"He took a step, and then felt tired

He said, 'I'll rest a little while'

But when he tried to walk again

He wasn't a child"

- Blue Lips, Regina Spektor

_ Chapter One

June, 1955

It was the summer of 1955 that the Winchesters moved in next-door to the Novaks, a family of five at the end of the street. It was raining that day, but that didn't stop the youngest of the Novak brothers from hiding behind the large oak tree to spy on the new family as they loaded their things off the moving truck, the wide yards creating just enough distance so that he would not be spotted from up above. With eyes wide open, the suspicious boy peered at the small family, made up of two young boys, and a father. The rain made the air humid and muggy, but neither of the boys seemed to mind.

The younger of the two brothers was about his age, roughly eight or nine years old. As the rain poured down, soaking everyone's clothes, Lucifer watched the older of the two help his father with several heavier boxes. The younger was lifting a large chair above his head, struggling with the weight as he hauled it into the house. Lucifer stayed hidden behind the large oak, making sure to keep out of sight as he watched them. The rain made his clothes cling to his skin, making him cold and shivery. Only his brother Michael was at home- his father was out, somewhere, along with the rest of his brothers, and Lucifer didn't have to worry about getting yelled at for being outside in the rain.

He didn't make a move to introduce himself, or to even say hello to the family. After a little while, Lucifer climbed to the top of the tree to ensure he wouldn't be seen, peering down at them between the leaves. The rain made the tree-bark wet and slippery, and already Lucifer had to catch himself to make sure he didn't go toppling out of the branch he perched himself on. While not very high off the ground, Lucifer really had no intention of making a fool of himself.

"Dean, help your brother with the chairs," their father said, having to shout to be heard over the rain. The older boy quickly ran inside the moving truck, helping his little brother carry out several of the chairs into the house. Roughly about four or five years older than his brother, Dean was quick to help him with the heavier boxes, as their father helped the movers bring in the couch. Twice, Dean caught his little brother when he tripped over a crack in the patio, which brought a laugh out of both of them.

Lucifer watched the younger brother with envy.

He leaned forward from his place above the ground, craning his neck to get a better look, when he realized too late that he leaned too far. That's when his foot slipped. With a startled gasp, his feet flew out from under him, sending him thudding to the ground and into the wet grass, just next to the Winchester's gravel driveway. He laid there, uttering a groan of pain. Nothing was broken, although it felt like every bone in his body had cracked wide open. It just hurt. He had landed on his side, his face buried in the wet grass.

Before he could scramble to his feet, he heard footsteps rushing over to him, before a figure knelt down beside him. When Lucifer looked up, he was looking directly into a pair of bright green eyes, wide with surprise and concern. He had light, short brown hair that stuck to the sides of his face in the rain. With a tanned, lightly freckled face, Lucifer realized with dismay that he was looking directly into the face of the younger Winchester.

"You okay?" he asked. Lucifer winced, his instincts immediately telling him to draw away from the boy as he struggled to his feet.

"Here, I can-" the boy began, offering a hand to help. Lucifer shook his head, groaning again as he stood. No, nothing was broken. Even if something had been, he didn't care. He didn't want to face the humiliation of having to be helped by a stranger. His face flushed with embarrassment. Not only had he fallen out of a tree, they had probably been figuring out that he had been spying on them for the past twenty minutes. Lucifer didn't accept the hand.

"Uh...I'm Sam, by the way," the younger boy said nervously, still concerned that the boy in front of him may have broken something when he fell. Lucifer only looked at him, staying silent.

"Sam!" Dean yelled over the rain, that was only pouring down harder. He didn't notice that Sam was crouched over the strange boy, dressed in a olive-green t-shirt and jeans that were too big, now soaked and muddy from being outside.

"What are you doing over there?" he yelled. Sam opened his mouth to tell Dean about Lucifer, but the boy had already taken off, running at full speed across the wide yard to his house before Sam could reply.

Sam frowned, rejoining his brother in unloading the rest of the van without another word.

"Nothing," he said. "That kid was...I don't know." Dean snickered, watching the kid run inside.

"He seems real friendly," he said sarcastically. "Come on. Dad needs help with the last couple of boxes."

Sam nodded, sparing the house one, last glance, before following his older brother back inside the van.

It was 5:00 pm.

The rain had, finally, let up by the next day, allowing Sam Winchester to explore his new neighborhood after helping his brother and father unpack the few boxes that they had. Dean was happiest about the size of the yard they had, figuring he and his dad would finally have a place to play football when his dad had a day off. They had eaten dinner together as a family the night they moved on, a rare occurrence that they immensely appreciated, even if their father was grim and mostly silent as usual.

Promising not to go too far, Sam left his house in a hurry after helping unpack, standing outside on the sidewalk, still wet from the night before. A few people were outside- a woman with her dog, and several older boys on skateboards. Faintly, from somebody's open window, he heard the sound of a record player, some lively Elvis tune, drifting from the windows. It was quiet, he realized. Not that his old house in Lawrence, Kansas was much busier.

Sam didn't mind the silence. He had grown up in a quiet house, despite all the moving that they did over the years. When Dean wasn't watching cartoons or listening to his record player that used to belong to their mother, it was relatively peaceful in the Winchester home.

He walked around to the back of his house, spotting the old oak tree where the strange boy had fallen from the evening before. Sam's house and the boy's were the only two houses in the cul-de-sac at the very end of a long street, separated by a large, spacious yard with the single oak tree that served as the divider of the two properties. He would have to climb it himself one of these days, he thought to himself.

If they didn't move again before he got the chance to

As he walked closer to the tree, he noticed something laying at the base of the trunk, almost hidden by the fallen leaves and branches. Jogging over to take a closer look, he saw that it was a necklace, a simple, thin leather strip with a black music-note pendant hanging off the end, still slick from the rain from the night before. Sam picked it up, studying it closely. It felt like it was made out of marble or some sort of stone. It was very simple-looking, and the pendant was relatively big. He realized it may have belonged to the kid that fell out of the tree the night before.

It probably flew off when he fell out of the tree, he thought. I should give it back...

Truthfully, Sam was a bit intimidated by the boy, even if he couldn't place his finger on why. Still, he wanted to find out more about him. Or at least get a chance to see what he was like. Even if he was a bit weird, Sam was still relieved to find that there was at least one boy his age in the neighborhood. If they supposedly were finally settling down in this house for good, Sam wanted to have at least one friend before school started in the fall.

The boy's house wasn't much unlike Sam's. He hesitantly walked up to their door, giving the doorbell one ring. After a moment or so, a much older boy answered the door, definitely not the one that Sam had seen yesterday. This boy looked like he was in high school, with wavy brown hair and dark brown eyes, as opposed to the other, smalling blonde kid from last night.

"Hey you're one of the Winchester kids!" he exclaimed, a smile spreading across his face.

"Hi," Sam said shyly, holding out the necklace in his hand. "I have… this… I think it's your brother's or something…I found it outside."

"Ah, that's Lucifer's alright…" He took the necklace, examining it with a frown. "He was tearing the whole house apart looking for this old thing, but for whatever reason never bothered to check outside. Literally, the kid is utterly possessive of this necklace. Used to belong to our mom. Come on in, I'll tell him you're here."

"Thanks. He'll be glad to have it back...damn kid never goes anywhere without this thing. I'm Michael, by the way. Lucifer is my brother. Have you guys met already?"

Sam winced. "Um...sort of," he said slowly. "It was raining. He fell out of the tree outside..and sort of ran back here. I never got a chance to say hi to him."

"Ha. Can't say I'm surprised. If he's not holed up away in his room, he's usually up there watching everyone walk around like a creep."

Michael held the door open for Sam to come in. Nervously, Sam walked through the doorway into their kitchen, small and finished with blue tile just as his was. The dark red curtains hung from the windowsill, the ceiling fan equipped with several lights that gave off a soft light. Michael walked into the adjoining room, a small living room with two couches and a small, black-and-white TV set. The antennas looked bent, as if someone had been tampering with them. Sam followed Michael into the living room hesitantly.

Faintly, Sam heard music coming from the upstairs room, like someone was playing on a piano. The notes were set in a slightly off-tune pattern, as if there was somebody trying to learn a song by ear. But the melody was undoubtedly original, a faint, haunting tune that caught Sam's attention almost immediately. Sam turned his head, curious. Michael just seemed irritated.

"Banging on that thing again…" he grumbled. "Luce!" he yelled up the stairs. "The kid next door found your necklace…"

The piano music came to an abrupt stop, the sound of hurried footsteps coming from upstairs. Almost at once, the boy Sam noticed from the night before came hurrying down the staircase. When he saw Sam, he froze, a panicked expression on his face. Michael tossed him his necklace.

"Here. Now you can stop freaking out about it so much."

Lucifer looked between his brother and Sam when he caught it. Sam raised a hand in hello, giving him a small, uneasy smile.

What is with this guy? Sam thought to himself. Why does he look like he's so freaked out over everything?

"Where did you find it?" Lucifer asked, looking up at him as he quickly slipped the necklace around his neck.

"Under the tree. Where you, uh, fell."

"You always fall out of that thing. Dad told you not to climb it anymore if you're gonna crack your skull open every time you go outside," Michael snickered as he walked into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of coke from the fridge.

"Shut up," Lucifer grumbled, giving his brother a dirty look. Sam laughed again, but Lucifer just looked annoyed and embarrassed.

"Go outside. You know dad won't be happy if he knew you shut yourself away up there all day again. Go show the new guy around the neighborhood for a little," Michael said from the kitchen. Lucifer shook his head.

"Michael-" Lucifer began to protest, but his brother wouldn't hear of it.

"Be nice!" he warned, frowning at him. He finally walked upstairs, leaving the two boys alone in the living room.

Sam grimaced, suddenly feeling awkward.

"Brothers, huh?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head. Lucifer shook his head.

"I have four of them," he grumbled. "I guess I could show you where the school is. It's right down the street...here, just follow me."

Sam followed him out of the house. He noticed that Lucifer was very quiet. Even when frustrated with his brother, he had a softness to his voice that was rare for his age.

"Four brothers?" Sam asked. Lucifer nodded as they walked across the grass and onto the sidewalk. He was trying his best to make conversation, seeing as they didn't exactly seem to meet on purpose. Lucifer was clearly unhappy about being around Sam. Probably still embarrassed about last night, he figured.

"Yep," he said, hopping off the sidewalk and into the street. "Gabriel is my younger brother. He's four. He was asleep upstairs when you came in. Raphael is away at college, Castiel is out with a friend, ...and you met Michael." Lucifer shrugged, still not looking at Sam as they began walking down the sidewalk.

"My dad's at work. He usually isn't home much."

Sam nodded. "My dad works a lot too. I don't see him a whole lot either...Dean usually helps me make dinner and stuff. But I can't imagine having more than one brother. I'd probably go crazy!"

Lucifer laughed a little, finally lifting his head to look at the other boy. He kept his distance, as if Sam were a wounded animal about to bite him. As they walked down the street, the familiar sound of Elvis drifting through an open window.

"The town's pretty quiet," Lucifer said as they walked down the road. "The music is coming from Pamela's house. She likes Elvis. It's pretty much all she ever plays. Michael thinks she's crazy, but I think she's really nice." He seemed more like he was talking to himself than to Sam.

"Was that you playing the piano inside?" Sam asked suddenly. Lucifer shrugged.

"Yeah I guess," he said, walking a little ahead of Sam. He remained quiet. The two of them walked down the street, turning a corner that lead to the main street. Several tiny shops lined the road, a diner sitting on the corner. This part of town was busier, Sam realized, but it was still so quiet compared to Lawrence, Kansas.

"So...you play piano?" Sam asked, trying to get to know this boy at least a little bit better. Lucifer only shrugged again, seemingly avoiding the question.

"I've never had lessons," he said after a little while. They passed a bakery as several cars zipped down the street. Sam wondered when they'd reach the school. It didn't start until early September, but he'd like to at least know what it looked like before it started. Several older boys stood by the curb, smoking cigarettes and talking loudly as several cars rolled down the street.

"But I still like to play." He curled his hand around the music note pendant hanging around his chest absently. Sam grimaced. Lucifer suddenly looked really uncomfortable, as if something were troubling him. He decided to drop the subject of music all together.

"The school is up here," he said quickly. "If you take a right and follow the street all the way down, the school is on the left. I have to go, okay? Nice talking to you."

He said this all very fast. Before Sam could utter another word, Lucifer took off in the opposite direction, running as fast as he could back towards his house before Sam could say anything else. Sam watched him go, wondering what he had said wrong to cause him to act so strangely.

Lucifer, Sam decided, was the weirdest kid he had ever met.

It took him almost an hour to find his house again, even though Lucifer and Sam hadn't walked all that far. He never did bother to find the school- he'd see it later. It was getting late, and he wanted to be home before Dean started freaking out. He swore as he past Lucifer's house that someone was watching him from the window, but when he looked around to see if anyone was there, the curtains were closed.

"Where were you all day?" Dean asked through a mouthful of green beans at dinner that night. Sam shrugged, looking down at his food. Their dad wasn't at dinner that night, which wasn't all that unusual for the two brothers. Their father typically left them things to cook on the stove, before heading off to work that night.

"That kid that lives next door showed me around. Lucifer. But he's really weird...I don't think he likes me very much."

Dean laughed. "He's probably afraid of you or something. I dunno."

"He has like, four brothers or something. I tried to get to know him better, but he barely talks at all."

"He's probably some creeper psycho anyway," Dean said, swallowing his entire bowl of mashed potatoes in two bites. "All the quiet ones are, you know."

"I guess that's why you never shut up?"

Dean threw the remainder of his green beans in Sam's hair.

That night, Sam slept with his window open, the breeze cooling off his muggy room. It was the first time in nine years that he had a room to himself, one that he didn't have to share with his older brother. While the room felt empty without another ebd beside his, Sam loved having the freedom. Nearly asleep, he was about to drift off when he heard a strange, melodic tune coming from somewhere outside.

Blinking in surprise, Sam hurried to his window, peering out into the night to find the source of the sound. It was clear that somebody was playing the piano, but it was unlike anything Sam had ever heard. It took him almost two minutes to realize the music was coming from Lucifer's house. Only one window of his house was open, one that was almost directly across from Sam's on the second floor.

There was no mistaking it- somebody was playing the piano. The melody was soft and quiet, but still sounded dark and threatening, as if something insidious were drawing nearer to the house in the dead of night. Sam listened, amazed. It was beautiful.

As he watched, he saw the light click on in the room and all at once, angry voices sounded from the house. Sam couldn't make out any words, although it was clear that somebody was shouting. The music stopped abruptly, right in the middle of a chord. Briefly, he heard a loud thump, as if something heavy had fallen, before silence descended over the neighborhood. Amazed, Sam left his window open in case he would hear it again, but no sound came from the house for the rest of the night. When he awoke the next morning, Dean said he hadn't heard anything, even though his window had been open as well.

Sam figured it must have been a dream.

To be continued.