#reliable-narrator

can this be your “i call bullshit” reaction image

i-is that gil with short hair or a new character

Circus game?? Circus theme???? Circus life.

:( i’ll go to work for you kiyo

Hope you enjoy construction work P:

reliable-narrator replied to your post: third day of working construction and I...

we will have a glorious lazy day

Yes we will and I will eat soup

vermivorous replied to your post: third day of working construction and I...

hugs you ;_;

hugs you back

After two days, Jeremy was finally re-introduced to the Mercy Clinic. Many of the volunteers regarded him with caution (some with hostility), and to start with, while Vera attended to her priority duties, he was placed into the back room to take inventory of the medical supplies. Having never worked an actual job before assuming his father’s place at the head of ANC, he found the task to be quite menial and aggravating. The concept of counting everything confused Jeremy, as no one bothered to explain to him that they needed those numbers when placing orders for new supplies. This sense of pointlessness made it extremely hard to get motivated, and soon he found himself distracted by each new thing the sheet prompted him to count.

                One instrument in particular, a “catheter” as the label read, caught his attention. He held it up and inspected it in the dim light of the small closet-like room, wondering what on earth it was for. After giving up and deciding to move on, he simply hung it about his neck.

                After a few hours, Vera summoned him for a lunch break. He wasn’t done with the inventory, but welcomed the chance to get out of the musty closet with enthusiasm. She laughed when she saw the catheter around his neck and lifted it off his shoulders, placing it back among the rest.

                “What’s so funny?” Jeremy smirked nervously.

                “That was a catheter.”

                “I know that.”

                “Do you know what a catheter does?”

                “No. What is it?”

                Vera didn’t answer him and instead continued laughing as she left the room. Jeremy grumbled to himself as he followed her, wondering what sort of joke he was missing out on.

                The doctor joined Jeremy across the street for his break, offering to pay to show her gratitude. He declined, however, insisting that he didn’t need it. This seemed to offend Vera, and she didn’t say anything once they got their food. The first half of the meal was spent in awkward silence before Jeremy recalled something he’d been meaning to bring up days ago.

                “So what’s with all those copies of The Los Angeles Voice in my room? You into collecting vintage stuff?”

                Vera looked up at him and paused for a few moments, as if she didn’t have the words to express what she was thinking just then. “You’re kidding, right? That’s all you think that newspaper is? That was the last newspaper in the country, you know. The editor’s son was the CEO of ANC when they got sued to death, and it was rumored that the CEO was involved in…” She trailed off. “Wait a minute. You’re Rodney Malone’s son, aren’t you?”

                “Well, yeah. It’s kinda why I’m the CEO now.”

                “Then Jonah Malone was your…” Vera trailed off once more, trying to calculate where Jeremy fell into the equation.

                “Grandfather,” he finished. “Yeah, but I didn’t really know him. He and Dad kept absolutely no contact. I think he was there at one of my birthday parties, because I know I met him once, but I really didn’t ever get to know him. Things were tense between them, like they were between me and Dad.” He shrugged it off as he stabbed at his plate with a fork.

                Vera was suddenly intensely interested. Her eyes were wide and she was leaning forward. “I can’t believe… Am I really sitting in front of his grandson? I can’t believe you never even got the chance to meet him!”

                “The Voice went out of business ten years ago, Vera.” Jeremy quirked a brow, not quite understanding her excitement.

                “I know it did. I didn’t even read it back then. Readership was small, but dedicated… Everyone else just watched ANC. I was really ignorant before I discovered those papers… I found an archive of them and got to reading all I could get my hands on. I always thought that ANC was the authority, that their information was all you needed to know. When I read Jonah Malone’s articles, I learned that there were plenty of things that Fox Campbell and crew left out. Entire events, in some cases…” Vera leaned forward with her chin resting on her palm. “Nobody looks past ANC for information, so there are so many things that nobody ever finds out about. You guys just…omit what you please. Jonah told the rest of the story. Investigative journalism died with the paper…”

                Jeremy felt awkward about having his own corporation bashed in front of him, but what was even more awkward was the fact that he found himself agreeing with Vera. He’d spared a few thoughts toward the ANC’s omission of knowledge, but had never thought about his grandfather’s newspaper like this before. He’d known of its existence, but even when he got around to reading it in his room, he never thought about how important it was.

                “Tell me, Jeremy, where is he now? Can you introduce us? I know this is weird, but he’s my hero… He’s the one who inspired me to…” She trailed off once more. “…make a change in my life. Leave the current one I was leading and start a new one. Does that make sense?”

                “It makes sense, but uh… He died a few years ago. When the Voice went under he left for some…undisclosed location in Europe, and the last I heard he got sick and passed away.”

                “Oh…” Vera hung her head. “I see. Thanks anyway.”

                “It’s not like it’s the end of the world. I mean, other people will start up newspapers. It wasn’t too long ago that this happened.”

                “And take on the ANC giants?” A pause. “No offense.” Vera crumpled up her napkin and placed it on her plate, too entrenched in the conversation to finish her meal. “The war ruined the chances of any other media companies starting up. Now ANC can’t be stopped. If anyone tries to oppose them, they’ll just use their influence to get the law on their side. It’s basically illegal to start up anything in this country that’s not affiliated with ANC. I really don’t think there’s any chance for more newspapers in America.”

                Jeremy twisted his mouth, wanting to contradict her, but he had nothing to back it up with. The horrible part was although he owned ANC, he had no power to do anything with it. It was painful whenever the power he should have had occurred to him. Vera was probably expecting some sort of action from him, but he had nothing to offer. If he was going to do anything, it would have to be outside of the company. But he had no skills, no charisma, and no drive. He was useless. The only thing he could do was to submit himself to the menial tasks offered to him at the clinic.

                Their meal concluded, and they returned to the clinic shortly after. Jeremy finished up his inventory, and was then put to a more secretarial task in order to free up some of the more experienced and medically educated volunteers. He could have sworn he heard Vera muttering something about the catheter to a few of her coworkers before they all burst out laughing, but they fell silent as soon as they realized that Jeremy was staring. Apparently one took pity on him, because as she passed, she quietly murmured to him the function of a catheter. Jeremy immediately recoiled in disgust, and the rest of the group promptly burst out laughing again. After spending a few moments getting over his indignation, he started laughing a little as well. It was kinda funny.

                Jeremy appreciated that Vera didn’t have him working with people that day. He wasn’t quite ready to deal with the public just yet, but perhaps after getting used to the clinic’s atmosphere he’d be more comfortable around the clientele. It felt odd, coming off his first real day of work, but it was also very rewarding. There would be no paycheck to greet him at the end of the week, but he was still earning his rent at Vera’s house, so he felt quite accomplished. For once, he was working to earn something.

Over the next week, Jeremy neglected his office at the ANC building entirely. He had stopped checking his email altogether, hoping to keep Fox guessing about his whereabouts and whether or not he was even alive. The work at the clinic never got any more stimulating, but it was an enjoyable outlet nonetheless. Jeremy found himself in a better mood at the end of each day, and he had been able to adopt a consistent, regular sleep schedule for the first time in years—Vera pointed out that he was actually tiring himself out during the day, which was why he was so readily able to fall asleep at a decent hour. Admittedly, he still craved the vices of the life he once led, but found that it was easy to forget about them whenever he spent time with Shiloh after school, which allowed him to temporarily revert back to a time when life was simpler.

--

                The trauma patient finally emerged from the back while Jeremy was plugging information into the small desktop computer. He watched Vera helping him out, down the hall, and into the examination room. Jeremy didn’t catch the face of the patient until he was once again walked out of the room and into the main lobby.

                “So, just take what I prescribed and rest up some more and you should be fine. And don’t forget to call the police and follow up. At the very least you might be able to keep those muggers off the streets so they don’t get at anyone else.”

                “Heh, thank you. I’ll be sure to do that.” His eyes slowly wandered around the room until they met Jeremy’s. Both sets of eyes immediately widened before Jeremy ducked his head down behind the charts. That was Fox’s guy. That…Tillman guy. Yeah, his name was Tillman. What was he doing here? More importantly…he’d been shot?

                Lloyd said nothing and continued to express his gratitude before saying goodbye and leaving. After waiting about a minute and a half, Jeremy abruptly stood and made a dash out of the clinic. “Shit, shit, shit…” This was a disaster. Fox would know where to find him now. It was all over. He’d send the hitman and Jeremy would have to be on the run again. He couldn’t find Tillman as he stalked about the streets, running this way and that. He was on the verge of tears with frustration and worry, and nearly cried out when a hand gripped his shoulder from behind.

                “What’s the matter, friend?”

                Amanitas. Great. Perfect. Jeremy jerked away, too afraid of Lloyd Tillman to be afraid of this creepy teenager for the time being. “Just go away.”

                “Not until you tell me why you’re running around like a lunatic.”

                Jeremy slapped his forehead before slumping up against the wall of a building. “Fuck…” He slid down until he was in a sitting position. “It’s all over. That guy works for another guy who has the hitman out for me right now. I was hiding with Shiloh and Vera but now that he’s seen me and knows where I am I’m going to have to be on the run all over again.”

                “So, in order to make this problem go away, the man who saw you can’t reach his destination?”

                Not thinking, Jeremy murmured, “Yeah.”

                “Let me take care of it.”

                The executive slowly looked up, his eyes wide. This was against everything Vera had warned, against all of his better judgement, against everything that was righteous in the world—but he needed to stop Lloyd Tillman. His lips moved without any conscious thought behind them. “His name is Tillman. About six foot, short black hair, brown eyes. Wearing a grey clinic-issued t-shirt.”

                Amanitas remained where he was, grinning down at Jeremy.

                “What are you standing there for?” His voice was shaking at this point.

                “I need your go-ahead. Give me the word.”

                Jeremy’s own voice was now unfamiliar to him. “Go get him.”

                Without so much as a nod Amanitas had taken off running in the direction Jeremy had originally been headed. Jeremy watched with a feeling of dread collecting in the pit of his stomach. Before he knew it, the teenager was out of sight, disappeared into the urban jungle that was Los Angeles. It just then occurred to Jeremy exactly what he had done. He had unleashed an unknown force upon a guy who hadn’t even done anything. Whatever Amanitas was about to do, it wasn’t going to be good.

                Jeremy stood and began to walk briskly toward the clinic, bumping into several pedestrians as he did so. “He’s just a teenager,” he muttered under his breath, just quiet enough to be unheard among the ongoing buzz of the city. “He can’t do anything.” A pause. “Unless he has a gun. Shit. I can’t believe I just told him to—“

                He was pushed back by Vera, who had attempted to follow him after he made his dash out of the clinic. “Jeremy.” She shook him, but the horrified expression on his face did not fade. “Jeremy, what’s the matter? What happened?”

                “I…that trauma patient…”

                “What? What about him?”

                “He works for Fox.” A pause. “And he saw me.”

                “Hey, calm down. Don’t jump to any conclusions. You should just go home for now. He saw you here, not at the house. It’ll be okay. I’ll keep an eye out for any suspicious characters, okay? Just calm down and don’t do anything rash.” Her concern was evident on her face, and it occurred to Jeremy that he wasn’t just a tenant to her anymore. He was touched, but his guilt and fear of the situation overrode any other emotions at the moment. Without another word, he took off for home. It was going to be a long night.

--

                Instead of returning directly home, Lloyd made his first destination the studio, with every intention to give away Jeremy’s location. Through this stupid mixup with the assassin, he was able to accomplish his goal—he found Jeremy Malone, when any other circumstance would have kept him hidden. This had to be an act of fate. He couldn’t ignore this; he had to report directly back to Fox before resting at all like the doctor had told him to.

                Then an unseen force shoved him into an alleyway. Lloyd met with the cold, dirty cement immediately, and it took a few moments for his senses to return to him. By that time, a strange boy was standing over him with a calm, business-like expression. “You Tillman?”                 Without thinking, he blurted out the truth. “Yes. What was that all about…?”

                “Nothing personal, but I was instructed not to allow you to reach your destination.”

                “By who?”

                “Classified information.”

                Lloyd smirked, sitting up. “Well what are you going to do about it?” He paused, looking the teen up and down. “You don’t have a weapon, do you?” Amanitas didn’t answer him. “Oh God… Please don’t… I didn’t even do anything!”                 “Relax, I don’t have anything on me.” He turned out his denim pockets. “See?” Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief.

                “But you’re carrying a very dangerous piece of information, and I’m afraid I can’t allow you to make that delivery. I’m sure you understand.”

                Lloyd grit his teeth. “Malone sent you, didn’t he?”

                “Again, that’s classified. I’d tell you if this was a personal thing, but it isn’t.”

                Finding his strength, Lloyd rose to his feet and poked a finger into Amanitas’s chest. “You just get out of my way. I have no reason to be afraid of you, and I could get your ass thrown in jail for assault. If you’d kindly step out of the way, we can forget this ever happened.” Amanitas looked down at the finger, and mimicked his adversary, placing his own finger upon Lloyd’s chest. With seemingly no effort at all, he used that finger to push him over and knock him flat on the cement once more. The news anchor turned red from sheer embarrassment and immediately scrambled to his feet again. “H-how did you do that?”

                Amanitas just stood there silently, as if contemplating how he would carry out his task. Every now and then he would extend his fingers before clenching them into fists, digging his fingernails deep into the flesh of his palms. Lloyd indignantly stood again, but this time kept his distance. He was wary.

                “I highly doubt that my friend wanted me to kill you,” Amanitas slowly began with his hoarse voice, “But what I’m trying to figure out is how to keep you from reaching your destination. He sure stumped me on this one. Again, you’ve done nothing wrong to me, so I have no reason to make you suffer. But I also can’t just make you promise not to tell anyone what you saw.” He brought a hand up to his chin, tapping it thoughtfully. “I could just knock you out for a bit. Put you in the hospital for a little while. It’d keep you quiet and give my friend time to think about what he wants to do.” A pause. “Yeah, I think I’ll do that.” He took a few steps toward Lloyd.

                The news anchor in turn took a few steps back. He didn’t quite know how the teen would accomplish this without a weapon, but he knew that he had to have something up his sleeve. Amanitas lowered his head, allowing his curly, greasy hair to fall over his face. Slowly but surely, a wide grin split across his face. Without another moment’s hesitation, Lloyd took off running down the alley. He didn’t know how he’d get away, but he needed to distance himself from this kid. If he didn’t, something bad was going to happen. The gurgling in his gut was overriding the doubt in his brain, which coincidentally was the same effect Amanitas had been having on Jeremy. It was driving Lloyd crazy to the point of wanting to scale one of the buildings’ walls to reach a window. Anything to get away from this kid.

                There was no warning before Amanitas struck. In a matter of seconds he had Lloyd cornered against the wall he was investigating for windows, and like a wild animal he snarled and overtook the news anchor in a forceful tackle. Lloyd’s disembodied howl could only be heard a short distance from the alley before he was silenced as per Jeremy’s instructions. Mission accomplished.

                When a bystander discovered Lloyd moments later (an event to which he owed his life), Amanitas had already made himself scarce. An ambulance was quickly called, effectively sealing him off from his destination and Fox Campbell. The assailant, however, had stolen his cell phone, and once he had reached a place to sit that was safe and out of sight, he began to look through it. Amanitas had never owned a cell phone, and this was his first chance to actually hold one. He was quite amused.

                To his great surprise, it rang while it was in his hands, and he almost dropped it. The ID read “Campbell,” and when he slowly sounded it out, the name sounded very familiar. Without knowing any better, he answered it and put it to his ear, but merely listened instead of giving the customary greeting.

                “Lloyd,” the voice grunted on the other end. “Hey, you hear me? Lloyd?” This man didn’t sound too pleasant.

                “Amanitas,” the teen corrected in an equally brisk tone.

                “The hell? Who’re you?”

                “Not the owner of this phone.”

                “Well, that’s obvious. You work at that clinic?”

                “No.”

                “Well then, where’s Lloyd?”

                “Dunno. Somewhere. I left him in an alley. He’s incapacitated so he can’t reach his destination.”

                “Wait, they let him out?” Fox paused before Amanitas’s words hit him. “What do you mean by incapacitated?” he asked slowly.

                “Poisoned. I heard the sirens of an ambulance. If they found him he’ll live. If not…not my problem.”

                “Who are you?”

                “Amanitas.”

                “I know your name, but who are you?”

                “I’m nobody.”

                “The cops will beg to differ, once they get your identity and you take a ride in a squad car, asshole.”

                “I don’t have an identity. Technically, I don’t exist. Sorry, brother.”

                “What are you doing with Lloyd’s phone? What do you want?”

                “I was just looking at it when you called. You can hang up whenever you want.”

                “You with Malone?”

                “Not right now.”

                “But you’re associated with him.”

                “Maybe.”

                “Then why don’t you come see me face to face, tough guy? He thinks he can play my game? He’s got a lot to learn.”

                “I don’t know what you’re talking about. He didn’t say anything about you, so I have no reason to go see you.”

                “Where is he?”

                “Can’t say. We might meet someday. Depends on if you’re his enemy. If you’re his enemy, you’re my enemy.”

                “My enemies don’t last too long, asshole. I’d watch my mouth if I were you. You sound like a fucking kid—he recruit you from a high school?”                 “I’ve never been to school. I came to him. Just hope that you never have to meet me. You might not be as lucky as your friend Tillman. You’ll see what I mean when you visit him in the hospital.”

                “You can’t intimidate me. Just you wait. I’ll have you and Jeremy dead and buried before the end of the month. That’s a promise.”

                “No, Campbell, that’s a challenge.” Amanitas took the phone from his ear and chucked it from his seat at the edge of a roof. After doing so, he pulled his legs up to his chest and placed his chin on his knees. This Jeremy guy was dangerous. Too many enemies. He would have to work extra hard if he was going to protect Shiloh and Vera. Perhaps he’d have a little conversation with the man, to see just what was going on. The sooner he pointed a finger to the man he’d spoken with on the phone, the sooner all of these troubles would be over with, it seemed.

Jeremy’s internal crisis was a little more distracting than it should have been, and his walk home was taking considerably longer than it usually did. He passed the elementary school on the corner and gazed fondly at the chain-link fence before noticing a dangling pair of legs. Expecting to see Shiloh, he looked up and opened his mouth to greet his friend, but immediately snapped it shut when he was met with an unsettling sight. An older, more sinister-looking version of Shiloh sat imitating his younger brother. This was the first time Jeremy had seen him up close, but this teenager was unmistakably Amanitas. He was even creepier up close; there were dark, permanent circles under his eyes, and he was as pale as a ghost. His freckles stood out against his light skin in a way that looked unnatural, and he was so thin that Jeremy could see his cheek bones. He was smiling widely, earnestly like his brother. Jeremy was speechless, but Amanitas didn’t hesitate to start the conversation.

                “You didn’t say hi the other day.” His voice was hoarse and unrefined, like it was stuck in the transition from a child to an adult. It gave Jeremy goosebumps.

                “I didn’t see you.”

                “Don’t lie to me. I really don’t like liars.”

                “Look, I really can’t be hanging out right now. I have to get back. It’s not safe for me to be out right now.”

                Amanitas hopped off of the fence and landed too close for comfort. With a grin he swung his arm around Jeremy’s neck and began to walk with him. The embrace was far too strong to belong to a skinny arm clothed in loose, red-checkered flannel. He smelled foul in a way that Jeremy couldn’t describe, and he was growing increasingly desperate to get away.

                “Oh, you’re plenty safe. Don’t worry about that. As long as I’m here, nothing can hurt you. Why don’t I walk you back? We can talk on the way, and pretend that whole ignoring me thing never happened.”

                “I really have to—“

                “What are you so afraid of, Jeremy? Why don’t you feel safe?” His voice was almost mocking.

                Against his better judgement, Jeremy answered him truthfully. “Someone hired a guy to kill me.”

                “Ohhh. That explains it. Now, why would someone do that?”

                “Let’s just say I’ve made an enemy of a strange and powerful guy.”

                Amanitas laughed, but it sounded forced. Painful. “Well, let’s just say you’ve made a friend of a strange and powerful guy. You get what I’m saying? As long as we’re friends, it don’t matter what anyone else thinks of you. I have your back.” With that, he released Jeremy from his stronghold, and he was overcome with the strong urge to make a break for it. But something told him that if he did, there would be dire consequences.

                “I, uh, appreciate the offer.”

                “Well, I appreciate you looking out for my little brother. I heard what you did the other day. You’re pretty intense.” Another laugh. Jeremy wanted to cover his ears. “I definitely owe ya one for being there when I wasn’t.”

                Jeremy merely nodded and smiled. For someone who’d spent all his adolescence and beyond training in appearances, this was the challenge of a lifetime. He had the nagging feeling that Amanitas could read him like a book, but would never betray that he could. He was toying with Jeremy.

                “Anyway, I think I like you enough to overlook the fact that you had a peek at the delivery he was making. I’m sure none’a that made any sense to you anyway, did it?”

                Jeremy quickly shook his head.

                “Then I guess we can forget that and move on to other matters. Let’s talk about your new living arrangement. I trust that you’ll be there to look after Shiloh, am I right?”

                “Of course.”

                “And I know that Vera doesn’t think too fondly of you, but you’ll look out for her too?”

                “Well, yeah.”

                “Well then, I’m glad we have an understanding. I want you to know that Shiloh’s a very special kid, and that’ll be getting him into trouble as he gets older.” Jeremy had no idea what Amanitas could have been referring to, but pretended to understand nonetheless. “Vera’s doing her best to protect him, but unfortunately she’s resorting to lying to do just that. And I believe you know how I feel about lying, don’t you, Jeremy?”

                “What do you mean? What’s she lying about?”

                “I’m sure she’s given you that skimpy story of where she came from, how she adopted little Shi? Vague as hell, easy to repeat again and again? I’m sure Shiloh takes it as fact now, from how many times he’s heard it. And that’s no good.”

                “She was lying about that?”

                “She’s lying about everything. I believe in karma, Jeremy, and I’d hate to see her at the wrong end of it. I won’t tell you everything straight off the bat ‘cause that’s not right neither, but just know that she isn’t as…angelic as she might seem. She’s a great lady, don’t get me wrong, but she’s got skeletons in her closet just like the rest of us. And let’s just say hers are a bit nastier than the rest. And they’re tucked away real good. She won’t tell you nothing if you ask her.”

                Jeremy glared down at the concrete, trying his best to concentrate on Vera’s words from their last conversation. She’d warned against just this, but this was more of a trap than him seeking contact with the teen. Now that he was in this guy’s grasp, he’d just have to focus on not getting on his bad side, just like Vera had said.

                “Nothing to say to that?” Amanitas clasped Jeremy on the shoulder, causing him to jump. “You’re afraid of me. I guess I don’t blame you; I came off a little strong there. Just know that you have nothing to fear. I’m on your side, and I go to great lengths for my friends. If anyone gives you shit, you just tell me and I’ll take care of it.” Those words echoed in his head and reminded Jeremy of the time Shiloh brought up that very idea and the argument it caused. It was horrifying. “You keep looking out for Shi and Vera and I’ll keep you all safe. Now, I don’t know about you, but that sounds like an attractive bargain to me.”

                Once more at a loss of words, Jeremy nodded. By that time, they had reached Vera’s house, and Jeremy suddenly felt that he was safe. To a degree, at least. Amanitas took a few steps back and waved. “I’ll be off now. You be good—I’ll be keeping my eye on you.” He winked before walking off in the direction from which they came, and was out of sight by the time Shiloh came bounding out to greet Jeremy.

                “You’re home!”

                “Yup.”

                “How’d work go?”

                “It was okay.” No further explanation was required, as Shiloh grabbed Jeremy’s hand and led him into the house. Dinner was about ready, and he could already feel things returning to normal.

--

                Jeremy managed to keep his meeting with Amanitas secret, but the fact that their meetings were likely far from over was very unsettling. Vera seemed to suspect that something was up by how quiet and shaken he was, but she was interrupted by a phone call from Gene before the meal could conclude. She bid the other two to go on without her before stepping outside to discuss an apparent emergency. Shortly after Jeremy and Shiloh had finished eating, the doctor returned and asked Jeremy to watch her son while she ran off to the clinic. Apparently someone had left a trauma victim in their care, despite the fact that the Mercy Clinic was not an emergency center. It happened every now and then despite a sign posted outside, and they didn’t turn any patients away, but they made it a priority to heal them so that they wouldn’t take up the much needed space for long.

                “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, depending on how long Gene’s willing to stay with him, but please don’t leave until I get back. Is that okay?”

                Jeremy was slightly annoyed, but he and Shiloh voiced their understanding before Vera hurried out the door.

                “Guess it’s just us tonight. What do you wanna do?”

                “My homework’s done…” Shiloh stared down at the floor, scuffing his toes into the carpet. “There isn’t much else to do around here.”

                “Why don’t we see what’s on TV?”

                “I told you I can’t watch it without Mom around.”

                “No offense, Shiloh, but you’re mom’s a little straight-laced. But she’s not here, is she? Why don’t we bend the rules for just one night? I’m sure you have a favorite show that’s on right now that you’d be missing otherwise.”

                “I don’t really watch TV much, not even on the weekends. Mom and I play board games instead. Or I just go outside. Sometimes I go hang out with Amanitas and help him with stuff.”

                “Board games?” Jeremy snickered as he powered on the small television. After a bit of channel flipping, he turned it back off. “Nothing’s really on. We should go rent a movie.”

                “Mom said we’re not allowed to leave!”

                “There’s a vending machine right outside the gas station, right around the corner. C’mon, Shiloh, we’ll be gone for like two seconds.”

                Shiloh looked unsure and began to gnaw on his lower lip. After a few moments he looked up at Jeremy, incredibly anxious. “Promise?”

                “Promise. I’ll buy you soda, too. In the spirit of rule-breaking and all.”

                This seemed to create more conflict within the grade-schooler than excitement, but he reluctantly agreed anyway. The whole idea seemed harmless enough, and it would be pretty easy to keep a secret. Jeremy was slightly worried about running into Amanitas again, but that never happened, much to his great relief. He did, however, have the strange feeling that he was being watched the entire time. They made their purchases as quickly as possible before stopping before the rental vending machine. Shiloh had picked out a generic cola, and Jeremy had an energy drink for himself. It took all the restraint in the world not to buy a beer, but he knew that if Vera found the can it would be the end of him.

                “Oh, I saw commercials for this one. It looks funny.”

                “But that’s PG-13!”

                “…I knew you were going to say that.”

                “What about this one?”

                “You expect me to sit through that?”

                After some squabbling, Jeremy eventually settled on a PG selection that he considered to be the least painful—although it was still undeniably a children’s film. It would kill time before Shiloh had to be in bed, however, and that was all that mattered.

                On the way home, they passed a toy store that was going out of business. Jeremy paid no mind to it, but Shiloh lingered around the front of the store, right outside of the large display window. Window-shopping was mostly a thing of the past, but it apparently hadn’t lost its appeal to a younger audience. It was like kids were frozen in time—once they got to middle school (or earlier, depending on the affluence of the family) they got their own computers and that was the end of any fascination in anything else. Right now, Shiloh looked like he was damn interested in a brand new skateboard with an intricate wing design painted on the bottom.

                It was pretty expensive. It was understandable, as the small business was struggling to keep its head above the water. Shiloh hesitantly touched the glass, realizing that this skateboard was obviously not going to be a part of his reality. Judging by the way he regarded it, he was pretty used to admiring from afar. He knew he couldn’t have it, but he could dream.

                And that was just depressing. Jeremy touched Shiloh on the shoulder, and the boy was yanked back into reality. “Oh! Sorry. It just looks really cool.”

                “The skateboard? I wouldn’t know. I’ve never used one before. I barely know how to ride a bike.” Jeremy smirked, shrugging.

                “I tried one out once. My friend’s dad made one for him out of spare parts. I fell on my butt.” Shiloh smiled, but it was half-hearted. “It made me want to try it again, though.”

                “I’m sure you’ll get the chance. Come on, let’s go home and start the movie. I can’t stand seeing you so sad-looking. You’re like a kicked puppy.”

                “I’m not sad! Seee?” The boy grinned up at Jeremy, baring is teeth in an exaggerated fashion. Jeremy laughed and pushed his head back down, ruffling his hair.

They returned home without any further delay, and the popping open of cans took place immediately. Shiloh took his first sip and his eyes grew wide. “This…is…awesome.”

                “It’s soda. It’s full of sugar. What were you expecting?” Much to Jeremy’s dismay, Shiloh began to chug the bubbling liquid, and was unable to stop him before he coughed half of it up. After a few belches, he wiped his running nose on the back of his sleeve. “That burned… I’m sorry, Jeremy.” Jeremy began wadding up handfuls of paper towels to pad at the carpet while Shiloh watched him, eyes prickling with tears from the carbonation. He began to work on the other half of the can, sipping slowly this time.

                “Shit, it’s gonna stain…”

                Shiloh gasped, slamming the can down on the coffee table and quickly covering his hands with his ears. Jeremy narrowed his eyes at the boy before rolling them. “Come on, it’s not like you’ve never heard the word before. Chill out.” After doing the best to pad out the brown liquid, he threw away the paper towels and returned to the couch. Shiloh was still covering his ears, looking quite upset.

                “I’m sorry, okay? It won’t happen again. Just…just put your hands down, it’s bugging me. Just watch the movie.”

                Shiloh did as he was told, picking up his can once more to finish off his beverage. The two sat in silence for the first thirty minutes of the film before Shiloh began to squirm in his seat. Jeremy ignored it at first, but it eventually became exaggerated enough to be distracting. “What?”

                “I have to use the bathroom…”

                “Then go do it. I’ll pause it.”

                The boy quickly scurried off, and once he’d finished and re-emerged, he had absolutely no interest in sitting down. As he stood in front of the television screen, his eyes were wide and he was bouncing up and down on his toes. “I don’t like this movie.”

                “Me neither. Wanna watch TV?”

                “No.” Shiloh searched the room for ideas with exaggerated head motions. Jeremy could see where this was going. “I don’t know, let’s go outside.” He was talking too quickly. This wasn’t good. Shiloh wasn’t reacting well to his first dose of caffeine. “I wanna go somewhere.”

                “But we can’t, we aren’t allowed to leave. Just calm down, Shiloh. Come sit next to me.”

                “No!” Shiloh began to giggle. Jeremy let out a groan and stood, but as soon as he approached the boy, he was tackled to the ground. “Let’s wrestle! C’mon! Rrrrr…” He growled and began to tug at Jeremy’s face, stretching his cheeks. “What’re you gonna do about it? Huh? Huh?”

                “Ger offa me—“ Jeremy sputtered, trying to push the boy aside. He wasn’t heavy, but his arms were like immovable stone structures. From what Jeremy could see, he had little muscle mass, but he felt like he was being pinned by a professional wrestler. “No—seriously! Shiloh!”

                “Make me! Haha!” Shiloh was talking and laughing in a way that made him sound like the talking chipmunks they’d been watching on the screen a few minutes prior. At a loss for what else to do, Jeremy began to tickle his sides, which made him loosen up his grip. Now that the boy’s guard was down, Jeremy grabbed and arm and a leg, and after a few swings back and forth, he threw him onto the couch. Luckily, he landed safely, but a weaker swing would have sent him flying into the coffee table. This night was turning out to be a disaster, but Shiloh was having the time of his life. He rolled around on the couch, curled up in a ball and laughing until his face turned red. Jeremy ran his fingers through his hair, panicking. The only thing he could really do at this point was let the caffeine run its course, but that was going to take hours.

                It was going to be a long night.

--

                Vera returned just before dawn, and found her son and Jeremy sitting on the floor, propped up against the coffee table. Both of them were asleep, and Shiloh was leaning up against Jeremy. A historical documentary was on, but something told Vera they hadn’t intended to watch it. She bent down to pick Shiloh up and carry him to his bed. When she returned, Jeremy was still clonked out, his head rolled back and his mouth half open. Folding her arms across her chest, she repeated his name until he finally snapped awake.

                “Huh? What?” He frantically looked around, knowing that something was missing.

                “I put him to bed. Next time I’m calling a sitter. Is that a soda can?”

                “…no.”

                “Jeremy.”

                “He never had it before! I figured one can wouldn’t hurt!”

                “When did he fall asleep?”

                “I don’t know. Last I remember I was still trying to get him to shut up.”

                Vera pinched the bridge of her nose before turning off the television. “If I wasn’t so tired I’d be giving you such a lecture right now… You’re lucky I’m not kicking you out.” Jeremy hung his head. “No, look at me. No more soda. Understand? He doesn’t need that kind of garbage. I think you learned that the hard way.”

                “Yes, Mom…”

                Vera kicked him in the side as she passed him to pick up the mess the two had left earlier in the evening. As he got up, Jeremy asked, “So what was that emergency all about? Was the guy all right?”

                “He’s a young guy, so he’ll recover all right. Was shot in the back. Says he was mugged but doesn’t remember what the guy looked like. Keeps insisting that we don’t call the police, that he’d follow up himself once he got out. The whole thing’s kinda weird, if you ask me… He lost a lot of blood and was unconscious when Gene found him outside the clinic. He’s stable now, so we called in a volunteer last-minute to just keep an eye on him, at least until I get a decent amount of sleep.” The doctor rubbed at her eyes, obviously exhausted. “I just don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this… We need more help.”

                Jeremy looked down at the soda stain on the floor, not knowing how to comment on a problem he was unwilling to help with. Apparently not looking to continue the conversation, Vera finished tidying up before turning off the light in the kitchen and heading to her bedroom.

                “Wait.”

                “Mm? Jeremy, I’m really tired…”

                “Uh. Let me come to the clinic with you tomorrow. I’ll see what I can do about helping out. I mean, I don’t have any medical knowledge, but…”

                “Oh, Jeremy, we need all kinds of help. You don’t even know. I’d really appreciate it…” Vera lifted her head, and a soft smile spread across her face. “Will you really?”

                The executive was unable to resist that face. He sighed before slowly nodding his head, returning the smile.

                “Thank you,” she replied softly before entering her bedroom and closing the door behind her. He could tell that the thanks would have been a lot more enthusiastic had she any more energy—and that was precisely why Jeremy knew he had to be pulling his weight from here on out. Even if he had to deal with sick poor people.

--

                Jeremy spent a great deal of time and energy trying to convince himself of the opposite, but Amanitas had definitely taken to stalking him. It was almost more terrifying to see that teenager out of the corner of his eye than it had been to see the hitman with his gun that night he was chased home. He still hadn’t brought this up with Vera, hoping that the problem would just go away, but a second confrontation was inevitable. He could feel it.

                It happened when Jeremy was walking Shiloh to school early one morning, having been up and craving the fresh air. The teenager approached them as casually as possible, and Shiloh backed away shyly, knowing that Vera had instructed Jeremy to keep out of contact with his brother. As Amanitas approached the executive with familiarity, however, Shiloh dropped the caution and instead said, “You know each other?”

                “I introduced myself to him a while back. He hasn’t gone out of his way to see me, though.” Amanitas clasped Jeremy on the shoulder, much like a brother would, and he flinched.

                “Leave him alone, Amanitas. Mom told him not to talk to you.”

                “But she didn’t tell me not to talk to him.” He looked back up at Jeremy and with a smirk asked, “I don’t see any problem with us being friends, do you? Now, what would be problematic is if we became enemies.”

                Shiloh frowned and grabbed Jeremy’s arm. “But Jeremy’s good. He’s my best friend.”

                “I know he’s a good guy. It’s why we’re friends, get it?”

                “Shiloh really needs to get to school now. He’s gonna be late.” Jeremy twisted his mouth in discomfort. Shiloh nodded vigorously in confirmation. “Maybe we can hang out after school,” he said.  

                “All right, all right.” Amanitas threw his hands up defensively. “Just know that I’m here for you too, okay?” He slowly met eyes with Jeremy before turning his back. “And you’ll tell me if anyone’s giving you trouble, right, Jeremy?”

                “…sure. Come on, Shiloh.” They went their separate ways, and before Jeremy and Shiloh continued on their way to the school, he noticed an odd marking on the back of Amanitas’s neck. A tattoo, it seemed. He couldn’t make out what it was exactly, but it was small and linear. Odd. Not thirty seconds after they had continued walking, Jeremy sighed and said, “He startled me. That guy does not know how to approach people.”

                Shiloh put a finger up to his lips. “Shh! He can probably still hear you!”

                Jeremy looked over his shoulder before scoffing. “He’s not even in sight anymore. Don’t worry about it, Shiloh.”

                Shiloh looked down again, appearing quite uncomfortable. “I bet he can still hear you. He always can. Anyway, why does he know you, Jeremy? I thought Mom said…”

                “Hey, I never approached him. He came up to me one time, we shared a really weird conversation, and then we went our separate ways. What should I have done? Ignored him?”

                “No…that wouldn’t have been good either. I don’t know why Mom’s so worried but she is and it’s making me worried too. He was talking to you weird. He doesn’t talk to me like that.”

                “Like what?”

                “It’s hard to explain. It’s like he’s making fun of you. Talking all slow like you’re younger than him.”

                “You think he doesn’t like me?”

                “Hard to tell.” A pause. “Jeremy, why didn’t you tell Mom that you met him?”

                “I didn’t think it was that big a deal. I mean, it’s not like anything happened.”

                “I think you should talk to her about it.”

                Jeremy sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Shiloh, are you my conscience?”