Page 96 of Dysfunctional

Epilogue

Ezra and Kaspian died when they got to Alaska, but Jamison and Grayson were born. To me, he’ll always be Kaspian, and I’ll forever be Quintin in his eyes, but our new identities have been made. We’ve settled in a town outside Seward, but Alaska is a playground. There’s plenty to do, whether it’s hiking, fishing, sightseeing, or hopping on a cruise to see wildlife and glaciers. And, of course, hunting. We prefer the last one, but not to kill bears or moose; there are much more dangerous creatures.Humans.

“You guys got everything you need?” Kevin asks as he walks by with his massive backpack. “I know you ain’t from around here. Make sure you got the bear spray.”

We chuckle along with him. “I think we got it all,” I call out. I look at Kaspian and snarl. “I fucking hate this guy.”

He laughs. “We won’t have to deal with him much longer.” Kaspian finishes packing the side pockets of his bag before stretching his arms over his head.

His shirt lifts, exposing what was once the scar left behind from Willow’s attempt to take his life. Now, a tattoo covers it up. I didn’t like seeing a mark left by her. If he has any, they will be from me and me only. The tattoo artist did a phenomenal job using one of Kaspian’s drawings of a bleeding heart to hide the remnants of that cut.

“Come on!” Kevin yells again.

We found him a few days ago in a pub nearby, getting drunk and talking about how he recently spent time with his niece and sister in a cabin along the coastal trail. It didn’t take much coaxing to get him to slip into what people calllocker room talk.

His niece is sixteen, but according to him, looks like she’s in her mid-twenties. He was sure to drive that point home by vivid descriptions of her body. He tried being responsible by talking about stepping into the role of her dad, since he left three years ago, simply to teach her life lessons. But that quickly led into,I could teach her a few more things, if you know what I mean.He winked, bumping elbows with me, his laugh triggering a coughing fit.

“Oh we know what you mean,” Kaspian had said, but Kevin didn’t see the look in his eye.

Kevin mentioned bringing his niece up here again. Alone. But we won’t let that happen.

“You guys haven’t hiked up here before?” he asks as we fall into step behind him.

“Nope.”

We have, but he doesn’t need to know. In the year and half since we’ve been here, we’ve mapped out the best places to do what we do. Here, the trail is busy, but two miles in, if you veer to the right, away from the coastline, you can travel through some trees and come across a beautiful waterfall. The water pours violently over the cliff, mist spraying the entire valley.

Not many people venture that way, because it’s not an official trail. It’s dangerous and it’s not a place you can camp. Plus, there are plenty more scenic opportunities for people to visit. You can overlook the bay with a backdrop of mountains and glaciers, and lush, green trees for miles. There’s usually sea life visible in the water, keeping people’s attention.

Right at the point we need to turn, Kaspian splits off. “What’s over here?”

“You don’t need to go that way,” Kevin answers. “It’s rougher terrain.”

Kaspian keeps going. “I think I hear water.”

“Let’s just go check it out,” I tell Kevin as I follow behind Kas.

He huffs, pausing for a few seconds before tagging along.

The ground is slick with mud. Leaves and twigs cover nearly every square inch. Kaspian reaches behind him and pulls something from his bag.

“Bears might be trying to catch fish around here,” Kevin states, yelling to be heard over the sound of the waterfall.

Kaspian keeps walking, moving closer and closer. We pull up alongside him, peering down at where the water meets the earth, spraying over jagged rocks before drifting down into a stream.

“I’m not worried about any bears,” Kaspian says. “They’re not the most dangerous things out here.”

Kevin chuckles. “Say that when you have a full-grown one charging at you.”

Kas turns, dropping his bag to the ground, and I step back. “It’s probably how your niece feels when you come at her.”

Kevin’s eyes go wide, his hands nervously gripping at the straps over his shoulders. “What?” His gaze flickers to mine.

“I’ve come to realize that men who feel they can joke about what they would do, could do, and might do, have already done it,” I tell him.

“What the fuck are you guys talking about?”

“We remember your drunken spiel from the other day,” Kas says. “If you haven’t already violated your niece, you will. You have it planned out in your head.”

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