The funeral had gone by solemnly, and everyone had walked over to the church that was across the street for some kind of reception thing. I was on my way over to the church with Ezra when we spotted Jonathan and Nancy looking suspicious and walking over to someone's car. I looked to Ezra just to see if he was witnessing the same thing I was and sure enough he was looking over at the two with confusion painted on his features. I looked over at the church to see our mom with Karen. The two women disappeared into the building and that's when I looked back to see that Jonathan was sitting in the passenger seat of the mystery car with Nancy looking around anxiously as if she was scared to get caught. We locked eyes for a moment before she tore her eyes away from me and told Jonathan something. You continued watching as Jonathan hastily put something into the inner pocket of his jacket and shut the car door. Deciding to mind my own business, I turned away and grabbed Ezra's sleeve to herd him toward the church. As we made our way the steps, I could feel the disapproving looks of some of the people who came to pay their respects. I tried to ignore them and found my way toward the table that had some things to eat. We each picked up a plate and got ourselves some food and sat down at an empty table towards the back of the room we were in. We sat there eating in silence, feeling too tense to bring up what Nancy and Joyce were going through. It was perfectly silent at the table, even though most everyone there was having conversations with one another. I had looked up in the midst of eating and scanned the room, not noticing anyone or anything in particular. At the table right next to us, I had noticed Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and the middle school science teacher sit down and start talking. I tried not to eavesdrop, but the boys were so loud and enthusiastic about the subject of conversation. I didn't catch the entire conversation, but I got bits and pieces of it, and I made a mental note to investigate it later.

I didn't see Nancy or Jonathan for the rest of the after service, so we rode home with our mom. Once we arrived home, we all silently went our separate ways to our own rooms. I sat down on my bed grabbed the book that was placed underneath my pillow and tried to read but my mind was racing too quickly to focus. Throwing it down at the foot of my bed, I laid down and looked up at the ceiling with just about a million thoughts running through my head. Groaning, I got up off the bed, and right as I did, the doorbell rang out through the house. "I'll get it!" I yelled out to my family as I was walking downstairs to answer the door. I opened the door and before I could see who it was, I was surprised with a force that trapped me in a huge hug that almost knocked me backward. I instantly recognized the voice as my best friend Dylan. "Oh my god, I missed you so much!" We let go of each other and he walked into the house and straight into the living room. "When did you get back?" I asked in a surprised voice. He had gone on a really big trip at the beginning of the summer and never said how long he was going to be gone. "I got back like an hour ago and decided to surprise you after I unpacked my things." I invited him in to tell me all about his trip and by the time we were done it was almost dark. He said goodbye and left while I closed the door and locked up. I stretched my body after being sat on the couch for a few hours and walked upstairs to take a warm shower.

After I got back into my room, I flopped onto my bed and thought about everything and nothing, all at once. My mind was swimming with thoughts, racing too fast to even catch them. It felt as if the world was spiraling deeper into the universe. The exhaustion in my body felt as if gravity had been turned up to 11. As hard as I tried, I just couldn't get myself to fall asleep. Something was off, like when you go into your room and you just know that someone had been in there because the air felt different. I shook my head trying to clear it of the fog that loomed around it. It felt like someone, or something was watching me. I looked around my room and checked my window and closet but there was no sign of an intruder. Everything was locked up and the blinds were closed all the way. Not that it mattered if they were open, I put a thick blanket over the window to block out the sun, but I checked, nonetheless. Even after assuring myself that I was the only one in my room, I still felt like something was wrong. I took a blanket and a couple of pillows and walked down the hall to Ezra's room. Thankfully, he was awake when I opened the door. He looked over at me and turned down the radio. "What's up?" I set my stuff on the floor and sat down on top of my blanket. "I felt uneasy in my room alone." I shrugged and laid down. Despite having closed my eyes, I could tell Ezra was staring at me, and it felt like he was holding back from saying something to me. I opened one eye and looked over at him, "What's on your mind?" He looked away and started playing with his hands. I sat up and turned my full body towards him. "Come on, you can tell me." He slowly looked at me and looked like he was about to throw up. "I need to tell you something important. I think I'm gay," he said in a barely audible whisper. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch what you said." I stood up from my spot and sat down on his bed next to him. "Listen to me, I can tell that whatever you're trying to tell me makes you nervous, but I'm here for you and there's nothing that can destroy the kind of bond that we have." I grab one of his hands and he finally looks at me with a little bit of relief in his eyes. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. "I think I'm gay," he says with a little bit more confidence. "See that wasn't so bad, was it? If it makes you feel better, I'm not completely straight myself. I like both boys and girls. It doesn't matter who you love, whether they're a boy or a girl, you're still my brother and I accept who you are as a person. I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to tell me. Now we can bond over what boys we think are cute." We both laugh and I could see the fear and anxiety melt away from Ezra and turn into a more relaxed emotion. We spent a good few hours just talking and laughing until our mom came in and told us to be quiet and go to sleep.

Falling asleep, I had another dream. I was in a dark forest, running away from an unseen creature. It felt like I was running through water, no matter how fast or hard I tried, I couldn't go any faster. I look back and try to catch a glimpse of what's chasing me, only to end up tripping over a fallen tree branch. I could hear it coming closer and I was running out of time. I tried to get back up but a pain in my ankle made me fall back down. I looked around for anything to help me, but ultimately couldn't find anything. I lay down on my back and shuffled my way slightly underneath the branch I had just tripped over, hoping it would shield me from the creature. Putting my hand over my mouth to try and stop any sound from coming out, I tried to survey my surroundings. There was breathing coming from the direction of my pursuer, and the sound of crunching leaves as it got closer and closer. I tried to steady my breathing as the branch moved slightly as it clambered over my hiding spot. It looked familiar, as if I had seen it somewhere before. I kept my eyes locked onto its back as it started to walk away as I tried to shimmy my way out from under the branch without making a sound. A twig snapped as I maneuvered my feet out, making the monster and I both freeze. I tried to will myself to move as the beast started to turn around, but I was paralyzed. It finally looked at me and I realized that I had seen it before, in the picture that Nancy had shown me. Before I could realize what was happening, the bastard crouched down and lunged at me.