I opened the door quietly when I got back home. I wasn’t sure what to expect. All was quiet as I got a glass of water from the sink and walked up the stairs. The door to Sydney’s room was closed, but mine was cracked open. I knew I had closed it when I left, and Mom and Dad were out for bowling and dinner with some friends from the lab. I froze as I saw a shadow move across the crack in the door. I half turned to go back down the stair when I heard a voice.

  “Nothing.”

  “She goes under there all the time. How can there be nothing?”

  Sydney? I shuffled across the carpet and leaned to look around the corner of the door. Sure enough, Sydney was sitting on my bed. “Why can’t we just ask her for her help? I’m sure she’d say yes.” Who was she talking to?

  I knew, though. There was only one person she could be talking to. My heart was pounding in my ears as I twitched the door open to see a little further into the room. I could feel my face getting hot, and I started to feel a little dizzy. Then, I saw him, his dark hair standing straight up from his head, covered in dust.

  I kicked the door open so hard the lamp standing beside it fell and the shade shattered. “What are you doing in my room?” My lungs felt like they were peeling off in strips.

  Sydney screamed in surprise and fell off the side of the bed, knocking over my bedside table with her. Stenway froze.

  I felt my throat ache and knew I’d just blown out my voice. “What do you think you’re doing?” I was rasping now, glaring at Stenway. I felt like the top of my head was going to lift right off, and I almost couldn’t hear myself speak over the buzzing between my ears. “What. Are you doing. In my room.”

  Sydney began to cry softly, and I saw Stenway glance over at her. “Look at me!” I ground out. “Look at me.”

  “Tyler, your sister.” Stenway took a step towards Sydney. Something in his voice made me look too; the little wooden box that I kept my journal in had fallen with the table right onto Sydney’s forehead, and she was bleeding.

  “Get out.” I took a step towards him, balling up my fists. “Get out of my room, get out of my house, just… get out. Look what you did to my sister.” I glared him down.

  Sydney whimpered. “Ty, don’t, it’s not…”

  “Get out.” I pointed out the door and Stenway fled, dust flying off of him to settle on top of the shattered glass lampshade. I pushed Sydney up onto the bed and yanked a handful of tissues out of the box on the floor. Sydney took them and held them to the cut on her head. She was still crying. I sat next to her on the bed, not saying anything.

  “I’m sorry, Tyler.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it right now. I don’t really even want you in here.” She stood up but I pulled her back down. “Don’t be stupid. What are we going to do about your head? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

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  Sydney dabbed at the cut gently, sniffing. “It really just scared me. I think it’ll be a big bump, is all. Tyler,...”

  “I don’t want to hear about it right now. I’m going to get some ice, then I’m going to stay in here and clean all this up until you feel better. Maybe I should call Mom and Dad…” I glanced at Sydney and she shook her head, eyes wide. “Alright, fine. But if you pass out or something, I’m going to.” She nodded.

  I went downstairs and got some ice, then started to clean up the mess in my room. I could only guess that Stenway was after my Supers book. As I knelt to pick up the green glass from the lamp, I glanced at the bookbag hanging from the back of the doorknob. I had forgotten to unpack my school books last night, which meant my Super’s book was tucked neatly away in it’s American History slipcover, along with all of my other boring books.

  Sydney’s sniffling had gotten louder. “Are you going to pass out, Syd?”

  “No.” I could barely hear her. I got up and looked into her face. “I’m not, I’m serious.” She sniffled again. “I’m really ok. I’m sorry.” I knelt down by the bed to pick up the nightstand, sneaking glances at her every now and then. Sydney sat with her head in her hands, one hand holding the ice pack up against the enormous lump on her right temple. Something dripped off the end of her nose and onto the carpet. I picked up the tissue box and tossed it onto the bed beside her.

  “Thanks.”

  “Yeah.” I tilted the nightstand back up onto its feet and picked up the box that had hit Sydney. Eventually, she felt good enough to stand up and walk downstairs, so I fixed us some sandwiches for dinner, keeping an eye on her. She didn’t say anything to me, thankfully, I was not ready to talk about what had happened. I was, however, ready to have it out with Stenway.

  On Monday, I tried to talk to one of the fellows all morning, but we were so busy in our classes. You could tell that we were coming up on the end of the school year; teachers were panicking a little bit and making sure we knew every little thing. Finally at lunch time I made it to the table they always sat at, and plopped my Super’s book down on the table.

  Clive looked up dangerously, but I glared right back. “I need information.” Peach looked up at me. “Peach, I need your book. I have to put all the information together.”

  Donny cocked his head to one side. “What’s happened?”

  Glancing at Clive, I muttered, “Sister issues.” He chuckled. “I’m having it out with Stenway today. I’m going to find out everything I can. He owes me. Big time.” Peach flipped his book open to the correct page and slid it over next to me. I spent all of lunch scribbling notes down in my book. Finally at the end I slammed both books shut, ate half of my sandwich in one bite, and looked up at the fellows. They had been unusually quiet, and now were watching me with something similar to awe. I crammed the last of the sandwich into my mouth and stood up. “Thanks. For all your help.”

  They all stood up as the bell rang for the end of lunch. Clive looked up at me, grinning slightly. “Go get him.”

  A few hours later, Clive’s words still in my head, I knocked on the front door of the Left mansion, my book propped on my hip. I waited for a few moments, trying to listen to what was going on inside the house. Finally, the door flew open backwards and Stenway stood over me. He stared at me blankly. I held up my book and tapped it. His eyes widened slightly. “Come inside.” The door swung shut gently behind me and I took a step towards his study, just to the side of the door. “Wait.” He grabbed my arm. “Not here. Go to the kitchen.”

  I stood firmly in his doorway. “No. Not today. I’m not here to work. You...”

  We both froze as a floorboard overhead creaked, and footsteps began moving down the hall. “I understand that, but right now I need you to pretend that you are. Go.” He pulled me out of the doorway. The stairs at the end of the hall groaned slightly. He shoved me down the hall. “Go.”