Chapter 27
1
“Happy Birthday!” John said.
He gave his sister a hug and presented her with the present he had picked out. He had spent hours looking through the various objects and tools the aliens made to benefit the progression of humans. In the end he had found something remarkably fitting.
“Woah,” Emma said, suitably impressed.
It was a rectangular puzzle the size and shape of a large picture frame. Unlike any puzzle from earth, though, this one had the benefit of more advanced technology. Emma rotated it in her hands, studying the hundred squares of shifting colors as she did so.
“There are a bunch of different settings. This one shifts the colors based on how each corner of the board is tilted. The goal is to blend the colors seamlessly from shade to shade by tilting the corners in the correct angles in the right order. There’s also settings where you can manually move the colors around to blend them. You can increase the number of squares all the way to ten thousand if you really want to go wild. I figured it would be a good way to focus your mind,” John said.
“Thank you. It’s really cool,” Emma said genuinely.
“Yeah, well. Don’t expect to spend all your time playing with puzzles. Now that you’re only two years from entering the Garden, it’s time you learned proficiency in skills besides sarcasm.”
“Like what?” Emma asked, sounding excited.
“We will talk about it all soon enough. For now, enjoy your day,” John said.
He left her in her room with her new alien puzzle and went down to the kitchen. His mom was there, meticulously squeezing little pink icing flower petals onto the yellow icing of the cake she was decorating. She gave a terse greeting, but otherwise did not interrupt her task at his entrance.
Breakfast had been hours ago, but John had slept in until nearly noon. He took two slices of long-cold toast from the waiting plate and covered them with jam. He was halfway through wolfing down the second slice when he head the door open. His father’s voice soon pervaded the house.
“I’m back! Emma, come down here and see what I got you!”
There was a distant groan of annoyance, followed closely by the sound of Emma’s door opening. She walked to the top of the stairs and paused. John could tell even from his position in the kitchen that whatever she saw her father holding had caught her off guard.
“Is that.. a walking stick?” She asked.
“Of course not! It’s a whacking stick!”
John was already back in the hallway by the time his sister had come down the stairs to closer inspect the gift her father had given her. He saw the pole in his father’s hands and marveled at the advanced construction. In fact, it wasn’t a stick at all.
“Is that some kind of metal?” He asked just as his sister took the gift into her hands.
“It is,” she said, “and it’s extremely light for its size. What is this made of?”
“Some alloy the aliens have invented. But that’s not the best part. Notice the middle section? It’s gripped for comfort. And if you twist with your front hand, a spear head pops out. Twist with the other hand and the opposite side turns into a glaive,” Jack said.
“What’s a glaive?” Emma asked.
“It’s like a staff with a machete on the end of it. But the blade is usually a lot wider than the staff. How is it concealed?” John wondered.
“Look at the end,” Jack said.
His children did as instructed and soon found what they were missing. The staff had a section of itself hollowed out to house the blade. The blade itself looked to have been split perfectly down its length to make it narrow enough to recess within the staff. The sharp edges of the blade were safely tucked on the inside of the staff until needed.
John stood clear as Emma twisted the proper section of staff to release the blade. Like switchblades on opposite swinging springs, the two halves of the glaive launched free of their housing and swung around to meet like magnets, connecting almost seamlessly to form the wide and curved blade. Their hinges were locked in place where the tip of the staff had been. John had no idea how the aliens had designed such an ingenious mechanism, but he had to admit he was impressed.
The other side of the staff impressed as well, producing an eight inch spearhead that shot into place like a bullet, giving Emma the ability to quickly end a fight unexpectedly. John had to admit it was a great gift.
“Thanks,” Emma said, hugging her father.
“Happy Birthday,” he told her.
“Well I guess since everyone else has already given you their gifts, here,” their mom said, coming into the room.
She was extending a gift to her daughter. It was concealed in pretty pink paper, the only gift to have been wrapped. Emma made short work of it to reveal a small box. Once she had torn the tape from the edges, she opened the lid and stared inside.
It was a necklace. It had a small figure resembling an angel, cupping a small teardrop shaped diamond. Her eyes were the smallest of sapphires. The three gems glittered in the light.
“Oh my god, mom it’s beautiful. How did you get this?” Emma asked.
“I’m glad you like it,” her mom smiled, not answering the question.
“Are we all ready for cake?” Jack asked his family.
“Let me put my presents away first,” Emma said, turning back up the stairs.
John joined his parents in the kitchen and watched his mom carefully place candles around the extravagantly decorated cake. It was only a few moments before Emma had returned. Before their mom had finished candling the cake, however, there was a knock at the door.
2
Everyone looked in the direction of the front door. Everyone but Jack looked confused at the visitor. He instead looked conspiratorially at John.
“Why don’t you see who that is?” He said with a smile.
John’s eyes narrowed in suspicion at his dad. He rose from the table and moved into the hallway once more. He looked questioningly at the door as he approached it.
For the second time, John felt his eyes begin to focus beyond the door. Like he could see through the wood itself, the outline of a person came into focus on the other side of it. He could only make out enough to tell that their visitor was female.
That gave him a nagging suspicion about who was standing on the other side of the door. He moved more decisively toward it, pausing with his hand on the knob. When he pulled it open, he wasn’t at all surprised to see Liz standing in wait, holding a pink gift bag.
“What are you doing here?” He asked incredulously.
“Wishing your sister a happy birthday, dummy. Thanks for inviting me by the way. Had to get your address from your dad.”
Liz walked confidently past him and into the house. She paused behind him to take in the place with appreciative eyes. Then she walked on, correctly discerning the area everyone was gathered as she moved toward the kitchen.
John shook his head as he stood in the doorway. He could practically feel the conspiracy forming against him. His fate was sealed when he heard his sister’s voice.
“Liz?! Oh my god! What are you doing here?” She exclaimed.
John shut the door as he sighed deeply. He walked slowly back to the kitchen as he listened to his family exchange greetings with Liz. When he entered the room, he caught his father’s eye.
“What?” Jack asked innocently.
“You could have told me you were sending out invitations,” he said, exasperated.
“Ahhh now what fun would that be?” His father smirked back, unrepentantly.
“A lot more fun for me,” John muttered as he saw the devious look on his sister’s face.
“Sorry if I’m a little late. It took me a while to find this bag. You wouldn’t believe how low celebrations are on the aliens’ priority list.”
“That’s okay. Thank you for coming,” Emma said in a tone of idolization.
“Of course. I wouldn’t want to miss your birthday. Even if your brother rudely neglected to tell me anything about it after asking for gift advice,” Liz responded with a look of mock scorn at John.
“Oh, here we go,” John said with a roll of his eyes.
“Wow,” Emma said, drawing the word out in exaggeration.
“What?” John asked.
“You weren’t even going to invite her to my birthday? You didn’t want her to come? Pretty inconsiderate of you, don’t you think?” Emma smirked at him.
“It’s not my birthday! It isn’t about who I wanted to come!” John exclaimed defensively.
“You know, that’s actually a good point, brother. It isn’t about what you want. It’s about what I want. Now I know you’re ashamed to be around her and all, but you could have shoved all those feelings down for just one day so your little sister could see her friend on her special day. Was that too much to ask?” Emma demanded, verbally moving her metaphorical queen into checkmate position.
John opened his mouth to respond, but realized just in time that there was no way of responding that wasn’t falling into her trap. Instead, he narrowed his eyes at her before turning his ire on their dad. Jack sat watching the exchange with amused eyes.
“Is this what you wanted?” He demanded.
“Most definitely,” Jack laughed at his son.
“I want a new family,” John said grumpily as he sat down at the table and crossed his arms.
“John!” His mother admonished.
“I got you this,” Liz said to Emma, holding out the pink bag she had brought.
“You didn’t have to get me anything! That’s so sweet of you,” Emma said, sounding almost embarrassed.
She took the bag almost nervously from Liz. She cautiously removed the tissue paper piece by piece as she stared with anticipation into the bag. A moment later, she froze as her eyes went wide.
“Oh my god! You didn’t!” Emma exclaimed.
All semblance of grace or reservation disappeared in an instant as she tore the remaining tissue paper from the bag. Her hand launched inside the bag like a striking snake. It emerged triumphantly gripping an old and half destroyed record sleeve.
“What?!” Emma shouted as she pulled the vinyl from the gift bag.
It was ‘Kind of Blue’ by Miles Davis. The sleeve was worn out and torn halfway down both edges. However, the encased vinyl appeared almost pristine when Emma carefully slid it from the sleeve.
“Are you kidding?! Miles Davis?! This was like, the second best selling record of the fifties! And it came out at the end of the decade, too. How did you find this?” She asked Liz in awe.
John didn’t bother to ask his sister how she knew so much about music that came out half a century before she was born. She had always been far behind her generation musically. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she knew the names and order of every song on the record.
“I found it in my family’s collection. We never use them, so I figured this one wouldn’t be missed,” Liz explained.
“Oh my god! You have a record collection?! You have got to let me see it sometime!” Emma exclaimed in excitement.
“Of course. Come over any time you want,” Liz said warmly.
John watched the entire exchange in bemused silence. He stared at Liz like she had betrayed him. When she looked at him, she gave him a challenging look.
“What?” She asked.
“You mean you could have given me a record for her the whole time?” He asked, offended.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Liz confirmed.
“But you let me struggle with a present idea instead?”
“Basically, yeah.”
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“Why?” John demanded.
“Because you didn’t invite me,” Liz said simply.
John opened his mouth to retort. Then he paused. He glanced at his dad, whose amused smirk had morphed into a sympathetic look of recognition. He gave a slight shake of his head while looking regretful.
John took the silent hint and closed his mouth. After a few seconds, he sighed in resignation. Then he grated out his response in a forced tone of remorse.
“I’m sorry for not inviting you,” he said.
“No problem, your dad is much more polite than you are.” Liz said dismissively.
“Oh we have got to listen to this thing,” Emma said in barely contained excitement.
“Cake first!” Jack exclaimed as she rose to take the album to the record player.
“Fine,” Emma said, sitting back down in annoyance as her mom began lighting the fourteen candles she had decorated the cake with.
“Are we all ready?” She asked as Emma sank low in her chair in anticipation of the inescapable embarrassment of the birthday song.
3
Hours later, John, Liz, and Emma sat listening to Miles Davis for about the fifth time straight. It was clear to everyone who had given the best gift as Emma gushed over the record again and again as they listened. John finally rose from his spot on the floor.
“Come on, let’s go,” he said to the girls.
“Go where?” Emma asked, sounding annoyed that anyone wanted to do anything but continue drooling over her new album.
“Come on, loser,” John said without answering the question.
Liz got up to follow as Emma grumbled. She gingerly removed the needle from her new ancient record. John waited patiently as she returned it to its sleeve and placed it neatly into the line of records next to the player.
The three of them left the house through the back door. They moved across the yard, John in the lead. He brought them to the edge of the tree line that bordered their property. They walked along it until John pulled a tree branch aside to reveal a game trail.
“After you, ladies,” he said, holding the brush aside for them.
Emma took the lead, knowing where they were going at that point. Liz stepped past John with a curious expression. He followed behind her, carefully releasing the branch behind him.
The trio moved through the trees as the trail they followed wound this way and that across the uneven terrain. Emma led them down the path as it crossed a stream, dropped over a hill, and wound through more trees than they could count. Liz took in the scene in silent admiration as they walked.
“It’s nice to be in the wilderness without all the bloodthirsty monsters, huh?” John asked, seeing her tranquility.
“It’s beautiful,” she replied.
“Just wait,” John and Emma said together.
They walked for nearly half an hour, Liz happy to traipse along in silence. John only broke her observational calm a few times to point out cool landmarks along the way. Emma chimed in with her favorites as they passed them as well.
When they were well within the woods, they came to a new creek. This one was wider than the one they had already crossed, and additionally, much more active. They turned to follow the stream along its flowing course.
Emma hopped along the larger rocks that made up the shoreline. John and Liz trailed behind her, walking side by side. Liz was content to keep taking in her surroundings as they walked, while John was finding it increasingly difficult to look anywhere but at her.
“You’re beautiful,” he said quietly before he could stop the words from escaping.
For the first time since meeting her, Liz actually blushed. She looked at him in surprise before looking away, embarrassed. She chucked him on the shoulder without looking back.
“Shut up,” she said warmly.
“Yeah, shut up John,” Emma chimed in.
“Nobody asked you, dork,” John retorted.
“Well I’m not asking either. Birthday girl rules,” Emma stated matter-of-factly.
John didn’t respond, but rolled his eyes with a smile. The two women seemed content in their own ways, one with the scenery, the other with her ability to chastise her brother. As long as they were happy, that was all that mattered.
“We’re almost there,” John told Liz a moment later.
True to his words, the path soon took them away from the water as it tumbled over the rocks and down a small cliff. The path wound around thick brush and down a steep descent to return them to the water’s edge. Below the drop off, they could see the water fall from the ten foot height and into a large pool they now stood next to.
Liz stood in stunned silence as she stared at the scene. Though they had not received any snow, the late January chill provided innumerable icicles on protruding rocks, making the waterfall almost blindingly reflective in the early evening light. A small layer of ice had formed at the edges of the pool below, where the water was most shallow. It crunched under their feet as they moved around the half frozen pool.
“Dad spent about a year damming the pool up. It still flows out at the bottom, just really slowly. He brought all kinds of stuff out here to make it more relaxing,” John said, pointing to two nearby trees that supported a hammock.
Chairs sat upside down to keep their cushions more dry from the weather. There were makeshift ladder pegs nailed into the largest tree, leading up to a thick limb that dangled over the water below. Liz looked around in awed appreciation.
“What do you think?” John asked as he settled into the hammock to watch the water fall.
“I think I’m jealous. Your spot has a waterfall. Mine just has stars half the time,” Liz said.
“Yeah, my spot kind of kicks your spot’s ass huh?” John asked.
Liz just gave him a flat look. Then she walked over and flopped onto the hammock right on top of him. He protested loudly as her elbow dug into his ribs as she got comfortable. She finally settled in a sitting position directly on top of John’s chest.
“Do you mind?” He croaked.
“Kind of. Why are you so bony? Have you never heard of empty calories?”
“My bad. I’ll be sure to put on some weight for your ass’s comfort.” John said as he shifted her off to the side.
“Thank you,” Liz said impatiently.
“Well alrighty then. Y’all are getting weird. I’m gonna go ahead and leave,” Emma said.
“Fine, go,” John said in mock betrayal.
“Thanks for showing me this really cool spot,” Liz said to Emma.
“Hey, it was my idea!” John protested.
“You’re welcome Liz!” Emma responded as though John hadn’t spoken.
“I’ll see you in a bit,” Liz beamed at Emma as she started walking away.
“Okay! Don’t stay too long. It gets dark a lot quicker in here than in the open,” Emma warned as though John wasn’t even there.
“Thanks for the advice!” Liz called as Emma tracked back up the trail and around the waterfall.
John shook his head in bemusement. He watched his sister disappear into the woods, unconcerned at her ability to find her way back home. Then he turned to Liz, who was still perched over him with her legs draped over his chest.
“You guys are hilarious,” John said with no trace of amusement.
“Thanks, our mark makes it pretty easy to mess with him,” Liz said with a smile.
4
John and Liz stayed at the water’s edge for hours, talking about their lives, telling stories about their pasts, and sharing hopes for the future. After sitting on his chest for a suitably dominant length of time, Liz adjusted herself to lay at his side. John wrapped an arm around her shoulders for comfort.
As they lay there discussing anything and everything they could think of, they both became aware of just how similar they were. Liz was the rock in her family, always there for her siblings while their mom was away. John had fallen into a similar role albeit much more recently.
He admired how long she had been the person on whom everyone relied. He thought back to the day they met, and the men he had scared away from harassing her. That must have been the first time she had needed anyone to stand up for her in who knew how long.
He thought about how quickly she had latched onto the idea of accompanying him rather than exploring alone. In hindsight, that single decision was the least in character Liz had ever been. Since that day, with few exceptions, she had never presented even the slightest need for outside help.
“I know it’s hard for you to trust. I know you’re so used to doing everything alone that you don’t even consider asking for help. So, thank you, I guess. For letting me help you.”
“You know that may have been the strangest thing I’ve ever been thanked for?” Liz replied.
John laughed.
“I mean it. Thank you for letting me in. You’re pretty amazing, but no one should be alone out there. It’s nice knowing we can watch each other’s backs.”
John could tell that Liz wanted to make fun of him. He could practically feel the snide remark pecking on the inside of her teeth as she restrained herself. Then she looked over at him with loving eyes.
“Thank you for showing me there are people out there I can trust to watch my back. I don’t have a lot of faith in the kindness of men’s hearts. It’s just good to know I could find someone to rely on.”
“You and me both. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be plant food for a giant cactus,” John said.
“And I probably would have been a snack for a thousand giant ants without you,” Liz said.
“Really? The ants? That’s the best you can come up with?”
“They were the last thing you saved me from. After that, you kind of left me to my own devices. Not that I’m complaining. I haven’t exactly been attacked by any colonies of insects since you’ve been more busy.”
“Oh, now you’re going to blame me for the ants? I told you to leave before things got bad!”
“No one is blaming you. I’m just saying everything wants to kill me more when you’re around,” Liz said.
John paused in the middle of his retort. He thought about what she said. Could that be true? Did all of the effort and dedication he had put into the Garden make things more likely to seek him out? Was that another product of the risk/reward that the Garden operated by?
“You might be onto something there,” he finally said.
“The point is, I agree. It’s nice to have support. Thank you,” Liz said in a rare moment of genuine sentiment.
“Quality over quantity. That’s what I was taught.”
“Yeah I can tell. You really took that one to the extreme, didn’t you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked in mock outrage.
“Well you only have two friends. How much quality could there be?”
“Hey, you’re one of those two! And besides, you only have like one and a half friends! At least I found you, you just found me. So I think I won the contest of friends.”
“Half a friend? Oh come on. You’re worth at least two thirds of a friendship,” Liz defended.
“I meant my devious sister, thank you very much,” John said.
“Oh she’s way cooler than you. I’m sorry but if there is only one full friend slot, I gotta put you in the fraction,” Liz said, sounding regretful.
“Betrayal most foul. I think I’ll invite Jules instead next time,” John said.
“That sounds like fun. Then I’ll have two marks to practice on,” Liz said.
“Not if I don’t invite you,” John retorted.
“Ha! You didn’t invite me this time,” Liz said.
“Shit,” John whispered loud enough for her to hear.
They both laughed, a sound that had become too rare in the insanity of the new world. It felt nice to lay there, teasing and prodding each other with words. John was grateful for her presence in that moment.
They devolved into silence once more, content to lay staring up at the forest canopy above. The sun had begun to disappear behind the horizon, not that it had been all that present before then. John let out a deep sigh of contentment.
“Thank you for coming,” he said quietly.
“I’m happy to be here,” she replied, no trace of sarcasm in her tone.
They spoke little after that, both content to simply lay together. John found himself infatuated by the smell of Liz’s hair. While Liz herself seemed preoccupied by tracing her fingers along his rib bones.
Her arm had wormed its way under his jacket and into his shirt. Her cold hands felt like a touch of ice against his skin, but John didn’t flinch away from it. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused on the contact.
Her skin was incredibly soft against his. She gripped his chest with firm certainty as her hand moved across each bone and curve of his flesh. He felt his breath start to catch in his throat.
He concentrated on the aroma of her hair as the exhilaration increased. She smelled like milk and honey. It was a scent almost sickly sweet in his nostrils. It made him want to bury his face in her hair and breathe it in like a man starving for oxygen.
“You smell good,” he said lamely.
“Uh.. thanks. You have really nice skin,” Liz replied a bit awkwardly.
Then they both laughed. It was good to know that despite everything that had happened to the humans of earth, nothing could stop the ability of two teenagers to become embarrassing piles of inarticulate flesh at a moment’s notice. They sighed at the failed attempt at flirting.
John felt Liz turn her head to look up at him and opened his eyes. She was staring up at him with brilliant blue orbs that he found almost irresistibly beautiful in that moment. They just stared at each other for a long moment.
Then John grabbed her cheek gently with his free hand and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her waiting lips. It was slow, soft, and invited much more than he had expected from Liz. His breath caught in his throat and his face separated from hers as he felt her hand slide down his chest with certainty.
“Oh shit,” he said just before her fingers snaked past his belt.
5
“Where have you two been?” Emily demanded as John and Liz stepped through the back door of the house.
“Went down to the pond,” John explained.
“I know that. Your sister came back hours ago. What took you guys so long?” She asked, sounding very suspicious.
“I’m sorry, Emily. It was just so beautiful there. I wanted to take it all in for as long as possible. There aren’t a lot of beautiful nature scenes in the city.”
Emily looked understandingly at Liz. Her face softened a great deal. When she spoke, it was in a tone of reassurance.
“Oh that’s quite alright honey. I just wish someone would have told me where they were going. It’s already dark!” Emily said, turning her accusing eyes back on her son.
“I’m sorry mom. We didn’t mean to stay out so long. We were just talking about everything and time got away from us,” John said apologetically.
“Yeah. I know what time getting away from kids looks like,” Emily said with an almost omniscient look at John.
“Mom! You have no chill!” John said, grabbing Liz’s hand and attempting to pull her out of the eyes of scrutiny.
“Dinner is in the kitchen. But it’s probably cold by now. Why don’t you make your guest a plate?” Emily asked, making it sound like anything but a question.
“Are you hungry?” John asked Liz.
“Umm, sure. I could eat.”
The two of them were soon sitting at the kitchen table, sending awkward looks at each other as they quietly picked through their food. Chicken casserole. A specialty and favorite dish of his mother’s. They had been there for quite some time, the clock nearing midnight.
John was more interested in looking at Liz than in eating. She sat almost self consciously, looking like she was being judged for simply existing. He reached out a hand to rest on top of hers.
“Thank you for that. I’m sorry it happened in a hammock. Who knew they were so hard to-”
Liz cleared her throat and glanced meaningfully behind John. He turned to see the shadow of his mother approaching from the hallway. He turned back to Liz.
“Well anyway. I just wanted to thank you for coming,” John said with a slight wink and a touch of emphasis on the last word.
Liz grew slightly red at his words. She looked down at her food and began finding an extraordinary number of vegetables she wished to shovel into her mouth. John smiled and returned to his own food.
“Thanks for letting me come,” she finally said with a quiet smirk.
“Well it was kind of hard to stop you,” John smiled, enjoying the extended double entendre.
“When I set my mind on doing something, it usually gets done,” Liz returned.
“Liz, dear? Do you want to stay the night?” Emily asked as she entered the room.
“Stay? Oh, no that’s okay, Emily.” Liz said in surprise.
“Nonsense! It’s late and I don’t like the idea of you taking one of those alien ships all the way home alone,” Emily insisted.
“I’ll go with her,” John offered hopefully before getting a swat on the head by his mom.
“I don’t want to inconvenience you guys,” Liz protested.
“Oh no, no inconvenience at all. You can sleep in John’s room.”
Both John and Liz shared a sharp look at these words. Neither responded, but Emily seemed to see through their silence.
“You can sleep on the couch,” she said to John.
“Yeah, mom. Whatever you say,” John assured her.
“Well then it’s settled. You’re staying. John, spare blankets are in the closet. I’m going to bed,” Emily said.
Then she left the room. They heard her make her way down the hallway and start climbing the stairs. John motioned to Liz not to speak until he had heard her bedroom door shut.
“She’s in rare form tonight,” he whispered.
“What do you mean?” Liz asked.
John shook his head. He laughed quietly at his mother before attempting to explain.
“We have a spare bedroom,” John explained.
“You do? Then why didn’t she just offer that to me?” Liz asked.
“Because it’s right next to my room,” John said.
“What does tha-” Liz stopped in the middle of asking John.
“Ohhhh,” she said instead.
“Yeah. You may have heard the stairs creaking like a haunted house when she went up them,” John offered.
“I did,” Liz confirmed.
“You see? She fancies herself a detective. She wants those stairs between us so she will know if I try to sneak in to see you.”
“Wow. That’s actually really smart,” Liz complimented.
“The stairs were the whole reason we have a two story house. I think she imagined protecting Emma from boys when she gets that old. I never thought it would be to stop me,” John complained.
“Well it’s a good thing she’s looking out for me. I don’t know what I would do if you came into my room at night when everyone else was asleep,” Liz said defenselessly.
“I’m sure you would think of something,” John said with a thought back to their time in the hammock.
“Excuse me? I am a classy lady. I will not have you defame my good name with such scandalous accusations! Good day sir!” Liz said, rising haughtily from the table.
John laughed and followed suit. He took their dishes to the sink and quickly cleaned them off before gesturing to Liz to follow him. He showed her to his room and made sure she had everything she needed to be comfortable.
While still holding a conversation so as to cover his actions, John flipped the latches on his window. He pulled upward on it until it was opened by a couple inches. Liz looked curiously at him as he did so.
“No screen,” he whispered at her with a wink.
When Liz was settled in, John left her with a soft kiss on the forehead and went to retrieve blankets from the closet so he could make his bed on the couch. He was sure to make as much noise as possible on the way down the stairs to reassure his mom of his final position. John sat alone in the living room as the house settled into silence.
After plenty of time for his mother to fall asleep had passed, John quietly rose from the couch. Creeping into the hallway, John grabbed the front door as quietly as possible. With excruciating slowness, he turned the handle and began pulling gently on the door.
It came open with a small jerk, and John held his breath for several seconds. When he was sure he wasn’t about to be caught, he gingerly stepped into the freezing night air. Pulling the door closed just as cautiously despite his quickly lowering body temperature.
When he had reset the door, John stepped away from the house with a smile. The hard part was over. Turning to look at his slightly opened bedroom window, John summoned the wings to his back.
What is this chapter called?
