Before the Morning [BEING EDITED]

24 | Window Fan

Two hours after Andy dropped them off at home, the front door opened.

Nolan sat up on the couch, wiping at bleary eyes. For the past hour, he'd been fighting a losing battle not to fall asleep. Caleb had calmed down nearly the moment Nolan had set up Mario Kart, and as he'd collapsed onto the couch and tossed a throw pillow over his face to block out the harsh glow of the overhead light, exhaustion had fallen over him.

Now, Caleb paused the game.

Greg appeared and slumped against the living room doorway. His smile was brief, falling the instant his eyes found Caleb's face. "I'm calling Johnny's parents," he said.

"No!" Caleb shrieked. He flew across the room, but Greg had already started for the kitchen. Caleb's voice carried as he disappeared down the hall and into the kitchen. "No! No, no, no!"

"Caleb, I have to."

"No, you don't. It's simple—just put the phone down!" Caleb's sobs made Nolan ache.

"Greg! Please!"

No reply.

A gut-wrenching cry pierced the air, and Nolan shoved off the couch, legs like lead as he dragged himself to the kitchen. There, he found Greg holding the phone book in one hand and the phone book in the other, lifting both out of Caleb's reach as Caleb sprang for them.

"Greg!" Caleb wept. "Don't! Please."

"Caleb," Nolan murmured.

Caleb spun, red-faced and tear-stained. "Don't let him do it," he begged. "It'll make it worse."

Greg nodded toward the hall. Get him out of here, his eyes pleaded.

When Nolan stepped forward, hope flickered across Caleb's face. However, as Nolan wrapped his arms around him and plucked him from the floor, he let out an angry shriek.

"No, no, no!"

Fists pounded against Nolan's back. Feet slammed into his leg. He gritted his teeth, but otherwise ignored the attack. He hauled Caleb through the hall, to Caleb's bedroom. He closed the door behind him, but kept his arms around Caleb, hugging him close.

"It's going to be okay," he said.

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is," he said. "Someone needs to know what he's doing so it can stop."

"You guys know."

"And we're trying to help you."

"What if his mom and dad are meaner than he is?"

Nolan paused. He hadn't even considered that. "Then I guess he needs help, too."

Caleb quieted down. They stood there for a while, Nolan rubbing Caleb's back, Caleb sniffling into his shoulder. Gradually, the sniffles slowed.

"You can put me down now," Caleb said.

"You won't run?"

"No."

Nolan eased Caleb to the floor. Caleb trudged over to his bed and flopped onto it. He looked worn in a way that no eight-year-old should. Without a word, Nolan plucked Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone from the bookcase and settled onto the bed. He flipped to their current page and started to read.

✝

Nolan hovered at the kitchen doorway, his arms looped over his chest. "Caleb's asleep," he said softly.

At the table, Greg dropped his hands from his face and looked up. His eyes were red with exhaustion and dried tears. "Okay," he said. "Thank you for your help."