“Here,” Jackson said, pressing a stone into the palm of Shayla’s small hand. “The flat ones work best. Try it.” Her small face scrunched up in concentration as she Doreen the stone and tossed it like Jackson had just shown her, and grinned when it skipped twice over the lake. Jackson smiled at her success. “Nice one, Shayla. Want to try again?”

“No. Throwing rocks isn’t that fun. My stomach hurts.”

“That’s because you’re hungry,” Jackson informed her. “We should have had lunch by now.”

With their mother working during the day, Jackson found that he wasn’t the best babysitter on the planet. He didn’t mind his sister, but she was odd when it came to basic necessities. She was one of those kids that needed to be reminded of everything between eating a meal and going to the bathroom before they left the house. Jackson had enough trouble remembering those things on his own, let alone for someone else.

“Can we go inside now?” Shayla asked.

Jackson nodded, looking towards the sky. It was overcast again, and he was beginning to feel claustrophobic. The clouds kept getting closer to the ground, as if they intended to crush him. “Yeah. What do you want to eat?”

“Soup.” That wasn’t a surprise. She always wanted soup. She liked soup.

“Okay, go get it out,” Jackson said, and then as she headed towards the house, he added, “Don’t touch that stove.”

“I’m old enough to use the stove!” Shayla called back, rolling her eyes.

Jackson sighed. He was right behind his sister, but not before his eyes drifted to where they’d been going for days now. The red roof across the lake looked farther every time he set eyes on it. The day he’d gone to town with Luke Tuan, Jackson had come home hoping to receive another visit from Mark, but it hadn’t happened. Mark hadn’t come the next day, either. Or any day, for nearly a week now. Jackson hoped that he wasn’t in trouble. He hoped that Luke wasn’t in trouble, either. He’d been tempted to go across the lake to find out, but hadn’t had much of an opportunity to over the last few days. His mom had taken up employment at the ice cream parlor rather quickly--less than twenty-four hours after Jackson had given her the message--and he’d been stuck watching his sister, and would be until her day camp reopened after a minor insect infestation. He didn’t mind watching Shayla, exactly. They got along well enough, and they’d made a lot of progress in the house as far as organization went. But having to be responsible for Shayla did prevent him from some things, especially paying a visit to the Tuans. After Mrs. Tuan blatantly told him to stay away, he didn’t want to risk a confrontation with his little sister in tow.

He shook his head at the situation and went to help Shayla make her lunch. It was fairly easy now that the kitchen was clean, and everything they didn’t use on a daily basis had been moved to either the attic or the storage shed outside, and there was room to walk just about anywhere inside. There was even space on the floor for a bowl of cat food. When Luke’s mom had started setting it out for the strays they couldn’t seem to get out of the house, he’d been opposed to the idea. But more recently, he’d found himself shooing the four cats he saw regularly in the house away from the door when they tried to go outside. He’d seen just how safe strays were on the other side of his door, and didn’t care for it.

After lunch he worked with Shayla in the garden she’d planted behind the house, if staring at the ground counted as work. His sister had planted a few seeds the day after they moved in, but wasn’t having much luck with growing them. She was becoming less optimistic about the success of her garden, and to cheer her up, Jackson suggested that they go for a walk. He wanted to take her on the trail that led to the place where he met Mark. He’d rethought the idea of turning the old building into a clubhouse for her. He no longer liked the idea of Shayla out there alone. But, at least they could do some exploring and pass the time before their mother got home.

To Jackson, it seemed like a longer trip without his bike, but he was distracted from most of it as he talked with his sister about their new home. Shayla had seemed to adjust so quickly that it was surprising for Jackson to learn that his sister was having as difficult a time with things as he was. She claimed that she couldn’t understand half the girls at camp because they talked funny, so some didn’t like her, and she missed how things used to be. She wanted to call her friends like their mom said she could when they got phone service. But, it seemed that she still had two more days to wait. Jackson suggested that she write to her friends as he had done his second day there, but Shayla insisted a phone call was better. She was probably right, Jackson thought, since he hadn’t heard back from anyone yet.

“Do you think Dad will call when we have a phone?” Shayla asked.

Why would we want him to? Jackson wanted to know, but he didn’t dare say it out loud. He figured his sister was delusional when it came to their father. She was still caught up in the fantasy that he’d come back. Jackson was always tempted to tell her that in reality, the man was the biggest who’d ever lived, but his mom had asked that he not say anything mean about their dad in front of Shayla. Jackson had chosen to respect that for the time being. But he wasn’t willing to encourage the fantasy, either.

“I don’t know, Shayla. He won’t even have our number.”

“Mom says I can call and give it to him.”

“If you can get a hold of him.” Jackson had gone through months of calling after their father had first left. He’d finally grown tired of constantly being told his father was too busy to talk, and the promises that were never kept. Now, he liked to think that he was over it.

“Maybe he’ll come visit. Do you think he’ll go in the lake with us? Mom says it’s going to warm up really soon, so maybe we can go swimming.”

“Let’s go this way, Shayla,” Jackson said when he noticed his sister moving off the trail. Besides, he was ready for a subject change. “It’s starting to smell like rain. I don’t want to get lost out here if it does.”

Shayla turned up her nose to sniff at the humid air. “I don’t smell anything.”

“Let’s not get lost, anyway,” Jackson insisted.

Jackson led his sister to the shed, which seemed to be in worse shape after the most recent storm. She wasn’t very impressed with it, so they continued on, following another trail that Jackson hadn’t explored yet. There wasn’t much there, either, except a curious raccoon that Jackson had to chase off before it decided to follow them home. Nothing really interesting happened until they headed back home. Even before they reached the low bridge, Jackson spotted a familiar motorboat near it and urged Shayla to pick up the pace.

“Is Mark here?” Shayla asked when she saw the boat.

Jackson hoped so. He would have settled for seeing either of the brothers. But Jackson hoped that if it was Luke who’d brought the boat over, he’d see Mark with him. But there was only one boy standing outside of Jackson and Shayla’s house, and Jackson was annoyed that from the distance, he couldn’t tell which one it was. As they got closer, however, Jackson smiled to himself as he looked over the boy’s nervous stance as he fisted the bottom of his t-shirt and regarded the house anxiously like he wasn’t sure he wanted to approach it. Body language alone told him that he was dealing with Mark Tuan. The way the boy finally noticed them coming and grinned widely told Jackson the same thing all over again.

“Jackson!” Mark waved, but as he went to meet Jackson and Shayla, he seemed less animated than Jackson remembered from their previous visits.

“Hi, Mark,” Shayla said politely as they reached each other. “I saw your boat, do you think we can ride in it if it doesn’t rain?”

Mark looked pleased. “That would be fun, Shayla. Do you like frogs?”

Shayla made a face. “They’re slimy.”

Mark frowned. “There’s nothing wrong with being slimy.”

Shayla giggled. “Yeah, it’s gross.”

“Oh... well I’ve got a lucky chicken.”

Shayla made another face.

“What makes a chicken lucky?”

Mark told her it just was, and Shayla began to ask him another whole list about the bird, but Jackson wasn’t really paying attention to their conversation. He was looking Mark over, not sure what to make of what he saw. There was something different. Like, Mark seemed tired. Looked it. The circles under his eyes weren’t exactly dark, but noticeable because his complexion seemed pale today, even beneath the shadows of the clouds. His face seemed dirty at first, but upon closer inspection, Jackson realized that it was as smooth as always, shining from the humidity, and the dark spots he could just barely make out looked like faded bruises.

“I’m glad you came over, Mark,” Jackson interrupted the conversation between his sister and their guest. He wasn’t really sure who he’d cut off, but no one seemed to mind. “I’ve been wondering where you were.”

“I was at home, Jackson. I wanted to see you. So now I’m here.”

“Since Mark’s here, can we play cards, Jackson?” Shayla asked. “Last time he told me he’d show me how to play poker.”

Jackson raised an eyebrow at that, but shrugged and gave his sister a nod. “Sure, if you can find the cards.”

“Come on, Mark!” Shayla called as she moved ahead of them into the house.

Jackson watched as Mark watched Shayla, looking bemused. He patted Mark’s shoulder to get his attention. “Come on, let’s go inside, okay? It’s a lot cleaner this time, I promise.”

Mark smiled as he walked up the stairs alongside Jackson. “That’s okay, Jackson. I don’t care if it’s not clean,” he insisted, but when they walked into the cleared-out and organized living room, his eyes widened. “Wow!”

Jackson laughed as he pulled Mark into the house. “My mom’s working in town,” Jackson explained. “I wanted to go see you, but I’ve had to watch my sister... are you alright, Mark?”

“Sure, Jackson.”

“Are you sure?” Jackson asked, getting a little closer to provide himself with a better inspection. “Were you sick or something?”

Mark cocked his head, like it might help him understand the question better. The corner of his mouth turned up in amusement. “I don’t remember, Jackson. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“You don’t remember?”

Mark shrugged as his gaze shifted from Jackson’s. He moved further into the room, and for a moment, Jackson worried that he was going to avoid the question. But Mark didn’t seem to have that problem today. “Sometimes I don’t remember stuff,” Mark explained, and then added defensively, “but my mom says it doesn’t make me wrong, just different. I’m not wrong, Jackson.”

“I know you’re not,” Jackson replied seriously. “It’s just... well, you look kind of...”

Mark frowned, and turned his head down to look himself over the best he could. “What’s wrong with the way I look, Jackson?”

“Nothing,” Jackson said quickly. “You look... you’re... there’s nothing wrong with the way you look, Mark. It’s just, well, you seem tired. Or something. Do you feel tired?”

“A little,” Mark admitted. “And my eyes have been hurting.” He suddenly looked concerned. “Do you think I’m sick, Jackson?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so, Mark. Look... did someone hurt you?” Jackson had been afraid to ask the question, but managed to get it out, anyway.

“The witch that used to live here threw a rock at my head once.”

Jackson sighed, and gently grabbed Mark’s arm to lead him over to the sofa. “That’s not what I meant, Mark. I meant... since the last time I saw you. Your mom seemed kind of angry when I Doreen you home, remember? Did she...”

“My mom wouldn’t hurt me, Jackson,” Mark said somewhat angrily, and Jackson was immediately reminded that while Mark could seem childlike, it was best not to approach him like one. He seemed to understand more than he was given credit for. Maybe he didn’t yet understand the reason for Jackson’s questioning, but he could obviously see where it was leading. It seemed safe to conclude that he didn’t like it.

“I’m sorry, it’s just... I’ve been worried about you. And, you look like something happened. You know if your parents did do something to you, you could tell me, Mark. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”

Mark studied Jackson for a long moment as he leaned further back into the sofa, and then smiled. “I know that, Jackson. That’s why I like you.”

“So do you trust me then?” Jackson asked. “Can you at least tell me where you’ve been all week... you said you were going to come back but never did.”

“I couldn’t,” Mark said, looking sheepish as he lowered his voice to a whisper. “My mom and dad said I shouldn’t visit you anymore.”

“Why not?” Jackson asked, even though what Mark was saying didn’t surprise him.

“Don’t know... they don’t like me talking to people sometimes because people are mean... but you’re not, Jackson. That’s why I wanted to see you. They wouldn’t let me, so I went out the window like Luke,” he explained, looking pleased with himself. “Luke showed me how to break their lock. They don’t know I’m here, Jackson... I’m gonna be in trouble when I go home.”

Jackson frowned at that. No he wouldn’t, he decided. Jackson wasn’t sure what exactly was wrong with Mark’s parents, but at this point he was positive that it was something. He had a sickening feeling that getting into trouble in the Tuan house involved more than a time out and a missed dessert. He didn’t want Mark to go back there. And, while that might not have been possible, Jackson would do his best to keep Mark with him for as long as possible. At least, until his mom came home. He could talk to her. She might think he was overreacting again, but at least Jackson knew she would listen.

“Don’t worry about that, okay? My mom will be home in a few hours. I’ll ask her to talk to your parents and find out... we’ll see if they’ll let you visit.”

Mark looked thoughtful. “Do you think your mom would do that, Jackson?”

Jackson smiled. “Sure she will... I’ll ask her to see if Luke can visit, too. Did he tell you I met him?” When Mark shook his head, Jackson explained how he’d met Luke the same day that he’d wanted Mark to go into town with him. But as he told Mark about the time he’d spent with his brother, Jackson couldn’t help noticing that Mark appeared troubled by it, more than anything. Jackson almost felt guilty for that, deciding that Mark felt left out because he hadn’t been included in the outing, but instead of apologizing for it, Jackson finished by asking Mark another question that he felt was more important at the moment. “Mark? Where’s Luke now? He’s not in trouble, is he?”

Jackson didn’t get his answer. Shayla appeared in the living room, excited over the deck of cards she’d found. It seemed to distract Mark from the conversation, and Jackson didn’t want to bring it up again until they were alone. In the meantime, Jackson and Shayla enjoyed Mark’s company, and playing a game of cards with him was a nice change from the isolation from anyone other than their own company, and the work they’d been doing to help their mom while she was gone.

Mark managed to surprise Jackson again as they played poker for chocolate chip cookies. Apparently, he was rather fond of the game, and had no problem explaining it to Shayla as they played in a team against Jackson. Mark, whose expression often said everything for him, turned out to have such a great poker face that Jackson never stood a chance. But, he had fun, and laughed when both Shayla and Mark complained of stomach aches when they ate too many of their winnings.

It started to rain, just as Jackson had thought it would, but this time the storm wasn’t nearly as nerve-racking. It was only a light sprinkle, but the clouds turned the sky dark and the three of them set out around the house to turn on lights as a result. Mark still seemed nervous every time he ran into a cat, and did his best to avoid them, which is why Jackson made sure to chase the one hiding under the bed out of his room when Mark Doreen an interest in his computer.

Shayla was downstairs painting her paint-by-numbers, listening to boy-band music, and to avoid his sister’s off-key voice singing along with it, Jackson hid in his room, stretched out on his bed and watched Mark. Mark was at an old card table, converted into a desk, and appeared fascinated with a game on the computer that allowed him to build cities, only to destroy them with natural disasters, or sometimes more unnatural disasters. Like Godzilla.

“Are places with this many buildings really that busy?” Mark asked as he looked over the city he’d constructed over the last hour. “My mom says the stuff we see on TV is just Hollywood.”

“Sometimes,” Jackson replied. “Haven’t you ever been away from here, Mark? I mean, not just to town, but to... somewhere else?”

Mark glanced over his shoulder to meet Jackson’s eyes. “One time. I was too little to remember. We went to see my grandma in New Mexico when she died. That’s when I fell.”

Jackson sat up. “How did you fall?”

Mark ran his fingers through his hair, but they lingered there on his head, as if searching for something. “My dad said he couldn’t catch me in time. He feels real bad about that. It’s not his fault, though. I wanted to see the bird outside the window... I don’t remember it. But it wasn’t a lucky chicken, Jackson.”

“You fell out a window?”

Mark nodded. “Broke my head right open. Don’t remember what happened after. I didn’t wake up for a long time. But the doctors fixed me. Want to feel it?”

Jackson nodded curiously as Mark continued to rub at his head when he left the chair to sit next to Jackson on the bed.

“You can feel it everywhere,” Mark said quietly as he tilted his head towards Jackson.

“Does it hurt?” Jackson asked.

“No,” Mark replied. “But it’s like... I can always feel that the scars are there.”

Jackson lifted his hand, convinced he wasn’t going to hurt anything, and hesitated only a moment before placing his palm over the top of Mark’s head. The hair was thick, surprisingly soft. Jackson found himself pushing it back before he remembered what he was supposed to be doing and found Mark’s scalp with gentle fingers. It didn’t take him long to find what Mark was talking about. In fact, it was difficult to miss, and Jackson was surprised by the extent of the rough patches of skin beneath his fingers as he traced the lines. One was crooked, jagged and rough. Others were more precise, and if a doctor had been responsible for them, Jackson was certain that it had been from more than one surgery.

“I’m sorry, Mark,” Jackson said, before he could stop himself. He heard pity in his own voice, and was almost afraid to meet Mark’s eyes to find out what he thought of that. But, Mark only seemed unexpectedly amused as he leaned his head heavier into Jackson’s palm, much like those cats liked to do when they got his attention, Jackson thought. Instead of finding it unusual, however, Jackson continued moving his fingers over Mark’s scalp, nearly expecting the other boy to start purring. It was when Jackson’s eyes fell to some of the shadows over Mark’s face and brushed his thumb over one that Mark suddenly flinched and pulled back. Jackson lowered his hand slowly, not willing to let go of the other boy’s eyes as they faced him somewhat accusingly. “I don’t know what you remember, Mark,” Jackson said, “but I think something happened to you.”

Mark frowned, and for a moment, Jackson thought he was going to say something defensive. But instead, it was a look of extreme concentration that crossed his face as he lifted his hand to his face, gingerly touching at sore places.

“Mark, what’s the last thing you remember before...” Jackson paused when the sound of slowly falling raindrops outside was interrupted by a purring engine and tires moving over wet gravel. He stood, moving to his window long enough to look out to the driveway. There was a yellow truck pulling up against the side of the house, and having never seen it before, Jackson watched curiously, wondering who was visiting. But, as his eyes focused on the image through the glass of the front windshield, it became all too apparent that this visitor wasn’t one he currently wanted to welcome into his home, if Mark’s mother sitting in the passenger side of the bench seat was any indication. It wasn’t her that worried Jackson, though. It was the large man behind the steering wheel, currently unfastening his seat belt.

It didn’t occur to Jackson to think through his next actions as he spun away from the window and approached Mark hurriedly. “We have to go,” he stated.

“Where are we going, Jackson?” Mark asked, obviously startled by his host’s abruptness.

“For a walk, I could use some fresh air,” Jackson said as he grabbed Mark’s hand and practically yanked him off the bed and out the bedroom door. “Couldn’t you?”

“It’s raining, Jackson.”

“That’s okay. Come on, I’ve got a jacket you can borrow.” Jackson rushed Mark down the narrow hallway and to the back door, where he was quick about grabbing his only hooded jacket out of the closet and shoving it at Mark. “Put it on, I’ll be right back.”

“But what’re you gonna wear?” Mark wanted to know.

Jackson smiled as reassuring of a smile as he could. “I’ll be fine,” he insisted, but didn’t feel that way when the sound of someone rapping on the door echoed through the house, over Shayla’s music.

“I think someone’s knocking on your door, Jackson,” Mark observed as he pulled on the jacket.

“It’s probably just the wind,” Jackson said, earning himself a strange look from Mark as he headed towards the living room. “I’ll be right back.”

Jackson reached the front door just in time to keep his sister from answering it. He grabbed her tiny wrist and yanked her back, provoking a startled gasp from the girl that he simply didn’t have time to pay attention to. “Don’t answer that!” he hissed.

Shayla pulled her arm away from him, looking irritated. “Why not--hey! Jackson!” He’d wrapped an arm around her waist, and with no explanation Jackson had lifted Shayla’s feet right off the ground to rush her to the back door.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Mark’s parents are here,” he said hastily. He was better off simply telling her. If she started asking questions, Jackson didn’t see how that would help anyone.

“Then shouldn’t we tell Mark...”

“No!” Jackson stated, and put her down before they reached the kitchen to place his hands on her shoulders and look her in the eye. “Shayla, we’ve got to keep them away from him until Mom gets home, okay?”

Shayla looked confused, but not one to argue when her young mind