said.
Justin said something else David didn’t catch.
“Leave me alone; I’m talking to my disgraced big brother,” James said. “Anyway,” he said back to David. “Justin isn’t as forgiving as I am. Probably doesn’t like the idea of Vandergraff men cheating.”
“I need to ask you something,” David said.
“Sure.”
“It’s going to sound weird. Can you answer without making fun of me? I’m going through a tough time.”
“No promises, but I’ll try.”
“Are we wizards?”
Silence.
“Are you okay, David?” The timbre of James’s voice changed so much it sounded as if a different man spoke now.
“Not really. Just answer the question.”
“Yes. Of course we are. You know we are.”
It took a while for the words to settle in his brain. The words kept slipping through him without sticking as if the blank lines in his brain had guards knocking words away. Maybe that had been part of the spell. Even when the truth stood right in front of him, his brain rejected it.
“Why did you ask me that?” James asked.
“One more question.” He didn’t know how to do this one. “Was our childhood… bad?”
More silence.
“You’re scaring the shit out of me right now. You were there. Why are you asking me? Do you have amnesia or something?” A heavy pause. “Did you do magic? Did it do something to your brain? Come here right now. Or I’ll come get you. Where are you?”
With every question, his happy-go-lucky brother disappeared more and more. He sounded like someone else, someone David didn’t remember.
“No, I’m fine. It’s not like that. I didn’t do magic. Amanda did. She manipulated my memories.”
“What? She knows better than that. When did she do this?”
“She didn’t say exactly, a long time ago.”
“Like years?”
“I think so.”
“You’ve been walking around without memories for years?”
“I guess.”
“That’s not fucking fair.”
To me or to you?
he wanted to ask.
“Don’t worry about me,” David said. “Please don’t. I’ll get it all worked out.”
“Just answer my calls, okay?”
“I will.”
atrick froze mid-stride on his way into the family room. Samantha sat in his spot. Of all the places in the house she could have sat to read her book, she chose the exact spot he sat in to play video games. She would get it all warm and smelling of her. Her blonde hair spilled across the cushions like white neon light. The closer he got to her, the sweatier he got, and he probably smelled fully funky when he sat down next to her.
“You’re still here,” he said.
“Disappointed?” She tucked a bookmark into her book and placed it aside.
“No.”
“My parents were in a skiing accident.”
“Oh my God,” he said. “Are they okay?”
“They’re okay. Just some broken bones. They’re in a hospital in Switzerland. So I’m staying here a little longer.”
“Okay…”
Just some broken bones. Just in a hospital. No reason not to sit here calmly reading a book. She said it so quickly and calmly that he thought she might be lying, but he couldn’t imagine why she would.
“It sucks you have to be stuck with my family. I’m sorry they’re so messed up.”
“They’re not so bad,” she said. “I like it here.”
He laughed. “Sure,” he said, his tone dripping with skepticism.
She laughed too.
“Saaamaanthaaa,” Emmy wailed from downstairs. “Come on.”
Samantha dutifully answered the call. Patrick didn’t realize he had followed Samantha, as if she had him on a leash, until he had walked halfway down the stairs behind her.
Emmy held out her hand at the bottom of the stairs and grabbed Samantha’s as soon as she could reach. She pulled her toward the downstairs family room.
“I picked out the movie,” Emmy said.
Patrick followed them into the family room where Emmy had some Japanese horror movie pulled up on Netflix.
“I didn’t invite you, Patrick,” Emmy said.
“You can’t watch this,” Patrick said.
Justin said something else David didn’t catch.
“Leave me alone; I’m talking to my disgraced big brother,” James said. “Anyway,” he said back to David. “Justin isn’t as forgiving as I am. Probably doesn’t like the idea of Vandergraff men cheating.”
“I need to ask you something,” David said.
“Sure.”
“It’s going to sound weird. Can you answer without making fun of me? I’m going through a tough time.”
“No promises, but I’ll try.”
“Are we wizards?”
Silence.
“Are you okay, David?” The timbre of James’s voice changed so much it sounded as if a different man spoke now.
“Not really. Just answer the question.”
“Yes. Of course we are. You know we are.”
It took a while for the words to settle in his brain. The words kept slipping through him without sticking as if the blank lines in his brain had guards knocking words away. Maybe that had been part of the spell. Even when the truth stood right in front of him, his brain rejected it.
“Why did you ask me that?” James asked.
“One more question.” He didn’t know how to do this one. “Was our childhood… bad?”
More silence.
“You’re scaring the shit out of me right now. You were there. Why are you asking me? Do you have amnesia or something?” A heavy pause. “Did you do magic? Did it do something to your brain? Come here right now. Or I’ll come get you. Where are you?”
With every question, his happy-go-lucky brother disappeared more and more. He sounded like someone else, someone David didn’t remember.
“No, I’m fine. It’s not like that. I didn’t do magic. Amanda did. She manipulated my memories.”
“What? She knows better than that. When did she do this?”
“She didn’t say exactly, a long time ago.”
“Like years?”
“I think so.”
“You’ve been walking around without memories for years?”
“I guess.”
“That’s not fucking fair.”
To me or to you?
he wanted to ask.
“Don’t worry about me,” David said. “Please don’t. I’ll get it all worked out.”
“Just answer my calls, okay?”
“I will.”
atrick froze mid-stride on his way into the family room. Samantha sat in his spot. Of all the places in the house she could have sat to read her book, she chose the exact spot he sat in to play video games. She would get it all warm and smelling of her. Her blonde hair spilled across the cushions like white neon light. The closer he got to her, the sweatier he got, and he probably smelled fully funky when he sat down next to her.
“You’re still here,” he said.
“Disappointed?” She tucked a bookmark into her book and placed it aside.
“No.”
“My parents were in a skiing accident.”
“Oh my God,” he said. “Are they okay?”
“They’re okay. Just some broken bones. They’re in a hospital in Switzerland. So I’m staying here a little longer.”
“Okay…”
Just some broken bones. Just in a hospital. No reason not to sit here calmly reading a book. She said it so quickly and calmly that he thought she might be lying, but he couldn’t imagine why she would.
“It sucks you have to be stuck with my family. I’m sorry they’re so messed up.”
“They’re not so bad,” she said. “I like it here.”
He laughed. “Sure,” he said, his tone dripping with skepticism.
She laughed too.
“Saaamaanthaaa,” Emmy wailed from downstairs. “Come on.”
Samantha dutifully answered the call. Patrick didn’t realize he had followed Samantha, as if she had him on a leash, until he had walked halfway down the stairs behind her.
Emmy held out her hand at the bottom of the stairs and grabbed Samantha’s as soon as she could reach. She pulled her toward the downstairs family room.
“I picked out the movie,” Emmy said.
Patrick followed them into the family room where Emmy had some Japanese horror movie pulled up on Netflix.
“I didn’t invite you, Patrick,” Emmy said.
“You can’t watch this,” Patrick said.
Similar Books
