So, the next day, after the monotonous scholastic mediocrity that was my morning, I decided to tell William about my promise. We met up inside the secret base (read: art supply room), sneaking in with our lunches to discuss our days and upcoming projects. Amidst the row of paint and pastel Will and I sat, just enough to block us out from any unwelcome eyes. If either of us leap up too powerfully or quickly, though, we'd be battered with anything too close to the edge- thankfully pallet knives were not among the potential hazards.

We'd just begun eating our respective meals when I decided that my slightly ridiculous promise to Taylor should be mentioned; I was worried how I would execute my plans. By myself, I had no chance of even leaving my room. However, if Will was aiding me on my quest for the fair maiden's hand- I mean Taylor's gratitude, there would be an unmistakably higher percentage of success. Plus, we were alone now- really the only time in our busy schedules- and I could best persuade people when all their attention was on me. The cards were stacked in my favor.

Now, mind you, William is one of my oldest, most cherished friends in the whole wide world. If I was sprinting down the street while on fire, he'd put out the flames, even if he had to use his own blood to do so. So, etcetera etcetera he platonically loves me a lot a lot. Thus, I did not expect the first words to come out of his mouth to be," The hell are you smoking?"

"W-well", I stammered," A friend of mine asked me to do this for her. So she didn't feel like an idiot- not that it isn't absolutely a pedantic and worthless exercise, but—"

Will interjected, "Then what is it? You're lying out in cold weather, alone, on a hill. What about your Mother Dearest? She'll flip her shit and lock you up forever."

"I made a promise."

"You're not serious. No. I forbid it."

"I. Made. A. Promise."

Sensing his eminent defeat from my iron-clad argument, he let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine", Will growled, rolling his lip between his teeth, "What time?"

There- his throat was bared! Smirking a little, relishing the moment, then I went for the kill. "The exercise itself begins at"- dramatic pause-"midnight. However, leaving at ten and biting the bullet would be best. Least suspicion I could have left if they just saw me enter my bedroom, right?"

Will inclined his head slightly, but furrowed his brows just before going into a full blown nod. "I suppose it would be a good plan", he murmured," but how would we get to a hill? Most of 'em are covered by roads, and I figger that the nearest hill is fifteen minutes away by car. By car. Walking would take us forever, especially with your nubby legs."

"Excuse me?"

"They're tiny. Haven't you looked in a goddamn mirror lately?"

"Don't. Just… Just continue."

He huffed. "Very well then. Any ideas how to get my rusty-ass truck there? I'm trying my best here to make this scheme work."

"Hey! I know, I know!" By this point, I was bouncing slightly around on the floor. When he heard the ominous rattle of lethal art supplies, though, Will placed his hand on my head and held me down, much to my dismay. Happy dances were always so wonderful…. "You could park in the cornfield a couple of houses down! Then they won't see the lights or anything! And when I go to the window to 'open' it, I'll sneak down with my trusty escape rope, and be out of there in a flash!"

Finally, a glimmer of approval hit Will's face; thank goodness we lived on the edge of civilization, or the plan would have imploded. Satisfied with my explanation, he dug right back into his delectable lunch of Caribbean potatoes, which, compared to my meager salad, struck chords of envy within me. It's a mess of carbs, I thought, a disgustingly horrific mess of carbohydrates that'll make you so fat. Fat fat fat and then you can't fit in your swimsuit. Unless you have a bite. Maybe I'll ask him to make just the teensiest weensiest bit for me later, so if I eat a little I won't binge later. Wait, did he notice me staring?!

"You know", he thoughtfully spat out during bites of that beautiful dish,"you can have a bite."

I nearly cried, but promptly was engrossed in the joy that was Will's homemade Caribbean potatoes. The amount of habanero, red and black peppers, thyme, and allspice was perfectly proportional to the buttery goodness of well-boiled tubers. My toes curled, my mouth sang, and all was right with the world in that moment. Well, until Will interrupted me. "Maya, you can have the rest of this if you really want it."

I stared at him, then glanced at my dejected, wilting salad. Again. And then again. Remember, girl, do the diet. Fit in the swimsuit. Be happy in your own body.

"Can I have another bite?"

Will laughed hysterically as he gave me his lunch.

We made quite a pair as he walked me down the town's quiet streets. One tall, one short. One pale, one tan. One blonde, one coal-haired. One boy, one girl. One walking, one running. God, there are some days I hate inheriting the genetic combination that made me into the perfect Mexican girl. Or Asian, if you live out this far and can't tell the difference.

The afternoon sun was gently shining down, with a soft breeze caressing our backs to ward off the heat. The weather had been awful the past few weeks; unbearable heat matched with violent thunderstorms made no man happy. In all, it was… Indescribably nice. Thinking back about my day (and what a pity it was that there was school), suddenly it hit me- I forgot to tell Will more about the plan itself.

"Hey", I said, nudging Will out of his own trance and prompting him to wipe for drool, "I forgot to tell you the specifics."

"What specifics?"

"Well, I did some research on what Taylor wanted me to do, as she was rather vague that night- she must have assumed I'd heard of this rumor. Apparently, on a moonlit night, you must go out to a secluded hill, away from distraction. On this hill, you must fall asleep by midnight."

"Isn't that kinda stupid?"

"Hush! I haven't even gotten to the important part! As I was saying before I was interrupted, while you fall asleep, you have to focus on one wish you desire with all your heart. Then, the spirit of the moon will come upon you and grant this wish!"

Will stared. His eye twitched slightly, and I could see he had second thoughts about this little adventure. I backtracked quickly, and lied, "But, y'know, it's not like I believe this or anything. We'll just go up on a hill to please her."

"You're doing an awful lot for someone that can't even see what you're doing."

"Yes, but silly Willie, there's nothing worse than letting someone down. Besides", I hesitated," It would make her feel better. Her life's been pretty rough lately."

We lapsed back into silence, uncomfortable with the information I had put out there. Will hadn't really wanted to know, but I guessed it was necessary to at least hint to him part of my purpose. Otherwise, his overly cautious nature could have been a problem. However, if we did it to make someone dear to me (and indirectly, dear to him), happy, then there was a better chance his heart would melt, and he'd accept doing the weirdass liturgy I just described more easily. His face spoke of his new intent; a slight squint and a more benign glint to his steely blue eyes told me that we were really, really going to go through with this…Madness…

I couldn't really call it that, though. The online forums listed anomaly after anomaly: the soft, feminine whispers, the violent shakes, the strange dreams of monsters and mass destruction. It wasn't the run of the mill pleasure dream, of raining cats and talking dogs. No, this was the real deal- my gut told me it wasn't just some fool crying wolf. I wondered, however, past these white picket fences, groomed dogs, and impeccable lawns, if there was something we were all missing. A broken circuit in the human soul that stopped us from realizing the world hidden behind the material reality.

That night, after a delicious dinner of stuffed peppers and macaroni-n-cheese casserole, Mom and I did the dishes together. Usually we end up talking, but tonight our conversation was as lukewarm as the air; was I missing something? Perhaps she'd seen a bad grade of mine, or I'd really blown that government project. Mom whipped her head quickly to check that my brother was deeply entranced by the reruns of Mickey Mouse before tilting back to me. Yet, I didn't see the anger or anxiety that I thought would be in her eyes, but fear. What?

"I love you", she began, and choked softly." I love you very much, sweetie."

"I love you too, Mom". I was too afraid to say anything else.

She stepped forward, and encircled me with one of her arms. "He's coming."

"What?"

"Your father. He's coming here. T-to see you. We… Talked it out, and both of us decided that you should meet him. He'll come with his parole officer, and then you can finally meet your father."

No words could express my fury-my father? The man who abandoned us? What about Dad? The man who had always looked out for us, the man who loved me just like his own son, my brother? I couldn't help myself. "No."

"Maya, what did you say?"

"I… I said no. He can't come here. He isn't allowed in this house."

"Maya, it'll be perfectly safe. You were curious about him your whole life-"

"I HATE HIM! He'll destroy everything we worked for!"

Glancing over, I saw Mom's tears raining down her cheeks. "I love you", Mom wheezed," And I only want you to be happy."

"…. I love you too."

And with that, I went up to my room, and cried too.

I should have been downstairs, smiling a false smile and trying not to cry with her. All I could focus on, though, was my father, the faceless monster in my mind. I could get rid of my anxiety and lack of an identity. I could be the crutch my stepfather-no, Dad, was for my mother.

Yet, the most I could do was wipe away the tears while I texted Will 'Tonight'.