Every Boy Should Face His Demons, Charlie Boone! - 1. Chapter 1

Kippy Lawson frowned his best intimidating frown. "You're kidding me, right?"

The four of them were standing in Charlie's bedroom, within the elongated rectangle of the late October sun as it poured in through the front window onto the hardwood floor. Leaves drifted down outside in the breeze, taking their final plunges from the old oak at the corner of the house. It was a cool day, definitely jacket weather, and not a bad one to be indoors.

Ricky Travers looked momentarily taken aback by Kippy's expression. But then he laughed, and offered up his best cocky grin in response. "No, I'm not. You'll like my cousin, Annie. She's good people. And Moped is a fun doggie."

Kippy turned to Adrian Whitaker, Ricky's boyfriend, and transferred the frown to him. "And are you in on this plot to desecrate our Halloween?"

Adrian's eyes widened, and his gaze briefly sought out Charlie's; but Charlie could only offer a sympathetic grin.

"Well, I don't think it's a bad idea, really," Adrian said firmly.

Charlie sighed, knowing how this would play out. Kippy would be wounded at the idea of doing something so seemingly trivial and unplanned for the holiday, and would need to be coaxed into seeing the good points of the idea. Kippy had very definite notions on how holidays should go. So maybe the best thing to do was just to short circuit this whole thing and cut directly to the chase.

"I think it's a cool idea," Charlie said enthusiastically. "I'd love to go."

Kippy's jaw dropped, and he placed his hands on his hips. "Not you, too! Charlie Boone, it's Halloween! We have a tradition!"

Charlie sighed at that. "Kip, we haven't done the same thing for Halloween the past four years in a row. How can you even say that?"

His boyfriend shook his head. "Every year, something has come up. Some new adventure! Something great! Something amazing!" He pouted now, looking hurt. "And now you want to go and house sit for Ricky's cousin? Where's the adventure in that?"

Charlie moved closer, and tried to take Kip into his arms, but he shied away, looking adamant. "You always expect me to just melt in your arms and go along with you!"

Charlie took another patient step forward, pulled Kippy closer, and gently kissed him. Kippy resisted, his body as stiff as a board, and tried to pull away. Charlie pressed closer, gently raining kisses on the other boy's lips and face, and then sighed and pushed their cheeks together, and whispered into his ear, "I love you so much, Kip."

For a moment longer Kippy resisted; and then his body slowly went limp, and he pressed a kiss into Charlie's cheek. "Oh, Charlie. I love you, too."

Charlie pulled back, smiling. "You're absolutely right. Every year, something has come up to help propel us into Halloween. And this year, this has come up. Ricky's cousin wants to go somewhere for the holiday, and she wants someone to housesit her new house and look after her dog. We aren't doing anything, we're too old to trick or treat, and my parents are home this year and really don't want us tricking out the house into a scarefest for the local rugrats. There aren't any parties, and if there are, we haven't been told about them or invited." He laughed. "What did you have in mind to do?"

Kippy pouted again. "I don't know. I expected maybe Max, or Frit and Pip, to show up with something cool to do, or maybe we'd get a call from the guys on Engris, or have invading aliens come to visit, or...something!"

Charlie nodded. "Well, this is something. How do you know that we aren't supposed to be doing this this year?"

Kippy looked surprised, frowned a moment, and then looked slightly unsure of himself. "Well...because my skwish hasn't told me anything."

Charlie nodded patiently. "Did you try asking it?"

Kippy's frown deepened, but then he nodded. "Wait a second, while I check." He closed his eyes tightly, and Charlie watched while Kip's expression went from annoyance to surprise, and then to curiosity. Kippy opened his eyes then, and turned to Adrian. "Why didn't you say that your skwish was silent on this?"

"You didn't ask," Adrian said, smiling. "And you didn't give me a chance, before you went off."

"Oh." Kippy looked contrite now, and turned a smile on Charlie, and hugged him closer. "Okay, I'll go."

Charlie couldn't help laughing. "As quickly as that? What did your skwish have to tell you?"

Kippy gave Charlie a final kiss, and then drew away from him. "Actually...it was kinda weird. I didn't get a sense that we should go, but I didn't get a sense that we shouldn't."

Charlie looked over at Adrian. "Is that what you get?"

"Yes. Just a sort of neutral feeling about it. That's one reason why I want to go."

Charlie squinted at the other boy a moment, then turned back to his boyfriend. "Neutral is good?"

"Oh, Charlie, you just don't get it. Skwish is very quick at letting us know things. If this trip was going to just be a total boring waste of time, I would feel that. Instead, I feel sort of nothing."

Charlie scratched his head and looked at Ricky, who just shrugged. "Don't ask me. I'm just along for the ride on this skwish stuff."

Kippy sighed happily, and reached out and gave Charlie's arm a squeeze. "This is kind of exciting!"

"It is?" Charlie stared at his boyfriend, trying to see if Kip was having fun with him; but Kippy just sighed again, this time patiently, and leaned closer again and pecked Charlie on the lips.

"Don't you get it, Charlie? My skwish is telling me nothing about this trip. Skwish has something to say about everything. So nothing at all means it doesn't know!" Kippy gave a small shake of his head, as if in wonder. "Or, that so many things can happen, or not happen, that my skwish just can't predict the outcome."

"That's kind of creepy, isn't it?" Charlie decided, now not so sure about this whole idea.

"What it is, is interesting!" Kippy countered. "It means to me that there's something strange about this trip. And I want to know what it is!"

Charlie looked over at Ricky, who just shrugged. "It's just my cousin, Charlie."

"Uh huh. What's she do?"

"She works in a bakery, customizing cakes." Ricky smiled. "She's sort of a pastry artist."

Charlie's eyebrows bounced upwards. "There's money in that?"

"Sure. Besides, she doesn't need money. Her grandparents left her a pile of cash."

Kippy suddenly smiled, winked at Charlie, and sidled over to rub up against Ricky. "You have rich people in your family?"

Adrian rolled his eyes, and Charlie and Ricky both grinned.

"Not directly," Ricky explained, trying not to laugh. "Annie is my dad's older sister's daughter. It was Annie's dad's side of the family that had some money. They left it to Annie in their will."

Kippy offered up a plainly exaggerated, toothy smile. "A lot of money?"

Ricky shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, enough to buy a nice house in the woods, anyway."

Kippy digested that, and then he patted Ricky's arm, and smiled at Adrian. "Oh, hold onto this one. There might be more where that came from."

Charlie sighed, and pinned his boyfriend with a pointed gaze. "Are you through?"

Kippy grinned, danced back over to Charlie, and rubbed up against him. "Yes. Don't worry. You give me something better than money."

Charlie grinned. "Yeah?"

"Uh huh. Fun! You're just so much fun to be with, Charlie Boone!"

Charlie scratched his head, a little disappointed. "Oh. I thought maybe you meant I was a good lover, or something."

Kippy pouted again, although this time it came with a smile. "You're a great lover, Charlie," he said sincerely.

At Charlie's answering smile, Kippy just patted his arm. "After all, I taught you everything I know!"

Ricky raised his hands and mimed a drum roll in the air. "Kerching! Point for Kip's side!"

Charlie grinned at his boyfriend. "Yes, you did. And I've added so much to that tiny amount since then. "

Adrian hooted, and made his own drum roll. "Even up, now!"

Kippy just smiled broadly, and kissed Charlie another time. "I'm excited about this trip now!"

Charlie took in the sharp little lights of anticipation in his boyfriend's eyes, and gently shook his head. Kip was in the hyper mode he adopted when some new notion had caught his devoted interest. There would be no rest now for any of them until they actually arrived at the home of Rick's cousin. And maybe not even then!

Kippy turned back to Ricky and pointed at the bed, and the cot next to it, now a permanent fixture in Charlie's bedroom. "Let's all sit and talk. I want to hear more about this."

"I do, too," Adrian agreed, taking Ricky by the arm and moving him towards a seat on the cot.

Kippy turned to Charlie and grabbed his arm, too. "Come on, Charlie. You're holding up the show!"

Charlie sighed, and let himself be towed to the bed, where he and Kippy plopped down, side-by-side, across from their friends. Kippy immediately wrapped an arm around Charlie and snuggled close, and favored Ricky with a glowing smile. "Now tell!"

An amused expression crossed Ricky's features, and the look he gave Charlie made him smile. But it was too late to turn back now. Bridges had been burned, and marshmallows toasted.

"Yeah. Tell!" Charlie added mischievously, winking at Rick and giving Kip a fond squeeze. "You're holding up the show, Rick!"

The other boy narrowed his eyes momentarily in a glare of accusation, but then just shrugged and held up one hand. "I don't know what you want to hear, Kip. My cousin Annie called and asked if I was doing anything for Halloween. She wants to drive up to the city to see some friends for the holiday. Halloween is on a Saturday this year, as you know. She wants to leave Friday morning, and said she'll be back on Monday night. She just doesn't want to leave the house empty, and with no one to look out for Moped."

"Moped's her dog?" Kippy asked.

Ricky's answering smile left no doubt how he felt about that. "Yeah. She's a Golden Retriever. A real sweetie."

"I can understand that," Kippy decided. "You don't go off for four days and leave your dog to fend for herself."

"Right." Ricky held up a hand to Kip. "And that's all."

Kippy looked unconvinced. "There has to be more than that."

"Well, there isn't." Ricky's gaze sought out Charlie's. "It's just housesitting."

"What kind of house is it?" Kippy asked. "You said it's new?"

Ricky pursed his lips momentarily. "Well, it's new for her. I don't think it's brand new, but with the kind of money she has to spend, I'm sure it's nice."

"Ah." Kippy smiled triumphantly. "You haven't seen it."

"No, Kip. I haven't seen it."

"Where did you say it was?"

Ricky looked patient. "I didn't. But it's down by Norwich, about an hour from here. It's a nice drive."

"Does it matter what it looks like?" Adrian asked. "What has that got to do with anything?"

"It has a lot to do with everything," Kip returned. "Maybe it's a really spooky-looking place. You know, like the house in that animated movie, The Addams Family, last year?"

Ricky gaped, and then laughed. "That house was butt-ugly, Kip! My cousin wouldn't buy a place like that!"

"Well, it doesn't have to be that spooky! Just a place with...with a history, you know? Maybe a creepy cult lived there, or someone was murdered in the basement?" Kippy nodded knowingly. "The real estate people don't tell you stuff like that."

Charlie turned his head and stared at his boyfriend. "Have you ever considered the idea that it's just a house, and that all we will be doing is having four nice days to ourselves, maybe hand out some candy to the local kids on Saturday night, and look after a really nice dog?"

Kippy pouted. "Oh, Charlie! Stop being so negative!"

Charlie laughed. "Having a murder take place in the basement is positive?"

"Well, it's something. There has to be some reason why my skwish is being so quiet on this."

"Maybe nothing will happen," Ricky suggested. "Maybe it will go just like Charlie said, and we'll just have four nice days together." He smiled. "Wouldn't that actually be a pretty cool way to spend the holiday?"

Kippy made a face, but Charlie could see that his boyfriend was thinking about it. "Well...yeah, that wouldn't be so bad." He allowed Charlie a smile. "I can think of worse ways to spend the holiday, than just being with Charlie and you guys."

"The town is nice," Ricky said. "Comfortable. They have some nice shops there. And Annie said there's a pizza place that delivers."

Kippy emitted a faintly contemptuous sound. "It won't be Irving's." But then he sighed, and managed to offer up a nice grin. "But I'm sure it will do."

Charlie put his arm around his boyfriend and gave him a squeeze. "And I thought you were going to be hard to convince!"

Ricky and Adrian both laughed, but there was nothing mean about it. Kippy grinned, and nodded. "I deserved that, and I'm sorry. I just thought...well, Halloween is usually such a special day for us. This one sounds so...um..."

"Dull," Charlie supplied, smiling. He leaned over and kissed Kippy's cheek. "It won't be, I'm sure."

"There's an idea," Ricky said brightly. "Maybe your skwish knows that nothing will happen at all but that we'll have a great time together, and it was just so bored it went to sleep and can't answer."

Adrian favored his boyfriend with a surprised laugh, and then a smile. "Stop teasing him, Rick."

"It's okay," Kippy decided, nodding. "I see now I was being a little, um, inflexible." He beamed at Charlie. "You know how flexible I usually am."

Charlie grinned. "Do I!"

Everyone laughed, and Adrian reached across and patted Kip's knee. "I'm glad you see the possibilities here."

Kippy nodded. "Even if my skwish isn't saying anything about this trip, I feel it on my own that there will be something special about it." He turned to Charlie. "When do we leave?"

Charlie shifted his gaze to Rick. "When do we leave?"

"Uh, well...my mom said I could take her SUV. We can leave early Friday morning. I'll call Annie and let her know we're coming."

"Great!" Kippy gave Charlie a huge squeeze. "This will be fun!"

Charlie sighed, and then just had to lean over and give Kip a kiss. "You make my life interesting, I'll say that."

Kippy nodded, his eyes shining. "It's my job, Charlie." He returned the kiss. "That, and loving you forever!"