed into the hearts and home of his grandparents where he got to experience the joy of living in a real family.