Page 8 of Rest In Pieces

“I’m not exactly a giant, Nevaeh, and besides, the couch converts into a bed.”

“Good. Then I’ll be extra comfy.”

She stands there, tapping her foot with her hands on her hips, daring me to argue. She might be a pushover when it comes to her father, but she never backs down from anyone else.

People think that because of the way I look and my job, I’m the wild, outgoing one. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m the quiet one. I enjoy my own company and can easily go days or even weeks without interacting with another human being—well, except for Nevaeh, who calls me incessantly until I answer, of course.

Nevaeh, on the other hand, is a total social butterfly, basking in attention like a plant soaking up the sun. She’s funny, stubborn, sassy, and sometimes pretty feral, especially when she hasn’t had her coffee. She’s an angel at heart. But there’s a demon inside her that loves nothing more than to cause chaos and start trouble.

Trouble that I usually end up dealing with for her. We are each other’s yin and yang. I’d take a bullet for her in a heartbeat.

“Why do you have a weird look on your face? Do you need a poo or something?”

“No. I was thinking about how I’d take a bullet for you.”

A huge smile spreads across her face. “The world would be a sadder place without me.”

“This is true, oh humble one.” I chuckle.

“You know I’d take a bullet for you too, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

She bites her lip. “But out of curiosity, are we talking silver bullets or like Nerf darts?”

“Since I’m not a werewolf, I think silver bullets are unlikely.”

“Sooo… Nerf darts, then? Yeah, I’d totally take a bullet for you.”

I shake my head, laughing. “Alright, John McClane, how about we go do some exploring before it gets dark?”

“You mean out there in the woods, where there are bears and bugs and serial killers?”

“I knew my mom messed with your mind, making you watch those movies.”

“Are you kidding me? Your mom was the best. Some of my favorite memories are of the three of us piled into her bed watching old movies likePsychoandAn American Werewolf in London.”

She goes quiet for a moment. I know it’s because she still feels guilty that she got to make memories growing up when her sister didn’t get to grow up at all. That she feels like she’s betraying her every time she laughs or smiles.

I pull her in for a hug.

“My father went ballistic when he found out she’d let me watchTexas Chainsaw Massacrewhen I was fourteen. He thought the movie was inappropriate and would give me nightmares, but none of the movies we watched ever bothered me. You know why?”

“Because the monsters we needed to be afraid of weren’t on the screen; they were out on the streets where we lived,” I say quietly. I get it. After what happened, we were both desensitized to the scary movies that terrified everyone else.

“Exactly. He didn’t get it then, and he still doesn’t get it now. You know what does scare me, though? Living in that house with the ghosts of my sister and my mom. I’m scared that I’ll end up like them—stuck there forever—because all I want to do is leave. But my dad insists I stay.”

I pull back and cup her face. “Move in with me.”

“I…what?”

“Move in with me. It’s time. You can go home to visit whenever you want to. But if you don’t leave now, you never will.”

“But my dad?—”

“Will still be in the house where you left him. You just said that yourself. He’ll keep doing the same things he’s been doing for the last fifteen years because that’s the life he’s created for himself. But, Pippin, you deserve more than that. You deserve to explore the world and find your place in it.”

She bites her lip, looking unsure, but I can see hope in her eyes.

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