Thaddeus got in just as the auditorium lights were being dimmed. He hurried to the third row of central seating, where seats were largely free and the view of the stage was unrivaled.

"Do not hit the button unless you are absolutely sure that you have the correct answer. Hitting before the question is finished being read means that you still must answer. Should you hit it, and we later read off the complete question, your team will be unable to answer unless the other team gets the answer wrong."

Thaddeus searched the stage until his eyes landed on William. He was sitting at the far end of a table, his hands held close to a dull metal box. The matching polos and chinos that the trivia team was wearing did little to hide the fact of how young he looked. Having skipped a grade notwithstanding, at least three of the people on the team looked to be at least juniors. As the announcer spoke, the team was looking between each other, as if telepathically exchanging advice and commands.

"Now, parents, it may not be written in the official rule book, but we have some guidelines for you as well. No clapping until the end of the round, not even if your kid gets an answer right. The last thing we need is someone interrupting the audio in here." The announcer turned back towards the group of students and nodded, before again meeting the audience with a wide smile. "With that said, let's get started!"

The first question was on Norse mythology, and the opposing teams couldn't hit the buzzers fast enough.

"Forseti?" a girl on William's team asked. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of thick glasses.

"Correct!" The announcer pointed towards a group of students sitting in the front row. "One for Franklin!"

William and his teammates began exchanging high fives.

The next few questions might as well have been pulled at random from a hat. One minute they were discussing dog breeds, the next calculus and geography. William got his chance to answer two questions, both of which were correct. But while they'd been beaten to the buzzer at the first question, Palisades could be quick when they needed to be.

"Bendich Ahen!"

"Another point for Palisades!"

The round ended with William's team ahead only by two points, which was lucky considering they'd gotten four questions wrong. The teams stood up and reshuffled, with two new players coming out. William hurried off the stage, heading first towards the very front seats before Thaddeus waved him over.

"Nice work," Thaddeus said, patting his shoulder as he sat down. "Guess you really were awake during breakfast."

Ever since William had announced his intention to join the team, he'd started lugging around huge packets of questions with him everywhere. Thaddeus had spent parts of breakfast, as well as a small chunk of each of his evenings, going over them. He'd even considered memorizing a few and texting them to William at random during the day, but had stopped himself when he had remembered the accursed Google.

The second round was slower than the first, if only because there were more math problems to solve. William had taken out a notebook and calculator from his backpack and was busily trying to solve them himself.

"Thirty-seven percent."

"Correct!"

"Shit!" William muttered. Palisades was ahead by five points, and they were just past the halfway point.

"Young man!" Thaddeus hissed.

While Franklin was quicker getting to the buzzer during the last part of the round, Palisades still dominated. With their combined totals from this and the last round, they were ahead by nearly fifteen points.

William returned to the game in the third and final round. Just before it started, the auditorium was filled with the cries of parents, who seemed desperate to yell louder than the other adults around them, as if that'd change the course of the game. Thaddeus merely locked eyes with his son and shot him a thumbs up. All he got in return was a shaky smile.

The next round was full of French verbs, World War I generals, and geometric theorems. A mispronunciation was enough to get the question handed to the other team. Perhaps he was a bit too far out to be actually sure, but some of the kids actually looked like they were sweating. The teams were tied at the halfway point.

"Before it dissolved in 1993, the capital of Czechoslovakia was this central European city."

William hit the buzzer with such force that it could have broken. A light flashed red and a screeching buzz filled the auditorium.

"Prague!"

There were five more questions after that. While both sides missed a few questions, there were enough points to edge Franklin into victory. They won by a grand total of four extra points. Perhaps their reactions following the final count announcement was undignified, but Thaddeus couldn't help but grin when the team threw their slips of paper into the air and cheered. Certificates were passed out, and teammates hugged.

"Dad, Dad, Dad!" William pulled him into a tight hug. "Dad, coach says we really might have a shot at state this year!"

"I believe that!" That could only mean he'd be shooting even more rapid-fire questions at him every day. Back when he was in high school, he had been lucky to get his father's permission to join the chess team. How William managed to balance this and the swim team, as well as marching band in the fall, while keeping a 3.8 GPA still amazed him. "Though I was a bit surprised that both teams missed that question on the capital of Markovia."

He shrugged. "I remember that one. I was still trying to calculate the answer from the previous question."

This time Thaddeus was the one to pull William into a hug. "I'm quite proud of you."

"You mean that?"

Thaddeus ruffled his hair. "Of course."


His hand ached so badly that Thaddeus was surprised he could even pull the doorknob open. He'd meant to go to sleep some hours before, but flashes of inspiration and insight rarely took into consideration his need for eight hours of sleep at night. The electric clock on the microwave read 4:07.

Find us find us find us find-

"You'd think after countless millennia of being trapped with that damn wizard, you'd know the correct order of symbols to get inside his fortress."

Oh, what a great help those sins were! Still, them aside, he'd gotten some great work done. Hours of drawing had led to him being able to draw the various symbols alleged to have been engraved on the Ring of Solomon from memory. He'd taken to varying what he drew. Just as different (if often un-simplified) equations, if used correctly, could calculate the same answer, so too could different symbols potentially lead to him opening the Wizard's door. If he could just get the correct order…

With each passing day, his back grows more stooped. Soon he will no longer be able to contain us.

"Delightful. Drop me a call when you get out." Then, for good measure, Thaddeus continued. "Find me, find me, find me, find me!"

"Dad?"

Thaddeus about dropped his empty coffee mug. "William, what are you doing up?"

He yawned. "I woke up about fifteen minutes ago and couldn't get back to sleep, so I came down to get some water." He paused. "Are you okay?"

Thaddeus bit his lip. What was he supposed to say? "Just talking to myself," he explained, turning back towards the coffee maker. "I've been so packed with projects lately that I can't bring myself to leave work at the office."

"Okay." There was something in his son's voice that made Thaddeus tighten his grip on his coffee mug. "You sure you'll be able to go back to sleep drinking that?"

He had to force back a smile. "Some of us need more than warm milk to survive."

"Whatever you say." William puttered around the kitchen for a few more minutes, then returned to his room.


Batmanatee has logged in.

Batmanatee: It's not even fucking Halloween and they're already playing Christmas songs on the radio!

Billy_Da_Kid: Well happy early holidays to you too!

Batmanatee: Fuck you, you aren't stuck listening to your little sister sing Jingle Bells while she sews her Halloween costume!

Billy_Da_Kid: * *

Billy_Da_Kid is typing…

Billy_Da_Kid: IDK man, my dad and I don't celebrate Christmas.

Batmanatee: Wait, you're Jewish?

Billy_Da_Kid: No, my dad just hates it. Says it's like commercialized tripe or whatever.

Batmanatee: Oh, I get that. Wait, so do you not celebrate Halloween either?

Billy_Da_Kid: My dad has always been fine with that. He never really has to do anything for it besides buy candy. Though one year he legit passed out raisins.

Batmanatee: FUCK!

Billy_Da_Kid: I know. I wanted to like do the equivalent of divorcing your parents to him when he did that.

Batmanatee: So you're still up for Skyping on the 31?

Billy_Da_Kid: Wouldn't miss it. Besides, my school's Halloween party for some local kids is the Friday before.

Batmanatee: Nice! You said you were helping to run the haunted house, right?

Billy_Da_Kid: Yeah, "haunted". There'll be a lot of 5 year olds there, so we aren't wearing anything scarier than a cereal mascot's mask.

Batmanatee: IDK, those 500 million calories ARE pretty scary.

Billy_Da_Kid: :P

Batmanatee: So did you catch the episode I uploaded yesterday?

Billy_Da_Kid: Sorry, I've been busy with stuff. What's it about?

Batmanatee: I interviewed some guy who met Wonder Woman!

Billy_Da_Kid: Dude!

Batmanatee I know! It was the coolest. Man, I was so jealous. God I wish that were me!

Billy_Da_Kid: Okay, but if you met her what would you even say to her?

Batmanatee: Beats me.

Billy_Da_Kid: Also, can't she like flick her finger and break your leg in 3 different places?

Batmanatee: Okay, yeah.

Batmanatee is typing…

Batmanatee: But that's like -really- not a thing I'm worried about her doing.

Billy_Da_Kid: IDK man, I've known you long enough to know she might have a few good reasons to do it.

Batmanatee: You're a really nice guy, you know that?

Billy_Da_Kid: Guilty as charged.

Batmanatee: Ah shit, my dad's calling me for dinner. Talk to you later tonight?

Billy_Da_Kid: Yeah. I should get back to homework.

Batmanatee: Yeah right

Batmanatee has logged off.


Freddy had freaked when Billy had messaged him about nationals.

Batmanatee: What do you mean they're in Philly? I'M from Philly! We have GOT to meet up IRL.

Billy_Da_Kid: Okay, but why should I trust you? For all I know, you're an axe-murderer.

Batmanatee: Dude, you've seen me over Skype. Do I LOOK like a serial killer?

Billy_Da_Kid: The whole point of being a serial killer is to not look like a serial killer.

Batmanatee: I'm serious. Dude, I'd love to actually meet you!

Billy_Da_Kid: I would too. But like, my team still has to fundraise and stuff. Maybe we won't get enough money.

Okay, so that had been a lie. But bake sales and car washes were easy compared to talking to his dad. Their family vacation a few years back aside, his father rarely mentioned his home city. Really he didn't mention his family at all. Save for some vague memories of a Christmas almost a decade ago, when his dad had still bothered to acknowledge the holiday, Billy had never met his extended family. He'd Googled them once, almost considered trying to email his uncle, but had stopped himself. Something about it had seemed wrong, though he hadn't been able to place his finger on just why. If his dad didn't want to talk about it, that was his own business. Who was Billy to tell him he was wrong?

Still, they were all going to be flying to Philadelphia. There was always a chance his father could put his foot down. Already, Gabby Almanzar's parents had said she couldn't go because there was a family event going on that same week.

Billy chewed on his fingernail. His dad had just left his study, locking the door firmly behind him, and headed for the bathroom. Knowing the time, he was going to start dinner soon. When he'd gotten home, Billy had already done his share and tossed a salad. His phone sat forgotten on the couch, a paused PS4 game on the TV.

Just how was he supposed to word this?

Oh, hey Dad, we found out today that after that little mix up at the last game, we really do qualify for nationals. And it's in Philadelphia! You love Philly, right? It's not like you have to go, though. There are enough parent supervisors signed up already. But I'd really love to go with the team! Please?

Okay, he'd probably have to add a million more pleases.

His dad exited the bathroom and headed for the kitchen, passing Billy as he walked.

"Hey, Dad!" Billy got up and followed up after him.

"Yes, William?" He opened the fridge and began digging through it.

"Turns out that the trivia team actually qualifies for nationals!"

"That's great! You're competing for scholarships, aren't you?"

"Yeah! That's the great part. And we're all really excited to fly out for it."

Just say it!

"Yeah, last year nationals were in Washington, DC. The year before that it was in Boston. I'm kind of hoping they ask us questions on that!"

His father pulled some chicken breasts out of the fridge. "And?"

"And this year it's in Philadelphia."

"Sounds exciting." He didn't look away from the cabinets he was sorting through.

"So I can go?"

"Of course. Now what dates will it be on?"

Billy quickly filled him in. Then, he hurried out to the bathroom himself, grabbing his phone as he went.

Billy_Da_Kid: My dad said I can go!

Batmanatee: Yes yes YES YESSSSSSSSSSSSS


Billy_Da_Kid has logged on.

Billy_Da_Kid: Look, I just went past security. Soon we'll all be on the plane and flying over, so I can't talk much.

Batmanatee: I wouldn't message you if it wasn't important.

Billy_Da_Kid: You expect me to believe that?

Batmanatee: I'm serious. Look, there are some things you need to know about me before you actually meet me.

Batmanatee is typing…

Batmanatee: You never see them when I'm Skyping you, but I need crutches to walk around. I have cerebral palsy. It's like, not a big deal or anything, but I guess I just never wanted to bring it up. Guess I didn't really have a reason to. You should know. And, uh, I hope you're not mad at me for not mentioning it.

Billy_Da_Kid: Why would I be mad? I can't judge anyway, my grandpa's in a wheelchair.

Batmanatee: Dude, everyone's grandpa is in a wheelchair!

Billy_Da_Kid: Okay, but my grandpa has been in a wheelchair forever. He's like old enough to have polio or something.

Batmanatee: LMAO

Billy_Da_Kid: So don't worry about that.

Batmanatee: There's something else you should know. My family doesn't actually look like my family.

Billy_Da_Kid: ?

Batmanatee: I'm a foster kid, and so are all my siblings. We're not related at all. But like, they still ARE my family.

Billy_Da_Kid: Again fine. And also I still can't judge.

Batmanatee: Huh?

Billy_Da_Kid: I never had a reason to mention this, but I used to be a foster kid too. My dad adopted me.

Batmanatee: Nice!

Billy_Da_Kid: Yeah. So, uh, do you like have any more deep shit to spill before I get on the plane?

Batmanatee: Nah. But thanks. I was really worried about discussing this.

Billy_Da_Kid: No problem. Anyway, they just called us. GTG

Billy_Da_Kid has logged off.


"Billy da kid, in the flesh!" For a guy on crutches, Freddy could move fast. The only person faster than him was a girl who looked to be no older than seven. She pulled Billy into such a tight hug that he couldn't breathe.

"Hey," he choked out as Freddy joined the hug. Soon, a boy no older than ten joined in as well. To the sides stood a guy he couldn't quite place the age of, as well as an older looking girl who could have passed for one of the trivia team's contestants.

"So this is the guy you're always talking about?" she asked.

"Yes, Mary! Billy's great." Freddy pulled out of the hug, dragging the little girl with him. Billy took in a deep, much needed breath. "We've been talking for like two years now."

"I thought it was three."

"What does it matter? You're here now!"

"I told you talking to strangers on the internet was dangerous."

Freddy poked the side of Billy's leg with one of his crutches. "Does he look dangerous to you?"

Mary rolled her eyes.

The little girl stood on her tiptoes and stuck her hand in Billy's face. "Hi, I'm Darla!"

"William, er, Billy," he replied, taking her hand and shaking it.

"I'm Eugene!" the little boy said. He pointed towards the other guy. "That's Pedro."

Pedro momentarily locked eyes with Billy but said nothing.

"So welcome to Philly! What do you think so far?"

Billy bit into a muffin. "I haven't been out of the hotel since the team and I arrived last night, but it's cool." Truth be told, he couldn't imagine leaving the hotel. This was Philly, after all. Her city. As a kid, he'd searched countless crowds for his mother, certain that he would one day find her among the crowds of people. Now that she knew he was still alive, now that it really was a possibility… Billy took a long sip of orange juice to force the muffin down.

He gestured towards a nearby table. "C'mon, let's sit down." Hotel breakfasts weren't fantastic, but right then he was hungry enough to tolerate it. "I've actually been here a couple times before. My dad has family here."

"Nice! You visiting your grandpa while you're here?" Freddy asked.

A lump rose in Billy's throat. "No, uh, he's…" Busy? No. Freddy had dropped some truth bombs to him before he arrived, so he might as well return the favor. "Truth is, I haven't seen him in years. My dad and his family don't really get along, and almost never talk."

"Ah, that's sad!" Darla bounced in her seat. "Hey, can I get something from up there?"

"Darla!" Mary cried.

"Hey, it's fine." Billy winked. "After all, we are all guests here, right?"

"Right." Freddy got up, a few of his siblings following behind him.

"So, Billy, what brings you here?" Mary asked.

"The student trivia national tournament," he replied. "I've been studying like mad for it."

Her eyes lit up. "Hey, I used to be on that. We lost at regionals this year. You're lucky."

He smirked. "Due to some rule book junk, we almost didn't make it ourselves."

"You nervous? We almost made it to nationals last year too, but lost during state."

"I can't stop thinking about it. The first game is tonight."

"I'll cross my fingers for you. Where's it being held?"

He filled her in on the address and time.

"We'll be there."

"Ah, you don't have to do that."

"We don't have to do what?" Freddy and the gang were back with plates full of food in tow.

"You guys! We just had pancakes this morning."

"Yeah, but that was earlier. We got hungry again." Freddy shot Mary a grin. "So what's happening?"

"I was just telling Billy how we're going to his trivia match tonight."

"Dude, that'll be so fun. Let's bring Victor and Rosa!"

"Yeah!" Darla agreed.

Billy's face flushed. "Look, I really appreciate it, but you guys don't have to come."

"Oh no," Mary responded, leaning across the table. "While you're here, you're stuck with us."

"Yeah!" Freddy agreed.

"Well," Billy said, grabbing his backpack from the floor and digging through it, "if you're going to be here, you might as well make yourselves useful." He handed Mary a giant packet of paper. Freddy pulled it from her hands and began to flip through it.

"So, uh," he said, scratching at his chin. "Billy, what's the national GDP of Kahndaq as of 2016?"


"Man, this sucks," Billy said over the phone. "I mean, the ice cream we got afterwards was great. But this still sucks."

"Yeah, that was not fun to watch. Darla started crying when the final scores were called." Muffled voices spoke in the background. "Mary says you can't always win, but that you really should have."

"I know." Billy looked out at the city across his hotel balcony. "The coach has already gotten us early flights back home. We're checking out at seven in the morning."

"Yuck."

"I'm not excited for it." He paused. "You know, I still haven't called my dad about this."

"Is he going to be mad?"

"Oh no, not at all. But he was really excited about us going."

"There's always next year."

"Yeah, we have to rank back into nationals for that again."

"Hey, I believe in you!"

"Heh, thanks. Cross your fingers that it'll be held in Philly again, then. You know, I really appreciated your family coming. They're great."

"They have to be with a guy like me around."

Billy rolled his eyes. "It was great meeting you too. It's a shame we didn't really have a chance to do much besides practice for the competition though. Too bad it didn't get us anywhere."

"Man, you were a winner to me." Freddy paused, the muffled voices behind him continuing to speak, though Billy couldn't make out what they were saying. "Look, I've got to get off, but I'm so glad I met you. I really hope I get to see you again sometime in person."

"Me too, but I can't make any promises. Thanks again, Freddy."

"No problem."


Thaddeus was about to put away his phone and be done with all of this nonsense, but he typed out the number once again. Or, rather, they typed it out. These days the sins were doing quite a bit. Right then, his arms were at once weighed down with lead but light enough for him to pull his phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Oh, Sid, I thought that you would never pick up." The voice that spoke was Thaddeus' own, but for once he himself did not recognize it.

There was a long pause. "Thad, is that you?"

"Of course. I was just calling to say that I got your invitation in the mail."

"Oh, yeah? A-Are you coming?"

"That's just what I was calling about. William and I will be over for Christmas."

"That's great! Dad has been wanting to see the kid." He paused. "Look, don't be mad at me for saying this. I only sent that card to be polite. I didn't think you were going to accept it. Is… Is there a reason why you're coming?"

"To celebrate Christmas," Thaddeus responded. "Why else?"

"The party's going to be big this year, so be prepared for that. Dad's going to be having a ton of investors and just about the entire board there, not to mention who knows how many other people. He actually wrote most of the invitations."

"But not mine?"

"That… That isn't what I was saying. Look, it'll be great to see you and Will!"

"William."

"Yes, William. I'll get the guests room cleared out and-"

"Oh, don't trouble yourself. I'll get a hotel."

"Really, it wouldn't be an issue."

Thaddeus cleared his throat. "We are getting a hotel."

"Okay, your choice."

"Now," Thaddeus continued, "is there anything specific you want me to bring?"

The rest of the call had largely involved exchanging pleasantries. Now, with the grip of the sins off of him, he suddenly felt like a deflated balloon. They'd been so confident. What was he supposed to do now, call back and say there was some huge misunderstanding and that the two couldn't make it?

No, they wouldn't let him do that.

With shaking fingers, he pulled up William in his contacts list.

"Dad, are you okay?"

"Hello to you too."

"Sorry, you just don't usually call me right now. Give me a sec, I need to leave the band room." The indistinct chatter of students filled his ears. "Okay, I'm out. What's happening?"

"I was just calling to ask if you had any plans for the holidays. Any school events or visits with friends that I wasn't already aware of?"

"Uh, no, why?"

"Good. We're going to your grandfather's for Christmas."

"But-"

"But what?" Thaddeus could feel his heart beating against his neck.

"We never do anything for Christmas."

"Well, we are this year. Does that cause any problems?"

"Uh, no."

"Good. I'll be buying our hotel room and plane tickets tonight. I just called because I thought it would be better to tell you now than dump it on you after finals."

"Thanks?"

"William, there's no need for you to worry about it. I have everything under control. Yes?"

"Yes."

"Good boy. See you tonight, all right?"

"Yeah. Love you."

"Love you more."