We walked up the wooden stairs as Alex walked over to Shuki's doghouse.

"Hey...Where's the dog?" Alex asked as I shrugged.

"I don't know." I replied as Alex walked around and collected another drawing before looking at his old bike.

He used to do a paper route back when we were younger but now the bike was old and the tires were flat.

We headed inside as I saw our answering machine. It had no tape inside.

I then looked to Alex.

"Didn't you pick one up earlier?" I asked him as he nodded, taking it out of his coat pocket before putting it inside our answering machine.

It started out as Josh and I making music noises as I smiled lightly at the memory then suddenly frowned when I heard the sound of the door opened.

"Josh...Jane. JOSH, JANE! What are you two doing?" Dad's voice said as I peeked over to Alex.

"Relax, Dad, we're just making a radio show." a younger Alex's voice responded.

"Alex, go downstairs." Dad's voice ordered as I knew this part well.

"Why?" Alex asked but Dad wasn't going to have it.

"Just do it!" Dad said more sternly.

"Fine." Alex's voice said before I heard a door slam shut.

"Am I in trouble?" Josh and I's voices asked as Alex wasn't around to hear this part.

"No, of course not." Dad said more calmly.

"Why are you yelling?" Josh asked as we continued listening to the tape.

"I'm not yelling at either of you. Listen to me, you two. Don't you both think this is a little to silly for you? So you want to end up like Alex? Playing all this make-believe?" Dad's voice asked us as I remember crossing my arms in slightly defiance.

"I don't know." Josh replied as I could see Alex clench his fists.

"Alright, from now on, just let Alex play with his own friends, okay? And if either of you need a friend, you come talk to me. Got it?" Dad asked as I sighed.

"Yes, sir." Josh's voice played as I hadn't said a word.

"Jane?" Dad's voice asked as I heard a chair scoot back.

"Janie." Dad said as I held my breath.

"Only Alex can call me Janie. I'll play with him if I want to." my voice said as I heard another door shut before the tape ended.

I looked towards the oven as I sighed.

Mom used to bake all the time. She was really good at it.

"Ugh, what's that smell?" Alex asked as I looked towards the sink to see a big pile of dirty dishes.

"Mom hasn't been washing anything lately..." I stated as we walked out of the kitchen and into mom's sewing room.

Mom used all this stuff to mend our clothes and made all sorts of things for the other women in town. We continued to look around before heading back outside.

I saw something on the fence as I walked over to it.

"Alex, I found Joshua's backpack!" I told him as I took out a photo.

It looked like Dad's hunting room but what kind of animal was on the table and how did Josh get in there?

I handed it to Alex for safe keeping before we went through the door.