Summerabbacat

I am somewhat surprised, joyously so @Dan South, by the number of readers who have expressed their outrage that Kane was executed for no good reason. The party or parties responsible for Sam's death are also responsible, albeit indirectly, for Kane's death too.

Even without an appearance by or mention of any of the wolves and/or panthers I still enjoyed this chapter immensely @Libby Drew. The manner of death of Micco's family was far worse than I had speculated. To have seen his mother and sister raped and then his mother murdered, and to have presumably heard his older sister screaming as the fire engulfed their home, one cannot imagine the trauma. Calhoun's interrogation of Micco did not surprise me at all. He is ruthless and I imagine will use any tactic he can to prove Micco's guilt. I believe in his mind he already has Micco tried and convicted. Perhaps Calhoun should be checking Danny's whereabouts instead given his background and stated dislike of Micco. It appears Chase is still supportive of Micco. Much more of his character was revealed in this chapter, both retrospectively and during the interrogations, and the revelations painted a person of integrity and loyalty, with a strong sense of justice. Very suspenseful @Libby Drew and I now have two human characters whom I am invested in, Micco and Chase. And I still don't trust Martina.

"How could he have learned how to speak properly when the smallest whisper of his voice was enough to trigger his mom’s rage? He had learned to be quiet. Quiet and observant, carefully listening through the cracks between the baseboards to the other room. There were no books, either, and no TV. His mom yelled at him and slammed the door shut, leaving him in darkness until the next day. She didn’t like talking, either, her eager hands just reaching for the bottle." I have to wonder if Otis was nutritionally deprived to such an extent that it has stunted his growth or is he just naturally a very small build. And he apparently started school some time after he should have. I assume his mother is dead and perhaps died in a house fire. If so, I hope she suffered greatly.

It appears to me we readers are in the presence of greatness, a genuine soothsayer, seer, clairvoyant or tarot reader. @weinerdog aka Madame Zelenska predicted with great confidence in a very early chapter that not only was Ty gay, but that he had "a thing" for Seth. I have never believed this until this chapter. You have been vindicated @weinerdog. With chaos swirling around him like the strings of a classic 70's Philly, Barry White or Silver Convention disco gem, Ty remained calm even in the moment of the "little death". He may be the boy (as well as the buoy) who will bring a sense of calm and rationality to Seth's life. And Mommie Dearest "approves" of him. Remarkable her initial comment, but of course she had to ruin it with the usual proclamation that all gay men (and in this case gay teens) are promiscuous and only want one and/or two things, cock and/or arse. @drsawzall you are correct that Blake has his supporters now and people who love him, but unfortunately he still has those who hate him and they happen to be those with the easiest access to him who are now "in control" of his life, his parents. I still think it is highly likely they mean him harm, both emotional as they have inflicted in the past, and physical. I was somewhat surprised Stacy is not popular with other girls, even though Amber and friends had previously indicated they thought her a bitch and did not like her. Given this, she will not likely get much sympathy from her own sex for having been the victim of the "heartless" Craig. I doubt Maggie will stick around if Stacy becomes a social pariah. Unlike Stacy I don't think Maggie is stupid, she is just a prize c-bomb.

Perhaps Craig's reaction to a naked Stacy is not a reliable guide, but to "enhance the appeal of her one marketable skill" it may be best if she remains fully-clothed, preferably with a bag over her head, with an opening for her mouth only, which she does not use to speak with other than moaning the very briefest of statements e.g. yes, more, it's so big and oh my god daddy. I wish I could share your optimism @drsawzall, but I truly believe Blake's father and most likely his mother intend to harm him and not just emotionally. The roughness with which his father threw him into the car and his mother sped off does not augur well for his safety. They have already shown themselves to have no compunction in berating him (remember the shouting at him in the hospital when Blake made his first appearance in this story), so I don't think it is much of a stretch to believe them capable of physical violence, all in the name of their beloved "invisible friend". If they do not harm him, then he may be able to escape their clutches. By popular demand no less. Your comments on this chapter were absolutely riotous @drsawzall. After a very tiring and less than stellar day working from home, reading the latter comments offered much humorous respite to this tired, bitchy and short-tempered middle-aged (no not fucking old) queen.

It is difficult to understand why Blake's parents want him back @raven1 given they dumped him on his aunt and her family, apparently provided no financial support to said aunt and family for looking after him and seemingly gave him not another thought. I am sure his parents thought by sending him to his aunt's the "damage" to their precious reputation would be contained as they would not be exposed as having essentially abandoned their son, albeit one who was the "child of the devil" (his mother's words not mine). However, if Blake was placed into the guardianship of non-relatives, people whom are obviously evil sinners if they are willing to take him in, his parents may be exposed as having abandoned their son and their reputation shattered. I recall how important their social standing was to them, so I think it a safe bet Blake's return to his parents is not due to their love for him, it is an attempt to "save face". It appears Blake's parents are also cheapskates and if Blake were placed into the care of Aunt Marie and Uncle Steve they may have to contribute financially to his care. I fear for Blake's safety too @raven1, but I think it more likely his parents will try to "beat the gay" out of him than he will kill himself. He has had many opportunities to do so in the past and I think he is far stronger than what he portrays himself to be. May his parents both be afflicted with an incurable disease which causes them great long-term suffering and for which they become social pariahs. You have raised a good point about Seth protecting his mother from the truth about Stacy, however, given how wilfully blind she is to Stacy's appalling behaviour, she would either disbelieve Seth or find some way to blame him for it. Perhaps Seth's long absent father might return and deliver him from the evil known as Julie and Stacy.

I seem to recall Blake has been down the conversion camp route already @NimirRaj and was deemed a "hopeless cause", unless I am confusing this story with another I am currently reading. I have to agree with you regarding Seth's patience. He has been the dutiful son whereas his twin, the skank, has continuously caused trouble, and yet it is he who his mother finds fault with. It is telling that in this chapter even Aunt Marie chastised Julie, only to be told to mind her own business. Seth should rebel and go and live with Aunt Marie and Uncle Steve. I don't think it will take much for Mommie Dearest to lose her shit and do something foolish which will result in Seth being removed from her care. She and the skank deserve each other.

The only positive I can offer for Julie is that her views do not appear to have been formed by toxic religious dogma, unlike Blake's mother who apparently has been infected by that particular type of poison. If she (Irene I think her name is) and her equally repugnant spouse lay a finger on Blake, which I am almost certain they will, I hope Aunt Marie and Uncle Steve descend on them with a fury they will think has risen from hell. As for the Mr Ellis' of this world, I can only be but glad such people exist. Such people would have to be fearlessly driven to do what they do under such oppressive, challenging and at times soul destroying conditions. The likes of Blake's parents would be enough for me to want to call in the NRA, an organisation I absolutely detest.

Good point @Ronyx, one which clearly I had not given any thought being the indignant bitch that I am sometimes.

Julie aka Mommie Dearest is either clueless as suggested by my learned fellow reader @weinerdog or a see u next Tuesday as suggested by my learned fellow reader @drsawzall. I believe it is a combination of both. Her indifference to Seth is as blatant as her favouritism towards Stacy. What I find most despicable about her is that she is totally aware of this, sees nothing wrong with it and tries to justify it by blaming Seth for Stacy's behaviour. Aunt Marie should have knocked out both Julie and Stacy's teeth. I was surprised at Mr Ellis' comment that he felt Blake would be safe with his parents because "both hold respectable jobs, and they attend church regularly". Is he for real? Surely he must have come across such people who present as "respectable" before only to witness that they are violent, pious, delusional psychopaths. I fear for Seth's safety more than anything else. His parents may attempt to send him to conversion therapy again, but given how roughly he was treated when they took him against his will, I believe he is in grave danger from them physically as well as psychologically. If either or both hurt him, I hope Aunt Marie and Uncle Steve unleash a fury on both of them that has them cowering with fear. An infuriating, frustrating, troubling and frightening chapter @Ronyx. It is no wonder there is so much chaos in the lives of Seth, Craig and Blake; their parents singly and collectively are totally unfit for their roles and all should have been aborted or neutered to prevent them from reproducing. Truly horrible people with little or nothing to recommend them, except perhaps for Craig's mother, who appears more than anything to be conventional in her beliefs, lacking in any real imagination or desire to improve the status quo.

"But the vivid hate... Wolves rarely hate. Typically they fear, which is hate’s precursor. It’s uncommon for animals to make the jump from one to the other." Very profound @Libby Drew, but who was it who ignited the hate that oppressed Micco so? Was it Banshee or one of the other wolves, or perhaps Saffron or Dagger? I have no reason to believe this, but I am still very suspicious of Martina, and I cannot pinpoint why. She appeared suddenly after Micco experienced the wave of hate. She apparently has some awareness of Micco's gift. What is to say it is not she who is feeding information about this gift to cast doubt on Micco's sanity, thereby raising suspicion that he is a murderer. I immediately had the same thoughts as espoused by @84Mags "Another option is that there was no fight. Frank and Rory told Martina about the alleged fight. Martina also alluded to them saying Michael had episodes of being forgetful or perhaps losing time/memory. Martina didn’t witness the fight or any of the behaviors she was told about. What if none of it happened?" Perhaps it is because I am already suspicious of Martina that I had these thoughts. I am even more convinced after this chapter that Micco's only allies have four legs and his connection to them is what will ultimately prove his innocence and the real killer's guilt. I wonder if Micco's connection to his four-legged friends goes beyond the grave. Perhaps the hate he felt was from Kane, directed at the real killer who happened to be lurking nearby when Micco was feeding Nero i.e. Martina. Absolutely riveting chapter @Libby Drew. This tale has quickly become my favourite of your works I have read. The presence of the non-human animals is contributing significantly to my enjoyment of this tale, particularly as you are painting them with such spirit and recognising them as an integral part of the tale. I had a particularly joyous moment when I heard Agnetha's powerful vocal singing 'Tiger' when Micco felt the wave of hatred, which Nero felt too.

Otis continues to delight. He has so little and yet with a windfall he thinks not just of himself but of Hudson too. Whilst a crock-pot may not be the most exciting or alluring of gifts, it was a thoughtful if somewhat unusual gift. I wonder if Jackie is related to Watkins? The mere mention of Watkins makes my skin crawl, and for some reason, I imagine he has an unpleasant odour. I don't particularly like Jackie, but I don't believe he has anything dastardly in mind for Otis. I believe he may genuinely be attracted to Otis. A quirky little tale which I am enjoying @Laura S. Fox.

I hate it too @Anton_Cloche. I was being a little facetious when I wrote it because I am by nature very, very, very impatient and I did not want to upset Libby by putting any unrealistic demands on her of wanting to know, NOW Libby NOW.

I would like to know more about Kane too @Lt.Mac. I was very angry when he was executed on the assumption he killed Sam. Even if he had done so, there would have to have been a reason for it. Unlike human animals, I don't think wolves would kill for "the fun of it".

Whoever murdered Sam sealed Kane's fate too @weinerdog and for that I hope they suffer indefinitely and horrifically. You have not missed the source of Micco's PTSD. I speculated after the last chapter that Micco's family "were murdered, possibly due to their Seminole heritage, by setting fire to their home and ensuring they were unable to escape. Micco was either able to escape somehow, or was witness to the event having already left home or was away from home at the time." After reading this chapter I assume Micco was about 10 years old at the time, so he may have been visiting friends or quite possibly in the house at the time and managed to somehow escape. If the latter, he may also have felt guilt that he survived when his family perished. The "cruel laughter" he alludes to in this chapter appears to confirm the fire was most likely deliberately lit. It appears from Micco's expressed thoughts that Chase was disgusted when Micco admitted to him that he was gay. At the time they were both 15 years old, so perhaps it was not as simple as it appeared to be. Perhaps Chase was attracted to Micco, but did not want to acknowledge this or was suppressing this due to his family's beliefs or outright prejudices. We shall have to wait for our authoress to reveal all in the fullness of time. "He knows of my gift. It was a source of worship for him when we were young. Now, I realize, it could be a source of information." If Chase knows of Micco's gift and admired him for it he must be at least somewhat open-minded. I fully expect the wolves and/or panthers will be at the forefront of revealing who it was that murdered Sam and was therefore responsible for Kane's death too. Something tells me not to dismiss Martina as a possible suspect, but I don't know why. Brilliant @Libby Drew. I love the connection between Micco and the wolves and panthers. I am not sure how to correctly describe it and perhaps it defies description or does not warrant description but to our "feeble" human minds. I do believe the wolves and/or panthers hold the key to solving this mystery and will assist their brother Micco in any way they can.

If Bryan and Caleb ever run out of things to clean after misbehaving they are welcome to visit me and clean to their hearts content. Diego is a good father and is fair. Caleb certainly deserved cleaning duty for his part in his disappearance. I have to say I nearly barfed when I read what Diego encountered when he returned home from work "the house smelled of cleaning chemicals and pork chops". As a non-American I just don't "get" Halloween. There is a "push" in Australia, primarily by retailers, to make it into a "thing", but I don't think it is working. Well-written again @John Henry, but being the greedy bitch I am, just like Andrea True, I wanted "More, More, More".

Blake's parents reacted violently when he disclosed he was gay. Mommie Dearest reacted violently the first time she meets Seth again after it was confirmed he is gay. The reaction of Craig's parents, weeping from his mother and alienation from his father was almost mild in comparison. Apart from Aunt Marie and Uncle Steve the parents of the main characters in this story all of one thing in common, LOSERS. "Blake gave Craig a puzzled look. “I thought you couldn’t get it up for Stacy?” Craig’s face reddened. “I couldn’t, Man,” he explained. “As soon as I saw that shit, I almost puked.” Apparently Stacy is as physically repulsive as she is emotionally repulsive. Girl certainly has a lot going for her, yet Mommie Dearest continues to defend and favour her over all others. Where is Seth and Stacy's father @Ronyx?

"And then, he took his hands when he tried to cover his shameful parts and pushed them up, above his head. “Don’t worry about a thing, beautiful,” he whispered. “You look amazing. Every inch of you.” Is that Grandma inside his head referring to his shameful parts? I just hope Grandma and the person who gave Otis "The Wound" and who chanted at him that he was ugly with foul alcohol-infused breath are not one and the same. If so, I fear for Otis' tenuous grip on reality.

Sizzling, smouldering and sexy.

"The bartender seemed unimpressed with that statement. However, his smirk turned into an affectionate smile as he grabbed Danny by the shoulder and squeezed. “What’s your poison tonight?” If I had been Otis I could not but have helped responding with rat (even though I wholly disapprove of poisoning rats). Danny, what a princess. Spiky pink hair and an eyebrow piercing had me recalling Nina Hagen from her 'Nina Hagen in Ekstasy' album, but he without any of Nina's talent. And Utah, what a pretentious name. And he had the audacity to ask Otis if “Do you come from one of those communities?” .... “Where they churn butter all day and read the Bible?”. Perhaps I am losing my sense of humour but both Utah and Danny irked me such that I would have liked to bang their heads together. Hudson's behaviour when confronted by the "beautiful" Otis is bizarre. He is seemingly almost reduced to blancmange by someone who has zero confidence in himself as a worthy date. Hudson's behaviour around Otis is so uncharacteristic and yet for some reason wholly believable. Jackie is a wannabe, an increasingly annoying one (a bit like the song by the Spice Girls, a group I really did like apart from that song). Another enjoyable chapter @Laura S. Fox. The characters you have created are certainly a mixed bag, but I am loving the two main protagonists. The third main character as yet unseen (and not likely to be seen) looms large over Otis' life. Grandma. At times I think of her as like the subject of the song 'Grandma's Hands' by Bill Withers, all loving, wise and helpful, but occasionally she rears a less attractive head and becomes a vision of Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford brandishing those implements of torture, the wire coat-hanger.

As I suspected there is a connection between Jackie and Watkins and it is anything but holy. However, I suspect both are "small fry" and ultimately expendable in a world where young men are disposable when they are no longer desirable. “He’s not particularly attractive,” Hudson argued, without asking how Watkins knew about the boy. He had to pretend to be pretty stupid, too, or at least too full of himself to take a moment to think things through. “I thought your standards would be higher.” “Oh, he’ll do,” Watkins said airily. “For what we have in mind for him.” Every time Watkins makes such a remark my skin crawls. He is like pus, oozing poison. I imagine his breath fetid, not only so vile one can smell it, but so thick one can see it. And Jackie, cocky and prone to big noting himself. This may ultimately prove his undoing. Otis' honesty and total lack of social skills amused not only Utah but this this reader. His comment about nuns had me almost falling off my chair with laughter. The highlight of this chapter "There was a dance floor in the middle, redolent of late seventies discos, surrounded by tables and what looked like plush sofas." transported me to a time when Donna Summer, KC & The Sunshine Band, ABBA, Barry White, Gloria Gaynor, Chic, Philly soul and a host of one-hit wonders ruled not only the dance floor but the vinyl collection of my teenage self.

"You’re ugly. You’re so ugly. How do you expect anyone to tolerate you around them? The words, hissed at him so many times paired with alcohol-infused breath, made him turn his face away until his chin was grabbed hard and he was forced to look into those eyes filled with hate for him for reasons he had never understood." I cannot be sure, but this sounds like the comment of an abusive parent, perhaps one who also beat or burned Otis and gave him the raised scar. If a parent did this to him it would explain why he was seemingly raised by his grandmother too. Hudson and Otis are an unlikely match for sure, but an attraction is certainly building between them under the pretext of Hudson delivering and Otis receiving dating advice. A quirky tale to date @Laura S. Fox, one which this reader is enjoying immensely.

Well said @SilentandBroken. Mother and daughter alike belong in that same bin with the "basket of deplorables" Hillary Clinton famously referred to a number of years ago.

Otis' naivete and boyish charm are an aphrodisiac to the horny Hudson whilst Hudson the tattooed titan represents knowledge, masculinity and virility to Otis . This attraction could prove fatal to one and/or the other if they are not careful. I hope Otis' allure is not limited to his exotique, although to date Hudson does not appear to be that shallow. Jackie on the other hand appears to be exactly that. I am enjoying the dance between Otis and Hudson as they get to know each other, even though Otis is seemingly oblivious to it. Someone has really done a number on him, whether intentional or through neglect or overprotectiveness remains to be seen. Both men are enthralling for different reasons. The little we know of Jasper's life and circumstances is reminiscent of some of the saddest stories I have read, whether true or not, of some of the gay porn stars of the early to late 80's; lives full of promise, only to be decimated by drugs and in many cases deaths from AIDS-related illnesses.

Double the pleasure for we readers. Like all of ABBA's hits originally on 'ABBA The Singles: The First Ten Years'.