Day 30: Dear Diary

The Last Page of My Brother's Diary Says A Whole Lot About Him

Sam wasn't one to snoop. She liked to think privacy was important, which was why when an animal needed a break during their shift at the Lumberstack Diner, she didn't go demanding an explanation. She might have grilled them for a reason such as messing up a lunch order, but she swore it was all in good fun. Even if they always spilled the beans, Sam never meant to pry into places where she didn't belong.

And that's what made finding Dogen's diary interesting. It was left on the staircase. He must've dropped it when he was running up or down them. After all, his friend was sleeping over, and they were currently in the living room watching a sci-fi series, the name of which completely escaped her mind.

Sam crouched and picked it up. It was rather flimsy, the pages feeling as if they had been dropped in the drink. She assumed Dogen had accidentally lost his diary in Lake Oblongata, or someone had played a nasty trick on him and tossed it in there only for Dogen to retrieve it. But Dogen was one to keep his damaged property, even if the pages had yellowed and seemed ready to tear at a slight crease.

She turned to the entranceway of the living room. With the diary pressed to her chest, she was about to call out his name. But when she noticed him on the couch, occasionally glancing up at Raz, the moment didn't feel right. Barging in could've upset him, and Dogen seemed much more interested in being with his friend than reuniting with a diary.

"Oh! Dogen, look!" Raz cried, clenching his fists. "This is the part where it really gets good."

"Mmkay," Dogen mumbled, leaning into Raz's shoulder.

Sam's eyes widened, but she quickly shook her head. Dogen had never been the type of kid to seek physical touch. He even frowned when Sam tried patting his back. She assumed it had something to do with the way he had been raised, considering the four people who were dead because of his stress. (Though Sam put more of the blame on them. They should've known better than to upset a boy with volatile blastokinesis.)

But Dogen chose to stay close to Raz, and Raz wasn't shying away. The only other person Sam had seen that happen with was Lili, another person Dogen admired. Raz, however, was a new friend. Lili had been in Dogen's life for years, but Sam could've counted on her fingers and toes the days Dogen knew Raz. It wasn't that long, considering how the Maligula incident had only wrapped up last week.

As the captain of the starcraft valiantly approached what looked like a cookie-cutter monster of the week on a backdrop of a planet, Sam's eyes dropped to the diary. She wondered if she would've gleaned anything about Raz from it. But she scolded herself, knowing it was wrong for an older sister to sneak a peek into her younger brother's business.

Dogen suddenly cried out, intermingling with the monster's shrill roar. Sam whipped her head up, instinctively hiding the diary behind her back. Dogen clung to Raz's arm, trembling like a small animal. The sight of him so frightened almost drew Sam into the room, but she stopped herself, eyes widening.

Raz smiled at Dogen, patting his shoulder. "Don't worry. That's what they call a jumpscare. It's a cheap tactic to make someone spooked."

Dogen sighed, a hint of a frown on his face. "They should warn people before they do it. I could've blown your head up if I wasn't wearing my special hat."

Chuckling, Raz said, "I don't think you'd blow me up. You like me too much."

Dogen hummed, then nodded. "Yeah. That's true. I do."

Sam's fingers were already prying open the diary as they spook. Privacy was a dead concept anyway. Their conversation jarred her to accept it as an undeniable fact. Even if Dogen became resentful if he found out, she had a right as the older sibling to snoop unless their mother found and scolded her in his place.

She flipped through the pages. Despite the obvious tearing she was causing, she stopped on the last written page. Her eyes darted across the blue-lined paper. She took in every word to understand how Dogen could've become so open in such little time with a relative stranger like Raz.

She held her breath, and she read it again.

Dear Diary,

It's Dogen. Coach Oleander is smelly like Sam said, but camp is also kind of weird. Lili is here, so it's not that bad, but all the new kids are weird. Clem isn't very smart since when we raced, and he won, he said I won. Kitty and Franke told me my nose was sexy, and I don't know what that means. Benny is creepy. I think he put a king-sized snake in my locker.

(Sam made a mental note to prompt the squirrels to maul Benny. She made a stronger mental note to send the goats after Kitty and Franke. Clem was fine in her book. He sounded like an upstanding, well-adjusted kid.)

But I made a friend. His name is Raz. He dropped in from the trees. He was nice to me right away, and he even helped me in Oleander's mind. I stopped blowing up because of him! I know Lili would've helped if she made it as far as me, but he got there first. And he saved my brain! A whacko of a dentist made me sneeze it out, and he was threatening me the whole time.

(Sam regretted not kicking that creep Loboto hard in the shower cap when she had the chance.)

Still, Raz helped me. I don't know if anyone else would've done that. I mean, there's Lili, and she's always been nice, but I just met Raz. I don't think there's anyone else like him in the whole world. He's cool. I like him a lot. And I-

"Sam?" Dogen called, and she snapped the diary shut.

She poked her head into the entranceway, hiding her arms. "Yeah? Do you guys need anything? Some snacks?"

Dogen gasped. "Did you read my mind through my special hat? I thought that wasn't possible."

She chuckled. "I'm a good guesser. I'll get you guys popcorn and pretzels. How's that sound?"

"Sounds great!" Raz piped up. "Thanks, Sam! You know, I've never had a babysitter before, but I'm glad you're my first one."

Smirking, Sam inched away from the door, adding, "Flattery won't get you anywhere, Raz! Your bedtime is at midnight sharp!"

"That's still past what your mom set for us, so we still win, Dogen," she heard Raz say to Dogen, who giggled.

Turning away, Sam glanced at the diary, smiled, and set it back on the stairs. It was in Dogen's best interest to pretend she had never discovered it. While she might have decided privacy was for the birds, he clearly hadn't. And as she made her way to the kitchen, eyeing the bags of white cheddar popcorn and salty pretzels on the counter, she was happy to know her brother made a true friend.

Or maybe he's someone more, and they just don't know it yet? Sam thought, a coy smirk curling on her cheek.