Hello everyone!

To answer your question, yes Sid should return in future chapters, but only when Kevin will be a little older.

As for the name of Harry's younger brother, I had no idea Joe Pesci once played a character named Leo. I have not seen Leather Weapon, but it is on my "to watch" list.

As usual, thank you very much for all you reviews and on with the story!

Chapter 9

Something was going on.

Following Sid's visit, Harry and Marvin had started planning something, I did not know what. They would have discussions I was not privy to late into the night. I saw them counting money, taking the inventory of whatever was left of their burglaries, and taking out their most prized items out of storage. They studied maps, compared calendars, made extensive lists, and filled all kinds of forms. Harry kept fretting over the mail, and Marvin started tuning the old car they never used. Both of them grew irritable, and had no patience to satisfy my curiosity. They made their position quite clear early on, making me chose between watching television, or being locked in the storage room. The choice was an easy one.

I have now gone through this routine often enough to prepare myself for what's coming. As I got older, they would sometimes discuss it with me, not that my opinion mattered, but it's nice to talk things out. I don't think about it that much or worry over it anymore, but back then, that was a different story. Any change in Harry or Marvin's behaviour spelled out danger, danger I came to associate with one or the other of Harry's brothers. I was not entirely wrong. Harry's older brothers do have a nasty habit of turning my life upside down.

At first, I thought this had something to do with this new job they had been so reluctant to accept. They did seem more tired than usual, and were less talkative since they had started working on this new contract, but that did not explain all the whispering and scheming I was observing. Whenever they weren't talking to each other, I would feel their eyes on me, following me around; Harry with studied concentration, and Marvin in silent expectation.

Something was going on, and I didn't like it one bit.

Being left in the dark, both figuratively and sometimes literally, was very stressful. Regardless of what had happened, I had not given up hope of finding my way back home. I desperately needed to know how whatever they were planning would affect me, or my chances of being reunited with my family. In the end, it all came down to one question, the question I had been asking since the moment I woke up in their van, and that they had never answered: what were they going to do with me?

It never crossed my mind that Harry and Marvin might have no idea what they were doing, or might be making everything up as they went. They were adults; I assumed they had a plan. Adults always had plans!

In my childish mind, I saw their refusal to take me home as nothing more than revenge for what I had put them through on Christmas Eve. I had been naughty, and had been punished. They wouldn't keep me forever. They couldn't.

Marvin had tried to explain, perhaps a little too hastily, that there was no going back for me, but I was too young, and much too stubborn to understand.

Not yet.

But I was about to.

The two of them still scared me, especially Harry. He might've stood between his brother and me, but I was not about to forget how he held that gun to my head. Marvin was more lenient with me, true, but if I wanted to go home, Harry was the one I needed to convince. How, I wasn't sure, but I at least wanted to know what their plans were. I had to choose my moment with care; I needed them in a good mood, and this new routine of theirs was not helping; Harry and Marvin were in no frame of mind to listen to anything I had to say. So I waited, making note of their behaviour. This lasted well over a week, a nerve-wreaking week for all of us, until their contract was over and done with.

I remember that day, not only because they returned home early in the afternoon with a bottle of bourbon to celebrate, which was unusual in itself, but also because an envelope came in the mail. This was the package Harry had been so anxiously waiting for. I watched him with mild interest open the large envelope, his smile widening as he took in its content.

"A little present, courtesy of Charlie." he said to Marvin, handing him the documents.

I had been reading some sports magazine, and eating apple slices at the kitchen table, but my head snapped back up at the name. I was instantly on my guard, and looked at the envelope in distrust.

"No way!" marveled Marvin, going over the content of the envelope "They look real, it's perfect!

– That's the beauty of it, Marv, the info might be off, but these are real."

Marvin whistled in admiration.

"Got to hand it to Charlie, when you ask for something, he really delivers.

– Consider it a token of his appreciation.

– Well these will make things easier, that's for sure."

Marvin returned the documents in the envelope, and put it away on one of the shelves where they kept their bills.

I had to bite down my lips to refrain myself from asking what Charlie had sent. I didn't want to spoil Harry and Marvin's good mood with my questions. I was still very naïve, but I was learning.

Harry and Marvin moved their celebration to the dining room. We never used that room to have dinner, the kitchen table was fine for the three of us, and it's not like Harry and Marvin entertained guests very often. They used the dining room's space to research their favorite hobby: burglaries. They had books and magazines on about every subject, from electronics to precious stone, power tools and cars. Not going to lie, it is impressive to watch how, with one quick look, they can accurately assess the worth of pretty much anything in a house. A useful talent when they're in a hurry.

That day, they shoved their notebooks and magazines to the side, took out a deck of cards, poured themselves generous drinks, and set out to play some card game or another. I sat at the other end of the table, listening to them reminiscing about some past heist, while flipping through one of Marvin's vintage cars books. I did not understand all the technical terms, but that did not keep me from admiring the pictures. It would still be a few years before I learned to share Marvin's passion for cars. He once told me how he came across a 1969 Bugatti sitting in the garage of a house they were ransacking. I wish I'd been there! Marvin flooded the house, but he didn't touch the car. He had too much respect for it to deface such an invaluable piece, and he knew he would never be able to resell it at a fair price without raising dangerous questions. Now I know stealing is wrong, but I can't help regretting Marvin never brought back one of those spectacular models, just for the thrill of driving them around for a few days. Too bad those would draw too much attention; Marvin would never risk it, now less than ever.

I tried to concentrate on the pictures, I really did, but I had a little too much on my mind. Asking questions was getting me nowhere, and I was sick and tired of it; Time to get creative. So they wouldn't tell me was what going on, there were other ways of finding out, I just had to be patient. I let them get comfortable, waited until Harry and Marvin were in the middle of their game, and have had a few drinks, before asking:

"Can I have some paper?

– What are you talking about, you got paper right over there." pointed Harry.

"I've already drawn on them, both sides!

– There's plenty of space left on that page." commented Marvin, throwing some cards back on the table.

"That's my spaceship; I can't draw a racetrack next to a spaceship!"

Marvin smiled, like my statement wasn't entirely logical.

"No, I suppose that would not do. Fine, go get some paper from the kitchen, you know where it is."

I did not move from my seat, watching as Harry shot Marvin a pointed look. I was getting pretty good at predicting their reactions.

"Marv, maybe you should get it.

– Oh would you relax, the doors are locked, and he can't run very far in his socks. We're just a few feet away."

Harry did give in, but with a warning:

"Don't try anything funny."

This was exactly what I had been hoping for. I tried my best not to look too triumphant as I walked past them into the kitchen. By force of habit, my eyes found the door, but its triple locks were in place, just as Marvin had said they would be. No matter, running away had not been my intention.

I looked up the kitchen shelves where they kept a neat pile of paper, and right next to it, the envelop Charlie had sent. I was too small to reach it, so I climbed on the counter. Looking nervously over my shoulder to make sure I was still alone, I grabbed the envelope and opened it. There was no letter, just a bunch of documents and some plastic cards at the very bottom. As I did not have much time, I left the cards alone.

I looked at the first few documents, almost afraid of what I might discover, but found nothing more than trade licenses from all over the country. I sighed in relief. It would be a few years before I realized how uncommon it was to have that many licenses from so many states. At the time, I actually found those documents reassuring. They might not answer any of my questions, but they didn't seem too dangerous either.

That envelope contained much more than work licenses, however. As I kept flipping through the documents, I came across something else altogether. Near the bottom of the pile, printed in bold letters was a marriage certificate dating back to May 1980. What's more, I was bemused to find Marvin's name on the certificate with that of a "Catherine Myriam Sylberman".

That struck me as strange; I did not know he was married. And who was this Catherine, anyway? Marvin never mentioned her, and there were no wedding pictures anywhere in the house. He didn't even weir a wedding band!

I decided not to dwell on it too long, and I quickly skipped to the next document. It was yet another certificate, but this time it was a death certificate for Catherine Myriam Sylberman, dating back almost a year ago. I could already tell there was something wrong, but I was missing the big picture. Why would Charlie send these documents to Harry and Marvin?

The next page did not answer my question. Not right away, anyway. I read the information over and over, at first confused, then slowly growing cold with fear as I realized what Charlie had done.

I was looking at a birth certificate.

A birth certificate for "Kevin Daniel Merchants", born to Catherine Myriam Sylberman and Marvin Samuel Merchants at Mont Sinai Hospital in Cook County, Chicago.

I didn't want to understand what I was looking at. I kept on reading, hoping to find something, anything, to quell the horrible feeling I had, only to receive what felt like a punch to the guts when I saw the date of birth: December 24, 1982. In retrospective, that was a nice touch, really goes to show Harry had a sense of humour after all.

The information was all wrong, but I was a smart kid, it didn't take me long to put two and two together. Charlie had provided Harry and Marvin with a brand new identity for me. I might've had no clue what they had in store for me, but, as I sat there on the kitchen counter, it slowly began to dawn on me that I might never go home.

"I thought I'd find you armed to the teeth with half the kitchen knives by now."

I nearly fell off the counter when Harry spoke next to me. I had not even realized he was in the room; Harry could be quiet as a mouse when he really wanted to.

"You shouldn't snoop around, that'll get you in trouble."

He didn't look angry or even annoyed, like I would've expected him to be. If anything, Harry looked at me with… curiosity. He gently pried the documents from my hands. I didn't even try to hold on to them. When I found my voice, all I could say was:

"That's not my name."

"You don't like it? Kevin Merchants has a nice ring, don't you think?"

I shook my head.

"That's not my name.

– Kevin Merchants is your new name." corrected Harry. "You'll get used to it."

I felt myself trembling; I'm not sure whether out of fear or anger. A little of both might've been the answer. Baring my teeth, I hissed back:

"That's not my name. My name is McCallister! And that's not my birthday!"

My objection to my new birthday did seem to amuse Harry.

"December 24 suits you perfectly. Makes sense too. You are a child of Christmas.

– I am not! My birthday is in August!"

Why did I argue with Harry? What was I hoping to achieve, I wonder. There was no point, what was done was done, and did it really matter what was written on that piece of paper? At the time, it felt crucial; I did not see how I was only hurting myself. The harder I protested, the more resolute Harry grew.

"Kevin McCallister was born in August. You're Kevin Merchants now, and you were born on Christmas Eve.

– Stop it! That's not my name!

– What's wrong with Merchants?"

Harry feigned not to understand my anguish at this discovery, which only upset me.

"I hate it!" I screamed in his face.

"Don't say that, you'll hurt Marv's feelings, and you don't want to do that, you're family now."

Marvin. Marvin Merchants. I suddenly felt weak, and had to grip the counter to keep from falling. It was worse than when Harry had struck me. Of course I had read the information on the birth certificate, but it was only after Harry mentioned it that I realized how Charlie had given me much more than a new name and birthday.

"God, what's he screaming about now, Harry?"

The moment Marvin stepped into the kitchen, I saw red. To imply that this man could in any way compare to my father was nothing less than an insult. I grabbed a glass on the counter next to me and threw it at him, screaming:

"You're not my dad!"

The glass shattered at Marvin's feet, making him jumped back, his eyes wide with surprise at the attack.

"What the hell! What was that for?"

Again, I expected Harry to lash out at my outburst¸ but he didn't.

"That's enough, kid. You know we don't like the screaming." was all he said.

Seeing the documents in Harry's hand, it didn't take Marvin long to figure out the cause of my anger.

"Why'd you show him that; No wonder he's freaking out!

– How stupid do you think I am, Marv? I didn't show him anything. You know just as well as I do that the kid's too clever for his own good; he found out on his own."

How I regretted not having the good sense to tear those documents to shreds when I had the chance. Taking advantage of Harry's distraction, I leaped off the counter and made a dash for the envelope. Harry was quick to react and was able to keep the documents out of my reach. Lucky me, I suppose; Harry would've beaten me senseless had I destroyed them.

"What do you think you're doing kid? These are expensive, you know!

– They're lies!

– Just a little. You start a new life with us; you get a new name to go with it.

– I don't want a new life, I don't want a new name, I wanna go home!"

Instead of answering me, Harry turned to Marvin:

"I thought you said you settled this.

– I did!" protested Marvin. Frowning down on me, he replied a little more harshly than I was used to: "We talked about that, kid. This is your home, now knock it off!

– No it's not! Stop saying that!"

This was so frustrating, I wanted to stomp my foot in frustration, no I wanted to hurt them. Hurt them like I had never hurt anyone before, hurt them so they'd take me home. Even while setting up the traps to protect my house had I not been driven by this desire to hurt either of them. This was not a good feeling.

I was not the only one trying to hold my temper in check. Marvin looked like he was at the end of his rope with my lack of cooperation. He walked over, his shoes crushing the glass shards on the floor around him.

"Now you listen, kid-"

But then Harry raised a hand, holding him back. In my anger, I had not been paying too much attention to him. Big mistake. Harry had that sly expression I would one day become so wary of.

"Your mother did say you were a handful."

By alluding to my mother, Harry was probably just testing my reactions. His instinct did not fail him; at the mere mention of her, all will to fight deserted me.

"You saw my mom?"

"A nice lady, your mother. Very busy, but nice.

– You didn't see her." I tried to deny, getting angry again "When did you see her?

– Every day this week. At work."

I felt my eyes widen as I understood what had got them so worked up about their latest job, why they had been so nervous all week long. Voicing Harry's unsaid words, I stated, more than asked:

"You changed the furnace? The one in our basement?"

The old furnace that scared me so. How strange to think it was gone forever. Stranger still to think Harry and Marvin had been the ones to remove it.

"Smart kid." smiled Harry in approval. "They cleaned up the house nicely after your little pranks. They were almost able to remove all the tar from the stairs, right Marv?"

From the look on Marvin's face, I could tell he did not know where Harry was going with this, but he played along.

"They should've just taken out those planks, you ruined them.

– Well, his mother did say he was trouble. More trouble than all of his siblings put together."

That statement was a real slap to the face. Even more so given that my mother had told me as much the last time I had seen her. Hearing those words from Harry's mouth made it all the more painful. I shouldn't have listened to him; I did not see how he was only baiting me. Those little mind games were Harry's specially, and I fell right for it.

"I'm not trouble!

– Oh, I think we all know you're a little trouble. Isn't that why your family was giving you such a hard time? How they ended up leaving you behind in the first place? They weren't very nice with you, were they?"

Sometimes I forget how much Harry had heard and seen that night he first came to the house. I did not answer him, that last exchange with my family was not something I enjoyed revisiting. I hated to be reminded he had witnessed any of that.

"Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps they left you behind because you were causing so much trouble in the first place?

– No."

I was lying through my teeth, and I could tell Harry knew it. Of course the idea had crossed my mind. How could it not after Marvin's enlighten little chat a few months back?

"What makes you so sure they'd even want you back?"

Raising my chin, I did not even think my answer over:

"They want me back. Sid said so!"

Harry smirked.

"Word to the wise, kid; you shouldn't listen to everything Sid says. He hasn't seen your family, or spoken with any of them.

– They want me back!"

Even to my own ears it sounded like I was clinging to those words. I knew I could sometimes be a pain, but I never would've thought my family would turn its back on me. Then again I never thought they would abandon me either. So where did that leave me? So where did that leave me? Shifting gear smoothly, Harry then remarked:

"You have your mother's eyes, you know. All you siblings have blue eyes, but I think only you and your brother Jeff have the exact hue of your mother's blue.

I could only stare at Harry. It was not the first time that I had heard this remark. Was it Aunt Leslie or Heather that had mentioned it to my mother? I could not recall, it was a long time ago, and at the time, it sounded like such a trivial detail. Harry could not have just guessed this information, which meant…

"You saw Jeff?

– Oh yes, in the mornings, before he left for school. He's really excited about finally getting his own room. Just like your older brother… what's his name? The one with the tarantula?

– Buzz." I answered, my shoulders dropping.

"Buzz, that's right. The girls are really jealous."

I struggled with how to react to this piece of information. I had heard my siblings bicker time and again over the fact that Buzz, as the elder, was the only one who didn't have to share his room. Jeff was very touchy about it; he used to say he had it worse since he had to share his room with the baby. There was no way Harry would just know this.

"And your sister Megan, that's the brunette, right?" continued Harry with a cunning smile. "She has a new boyfriend. She has a lot time now that she doesn't have to watch over you every day after school. Freed up a lot of her schedule; think she misses you?"

I didn't want to listen to what Harry had to say, but somehow I could not tear my eyes away from his pitch-black ones. Megan was always complaining about having to watch over me after school instead of going to the mall with her friends. Buzz had his sports practice, whether it be baseball, basketball or hockey, Linnie had private lessons with her math tutors, and Jeff always had some club or another to attend, which only left Megan. She did spend most of her time gossiping with her friends over the phone, or doing her nails, but she would also sometimes make me popcorn, and let me turn the living room couch into a fort where we would watch movies together.

"Hey Marv, do you remember the names of the chit's boyfriend?

– Joshua, she wouldn't shut up about it." replied Marvin now much more relaxed.

Joshua Reed. How many times had I heard Megan swoon over that boy? He was all Megan and her girlfriends would talk about whenever they had a sleepover, and Buzz used to tease her mercilessly about him.

"Why are you saying that?" I asked in a small voice.

Harry did have a point; he just wasn't done making it.

"I heard Buzz won some athletic scholarship. He hasn't so much as mentioned you once in the week we've been there. Of course, he's training all the time; your parents are so proud. They went back to work, by the way. Your mom is working on a new collection, and your father just brought a new client to his firm, he'll be traveling to L.A. next week. He even promised to bring back a new Christmas ornament for your blond sister's collection. Cute tradition."

At Harry's words, I felt something in me break. My father would always bring me a new Christmas ornament whenever he traveled because he knew how much I liked them. Linnie used to say that was dumb. Our father would bring her other trinkets, sometimes seashells, miniatures, or dolls, but never Christmas ornaments. Sensing my distress, Harry delivered the finishing blow.

"You see, kid; truth is no one is irreplaceable. Not even you."

I did not cry. I couldn't. I felt numb all over. How I wanted to believe everything Harry had just said was nothing more than lies, but doubt clouded my heart. Those details, he must've gotten them from somewhere. I had no answer, no clever comeback to shut out the ugly truth he had thrust upon me. Never had I felt more lost and alone. I couldn't take it anymore, and lowered my eyes to avoid Harry's piercing gaze.

For the first and only time ever, Harry knell down to my level, and raised my chin to better look at me as he said:

"Listen to me, kid. You really need to get this through your head; your family's moved on. Do you understand?"

I did not want to understand, and could only whisper in fright:

"You can't keep me."

Cautiously gauging my reaction as he said this, Harry, replied firmly:

"We can, and we are. This is your home now."

Panic stricken, I faltered.

"You can't keep me. What about… What about school?"

A very silly and irrelevant argument, I know. I did not miss school, but what it represented: stability, a return to a normal life; a genuine concern for my eight-year-old self. Harry only smiled at my question, while Marvin openly laughed.

"Don't worry about school.

"Cheer up." grinned Marvin. "You should be happy! No more school!"

The new did not make me happy. I didn't miss the homework, the dictation tests, nor sitting for hours at a desk, but I did miss the company of other kids, and even my old, but so gentle teacher, Mrs. Ellis. I didn't say any of this aloud. I didn't know what to say anymore.

"This is your home." continued Harry. "Marv and me, we don't mind that you're a little trouble.

– Yeah, we're trouble ourselves." added Marvin.

"You belong with us now. And unlike your folks, we promise, we'll never abandon you. We're not like most families, but we are family."

Family? Coming from Harry, the word sounded wrong, so very wrong.

"You're not! You…"

You held a gun to my head. You struck me. You screamed, yelled and threatened. All good and valid points. The only one I raised however was the one I had to struggle with every day:

"You keep me locked up." did I say, miserably.

I think the only reason I chose the storage room over all the other horrors was in hope of escaping it. Hope could be a powerful tool. Harry knew that, so he gave it to me.

"That all depends on you, really. Once we know we can trust you, we won't need to lock you anywhere. What do you say?"

He held out his hand for me to take, but I could only look at it, unsure if I should cry or scream. Harry didn't seem to mind my silence; he probably wasn't really expecting an answer. Taking my hand in his he led me back to the dining room where I numbly followed.

"Marv, didn't you buy some chocolate ice cream? The kid could use a bowl. Make it a big one."

To this day, I am unsure of what Harry saw and heard during his time spent working in my house. Knowing him as I do now, I can assume he twisted the truth to fit his purpose. He knew just how deep to cut to break the faith I had in my family.

Harry knew what he was doing.

I never asked to go home again.