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“We can?”

“Best friends”

“But… but you’re a grown-up”

“I’ friends with a grown-up would be kind of cool, right? We can do lots of fun things Like eat ice creaames all day That sounds cool, doesn’t it, Aleks?”

“Can… can I go home and we can still be friends?”

“No Remember what I told you about your parents?”

“But… but maybe Dante can take care of me He can talk to Mama and Papa…”

“Dante? Is that your brother?”

“Yes, he watches out for me and he—”

“He knows you’re here, Aleks Who do you think told us about your Ma you anymore?”

“No… no, he… he wouldn’t do that He… he loves me”

“Well, maybe he does How about you come stay with me for a while and if he wants to come see you, he will?”

“You’ll tell him where I am?”

“I will, I pro for you, you have to do so for me”

“Wh… what?”

“You just have to behave, Aleks That’s all Just do what I tell you And you can stay with ive you another chance”

“Um…”

“You trust your brother, right? Then he should be able to coet you real soon But my house is much nicer than this place You can have your own roo as you behave”

“Okay… but I can go when Dante comes?”

“Of course But until then, we’ll be the best of special friends, how does that sound?”

“Okay”

“My nao home, okay?”

“No… no!”

“Aleks, wake up, you’re drea!”

“No, I don’t want to go with you!”

“Aleks, damn it, wake up!”

I jerked awake at the voice that was too deep and desperate to be Brian’s Brian never got angry He punished, he manipulated, he threatened, but he never raised his voice to do it There was a slight pressure on etin ether because they were dry, I couldn’t escape that moment when I’d naïvely put my hand in Brian’s and let him lead me from the dark, ean to cry because I couldn’t even tellself to run