she calls out, “Peanut butter pretzels,” Sachi nods and Nyla brings them over. She sees Keem eyeing the other bags on the counter and tells him to help himself. I’m told to eat five pretzels before swallowing the pill Sachi sets on the bar next to a glass of water.
“You going to tell me what’s going on?” she asks us.
Nyla doesn’t exactly shake her head. She just nibbles at a pretzel and avoids her stepmother’s worried eyes.
“What should I tell your father when he gets home?”
Nyla shrugs. “Just tell him I’m out with friends.” Nyla grabs her jacket and turns to us. “You guys ready to go? You can take the snacks, if you want. And, Keem—grab us a couple of bottles of water, why don’t you.”
Keem does as he’s told and puts a bag of chips and some water into his book bag. Nyla tries to get around her stepmother, but Sachi doesn’t budge. Nyla sighs and says, “Tell Daddy I’ll be home soon. Before dark.” Then Nyla surprises us all by leaning in and kissing her stepmother on the cheek. “Thanks for helping us out, Mom.”
Sachi’s cheeks flush again, but she steps aside and lets us pass. At the door she calls after Nyla, “Be careful, sweetheart.”
10.
K eem’s the first one of us to talk. “So…where’s your real mom?”
“‘Real mom’? Sachi’s the only mother I’ve ever known. My birth mom bounced when I was four.”
“Oh, sorry.”
Nyla shoots Keem a look that says, “I don’t want your pity.”
Keem tries again. “I mean, your stepmom’s cool.”
Nyla glances over her shoulder. Her stepmother is watching us from the parlor window. Nyla waves and then turns back to us. “Yeah, Sachi’s all right.”
“Did you really have to blackmail her like that?” I ask.
Nyla just shrugs. “I wouldn’t have told on her—she knows that. My dad’s kind of hard-core. Sachi and I look out for each other.”
“Why can’t she use your computer?” Keem asks.
“When we lived on base, Sachi had a little problem with Internet gambling.” Nyla pauses for effect then says, “Let’s just say my college savings account ain’t what it used to be. But enough of my family drama—where exactly are we heading?”
“Back to the park,” I say.
Keem bars my way with his never-ending arm. “Hold up, D. If you mean the park where you nearly got killed a little while ago, NO WAY!”
“But I have to go back!”
“Why?” asks Nyla.
I look at Nyla, then Keem, and try to decide what to say. “I—I left something behind.”
“I brought your book bag,” Nyla says.
“I know—and thanks. But…there’s something else. Someone else.”
Keem laughs a little. “You got an invisible friend I don’t know about?”
Nyla reaches across me and smacks Keem on the arm. “Quit playing, Keem. D’s serious.” She turns her beautiful black eyes on me. “Who’s missing, D?”
A few hours ago, I wouldn’t have called these two my friends, but now—after what we’ve just been through—I feel like I owe them the truth. There’s an ice cream shop at the end of the block. I lead us over there and sit down on one of the wooden benches. In the summertime this place is always packed, but it’s still too cold out for people to line up for ice cream. Nyla and Keem sit on either side of me.
After taking a deep breath, I say, “Yesterday I found this bird. I thought it was injured, so I brought it home with me.” Keem’s looking at me like I’m crazy, so I keep my eyes locked on Nyla. “But it turned out not to be a bird at all.”
“What was it, D?” she asks in the slow voice reserved for little kids.
I try not to get irritated. Would I believe this story if it wasn’t already happening to me? “It was a being from another realm,” I say calmly.
“Psssshhhhh.” Keem gets up from the bench and runs his hand over his shaved head. “I ain’t got time for this.”
“Then leave!” says Nyla with much attitude.
Keem looks at me the way I sometimes look at
“You going to tell me what’s going on?” she asks us.
Nyla doesn’t exactly shake her head. She just nibbles at a pretzel and avoids her stepmother’s worried eyes.
“What should I tell your father when he gets home?”
Nyla shrugs. “Just tell him I’m out with friends.” Nyla grabs her jacket and turns to us. “You guys ready to go? You can take the snacks, if you want. And, Keem—grab us a couple of bottles of water, why don’t you.”
Keem does as he’s told and puts a bag of chips and some water into his book bag. Nyla tries to get around her stepmother, but Sachi doesn’t budge. Nyla sighs and says, “Tell Daddy I’ll be home soon. Before dark.” Then Nyla surprises us all by leaning in and kissing her stepmother on the cheek. “Thanks for helping us out, Mom.”
Sachi’s cheeks flush again, but she steps aside and lets us pass. At the door she calls after Nyla, “Be careful, sweetheart.”
10.
K eem’s the first one of us to talk. “So…where’s your real mom?”
“‘Real mom’? Sachi’s the only mother I’ve ever known. My birth mom bounced when I was four.”
“Oh, sorry.”
Nyla shoots Keem a look that says, “I don’t want your pity.”
Keem tries again. “I mean, your stepmom’s cool.”
Nyla glances over her shoulder. Her stepmother is watching us from the parlor window. Nyla waves and then turns back to us. “Yeah, Sachi’s all right.”
“Did you really have to blackmail her like that?” I ask.
Nyla just shrugs. “I wouldn’t have told on her—she knows that. My dad’s kind of hard-core. Sachi and I look out for each other.”
“Why can’t she use your computer?” Keem asks.
“When we lived on base, Sachi had a little problem with Internet gambling.” Nyla pauses for effect then says, “Let’s just say my college savings account ain’t what it used to be. But enough of my family drama—where exactly are we heading?”
“Back to the park,” I say.
Keem bars my way with his never-ending arm. “Hold up, D. If you mean the park where you nearly got killed a little while ago, NO WAY!”
“But I have to go back!”
“Why?” asks Nyla.
I look at Nyla, then Keem, and try to decide what to say. “I—I left something behind.”
“I brought your book bag,” Nyla says.
“I know—and thanks. But…there’s something else. Someone else.”
Keem laughs a little. “You got an invisible friend I don’t know about?”
Nyla reaches across me and smacks Keem on the arm. “Quit playing, Keem. D’s serious.” She turns her beautiful black eyes on me. “Who’s missing, D?”
A few hours ago, I wouldn’t have called these two my friends, but now—after what we’ve just been through—I feel like I owe them the truth. There’s an ice cream shop at the end of the block. I lead us over there and sit down on one of the wooden benches. In the summertime this place is always packed, but it’s still too cold out for people to line up for ice cream. Nyla and Keem sit on either side of me.
After taking a deep breath, I say, “Yesterday I found this bird. I thought it was injured, so I brought it home with me.” Keem’s looking at me like I’m crazy, so I keep my eyes locked on Nyla. “But it turned out not to be a bird at all.”
“What was it, D?” she asks in the slow voice reserved for little kids.
I try not to get irritated. Would I believe this story if it wasn’t already happening to me? “It was a being from another realm,” I say calmly.
“Psssshhhhh.” Keem gets up from the bench and runs his hand over his shaved head. “I ain’t got time for this.”
“Then leave!” says Nyla with much attitude.
Keem looks at me the way I sometimes look at
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