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RO8M, Thank you for answering my biggest question, now I know why my shoulder is aching; it seems to have a lot to do with the way my arm is being twisted behind my back "ouch" I know that at some time the pressure to return to the story will get under my skin and I will relent and tell more but for now I need the break away so I can get to work on some of the other stuff I have rattling around in the space where my brain used to be; until then my thanks to you all for your generosity and following. A

I am a newcomer to this Forum but I have followed this story from it's beginning. The beauty of the story is in closeness to reality. If one were to watch the film on "Napoleon" one can clearly see how terrible these battles were. Men were simply pawns and fodder to be disposed of and disposed of they were. Guerrilla warfare was not a new phenomena even in this period. Although the story of EL TORO brings organized guerrilla warfare to a whole new level. As we see with El Toro's Army it is well organized and well trained along military lines. However, when we look at Samoso's band, it is just that a band over which there is a leader who, in Chapter 13, simply takes out 5 men and shoots them as an example rather than as the cause. The British Army of the time was "Peer" driven with the buying of officerships and very little, if any, promotion by merit. Under this method of army leadership there were often cases of atrocious leadership as we saw in the chapter describing the leadership of General Beresford. This "superior attitude" by the British Officers most of whom held or were in-waiting for their titles, actually led to our Thomas distancing himself from the British Military. Yet, the Viscount Wellington knows his worth and his value to the war effort. It was really sad to read of his pitiful offer when they met at the Ball. As someone wrote earlier, this story is a masterpiece for which one waits with baited breath for the next chapter.

Thank you for your observations, all I have to do now is put my evil mind to work so that you are directed away by a beautifully crafted Red Herring and my day will be complete.

Another Epic chapter, I loved a lot of this chapter not just the fight which was once again masterfully portrayed but also the fact that Snot could finally tell his General about his family, and i loved the letter that Thomas's father wrote him. Aswell as i enjoyed the fact that England is helping Thomas even though he is no longer an English Officer, it just goes to show what pull Percy still has through the PM. For the rest i can only join in on the praise that Ken and Jay have deservedly been heaping on Arthur in abundance.

Holy crap what a chapter. Griping is an understatement. Considering the level of detail in the military strategy. I can imagine Arthur with a giant topographic map of Spain and moving monitored soldiers around on it and taking notes as he plans this out. My hat's off to you sir. The depth of the story telling and walking us through so we can see and feel it is not even matched by some professional arthur's. Amazing work. Totally hooked and very impatient for next Thursday

I cannot get over how well written, researched and presented this story is. Arthur's attention the detail and character development makes this one of my all time favorite stories. I cant say this enough. If you have not read this story yet you are doing yourself a huge injustice.

Thank you Arthur. It is very sad to see Dummerboy end. As we read this final chapter you can not help but see hopefully more to come. You left it wide open for a book three. You have worked so hard for our enjoyment. We all after working so hard need a rest. You rest and enjoy what it is that you live for. As an artist you are with pen to page we look foreward to more of your stories. In those please give us the honor of a book three. You are the J K Rowling of CR we will so miss a weekly tail of Thomas and his men.

Thank you all for your kind words and I am glad that the emotional side was picked up by you all as it also affected me when I was writing it. I do however have to apologise for ending the story at chapter 20 as...Oh I mean chapter 21...no, no, no, it was ended at chapter 22...wasn't it? Wait why have I got a page here that says Chapter 23? Al this is all your fault, you promised I could be finished before Xmas. I am sending Loki to speak with you. A

Once again my thanks to you all for your generous following, when I started writing this (sic) "Little Tale", I never thought it would create such in-depth discussions and even some controversy where needed. While I am very used to having my head blush, you have now got the head on my shoulders doing the same thing with your positive critique's which I value very much. Reading through this forum has given me a feeling of satisfaction that no other story or site has ever done and for this I thank you all once again. Some of you know that this story was meant to only be about ten chapters long but you all know how that turned out? Hmmm, not bad for a 3rd form dropout but then it is all really fiction so perhaps nothing is true although this could be just another red herring for those who love puzzles. Welcome to the crazy world of Me, Sgt like so many before you it is a real pleasure to have your genuine input and I hope the rest of the tale will not disappoint. While I am not sure about other readers I was once a serviceman and did know all about the chances of any grunt and groan when in the service (not a shit show in hell) and that is how I have set this story to appear, besides: who the hell has time to worry about his dangly bits when some bloody fool is taking pot shots at you with a bloody big musket?

Tinker, I promise there are no red herrings in the next chapter BUT; blood and guts abound, thank you all for the kind and positive entries and the seven hundred men and boys that follow Thomas also thank you (insert deviation to story here) The last red herring will be seen in chapter 15 (or 16 or 17 or all of the above)

Ohhhh dearie, dearie me, I feel things are going to become complicated,( in reality Spain during the 1800's politically was a mess) as Thomas's army moves north, into lands that maybe not so friendly, however he does have the advantage of numbers and Percy;s spies to keep his ears to the ground. As to the return of the Felon King, he is another Disaster in the making for Spain, I guess when he does return, and if the prince is one of the Cortes that gets the chop then Thomas could loses his lands in Spain, I would think he could always return to his home valley in Portugal and create a new home there for himself and his family with the blessing of the Portugal Government. we will see as Arthur does like to keep us on tender hooks with his cunning plots.

Did someone say something about dangling plot lines? I and Loki would never do such a thing nor would I place red herrings for you to be led astray. (looks to the heavens to make sure no lightening strikes are on the way)

Received the following from our dear author: Dear Al, Well its finally come true, Alzheimer's has hit and I no longer can remember things so i am now leaving it up to you. I was looking in the forum and then was going to reply to Tinker but have forgotten my password for the login, oh how senility comes so quickly and lays us old fogeys low. If you wished you could pass onto the forum that Thinkers summations were very good but; as we both know, far off the mark. I have never been a military historian; far from it I am just a lowly JOAT (jack of all trades) with very few skills and even less sense. I have never traveled to the continent or even been within shooting distance of Portugal although I have probably drunk them dry of good port. I have served in the services but that was long ago before they used automatic weapons to make the soldiers feel good and keep their asses safe, While I like Tinkers kindness it would be remiss of me to let him think I was that good, 8th grade drop outs usually have to make up with either aggression or be just plain ugly and smart; take your pick but remember that at heart I am a real softy even if I do occasionally give Loki a bop on the nose for being a smart ass. Perhaps you could let Tinker know that I live at the ass end of the world (NZ) and the Poms (English) are not really my favourite flavour, colonials and all that Thank you Of course, I sent Arthur a new password, so perhaps he will come in and chastise me for posting the email in its entirety.

It never ceases to amaze me how well written the story has been and continues to be with the first chapter of Book 2. Arthur's writing is superb, his research exhaustive and his character development unmatched. A wonderful read. I can now look forward again to my Thursday nights. Thank you Arthur for continuing this excellent story.

My apologies for butting in. Ryan's sister contacted me and she is happy that his final stories, which I have, will be posted. She's also pleased that Almost Famous, the story Benji refers to, will also be posted in his memory. He was to have started another Sanitaria Springs story, Nevermore, and I'm hoping to get that and to try and complete it, as I knew what he was aiming for. If I can't, then I may try to wing it.

"...we never leave a brother behind in battle." Ken, those are very true words. And from one ex-military person to another, remember them always. This was moving and a beacon for hope. I want to thank you for the idea, concept and shear hard work you and the PR Team put into this Christmas Story treat for all the Forum Members. It was a wonderful gift for all of us. Happy Christmas to you and all of yours, Mary

As I hit the refresh this morning, there it was in THAT BLACK BOX the one word COMPLETED . We all knew that it was close, now Arthur there is a long time until Xmas and that should give you time to complete book 3 The Drummer Boy Adventures at Sea. With five " new stories" waiting we will look forward to seeing what is waiting for us in anticipation of some more wonderful tales of adventure and tears. Some information on Thomas's friend the Prince:- Pedro de Alcántara Téllez-Girón y Alfonso-Pimentel (1786–1851), better known as the Prince of Anglona, was a Spanish military officer during the Peninsular War and, briefly, Captain General of Cuba (from 7 March 1841 to 13 September 1843). Just maybe Thomas saw him in CUBA on his sailing adventures( hint,hint Arthur)

I have watched in awe as Arthur has crafted this brilliant tale. Like many others I have been spellbound waiting anxiously for midnight on Thursday to come around [in England that is the time we receive it] and have come to know these characters as though they were real friends. I have read some of Arthur's earlier work which is good in itself but with the Drummer Boy tales he has surpassed himself. Everything is so carefully thought through - just enough detail about the characters, their relationships, accurate research of the historical setting, knowledge of the locale [I think he has a secret stash of Smithson's maps] but more importantly it is the stuff he has left out and the openings for later enhancements that makes the rest of us feel inadequate. Like the mention of the change in Prime Minister which is alluded to in about Chapter 7 of DB2 which led to my looking up who actually was Prime Minister then and discovering Spencer Perceval who was our only PM to be assassinated. And I echo all that is said above by the others - a stunning piece of work - and thank God for the TBC!

This was a very moving chapter. It brought tears to my eyes more than once and from me that is great praise. This was well worth the extra wait. I can't help but grow a little sadder as this story draws nearer to the end. All these characters we've grown to know and love are very real. They have been given flesh and blood by Arthur and for that he has my deepest thanks. Today I began rereading Drummer Boy to refresh my memory at how far Thomas has come. It is a world away from that small, underfed young boy living in the slums of Limehouse. Kudos Arthur.

The reading gods favored us who live overseas! The chapter posted early so I was able to go to sleep smiling, happy with the knowledge that Scully was back!! With the happiness comes the shiver-just what are the guys up to with the last parade that they need Thomas out of the way for several days? And who exactly is coming? (Did you notice that even toward the end, Arthur tosses out a RH!) I love the idea of the house on the bay. It puts Thomas close to those who love him and allows him to take off for adventures if he wants too.

Sussexboi, Thank you for your concern and you may be quite correct I am a little weary and it is getting harder all the time to keep the tale going even though I do not want to disappoint the many readers; however I have now been working on this story for nearly two years since the first chapter developed so yes my brain is getting a bit fogged down. I do plan to leave the ending a little open in case I want to return to Thomas and his mob at a later date but for now I have five other story ideas waiting in the wings that I may look to first. Of course everyone knows that Drummer Boy was originally designed for ten chapters and you all know how that turned out so it has stretched my limits somewhat. I do hope you enjoy the ending when it arrives and perhaps you will keep a small place empty for my next foray into the story world. A

The curse (if I may use that term) of being an author and writer, is that we generally tend to write until the story stops speaking to us. So even though it appears that the story of Thomas Marking appears to be winding down, it won't end until Arthur writes those dreaded words, "The End". Possibly the one thing that may console us, is that when this Story ends, it will make room for other stories and characters to come out of that fertile (and possibly demented) brain of Arthur's.

Dear Dear Arthur, You know that I am one of your original fans from back in the Elios days and I send you hugs from Germany. But dear Arthur this is too much! THREE herrings!!! 3!!!! in this chapter. My heart can't handle more than one per chapter. lol As I see it the following herrings were left out there for us. 1. Where is Snot and did he stay attached to the British. 2. What is in the wagons that Thomas gathered. And finally, 3.What is going to happen to Thomas and his men now that the end is in sight. Sigh,whine (or is that wine?) do we have to wait for another week?

We see Thomas as tired as he is push forward. When he meets the Viscount we see his back bone. Taking no crap from the man and disregarding his rank. Thomas' only thought was for his friends and his men. We also saw the thought of Thomas after the war of a place for his own men and himself. None can say he dose not deeply care for them. We will have to return next time to see how he fairs in the coming fight.

Some here have talked about and end to this tail. We all know all good things end and this dose sadden me. In so saying I remind everyone even after this war much more could be added. This tail could live on in other plots and please us all. If Arthur wants to do it and is so kind to us. Another story like this one only ment to be a few chapters but has lasted for years. That story has fostered a number of web sites and is loved by many. It has it's own short movies. That story is totaly differant than this one but is no better. That is "Gone from Daylight". This story is every bit as good as that one. Just something for Arthur to think about.

Good afternoon gentlemen. I've been lurking awhile here on Castle Roland. I wrote Arthur praising his Drummer Boy story on Nifty. After asking about possible videos showing an example of the Della Guerra, he pointed me towards his web page here on Castle Roland. Holy smokes, CR had 2 chapters more than Nifty and here I've stayed. Just some random thoughts while I type this.... - Every Thurs night I uncork a new bottle of oporto wine in anticipation of a new chapter. Had to drown my sorrow that no updated was posted last Thurs. - As I started reading Arthur's stories (ex: Eventide), I did a lot of "right-clicking" researching words, phrases, real persons. For example, checked Wikipedia regarding Prince Pimentel. I wonder if Arthur will have Thomas fight alongside the him when the Prince is ordered by the Cortes to put down a rebellion by a Spanish general. - Regarding the comment about more romance, eh, just don't know. While it might spice up a story thread; in a real military setting (yes, I know...this is fiction) romance or just sexual relations will play havoc with moral in a unit. That said, I'm all for bromances. - If Arthur reads this, would love to see more interaction between Carmelo and his father Col Sharpe...I mean Grey {smile}. Well, got to run. Glad to be here...

I live in Japan how you think i feel i have to wait until Friday at 9 am to read it every week lol Honestly it one of the things that get me threw the week and what i look forward to all week. Another great chapter as always I think it would be interesting if Thomas ran into his first commander again and show him how far he came maybe even run into Carmelo step father would be interesting haven't heard from him in along while mostly after he taught Thomas so much.

I've been reading the stories on Castle Roland now for about a year, I think. I like the Revolutions Universe, of course Kandric Universe and a lot of the other authors. I'm a fan of Arthur, Chowhound, Eric Aune and Ken Barber and several others. Sorry I don't remember all names (at the moment), but I hope I'm not standing on any toes, here. English is not my native language; but about 95% of the stories I read online is in English. Some German and ofcourse Dutch. While some stories online alas were never finished... (other sites). Hopefully The Kandric Saga will continue. It's anyway the oldest story I follw and I've read it from the early start. I've chatted with Kyle many times. Before I was just a reader, a lurker in the background. I will try to make myself at home here and try to make comments on many more stories. H.

As others have said, another good chapter, I wonder if Ensign Pratt, is inline to join Thomas merry band, Percy seems to have his finger on the pulse with regard to Thomas letting Ensign Pratt keep the Golden Eagle. Also Ensign Pratt seems to be of the right Character to fit well into Thomas's band of rogues, and for sure I think some of the Viscounts senior officers will try to take the credit from Ensign Pratt if they follow true to form. I get the feeling the prince is up to his mischief making again, we have to look forward to see what and how he plans to make the English officers uncomfortable again.

Another really, really good chapter. Very comfortable and reassuring to see how close all the men/boys are in Thomas' army. Thomas is one of the guys at mealtime, but even then it's clear he's at the center of their thoughts and loyalty.

I can not agree more Ken. Arthur is showing us what a true artest he is. Can we say this story has been viewed by more people than anyother on CR. We knew it was good way back then and even better now. I will have to say other storys by Arthur are very good and well worth the read. House of Vladd all three book and The Twilight Galaxy Motel. If you have not read those you should. This story always improves it self from one chapter to the other. That is way I am such fan of his work.

As always am outstanding chapter. Maj. Jones never told Thomas about the new guns nor Snot's seeing his family. Lots of questions left open. Thats why we keep comeing back. I see Thomas as a good commander keeps in mind what he is doing is helping the English. He also keeps the bigger picture in mind, with out hurting his ego. It was the first time I can remember Thomas getting homesick. We all would miss our familys. Him think more of his Mother now says he may bring them to him. We will only hope. It was tuching for the two boys taking his last name. Thomas just accepting as part of his family was very nice. His batman dodeing must get on his last, but still he is accepting. The protectionism of his officers, he is so loved by so many. I just wonder if he knows. None of them have told him how much he is loved, but actions talk lauder than words. There is a deepper story here you just have to find it. I look so foreward to each add chapter.

Toby, The attitude of the more titled folk of the day considered anyone below their own social class to be inferior and that is the reason for most of the lack of manners or understanding but also the lower classes had very little time for the upper crust or "Toffs" as they were usually called so it went both ways but I am trying to set the tale from the pint of view of someone that is of the lower classes but is trying his best to do better. The "Toff's" don't like the idea and think everything Thomas does is beneath them so he therefore is due little respect by those above him. Is this a red herring? Hmmmmmm.

Thanks very much for your personal response, Sir Arthur. That was very kind of you. Now I am more impressed than ever, to learn that this masterpiece is written by a man who has overcome so many obstacles in his life… Alzheimer’s, senility, JOAT-ism, middle-school education, displaced aggression at Loki, and isolation at the ass-end of the world… not to mention wondering around without his password. In any event… your story about Thomas and his companions is greatly appreciated for the captivating storyline, the wonderful characters, and all the fine details. At the very least, we fans owe you a cask of port. All the very best to you, Arthur. (…and Loki, and Al)

Same here, Ken. In fact, I’ve surmised Sir Arthur must be a professional British Military Historian who was born and raised in Spain, and has several close Portuguese cousins with whom he frequently reenacted Peninsular War battles when they were children (or perhaps yet at family gatherings). He is either on faculty at Cambridge, or on staff at the Royal College of Defense Studies… or retired from a long distinguished career at such a post. Otherwise, how on Earth could he possibly know all this stuff? It would be really amazing to learn that a casual writer does this level of research solely for our entertainment. (Not that we aren’t worthy, or appreciative.) J For example, our colleague MilitaryPress mentioned to me how really vital guerrilla units were against the French, and how young some Spanish officers were at the end of the war. I know nothing of such things, and although I looked up some basic stuff about the Peninsular War just after I started reading Drummer Boy, I certainly don't know that level of detail... so I took time to Google further. MilitaryPress was certainly right, on both counts. One of the top guerilla leaders was only 19 (only 6 or 7 years older than Thomas) when he fled to the hills and formed a small unit that grew to more than 1,200. (...good looking guy, too) So, there's some reality to this story that goes much deeper than names and dates of battles, commanders, and the color of their uniforms. (MilitaryPress was making the point that it's okay to believe that perhaps Thomas was real... because perhaps this is not so farfetched to believe about a boy so young if he has the right character and motivation.) By the way... in my Googling around, I discovered the “Prince of Anglona“ and “Prince Pedro Pimentel” is the same person. I was confused, and thought they were two different characters, but there were things about that understanding that didn’t fit well. Now I’ve got it sorted. In October 1812, the Cortes sent the prince to arrest another Spanish general for trying to start a military uprising in opposition to Wellington’s appointment as generalissimo of the Spanish army. This fact points again to Sir Arthur’s attention to real details as he mentions the Spanish officers being under the English, and hints of how they felt about it. We can also see why they'd like to have a little fun at the ball at the expense of the English commanders. Yeah… the level of Arthur’s detail is incredible. I agree too about his ability to develop believable characters… some, you become emotionally attached to… others, you really hope to see destroyed because of their folly.

Well it would appear that Thomas is now the"owner" of Marking Shipping Company ! Mr. Percy and the Council have now made sure that Thomas's Army have enough Guns and ammunition for a few battles. I can see in future chapters that this and the French vessels that will surely join the Company, will I am sure make Thomas and his family be reunited in Spain once the Peninsular Campaign draws to a close. The Council will take care and now they are sure that El TORO is back there will be some extremely embarrassed British Officers at the Ball, I have an inkling that Colonel Grey is well aware that Thomas will be there and will help in the "fun" that the Prince has in mind. A peaceful and prosperous New Year 2017 to every one here.

Yes, I totally agree with you Al. Arthur should be cackling with glee, he so richly deserves ALL of the praise that he gets from everyone who posts here. It shows that his writing is enjoyed by everyone who reads it and the next chapter is eagerly awaited, with all of the twists and turns in the plot that Arthur is going to surprise us all with and that I am surely waiting for. Even though I said before until the last Friday of 2016. A very Merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year 2017 to every one here.

Each and every chapter just improves on the next. This is why this story is so outstanding. From the very first chapter till now it keeps you just wanting and waiting for the very next one. Few storys are able to do that our hats off to Auther.

There is nothing for me to add except my total agreement with the praises already posted by others. If Arthur's head is a little larger, it is no doubt from how much he exercises his brain muscle! ...and we DO like him, too. :-) I concur, retirement is probably far from Thomas' mind... which must be a general mess because of what he's been through, struggling to stay alive for the past six weeks. The pain, physical weakness, drugs, confusion, and now shock of seeing his poor image... it will take a while for him to start processing and thinking clearly again. Still, “fighting the French” seems to be so engrained I doubt he will consider giving up the fight even if he must make adjustments in how he fights. On the other hand, I hope the time he spends recovering at his awesome new “home in Spain,” helps him start looking beyond the war, when Spain and Portugal are liberated and peace comes again. Maybe he can imagine himself settling down here with his friend Carmelo after the war, raising some of those fine horses and helping Estaban, their neighbor, reestablish his family’s bull breeding business. Long ago, the destitution of Limehouse had killed the hopes and dreams of a small boy. Perhaps he will discover soon some new hopes and plans for his future. (Just a thought…) But first, there’s a war to finish.

WOW !!! What can you say? This newest chapter dose not disapoint. I thought maybe the next book mite not be as good as the first. I was mistaken even thou book 1 was outstanding and remarkable, the begaining of book 2 is even better.

After searching Youtube, I finally found the original video that I took the de la Guerra from. The drummers are known as "Tamburi medievali di Brisighella". They are an Italian group that travel Europe and do re-enactments in Ren-Fairs.

h2.western { font-family: "Liberation Sans",sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; }h2.cjk { font-family: "Microsoft YaHei"; font-size: 16pt; }h2.ctl { font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; font-size: 16pt; }p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; } A Halloween SurpriseOctober 31, 2002: I flipped open my phone when it rang and showed Alex as the caller. "I'm on the way," he said when I answered. "Wait outside for me." "Okay," I replied. I pushed my teeth in, pulled down my mask, and looked in the mirror. I made a pretty poor imitation of Dracula, but I liked the look just the same. The mask covered down to my nose, and though my red lips and fake fangs weren't very convincing, it looked good enough. My cape was an old satin drape that my mother had dyed purple and sewn up to fit. It was the best part of the costume. I went downstairs, picked up my trick-or-treat bag, and posed while my dad took pictures. He was dressed like a pirate, complete with a dagger in his sash and an eye patch. My mother was dressed as Betsy Ross, although I don't know how anyone was supposed to figure that one out. She wasn't sewing a flag, which would have been a nice hint. She did look like a lady from colonial times, though, and I liked that my parents joined the fun on Halloween. "You're leaving now?" my father asked. "Yeah, Alex just called. He'll be here in a second." "Got your whistle?" he asked. I pulled it out to show him. The whistle was to use if older kids bothered us, which had never happened, but it could. "Okay, have fun then," Dad said with a cheerful smile. I stepped outside, only to meet a group of trick-or-treaters coming up our walk, an adult watching from the sidewalk. I bared my fangs as I passed them, and giggled when a little girl squealed. It sounded more like delight than horror, but it was a squeal just the same. I got out to the sidewalk and looked for Alex, who wasn't in sight yet so I just looked around. I liked what I saw, too. Porch lights were on, and pole lamps decorated with bits of straw, so the neighborhood was brighter than normal, and the cars going by were moving slowly. Kids were out in little groups, and you could hear ‘trick-or-treat' from all directions. Porches had pumpkins on them, some carved into Jack-o-Lanterns, and a few homes had scarecrows. Other families decorated with cardboard skeletons, witches and ghosts dangling from porches and trees. It was probably as typical a Halloween as you could find in an American suburb. It's not a Jewish celebration, but our little family always played along. I looked down the street again, and there was still no Alex, so I started walking toward his house, which wasn't far. Then I thought better of it, because he often cut through yards to come over, so I went back to our house and walked around to the back. He wasn't there either. I called him, and got his voice mail. I flipped my phone closed. Voice mail usually meant his battery was dead, and that was just like Alex. He had a real air space between his ears when it came to things like maintaining his phone. The phone said it was six-twenty, and he'd called me at six. His house was only a couple of minutes away, so I went inside and told my parents I was going to walk over there, and to tell Alex to wait if he showed up while I was gone. I didn't put it past him to do a little trick-or-treating on his way over, so he'd have something to ruin his teeth with while we went around. I got all the way to his house, and there were some kids on his porch getting candy, so the door was open. I went over and asked Mr. McKenna if Alex was still there, and he seemed surprised. "No, Sandy." I could see concern spread across his face. "Honey," he called inside, and his wife appeared there. "Alex didn't come back, did he?" Alex's mother looked alarmed right away. "No," she said nervously, and looked at me, "He left a good twenty minutes ago." Her hands went to the sides of her face, and she said, "Oh, Lord!" Mr. McKenna said, "Don't get all panicky. Stay here, and I'll go with Sandy to find him." "Should I call the police?" she asked. Mr. McKenna looked at her and took a deep breath. "Yeah, call them just in case." He gave her a hug and said, "I'll be right on this block. He's probably bending someone's ear." He touched my shoulder and said, "Come on, Sandy." When we got to the sidewalk he said, "Take off your mask so people can see who you are. Then you can ask if anyone has seen Alex." I did that, and took out my vampire teeth, and people immediately began saying hi to me, and I asked after Alex. Mr. McKenna recruited some neighborhood men, and they walked up the street on both sides bellowing Alex's name, but there was no response. We soon saw a police car go by, and chased it to the McKenna's house. Mr. McKenna accosted the officer before he was halfway up the walk. "Officer, my name is Scott McKenna. This is my house, and my wife called." He was nervous and out of breath, gulping air to get words out. "Our son left to go trick-or-treating right about six, and he was supposed to go with Sandy here." He pulled me close, "This is Sandy Cohen. He lives right around the corner. It's not a two minute walk, and Alex never got there." The officer processed all that, looking a bit confused by Mr. McKenna's heavy Irish accent, and asked, "Okay, so the boy is missing?" Boy, I could see that Mr. McKenna didn't like that word, and his lower lip started quivering. "We can't find him. Sandy said his cell phone is off, and I made sure he had a hot battery before he left. He called Sandy on it, then a few minutes later it was dead." The officer said, "I hate to ask you this, but has your boy ever run away?" "No," Mr. McKenna said. "Why would he?" A small, concerned, crowd had gathered, and the officer said, "I think we should go inside." He looked at me and said, "You too, Sandy," then he turned to the people gathered there and said, "The best thing you can do right now is turn on all your outside lights and look around. Call out!" Mrs. Fournier, who lived in the corner house, said loudly, "Sir, I saw Alex go by my house right around six. He said hello when I was getting my mail." The officer looked at the people there and asked, "Anyone else see him?" He looked at Alex's dad and asked, "Was he in costume? What was he wearing?" His father shook his head as if to clear it, and said, "A bum … a hobo. Tan pants, a ratty plaid shirt, an old knit ski cap. He had black blotches on his face and a corncob pipe." He looked at the officer, then added quickly, "And red sneakers. They were painted red, not red from the store." Another man said, "I saw him, then. I remember those shoes. I live right across from the Fourniers, and I saw him stop there to talk." At that point, the policeman led us inside, and he asked to use the phone. At least he didn't think it was a joke, because he was suggesting an Amber alert, and he got it. He was excited when he hung up, and said, "I need a recent picture, a description, anything at all that's outstanding. Everything is important now, so lets get to it. Others will be here momentarily, and we'll start with a search of the neighborhood." He looked at me and Alex's parents standing there, and asked bluntly, "Are there any people in this neighborhood who strike you as suspicious? Anyone at all?" Mr. and Mrs. McKenna looked at each other, then back at the officer, and they both shook their heads, but without a lot of conviction. I honestly thought they were going to fall apart, so I called my own parents. My father answered, and I whispered, "Dad, can you come down to Alex's house? He's gone, and I think his parents need help." My dad's voice sounded suddenly like death itself. "Gone? What? Uh, okay. We'll be right there." I could hear him talking anxiously to my mother before he hung up the phone, and they were knocking on the front door in about three minutes. They still had their costumes on, but they didn't look ridiculous. My dad went right to Mr. McKenna, and my mother went to his wife, and within a minute the neighborhood lit up with flashing lights. More police came to the house, and they introduced each other in turn, and a state officer showed up and announced that he'd be in charge. I was scared out of my mind, but I have to say I was impressed. It wasn't seven-thirty yet, and all those people were there, and they seemed to know what they were doing. They even brought their own phone system. I had to sit out of the way in the McKenna's den, but the door was open and I could overhear some things, all of it encouraging. I turned on the television and started going through channels, and it wasn't long before I saw the face of my friend, and backed up to see what it was. It said Amber Alert over the top, and there was a lady's voice giving out information about Alex. It scared me, because she said he was missing, and the circumstances were unknown. The screen was covered with phone numbers, but one number was prominent, and had apparently been set up just for Alex. I sank into my seat and worried, wishing my mother or father would come to tell me they found Alex, but that didn't happen. There was a lot of activity, but nothing happened; nothing at all. * * * * * Alex McKenna always made me feel good about myself, and I guess I did the same for him. He was my first friend when we moved to the neighborhood, and we became good friends in no time at all. We just clicked, and there was nothing more to it. Whatever we did was fun and funny, and as long as we did it together, we kept each other laughing, even when we got in trouble for it. We even looked alike, at least a little, and Alex gave me my nickname of Sandy because of the color of my hair. My name is Sam. Alex has the same color hair more or less, and we both have freckles, but he has a million more than me. I only have some little ones around my nose and cheeks, but Alex has them all over, and on his shoulders, and halfway down his back. We had other friends, together and separately. We had common interests, but not everything. My big thing was making models, and I caught that bug from my father. We have a huge and elaborate train set in the basement that we work on all the time. Alex liked to watch it run, but he'd also lay a pretzel across the tracks to derail me. He wasn't very interested otherwise, but he did like to watch the trains run, and he'd run them himself. He never helped much with our work expanding the set. Alex liked art, and he was okay at it. My first ever out-loud swear was to call him Picasshole when he tried to pass off a two-headed, red lady with five blue tits as art. Draw me a lady, draw me a cow, but get the boobies right! We did get along better with each other than anyone else, and when we got mad, we never stayed that way for long, because we would both come out from the other end of the anger thinking it was funny to begin with. We could talk forever about nothing much, and sometimes we became serious. I remember watching that movie, "Holes", at his house once. I liked it a lot, and Alex only liked it at the end, but his past was different than mine. I thought the first part was too unlikely, not that it bothered me. Alex thought it was all too true, and he turned away a lot of times. But we both also laughed lot watching it. We were friends, and I didn't have a better friend than Alex. We were connected, solidly, if not at the hip like my mother often suggested. Friends. I never expected Alex to disappear, but that's exactly what he did. On Halloween night, Alex vanished, and neither all the king's horses and men, nor the Amber alert, nor a town full of hopeful people, could turn up a trace of him. He left his house to walk to mine, a two minute walk, was seen at the corner, and then he went poof. It was Halloween, so there were people out everywhere, and lots of parents taking their kids around for trick-or-treat. The neighborhood was lit more than usual too, just because it was Halloween, yet Alex McKenna simply disappeared somewhere between his house and mine, and after a long time, he appeared to be gone for good. His story was on television several times, and on different programs. Nothing worked. I knew from listening that there was little hope that I'd see Alex again, and that was a gut-wrenching idea to face. The reality was that I had other friends, so my life went on, even though I felt an empty spot where Alex belonged. I never once thought he was dead, but most people seemed to after so much time went by. I didn't understand that really, because I thought that surely, if he'd died, I would have known it. I just pictured Alex trapped somewhere that I couldn't know about, and felt that when he got out, I'd be the first person to know. Far too frequently, I'd hear of other disappearances, and as I got older I started following the stories. It was usually a sad thing to do, because it seemed that most kids abducted by strangers didn't live out the first day; and their fates were brutal. There were barely enough successes to keep a little hope alive, and I stayed close with The McKennas. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, we all talked about a living Alex. Today, Alex wouldn't even merit an Amber alert, because there was nothing to indicate an abduction. The system was brand new, in its first few weeks actually, when he disappeared, and the authorities wanted to test the mechanics of it. Alex McKenna has the distinction of being the state's first Amber. When Alex first disappeared I was afraid for him; a fear that turned to despair over time, and my feelings had numbed over the years. I thought of Alex often, but never as a dead person, even though I understood that was the most likely thing. My thoughts of him were fleeting, more like recalled snippets of a different life. I wasn't twelve anymore; I was fifteen and looking forward to being sixteen. I didn't do much of what I used to do with Alex anymore either, but when I first went paint-balling I thought of Alex a lot, just because I knew he would have been thrilled by the fun of it, like I was. Still, there were times when his absence created a palpable shift in my reality. Certain music, certain weather, certain scents; they could all put Alex at my side, even if just for a moment in time. I'd sense him in the shadows then; silent and weightless in the dark. Those were the times I really missed him, and I'd find myself wondering about life and death, about God and Heaven. When that first autumn turned to winter and there was still no sign of Alex, that was the hardest. No Alex for backyard football, no Alex to be all excited about Christmas, or my Hanukah. I started to lose my faith, and it was ironically Father Andrews from Alex's Catholic church who prodded me into talking to Rabbi Schwartz. Peter Schwartz was a young-looking guy with a lot of nervous habits and a loud voice, and I was afraid of him at first. Over time, though, he helped me make sense of faith, and belief. He also helped me big time through the Torah, because a lot of it scared me. My own religion frightened me! The Jewish concept of afterlife isn't nearly as simple or well-defined as Heaven and Hell; more like the next world, with still another World to Come. As a Jew, I could be a good person; a wonderful person even, who never once did an evil thing, but I could still end up in Gehenom if I wasn't pure enough to sit with God in Gan Eden. Gehenom, as I had it figured, wasn't exactly a punishment like Hell, although it could be, but it wasn't a reward either, nor was it necessarily permanent. It's where you get a look at yourself for the first time, and begin facing the afterlife contemplating yourself. Gan Eden and Gehenom are kind of like holding stations where we await the World to Come. To Jews, the Afterlife is more-or-less a personal belief, for these things aren't stated explicitly in the Torah, yet the Afterlife seems as real as our hands, and our souls are God's very essence. I could read that over and over, but it took Rabbi Schwartz to help me understand. "Sammy," he said one day, talking about Torah, "These words were put down by the ancients in languages long dead. What we get to read are translations of translations of translations, and the words frighten because they are the words of frightened men. God was new then; a new concept." He chuckled, "Like never before seen, just like that snake lady at the fair." I laughed. Peter said, "Keep that fear in mind when you read these passages. Those men saw God as a thunderbolt in the sky, aimed at them. I think we know better these days, so look behind the words for meaning. Don't let it frighten you so much." I said, "It's still hateful sounding." "I know," Peter said. "I know. That's where you have to think of the translations and how inaccurate they may be, and look at different texts, because they do contradict, and they don't always portray a loving God." I looked at him and asked, "Is there a loving God?" Peter lifted his glasses and said, "Oh, yes, of course." Somehow, those few words made me feel better, and I studied, and had my bar-mitzvah celebration when I turned thirteen. I would have invited Alex that day, but it was a great day without him. In the eyes of my parents, I was a man, although still suspiciously subject to bedtimes, report card reviews, and fingernail checks. After that, Alex was mostly a memory. I really did think of him at times, but no longer in terms of alive or dead, just in terms of Alex and me. I've already said that certain things could evoke a memory, and in those moments Alex was still there with me, but he was gone most of the time, and I had a busy life. * * * * * October 31, 2005: The school door hadn't closed behind me when my phone vibrated. I thought that it would be Liz, who I was taking to the block party that night, but when I looked it was a number I didn't recognize, and from a florist business. I didn't answer, thinking someone dialed wrong, but after I thought about it, I called back just in case. I got an answer before I even heard it ring, and a voice said softly, "I can't talk. Don't turn your phone off." His voice had changed, but not the accent. I began to tremble and said, "Alex?" but to dead space. I looked at my phone, and looked again at where the call came from. I stood there looking at the phone in my hand, shaking from the shock of hearing Alex. I was absolutely, totally confused, and whatever I called my thought process had completely vacated my head. I had just heard Alex McKenna's voice after three years, and I couldn't get that thought all the way through my mind to do something about it. It took a slap on my shoulder from Greg Simonds, who said, "Hey, Cohen. Going to the block party tonight?" I looked at him, my phone in my hand, and pointed at the phone, and I must have been a sight. Greg is a good guy, but hardly what anyone would call a sensitive person. Usually. Right then, he seemed to see the same ghost I did. His eyes went wide and he said, "Jeez, Sandy. Are you okay?" My mouth opened and I nodded, still pointing at the phone, and I finally managed to gulp and say, "Alex. Alex called." Greg looked at me like I'd lost my mind, which wasn't far from the truth, and then his eyes went even wider. "McKenna? Alex called? He's alive?" I nodded, and Greg said, sounding suddenly as nervous as me, "Call the police, man. What'd he say?" I found my tongue. "He said he can't talk, and leave my phone on. Wait a second." I still had the Amber number programmed into the phone, and thought if it was still good, I should call there first, but I didn't want to use my phone. "Let me use your phone," I said to Greg. "I don't want mine tied up if he tries to call again." "What's the number?" Greg asked, and he dialed as I read it off to him. Then he handed me the phone. I had no idea if that number was still valid, but it rang in a few seconds, and was picked up right away. "Amber line for Alex McKenna. Do you have information?" I almost choked on the words, but I said, "Yes. This is Sam Cohen, and I just had a call from Alex." "McKenna? Alex McKenna?" I could tell that she was reading. "Cohen … Sandy Cohen?" "Yes," I said. "I have this phone number. Alex just called me. I'm sure of it." "Where are you, Sandy?" "I'm at Rockville High, right on the front steps." She said, "Stay right there. I have an officer on the way. Tell me what you know in the meantime." "Well, my cell rang, and it was a call from some florist. I decided to call back in case it wasn't just a mistake, and Alex answered." "You know it was Alex?" "It was him," I said emphatically. "Nobody talks like Alex." I was concentrating on talking to the lady, and it took Greg nearly tearing my arm off to make me realize that three police cars had pulled up to the school plaza, and a bunch of cops were headed right to me, walking quickly. I said, "The police are here," into the phone, and she said to hang up and talk to them. The first cop took a look at Greg with his dark hair, and turned to me. "Sandy?" I nodded. He asked, "You heard from Alex McKenna?" His voice was full of dubious-sounding surprise. "It was Alex," I said simply. "You could recognize the voice?" "No, not really," I shrugged, "My voice changed, his voice changed, but nobody talks like Alex. Not around here anyhow." One of the other officers spoke up, and said, "I worked on the case back when Alex disappeared." He smiled a little my way, then said, "The McKennas came from Northern Ireland, and you really do have to get used to that accent." He looked back at me and asked, "Can you come to the station with us? I'm sure a whole lot of people will want to talk to you." I looked at Greg, who hadn't been invited, but he held his phone out to me and said, "Call home." Then he smiled and said, "I mean phone home, E.T." "Yeah," I thought, and called my mother at work. I got her voice mail, left a message, and knew she'd be at the police station before me if the connections were right. I got to ride in the front seat of one of the cruisers, and actually took a few seconds to appreciate the equipment in there before I read the information from Alex's call off, and the officer relayed it on to someone over the radio. When we got to the police station, and went in through the back, I realized that my excitement had its usual effect on me, and asked for a boy's room in a hurry. That wasn't a problem, and I was shown the door to a lavatory and told to wait right there in the hall when I was done. When I came back into the hall, there were other officers there, and a few I remembered from three years before. One of them, Detective Armack, said, "Hi, Sandy. Remember me?" I said, "Yes, sir." He tugged my shoulder and said, "No need for formality. Let's go talk." He led me down the hall, turned down another one, and went into a room with a long table and not much else in it. He said, "Sit where you like. Want a soda or something?" I said, "Water?" as I sat, and other people filed in. I recognized some of their faces from the original investigation. I was nervous. A lady came in with a bottle of water for me. The room was an anxious place while we all took chairs and sat down. Detective Armack looked around until things quieted. "Okay, let's get started." He looked at me, "Sandy, we just want to hear, in your own words, about the call you got." His eyes focused on me, "Are you sure it was Alex McKenna, or could someone have been playing a joke on you." I said, "I'm sure. People always tried to copy Alex's accent, and it's not possible." I thought, and added, "It's not just the pronunciation, it's everything." I looked around and said, "Alex is alive." I added quickly, "And he has a phone now." I saw skepticism on about half the faces there, but the detective leaned toward me and asked, "What were his exact words, Sandy?" I said, "When he called, I didn't answer. I thought it was just a wrong number, but then I remembered that people borrow phones sometimes, so I called back. I didn't get to say anything, but Alex said, ‘I can't talk. Don't turn your phone off,' and then he was gone." The detective had a pen in his hand, and he tapped it absently on the table before asking, "Was it a good connection? Was there noise in the background? Anything?" I looked at him. "All I heard was Alex, and that's all I heard." The man smiled at me. "I understand. It must have been quite a shock." I smiled back. "It sure was. I'd probably still be staring at my phone if my friend didn't smack me." Everyone chuckled, and an officer came in the room and touched the detective's shoulder to get his attention. Detective Armack turned to him and asked, "Anything?" The cop seemed nervous, and he looked around. "We got the phone and the florist. The phone goes with a delivery truck, and he's still on the road. Guess what?" He said that in a way that drew the attention of everyone in the room. "The delivery guy, he's been there a long time, but he has a longer record." He eyed me before continuing, "All molestations. All young boys." I stared at him, but he didn't look back at me, and the room was full of murmurs. "Where is he now?" the detective asked. "Under surveillance. There are units all over him, but nobody's seen a kid yet." The detective tapped his pen some more, then looked at the officer. "Good going. Tell them that if they don't see that boy before dark to nail the suspect anyhow." He looked at the cop, "What's his name?" "Wayne Bach: b-a-c-h, like the composer." The officer seated right next to me pushed his hair back with his hand and leaned back in his chair. "Wayne. What is it with that name? I swear, half the baby rapers on this planet are named Wayne or Dwayne." The other guys looked around, mildly surprised, and seemed to agree. I was just disturbed by the terms … molester, baby raper. I think I'd always known in the darker reaches of my mind that boys like Alex weren't kidnapped to become family members of the kidnapper, but I'd always blocked out the thought of actual sexual abuse. When Alex disappeared, we didn't know squat anyhow, at least not more than the difference between boys and girls. And Alex thought girls had two red faces and five blue boobs. We were innocents; mere children in a clean, suburban world. I knew more at fifteen. I knew about sex, and I had a profound interest in learning a lot more. I knew about gays, too, and thought I probably already knew one. What I didn't understand were predators, nor could I fathom the motives that could lead them to rape, and particularly to kill afterward. I hadn't been tested, but I thought I could defend myself or a friend, but I would only hurt an attacker enough to stop the attack. I knew anger, but not anger that would lead me to violence. So I was more worried about Alex than I had been since he disappeared. I don't think he would have given in easily to any kind of sexual assault, but he was twelve when he vanished, and not a big boy by any stretch. He was active, and strong for his size, but he could have been easily overpowered. Now the police made it seem like he'd be found shortly, and I frankly worried about what he'd be like when they found him. When we left that room, my folks were in the station lobby with the McKennas, and by then they knew what I knew, so it was all hugs and tears, and I started crying a little when Alex's father picked me off the floor with his hug. "Oh, boy," he said. "Have we been waitin' on this day or what?" He put me down and danced a little Irish thing, and when he stopped he grinned, "Who'd a thunk it? Right in the middle of another day, and Alex calls, straight out the blue!" His eyebrows were bouncing with glee, and he said, "Try this, Sandy," and started dancing again. I just grinned and backed off, bumping into my own father. He put a hand on each of my shoulders and said, "If you don't dance, I will." I glanced at him, and he had a huge smile. "It's a happy day, son. Let's all dance!" So we did, and Mr. McKenna's jig blended pretty well with our Hora. I caught the happiness fever soon enough, and danced with abandon. I was happy all over, and for a few minutes I was shaking all over. Alex's mother and mine were sitting side-by-side, both with tears running down their faces. It was my mother, but even I thought it was cute when they dabbed at each other's eyes with tissues. I could see that they were happy, but unable to rein in their emotions. I suppose I was doing the same thing in a different way with my dancing, and we only danced for a couple of minutes. Then we all sat down, and didn't have a lot to say. The police kept us busy for a little while. They had called my cell phone company to make my number also ring on one of their lines, and we had to test that. There were occasional new questions, but no new information reached us, so we mostly sat there. I decided I should block all my friends from calling, and that took a few minutes. We all got up and walked around independently of each other. There were things on the walls; workplace rules, wanted posters, things for sale. They were all mildly distracting for a couple of minutes, but to be honest, I was bored. I was about ready to take a walk outside when an officer hurried in to tell another, "He's on the run. Let's go!" I had no reason to believe that was about Alex, but that's exactly what I believed. I thought the florist driver had noticed that he was being watched, and he took off. Or worse, he realized his cell phone was missing, so he was hurrying back to where Alex was hidden. I panicked and stood up, "What's happening?" One cop looked at me, rolled his eyes, and came over. "The florist truck just left at high speed. Don't worry. He's covered, and they're not chasing him." Just then my phone vibrated, and I flipped it open so fast that it bounced closed again. "Damn!" I said, and opened it instantly, but I'd lost the call. Or not. Suddenly, the name of the florist was back, and when I put the phone to my ear I heard Alex talking for the second time that day. "I don't know exactly where I am on the property," Alex said, "but this phone has GPS for the truck." I knew it was important, but I butted in anyhow, quickly, to say, "I'm here, Alex. Keep talking." To my surprise, he said, "Hi, Sandy! You okay?" "Me?" I asked. "I'm fine. It's you we …" The officer in the other room said firmly, "Please, guys. Let's end this situation first, and you can talk all night." "Sorry," Alex said. "Sorry," I said. Then I listened while Alex went back to telling the policeman how to get to where he was, and that there were false entrances and booby traps. I felt like an idiot for butting in on that, but I still smiled, and I said to our parents, "He sounds just like Alex," and thought to put the mute on, then the speaker phone, and we all listened. It was mundane, but it was Alex speaking, and his parent's faces took on a dreamlike quality. I think mine did, too. Alex! The more I heard him talk, the more I believed he was back, and whatever had happened to him, he sounded just like Alex. It sounded like even three years hadn't dimmed his cheerfulness, and his parents were alternately laughing and wiping away tears. Suddenly, there was action in the police station, and the conversation ended, so I picked up my phone while I watched. I took it off mute and speaker-mode. "Alex?" I whispered, not sure if he was still there. "Hi," came his reply. "What's going on?" "I can't tell," I said honestly. "There's a lot going on, but nobody's calling the plays. It just got busy here. Are you okay?" Alex snickered, "Where'd you get a deep voice? Are you like ten feet tall now?" "I asked if you're okay," I said, trying not to sound like his father. He didn't say anything. "Alex?" "I'm okay," he said softly. "Scared now, I guess." "The good guys are coming," I said. "You'll be fine." "I know they are," Alex said. "I'm not afraid of that. Only how much I missed, how far back I'll be in school, what people will think of me." My tears formed again. "Alex," I said. "Don't worry ahead, that's too Jewish for you. That's my job." Alex said quietly, "I think I lost religion." When I didn't respond, he said, "I do think it." Then his tone changed, and he said, "It sounds like you found it." I started to answer, and Alex gasped, "He's back! I'm dead, man. Tell my folks I love them." "I will," I said, then I heard a horrendous noise followed by other loud sounds, and finally Alex crying, "Don't shoot me!" in a high, frightened voice. I didn't hear anything else, but the connection stayed live, so I hung on. There were noises, and a murmur like voices, but I couldn't make out a thing, then the line went dead. I just held the phone like I was still talking, and looked at our parents, who were looking at me. One thing I didn't want to do was repeat the last words I heard, so I turned my head away, my skin crawling with fear. As nervous as I was, I managed to hold onto the phone, and when it vibrated a minute later, I answered right away. "Hello?" A man's voice said, "Don't be alarmed. Is this Sandy?" "Yes." His breathing sounded irregular. "I'm sorry we lost the connection. We have to take this phone as evidence." "Who is this?" I asked, my heart in my stomach. "What happened to Alex?" The man sounded agitated, but not angry. "Forgive me again. This is officer Charpentier from the Cortland police." He paused, "They're putting Alex in an ambulance as we speak." "What?" I cried. "Let me calm down here, Sandy," the voice said breathlessly. I could hear him breathing deeply for a moment before he said, "We just pulled off a perfect rescue, and I'm so pumped that it's hard to talk about, and I'm screwing up. Alex isn't hurt, so get that out of your mind. He's been a prisoner here for years, and they're bringing him to a hospital to judge his condition." "His condition?" I asked, noticing that I had an audience now. I made an ‘OK' sign with my free hand, and my parents and the McKennas all exhaled at once, which wasn't funny under the circumstances. "How is he?" The officer sounded calmer. "He seems to be okay, good even. He has color, looks well-fed, and seems to have had exercise." I heard the officer talk to someone else, and he said, "I have to get out of here now so forensics can do their thing, and they'll want this phone. You'll have everything explained in just a minute or two." I said, "Wait! Alex really looks good?" "Yeah, honestly he does. I have to go." "Bye," I said, and he hung up. I looked at the four anxious faces in front of me and said, "That was a cop in Cortland. He said Alex is okay and he looks good, but they're taking him to a hospital, and he said we should know everything in a couple of minutes." We sat there expressing disbelief and relief that things had happened so quickly, and they continued to. In a few minutes, Detective Armack and his team came in, all smiling. The McKennas stood and hugged the men, tears in their eyes, and some of the police officers turned to reveal their own tears, and I got all teary-eyed myself. Alex was all I could think of, and I had so many questions that, when I got him to myself, we could grow old together before he could answer them all. We were invited into the chief's office for what they called a debriefing, and we were introduced to the chief himself; Chief Carter. He was a small man; handsome with sharp, dark features, and he looked younger than he must have been. He was cordial, and a good enough talker that he probably could have subbed for Leno. From him, we learned what had happened that afternoon. The man, Bach, had somehow become aware of the police following him, and led them on a chase in his van. They didn't pursue at high speed, but he kept going off on tangents, scared, and he ended up hitting a curb and a parked car. He left his van and was pursued by officers through back yards and some woods, where he disappeared briefly. From his concealed position, he started firing on the officers, clipping a cruiser. "At that point, he'd sealed his fate," the chief said. "Officers could see him then, and ordered him to put his gun down, but he swung around and fired again, so they took him out." His eyes looked sad when he said, "Bach is dead; his own judge and jury." Then he told us what he knew of the separate rescue in Cortland, two towns away. Wayne Bach lived in a small, separate house on his parent's farm, on the outskirts of Cortland, which wasn't a city to begin with. It was a rural area full of truck farms and dairy farms. The local police had obtained a warrant easily when Bach became their suspect, and visited with his elderly parents, who gave them blanket permission to do what they wanted. The chief didn't think they were exactly fans of their son. In a search of Bach's house, they found a crude map, with lines emanating out from a large, six-car garage on the property, with what appeared to be several small structures. A search of the garage revealed a concealed door, which led to a ladder down into the ground beneath. There, twelve feet down, were a series of narrow tunnels, hand-dug, and cleverly laid out to confuse intruders, except there was a clear path of footprints that led only one way. The police followed that tunnel to where it ended at a metal door. It was the door being pulled out into the tunnel by a rig made just for the purpose that caused the loud sound I'd heard, and the panic in Alex's voice arose when an officer in full combat gear came up to him, a shotgun pointed forward. "I can see why the boy would faint," the chief said. "I'd faint too, if my heart held out long enough to let me." He smiled around, "Alex probably thought it was an alien invasion, what with the gas mask, the body armor, and the riot gun." He saw us gaping at him and said gently, "Sorry." He looked down, then back at us. "We can't be like Wyatt Earp these days," he smiled sadly. "Nobody knew what was on the other side of that door, and when they saw a tall young man they took no chances." He looked right at the McKennas. "There was no damage done to your son, folks, but in a situation like that, our officers take every precaution." He looked at me and smiled, "What's a little fright on Halloween?" I thought that was corny to say, but it loosened up the McKennas and my parents. The chief said, "They're bringing Alex here to Rockville Memorial, so I suppose that's where you want to be right now. Given the circumstances, why don't you give us a call when you think Alex is ready to talk with us? We have to interview him, but It's not urgent at this point." The McKenna's nodded and backed out of the room. I started to follow, but my dad held me back. "Not now, Sandy. You'll see Alex, but let them have their time." I stared at first, then nodded, knowing an argument would get me nowhere. I was tired anyhow, and hungry. It wasn't late, only five-thirty, so I figured I'd eat, change, and go to the block party like I'd planned all along. I decided on our way out to the car that I was more dizzy than tired; astounded that the world around me could spin as fast as it did that day. Alex was alive … and safe! After that, after all that, Alex was rescued only hours after he found his way to a phone. I wondered what he was like now, what had happened to him for all that time, but the thought forefront in m mind was that Alex had called me. Me! I had to smile at that. He'd called me, his friend, and not his house, or the police, or 911, or anywhere else. I knew I'd learn everything later, and I hoped it wouldn't be too long before Alex came home. We had a block party instead of trick-or-treating now, and that was because of Alex. It was safer, and after a weak first attempt, it was fun the next time. More people went. The night Alex disappeared would probably have been our last trick-or-treat together anyhow, because we'd be teenagers the next year, and it would be more age-appropriate to defile trees with toilet paper than ask people for candy. I ate dinner with my parents at a local place, and went home to change, where I called Liz to tell her what was going on. I said I'd just meet her at the party. She didn't live in our neighborhood, and didn't know Alex anyhow, although everyone seemed to know about him. Alex called from the hospital, which surprised me. "You're okay?" I asked before anything else. Alex said kind of flatly, "Yeah, you?" I said, "I'm so happy I could …" then laughed, because Alex and I had always started our happy sentences with that phrase. "I'm so happy I could eat an egg with a beak in it!" I giggled, and I heard Alex snort, so I knew he really was doing okay. "What's going on?" he asked. I said, "Be serious. We're having this giant party to celebrate. You're a free man, Alex! Tell that hospital to cut you loose." He said, chuckling, "You talk to my dad. I'll have a party when I get there." I sobered and asked, "You're okay?" He said, "I'm okay." I could hear him doing something, then he said in a whisper, "I don't want to say in front of my mom, okay? I'll talk to you." Then he added, "I really am okay." I said, "Just in case something happens between here and there, I love you, Alex. I really do, and I missed you." His answer sounded choked, but he said quietly, "Me, too. I mean, I do too. Love you." I thought for a long moment, and said, "Thanks for saying that," then I snickered, and I had a sudden panic because I almost made a gay comment. I inhaled instead, and said, "Alex, get better. Call me when I can come see you." I snickered, "Call later if you want to join the party." "Be like that," he said, sounding stern, then he laughed, "Have fun. I'll see you when I can." I had a bizarre thought while I walked over to the party. There is a here and a there, and every place and every person occupies one or the other, although you're here is everyone else's there. I'd just talked to Alex for the first, second and third times in three years, and all through the middle of it he was just gone. I was here and he was there, wherever that was. Now he was safe in a hospital, but he was still there, and I was still where I was, on the sidewalk. It occurred to me that with all that here and there between us, I fell into easy conversations with Alex each time we'd talked, and just that thought had me smiling when I got to the party, which was the biggest attendance yet. The event was held in the town square, which was actually a full downtown block. It was all paved with tiles, had a fountain near the middle, and the space was made smaller by having lots of levels which were divided by planters and walls, and of course, steps up and down. It was well-lit that night, and decorated with scarecrows, haystacks and pumpkins mostly, with some flimsy ghosts in trees and cardboard skeletons here and there. Different civic groups and merchants had food booths and game booths set up, and almost everything was free. There were surprises in places, too: things that would suddenly light up and make a noise, like a coffin lid popping open and a skeleton jerking upright from within. There was a DJ getting started on the highest level of the plaza, and the older kids, like me, would end up over there after checking everything else out. My phone vibrated, and it was Liz. "I'm here, I said. Where are you?" She said, "I'm sitting at the fountain staring right at the Coastal Bank building." I thought about that, and gauged my position. Then I laughed and turned around, because I was right in her line of fire. I grinned, put my phone back in my pocket, and hurried over to the laughing girl. Liz wasn't any classic beauty, but neither was I exactly a leading man. Still, she had a nice shape, a big smile, and a nice, simple look about her that I liked. We hadn't met at school, but at a wedding back in June. We'd been the only people our age, so were natural dance partners, and we had a nice time. We'd had good times since then, too, and I really liked being with her. "You could have tapped me on the shoulder, you know!" I said. She smiled smugly and said, "I like the view from here." She lifted her eyes to mine and added, "You have a nice fanny." I grumbled, "I'm glad you like it," then parked my nice fanny right beside hers. "I talked to Alex again," I said. She became serious right away. "Tell me," she said somberly. "Is he alright?" "He's alive," I said. "That's the big thing, and I have to say he sounds okay." Liz sighed, and we sat there for a minute before she said, "You know? I think you should tell that disc jockey to say something. I wasn't here to know Alex, but most people knew him." I stared at her. "I don't know if that's my place." She poked my ribs and grinned while I squirmed, "Of course it's your place. You were best friends. Who should be happier than you?" I snickered, "Oh, I'm happy alright. I just don't know if I should say anything." Liz tugged my ear and said, "Sandy, you get up there and tell this town Alex is alive, and he's coming back." I looked at her in panic, and she stuck her tongue out. "It's your birthright, Sandy. Go do it!" I started to stand and held out my hand, "You come with me." If she didn't, I wouldn't, but she did take my hand, and I led her hesitantly toward the man with the microphone. He saw us coming up, and I think he thought we were going to make a request. He smiled, "Hi." "Hi," I said. "Do you know about Alex McKenna?" The man stared blankly at me. "Should I?" "Yes!" Liz announced. "He's your employer here tonight; the reason this town has this party instead of trick-or-treating." The guy looked dumbly at Liz, then at me, and he turned his gaze off to a building across the street. Then I learned what it meant when something dawned on someone, because the guy's face did a transformation, and when he looked back his eyes were wide. "Alex! I remember. He's the kid who disappeared, right?" Liz looked smug, which made me smile, and I looked at the DJ. "Yes. Well, today he's back! Can you announce that?" The guy's face was doing acrobatics. "Huh? What do I know? The kid's back? I'm supposed to take your word for it?" I said, "Take it easy, okay?" I looked at Liz, and she was looking at the DJ, seeming startled by his remarks on the obvious. I looked back at the guy and asked, "Can I say something, then?" I watched as he eyed me, and added, "It's really true. I was there at the police station when they rescued him." He finally said, "Okay, I'll give you a minute. Let this song play out, and think of how to say what you want." He smiled nervously, "No swearing, okay?" It was my turn to be nervous. I was nervous speaking up in class, and I'd never done anything in public before. I looked at Liz, feeling panic, and she smiled at me. "I'll do it if you want." The DJ said impatiently, "Make up your mind. I'll announce you, but who's it gonna be?" I took a deep breath. "Me. Sandy Cohen." The guy brought the microphone to his mouth and talked over the fading song. "All right, people! We have the beginning to a great Halloween here, complete with ghouls, ghosts, and goodies for all. Before we get into it, I have Mr. Sandy Cohen here, and he has a real Halloween surprise for everyone. Listen carefully." He handed me the mike, and it was heavier than I expected, so I nearly dropped it. "Hi," I squeaked, and some people yelled and applauded; my friends, no doubt. "I know a lot of you remember this. Three years ago, on this night, my friend, Alex McKenna, vanished. Without a trace. Right from this town. Right from his own neighborhood at six PM. There were people all over the place trick-or-treating, and he just disappeared." People were murmuring, so I got right to it. "They found Alex today. He's alive! I talked to him a few times, and he says he's okay. They started having this party because of Alex, so I want to dedicate tonight to him!" People cheered, which made me smile. "So, let's get this party going!" People clapped, the DJ started a song going, and I pulled Liz under some lights where we started dancing. People joined us dancing, and the volume of the whole event shot up. I'm glad I danced then, because it didn't look like I'd get another chance. My friends, Alex's friends, teachers from the middle school, even the custodian; they all wanted to talk to me, and I obliged them. I could only tell them what I knew, so any speculation was up to them, but everyone was pumped by the news, especially Greg Simonds. He ran fast enough that he slid to a breathless stop in front of me, an excited grin on his face. "That was him, then?" he asked. "Oh, man! I can't believe I was there when it happened!" He grinned, "He's alright? Where was he?" I smiled, then frowned. "He said he's okay." I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know anything, really, but he can't be that okay." I looked at Greg, who seemed confused. "Alex has been in a cave or something. He was put there; held prisoner all this time. I just don't know how okay he can be after that." Greg nodded, "Okay, I see." We both looked around uncomfortably until Greg said gently, "Damn. He might still be twelve!" I shuddered at that thought, and wondered what it must be like for Alex, and what it would be like for me and his other friends. Greg said, "I think we need a crash course." "What?" "I'm just thinking. Alex is probably all messed up, right? Well, he was always a good guy, and the absolute last thing he needs is to be a dork, when everybody is concentrating on what happened to him." I looked right at Greg and smiled, liking what he was thinking. "The way I see it, he needs all new things anyhow, so he needs people who know what to buy to go to the stores with him. I mean, you don't want him picking out a brick for a cell phone. And we tell him ahead of time that we're gonna pick on him. Pick, pick pick! Any time he does anything twelve, we jump on it, and we show him how things have … um … evolved! That's the word." He grinned, "One weekend, that's all we need, Cohen. It'll be fun." I looked at Greg, smiling. "You're pretty smart, you know that?" then added, "Of course you do." Greg bowed a little and grinned, asking, "You like it?" I was laughing at the perfect simplicity of his idea, and said, "It's great, Greg. If you can put it together, I'll tell Alex. Honest, this is probably just what he needs." Greg nodded to me. "Done deal, then. I'll think of some people to help, and you tell me when." I went back to the party after that, and had a good time for the next hour and a half. I was just saying goodnight to Liz when there was a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, and it was a guidance counselor from school, Mr. Bartolino. I had to look before I recognized him, because I knew him in a suit, not jeans and a zippered sweatshirt. He was a kindly looking man; fifty-ish and balding, but he stood tall. I had never had any personal contact with him because he was the disciplinarian for boys, and I had no problems in that area. "Sir?" I said. "Sandy, this isn't the time and place, but come see me tomorrow. I want to talk to you about Alex McKenna, and get your thoughts on several things." "Like what?" I asked nervously. "I'm not sure yet," he said. "I'll get my questions together, and hopefully learn more from the McKenna family." He smiled, "I just want to be sure that we treat Alex appropriately when he comes to school." Relieved, I said, "I know. It might be complicated, but I talked to Alex and he sounds good." Mr. Bartolino smiled at me and said, "Tomorrow, okay?" and he walked off when I nodded. I finally had time for Liz, but she had to go. She laughed, "You know how to put on a party, Sandy. This was really a good time." She stood there, and I determined that I should kiss her, which I did. A smooch at first, then we both smiled and took the next step. That was my first real kiss, and it fried my brain, all those feelings at once. I had a wow in mind, but Liz gave me another peck and ran off to catch her ride. I stood there for a moment, looking after her, and thinking she had a very okay butt herself. I walked part of the way home with a couple of friends, and after they turned off I walked alone, pleased with the solitude. Without anything specific being said, it was clear to me that Alex had been abused. He'd been deprived for sure, of family and friends, of important years of his life. I had no idea what to expect of him, but I had hope. "A tall young man," the chief had called Alex, and that meant he'd taken after his mother in that department, not his dad. I felt good, even though I worried what Alex would be like, and how he'd react to his sudden freedom. I still felt good, because Alex said he was alright, and he'd be tall when I saw him. My parents were watching television when I got home. I'd missed the news, and wasn't surprised to hear that Alex's rescue was the top story across the state. They'd had footage from where Alex had been held, though my dad said it was shot in the dark from a distance, and there wasn't much to see. They re-ran the news of the disappearance, spoke with specialists and psychologists, and did the normal speculative things news people do when they don't know much. My mother said the best part was video of some very happy policemen, who were obviously tickled to have a happy ending. My folks didn't mention it, but I'm sure they also went on and on about Alex's abductor and his violent end. I went up to bed tired, and moved my cell phone charger from the dresser to my nightstand just in case Alex called. I drifted off to sleep wondering idly how many holes they'd put into Wayne Bach. When I went downstairs in the morning, there was a little television playing on the kitchen counter. I couldn't really see it from the table, so I watched while I ate my breakfast standing up. There was a lady standing pretty far from a house, explaining that beneath the ground surrounding that house was a labyrinth of tunnels and rooms, and that is where Alex had been held. I got no clue from looking at that. It looked like a house and a large garage in the middle of a field. Shortly, they went to where Wayne Bach met his fate, and that was no more enlightening. It was a street, with a patch of vacant land between homes. They showed some video from the night before, and it was from the same perspective, with flashing lights and official-looking people hurrying around. Bach was already dead then, and presumably gone, but they showed it anyhow. The only thing remotely interesting in the reporting was an explanation of the chase, along with a helicopter view of the route. I gave up watching when they put up an old picture of Alex, and started retelling his disappearance from the beginning. The phone rang. I picked it up, and it was Mr. McKenna calling. "Sandy, I'm glad you answered," he said. "I wonder if you can stop over after school. We're bringing Alex home around two." My heart sped up. "Really? How is he? Is he …" Mr. McKenna's voice sounded choked when he said, "He's beautiful, Sandy; a beautiful, wonderful son." He stopped, and it sounded like he was sniffling. "I'll be there," I said. "I can skip school if you want." He said, "No, I don't want you to do that. I want you to be there. I want to know what people are thinking, what they infer from the news, what they're talking about." I thought, and had my mouth open to tell him not to worry, but I stopped myself short. Instead, I said, "I can do that. I think I know what you mean, but we already have some of it figured out." "Figured out?" "Yeah," I explained. "We talked about it last night. Since you have to probably get him all new stuff anyhow, we should take him, so he doesn't come up with anything that says doof, nerd, or dork." "Ha ha! That's brilliant!" He laughed some more. "A shopping committee … I like it!" I was excited that he liked the idea, and added, "And we can make sure he evolves real fast. I mean, that's what Greg said. We've evolved since he disappeared, so it's up to us to make sure Alex evolves fast." "Heh, that's more good thinking. We'll see you this afternoon, then. Alex needs some clothes right now, but we'll hold off on anything major until your team of experts can go along." We made some happy small talk and then hung up. When I left the house, the morning was gray, and it looked like it might turn dismal. Still, it was my happiest walk to school in a long time; like half the neighborhood was hanging on to see me. I waved to people backing out of their driveways, said hi to people getting their newspapers, and in a short while I had a little entourage of kids who'd known Alex. They were happy rather than inquisitive too, so we talked about funny things from the past, and kept our personal worries quiet. I was worried, too, somewhere in the back of my mind. It couldn't be this easy. Alex had to be damaged by his experience. Of that there was no doubt. I was enough of a realist to see that it had been too long, and too weird and frightening, for Alex to just pop up like a Jack-in-the-box. Yet Alex seemed to have good cheer bred into him, like it was his primary trait; the gene in charge of all the others. I had that in mind all the time, and in English class it came to me again, so since I was writing, that's what I wrote, and I fell back in time. * * * * * "Watch it!" the boy's voice said. "Coming through!" and a kid on a skateboard whooshed past me, then lost it and fell on a lawn. He came up smiling. "Whoa! Was that a good one?" I determined that he was talking to me, and asked, "A good what?" He grinned. "A fall. I fell. I lost it." I had to process every word he said, because he had a mumbly-sounding accent like I'd never heard. I looked at him suspiciously, up on his elbow by then, a modest smile looking at me. The kid had more freckles than I'd ever seen, and pronounced freckles, not the little dots that I had on my own face. No. Alex McKenna had freckles that looked like the result of machine-gun fire. But his little smile turned into a toothy grin, and I probably smiled back. By the time he was on his feet again we were becoming friends. At that point in time, the only thing we knew about each other was that we were easy to know, and that's all it took. I spent some number of minutes trying to decipher Alex's accent, and I understood him by the time we stopped at my house to use the bathroom. I introduced him to my mother, learning his name in the process She obviously didn't understand a word he said, so I let him say where we were off to next, and we rolled down the sidewalk laughing after my mom said, "That's nice. Be home for dinner." Alex took me to his house. His folks weren't there at the time, but he showed me his room, filled his pocket with candies, and we went out again, but not far. The neighborhood was fairly new then, and largely treeless, but the developer had left a nice, mature maple tree at the corner between our houses. It was in someone else's yard, but we sat there and ate candy and talked anyhow. That's where I learned about Derry, Northern Ireland, where Alex was from. I had a vague awareness of the problems there, but being so far away, and Jewish, I honestly paid scant attention when news about those problems came on. Alex had lived it for his first eight years, and was as eager as his parents to relocate to the New World when his father's computer company needed his particular skills here. They'd been in the country for two years, and the neighborhood for three months, so Alex had the territory figured out. Alex told me gory stories from his past, the way ten year-olds tell stories. He seemed more excited than sad when he told me about how his own uncle got murdered, even though I could tell he actually was sad and angry about it. I told him about my own old town, but my story was far less exotic than his. Still, he seemed interested, then took me around to show me things I hadn't already discovered on my own. By the time we said goodbye that day, we were friends, and I really liked Alex. After that, we did things together. His game was soccer, which he called football, and he taught me to play pretty well. I taught him American football. He didn't like the violence of it, but he had a strong arm. After he learned to throw the ball, Alex usually played quarterback when we picked up a game. We had other friends, of course, and did things together, apart, and with other kids. Alex had that accent, and it attracted others to him. Some kids liked the sound of it, and would ask if he was Australian, even though his accent wasn't even close. Others wanted to mock him, which Alex took with good cheer, like he did everything. "How should I say it, then?" Alex would ask, and the question would usually disarm whoever was bothering him. "Gang bang mother fucker," a kid would say, and Alex would try. He'd smile in anticipation, and nine times out of ten the kid bothering him would laugh. There would be the one though, who would become indignant and say, "Not fooker. Where'd you get that? It's fucker! Uh, not oo. Not fook." Alex would walk away like he was practicing. "Uh, not oo. Uh, not oo." Even the wise guys would scratch their heads and smile after him, already charmed by Alex McKenna. I liked Alex, not just because of that appeal, but I was also drawn to him when he exhibited a deeper, more pensive aspect of his personality. I don't know if he even knew I saw it, because I never said anything, but beneath his jovial surface I often detected a bit of melancholy in Alex, and I found it appealing in someone so outgoing. It usually showed when Alex was tired, but sometimes when things hadn't gone well, too. It wasn't really overt either, since he was usually smiling. He'd just quiet down and start talking about more philosophical things. Not meaning-of-life things, but he'd wonder out loud why people did the things they do, including himself. I thought Alex was always honest, but he worried that he tried to fool himself at times, which he considered dishonest. He was a gentle boy usually, except on the soccer field, and he wondered if he had more than one personality because of his flamboyant playing style. He really felt bad if he ended up hurting someone. It was all very subtle with Alex, though. It was rare when he worried aloud, although that happened sometimes. Then he became quiet and distant, and it was fifty-fifty that I could get him to talk about what was on his mind. When he did talk, he wouldn't look at me, which was unusual in itself. Alex loved to engage people, and if you weren't in the mood, he'd find some way to get you to look right at him. When he was down, so was his look. One time, not long before his disappearance, he'd collided with a kid on his soccer team, and the other boy broke his wrist in the fall. Alex took that to heart. "I shouldn't play anymore," he said when we talked afterward. I knew he was in a mood because he wasn't looking at me. I also knew that of all the people on the planet, Alex was the best one to talk himself out of a situation. "Look at me," he said, not looking at me. "Now Ryan can't play the rest of the season." He looked up, but not at me. "Is that my fault? I say yes, but it might have been his fault too, or it just happened." He made fists with his hands and continued, "I just get all intense out there. All I saw was the ball. I never saw him there. Never. I go to kick and there's another foot there. I just didn't see him." I leaned back and listened. Alex still hadn't looked directly at me, but he kept talking. "The way I see it, either one of us could have tripped. We both could have fell, but he did and I didn't, and I could have moved that ball if the whistle didn't go off." He smiled at the ground. "Of course it went off! There's Ryan all crying on the grass, and that's when I knew what happened, and I went to him, you know. I knelt and said I was sorry, and he said it was his fault, and I said it was mine, and he says no-no, his fault." Alex finally looked at me, smiled broadly, and asked, "Who am I to argue with that?" "Not worried anymore?" I asked. "Who said I was worried? It's you what's Jewish, not me." And we both laughed. * * * * * I could only stare for a long moment when I saw Alex. Tall, I was expecting, but he looked built as well. He had broad shoulders, a taper down to his waist, and he looked great. Healthy. He didn't tower over me, but he had a good two inch advantage, and I didn't care. He looked healthy and happy, and that's what mattered. Alex was there in crispy new sweats; gray bottom and blue top, and he was beautiful, just like his father told me. I might not have recognized him on the street. His freckles had faded to near nothingness, and his face had matured toward manhood a lot more than mine had. His eyes were clear and smiling, and I felt weak in the knees when I saw that familiar grin appear. "Sandy!" I took two steps, and we embraced, which was a first for us. I pulled back to look at him, and then we did it again. When we let go I grinned, "You're all different!" Alex laughed, "Like you're not? Still playing with your train set?" That made me frown. "Sometimes," I said. "Not a lot." I didn't have a comeback question, and I felt tongue-tied for a moment. Then I smiled, "You should see it! We put in this whole downtown thing, with an el and everything." When I looked to his parents, they had left us alone, and that gave me a sense of privacy, and relief. I sat on the sofa and patted the cushion beside me, and Alex McKenna, all smiles and engaging my eyes full-time, sat beside me so we could talk things out like we always did. I knew I should try to be tactful. I looked Alex in the eye and raised my eyebrows. "How did your cell phone work underground? You really fainted?" It would be a long conversation. End

Just looking at the political landscape, and without making any personal choices or references, I can make these statements. Most of the unknown candidates will likely drop out shortly after the first debate. Even Fox News knows there's too many of them for all of them to get a clear voice on the national stage. So I figure by the end of the first debate, we'll see a lot of horse trading, alliances and influence peddling among the more nationally known weaker contenders. Republicans lately have been short on imagination but their party has one very powerful strength going for them: once the pecking order is established, they generally all get on the same rope and pull together. Once unified, they are a singular machine. It is simply a matter of figuring who's going to take the wheel. As far as the major candidates, I see three rising to the top. Despite all other rhetoric and bluster from the fringes, the choice will eventually come down to just these few. Jeb Bush, has the family name and connections, was a decent governor in a very difficult time in Florida (Four hurricanes crossed the state in a 6 week period, we were wrecked for years). Rand Paul, represents a more thinking and doing portion of the Republican electorate instead of the praying and yelling side. Even if he doesn't take a major part of the vote, he'll make the others worry. Rick Santorum, with his harsh views on anything in the government and Democrats in general, he can be a dark horse that can gather the base of the party and make a solid run for it. As for the remaining big names, I have a few ideas where they might go. Marco Rubio will likely find a way to make it known he can be Vice President. But he and Bush don't really like each other. Bush wont need Rubio to get the Latino vote. He could however make an interesting running mate. He's young, he's passionate, and while he might get the dry mouth during TV speeches, he is a good orator. The Latino vote will be a deciding factor in this general election, and Rubio's Cuban heritage may make a difference. Remember, Obama won Florida by winning Miami. Marco Rubio and Rand Paul or Rick Santorum could give Mr, Bush a serious run for the Oval Office. Bobby Jindal is likely to realize that he's not ready for the big chair yet, but might find a way to turn this into a senate seat bid. He will likely be a contender down the line, but it's not his turn yet. Still, he's patient and can make the most of this situation, even if he has to pull out of the race early. Not a serious candidate for VP, this time. Carly Fiorina will likely get a lot of votes from Republican women, but mostly for being a woman. I haven't heard any big policy concerns from her, nothing to distinguish her from the rest of the pack, but as a potential Vice, she could be a way to swing voters from Hillary should Ms. Clinton win the Democratic nod. Look for Carly to make that move just before the debates, especially if she gets sidelined from the stage. The right honorable governor from Texas, Rick Perry, is still in legal trouble of his own, and might have to face corruption charges, which would take him out of the race entirely. I look for him to be taken from things before debate time, consulting with lawyers. Ted Cruz has made enough of a mess of things in congress, for his own party, that the voters already have dismissed him. Despite being first to announce his candidacy, he's seen as the biggest kid at the kids table during Thanksgiving. He might make a push to be considered the VP, but not seriously. Still, he's a wild one and might try to go Independent on the others, maybe snag some Tea Party support along the way. However, It should be noted that when he gave up his senate seat to run for president, he did sign up for Obama Care. The good Doctor Ben Carson is still something of a mystery to me, but he seems to be upswinging on popularity. Can he defeat the Bush Machine or the Paul Legacy? Not a chance. And his views on immigration may surprise you. Will he be a good choice for VP? Well, he's charismatic, often speaks his mind even if it's against the party line, charming, witty and can swing the black vote to whomever he VP's for. Why not him, he's got all the traits of Joe Biden without the senate experience or understanding of international relations. Then there's Huckabee. This man is still a political heavyweight. He has deep ties to the evangelical wing of the party and has made his views on abortion, gay rights, marriage equality and other hot button social issues known. And he could be a VP candidate because of all this. But he wont. The social agenda of the religious right might be big and powerful, but the sheer weight of economic issues and international relations don't merit this man having much of a chance to win the general election, even as a VP. Look for him to get his job back with Fox News soon. Let's see, who am I forgetting. Oh, Lindsey Grahame. The man from South Carolina who speaks with the soft Hawkish tones of a younger, southern gay John McCain without the elder statesman's military experience, respect or restraint (if you can believe that), but the same ardor to win, even if the fight isn't winable without just plain glassing the middle east from on high. He's direct, he's short on his answers and he thinks that will set him apart on the foreign affairs, immigration and military matters. And while at first that seems like a strength, his real talent in the past has been in asking tough questions, not answering them. Still, a strong VP candidate. He and Santorum might make an interesting ticket. Scott Walker cannot be ruled out as a VP contender. Let's face it, the man won three elections for Governor inside of two terms, including a recall election. He's highly divisive, but also very charismatic. And you have to respect his record on winning elections. I don't think this is his year to get the big brass ring, but he would be a hell of a campaigner as a running mate. He likely wont get a lot of the Latino or Black vote, but he can likely swing a lot of white voters from the mid-west. Look for him to make a big push in the election after this one if the Dems keep the White House. He and Rick Santorum have similar ideas. Something else to consider here is this. Many states have laws that prevent someone from holding a House or Senate seat in Washington and run for president. And while the reasons for this might be political and archaic, that means that if many of these Senators stay in the race beyond a certain deadline, there will be many seats in congress in play as well. I don't know if the Republicans in general have thought about this. They could have a huge effort to win the White House, actually win it, but lose the senate, handing the reigns of legislative power back to the Democrats. The stakes are high. I have the feeling someone is going to point out this fatal flaw soon and we may see a number of the candidates fall off for the greater good of the party. Posters Edit: These are just broad view opinions of how I think things may shake out, not a condemnation or show of support for any particular candidate. Please read these as analysis with as little of my personal political views coloring things as possible.

Some great twists in this chapter. I love it. IF YOU HAVE NOT YET READ THE CHAPTER, please do so before reading this... Thomas shows what a smart young officer he has become, and daring enough to be his own man when necessary. Although until now he has always followed orders and done his best to meet others' expectations of him, Thomas now knows he must take it on his own to protect his men while doing as much damage to the French as they can. He realized it was necessary and didn't hesitate to "reshape" the truth a little here and there in order for the Marshal and his Major to believe Thomas and his "little group of drummers" would be of no use to them even as replacements... so even though that meant these commanders regarded them as expendable, it also meant that they would be placed out and away from the main body of the army, and thus out of sight and able to pursue their own course of action. He also boldly denied having any "heavy guns" so he kept his major fire power for their own use. And he did all this in a way that will enable him to honestly face the Viscount later and say that he reported to the Marshal as ordered, but it was the Marshal's decision to basically not use Thomas and his men in any significant part of the order of battle. Nice surprise to add the new three young lieutenants to the story (Perrin, Wainright, Carterton). Each of them appears to have a unique line to add to the story. But best of all, even though there have been a few humorous moments here and there throughout the story, I was surprised at how hard I laughed while reading the early-morning exchange between hungover Thomas and Carmelo about the tonic he was offered. I was already about to roll out of my chair by the time I read, "...now drink it before I call Estaban to help me pour it down your skinny neck, Oh great Patron." That brought tears of laughter to my eyes. The chuckles continued with Thomas' dismay about not finding his usual morning cafe available. (Many of us can relate to what a grave concern that would be.) WELL DONE, Arthur!!! Thanks again for writing and sharing this story with us all. Now, if only there might be something you could do about making Thursdays roll around more quickly... LOL Taylor

WOW. This chapter Thomas is not following orders but doing things his way. We will have to see what he has in mind want we. I just can hope everything works out for him and the boys. I just wonder what the Marshal will have to say when things are done. Let us also see what the Vis Count says when he hears of all this as well. As always a lot to think about and the wait to see what dose happen. That is way we come back. Fine work as always Authur.

Thirteen year old Derek still loved Halloween despite the fact he was a teenager and practically grown-up. He couldn’t understand why his dad wanted nothing to do with the holiday. His dad disliked it so bad that he had never helped Derek with a costume or took him trick-or-treating. A few years ago Derek’s dad had even begun to keep the entire house dark; he wouldn’t allow a single light to show. Derek had gotten yelled at for having a flashlight on underneath his covers in order to do his homework one year. Zach ran a hand through his medium length blonde hair wishing traffic would clear. He was going to be late picking up Derek to go costume shopping. At seventeen he was over the whole dress-up and trick-or-treat thing but it was important to Derek and he wouldn’t disappoint Derek at Halloween if he could help it. Zach had been helping him with his costumes and taking him out on Halloween night since Derek was 4 years old which was two years after Donnie, Derek’s dad, had found him in a children’s home. Donnie was driving by and spotted Zach playing with the other children. He stopped, talked to the lady in charge and within an hour Zach had a new home. He never learned why he was so important to Donnie. Traffic finally cleared out and Zach was able to zip on to the middle school on his used Honda that Donnie helped him repair. He hoped Derek hadn’t been waiting too long and that he remembered his helmet. Another reason Zach didn’t want to be late was a new gang running around their small town. They particularly liked to pick on middle school students. Derek was getting a little worried. Zach was hardly ever late and most of the time recently he would already be waiting for Derek to come out of the building. Derek decided to walk a little ways down the parking lot in the direction he knew Zach would come. That was a mistake! Coming off the playground was a group of older teens and they had spotted Derek all alone. One boy spoke to the others but Derek couldn’t hear what was said. He could however see that they got excited and turned his direction. Clutching his helmet to his chest Derek looked for a getaway but could find none. By now the school would be locked and the woods were too far away. Just then Zach pulled into the parking lot, “Come on, Derek! Sorry I’m late! Traffic was a . . . “ Just noticing the gang approaching Zach jumped off his bike, placed himself between the gang and Derek and whispered, “When I tell you run as fast as you can and don’t look back.” Strolling through the woods hand in hand Zane and Zander began to notice familiar landmarks including the cave Zane used to hide in. “Let’s go, Zander! We can see the old town and see if anything has changed.” He pulled on Zander’s arm toward a seldom used path. “Don’t you want to see your dad’s place?” “NO, I don’t! This path comes out at the middle school. It’s the quickest way into town” Despite his statement Zane set a leisurely pace down the trail kicking at the dead leaves as he went. This was still one of his favorite things to do and the leaves still made him think of Zander’s silky, straight hair. The little blonde teen reached out, took Zander’s hand in his and apologized. “Sorry for snapping at you. I just have this feeling that we need to go this way. Also, Zander, from the direction of my old house there’s nothing. I can’t pick up anything. He’s gone.” “Do you mean he’s dead?” asked the taller teen giving his boyfriend’s hand a little squeeze. “I don’t know. I just know there’s no connection there but I keep being pulled toward town. And there’s an urgency to the pull but not a need to hurry. It’s like we need to get there at a certain point not before or after.” Zane peered into the chocolate eyes facing him hoping for understanding. “Okay. This way then. When we first started I was constantly asking you to trust me and you did. Now I trust you. You set the pace and I’ll follow.” Zander grinned and twirled Zane around by their connected hands. Zane returned the grin and began dancing around kicking up leaves. “Come on, Zander! Dance in the leaves with me!” The two danced around for a few minutes then Zane pulled Zander up the trail still dancing and kicking leaves up in the air. They were slowly making their way toward the middle school and town when he gasped and came to a sudden stop. “We’ve gotta hurry now! It’s about to happen!” Zane quit playing in the leaves and pulled Zander at a faster pace now. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t ol’ Zachy to the rescue. Think you can dodge all of us like you do tacklers on the field? Oops, that wouldn’t help your little boyfriend though, would it?” The ringleader laughed at his own attempt at a joke. A couple of the gang members laughed as well. “Zach’s my brother you moron!” shouted Derek turning red with anger. “Shh, Derek,” warned Zach without taking his eyes from the teens facing him. “Get on with it, already.” One of the gang who hadn’t laughed spoke up. His voice was cold and his eyes were like ice. “Relax, man. Just havin’ a little fun with ‘em first,” answered the ringleader. “This ain’t gonna take long. Zachy ain’t got his line here to protect ‘im. Do ya, Zachy?” Zach remained quiet and slid over more directly between Derek and the group of thugs putting one hand back to remind Derek to run. The ringleader stepped closer to Zach poking his chest as he spoke, “Think you can hold off five of us so your brother can escape? One of us will get him then we’ll make you watch what we do to ‘im.” Zane and Zander hurried down the path emerging at the middle school to find a five on two confrontation. Maybe this was why Zane felt pulled this way but these fights happened all the time. What was special about this one? About that time the older of the two moved and brought the traveling teens attention to the duo facing the gang of five. “Zane?” questioned Zander looking at the older teen in front. “Donnie?” queried Zane looking at the younger one behind the older. Then Zane turned to Zander, “we have to help them!” “You’re right! We need to help them now!” agreed Zander. Without warning the teen poking Zach drew back and swung at him but Zach had been watching for it and dodged easily even while giving Derek a shove. The younger teen backed away a few steps hoping to get some distance before he took off and they gave chase. It didn’t work. One of the gang moved with him reaching out to grab hold when suddenly there was a slightly larger body in the way. Zane had used his speed to insert himself between the two. Using the heels of his palms Zane struck the thug in the chest with both hands sending him to his ass three feet back. He sat there stunned trying to catch his breath through cracked ribs. Zander arrived soon after and appeared on the other side of Zach to keep him from being double or triple teamed. A quick one, two combination sent the first attacker to reach him to the ground with a broken nose. The second made a lame attempt at a roundhouse kick which Zander caught with one hand, grabbed his shirt front with the other and tossed him back ten feet. The fifth member of the group with the cold voice and icy stare looked intensely at Zane and then Zander. When he finished his assessment he left in a blur for the forest. The ringleader soon realized he was the only one still on his feet and he was getting nowhere against the quicker, stronger Zach. He disengaged and backed away from Zach. Zander started to follow. “Let him go. He won’t do anything without his gang behind him. Thanks for your help!” Zach stated as he turned to check on Derek. Zane turned around at that exact moment and heard loud gasps from both Zach and Derek as they stared at him. For Zach it was almost like looking in a mirror except for the height and green eyes instead of his own blue ones. Derek kept blinking hard and looking from Zane to Zach like he was at a tennis match. Zane noticed the scrutiny from the two human teens, grabbed Zander by the hand and hightailed it out of there. When they were out of sight he stopped and leaned against a tree. “Gah! Did you see how they were looking at me? I had to get out of there!” Zane sighed as he slid down the tree to sit on the ground. “Did you get a good look at the older one, Zane?” asked Zander squatting down in front of his boyfriend. “He looked like he could be your brother. That’s probably why they were staring like that.” “You think so? I was afraid I had fanged out or something during the fight.” Zane began to calm down as he considered what Zander said. “You know that younger one looks just like Donnie did at that age. Maybe that is my brother and Donnie’s son but how did they end up together?” “I don’t know but maybe that was why we were led here. To save them. Now we can leave.” “No, we can’t, Zander. Didn’t you notice the one that left without fighting? He was a vampire and he recognized us as vamps.” “Crap! I guess now we need to stalk those two to find out more about them and why a vamp would be nosing around,” complained Zander but only slightly. He didn’t want to admit he was intrigued. “Sorry but I got to know and if they are who I think they are. I have to know they’re safe.” Zane heaved himself off the ground then held his hand out for Zander. The brown haired teen took the offered hand and hauled himself to his feet. “Don’t be sorry, Zane. You’re right. I’m just worried about you.” “C'mon, Derek,” said Zach as he headed for his motorcycle. “Get your helmet and let’s get out of here.” “But Zach,” Derek started as he picked his helmet from where it was dropped when he was getting ready to sprint out of there. “Did you see him? He looked just like you. Almost like twins. Didn’t you have a brother?” “Yeah but he was the same age as your dad and he died like eighteen years ago before I was born. That guy was only about fifteen or sixteen at the most.” Zach turned to look back at Derek. “Maybe it was his ghost come back to protect you or something. The other guy looked a little familiar too.” Derek stopped walking as he was deep in thought. “From that picture of dad’s!” “You’re right! Both of them are in that photo but it couldn’t be them. They’d be older like Dad. Not looking exactly the same,” exclaimed Zach throwing his leg over the seat of the bike. Derek fastened his helmet on the climbed on behind Zach. “Alright, ready to ride!” “Hey, buddy, still want to look for a costume or ready to head home and go another time?” “Let’s just go home, Zach. I’m kinda shook up now.” “Yeah. Me too. So you comin’ to my room or you want me to come to yours?” “Could you just lay with me ‘til I fall asleep? I should be fine then.” “Whatever you want ,bud” “Thanks, Zach! You’re the best big brother ever!” “Well you are my favorite little brother, you know,” laughed Zach as he put the kickstand up. “I’m your only little brother,” complained Derek. “Yeah, so that makes you the favorite.” Zach started the engine, revved it a few times then took them home. In the morning they told Donnie about the run-in with the gang. They didn’t mention who they thought the boys were that helped. Just that some guys came to their aid just in time then left before they could thank them. Donnie said he was glad they were okay not letting on how worried he really was. As soon as they left for school Donnie called into the office and took some vacation time for the next several days. He planned on following the boys around to make sure they were safe. He wasn’t about to take any chances this close to Halloween. Halloween was when he lost the first Derek, his brother, and started being mean to his best friend driving him away. It was also on Halloween that he made the biggest mistake of his life. Donnie was convinced that it was he that killed Zane not some animal like Zane’s drunken father told everybody. That was why when he saw that little boy who looked just like Zane in the children’s home he immediately went in and started adoption proceedings. He messed up with Zane but he wasn’t going to with Zach. Zane and Zander started early in the morning to find where Zach and Derek lived so they could follow them around. They heard the motorcycle three streets over from where they were and raced there to find Zach and Derek on their way to school. The boyfriends roamed around the town dodging the few cops they saw since they still looked like high school students. Zane concentrated on feeling out the town for the vampire with last night’s gang. Either he wasn’t close enough or he hadn’t gotten a good enough peek in his mind last night because Zane had no luck finding the vamp. When it was time for school to let out the teens split up again so they could watch each of the boys that were attacked. Zach took Derek costume shopping stopping at several stores before they returned to the second store to actually buy the costume. Zane and Zander followed them home trying to figure out where to hide while they watched the house. The routine of roaming through town searching for the vampire during the day and following the boys wherever they went continued through the next week. Sometimes the teen vamps were together but often they had to split up as Zach and Derek had different schedules. Zane usually went with Derek because of losing the other Derek so many years ago but Zander finally convinced him to switch occasionally. Zander pointed out the wisdom of having a different set of eyes on each teen in case there was something the other one missed. Donnie also was following the boys but being only one person he had to decide which one to follow when they weren’t together. He finally decided that whenever one of them had a ball practice; football for Zach and soccer for Derek, he would watch the other one. He began to worry that something really was amiss as he watched over the boys. Several times he had seen them being followed by other teens but he never got a good look at them. They never approached his boys nor did they contact any other teens or adults. Donnie didn’t know what was going on but he was more determined than ever to keep Zach and Derek safe. The coming weekend was going to be a problem for Donnie with no practices and the boys already committed to spending time with their own friends. Donnie called Simon Parkins who had been the tight end for Donnie in high school. He was a frequent visitor at their house and was known as Uncle Si by Zach and Derek. Before Donnie could finish explaining the situation Simon offered to help follow the boys over the weekend and even into next week if needed. The incident at the middle school had bothered Derek more than he had even let Zach know and he was feeling paranoid. He constantly looked over his shoulder and thought he spotted one of the boys that rescued him a few times. He was never sure and when he looked closer no one was there. Fortunately he never noticed his dad or Uncle Si following him around. Zach although less bothered by it than Derek did pay more attention to his surroundings as he went about his business. He too thought he caught sight of the taller teen from that night a few times but since they had protected rather than attacked he just shrugged it off. Knowing how Donnie was especially around Halloween Zach was not surprised to see Donnie or Uncle Si around town more often than usual. Zane did catch fleeting peeks into the vampire’s mind but could never track him down. His consciousness always seemed to slip away like sand between your fingers when you tried to grab a handful. The two teen vampires were becoming more and more convinced that they were facing a Rogue. What they couldn’t figure out was why he was after one or both of these boys. Nothing they had found so far pointed toward either of them having power of any kind that would attract a Rogue. Derek did seem unusually interested in Halloween for his age although Donnie and he had been the same way until . . . That Halloween. Maybe he came across some knowledge that someone didn’t want known. Zane couldn’t reason it out and Zander for all his years as a vampire didn’t have anything to add. They would just have to continue to watch and stay extra alert hoping they would be there when he attacked again. The staying extra alert thing didn’t pan out so well. Zane and Zander were so keyed up on making sure they were near the two boys that they didn’t stay as hidden as they should have. They didn’t notice that someone else was watching the boys too. Donnie saw the teens who had been following his sons again. He retreated further into the shadows and was rewarded with a view of their faces. His gasp almost gave him away. His face turned ashen and he had to squat down quickly to keep from passing out. It looked like . . .but . . . it couldn’t . . . even if they were alive they wouldn’t look just as they did eighteen years ago. It had to be because they had been on his mind lately as they always were at this time of year. Donnie looked back to reassure himself that it really wasn’t them but they were no longer visible. Now he was seeing ghosts. Well, it was almost Halloween afterall. Shaking his head and getting his breathing back to normal Donnie continue to watch Zach and Derek enjoy an afternoon snack at the diner on Main Street. Zane had heard the soft gasp and felt the mind it came from. Grabbing Zander by the arm he sped to the back of the diner out of sight. “What got into you?” Zander asked when Zane released his arm. “We were spotted!” “How? The boys weren’t even turned our way.” “It wasn’t by them,” answered Zane calming down some. “Apparently Donnie has been watching them too and HE spotted us. Recognized us too but thinks he was seeing things. Maybe he’ll forget about it.” “We’ll just have to be more careful from now on.” Zander always was more pragmatic than Zane. When the boys got home they found Donnie sitting in his office with a small rectangle of paper in his hand that he was staring at without moving. Noticing the boys in the doorway Donnie tried to hide it as he greeted them. “Hey, boys! How was your day?” “Good!” They both answered at the same time. “Is that the photo of the two guys from high school? Can we see it?” Derek wanted to know stepping into the office. “Yes, it is,” Donnie replied bringing it back up to look at again. Zach followed Derek into the room, “You look at it a lot this time of year, don’t you?” “Yes, but I have an extra reason today. I thought I saw them when I was downtown.” Zach and Derek looked at each other for a minute then Zach nodded. “Dad?” Derek started. “There’s something we didn’t tell you about the attack the other night. Or to be more correct about the two teens who came to our rescue. They . .uumm . . they kinda looked like the guys in . .uh . . your photo there.” “Huh?” Donnie sat there with a stunned expression on his face. ‘Could they really be here?’ he thought to himself. ‘But how? Are they really ghosts?’ “Dad? Are you okay?” Derek stood on one side and Zach on the other as Donnie slowly came back to the present. “What?! . . Oh, yeah. Just lost in thought.” Donnie shook his head to clear it. “Were you correct when you said they fought the gang?” “Yes. We just didn’t tell you who they looked like.” Zach answered this time. “So, they were physically here. Not just images with no substance.” Donnie clarified. “It’s impossible for them to look exactly the same after eighteen years unless they’re ghosts. Right?” “I guess so, Dad.” Derek replied. “I don’t think you have to be afraid of them, though. I mean they saved our butts.” “You don’t understand. I never told you the whole story. This picture I took without them knowing. You see; in high school we weren’t friends. I bullied them because . . . because I was jealous.” Donnie hung his head and sighed. The boys each rubbed a shoulder and waited patiently for Donnie to continue. Wiping his face with his hands Donnie went on with his story. “It’s still hard to admit that after all these years. Zane used to be my best friend; until we were twelve when your Uncle Derek was run over by Zane’s drunk father after our football game on Halloween.” Derek interrupted with a question, “Which one is Zane?” Donnie pointed to him in the photo. “That’s the little one that looks like me!” exclaimed Zach. “What position did he play? ‘Cause you said you were the quarterback.” “He was our running back and the fastest runner this town has ever seen before or since.” Donnie told them proudly. “If you look at the high school some of his track records still stand.” “Zane? . . . Oh! . . . Zane Grey Hill? He has the same last name as me. Is . . is he my brother?” asked Zach looking intently at Donnie. “Well. Half-brother to be exact. But yes, he is.” “I don’t think you have to worry if it is him ‘cause . . “ Zach started but was cut off by Donnie. “You haven’t heard it all yet. I screamed at him to get away from Derek and started calling him names when it happened. Then I just kept on; I went from name calling to trying to hit him and finally. On Halloween eighteen years ago I found the trail he used to escape us and his dad and waited on him. He wasn’t watching very well and he was already limping some so we managed to catch him for once . . .” It’s okay , Dad,” Derek interjected. “No. No, it isn’t. You need to know how bad I acted that night.” Donnie insisted. “I uh I beat him. I beat him ‘til he passed out. Then I had the two guys with me strip his clothes off and I was gonna take what I had wanted.” All three were crying silently now. Donnie gave a big sniff then finished. “Suddenly I was hit hard enough to send me flying and knocked me out. The other two told me later that it was a monster. It growled at them then picked Zane up and left. He hadn’t been seen since and neither has Zander. That’s the other guy in the photo.” “Dad, you’re not that same person anymore. You’ve changed. You’ve taken good care of me and Zach. Besides, I still don’t think you need to worry. Zane is the one who appeared right in front of me and hit the guy coming after me hard enough to put him on his ass.” Derek reassured Donnie. “He protected me and he had to know I was yours. Everybody says I look just like you did.” “Besides they’ve been watching us just like you and Uncle Si have been,” added Zach. Donnie looked up in surprise then chuckled, “Can’t get anything past you, can I? Let’s get supper started. Uncle Simon’s joining us tonight.” “Speaking of getting things by us and Uncle Si. Do you like, like Uncle Si, Dad?” piped up Derek as they left the office. Stumbling Donnie stopped and turned toward the teens, “What do . . . Why . . would you ask that?” Derek shrugged his shoulders, “It’s just you’ve told us just now you used to be in love with Zane and Uncle Si comes over all the time and spends the night sometimes. I’ve never figured out where he sleeps; we don’t have a guest room. So it just occurred to me that maybe now it’s Simon you like and he sleeps in your room.” Seeing the panicked look on Donnie’s face Zach stepped in, “Dad, we don’t care if you do. It’s that you seem happiest when Uncle Si is around and we want you to be happy.” Derek nodded his agreement, hugged his dad and slipped by him to the kitchen. Donnie relaxed as Zach also hugged him and headed to the kitchen. ‘Guess I need to call a family meeting tonight,’ thought Donnie with a slight smile. Zane and Zander were more careful and two days later it paid off. Zane felt the vampire’s mind and manage to back off enough to not alert him. Quietly they made their way two streets over where Zane felt him to be. He was waiting for the cover of darkness in an empty building pacing restlessly. The Z’s silently entered through an open second story window and crept down the stairs to the room where the vampire was wearing out the floor. Zander peeked into the room to ascertain that it was the same vampire and to see where he was. Zane withdrew completely from the vampire’s mind and readied himself for a fight. The vampire caught sight of Zander just as Zane released a paralyzing spell. That gave the vampire just enough time to mutter a counter spell so instead of being paralyzed he was merely slowed in his movements. This gave the Z’s time to enter the room and spread apart. Now freed from the spell the Rogue launched a knife in Zander’s direction and sent a blast of energy at Zane. The brown haired teen had no trouble deflecting the knife then began to prepare his own spell but before he could finish he was hit by a second blast sent from the Rogue. Emerald eyes glowing Zane absorbed the first blast and gestured sending the Rogue into the wall. Approaching with a wall of energy held before him Zane continually flicked the vampire against the wall as he sent blast after blast into Zane’s shield with no effect. The Rogue in desperation sent one last blast but not at either of the Z’s. He blasted a hole in the wall next to him and slipped through disappearing into the town. Zane dropped the energy wall but kept his mental defences in place as he turned and offered a hand to Zander who was just coming to. With Zander on his feet Zane took off his backpack, extracted a small cooler and took two flasks handing one to Zander. They finished their drinks, returned everything to Zane’s backpack and left the building carefully. After the battle Zane had a good feel for the Rogue’s mental voice and was able to keep track of him better. However, they weren’t able to trap him again because he was now more alert. The Z’s and the Rogue played cat and mouse around the town until five days before Halloween. While following the boys with Zander, Zane caught a glimpse into the Rogue’s mind again. He was close! Zane sat down on a bench so he could concentrate on tracking the Rogue and had Zander watching the boys and for a physical sighting of the Rogue. Neither was paying attention to their immediate surroundings. Lost in thought as he came to relieve Simon of guard duty Donnie crossed the street, turned and came face to face with Zander as he stood beside Zane. The blonde vampire looked up when he heard the choked attempt to speak and froze in place. Both Donnie and Zane looked as if they had seen a ghost. “Donnie!?” “Zane? Is it really you?” Donnie started asking and stopped when he realized Zane was no longer there. Not sure what emotion he was feeling Zane chose to run away from where Donnie stood flabbergasted. He wasn’t ready to face his demons yet even though it had been eighteen years and he thought he could handle seeing Donnie again. He needed to face them and Donnie before they left but it was going to be harder than he thought. “Sorry, Donnie. He’s not ready yet. It really is us though and we’ll explain everything later.” Zander told Donnie as he started to follow Zane then turned back, “We won’t let anything happen to your boys.” With that he was gone. Donnie flopped onto the bench Zane just vacated and tried to collect his thoughts before he joined Zach and Derek. ‘It really was Zane and Zander returned after eighteen years and looking just like they did then. But why? How? Were they ghosts or sent back for some reason? Maybe to save the boys or did Zane have to forgive him before moving on? Zander said they’d explain, but when? . . . Oh god! On Halloween! That’s when everything happened to them!’ After a couple more minutes Donnie had himself together. He found the boys and took them to Hardee’s to eat. Donnie could use a big burger just then and Derek loved the taco salad from Red Burrito that was with the Hardee’s. Over supper Donnie told the boys about meeting the Z’s and what Zander had told him. The teens were nice and didn’t say ‘I told you so’ about them not being here to harm Donnie even if they were ghosts. Luckily for everyone trying to protect the teenage brothers the Rogue vampire had felt Zane probing him and took off. The solitary gang member at the hangout when the Rogue arrived was not so lucky. He made the mistake of ridiculing the frustrated vampire and was drained dry and tossed in the alley. Feeling better the Rogue denied having seen him that day when the others returned and asked about him. Rad, the gang’s leader, wanted to go after Zach again right away. He used to go to a rival school that Zach beat with a last minute touchdown pass and would love to end Zach’s career painfully. He had already been convinced to go after the little brother instead by the newest member of his gang who asked to be called Vadim. Vadim had been very persuasive and tried once more to get Rad to target Derek with no success this time. Vadim, the Rogue vampire, didn’t know what difference it made but his mentor had commanded him to get the younger one. While Rad laid out his plans to get Zach to the other gang members Vadim slipped away to an empty room to contact his mentor. After thirty minutes of communicating with his mentor Vadim had his new instructions: help the gang against the older boy because it would lead him to the one they wanted. Satisfied Vadim rejoined the gang and caught up on the plans by reading Rad’s mind which was very open. So open was his mind that another vampire deep in concentration looking for the Rogue’s whereabouts picked up his plans along with the knowledge that the Rogue was being directed by someone else. That mind however was too far away and too protected for Zane to learn anything about who it was. The next day Zander sat Zane down for a talk. It was obvious that they would be running into Donnie since they were there to protect his sons. Zander had done something he rarely did; he had scanned Donnie as he talked to him the day before. “Zane, I broke one of my rules yesterday when we ran into Donnie,” began Zander capturing Zane’s interest instantly. “I quick scanned Donnie’s mind.” “Okay,” Zane cautiously spoke wondering where this was going. “I don’t think he is the same person he was in high school. He really cares for those boys.” “Thanks, Zander. That helps. I thought I was ready to face him but I freaked when we were suddenly face to face.” “I noticed and I know you. You won’t be happy until you can face him and forgive him.” “I love how well you know me.” Zane rose and wrapped his arms around Zander’s waist. “And I love you.” “I love you, too. Forever.” Zander pulled his boyfriend closer, leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips. Zane returned the kiss then gently pushed his taller lover back, “Wish we had time for more but we’ve got a coupla brothers to protect.” Across town the brothers, Zach and Derek, were discussing why they were jumped and why everyone seemed to think it would happen again. “I thought it was a one time thing because they found me alone,” stated Derek as he ran a brush over his hair. “I did too at first but that lead guy bugged me.” Zach told him while putting toothpaste on his toothbrush. “I finally remembered why he seemed familiar. He was the Trenton Bears’ quarterback last year who threatened me and Charlie because that last touchdown pass knocked them out of a chance at the playoffs.” “Ooooh! I remember that. He was pissed and had a really foul mouth.” Derek was now getting his toothbrush ready. “Yeah. His mouth got him suspended for the next game which was their last. So he didn’t get to play in their senior recognition game.” The next few minutes were filled with the sound of teeth being brushed, spitting and rinsing. Finished in the bathroom the boys headed down the hall into the living room, grabbed their backpacks and went out the door still talking about the gang incident and all the drama that has come after. “Man! I hope it doesn’t mess up Halloween,” moaned Derek as he straddled the motorbike. “Think Dad’ll still let me go?” “I don’t know,” answered Zach climbing on himself. “But with so many people watching he might be talked into it.” The roar of the engine when Zach started the bike put an end to the conversation and they took off for school. They were not alone on the way to school and it was not the Z’s keeping tabs on them either. Rad, the gang leader who had it in for Zach, had finally discovered where they lived. With his motorized scooter Rad could follow at a distance but not catch Zach’s more powerful motorcycle. He almost caught up to Zach at the middle school when Zach waited to make sure Derek got in the building with no mishaps. Arriving at the high school after Zach was already in the school Rad thought of doing something to Zach’s bike but never got a chance. At first there was the police officer helping with school traffic then a thirty-something guy walked the track for at least an hour and finally when Rad thought he had an opening the school security guard made his rounds. Frustrated Rad made the little scooter whine as he left with the throttle fully open. That afternoon it was Derek being stalked as he went to soccer practice by the Rogue vampire, Vadim. Two things worked in Derek’s favor keeping Vadim from being able to follow his mentor’s orders. One, he was a well-liked kid who always had at least one or two buddies walk with him to practice so he was never alone for Vadim to grab. Two, before practice was over Vadim felt the appearance of Zane at the soccer field and retreated in a frustration to match Rad’s from this morning. There were now only three days until Halloween which was the deadline Vadim’s mentor had set for completion of his assigned task. If he couldn’t make something happen today Vadim planned to start recruiting among the teen and twenty-something vampires he knew. The morning went by without even a hint of trouble as the Z’s, Donnie and Simon kept their separate watches on the two teens. Rad had gotten stoned last night to relieve his frustrations and didn’t stir until about one in the afternoon. Following yesterday Vadim had come to the conclusion that after practice when the boys liked to visit in town would provide his best shot at snatching Derek. Although he knew the reasons for the tight security and scrutiny by his dad and the others Derek, like any teenager, chafed at the constrictions and slipped away from his dad’s watchful eyes. Knowing that Donnie and Simon were also watching, Zane and Zander had stopped staying so physically close to the teens. Especially since they tended to stay in fairly crowded areas anyway. Vadim instantly knew this was his chance to fulfill his mentor’s direct order. The humans couldn’t stop him even if they got there in time and there was no way those two interfering vampires would arrive in time. What Vadim hadn’t taken into account was how strong Zane’s magic was. With Zander’s added strength Zane could cast long range spells that were very effective. Derek felt a cold chill on his neck and whirled around to find the gang member with the frosty voice and icy stare bearing down on him. Not that he could have outrun the vampire but his rising panic made Derek unable to move at all. Thankfully the panic also alerted the mentally ever watchful Zane to his dire predicament. Zane quickly tapped Zander’s power along with his own and cast a modified barrier spell. It set a cylindrical barrier field around Derek and was capable of moving with him. The unheeding Rogue ran full speed into the shield and was blown back twenty-five feet. Rising to his feet Vadim furiously began sending blast after blast at the barrier around his intended prey to no avail. His unbridled fury blinded him to the fact that the Z’s were closing in on his location. He was made acutely aware of it when Zander punched his face with enough force to break his concentration on his magic and almost his jaw. Picking himself up off the street again Vadim glared at the two teens planted between him and his target, turned and sped away. He didn’t stop running until he reached the next town and started recruiting new gang members but these were all vampires. Those two meddlers wouldn’t stop him next time. Donnie caught up with Derek just as his attacker disappeared down the next street. The thirteen year old human looked at Donnie, Zane and Zander then his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed with relief. Like lightning the blonde vamp was there to catch Derek before he could hit the pavement. Shaking his head and blinking hard several times Donnie moved toward the pair. He couldn’t believe how fast Zane had moved. It seemed as if everything he knew about Zane was magnified; his speed, his kindness, his protectiveness. That was exactly how Zane had always been with his brother, Derek; now again with his son, Derek. Zane gently set Derek on his feet as he came to and handed him over to his dad. Donnie spoke as Zane turned to leave. “Wait! Thank you!” “You’re welcome. But I’m not ready yet. I’m getting there, though.” Zane smiled then turned, gathered Zander with a look and left. But they didn’t go far; Zane was not ready to let Derek out of his sight plus he wanted to see how Donnie reacted to what had transpired. Donnie continued to hold Derek close with one hand, fished his phone from his pocket with the other and called Simon. “Hey, Si! You near Zach?” “Get him and meet us at the house, now!” “Yeah, someone came after Derek again.” “He’s okay but I’ll feel better if we’re all at home.” “Thanks, Si! See you in a few.” The Z’s followed Derek and Donnie until they were in Donnie’s car and headed home. They raced on foot to the house and hid in one of the trees so they could continue to monitor the situation. After listening to the small family’s meeting Zane was ready to leave. Derek had only received a mild scolding for ditching his dad and lots of love from everyone because he was safe. Donnie even credited Zane and Zander as being the ones who actually did the saving. The small vampire realized that when this was over and they had time to sit down with him Zane would have no problem forgiving Donnie. What the Z’s didn’t hear was the conversation between Derek and Zach as they lay in bed. “Zach? Do you remember the one with the icy eyes from the first attack? You know, the one that left without getting in the fight?” “Yeah. Why?” answered Zach turning over to face Derek. “He’s the one who came after me today. He’s not human and I don’t think the two helping us are either.” Derek remained on his back staring at the ceiling. “What makes you say that?” Zach was very interested now. “The speed he came at me with. Then when he couldn’t get me he was sending some kinda energy things at me. I could feel the impact but none ever touched me. That’s why I don’t think our helpers are human. They had to have set some kind of a force field that protected me. And the other one, not your brother, punched hard enough to not just knock him down but sent him back several feet.” Derek answered and had begun to shiver while he talked. “Zach, I’m scared!” Zach reached over with his left hand and pulled Derek closer turning onto his side in a spooning position. “Just remember my brother and his friend are on our side and protecting us. And so are Dad and Uncle Si.” Zach hugged and kissed his brother on the top of his head. “Sleep now, little brother.” Down the hall Donnie and Simon were having their own conversation about this latest incident. “Simon, I don’t know what to think. They look and sound like Zane and Zander from eighteen years ago but the things they can do. . . It can’t be real!” “What kinds of things are you talking about?” asked Simon as he stripped down to his red and yellow striped trunk style underwear. Donnie turned to face him in his royal blue boxer briefs. “To begin with they’re both smaller than Zach but each took down one of the punks easily according to the boys. Then today the one after Derek was picking himself up off the street several feet away from either of them. And when Derek passed out Zane caught him before he could get even close to hitting the pavement. Zane was six feet away! I know he used to be fast but this was like Flash fast.” “I think you’re just trying to borrow trouble. Every unusual thing you’ve mentioned about them has been during a time they have protected Zach and Derek. Whoever or whatever they are; they seem to be on your side. Quit worrying and come to bed,” Simon emphasized his last words with a pat on the bed next to him. Two days were left until the Halloween deadline when Vadim returned to town but he was pleased with his recruiting trip. He managed to talk five vampires into joining the gang with various threats and promises and all five were veteran vampires. Two of them even had some rudimentary training in magic and might be useful to his mentor if they did well on this mission. Entering the abandoned building the gang used for their base of operations Vadim found that Rad had done some recruiting of his own. There was a total of eight humans and six vampires to go against two humans and two vampires. Success was practically guaranteed. Surely even Romani trained vamps couldn’t prevail against so many. Vadim did not plan on taking any chances this time either. There were too many humans involved for his comfort. While the boy was in school was the perfect time to put the gang through a test. The outcome would decide which human members of the gang would be used for the fight. Those who failed to make the grade would be food for the six vampires so they would be fully energized for the fight that was sure to occur when they nabbed the boy. He hoped Rad failed. It would be sweet for Vadim to sink his teeth into the whiny ‘leader’ of the gang and drink him dry. Zach and Derek were pretty much resigned to the fact that they would be tailed by not one but two people each. One human, either their dad or Uncle Si, and one whatever, ghost, angel, something powerful, kept tabs on them everywhere except school and ball practice. They almost decided to just go straight home everyday until the danger passed but ultimately didn’t want to let the gang change their lives. At least now Donnie and Simon were being open about it which sometimes resulted in the teens not having to pay for their own afternoon treats. They both caught a break with their respective teams with it being so close to Halloween the coaches announced no more practices until after the holiday. Zach picked Derek up after school as usual and spotted Uncle Si’s silver Mazda pulling into traffic behind them. They were headed into town to get the last few things Derek needed for Halloween night. He was going on faith that he would still get to attend the party and hang with his best buds afterwards. Donnie still hadn’t handed down his decision. Vadim’s test of the humans and vamps in the gang turned into not such a good idea. One of the gang members who had looked very promising ended up with a broken leg and was regulated to the food group. To his dismay Rad had no trouble passing the test almost being the best among the non-vampires. But the worst part for Vadim was the distraction it caused to his mental diligence. Zane and Zander also used school time to do some needed practice and mental prep for the battle they knew was coming. They spent an hour and a half sparring physically, magically and a combination of the two at once. While Zander checked on securing a supply of blood without having to kill, Zane settled in for a mental and magical search for the Rogue and his plans. Luck seemed to smiling on him today for five minutes after calming and centering his mind Zane caught a trace of the Rogue’s mind. It was wide open and distracted due to the test Vadim was conducting. Once Zane realized how distracted Vadim was he carefully and with a light touch lurked around the edges of the Rogue’s mind to learn as much as he could. The more he learned the more concerned Zane became but at least they were forewarned. They were now facing not one but six vampires. One of which was a fully trained Rogue and two more had at least the basics of magical fighting. More importantly Zane discovered who they were after and more disturbing to Zane was the reason that Vadim was given by his mentor. Only one of the boys was actually wanted by the Rogue and his mentor and that was Derek. Zane wanted more than anything to know who the mentor was but that information was buried to deep in Vadim’s brain. Zane himself was the reason given to Vadim. The Rogue was told it would devastate the Romani vampire if something were to befall Derek. That was true now that Zane knew who Derek was and that he existed but how had this other person known. The Rogue was here before Zane and Zander got here and they didn’t know about Derek until after the first confrontation. The amount of knowledge this ‘mentor’ of Vadim’s had about him and how he reacts drove Zane’s anxiety level out the roof. None of that mattered right now. Now they had to figure out how to beat six vampires and a few human helpers in order to keep Donnie’s son safe. Zane needed to confer with Zander then get a message to the Briscoes. He would prefer to keep the humans out of the battle but unless he had changed all of his character Donnie would never go for that with his son’s life on the line. When Zander returned Zane brought him up to speed on all that he had discovered and his thoughts on what they needed to do. The two made plans and more plans and then made a contingency plan in case everything else failed. After all the mental preparations the Z’s battled each other until they were drenched in sweat and had practiced every move they knew about ten times. By the time they needed to be at the schools to protect the boys they felt as ready as could be to face the gang whenever they came after Derek again. When Zane arrived at the middle school to follow Derek he found Simon already there waiting. The young-looking vampire approached Simon slowly and cautiously making sure to stay where Si could see him. Simon had a confused look on his face because he knew from the photo who it was but had no idea why Zane would be coming to see him. When Zane stood in front of Simon he hesitated before beginning the speech he and Zander had worked on. The plan was to tell as much truth about what they would be facing without actually using the word ‘vampire.’ Now face to face with the one Zane had chosen to tell it was harder than he had thought. Clearing his throat a few times Zane finally managed to launch into his spiel about who the enemy was and what to do to defeat them. “Simon, I can see in your eyes that you’ve been told who I am. My name is Zane and I am the same person from eighteen years ago. I don’t want to go into how that’s possible right now. Trust that we want to keep Zach and Derek safe and ,please, listen to what I’m telling you.” Simon nodded but kept silent. “Six of the gang members now after Derek are not normal humans. They will be stronger and faster. I want you and Donnie to steer clear of them if at all possible. Let me and Zander handle them. There should be enough regular humans to keep you busy. However, if you do find yourself facing one of the others there are only two ways to stop them. Removing their heads and burning them.” “What!? But that’s . . .” Simon reacted but Zane cut him off. “I know! I don’t like it either but it is the only thing that will prevent them from continuing to come after Derek. Please believe me! And please pass this on to Donnie! I will leave it up to you and Donnie whether you tell the boys but take it from me. Zach will fight for his brother.” With his message delivered Zane turned and disappeared to the other side of the school to wait on Derek. Once in place Zane broadcast his mental presence as well as constantly scanning for the other vampires. He wanted them to know he was present. Another part of the Z’s plan was to try to be the ones to choose when and where to have their rumble. It must have worked; while Zane occasionally felt the Rogue’s awareness brush against his none of the four guardians spotted anyone. The teens went about their business as usual until they were at home. Zane and Zander needed time to prepare the place they had chosen to face the Rogue and his crew. Zane didn’t like leaving them unguarded and didn’t count the two adult humans when it came to opposing vampires. So he spent some time going around the Briscoe’s house casting a special type of barrier spell. It not only would keep the vampires out without an invitation from him and alert him when they tripped it but it was also a trap that would hopefully hold then until he and Zander could arrive on the scene. Satisfied that he had made them as safe as he could Zane motioned to Zander that he was ready to go. They went to the building where they planned to let the gang ‘trap’ Derek. One end of the room had an escape hatch where they planned to lead Derek and his family. Zane wanted them to sneak Derek out while he and Zander kept the rest busy. The Z’s worked through the night get everything just the way they wanted it. The emerald-eyed teen vampire was trying to leave nothing to chance. It was now the day before Halloween and everyone’s nerves were on edge. The Briscoe family wondering when and where and how Derek would be attacked. Having been told that several of the gang members were not normal added to their apprehensions. Was it the same abilities that they had seen Zane and Zander used? What were they? The two protective vampires were also uneasy. Zane had discovered that the head Rogue had been given a deadline and it was tomorrow. Either today or tomorrow they would see if all their planning paid off. The Z’s had never faced this many vampires at one time before and one was well-trained with two more having the basics of magical fighting. Those three were going to be Zane’s responsibility when they engaged the gang in battle and he was concerned. He had been taught well and trained hard but this would be the first real test of his abilities both physical and magical. Zander stood behind his shorter boyfriend rubbing his shoulders in an effort to calm him. They had some time before they had to be at the house to follow the boys to school. Zander started to put that time to good use knowing something that would definitely take his lover’s mind off the upcoming confrontation. Just as he slid his hands down Zane’s firm, muscular chest the teen’s head jerked up instantly alert. Up and ready earlier than usual due to the anxiety of the situation Zach and Derek left the house twenty minutes sooner than normal. This put them outside Zane’s barrier and vulnerable to attack. Fortunately the two humans and two vampires sent by Vadim were not aware of this at first. One of the vampires while looking for a way into the house got too close and set off the barrier alarm and trap. At about the same time the two human gangsters spotted Zach and Derek getting ready to leave. The commotion created by the trapped vampire and the yelling of the gangsters at Zach and Derek alerted the whole household that something was up. Donnie and Simon rushed out of the house to find Derek being chased between the trees in the yard and Zach get grabbed by the backpack from behind before he could get off the motorcycle. Simon being the faster of the two went after the hoodlum chasing Derek who was further away. The older teen was not paying attention to anything but his attempts to snag Derek. Simon hit him still going at full speed with an elbow to the side of his head. He didn’t get back up. Donnie caught the other from behind and clamped down on his shoulder hard. The ruffian let loose of Zach’s backpack and whirled around connecting his fist with Donnie’s chest. Donnie released his shoulder and staggered back a couple of steps. Thinking he had Donnie on the ropes the twenty year old advanced carelessly to find himself facing an enemy who was larger, angry and now had his feet set. Donnie ducked under the next punch and drove his right fist into the midsection of his opponent. Air whooshed out of the winded gangbanger as he doubled over. This gave Donnie time to rock back then forward again in a mighty uppercut that landed square on the nose lifting the younger dude up and laying him out on his back. Still pissed off about his boys being attacked Donnie headed for the third guy he could see not knowing this one would not be so easy. The vampire laughed as he absorbed the blow then backhanded Donnie who landed hard five feet away. Donnie lay there trying to get his breath back as the bloodsucker sauntered over and reached for Donnie’s throat. “My alarm was just tripped! We’ve got to get to Derek! Now!” yelled Zane as he zipped out the door. He knew he would get there way ahead of Zander but planned on just watching until he caught up. Zander sighed as he too left the building, “Coming! Wait if you can!” Zane arrived at the house in time to see the backhand and Donnie landing on his back. When the vampire went for Donnie’s throat Zane couldn’t wait for Zander; he reacted immediately. Even with his speed Zane would not be able to reach Donnie in time to stop what was happening. Instead the Romani vampire cast a paralyzing spell holding the vampire thug in place then started a second, little known, hard to cast spell. His concentration was so complete that he paid only nominal attention to everything and everybody else. The intenseness paid off against the vamp who attacked Donnie. He began to sweat as his body temperature rose quickly from the spell cast by Zane and he still could not move. The other vampire struggled in the trap until he finally broke free. Coming around the house he saw his ally totally paralyzed and sweating like a stuck hog. He also saw Zane’s face masked in concentration turned toward his buddy. He raced toward the smaller vampire at full speed. Zane registered the movement with just enough time to brace for the impact and roll with it. This broke his spells and released the first vampire. As he rolled Zane thrust the attacking thud away from and against a tree ten feet away. In a sudden flash of inspiration the Romani combined an energy burst with the superheating spell and cast it at the vampire slumped against the tree. The result was a good-sized fireball that consumed the thug and vanished leaving only a section of blackened bark where he used to be. The Rogue that had been reaching for Donnie shuddered when he was released and wiped the sweat from his face then he turned his attention back to his prey with an evil smirk. At least he could take out this human before he retreated. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on whether you were Donnie or the vampire Zander chose this time to make his appearance. He gave a mental shove to the hoodlum vamp moving him back from the supine human. The Rogue vampire’s face ran through a multitude of emotions: surprise, anger, frustration, fear and hatred. But he had no desire to face these two alone so he sprinted away as quickly as possible. Zander knelt beside Donnie, “Be still, Donnie. Let me make sure nothing’s broken.” Zander scanned his body and found nothing more than some bruises. “Here,” said Zander holding out his hand. Donnie looked him in the eye a second then grasped the offered hand and let Zander pull him to his feet. “Thanks!” Meanwhile Zane had checked on Derek and Simon. “Are you two okay?” Derek was a little skittish about getting close to him in spite of the fact Zane had just saved him again. The smallish teen was not much bigger than Derek but he had tossed a guy that almost twice his size like it was nothing. Then somehow caused a big fireball to disintegrate him. Simon watched them and came to a conclusion. Yes, the guy was stronger, faster and extremely dangerous. But it seemed to Simon that the only ones who needed to be afraid of him and his friend were those attacking Derek and Zach. He stepped forward, thrust out his hand and said, “Thanks for all your help, Zane.” “You’re welcome,” replied Zane shaking his hand and smiling. “Like I told you yesterday I’ll do whatever it takes to keep these two safe. After all they are my brothers.” Derek had been watching the exchange between Simon and Zane with interest to see what happened but that last comment left him confused and it showed on his face. “Uh, yeah! Thanks a lot!” Derek offered his hand to Zane and went on, “Uhm, what do you mean ‘your brothers’?” Zane laughed and shook Derek’s hand before answering, “Well. Zach and I have the same real dad so we are half-brothers. You and Zach are brothers because Donnie adopted him. Therefore I believe that makes us all brothers.” Derek thought it over. “Oh, okay. I see. So I don’t have to be afraid because you’ll protect me just like Zach does.” “That’s right!” Zane smiled at Derek then turned his attention back to Simon. “I’m curious. What’s the deal with you and Donnie?” It was Simon’s turn to smile mischievously. “Ahh! Tit for tat! When you explain about you and Zander we’ll explain about us.” Zane just stared at Simon then burst out laughing, “That’s fair enough! Hopefully we can all sit down sometime tomorrow and tell all.” They all gathered together and the humans hugged each other in relief. The Z’s leaned against each as they watched then Zander had to break the bad news. “This isn’t over. There are more like the last two and they won’t give up.” “We will be staying as out of sight as possible but close to the boys from now to the end of the deadline which is Halloween. Continue doing what you normally would do for Halloween and we will stop them,” added Zane before jumping straight up landing in one of the trees. “Oh, cool!” grinned Derek. “That means I get to go to the party tomorrow!” Everyone went about their day as usual while the Z’s stayed close to Zach and Derek sometimes letting them see that they were still watching. Across town the feelings were much different. Vadim was pissed about not getting the boy and losing one of his vampires to those irksome, meddling punks. He smacked the surviving vamp around then entered his mind to review the event for himself. What he found almost made him want to apologize to the hapless vampire but only almost. He had known from their first encounter that the smaller vampire was good since he was obviously Romani trained but now he had a better idea of just how good. It was not going to be easy to get past him to get the intended target. Three against one was pretty good odds though and left two to take on his partner. Vadim felt better about his chances to complete his task on time if just barely. The Rogue vampire called his cohorts together, explained what he had learned and assigned each of them tasks during the fight to come. Then he set the untrained pair a training schedule for the rest of the day. The duo with some training he took to another room for more lessons in magic and a training regimen of their own. Vadim wanted everyone at the top of their game so today they trained and tomorrow they would take their prize. That evening Zach, Derek, Donnie and Simon went to a nice family restaurant for dinner. They had invited Zane and Zander to join them but the Z’s politely declined saying they had eaten on a different schedule and weren’t hungry. The teen vampires assured the group that they would still be watching. After dinner the foursome headed home for the night. Derek wanted to make sure he had his costume perfect since was going to get to have his Halloween fun. Zach, of course, pitched in to help when needed and to Derek’s delighted surprise his dad asked if there was anything he could do to help. “I don’t have much left to do, Dad,” Derek answered while laying out his costume and supplies. “Would you stay and watch though, please?” “I’d be glad to!” Donnie plopped himself down in the desk chair to watch. He asked questions about the costume from time to time as Derek worked. When he had finished and put everything away it was bedtime and Donnie hugged him, kissed his forehead and sent to the bathroom to get ready for bed. “Thanks, Dad!” hollered Derek as his dad went through one door and he went through the other to the bathroom he shared with Zach. Zach came in to get ready as Derek finished. “Good night, Derek. Do you need me to lay with you?” “You don’t have to but you can if you want. I’m not scared anymore. Our other brothers are keeping us safe. Good night, Zach.” Zane and Zander sat together in a tree outside the house for awhile watching for intruders and listening to the occupants. Zane smiled hearing the conversations and it got bigger when Zander whispered in his ear. The blonde vampire set another powerful barrier trap spell around the house to keep it safe while he and Zander attended to some unfinished business. A chance at relaxation got interrupted this morning when the alarm went off. Finished with the spell Zane grinned at Zander and hand in hand they dropped out of the tree and raced to the abandoned building they had been staying in. Inside, the lovers switched gears from full speed ahead to snail pace. They started with deep, passionate kisses where it was their tongues that did the battling. Their hands slowly caressed each other’s bodies running from the hair on the top of their heads down the sleek bodies to the rounded mounds of flesh above their legs and back up again over and over. Next Zane ran his hands under Zander’s shirt pushing it up his body as the blondie’s lips traveled down his boyfriend’s chin to his neck. Then he dropped his hot mouth to Zander’s chest as he pushed the brunette’s shirt over his head. With the shirt out of the way on the floor Zane ran his tongue over the smooth firm pecs in front of him spending plenty of time on each nipple. His hands continue to slide sensuously up and down Zander’s muscle-ripped back and eventually slipping under the waist bands to massage his buns. A minute or two later Zane undid the jeans and pushed them and the underwear down to Zander’s feet where he removed socks and shoes allowing everything to slip off. Since he was now on his knees Zane put his marvelous tongue to work on Zander’s sensitive balls then up to the top of his rock hard cock swirling around the head a few times before engulfing the entire rod at once. A few swallows later with his throat constricting around the tip Zane was rewarded for his efforts. Zander’s knees nearly buckled but he recovered and raised Zane to his feet to return to making out as he pulled the green-eyed hunk’s shirt up. He broke the kiss long enough to remove the shirt then kissed his way to Zane’s ultra-sensitive nubs eliciting an almost endless moan. After a few moments of driving his boyfriend wild Zander kissed and licked his way down the ridged abs to Zane’s belly button as he unfastened the jeans and pulled them and the green boxer briefs to bunch around the teen’s ankles. Not waiting to completely undress his lover Zander began to bob up and down the velvety, steel pole in front of him. The slow pace he started with soon increased as Zane’s moans and groans of pure lusted drove Zander on. When he felt the fingers entwine in his soft, brown hair Zander sunk further down the rigid member each time he bobbed. He stopped totally still as the fingers tightened their grip on his hair and swallowed shot after shot before catching Zane by the legs to keep him from falling. Completely spent and relaxed Zane clung to his partner for life while Zander rose to his feet and hugged him close. They caught their breath as they kissed a few more times lightly then separated. “Let’s work out and spar to get us ready,” suggested Zane. “Okay,” replied Zander, “but not too much; don’t want to be exhausted when we have to fight for real.” “Good thinking, Zander. Afterwards we should center and meditate.” “Right and last we should have a little liquid refreshment from our cooler. Then we should be able to handle whatever they throw at us.” Halloween morning dawned bright and sunny and the Z’s watched the sunrise before heading to the Briscoe’s house to make plans for the day. They had to wait about an hour before the inhabitants of the house began to stir. They knocked on the door and waited. “Who . . who’s there?” The voice was Derek’s. “It’s your new brothers,” answered Zane knowing that would let Derek know it was really them. The door opened a crack as Derek’s eyes peered out. With a sigh of relief he threw open the door when he knew it actually was Zane and Zander. “Come in, guys. We’re just getting ready for the day.” Derek said as he headed down the hall. The Z”s waited while everyone got dressed then joined them at the dining room table as they ate breakfast. Zane let them eat in peace for several minutes before discussing the attack that was bound to occur some time today. “I think we should flush them out and force their hand,“ began Zane looking at each person as he spoke. “I’m not sure that’s best,” countered Donnie. “Maybe they won’t try anything if Derek stays in public.” “Might be better to get it over with quick then we could stop worrying,” was Simon’s input. “Staying in public won’t work,” refuted Zander. “The head vampire is too afraid of the person who sent him. He has to act today no matter what.” “Can you guarantee Derek’s safety if we force them to start now?” Donnie wanted to know. “We can’t 100% guarantee it regardless of when they come after him but our best chance is if we control where and when,” Zane argued. “I agree with them, Dad,” stated Zach, “but we need to ask Derek how he wants to do it. Derek?” “Dad, I know you’re worried but this is going to happen whether we want it to or not, right?” asked Derek looking around the table. Everyone nodded as he continued, “The party and other stuff I want to do isn’t until this afternoon and later. I would enjoy it better if this were done and out of the way.” “Okay. What do we do?” inquired Donnie looking directly at Zane. It occurred to Donnie that if Zane was here for revenge the worst thing he could do was take Derek from him. With tensions so high the Romani vampire couldn’t help but catch that thought as it crossed Donnie’s mind. Zane was out of his chair in an instant and knelt in front of Donnie taking his hands. “I solemnly swear that I will protect Derek with my life. Cross my heart and pray to die; this promise stands ‘til pigs can fly.” Zane never took his eyes from Donnie’s as he chanted the stanza they had always used as best friends. Donnie slid out of his chair with tears in his eyes and squeezed Zane tightly to his chest. “Thank you so much!” Donnie started crying openly, “I am so sorry . . for everything.” “Shhh! We’ll talk about it later,” Zane replied through tears of his own. “Right now we need to whip some butt. Nobody threatens my brothers and gets away with it!” The two former best friends wiped their faces and returned to their chairs. Then Zane and Zander outlined their plan for the whole family and they hashed out an agreement. The whole group piled into Donnie’s SUV and drove into town where they parked and walked to the building the Z’s had prepared. Rad with his gang and Vadim with his group were waiting in town and soon picked up their trail. While Rad and his gang of humans followed and harassed them Vadim with his vampires raced ahead to see where they were going. Just before they reached their destination one of the vampires tried a desperate move to get Derek. Zane reacted quickly to shove the vampire aside as he tried to drop on top of them. Zander too had to act fast as he jumped between Simon and a blast sent by another of the vampires. He wasn’t fast enough as he caught part of the blast on his shoulder before his shield was all the way up. It was painful but he could still use it. Zane kept his arm around Derek as he hurried them into the building to the room they had set up. The emerald-eyed vamp sent a mental inquiry to his boyfriend and received the reply that he could hold his end. The Z’s showed them the hiding places and things they could use as weapons but when they came to the bolt hole it was blocked. The gangs chose that moment to enter the room and spread out; Vadim had warned not to group together. The grin on Vadim’s face caused the temperature in the room to drop at least ten degrees. Derek gulped in fear as Vadim’s icy stare locked eyes with him. Zane stepped in front of Derek and sent a small blast at the Rogue’s face to break the staredown. Although it was easily blocked all hell broke loose with that first volley. Rad’s only thought was revenge on Zach for the football loss last year and had instructed the two humans left that he was their first priority. The three rushed straight at Zach who was standing slightly behind Simon. Per their agreement Simon let Rad through but when the other two thought they had a free shot as well they were brought up short. The former tight end had never stopped working out and it was evident when he horse-collared both at once as they went by. Meanwhile, Zane stepped forward making room for Donnie to get between his son and the others. Zander moved to the side to give them room to operate. The Romani teen and the three trained vampires felt each other out testing with mental probes and blocks. The two untrained vampires weren’t as patient and rushed at Zander recklessly. He sidestepped and gave a mental shove sending them crashing into the wall. They were quickly back on their feet and came at him again but with more caution this time. As they traded blows it became evident that the knew street fighting but weren’t trained in any martial art. Rad found himself on the floor when he tripped after Zach dodged him like he would a blitzing linebacker. On the next rush Zach pushed Rad into the wall as he twisted to avoid contact. More furious than ever Rad rushed straight at Zach a third time. Tired of the stalemate Vadim turned his head slightly toward one of the vampires with him. The hastily trained new Rogue chanted his spell aloud alerting Zane and allowing him to prepare. When the bolts of electrical energy came at him Zane merely opened his arms, lips moving silently and welcomed them. The attacking vampire expecting him to at least be stunned flew toward him. To his surprise Zane caught him mid flight, turned toward the other vamp with Vadim and released all the electricity into him. The scorched Rogue flew limply away from Zane knocking the other one into the wall. Simon told the two thugs he took down to stay down if they were smart. One quickly proved how dumb he was by jumping to his feet and trying to grapple with the larger, stronger man. He thought because he wrestled once in high school he would have the advantage but Simon was used to throwing off would-be tacklers. He soon had the youngster on his back again groaning in pain. Zander was holding his own in his fight. One attacker had a broken arm and a broken ankle; they would heal but it would take some time. The other one had a few busted ribs and his left eye was swollen shut; he also would eventually heal. So far Zander was relatively untouched but the two on one battle was wearing him down. The third time he attacked Zach, Rad went in with his head down and shoulder aimed for the midsection. They were so close together this time that Zach had no time to react and he landed on his back with Rad on top. The vampire knocked down by the now unmoving, scorched one screamed in rage and leaped at Zane with his hands outstretched gathering energy as he came. Zane barely got a barrier in place before he arrived but the vamp’s momentum still knocked him down. Vadim tried to take out Donnie then with a magical blast forgetting how powerful and resourceful his opponent was. From the floor Zane was able to extend his wall to cover Donnie and Derek until he got back on his feet. The other human was up and jumped on Simon’s back while he was bent over the first attacker causing him to drop to his knees painfully. The nineteen year old wrapped an arm around Simon’s throat and squeezed. Simon’s thick neck muscles made it difficult for the teen and Simon was able to recover from the pain in his knees. He reached over his head, grabbed his attacker by the neck and threw him to the floor as hard as he could. Simon’s patience had reached the breaking point. The first thug was up again and coming for more. His rush forward ended when Simon’s fist connected with his jaw with enough force to snap his head back and he crumpled. The second thug had already started forward when he realized what had happened and tried to reverse course. It was too late! Simon’s other fist connected with his temple and he was laid out next to his fellow gang member. Rad was blindly wailing away at Zach mostly missing his target. He also wasn’t aware of anyone else in his fury. Derek had seen his brother go down and found one of the boards laying about. Hefting the three foot board in both hands he brought it down on Rad’s back with everything he had causing Rad to fall sideways off Zach. Derek added a couple of kicks giving Zach time to get to his feet and recover his breath. Ready to go again Zach pulled Derek back to where he was protected by Donnie and Zane. Rad got to his feet much slower than he had been but the rage still showed in his eyes. Still on the floor Zane kicked the other vampire sending him sliding away across the room. This gave him time and room to get to his feet. All the training and practice paid off because he was able to maintain his barrier spell through the attack. As he turned toward Vadim Zane again was hit with an energy blast that rocked him back a couple of steps. Absorbing all these attacks was draining his energy level and he wasted no time going after the vampire as it launched a new attack. Zane the new spell he created yesterday, summoned another fireball and hurled it at the incoming Rogue. He was traveling too fast and was too close to dodge. The unfortunate vamp screamed in rage and excruciating pain as he disintegrated into ash. Zander wasn’t faring as well now and had acquired some more bruises and a cut on his left cheek. Simon attempted to help but was quickly knocked down. When the vampire tried to feed on him Zander used a magical blast rendering the thug vampire unconscious. That move left him open to a renewed attack from the remaining vampire and was knocked face first to the floor. Simon discovered a good length of steel pipe as he climbed to his feet. Seeing Zander in trouble he swung with all the power he could muster at the vampire’s head. If he had been baseball the hit would have been an easy home run but on the vamp it was barely enough to clear him away from Zander’s prone figure. The angered thug turned his attention to Simon still brandishing the pipe. Simon swung again as the vampire advanced but ready now the vamp caught the pipe easily, jerking it away and tossed it out of reach. However, he forgot that he had been facing another vampire who would recover quickly and found himself wrenched away from his prey. Zander wrapped both arms around the vamp’s head and neck and twisted it violently keeping up the pressure until he heard the crack from the breaking spine. He lowered the unconscious thug down, braced a foot against a shoulder and pulled on the head until it separated from the body with a sickening pop. Although Rad was more careful in his attacks it didn’t stop Zach from tagging him time after time body and face. He wanted to turn tail and escape but didn’t dare. Vadim had warned them what would happen if they didn’t fight their hardest and proved it with a ganger who had failed the test. Zach was in the shape of his life and fighting for his brother soon he had Rad worn down. When Rad came in one more time his guard was lower than it should have been and Zach demolished his nose. Rad dropped like a dead weight out cold. That left Zane and Vadim facing one another warily. They had expended spell after spell at one another throughout the confrontation nearly exhausting their magical energies. Vadim tried one more weak blast that was barely slapped aside by Zane. “You are weak, little Romani vampire. When you are nearly dead I will feed on your boyfriend myself,” taunted the panting Rogue. “Then I will feed your friends to my friends. All while you watch helpless to stop it.” “NO!” Zane yelled attempting to conjure one more fireball but the best he could do was a softball sized blast that missed. Vadim laughed at the pitiful try and added to his taunts, “Oh, yeah! The little one you wish to protect you will never know what became of him. He goes to my boss!” Vadim continued laughing. Zach came to Zane’s side, “How do plan to do that when we’re still standing and your guy’s aren’t?” The others voiced their agreement with Zach and formed a line on either side of Zane facing the lone Rogue vampire. The laughing ended and with eyes smoldering with anger from being opposed by lowly humans Vadim tried to blast the entire group. It was a weak blast and Zane managed to spread a shield in front of everyone but it was weak also and spread thin. Most of the group felt enough of the blast to be pushed back a few steps. There were three exceptions; Zach and Derek were hardly affected as Zane protected them the most and Zane stumbled back more than anyone else. Laughing maniacally Vadim saw this as his chance and launched himself into the air intending to land in front of Derek and take him. What he hadn’t counted on was the promise Zane made to Donnie and the extent to which he would go to keep it. With a primal scream of rage Zane visibly gathered into himself then with eyes glowing launched himself to intercept Vadim. The Rogue vampire was certain his size would make him victorious over the diminutive teen opposing him. Everything appeared to happen in slow motion for the participants and spectators of this final battle. Vadim stretched his hands out like talons to riip into Zane when they collided. His eyes bugged out when just before contact Zane twisted in mid-air and executed a perfect back kick to the Rogue’s chest. Zane’s heel cracked the sternum on contact and sent the vampire slamming into the ceiling then he dropped to the floor. Zane landed lightly on his feet and flew toward Vadim again. This time he twirled to his left arcing his right foot up making a connection with Vadim’s face just as he staggered to his feet. The blow sent him head first into the wall dropping him to the floor again. Using the wall for support Vadim rose once more sending an energy blast toward Derek no longer caring what his benefactor wanted. His only thought was to cause the little vampire pain for getting in his way. The blast never reached its target for Zander had stepped in front of Derek taking the blow instead. This was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back for Zane. As he ran toward the swaying Rogue his whole body was bathed in an emerald green glow. Five feet from Vadim Zane leapt into a side kick aimed for the vampire’s neck. It hit with such force that not only was the larynx crushed but the vertebrae as well. The menacing thug dropped to the floor for the last time. Simon rushed to Zane’s aide as the exhausted champion could hardly stand and helped to where Donnie squatted beside Zander checking him out. Zane dropped down next to Donnie and Zander with his legs crossed and looked up at Zach and Derek. “Can you find our cooler, please?” begged Zane hoarsely. “We need what’s in it.” The boys wasted no time finding the cooler, dragging over to the group and opening the lid. Looking at the contents Derek’s eyes widened and he exclaimed. “That looks like blood! Are you going to drink that?” Quietly Zach commented, “That one called you a vampire. Is that what you are?” Zane sighed as he pulled two pouches from the cooler and showed Donnie how to feed it to Zander. He answered, “Wait until we can get this placed cleaned and find a quiet spot to talk. I’ll tell you everything.” Then he drained his own pouch and retrieved two more to replenish their energy. Renewed and refreshed Zane and Zander first scanned each of the group to make sure there were no injuries. Satisfied on that count they put the vampires in a pile in the middle of the room along with wood and paper scraps and had the others carry the three humans out of the building. Then they set the pile on fire staying until it died out making sure everything was burned completely. The ride back to the Briscoe’s house was silent and tense. Derek kept glancing at Zane and Zander torn between fear of what they might be and the safety he felt when near them. At the house Donnie noticed the time and sent everyone to get ready for the party while he and Simon made sandwiches for themselves and the boys. The Z’s got to take a hot shower together and change into fresh clothes from their backpacks. Derek got his costume ready then showered after Zach finished. Then everyone gathered at the dining room table. While the others ate Zane told them the truth about him and Zander. “We are vampires and so were several of those in that gang. There are more vampires than you realize and most live in peace alongside humans. Those were ones we call Rogues who hunt down certain humans to kill.” “So that was blood in your cooler?” asked Derek between bites. “Yes, we bought it from a blood bank so we wouldn’t have to get it directly from a person.” “Like they tried to do to dad here and to Simon during the fight?” Zach wanted to know. “Yes, we don’t like doing that.” “Is the magic spells a vampire thing?” Derek paused his chewing long enough to inquire. “Yes and no. Almost all vampires can learn some magic but it doesn’t come automatically with being a vampire.” “What about that green glow?” Simon chimed in with a question. Zander beat Zane in answering this one. “That is a Zane thing. It has to do with his ancestry more than being a vampire. He would have been able to learn the magic without being a vampire.” “Well, I want to know what really happened eighteen years ago,” Donnie said softly. Zane rubbed and patted Donnie’s arm before answering, “Some of this I know because Zander told me after I recovered. It was Zander that knocked you out that night and scared the other two. He did what we refer to as fanging out.” Zane stopped to show them causing all but Zander to kind of jump back in their seats. “I was dying and the only thing Zander could do to save me was to turn me into vampire like him. Which was a good thing since we had fallen in love. Now you know the story and I want to know about you two.” Zane looked from Donnie to Simon. Simon spoke for them, “We’ve become a couple officially just recently.” “Yes, we have. Halloween used to be mine and Zane’s favorite holiday,” was as far as Donnie got before being interrupted. “WHAT!?” Zach and Derek deafened the others in unison. “Yes,” chuckled Donnie, “until all the bad things started happening on Halloween. I want to change that. Starting with my apology to Zane and Zander for how I treated them. Thank you for forgiving me but mostly thank you for saving my boys. Now to add another good thing . . . I hope.” Donnie turned to Simon and dropped to one knee as he pulled a small box from his pocket. “Simon Parkins, will you marry me, please?” The teens gasped in surprise and Simon was stunned but recovered quickly. He slid down to Donnie and put him in a bear hug. “YES! Yes, yes, and yes. I would love to marry you!” Everyone clapped and gathered around the happy couple to congratulate them. Soon it was time for the party. “Do you have to go now or can you stay for the party?” Derek asked Zane with his arms around the older teen’s waist. “Well, we could stay just for the party if you want us to but we did have some other plans,” teased Zane. “Oh, okay,” Derek replied sadly. “Yeah,” Zander joined the teasing, “we had planned to stay for a couple of weeks or so but if you just want us for the party . . .” “Really! You’ll stay and visit?” Derek squeezed Zane then jumped into Zander’s arms to hug him. “Yes, we’ve got to get to know our new brothers,” answered Zane with a smile. “Did you think we’d just appear and disappear like a couple of ghosts?”

The Right is showing their true hypocrisy and animus in this situation. Not sure if anyone knew or remembers. I believe it was in 2009, in Louisiana, a county clerk there refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple on the basis of his religious beliefs. Gov. Jindal, at the time said that the clerk had to go if he could not follow the law. Just recently Gov. Jindal came out on the side of Kim Davis and says she has a right to her religious beliefs. This just proves to me the animus that a number of politicians have towards the gay people. Simply put, the government cannot endorse any religion, by extension a county clerk is an elected government official, thus cannot impose her religious beliefs on to others and cannot and should not act contrary to the law. If a situation is created in which clerks or government officials can assert their religious beliefs in their workplace onto others, then chaos will ensue. It could lead to any number of religious sects refusing services to other religious sects or to people who in some way violates their religious code. The right goes on and on about Sharia Law and how it must be stopped. Yet it sure seems to me, that many on the right would very much like to have their own Christian (Sharia like) laws. That, to me, is very dangerous no matter what religous sects pushes for and seeks to do.

I am sort of new to writing - I wrote my first page less than a year ago. The story itself, however, was rattling around in my brain for nearly 20 years. I thought about bits and pieces of it all the time. I got to a place where I just had to try to get it down on paper. I started with a very basic outline - character names, a few details (very few) and then a sort of timeline of significant events I had thought of. Then I sat down and started typing on my keyboard just to see what would pop out of me. I was pleasantly surprised to actually like what I wrote, so I wrote a second chapter. Then I realized I needed to do some research, as specific scenes and story ideas needed to be fleshed out more, and I wanted to "paint" the scene better so the reader would be able to "see" what I was "seeing" in my head. Like Ken, I use Google and Google Earth A LOT to research topics like geography, real estate, local foliage and landscaping, social activities, local attractions, cultural distinctions in the area, restaurants and menus, recipes, you name it. I try for accuracy in just about everything I write. I think it adds an authenticity to the story. When I describe a scene, I'm writing about something I've actually "seen", even if it's only online. A side note: If you are writing fantasy or sci-fi, like many authors on CR do, then I think you would have the challenge of creating not only your characters but the entire world in which they live. I admire fantasy writers because I think they take on a much tougher task in writing about societies and worlds and behaviors, etc. that don't actually exist in our world. My imagination doesn't quite work that well...grin. I think it also would be tough to keep those details straight and consistent, so kudos to those who do such a great job in their work. So....I keep a very general outline, a current research document into which I have cut and pasted many articles and tidbits from internet sites and Google data, and then I also have had the privilege of having readers who live in some of the places I write about, and they have graciously offered to assist me with questions or details. For example, I have a former high ranking security officer who keeps me on my toes with private security practices. I have a current lawyer who also taught in a law school who helps me with details about the realities of law school. When I wrote about Hawaii, I had two local guys give me great insights into local life and activities. I've got a successful business guy who I frequently write and ask "business" questions of, and another guy who knows the real estate market in the Denver area. So writing for me has become a bit of a collaboration with my readers as well. That's my favorite part of the process now...grin. The rest is up to the characters. I write what I "hear" them say and "see" them do in my head. Many, many times they have taken the story in a direction I had never thought of, and I just follow their lead and am usually pleasantly surprised where they take me. A couple of times I've wondered if I can get out of the situation or circumstances they've set up, but so far I think it's all worked out okay. It makes writing exciting for me to NOT know exactly what is going to transpire in the next chapter. A final word about the blank page syndrome. I, too, have felt the absolute panic of having stared at a blank screen for a couple of weeks not knowing how to get the next chapter started. I've learned to just write something down - the first thing that comes to my mind. It usually is a bit of dialog to start a conversation between two characters. Then I just "listen" to what they are saying and try to write it down. Before I have a page written, I usually have a thread of where to go from there. It always seems to work for me.

I start with an idea, many times out of the blue. I've had ideas from movies I've seen, books I've read, a sentence that I hear or read, a news item, a song I've heard, even just a line in a song, dreams, etc. Sometimes it happens because someone or some people say, "I have this idea and I don't have time to write it, but I think you would be the right person to do it. Whad'ya think?" of "We have this idea, how'd you like to write a collaboration story with us?" I have one file that is labeled story ideas. When an idea hits me, I'll write it down. I think my file has about 50 ideas in it, some I've already used, others are waiting for the spark that makes the idea become a story. All of my stories have a notes file. In that file I usually write a basic begin to end storyline. While writing I add to this file with events that happen and when I get an idea for a future chapter I will put it in there as well. Also in that file I enter chapter info. A synopsis of a chapter and many times what will be in the chapter, how many pages are in each chapter. I usually have another file called Characters, where I put in the info about the characters. What they look like, height, weight, age, personality, connections to other characters in the story, etc. I have that not so much to spell out in the story how tall or how much the weigh, but to have a picture in my mind what they are like and use that to convey the character in the story. I also have other research based items in the story file that I make for each story. For example Changing Connections has over 30 files on two different thumb drives and my computer and that doesn't even count the mini series stories files that are connected to it such as JFA. This is probably the most I have on any of my stories. Like Ken said about using Google Earth and such. I also use it extensively. Sometimes what I see in Google Earth inspires me to add something to the story. Scout's Own had that happen a few times. I added to the story because of what I saw in the map. I also have stories run off in a different direction. A lot of writers that I have talked to say that the characters tell them what to write and a lot of times, the characters want to do something different than what the writer had intially meant for them to do, but the character is usually correct. I'd like to think that I haven't continued a story beyond the end point. I do believe there are some stories that I may have rushed some parts and in hindsight I could have done better on those sections, but I think most writers say that, so that's nothing new. You never know if you're done or not. When I finished Disconnected. That was an end point, I had no plans to continue their story. I was working on J&T 2 at the time and I recieved an email asking if I would be interested in bringing the Disconnected group into the RU, if I was interested, some of the admins wanted to talk to me on Skype. So we talked and I thought about it for a couple of weeks and I started writing Changing Connections on April 1, 2014. So that is my process.

http://www.tickld.com/x/lgbt/10-things-all-parents-of-gay-kids-should-know-but-dont Really good stuff