“Peter? Hey!”
I turned back to see Marcus watching , confusion written all over his face.
“You good, man?”
I took a few deep breaths. What were we doing again? Sothing felt off. “Yeah…” I glanced down at my gloves. “How’d you even talk into this?”
“I wanted you to join the new club.” He gave a concerned look. “I know you’re not the most… built guy, but I didn’t hit you too hard, right?”
“My head’s killing .” The pounding was so severe, I could hear ringing in my ears. “Let’s take a break.”
“Good idea. Buuuut, have you thought about it yet?” He gave a pleading look as I struggled to pull off the gloves and wrappings. “Maybe put in a good word with the student prez?”
I frowned, giving up and using my teeth to undo the cloth. “Trevor’s your friend too. Why don’t you ask him? Besides, I’m busy doing…” Wait. What was I supposed to be doing?
Marcus snorted. “What could you possibly have to be doing? We’re practically done with school. Only a few months to go.”
“So why are you so obsessed with starting a club, then?”
“Obviously,” he puffed out his chest, “I want to leave a legacy behind.” Then, with a grin, “Plus… free use of this gym for a couple of months.”
There it was.
I climbed through the ropes, Marcus close behind, already pulling off his gear.
“You know… if you really don’t want to, you don’t have to join. I’ll understand, bud.”
“No. I have to get stronger!” I turned sharply, my voice more determined than I expected.
Marcus blinked at , surprised, then smiled like an idiot and threw an arm around my shoulder. “That’s great! Guess you really liked those league matches I showed you, huh?”
I shook my head. “What? No, that’s not why I have to—” A sharp, blinding pain shot through my skull.
The ringing exploded in my ears, drowning out Marcus’s voice. My vision blurred as I stumbled, clutching my head.
A firm hand gripped my shoulder. Marcus shook lightly, saying sothing I couldn’t hear over the muffled static.
The pain was unbearable, my thoughts unraveling.
Suddenly, silence and I opened my eyes.
“Whoa. Peter, are you alright?”
“Ugh…” I groaned, shifting my weight, before leaning back against the ring. My head still throbbed. Sothing wasn’t right.
“I don’t know.” I glanced around the gym again. It felt… off.
Maybe I was just tired.
“Maybe I should head ho for the day.”
Marcus nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s for the best. Say hi to the kids for .”
“Yeah. No problem.”
The walk ho was a blur.
One mont, I was leaving the gym. The next I was here. A two-story brick house stood in front of , unremarkable among the row of identical hos lining the street. Had the walk always been this fast?
I reached into my pocket, fumbling for my keys. My fingers found them too quickly, like they had been waiting.
The thought vanished as I unlocked the door. “I’m ho!”
Silence.
Of course, most of the kids were probably still at school. But still… shouldn’t so of them be back by now?
Before I could dwell on it, a door creaked open, and a small figure darted into the room. “Hey, Peter!”
A six-year-old boy practically launched himself at . I caught him instinctively, hoisting him into my arms.
He felt… light. Much lighter than I rembered.
“Hey, Tommy. What’ve you been up to?”
“Ugh,” Tommy groaned, tilting his head back dramatically. “Howork…” Then, with an exaggerated puppy-dog look, “Can you help ?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Does ‘help’ an ‘do’?”
“...No.”
Not convincing. But I had ti, and I couldn’t think of a reason to say no.
So I set him down, letting him lead to the kitchen table. His workbook lay open, untouched, a pencil resting on the edge.
“Mar out shopping?” I asked as I pulled out a chair.
“She was when I got ho.” Tommy nodded, already flipping to a page full of multiplication problems.
Mar was our newest caretaker, freshly trained, so I usually helped out around here too. Cooking, watching the younger ones…
That’s how it’s been for a while.
“Never mind that,” Tommy interrupted, tapping at a problem like it had personally wronged him. “Look here.”
I glanced down, ready to help.
I walked Tommy through the steps, demonstrating my unparalleled expertise in elentary arithtic. He scribbled in the answers with unexpected focus.
“Never seen you actually pay this much attention when I tutor you,” I said, raising an eyebrow. It was a nice change from his usual restless energy. Not that I minded playing with him or the others, but still, this was nice.
Tommy bounced in his seat, grinning. “I just wanted to show my thanks! Now le—”
“Tommy! Co help bring the stuff in.”
He perked up at Mar’s voice. I stood, stretching, and followed him to the door.
Mar shifted awkwardly, extending a couple of bags toward . “Oh. Peter. Uhhh… You mind helping out?”
I smiled and took them. “Yeah, no problem. Want to cook—” I glanced inside the bag. “—the… what is this?”
She chuckled at my expression. “What do they look like? Vegetables, obviously. What, you gonna be picky in front of all the kids?”
“Maybe.”
Tommy muffled a laugh behind .
“Bring them to the kitchen,” Mar instructed, heading back inside with the rest. “I’ll start cooking in a mont. If you want, you can help by rinsing those off and cutting them.”
I groaned but obeyed, dragging my feet toward the sink.
Still, I really shouldn’t be so picky. The mont I thought about food, I realized just how empty I felt. Like I hadn’t eaten in days.
Honestly, I could probably eat just about anything right now.
A few minutes passed before Mar joined , prepping so beans she had left to soak overnight.
The kitchen was quiet. It was always hard for to see her as a parental figure. Partly because she was still kind of new… and partly because she was only four years older than .
Tommy had already disappeared upstairs, off to play so console ga.
“You have any plans after you graduate?” Mar finally broke the silence.
I considered it for a mont. “I don’t have the best grades, but maybe I could get my certificate. Like you.”
It was a comfortable answer. I had lived like this my whole life. It wouldn’t be so bad to continue.
“Really?” Mar raised an eyebrow, surprised by my answer. She grabbed so at from the fridge. Not enough in my opinion, but started portioning it anyway.
“Well,” I shrugged, “I don’t really want to leave all the kids. If it’s just four years, most of them will still be here when I get back.”
She scoffed in mock offense. “You planning on kicking out? Or…” she dropped into a teasing tone, “you gonna try to make this a joint project?”
Her teasing used to make uncomfortable, probably because I’d had a massive crush on her, but now, I just chuckled.
“No. I think Thea would actually kill if I even tried.”
Mar tilted her head, ready to gossip. “Ooooh, Thea? Who’s she?”
“You know, The—”
A sharp pain stabbed through my skull. The ringing returned, louder this ti. I froze, gripping the counter.
“Peter?” A voice, not Mar’s, cut through the noise. It didn’t even sound like a real voice. More like… a signal, but before I could grasp it, it slipped away.
I looked up. Mar was staring at , concern written across her face. “Are you al—”
I forced a shake of my head. “It’s nothing. When are the rest coming back?”
She hesitated but eventually glanced at the clock. “Just a bit from now. Maybe a few minutes.”
Not long after, with dinner already underway, the front door opened. I heard laughter, excited voices. “It was such a good song! It totally tops everything else they’ve made before.”
Another voice, equally enthusiastic: “I know, right?”
The twins, Macy and Lacy, a pair of blonde girls, stepped into the kitchen.
“Oh, hi Peter,” Macy greeted in passing, barely acknowledging my presence before turning to Mar. “Mar, what’s for dinner?”
Lacy stayed silent beside her, a small, unreadable smile on her face.
Mar wiped her hands on a towel. “It’s a surprise, but almost ready. Why don’t you and Lacy set the table?”
I expected so kind of complaint, but instead, they just nodded in unison. “Alright.”
Odd.
Ti passed quickly after that. Just a blur of motion and before I knew it, I was sitting at the dinner table with the others.
“Mar, have you even seen the lead singer of Refinent? How can you dismiss their music without seeing him?” Lacy argued, her voice full of conviction.
Macy nodded fervently beside her.
Mar rolled her eyes. “I just don’t like the style.” She tossed her napkin onto the counter behind her. “And if looks are the only reason you listen, maybe you shouldn’t.”
The twins turned to next, sensing an ally.
Macy spoke first. “What about you, Peter? You get it, right?”
“Uhhhh…” I blinked. “Why would I get it?”
She looked at blankly. Lacy picked up where she left off.
“I just assud. You spend so much ti with Trevor alone… and I’ve never seen you with any girls other than us.”
That was… new. “What? I have a girlfriend!”
They did not look convinced.
They snickered in unison. “Let guess,” Macy smirked. “She lives far away?”
And then, because betrayal cos in the smallest forms, Tommy delivered the final blow. “He t her at camp.”
I sat there, stunned, as a mass of giggles erupted at my expense. It was… nice.
They’d never been like this before. Sure, we had our monts. Small jokes, bickering, teasing, but not like this. This felt effortless, like an actual family. But I had never been attached to this place for a reason.
Why was I rembering it so differently?
A thought began forming in my mind, but before I could dwell on it, Tommy cut in again. “Peter, find any new gas recently?”
The laughter died down, replaced with expectant looks.
I shook my head. “No. Been way too busy for gas.”
Mar raised an eyebrow. “Been studying lots?”
I smiled. The fog was already gone, and no pain ca.
“Sort of,” I admitted, leaning back in my chair. “Not what you might be used to, but yeah.”
The conversation shifted, but my mind lingered. The food was good, but the atmosphere? That was the real pleasure.
“I’m sorry.” My voice cracked, surprising . “I really wish we had more monts like this. More ti t—”
A small hand grabbed my arm. Tommy’s voice was light and innocent. “What are you talking about? We can have plenty.”
I stared at him. “I don’t even know if any of you are still alive.”
Mar’s hand closed over mine. Her touch was warm. “We’re right here,” she whispered. “We’re safe. You can stay.”
I rubbed my eyes, my gaze shifting to the twins. They weren’t laughing anymore.
“I wish I could have seen you all before leaving,” I murmured. “But this was nice.”
The air changed.
A voice spoke from above, familiar and firm. “Are you sure you want to leave?” It was the old man.
I exhaled and nodded. “Yes.”
There was a pause.
“Very well.”
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