As soon as Evelyn got home from work, Bobby had gone out. Hadn't asked if Jack wanted to go with him. Maybe he was sick of him already. Maybe he had to tread too lightly around the boy and he was tired of it. Jack sat tensely at the kitchen table, watching Evelyn cook their dinner.
"Jack honey, I know you're worried about where Bobby's gone off to. About him leaving when I got home." Evelyn spoke quietly, not looking at him. Bobby had said he needed at least the illusion of invisibility for a while yet. "He'll be back in another ten minutes. This is his…little tradition whenever he gets a new brother. He did it when Jeremiah came to us, and then again with Angel. This means you're fully accepted, honey. And quicker than you're brothers too – Bobby didn't do this until at least two weeks after they came to us."
Jack was silent, staring at the top of the table, and Evelyn was starting to worry he didn't believe her. "Why'd he leave if he likes me?" he asked softly.
Evelyn smiled. "You'll see when he comes home, honey. Just give him another ten minutes and let him explain it himself, ok? Can you give Bobby ten minutes?" she turned back to her cooking after Jack offered a slow nod.
Quicker than usual, Bobby walked back into the house carrying a plastic bag. "Jackie? You wanna come into the lounge room for a minute brother?" he called out from the front door, knowing full well that Jack was in the kitchen with Evelyn.
Jack looked to Evelyn for permission before he went. When he walked into the lounge room Bobby was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed. "I've got some things for you…" he held the bag towards Jack and waited patiently for the kid to pluck up the courage to take it. When he finally looked back to Bobby with confusion in his eyes Bobby smiled. "There's reasons, you take 'em out and I'll explain 'em…"
He pulled out a small, heavy torch and looked up at Bobby. "It takes a while to get used to being able to eat until you're full. I was hungry through the night for months after I got here cos I couldn't make myself eat a full meal. But I couldn't go out in the dark cos I didn't know the house to sneak properly. It'll give you light and it's heavy enough to do a bit of damage to someone if you get scared. Everyone sleeps with their doors closed, so you won't wake anyone with the light."
Evelyn's heart broke a little while she listened in. Bobby had never told her this. Had never even told Jeremiah or Angel, she didn't think. But he was telling Jack, was helping him. He would do almost anything for his brothers, but he never spoke about his life before being a Mercer and he never spoke about his first few months with Evelyn.
The next thing Jack pulled out was a jumble of ropes. Bobby took it from him and held it up so he could see what it was. "Rope ladder. Bedrooms only have one entrance, under the bed is even worse cos then you're already on the ground and closets are traps. Sometimes you need a way out. I'll set it up for you tomorrow morning. We'll attach it to the roof so you can go up or down – whatever you need." He put the ladder down and waited for Jack to pick the next thing.
He pulled out a leather necklace with a stone looking pendant enveloped in pewter. It looked cheap and nasty and Evelyn wondered what on earth Bobby thought Jack would want it for. "It looks crappy so no one will try to steal it from you." He took his mobile out of his pocket and put it on the floor between them. "Squeeze the stone and watch my phone…"
Jack did as he was instructed and squeezed the stone. It sunk into the pewter that held it and popped back out again. A split second later, Bobby's phone vibrated. His screen lit up with Jack's name and their address.
"If you need me, for anything, you squeeze it and I'll come find you. It sends me the address of wherever you are. I don't care if you're hungry and don't have lunch money, someone's picking on you or you've had a bad dream. If you need me, you press it. If you need to talk to me in the night, but don't want to wander around the house or wake anyone else up. I don't care what time it is Jackie."
Evelyn wasn't sure of the prices of such things. But a panic button disguised as a piece of junk was surely expensive. She watched with curiosity as Jack pulled the last thing out of the bag. It was a black 'hoodie' as her boys called them, and the back was embroidered with Mercer. Everyone at their school knew about how well Mercer's fought, not to mention the protective streak Bobby had for his brothers. And no one wanted to piss off the Michigan Mauler.
"You're going to the same school as me, Jerry and Angel. We've got a reputation for fighting, and fighting hard. No one bothers us anymore. Everyone needs to know that you are one of us, so they know that you have us at your back."
They sat in silence for a while, Jack looking over the presents Bobby had given him. No one had ever given him anything. He didn't think anyone had ever even thought of giving him anything. And here Bobby was giving him things to help him fight the demons, and he'd only just met him! "Bobby? Did you…were you like me when you came here?"
Bobby shook his head slowly, leaning back against the couch. "No, Jackie, I was…I was a bad kid when I came to Ma. I was violent and cruel. You're still good. You haven't let your past ruin you as a person." He gave him a tight, lopsided smile. "That takes more guts than I ever had Jackie."
