I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting Einstein's shop to look like, but it probably wasn't this: a crooked neon sign read The Game Shack, the large window beside the door was a dirty window and behind it was all types of games stacked high up allowing people to look in only from the very top. Christmas lights were wrapped around the building.

After knocking, I opened the door and a bell chimed. Einstein looked up from where he was standing behind a desk. The shop was cluttered with stacks upon stacks of games and there were more Christmas lights in the shop.

I stood in the doorway, nervously. I was never invited and wasn't sure how he'd react. But to my surprise, he grinned.

"Well, well, look who it is. What brings you here so soon?"

"George."

He raised an eyebrow. "The same George Robinson you asked information on earlier?"

I nodded.

"Now, why are you running away from him?"

I shook my head. "I hate him. I just can't shake the feeling something is off with him. I don't feel safe around him."

His expression turned serious. "That's serious, Miss Kairi. Have you told your mother or at the very least a friend?"

I shook my head again. "Ace is my only friend, and he knows, though I never told him that I didn't feel safe around George. But he probably figured that out a long time ago. My mother doesn't pay much attention to me anymore."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

I thought about it for a moment, then nodded hesitantly.

All of a sudden, Ace appeared from behind a stack of games holding a steaming mug and a bag of cookies.

Confused, he glanced between me and Einstein.

"George," I said.

He nodded then grinned.

"I have something I want to show you."

"Careful there, Ace. I know how to use a knife."

"Just come."

I glanced at Einstein, but he waved his hand with a smile.

I waved to Einstein before disappearing behind the door hidden behind the stack of games. There was a hallway that led to a stairwell and an elevator.

"The elevator isn't exactly safe. It's safer to go up the stairs." He turns to look at me. "I'll make some hot chocolate or something, if you want."

He pushed open a door that led to a hallway. I heard something jingling as it got closer. Rounding a corner, a German shepherd collided into Ace. Ace held the dog's paws in his hands as it stood on its hind legs. The dog's tongue was lolling out and its tail was wagging at high speed. All of a sudden, the dog turned to me, and jumped.

I was pinned underneath the dog and it licked my face. I could feel its tail wagging. Ace whistled and the dog let go of me and sat down obediently in front of Ace. It was still wagging its tail.

"Good boy."

I smiled. Honestly, I didn't mind the fact that a huge dog had just pinned me down probably could've killed me, had it not been trained. I happened to love dogs, among other animals.

Ace saw me smiling. "His name is Terminator. We call him Term for short."

My smile widened into a grin. I don't remember the last time I smiled like this. I shook the thought away and said, "Can I pet him?"

"Sure. He won't hurt you. He's the type of guy you call just to drink a beer with."

I put my hand on Terminator's head. Then, a thought occurred to me. "You drink beer? With the dog?"

He nods. "Only on special occasions like Einstein's birthday."

I tilt my head. "What about your birthday?"

"Then too, but I go all out and won't share with Term. I get territorial when I'm drunk," he jokes.

I scratch Term behind his ears. "I like him."

"I don't understand people who are afraid of dogs. He's trained, shows affection, and you can talk to him and he won't ever contradict you. He's always on your side no matter what. German shepherd are the best dogs out there, isn't that right, Terminator?"

Ace scratched Term's belly. "Now that you've met the Terminator, we can move on to what I wanted to show you."

We got up and walked down the rest of the hallway. The hallway led to a dimly lit living room. An archway to the left led to a kitchen and another archway at the far end of the room led to another hallway with two doors. Ace walked past the first door and opened the second. I paused and stood in the doorway as he walked in. The room was modest, with a bed in the far right corner and a wide window hidden behind shabby green curtains. Stacks of books and games were clustered on the left wall. Ace walked up to the window and pulled back the curtains, revealing a fire escape and a view of the streets below. Then, he walked to the stacks of books games and picked up a bunch of strange-looking books. He set them down on the floor.

"This is Bleach. I've been reading it for years, and I thought that maybe you'd like it."

I picked up one of the books. I'd never read any type of comic book before.

"It's a manga. There's also an anime, but I don't like it as much as the manga."

"How different is the anime from the manga," I asked as I flipped through the pages.

This became another thing we bonded over.

He had walked me home that night saying that he was worried something would happen to me if I walked alone.

We met every day, played a game, read Bleach, and talk. I became infatuated with the plot and characters of Bleach, and he was more than pleased to talk about it with me.

A year passed and I was in seventh grade. George was planning for his sister's family to come over for Thanksgiving. His sister had three children, two of them boys, and one of them a girl. I said his sister and daughter must look like cows if they were related to George. I noticed a flicker of irritation pass over his face when I said this.

I had found a weak point.

But he had found one too.

My room was modest. It had a bed with plain sheets, a plan pillow, and a plain blanket. My walls were also plain. There was a window with baby blue curtains that gave the room a calm, rather than boring, air. But it was still plain. I didn't have any toys, makeup, or anything a girl my age might have in their room. Everything was in place, and it was impossible to lose something in my room.

But I did.

It was late October and Ace had just lent me another manga. I searched every nook and cranny in my room, but I couldn't find it. But then, I noticed some things were out of place.

I'd never told anyone, not even Ace or Einstein, but I wrote in a diary. I felt that if I didn't, I would forget things. I didn't call it a diary, though.

I wrote everything in there. The first pages were neatly filled with memories of the man my mother seldom talked about. I realized that I had forget his name. Maybe I never knew it to begin with. I shook the thought away.

I had to focus on finding the old notebook.

I searched my room for another half hour until I gave up. Walking out of my room, down the hall, and into the kitchen, I saw George in the living room, reading out of a familiar old notebook. Reaching for my phone, I kept my eyes on George.

I took a picture of him reading my notebook. Standing on the tips of my toes, I tried to bend forward to get a better shot of him.

He closed the notebook, and I took another photo, then quickly but quietly ran back into the hallway and into my room.

I slid down the wall and clutched my head. I need to get that notebook back. Why does he have it? Did he search my room? Pedophile. Maybe mom showed him it? But, I never told her about it. Sure, she probably saw me writing in it once in a while, but she'd never said anything about it.

There was a knock on my door and I stiffened. It was George.

I quickly masked my features and opened the door. "You're mother texted me that you need to buy a dress for Thanksgiving." He smiles. "You're going to meet my sister's family; your cousins. You probably remember them from the wedding."

I nodded, but I hadn't remembered them. In fact, I don't think I even saw them.

I spoke, "I'm not going shopping with you. I'll go it myself. I have enough money."

He shook his head. "Not this time, kiddo. We should spend some time together, get to know each other better. It'll be fun."

I refused.

"You don't have a choice. Be ready in five."

I grit my teeth and glared at his back as he left.

But then I smiled.

Since you're so hopeful about Thanksgiving, I'll make sure that this Thanksgiving will be one you don't ever forget.

By the time the five minutes had ended, I had formulated a plan for Thanksgiving.

I had read in a book that embarrassment was equivalent to death. Not only would I embarrass him, but my "cousins" as well.

It was time to put my plan into action.

In the car, he asked me about school.

I said it was fine, that I was doing well in all my classes.

The next question he asked me really pissed me off. Maybe it was the way he said it, but it was also a dead giveaway that he'd read my notebook.

"How're your friends. Why don't you invite them over?"

I had no friends aside from Ace and Einstein. Ace was popular for being a druggie and I was just in the background. If George found out that I hung out with Ace, he would tell my mom and try to ground me again. Maybe worse.

But I wasn't scared.

"They're fine."

"How many friends do you have?"

"Guess."

"I asked you first." He was beginning to think that he had finally won me over. I would keep up the façade until the day of Thanksgiving.

"Not many," I say. "I'm friendly with some girls, but not exactly close enough to consider them friends."

His smile faltered. He probably expected me to say none, but what I said had been completely believable. I assumed he began to doubt whether my notebook was legit or not.

We stopped at a dress store called Emmy's Boutique, got out of the car, and walked inside the store. After approximately an hour (I had picked out only two dresses and I was sitting on a bench contemplating whether or not I should buy the dresses and which dress I should buy), I could see that George had begun to get impatient. I spared him some slack and bought one of dresses. The more expensive one, I mean.

The dress had short black mesh sleeves and a loose maroon bodice that reached mid-thigh. In all honestly, I happened to really like the dress.

But, the fun was about to begin.

I had managed to glean some information about my step cousins from George. They sounded like stuck-up rich brats.

This made me happy.

Later that day, I met Ace at the park for a game of chess.

He saw my face and asked if there was something wrong.

I shook my head, but told him of my plan to mortify George on Thanksgiving.

"Be careful," he said.

We were in the middle of a game of chess when a small group of men came over to us.

"You playin' a girl, Ace?"

He nods, paying more attention to the game than to the men.

The man who spoke leaned over the board, casting a shadow over it so that it was hard to see.

"Move," I said.

I had the same look of concentration on my face.

Carefully, I scanned the board and moved my queen.

The men surrounded us now, and more people began to gather.

Ace moved his remaining bishop.

"The girl's good," someone in the group said, and murmurs of assent followed.

I can get his queen.

Five minutes later, I did.

Ace stared at the board, shocked, but quickly recovered.

We kept playing, and only the sound of the audience's breathing and occasional mutters of surprise were the only things I could hear.

I heard some people suck in a breath as I lifted my queen and knocked Ace's king down.