Song: The Early November – Outside

The day was sunny with scattered clouds in the sky. A slight breeze blew over the red bricked walls of Beaver Creek Elementary, forcing birds from the rooftops as the daily procession of buses arrived in the lot. Here and there, the echoed chatter of students waiting outside to be picked up early by their parents could be heard. Startled squirrels fled across the yard and up the trees. Grasshoppers hopped. Bees hovered from flower to flower along the sidewalks, sucking up nectar for their nests. Cicadas chirped. And somewhere inside a classroom covered in timetables and far too many inspirational posters, a bored half-Mexican boy sat with a group of his new friends, eagerly counting down the remaining seconds.

"Five...four...three...two...one..." Ring. "SPRING BREAK!" Daniel cheered with the rest of the class. Chairs squeaked and tables shifted noisily across the floor, leaving numerous black skid marks. Raucous noise enveloped the classroom as everyone broke into conversation and packed away their things, pushing and shoving each other to get to the door.

"Okay, I know you're excited, but everyone please exit in an orderly fashion!" shouted Miss Jones, their fifth grade teacher. Only about a quarter of the class obeyed, while the rest cut in front and fled out into the hallway. "And don't forget your reading assignments, those essays are due on my desk first thing in the morning when you get back! Four paragraphs minimum for a passing grade!" The remaining students left in the classroom groaned. "I don't want to hear it, you all have plenty of time. Everyone be safe and have fun! Grab yourself some brownies on the way out. One per student, no hoarding, and yes, I see you Chad!"

Daniel hurriedly finished packing away his mess of notebooks and pencils and rushed over to the back of the line to join his friends Lucas, Natalie, and Jun Li. Lucas was definitely the nerd of the group, whom Daniel befriended first because he always seemed to get picked on a lot. He'd overheard more than a few racist remarks in the halls directed toward the boy that made him come close to using his powers on several occasions. Lucas was black and quite dark-skinned, with thick-rimmed glasses that looked a little too big for his face. His khakis and polos were always perfectly pressed. Daniel wasn't as into science as he was, but the kid had some really smart jokes and they often played cards together with his Hawt Dawg Man deck.

Then there was Natalie, a pretty brunette, slightly tomboyish white girl who was heavy into writing her first novel. She did her best with video games. Wasn't all that great at playing them, but her main passion was crafting fan fiction centered around the ones Lucas and Jun played together, which they adored her for. What few people knew was that she was also into old horror movies. She thought it might be a good starting topic to talk to her crush Mariska about, but Daniel could tell she wasn't going to get very far. Mariska was straight.

The last of the group was Jun Li, who wasn't much of an outcast in any sense, other than maybe from his family. His mother would demand he seize every opportunity for extra credit and make good grades, but he was more or less the class clown, always getting on Miss Jones's nerves. He'd only complete half his homework and devote the rest of his time to gaming with Lucas. Daniel had witnessed him having bad days on multiple occasions, during which he'd either lash out and throw things, or be uncharacteristically reserved. Man, I can relate. But despite all their differences, it was a group that worked, and Daniel loved being a part of it. He only wished Chris was there. Then everything would be perfect.

"So, what are your plans for spring break?" Lucas asked as they all made their way into the hall, scarfing down the last of the brownies Miss Jones had so graciously brought in.

"I don't know yet," Daniel sighed. "Things are still weird at home. Haven't heard from my brother, and Chris is still at his grandparents. I'll probably just catch up on sleep. Maybe check out that new Power Bear game, if Stephen even gets me the iPhone he promised."

"Bo-ring!" Jun chimed in. "You should totally come chill at my place. My parents bought this new computer for my brother to use for college, but they don't know he's already building his own. I'm gonna make me a sick gaming laptop out of it!" he grinned, wrapping his arms around Lucas and Daniel.

"Awesome possum!"

"Mah man! That's what's up," Lucas smiled. "And think of all the calculations you could do on that thing."

"Dude, come on, you're not installing some nerd malware on my shit like you did last time."

"Ubuntu isn't malware," Lucas defended. "And you won't get viruses. It's totally logic-based. Plus it's way less annoying than Windows. I could practice my C++ in peace."

"Gayyy," Jun yawned.

"So what about you, Natalie?" Lucas asked.

"Dreaming of Mariska! Ooh!" Jun laughed.

"Shut up! I don't know, really. Probably checking out more of my dad's horror collection."

"For Mariska!" all the boys said in unison.

"Ugh, you guys don't know when to quit! How bout you, Luke?"

"Hmm," the boy said thoughtfully. "It's hard to say, but-"

"Studying," Daniel and Jun groaned together.

"Hey, I have to make good grades if I want to get into Harvard someday. You could use some studying with me too, Jun. I'm an excellent tutor."

"Hard pass," Jun rolled his eyes. "Just catch me on Fortnite if you're not too busy."

The group turned left and down another long hallway, making their way toward the exit, and freedom. Much as Daniel felt like an important part of their misfit clique, he'd still been wrestling for months over the decision of whether or not to tell them about his deepest secret. In a strange way, it made him feel like even more of an outcast to them than he did at home. It's like they don't even know me. He'd since learned that Claire had certain...misgivings about his powers, as well as a set of political beliefs he didn't care for. Of course, she and Stephen were still super nice to him—even lenient. But at least with them, he knew where to tread carefully. What if I told Luke, Natalie, and Jun? Would they think I'm a freak? Daniel shrugged it off as they reached the sidewalk, where the buses stood in line to take them home. Nah, I better not. Maybe before summer vacation. That way, I won't have to worry about seeing them for awhile in case they get weird. Ugh, I really miss Chris. He's the only friend I can trust with that.

"Well losers, it's been nice knowing ya, but I'm ow-WOOT!" Jun said, throwing up peace signs and backing away to his bus. "Peace, guys! Love you."

"Love ya too!" Natalie called. Jun disappeared through the doorway, but popped his head back out.

"Mariska doesn't ride my bus, if that's who you were talking to."

"UGH freak, I'm gonna kill you, come back here!" she yelled, chasing after him as he ducked inside. The bus door closed in her face as the vehicle shifted into drive and began moving forward. Jun appeared above her, leaning out the window from the first seat.

"Haha later Natalie, have a good spring break!"

"He is SO dead when we're back in school!" the girl raged, storming back over to Daniel and Lucas, who had fallen into fits of hysterical laughter.

"Your face!" Daniel chuckled, pointing and catching his breath. "Your face was too priceless!"

"Ha-ha! We'll see who's laughing when you dweebs don't do your essay. I already got mine done," Natalie said proudly.

"I finished it last night," Lucas said.

"Yeah, m-me too!" Daniel answered quickly, not wanting to sound stupid.

"Mmhmm. Hope you enjoyed those brownies while they lasted. Anyway, I gotta get going. I'll see you boys later," she stepped forward, hugging them both. "Hit me up on Snapchat! Wuv you's." She sprinted off toward the last bus in the lineup.

"Well Daniel, guess it's just you and me left," Lucas shrugged. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"I'll try. Just kinda tough with no phone or internet, really."

"I could hook you up with a phone if you need one. Would only work on WiFi, but it's something."

"Nah, I better not. Too many eyes on me. Thanks anyways, Luke."

"All right. Well hey, you take care, brotha," the boy said, bringing him in for a pound hug.

"You too. Always got your back, dude."

"Same for you, that's why we're friends. Color brothers for life!"

"For life."

Daniel smiled and waved as they parted ways to their separate buses. It was good to have close friends to take his mind off of everything that had happened, even if he did at times question how close they really were. As he made his way down the aisle and chose a seat near the middle, he began to grow anxious about the prospect of returning home. It had been several months, and the FBI still continued to make their scheduled bi-weekly visits, despite Agent Flores' assurance that it would only be temporary until he was back in school. But it was already halfway into the second semester, and they showed no signs of stopping. What the hell do they even want with me? All it did was distract him from homework and get Claire riled up about the state of the house. Every other week, she would go on a cleaning rampage. It also didn't help that his new dog, Lucky—the Beagle-German Shorthair mix he'd gotten for Christmas—would scamper around the house and bark relentlessly at the vacuum.

"Get out of here, you crazy mutt!"

"Don't talk to her like that! She's just a dog grandma, she's scared and doesn't know any better," he had said, cradling the pup in his arms.

"I knew it was a bad idea to get you a rescue dog. Teach her some discipline or take her outside, you know we're having company later!"

"Yeah, I know. I'm sick of it! Come here Lucky, you poor little puppy, I love you."

Daniel had later discovered it was Stephen's idea to get the dog. She was a handful all right, but his grandfather reasoned that since both Daniel and Lucky had been through hardships neither of them could talk about, maybe they would be perfect for one another. So far, it seemed to be true. Lucky only ever responded to him alone. And much as that was a good thing, it also made her care challenging for the Reynolds while Daniel was at school. At least she seemed to be warming up to Stephen lately. Man, I love that dog, the boy thought.

As the bus began making its rounds of stops, he shuffled through his backpack to be sure everything was in order before digging out an old third generation iPod Nano he'd found at an old computer repair shop in town. Stephen was nice enough to allow him the privilege of iTunes on his laptop, but aside from that and some light browsing for school, it was the only extent of technological use he was permitted—other than television, of course. Daniel loved it anyway.

For the rest of the bus ride, he loaded up the Gorillaz' Plastic Beach album and leaned his head against the cool window, thinking about Sean. Where his brother was, what he might be doing, whether or not he was angry. Who might be comforting him when he was sad, or when he was lonely. Do you still think of me too? 'Melancholy Hill' began to play as the bus drifted in and out of forested areas, a trailer park, cornfield roads, and finally, Evergreen Street. Tears streamed down Daniel's face as he recalled everything they'd shared together over the months, and ultimately left behind. On most days, he could handle it. But not today.

As the bus at last pulled up to his house, he took a deep breath and scurried out, yanking the headphones from his ears. He tried to remember the last time the FBI visited, but couldn't recall if it was the previous week or the week prior. They better not show up to ruin my spring break. Not like it would be much of an eventful one to begin with. He took a quick glance over at the Eriksen's house and scanned the driveway. Charles' truck was still nowhere to be seen from what he could tell, which meant Chris probably wasn't home either.

"Just my luck," the boy sighed, taking out his set of house keys. He opened the door and walked in, tossing his backpack aside and removing his shoes. "Hey Grandma and Grandpa, I'm home! Oh shit," he whispered, jamming the iPod into his pocket once he realized it was still out. Stephen had made him promise never to let Claire see it, lest she throw a fit.

"Oh hey, welcome back!" she called from the kitchen. Lucky came running down the hall to greet him, tail wagging happily.

"Hey Lucky, how you doing girl? It's good to see you too!" He knelt down to let her shower him with kisses. "Did you miss me, huh? Did ya? I missed you too." Daniel made his way into the kitchen, where Claire had set out his usual after-school snack of Chock-O-Crisp cereal and a glass of milk. The boy hopped onto the stool and dove into the food as she joined him across the counter.

"So how was school today, sunshine?"

"It was all right. Miss Jones didn't really have us do anything. We did some reading, then watched Toy Story 2."

"Oh, I see," his grandmother smiled, resting her face in her palm. "She give you any homework over the break?"

Daniel dropped his spoon with a sigh.

"Yeah, yeah. Just a four-paragraph essay. But I already wrote two, so...I'm halfway done." He had learned pretty quick that it was better to tell her he was almost finished with his schoolwork than to say he had any to start. She would insist he go up to his room and hammer it out until he was finished. Probably why Mom left this place.

"That's great to hear!" she replied. "I'm glad you're keeping up with your studies."

"Me too. It's getting a little easier."

"I was hoping it would. And how about your new friends, are they still getting along?"

"Mostly. Jun Li can be sort of annoying, but he's cool. Then there's Natalie and Lucas. I think I like Luke the best. Natalie's really into horror movies and likes this girrr...I mean, boy named...uh, Mark! Yeah, that's his name." Can't tell Grandma she's into girls or she probably won't let me be friends with her.

"Oh, I remember my first crush," Claire reminisced. "His name was Jonathan, and he-"

"Ew, Grandma! I don't want to hear about that! No offense."

"None taken," she giggled. "Of course, that was ages before I met your grandfather at that silly disco party. But love is a very beautiful thing. I hope your friend finds it. Maybe you will too someday."

"Ehh...I don't really think about that stuff." Lucky came over and sat at the end of the counter aside them, whimpering with puppydog eyes. "Aw, you hungry girl?"

"She shouldn't be, I fed her just before you got in," Claire said. "But I'm sure she could use a...w-a-l-k very soon," she said quietly.

"You mean a walk?" the boy grinned. Lucky went ballistic at the word.

"Oh, now look what you've done, shame on you!" his grandmother laughed over the barking dog. She got up from her seat to go grab the leash from a rack on the wall. "Though I suppose some exercise will do you both good since they're still renovating the school gym. Maybe you can even take her next door, I think Chris should be home by now."

Daniel leapt up excitedly from the stool.

"CHRIS? He's back?!"

"Yes he is," Claire said.

"Woop wooo!" the boy cheered with Lucky. "Yesss! Spirit Squad is back in action!"

"Okay, settle down," his grandma chuckled. "Charles went into town for a bit to grab a few groceries, so if he sees you, please don't tell him I said anything. I don't think he wants the whole town to know he's back just yet. Now, you remember the rules for going out by yourself, right?"

"Don't go past the end of the block, be back before the street lights come on, yeah, I know," Daniel sighed as she handed him the leash.

"We just want you to be safe, sugar." She grabbed his chin and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Muah."

"Blech, yuck!" the boy stuck out his tongue. "Why are grandmothers like that?"

"Because we love our grandkids," Claire winked. The cordless phone on the countertop suddenly rang loud, derailing their conversation. "Oh goodness, not again! We keep getting calls today from some random number, every hour on the dot," she huffed, checking the caller ID. "Yep, same number. Probably just one of those telemarketers. Says +52. Must be from outside the country."

Daniel's heart stopped dead in his chest. Outside the country. He looked over at his grandmother, who looked back at him. Her expression fell stern. The phone rang again. And again. She was obviously thinking the same thing he was. She had to be.

"Grandma," the boy whispered, "w-what if it's..."

"NO!" Claire snapped. "Absolutely not!"

"That could be SEAN!"

"And so what if it is? Daniel, you need to understand-"

"I don't need you to protect me!"

"-he walked out on this family, the same as your mother did when he left you at the border! A poor, defenseless...child..." she choked up, covering her mouth. Ring. Ring. "I'm so sorry Daniel. You know I love your brother, but we just...can't. And I don't want to lose you. I won't go through that again."

"I don't CARE, he's my brother! And you're not my mom!"

"Thank God for that!" The boy's lower lip trembled as fresh tears engulfed his face. "Oh dear," the woman gasped. "Daniel, I didn't mean that...but he...he left you, and-"

"He didn't leave me, I left HIM!" Daniel cried, darting over the counter. Claire blocked him.

"Don't you DARE touch that phone, young man!"

"Or what? What are you gonna do?! Ground me? Take away my dog?!" A sudden surge of power rushed through his tiny veins. Oh no...calm the fuck down dude. "I'll fucking..." he blinked rapidly, forcing himself to subdue the rage before anything bad happened to Claire. "Agghhh...I'll...I'll leave if I have to, okay?! I-I I will! I have friends I could stay with!"

"Daniel, STOP!"

"NO!" he shouted, extending a hand toward the phone. The device whipped hard into his palm before she could stop it. Frantic, he smashed his thumb on the green button as hard as he could and pressed it to his ear, unconcerned that his grandmother had stumbled over a stool and now held herself up by the edge of the counter.

"Sean?!" he said. But the line had gone dead. All he heard was the dial tone. Enraged, Daniel hung up and hurled the phone across the room, leaving a large crack in the plasma TV screen. It didn't feel like enough to dispel the rage building inside him. Nothing did. But at least it made him feel powerful enough to regain his composure before anything worse happened. Claire looked on, bewildered as he shot her a death glare. "I can't believe you'd do this me again!" he cried angrily. "First Mom's letter, and now you try to keep me from my brother? Fuck you, Claire. Fuck you!" He sniffed and wiped his nose, snatching up Lucky on his way to the front door.

"Daniel, wait!" the woman called, stumbling over to the hallway. "Please don't go!"

"I'm going to Chris's! At least he understands me."

"Daniel...Daniel!" she shouted.

"Just leave me ALONE!" The boy stormed through the entryway, targeting all his rage at the door. The deadbolt lock exploded out of the frame as it flew open, followed by a satisfying slam against the adjacent wall that shattered one of the side windows. He quickly blew through the screen door as well, marching on toward an empty street.

At last, all fell quiet inside him.