He scoffed derisively but nodded, his eyes finally sliding open. His eyes were soft as they bore into mine, but within those honey-wheat eyes held more pain than I had seen in a long time. Fresh and refreshed, a memory and memories from years before, but felt as if it were all happening for the first time. I linked our fingers together and gently pulled him up the stairs and into his room.  "Come on." I helped him get undressed, directing him in his movements. Movements that were of second nature at this point. I crawled beside him and saw thanks in his eyes that I wasn't going to leave him. "It's my fault," he whispered. We had been lying quietly so long, I had thought he had fallen asleep. His arm was wrapped around my midsection, his hand closed into a fist agai

He smiled again, though lighter, not reaching his eyes. "When I was a kid I had this book. I saw a program where they were doing a documentary about her and in it, they recited some of her poems. I fell in love with her work. It...touched me somehow. "I would sit and read it over and over again. There was a tree that provided a lot of shade in the play yard. I'd sit and read it there while the other kids played sports. "That's how I met Kaiden, actually. I was reading it and some older kids started picking on me for it. I was small for my age. I didn't hit a decent growth spurt until I was about sixteen. Anyway, they grabbed my book from me and started making fun of me and it as they shredded it. Kaiden came, being the martial artist that he was, even in third grade...he, uh, came to my rescue. He gathered all the pages that were strewn across the ground and took me to

"I was wondering if you could maybe, um, t-take me to the m-m-mall? I, uh, I want to get something for Mykel. I want to maybe cheer him up." Through the whole stuttering mess of my supplication, I disconnected and reestablished eye contact several times. She said nothing about this. She told me it was progress. At the time she said this she pointed out that in the last few weeks I had made eye contact with her more times than in the three years she had known me. I could not argue with this logic. Nor did I try to, as I saw the truth in this.  Liz smiled, settling her palm smoothly against my face and kissed my forehead. "I wouldn't mind in the least, sweet cheeks. What did you have in mind?" I stopped, a chair mid-way up to be placed on the table. I lowered my arms

By the time Tuesday night rolled around, Mykel's depression of the following day's anniversary had set firmly. Unlike he had the previous week, or even the previous night, when he came home he was devoid of any smile, any jovial moods, and to say he was laconic that night was to say he was talking too much.  We heard him open the front door, Liz and I, engaged as we were in our nightly cooking lesson. We each gave pause, her mid-instruction, myself in mid-application, and we shared a glance at one another.  We had earlier discussed our theories on how tonight was going to turn out. Liz had more of a hypothesis than I, being as how she'd been there each of the five years previous. He came into the kitchen, as customary, and grabbed a drink before turning to Liz. 

"About Kaiden?" "Yes," I answered, meeting her gaze. "We talked about Kaiden." "What did he say?" She wasn't looking at me, but at the horizon.  "Liz..." I started. I was going to deny her. Trust was something...it is something...that I hold to the highest regard. I had never been trusted as I had the night before and I was loathed to break that confidence. "Mattie, this is my brother. He hasn't acted like that in a long time. In the beginning, he was so angry all the time. I know he's keeping things from me. I'm not stupid, I always knew there was something. I just never knew what." She wiped her face and asked silently for another drink. I complied willingly, handing the cup over to her. "Please, Mattie." I could