Zak sits in the fort with Leah. It’s a quiet day. The clouds are moving slowly across the sky, huge and puffy. Sunlight moves in and out through shards of glass hanging from the scrap metal ceiling by white thread. He brushes his fingers through them, and they clink together like wind chimes. 582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8jvoBoYiR
Leah went to his house for the first time today. They ran through a sprinkler that mom set up for them. Leah told dad that he looked familiar, and asked if he’d ever heard of her mother, Jennifer. After that, mom told her that she could never come over again! Mom yelled at Leah really bad, and she dragged him to the fort so they could still stay together.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTCD2RE0kS
“Your mom’s not very nice. I’m pretty sure I have the superior mom,” Leah jokes.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7VehggPcq
“I guess you’re right,” he sighs, “do you have space on the couch for me? Maybe I could just live at your place.” It was meant to be a joke, but both of them pondered the opportunity.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cslLNw4Xp
Leah chimed back in, wanting to break the silence, “Speaking of my couch, want to go watch a movie on it? Mom said she’s finally going to let me watch horror movies so maybe we’ll watch one of those.”582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrypC6OUnFl
Without waiting for a response, she leads him like always through the woods. Zak doesn’t need to respond because he knows she’ll drag him around no matter what he says.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWQimHbgaI
When they get home, Leah microwaves a bag of popcorn while Zak browses through movie titles, reading the descriptions for her across the room.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZR3xAZMVZ
“Oh how about this one!” he calls out; “two young boys venture into the haunted woods on a dare, but soon realize ghosts are the least of their worries. It’s called The Abandoned Cabin.”582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UPqhIUQam
“Eh, sounds dumb. Hey, go look on pay per view. If we don’t tell mom she’ll never know we bought anything.” Daisy says through the popcorn she’s chewing.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAq0vMFsLvZ
“Are you sure about that?” a voice whispers behind the young girl. She yelps and twists around to see that it’s her mother.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qfilBUKhF
Jennifer cackles like a witch. “Don’t you lie to your mother, girl, I have eyes on the back of my head. You can get a movie on pay per view though, but only if I get some of your popcorn.” 582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzuTHuKbXk
“Deal,” she says and hands her mother the bag, obviously happy that she got away with it.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDK8hHe80r6
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Hours and movies pass before the unavoidable topic of Zak’s mother starts up.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKLJrbbqPx
“She really said that to you? Who does she think she is, snapping at a little girl like that? Zak, when you get home, you tell your mother that she will be having a talk with me tomorrow morning. Run along now, boy. I might bring you some muffins tomorrow if you’re lucky.” Jennifer scowls.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9fqsbYFou
“Yes ma’am, see you tomorrow,” he says as he closes the front door and bikes home. Biking at night was always his favourite. The night sky out in the wilderness is so bright that he rarely needs a flashlight, except when it’s cloudy. Today, the sky is clear as glass and filled to the brim with stars. The warmth of the night beckons the calls of whippoorwills and crickets. Before long, the light of his own home peeks through the trees. Zak begins to turn the doorknob before he stops. He hears muffled yelling. He silently opens the door and sneaks inside, curious about the argument.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61OtM6l5pk
“How could she possibly have found us here?” mother screams.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPowWQbEUZB
“Honey, I swear it is pure coincidence! I haven’t spoken to her since you made me leave.” dad reasons.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMPSjL5ywc
“How could it be coincidence that of all places in the United States, she chose to move here!”582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPnVjdsM0V
“I don’t know, I swear! Please don’t hurt her, honey, be reasonable. If she knew we were here, she would have come to see us.”582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCM9alv56O
Mother lowers her voice, “You, sir, cannot tell me what to do. Would you like me to call your grandmother? I hear she has a weak heart now, I don’t know how she would be able to take it if she knew-”582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFcGlt6OoG
“Ok! Ok, fine. Is there anything you need?” he gives up.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLSEsF6vkR
“One thousand, six hundred milligrams of ethylene glycol.”582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53zl2BiQWz
“No, Elena, that’s too much. I won’t let you kill her.”582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxD1uGQFJJz
“Then just give me a thousand milligrams.”582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHz9ZgHgX9
“I’ll be able to get you that by the time I get home from work tomorrow.”582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKHAoagCa5
“I need it now.”582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0IAasSPOm
“How do you expect me to get that now-”582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSry4dNrRc
She interrupts him, “That’s final. Just sneak into the pharmacy, you have the keys and the password. Go start the car.”582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6hMXvvJFW
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