* Peeps out from behind rock I have been living under forever *

Ah, hello, new and old followers. You may notice that this chapter is very, VERY late. Life, I'm afraid, has gotten in the way. So, my updates for this story will be very sporadic.

However, I have other plans for future fics, though they are mostly in development. I am also working on an original story, so you can check it out when I post it on FictionPress.

And with that, here is a (late) update for WABF!


October always had a strange air to it; maybe it was Halloween. Maybe it was the pumpkins. Maybe it was the costumes. Maybe it was all that candy.

Whatever it was, Zack had noticed that the mysterious air seemed to get stronger whenever he was at Abby's house. Maybe it was the empty room that was supposedly her brothers'. Maybe it was the fact the Zack never saw Abby's father, only his car. Or, maybe it was the fact that Mrs. Zeckory was so reluctant for Zack to come over.

It was been weeks after Zack had come over to comfort Abby when she had the influenza; she was feeling better now.

A few weeks before Halloween, Abby came to school happier than usual. "Great news, Zack!" Abby greeted, running up to the big tree. "My big brother is coming home for the weekend! You should come and meet him, he's really nice!"

"I should ask my parents," Zack replied, "but I don't see why not."

"Who's your brother?"

Zack and Abby turned to see a tall kid wearing a dark grey coat behind them. They immediately recognized him as the bully who took orders from his friend. "I said who's your brother?" he demanded.

"His name is Grayson Zeckory," Abby replied slowly, unsure of what else to say.

"The Zeckorys, huh?" the bully said, thinking hard. Or it looked like he was thinking hard. Suddenly, he leaned in closer, until he was just their height. "My parents say the Zeckorys are in some sort of problem," he said after a moment. "Like, a financial problem. Or was it a problem with their son? I can't remember so well."

Abby looked flustered. "Well, whatever your parents say, it isn't true. Grayson is a great son and a great brother."

"Then why is he away all the time?" the bully asked softly.

At this, Abby started to cry. "You're so mean!" she wailed. "You're always picking on the little kids and saying bad things!"

At last, the bully had gotten the reaction he came for. He leaned back, satisfied with his actions. "Just remember," the bully grinned evilly, "your family's in trouble, and you know it." At this, he walked away.

Abby cried harder. Without even thinking, Zack wrapped his arm around Abby. "YOU GUYS ARE BIG MEANIES!" he bellowed. "YOU ONLY CARE FOR YOURSELVES, AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT YOUR ACTIONS!" This only made the bullies laugh.

"Zack, they won't listen to you," Abby sniffed. "They'll never listen to you."

"Well, at least your brother will be here for the weekend," he recalled, hoping the comment would cheer Abby up.

Abby sniffed again. "Yeah, I guess. You won't tell anyone about what just happened, will you?"

"Of course not, Abby," he responded.

As the week drew nearer, Abby couldn't sit still. They were almost finished acting out The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and they had started looking for the next book to act out. However, that required sitting in the library for hours upon hours, and, as the saying went, Abby "had ants in her pants."

Which was weird for Zack. Why would someone want to have ants in their pants?

Thankfully, they had had no more encounters with the bully. Zack had been pondering and pondering about what the bully had said. What did he mean, "the Zeckory's had a bad son"?

Finally, Friday came. Like all kids, Abby and Zack rushed out to the sidewalk on their usual route home. Since Abby had heard the news about her brother, she could not stop talking about him.

"He's real swell, Zack," she said, passing the bright blue house. "He's really smart, and he likes to play sports, and—there he is!"

Abby pointed cheerfully to a tall figure standing by the Zeckory's door, hands in his pockets. His short curly hair was just like Abby's, only a little darker. In fact, he looked a lot like Abby.

Abby went running up to her brother; when he saw her, a big smile crossed his face; he swooped her up into his arms, he grabbing onto her hips, her hands on his shoulders.

"How've you been, Gail?" the taller redhead asked. Suddenly, his eyes went big. "Whoa! Have you grown last time I've seen you?" he asked jokingly.

Gail? That's a weird nickname, Zack thought. He, unlike the Zeckorys, felt very unsure in this situation. He did not know how to react to meeting Abby's brother. Surprised? Scared? Awe?

Zack casually cough loud enough to heard over the excited squeals and giggles. "Oh, Grayson," Abby said, noticing Zack's cough, "meet my new friend, Zack Addy. He lives right next door, and he's really smart. We've read The Wizard of Oz, and we need someone to be the lion."

"T-t-the lion?" Grayson said, making a show of his feigned stutter. "I-I-I don't know i-if I have any courage…" This made Abby laugh, as it was a very good impression of the Cowardly Lion. "Sure, I'll play with you. Let me just say hi to Mom and Dad."

Carrying his sister, he ambled over the door. Before he reached it, he turned to Zack and said, "Sorry for my bad manners, Zack. I'm Grayson Zeckory. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you to, Grayson. Abby's told me a lot about you."

Grayson smiled. He seemed to smile a lot. Zack could see there were lines in his face he smiled so much.

Before Grayson could open the door, his mother opened it from the other side. She did not look pleased to see her son, though Grayson could not see. Or he chose not to.

"Hi, mom," Grayson grinned, "it's good to see you again."

Mrs. Zeckory took no trouble hiding her frown. "Your father will be home any minute." She turned toward Zack. "Zack, I think you should go home now. This is a…" she took a minute choosing her words, "…a family get-together."

"But MOM!" Abby yelled from her brother's arms, "can't we count Zack as family? He comes here every day now."

"Abigail Louise Zeckory, don't you dare take that tone with me." Mrs. Zeckory turned to Zack again. "Zack, sweetie, I really think it's wise for you to go home."

Zack himself wanted to argue—he only met Grayson a few minutes ago—but Zack understood the reason Mrs. Zeckory wanted the family to be alone. There was a note of desperation in her voice. He reluctantly told Grayson and Abby good-bye and headed off to his own house.

Throughout the night, the Zeckory's kitchen light never once shut off. And, even as he and Elijah went to bed, he could swear he heard yelling in the house next door.

The next day, Abby came to school with tears in her eyes.


Ooh, cliffhanger! Greatest apologies! I feel that this was a bit rushed at the end, but this was mostly just an "I'm not dead" thing. ^^'

What did you think of this chapter? Be sure to tell me in the reviews! Here are a few questions:

What do you think of Abby's brother?

2. What was that mysterious thing Grayson did?

IMPORTANT NOTE: I will be on hiatus for the following moths until I get a chance to write again. After WABF, there is another big project I want to start on, plus some smaller stories. Then, I want to write a really cool Christmas story, which I plan on writing during the summer (since I have the most time then). So, you guys will have to sit through a cliffhanger. Hey, that gives you time for theories!

Bye for now!