with a thought, which pretty much made him the strongest telekinetic person alive. Not bad for a midget.
“Do you remember Ethan?” Simon asked. “From California?”
Caleb blinked at me a few times, then smiled and said, “Wind Bag.”
Aaron snorted laughter.
Thank you, Renee . “Close enough,” I said.
“This is Scott,” Simon said, nodding at Aaron. We’d agreed to keep up the charade in front of Caleb, because you really never knew when a kid might blurt out a secret.
Caleb’s face twisted into an epic frown as he considered Aaron-as-Scott, who shifted from foot to foot, squirming under the scrutiny of the pint-size Meta. Interesting. Aaron didn’t speak. He didn’t have to. There was apparently no fooling Caleb, because he leaned forward a little and stage-whispered, “Are you in disguise?”
Aaron’s eyebrows shot into his hairline.
“I won’t tell,” Caleb said. He made an X over his heart with one hand.
“Um, thank you?” Aaron said. He’d dropped the accent, but the glamour didn’t so much as flicker.
“Luisa is making grilled cheese for lunch,” Caleb announced to his dad. “Can you stay?”
Simon glanced inside the apartment door—at a nearby clock, I assumed—then shifted Caleb to his other hip. “I think we can stay for lunch.” To us he said, “If you don’t mind?”
“No, it’s fine,” I said.
“Great. You can drop your bags off next door, and then come on over.”
“Okay.”
Simon carried Caleb into the apartment. He left the door open, and a female voice shouted out a greeting. Probably the aforementioned Luisa, who I guessed to be Caleb’s babysitter. I don’t know why that connection surprised me so much. It’s not like I assumed Caleb was left alone all day to fend for himself. Obviously he had a caregiver while Simon was working.
I unlocked the other apartment door and was slapped in the face by the unmistakable smell of stale air recently sprayed with cheap deodorizer. Simon wasn’t kidding when he said he didn’t use this place. The large front room was empty of everything except two inflated air mattresses, each piled with linens, and two ancient beach chairs. The kitchen had no cabinet doors or appliances, and I was a little scared to check out the bathroom. Everything was clean, though, and I didn’t see any obvious signs of bugs or other creepy-crawlies in residence.
Aaron dropped his bag next to one of the mattresses and started laughing.
I let him go for a few seconds, then asked, “You gonna let me in on the joke?”
“Sorry.” He sobered up, his amusement shifting to something sadder. The glamour flickered, and for an instant, I caught a glimpse of the real Aaron underneath of Scott. “I was just thinking that Simon should have pitched a tent in here, since we’re practically camping as it is.”
“Well, if you want a tent, I’m sure we can scare one up.”
“No doubt.”
“You’d have to pitch it, though. I’ve never been camping in my life.” Now, why had I just said that? We weren’t friends, and we sure as hell weren’t going to start bonding.
“Really?” Scott’s face melted away and left Aaron looking at me with open surprise. “Our parents took us camping all the time when we were kids. Me, Noah, and Jimmy.” His expression froze, and grief picked at the edges. Jimmy Scott, the youngest of the three brothers, had been killed two months ago, and his death was still an open wound for the family. Killed by Ace and King’s own psycho sister, as a matter of fact.
I guess grief and murderous family members are two things Aaron and I actually have in common.
I also felt like I needed to say something to fill the awkward silence. “Sounds like you’ve got some good memories of when you all were kids.”
“Yeah, I do. Aaron has a lot of good memories.” He didn’t slip into speaking about himself in the third person very often, but I understood why he did it this time. With so many other consciousnesses
“Do you remember Ethan?” Simon asked. “From California?”
Caleb blinked at me a few times, then smiled and said, “Wind Bag.”
Aaron snorted laughter.
Thank you, Renee . “Close enough,” I said.
“This is Scott,” Simon said, nodding at Aaron. We’d agreed to keep up the charade in front of Caleb, because you really never knew when a kid might blurt out a secret.
Caleb’s face twisted into an epic frown as he considered Aaron-as-Scott, who shifted from foot to foot, squirming under the scrutiny of the pint-size Meta. Interesting. Aaron didn’t speak. He didn’t have to. There was apparently no fooling Caleb, because he leaned forward a little and stage-whispered, “Are you in disguise?”
Aaron’s eyebrows shot into his hairline.
“I won’t tell,” Caleb said. He made an X over his heart with one hand.
“Um, thank you?” Aaron said. He’d dropped the accent, but the glamour didn’t so much as flicker.
“Luisa is making grilled cheese for lunch,” Caleb announced to his dad. “Can you stay?”
Simon glanced inside the apartment door—at a nearby clock, I assumed—then shifted Caleb to his other hip. “I think we can stay for lunch.” To us he said, “If you don’t mind?”
“No, it’s fine,” I said.
“Great. You can drop your bags off next door, and then come on over.”
“Okay.”
Simon carried Caleb into the apartment. He left the door open, and a female voice shouted out a greeting. Probably the aforementioned Luisa, who I guessed to be Caleb’s babysitter. I don’t know why that connection surprised me so much. It’s not like I assumed Caleb was left alone all day to fend for himself. Obviously he had a caregiver while Simon was working.
I unlocked the other apartment door and was slapped in the face by the unmistakable smell of stale air recently sprayed with cheap deodorizer. Simon wasn’t kidding when he said he didn’t use this place. The large front room was empty of everything except two inflated air mattresses, each piled with linens, and two ancient beach chairs. The kitchen had no cabinet doors or appliances, and I was a little scared to check out the bathroom. Everything was clean, though, and I didn’t see any obvious signs of bugs or other creepy-crawlies in residence.
Aaron dropped his bag next to one of the mattresses and started laughing.
I let him go for a few seconds, then asked, “You gonna let me in on the joke?”
“Sorry.” He sobered up, his amusement shifting to something sadder. The glamour flickered, and for an instant, I caught a glimpse of the real Aaron underneath of Scott. “I was just thinking that Simon should have pitched a tent in here, since we’re practically camping as it is.”
“Well, if you want a tent, I’m sure we can scare one up.”
“No doubt.”
“You’d have to pitch it, though. I’ve never been camping in my life.” Now, why had I just said that? We weren’t friends, and we sure as hell weren’t going to start bonding.
“Really?” Scott’s face melted away and left Aaron looking at me with open surprise. “Our parents took us camping all the time when we were kids. Me, Noah, and Jimmy.” His expression froze, and grief picked at the edges. Jimmy Scott, the youngest of the three brothers, had been killed two months ago, and his death was still an open wound for the family. Killed by Ace and King’s own psycho sister, as a matter of fact.
I guess grief and murderous family members are two things Aaron and I actually have in common.
I also felt like I needed to say something to fill the awkward silence. “Sounds like you’ve got some good memories of when you all were kids.”
“Yeah, I do. Aaron has a lot of good memories.” He didn’t slip into speaking about himself in the third person very often, but I understood why he did it this time. With so many other consciousnesses
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