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Description
"This is my friend Gerry!" Al announced as she pulled him into the dining room.
Peirce, her stepfather , said nothing. He just took a long sip from his glass while looking the boy over. Her mother, Lillian, however ,smiled brightly and stood with the aid of a short staff. "Why, Hello Gerry. Al has told us so much about you!"

"Not enough." Peirce said under his breath. Lillian shot him a look over her shoulder.

She brought her eyes back to Gerry. "We're about to have dinner, are you allergic to anything?"

Gerry shook his head. "No, but I'm not allowed to have pork or shellfish-"

The bottom of Peirce's glass landed on the table hard. They all looked in his direction as he stared at the table and rubbed his forehead. Lillian cleared her throat. "The spaghetti on the stove should be fine then."

Once dinner was on the table Lillian started with the small talk. "Gerry, I met your mother briefly last year. How is she doing?"

Gerry opened his mouth, but Peirce cut him off. "She isn't one of us. Why do you care?"
Before she could reply he'd turned his attention on Gerry. "What is your level?"

Gerry stirred his pasta. "I haven't been tested yet, but-"

"Mystic." Peirce interrupted. "I can tell you right now that he's a mystic. And this is why you shouldn't marry outside of your own kind-"

"Peirce!" Lillian hissed.

"It's true." He said gruffly. "Not many future careers for a mystic."

Al spoke up. "Gerry's very smart, Mom. He can read high school books."

"That's excellent!" Lillian said.

"Oh, yeah. A mystic that can read. The library needs another one of those. perhaps he has a future stacking books the real Magic-touched use. I bet he's good at counting money too."

Lillian gave her husband a stern look. "Why don't you kids go play outside for a while?" She suggested without looking away.

Al took Gerry's hand and led him away from the table. They hadn't quite made it to the door when the argument started.

"What's wrong with you? Why would you say those things?!"

"You said he was Indian. Indian my ass, did you see that fucking hair?!"

"Peirce! He's a child and he's the only friend Al has; what does anything else matter?"

"I wish you'd stop calling her that! She's a girl! Next she'll be cutting all of her hair off and acting like a boy."

"She's my daughter! Not yours, she can do whatever she likes! It's not your concern!"

Al shut the door quietly as they stepped outside. "I'm sorry." she whispered. "My stepdad is a jerk."

Gerry kept his eyes on the ground. "Everyone hates me."

"I don't hate you!" Al hugged him tightly. "And Mom doesn't hate you either. Peirce, just hates everybody."

"When I grow up I'm gunna move far away from here." He muttered. "I'm just gunna go home."

Al watched as he shuffled his way down the street. Somehow the short block suddenly seemed so far away.

****

A knock at the door woke Al. She sat up on the couch and her blanket slid down over her pale skin. She picked up her bloody clothes and shoved them between the cushions.

"Coming!" She called wrapping the blanket around herself, just in case it was Gerry.

She pulled open the door and found Pepper standing there in full uniform. She groaned leaning her head on the door frame.

"Is he having me arrested? Last I checked feeding someone sugar wasn't a crime."

"Depends on the circumstances." Pepper gave a weak smile. "This isn't work related though. May I come in?"

Al opened the door wider and held her arm out welcoming her in. "That would have been an embarrassing episode of Cops."

Pepper stepped inside. "You want a chance to get dressed?"

"Am I being arrested?"

"No."

"Then no, I'm good."

Pepper shrugged. "I needed to ask you something about Gerry. He told me what happened today and a little about Anna, but I think he left some stuff out."

Al blinked. "He told you about She-who-must-not-be-named? Wow."

Pepper nodded. "He said they had a nasty break-up, he got depressed, and you got really over protective after that."

"I've always been over-protective." Al corrected.

Pepper took a deep breath. "I just wonder... is there more to it?" She wrung her hands. "He swears he didn't , but did he actually attempt..."

"Oh, he lied about overdosing? Shocker." Al muttered crossing her arms.

Pepper closed her eyes looking a bit sick. "It, it must have been a really bad break-up..."

"Anna was a bitch and had been cheating on him from day one, but you can't tell Gerry anything when he's 'in love'. She broke the news to him fairly publicly after he caught her in the act."

She nodded. "I can't imagine that was easy to swallow. To be driven to that-"

"That was not the first time. We were still elementary age the first time. That..." She sighed. "That was just the closest he ever got to succeeding."

Pepper took a step back and sat on the arm of the couch. "God." She whispered. "What can I do?"

Al arched an eyebrow. "Honestly not much. Keep him busy when you aren't around. He's usually fine, relationship junk and bullying are the things that really trigger him."

"I-I didn't even consider that I could be part of the problem." She rubbed her face. "I just hope I haven't-"

"No, honestly I think you're good for him. He only got bummed when you started picking up extra shifts."

Pepper groaned. "Well, that isn't going to stop until after New Year. "

"Like I said, just keep him occupied when you're away." She rubbed her shoulder. "And I guess I'll keep my distance for a while."

Pepper nodded. "I know you mean well, he just can't see it I guess." She stood and walked toward the door. "I have to get to work. Thanks."

"No problem." Al said and gave her a wave.

The door shut and she frowned. "You're digging deep, Pep. You had best be careful."

"Thank you, thank you." Pepper said gripping a fellow officer's arm. "You have no idea how much this means. Please , tell your grandmother we'll be by tomorrow!"

He grinned and nodded before heading back outside.

"Pepper!" An angry voice called.

She looked up to see Kendra marching toward her. "Aren't you on the wrong side of the building?" She laughed.

Kendra grabbed her by the arm and pulled her around the corner away from everyone else.
"What are you up to?" She demanded.

Pepper pulled her arm away. "What are you talking about?"

She frowned. "As much as it isn't my job, I've never had a problem with checking out your potential suitors, but this is getting weird. First the missing kid, now this. What are you up to? Please tell me it isn't anything stupid."

Pepper shook her head. "Looking the missing person thing was just as surprising to me as it was to you. Anna Kholman is just my boyfriend's ex-"

Kendra pressed a manila folder to Pepper's chest. "You should probably rethink this relationship." She said and turned away.

Pepper watched her disappear down the hall before opening the folder. At the very top of the stack was a newspaper article. The title read:

Remains Identified as Missing College Student.

At the side was a picture of a fresh-faced girl. DNA and dental records had finally broken the year long mystery of a charred corpse found in the woods outside of the town. There were many suspects in Anna's disappearance, but all had been cleared. She flipped through all the pages checking dates. She had to have vanished the same year Al and Gerry moved. He said she broke up with him on Valentine's... She was reported missing in February.

She shook her head. It had to be a coincidence. Gerry wouldn't hurt a fly.

Description
"This is my friend Gerry!" Al announced as she pulled him into the dining room.
Peirce, her stepfather , said nothing. He just took a long sip from his glass while looking the boy over. Her mother, Lillian, however ,smiled brightly and stood with the aid of a short staff. "Why, Hello Gerry. Al has told us so much about you!"

"Not enough." Peirce said under his breath. Lillian shot him a look over her shoulder.

She brought her eyes back to Gerry. "We're about to have dinner, are you allergic to anything?"

Gerry shook his head. "No, but I'm not allowed to have pork or shellfish-"

The bottom of Peirce's glass landed on the table hard. They all looked in his direction as he stared at the table and rubbed his forehead. Lillian cleared her throat. "The spaghetti on the stove should be fine then."

Once dinner was on the table Lillian started with the small talk. "Gerry, I met your mother briefly last year. How is she doing?"

Gerry opened his mouth, but Peirce cut him off. "She isn't one of us. Why do you care?"
Before she could reply he'd turned his attention on Gerry. "What is your level?"

Gerry stirred his pasta. "I haven't been tested yet, but-"

"Mystic." Peirce interrupted. "I can tell you right now that he's a mystic. And this is why you shouldn't marry outside of your own kind-"

"Peirce!" Lillian hissed.

"It's true." He said gruffly. "Not many future careers for a mystic."

Al spoke up. "Gerry's very smart, Mom. He can read high school books."

"That's excellent!" Lillian said.

"Oh, yeah. A mystic that can read. The library needs another one of those. perhaps he has a future stacking books the real Magic-touched use. I bet he's good at counting money too."

Lillian gave her husband a stern look. "Why don't you kids go play outside for a while?" She suggested without looking away.

Al took Gerry's hand and led him away from the table. They hadn't quite made it to the door when the argument started.

"What's wrong with you? Why would you say those things?!"

"You said he was Indian. Indian my ass, did you see that fucking hair?!"

"Peirce! He's a child and he's the only friend Al has; what does anything else matter?"

"I wish you'd stop calling her that! She's a girl! Next she'll be cutting all of her hair off and acting like a boy."

"She's my daughter! Not yours, she can do whatever she likes! It's not your concern!"

Al shut the door quietly as they stepped outside. "I'm sorry." she whispered. "My stepdad is a jerk."

Gerry kept his eyes on the ground. "Everyone hates me."

"I don't hate you!" Al hugged him tightly. "And Mom doesn't hate you either. Peirce, just hates everybody."

"When I grow up I'm gunna move far away from here." He muttered. "I'm just gunna go home."

Al watched as he shuffled his way down the street. Somehow the short block suddenly seemed so far away.

****

A knock at the door woke Al. She sat up on the couch and her blanket slid down over her pale skin. She picked up her bloody clothes and shoved them between the cushions.

"Coming!" She called wrapping the blanket around herself, just in case it was Gerry.

She pulled open the door and found Pepper standing there in full uniform. She groaned leaning her head on the door frame.

"Is he having me arrested? Last I checked feeding someone sugar wasn't a crime."

"Depends on the circumstances." Pepper gave a weak smile. "This isn't work related though. May I come in?"

Al opened the door wider and held her arm out welcoming her in. "That would have been an embarrassing episode of Cops."

Pepper stepped inside. "You want a chance to get dressed?"

"Am I being arrested?"

"No."

"Then no, I'm good."

Pepper shrugged. "I needed to ask you something about Gerry. He told me what happened today and a little about Anna, but I think he left some stuff out."

Al blinked. "He told you about She-who-must-not-be-named? Wow."

Pepper nodded. "He said they had a nasty break-up, he got depressed, and you got really over protective after that."

"I've always been over-protective." Al corrected.

Pepper took a deep breath. "I just wonder... is there more to it?" She wrung her hands. "He swears he didn't , but did he actually attempt..."

"Oh, he lied about overdosing? Shocker." Al muttered crossing her arms.

Pepper closed her eyes looking a bit sick. "It, it must have been a really bad break-up..."

"Anna was a bitch and had been cheating on him from day one, but you can't tell Gerry anything when he's 'in love'. She broke the news to him fairly publicly after he caught her in the act."

She nodded. "I can't imagine that was easy to swallow. To be driven to that-"

"That was not the first time. We were still elementary age the first time. That..." She sighed. "That was just the closest he ever got to succeeding."

Pepper took a step back and sat on the arm of the couch. "God." She whispered. "What can I do?"

Al arched an eyebrow. "Honestly not much. Keep him busy when you aren't around. He's usually fine, relationship junk and bullying are the things that really trigger him."

"I-I didn't even consider that I could be part of the problem." She rubbed her face. "I just hope I haven't-"

"No, honestly I think you're good for him. He only got bummed when you started picking up extra shifts."

Pepper groaned. "Well, that isn't going to stop until after New Year. "

"Like I said, just keep him occupied when you're away." She rubbed her shoulder. "And I guess I'll keep my distance for a while."

Pepper nodded. "I know you mean well, he just can't see it I guess." She stood and walked toward the door. "I have to get to work. Thanks."

"No problem." Al said and gave her a wave.

The door shut and she frowned. "You're digging deep, Pep. You had best be careful."

"Thank you, thank you." Pepper said gripping a fellow officer's arm. "You have no idea how much this means. Please , tell your grandmother we'll be by tomorrow!"

He grinned and nodded before heading back outside.

"Pepper!" An angry voice called.

She looked up to see Kendra marching toward her. "Aren't you on the wrong side of the building?" She laughed.

Kendra grabbed her by the arm and pulled her around the corner away from everyone else.
"What are you up to?" She demanded.

Pepper pulled her arm away. "What are you talking about?"

She frowned. "As much as it isn't my job, I've never had a problem with checking out your potential suitors, but this is getting weird. First the missing kid, now this. What are you up to? Please tell me it isn't anything stupid."

Pepper shook her head. "Looking the missing person thing was just as surprising to me as it was to you. Anna Kholman is just my boyfriend's ex-"

Kendra pressed a manila folder to Pepper's chest. "You should probably rethink this relationship." She said and turned away.

Pepper watched her disappear down the hall before opening the folder. At the very top of the stack was a newspaper article. The title read:

Remains Identified as Missing College Student.

At the side was a picture of a fresh-faced girl. DNA and dental records had finally broken the year long mystery of a charred corpse found in the woods outside of the town. There were many suspects in Anna's disappearance, but all had been cleared. She flipped through all the pages checking dates. She had to have vanished the same year Al and Gerry moved. He said she broke up with him on Valentine's... She was reported missing in February.

She shook her head. It had to be a coincidence. Gerry wouldn't hurt a fly.