Chapter 12

August 1985

Alexei found he liked living on Joyce's couch better than he would have anticipated.

He'd quickly learned everyone's morning routine and managed to time his own around it. Not that he had anywhere to go – he and Joyce had agreed that it was safest for everyone that he not attract attention to himself, in case the KGB had any stray agents left in Hawkins. So each day was much the same: breakfast and attempted small talk with Joyce, a few chores like doing the dishes and sweeping the floors, and then studying English. Every day, Joyce brought home new beginner's books so he could practice the words he needed to have memorized. It wasn't going too badly, except for the time she brought home the ones full of words that weren't in his dictionary. It was only after he'd asked if a lorax was a real North American animal that she realized she'd made a mistake. Still, it had been good practice decoding the sound of words, even if they were nonsense. He felt a little silly, reading children's books, but what else could he do? And he was making progress. Soon he'd be ready for chapter books.

His stomach was gradually getting used to a more normal amount of food, though he'd lost some more weight since leaving the hospital. In those first weeks, he'd needed to rest after ten minutes of most any activity. He barely spoke to the children, since he was asleep on the couch most any time they were around. They probably thought he was lazy. So as he'd started to recover, he asked Joyce for more chores he could do while she was away. He'd even tried making dinner a few times, but everyone seemed to agree he used too much onion and garlic. Perhaps it was a cultural difference.

He hadn't really minded staying indoors for the past few weeks either – he simply didn't have the strength to go anywhere. And he had any number of windows to look out, which was a vast improvement over life underground. Still, as he started to go longer periods without rest, he began to wonder about the woods behind Joyce's house. One small walk couldn't hurt, and anyway, he needed to move more if he was to regain his strength. He'd just go as far as the wood pile.

It was hot and the bugs were flying, but the woods still smelled clean. He smiled. Joyce had a delightful property. He stopped at the wood pile and decided to wait just a moment before heading back to practice some more English. Then he noticed a wood sign laying on the ground. Castle Byers.

He examined the pile again. It wasn't firewood. It looked like it had been some sort of structure, perhaps a child's fort. Some hooligan must have knocked it down. Perhaps it was fixable. He surveyed the damage and made a mental image of what it must have looked like. This wouldn't be too difficult. He took off his shirt and folded it over a tree branch. It wouldn't do to get it dirty. Then he slowly, very slowly, started to move pieces back into place. He had to stop several times for rest and to get water, but he was pleased with the progress.

"What are you doing?" Alexei jumped and turned around. Joyce's younger boy. Will.

"Fix it," he said.

"Why?"

It hadn't occurred to him to think about why, let alone how to say it in English. "For kid?" No, Will didn't understand. He pointed at Will and himself. "Ve fix?"

Will shook his head, but smiled. "Yeah, okay. We can fix it if you want."

It went much faster with two people working together. They worked mostly in silence, though Alexei found himself whistling. This was quite pleasant, the sort of thing he'd imagined himself doing if he'd ever had a son. When they finished, he handed the sign to Will. "You do," he said. Will shrugged, but hung the sign over the door.

"It'll be nice for the next kid who lives here," Will said.

"Next kid?"

"Yeah, you know, after we move."

"Move?"

"Yeah, move. Mom's selling the house. Sorry, I thought she'd told you."

Alexei was quite sure she hadn't. Suddenly, the strain of the afternoon hit and he felt indescribably tired. His back, his abdomen, his arms and legs suddenly burned and felt like they were filled with lead.

"Are you okay?" Will asked.

"Tired."

"Come on. Let's go inside. Mom will be mad I let you wear yourself out."

"Vy mad?"

"She worries about you. You know, moms."

"Yes, moms."

"Come on, let's get you a snack and some water. You'll be okay."

Alexei nodded. He would be okay. But he would be much, much better if Joyce wasn't leaving, or if he could go with her.