DomLuka

Thanks to Jim for editing! Oliver looked across the small but comfortable room as he sat at the end of one of the two twin-sized beds occupying the space, his fingers slowly drumming one of the thirty-or-so photographs scattered over his mattress. Looking the pictures over carefully, he selected one and held it up to the light. “I like this one,” he said before looking towards the other bed again. “Of course you like that one,” his brother answered, rolling hazel eyes that matched Olive

Thanks to Jim for editing! There was a lot about the night’s events that Frank was certain he’d never forget, and a lot that he thought was just plain insane, and even more that he had no way of comprehending; but at the moment, nothing confused him more than David Martin. In fact, as Frank sat on the ground at the bow of the boat, his arm around Oliver as they tried to get his nose to stop bleeding, Frank decided that he was tired of trying to figure David out. David was crazy. End of sub

Thanks to Jim for editing! “Rudy, look at me.Look at me, okay?” Jay was kneeling down in front of the bathtub, frowning as he tried to get Rudy Seaberg’s attention while she stared straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to the tears running down her face. But, she did meet his eyes, as frightened as she was. And, Jay couldn’t blame her for being frightened given the madman who’d taken over her home and had her unconscious mother tied up on the living room floor. He hurt my dad,” Rudy

Thanks to Jim for editing! A little boy with newly cropped dark hair and wide, attentive hazel eyes looked across the table at the other six-year-old, who happened to be his mirror image. Only, the hair was a little messier, the eyes somewhat absent, and the biggest difference noticed by the little boy--the bowl of strawberry ice cream his doppleganger was eagerly lapping down. He felt particularly jealous over that last thing, but still, when the messy-haired boy suddenly looked up and smile

The air was getting cooler as a hint of a late afternoon storm clouded the sky and Jay picked up his pace again, trying to ignore the way that his lungs were beginning to burn from running. It was all he could do to keep up with Frank, who’d seemed to be hit with an unmatchable rush of adrenaline. Jay didn’t know where he was going, but he knew he couldn’t lose him. Frank did know something; although, somewhere during their conversation, Jay had lost track of what that was. But, Frank wanting to

Thanks to jim for editing! “That’s Jay,” Frank insisted, still staring at Oliver. “I’ve met Jeremy.” “No,” Oliver said, shaking his head as he took another retreating step back. “Jeremy.” Jay cleared his throat intentionally, dusting himself off as he stood up off the ground. “Jeremy,” he agreed, not bothering to look at Oliver or Frank as he checked to see that his camera wasn’t damaged. “That was Jeremy Hill you met. We’re in the same class; he’s older, so I got the nickname. Everyone

Thanks to jim for editing! Tiredly, Frank leaned over the side of the boat, staring at the dark, glistening surface of the water as it passed over his hand, his fingers leaving a small wake next to the boat. The sound of the engine was no more than a hum in his ears now, and the setting sun cast an orange hue in the air that left him feeling a little too warm, and even more so disoriented as they circled one cove after another. Frank was feeling awkward with his company. Asking who Oliver

Thanks to jim for editing! Oliver wiped at his eyes with the back of his hands as if it would stop the tears from flowing. David always told him not to cry. Guys just didn’t do that, and Oliver was no baby. But, what else could he do when he felt so lost? Nothing around him was as it was supposed to be, and as his dad literally dragged the twin bed that belonged to David out of his bedroom, Oliver wanted to do more than cry. He wanted to scream. “Don’t do that, Dad!” he called. “David won’

Thanks to jim for editing! Honey, just have a glass of milk and try to go back to sleep. No more sugar before bedtime, m’kay? That’s what Frank imagined he’d hear from his mom if he woke her up to tell her about the phone call he’d just gotten. That’s why he didn’t. Instead, he dressed, snuck into her purse for the car keys, and as quietly as possible, pulled the Subaru away from the house, hoping not to wake anyone. It was still dark, his headlights casting deep cutting shadows as he t

Thanks to jim for editing! Frank bit into a fresh ham sandwich as he stood on his front porch and looked across the lake towards the red roof. Oliver had said he’d come over again today, but so far he hadn’t shown up, and Frank was getting antsy. For all he knew, Oliver could have told his parents what had happened yesterday, and they’d changed their minds about letting him come over. Then again, after yesterday Frank needed to give Oliver more credit than that, he decided. And he did. It was

Thanks to jim for editing! The clouds were dispersing above, leaving the woods full of long shadows while the wind rattled the trees and made it nearly impossible for Frank to hear anything else around him. He inhaled the earthy scent left by the rain while his eyes watered and his lungs began to burn from exhaustion. Frank didn’t know how long he’d been running. He was certain that not much time had passed, but he’d run so hard that he could feel the heels of his feet all the way to his k

Thanks to jim for editing! “Here,” Frank said, pressing a stone into the palm of Rudy’s small hand. “The flat ones work best. Try it.” Her small face scrunched up in concentration as she took the stone and tossed it like Frank had just shown her, and grinned when it skipped twice over the lake. Frank smiled at her success. “Nice one, Rudy. Wanna try again?” “No. Throwing rocks isn’t that fun. My stomach hurts.” “That’s because you’re hungry,” Frank informed her. “We should have had lunc

Thanks to Jim for editing! Frank dumped another bucket of water over his mom’s Subaru and wiped the sweat from his brow before he removed his shirt to use as a rag in his attempt to wash away the dust the storm had left on the vehicle. It was early Sunday morning, and already a lot warmer than it had been the day before. His mom and sister were still sleeping, both worn out from staying up late to tell each other silly ghost stories. Frank had thought it would be a good idea to wash the car a

David Martin looked out his bedroom window. His face felt heavy, as if it weren’t accustomed to the troubled scowl stretching over his face. It was late in the morning, and the day didn’t look promising so far. Oliver was right. It was going to rain today. “What’re you gonna do, David?” Oliver asked quietly from somewhere behind him. He sounded worried. “I’m going outside,” David announced. “Dad said we have to stay in... you shouldn’t make him mad, David.” “I hate him,” David whispe

“Who is he?” “Do you like him?” “Sure. I mean...” Laughter interrupted Oliver Martin’s response, and he frowned across one of the two full-sized beds that occupied the room at his amused brother, who was still looking through the pile of newly developed photographs between them, specifically the one Oliver had just been admiring. “I guess he’s cute,” Oliver finished, deciding it was best not to lie. David always knew when he was lying. “You think he’s hot,” David said, matter-of-f