Copyright © 2026 by Julien Gregg
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact the author by email.
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact the author by email.
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
ELEVEN
I opened my eyes in my twelve year old body. That was expected. My mother stood beside the bed looking younger and too heavily made up. That was expected. My dead pediatrician was in the room. That was expected. My head hurt from hitting the fountain when I fell. That was expected. What I did next wasn't expected, but I was already tired of looking at my mother's act of worry. She went to put her hand on my head, and I moved back, flinching.
"Killian," she said.
"No," I said. "I got struck by lightning! I survived it. There's no way in hell I'm going back to that house to let Hank hurt me after that."
"What are you talking about?" she asked, looking worried.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," I said. "You pretend you don't know, but you lie for him every time a bruise shows up and Grandma wants an explanation. You lie all of the time. He hurts us and you lie for him. You tell him when we do things, even when it isn't true just so he'll hurt us again."
"You're lying," she said.
"Am I?" I asked coldly. "Am I lying when I say that he broke my arm when I was seven? Am I lying when I say that he broke April's arm last year? Am I lying when I say that he punches us, kicks us, and uses a leather strap on us." I turned over and pulled the gown open so the doctor could see the welts from the backs of my legs to my neck. "He did this to me and Kevin for talking at night. You stood in the doorway and watched him whip us with that strap. You know exactly what he's doing to us, but you love his money. That's why you lie for him."
"Killian, are you saying that your stepfather is abusive?" Dr. Carlson asked.
"Yes," I said. "He's an abusive drunk who makes our lives hell, Dr. Carlson. You have medical records that can back up my claims. I know you do. We always come to this emergency room when he breaks our arms or something."
"I can check the records," he said. "For a long time I've suspected that something was going on, but your mother assured me that you kids just play hard."
"My mother is liar," I said flatly.
He walked over to the phone and picked it up. He said, "I need Gina Price in here to sit with Killian Flynn while I get some records in order. We'll need to place a call to Social Services as well."
"That's not necessary," my mother said.
"Mrs. Walsh, you have no say in this matter now," Dr. Carlson said. "Killian has made accusations, and as a mandated reporter I have to follow up."
A young nurse in peach scrubs came into the room. She had long dark hair that was currently in a pony tail behind her head. She had big blue eyes, and a kind smile. She came to stand beside my bed and held my hand. Doctor Carlson told her he'd be just a minute. Then he left the room. My mother watched him go. Then she turned her cold eyes on me. She stood there for a long moment just glaring at me. I surprised the hell out of her by glaring right back.
"Do you know what you've done?" she snapped.
"I just told on Hank for all of the times he hurt us," I said. "I told on you for lying for him to keep his money. I know exactly what I've done."
"You've ruined everything," she said. "I should slap that smug look off your face."
"Remember, Mrs. Walsh," Gina said, stepping between us. "You can't touch him here."
"Oh, I can touch him," she said as a police officer walked into the room.
"Touch who?" he asked. "I'm Officer Daniel Tansik. I'm here to protect Killian Flynn from his mother."
"That would be her," I said, pointing at my glaring mother. "She just threatened to slap me."
"Ma'am, I wouldn't advise it," he said. "Your husband has already been arrested for assaulting your oldest son in front of an officer of the law."
"And where is my husband?" she asked coldly.
"He's on his way to the Janus County Jail," he said. "He'll be formally booked and charged with the assault of a minor. From the sounds of things the District Attorney may choose to charge him with Felony Assault of a Child."
"And what is that, exactly?" she asked.
"Well, Ma'am it breaks down into various incidents," he said. "Criminal Child Abuse is defined as inflicting bodily harm on a child under the age of thirteen. As Killian, Kevin, and April are all under the age of thirteen, he meets the criteria for that charge. So do you, Ma'am."
"Me?" she asked. "I haven't touched my children."
"No," he agreed. "But you allowed them to be harmed by your husband. That makes you just as guilty in the eyes of the law. Child abuse is a serious matter, Ma'am. Failure to stop it is the same as being an accessory."
I did not know that this would happen. I wanted to get Hank arrested, sure, but I didn't expect him to punch Richard in front of a police officer. I didn't expect my mother to be charged with Child Abuse. I wasn't even sure what the penalty for all of this was. I mean Hank got thirty years in prison without the possibility of parole in the last timeline. Nothing happened to my mother other than her rights were terminated. This was much more than what happened in the last timeline.
"So, I'm to be arrested as well?" she asked.
"I'm waiting on the call," he said.
Doctor Carlson came back with a thick file. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. He showed the file to the police officer, but the police officer just scowled at my mother. He didn't move to arrest her. Then a man came in. He was dressed in a tan suit, dark shirt and white tie. On his feet were brown loafers. He had mousy brown hair and big blue eyes, made bigger by his spectacles. He carried a clipboard. He came into the center of the room.
"Is this the room of Killian Flynn?" he asked.
"I'm Killian," I said.
"Killian, could you tell me exactly what's going on?" he asked. "My name is David Durante. I'm from Social Services."
I told him everything that Hank had ever done to me. I told him about the slaps, the kicks, the strappings, the being sent to bed without dinner, and the broken arm. I told him what he did to my twin and my sister. I told him I'd never seen him do anything to Richard, but Richard had told me he liked to kick him. David wrote everything down. He asked about my mother. I told him that she liked to lie for Hank, and she would tell him when we stepped out of line while he was at work. Then she'd conveniently go to work and he would start in on us. I told him that my twin brother and I were strapped from the backs of our legs to the backs of our necks while she stood in the doorway and watched.
"Officer Tansik, please arrest Mrs. Walsh on the charge of Criminal Child Abuse," David said.
"You can't do this," my mother shrieked.
"Mrs. Walsh, you're being arrested for Criminal Child Abuse," David said. "I assure you, the officer has every right to put you in handcuffs and read you your rights. You will be lodged in the Janus County Jail to await arraignment." He turned to Doctor Carlson. "Who is the Emergency Contact for Killian?"
"Bonnie Patterson," he said quickly.
"Well, his father is Ryan Flynn," David said. "We'll call him and give him his chance to step up and take his children."
I knew that Ryan wouldn't take us. He'd never wanted us. There was no one else but Grandma. We'd lived with her the last time, so I didn't see a problem with this time. I had to remember that each timeline was different. A different set of circumstances were presented in each timeline. When it came time to call my father, he said and did exactly what I expected him to do. He yelled, and he said he never wanted us. Then they called my grandmother. She came to the hospital, took one look at my mother and shook her head.
"Donna," she said. "You have some real explaining to do."
"Mom," she said. "Killian is lying."
"Is he?" she asked, looking at her with a hard look. "I suspected. You lied it all away. Now he tells the truth and you call him a liar."
"Mom," she said, but she stopped.
"Officer," David said. "We're charging Donna Walsh with Criminal Child Abuse. Please place her under arrest."
I sat there and watched as my mother was put in handcuffs and read her rights. Grandma watched it happen with a hard look in her blue eyes. My siblings came into the room then. They were followed by another police officer. They walked my mother out of the room. Then David turned to look at my grandmother. I didn't know what he was going to say to her, but I relaxed a bit. This was all expected after all. I just didn't yet understand that this timeline would be drastically different.
"Mrs. Patterson, your age presents a problem," David said. "We can't leave the children in your custody full time."
"I'm completely capable of raising my grandchildren," she said.
"Be that as it may, the state won't leave them in your custody full time," he said. "Have you heard of Maxwell Academy and Worthington Preparatory Academy?"
"No," she said. "What are they?"
"They're elite prep schools," he said. "The children would live at these schools during the school year. They'd be home on holidays and summers. The state would allow you to keep your grandchildren if they went to these schools."
"What do we have to do to get them into these schools?" Grandma asked.
"A test," he said. "April would have to take the entrance exam for Worthington Prep. Killian and Kevin would have to take the entrance exam for Maxwell Academy. The only thing that makes me pause is that Maxwell Academy starts at the freshman year."
"We can pass the test," I said. "We're smart, much smarter than anyone gives us credit for."
"They wanted to move them up a year or two in school, but my daughter wouldn't allow it," Grandma said.
"Well, I'll get the tests for them," David said. "A guardian will be chosen for while they're in school. Do you have someone in mind?"
"Jason Osgood," she said, shocking me. "He did some things for Richard that were above and beyond. I think he'd be a great guardian."
"He's applied for foster parent status," David said. "I believe the director was going to approve him. We'll fast track that and give him legal guardianship of Killian, Kevin, and April."
"Okay," she said. "They'll still be able to stay with me until they go to school?"
"Yes," he said. "That won't be a problem. They'll take the tests soon. Maxwell and Worthington's school year begins in early August."
So, going to Maxwell at twelve would keep us from the accident that would kill Kevin and seriously maim April. That was a great thing. It seemed my work was done already. I didn't think there was much more for me to change after that. Of course, I'd give Grandma the winning lottery numbers. That was a given. After all, someone had to win that money. It might as well be her. Hank and my mother would be in prison by the time the lottery numbers would win.
I got out of the hospital and Grandma took us home. An officer went with Richard to get our clothes and personal effects. Grandma put me and Kevin in the second bedroom, Richard in the front bedroom, and April in the smaller third room. Grandma and Grandpa's master bedroom was at the back of the hall right next to the bathroom that everyone used. They had their own bathroom as well. The house was a one-story deal with a living room that was longer than it was wide. A television sat on a stand at one end of the room. Grandpa's recliner and Grandma's chair was at the other end of the room. A floral sofa was against the outer wall under the picture window. A matching love seat was across the room against the inner wall. A huge clock hung on the wall, and it was surrounded by framed photographs of me, Kevin, April, Richard, and our cousins, Blake and Brady. We hadn't seen Blake and Brady in years. Nick never came back to Janus for anything.
"Hello, kids," Grandpa said. I was a bit shocked to see him sitting in his recliner, sharp as a tack.
"Hello, Grandpa," I said with a smile. "How are you?"
"Right as rain, Killian, right as rain," he said. "How are you, son?"
"I'm fine, Grandpa," I said. "The lightning did no damage. I've got a bump on the back of my head from hitting the fountain when I fell, though."
"No concussion?" he asked.
"Nope," I said. "I'm all right."
"That's amazing," he said. "You were struck by lightning."
"Yeah," I laughed. "It's crazy, isn't it?"
"It's something," he said. "This business with your mother and that man is upsetting. They're in jail?"
"Yes, Grandpa," I said. "They're both charged with Child Abuse."
"Good," he said. "Nasty business that."
"It's over now," I said.
"I love you, Killian," he said. "I want you to know that. I'd have stepped in had I known for sure."
"Grandpa, don't do that to yourself," I said. "I love you, too. Just know that it's over and we're going to be fine."
"Where's Richard?" he asked.
"He went with a policeman to get our stuff from the house," I said.
"Okay," he said. "Bonnie, bring me one of those snack cakes."
"Yes, Dear," she said. "Do you want a drink?"
"Chocolate milk," he said. "None of that powder crap, either. I want the real deal."
"Yes, Dear," she said with a sigh.
"You're different since the lightning," Kevin said to me when we were sitting in the kitchen to have a snack.
"Am I?" I asked.
"You walk different," he said. "Your voice sounds different, too. You sound more sure of yourself or something."
"I don't know what you mean," I said. "I'm still Killian Flynn."
"You told," April said. "I can't believe you told."
"I did it to save us," I said. "I got struck by lightning. That was the scariest thing I've ever experienced. After that, telling on Mom and Hank was easy."
"I can't believe that she's in jail," April said. "I hoped. I prayed, but I can't believe it finally happened."
"You're not angry with me?" I asked.
"No," she said. "I'm saying thank you, Killian. You did it. You saved us from Hank."
"She's right," Kevin said. "I don't know how you found the courage, but thank you."
"We're going to be all right," I told them. "No one is going to hurt us and get away with it again."
"Dad didn't want us," April said.
"No," I said. "He didn't. That isn't a shock. He never wanted to visit with us either."
"No," she said. "I wasn't shocked. I was just happy that we don't live with him now."
"Me, too," said Kevin. "Ryan Flynn isn't a good person."
"No, he's not," I agreed.
"So, Worthington Prep and Maxwell Academy?" April asked.
"It sounds like it," I said. "We'll be all right."
"If you say so," she said.
"We can't stay here full-time," I said. "This way we're not in foster homes split up."
"Yeah," Kevin said. "But a boarding school?"
"Kevin, we'll be fine," I said. "Maybe we'll be better than fine. We might thrive there."
"You sound so optimistic," he said. "How do you know?"
"Because it's got to be better than what we've lived with for so long, Kevin," I said.
"When you say it that way," he said, shaking his head. "I just can't believe you did this."
"Are you angry about it?" I asked.
"No, God no," he said. "I'm happy about it. I just thought it would be Richard who got us out of there."
"Surprise," I said.
"If we go to these schools we'll be away from Richard," April said, moving us back to the previous conversation. It was clear that she was worried about this.
"Richard is almost an adult," I said. "He's going to be doing things that we can't participate in, April. It's time for him to grow up. We're still kids."
"I know that," she said. "I just thought we'd want to be with him as long as possible."
"We would, normally," I said. "But if we don't do this, they're going to split us up anyway. They'll put us in foster homes, and they won't keep any of us together."
"When you say it that way," she said, clearly defeated. I hated to break her heart like this, but what I said was true.
That first night at Grandma and Grandpa's was surreal for me. It was something I'd already done, but this time it was different. The last time our placement here was assured. This time it wasn't. There were differences to this timeline already. My arrival in it was stirring ripples, of course, and changes would happen because of it. After September, Kevin would cause ripples, and April not being maimed would cause ripples. Richard not breaking his neck would cause ripples. There were a lot of changes coming just because I'd come back again.
As I lay there in bed beside my twin brother, I thought about the changes. I really thought about what I was doing and how it would effect the world around me. The last time I'd thrown caution to the wind and nearly caused a world war. This time I had to be careful. I had to keep my time travel a secret from everyone. That included Kevin. It hurt to realize that I had to keep such a profound secret from him, but I couldn't tell people. It had caused all sorts of problems in the last timeline. Keeping the secret would keep Richard from hating me for something I couldn't control. It would keep Kevin from giving me those looks he'd always given me in the last timeline. It would stop Jason from wondering just what I was. I fell asleep with a lot on my mind.
The next day brought Jason Osgood to the house. He looked the same. He was younger, but that was expected. His dark hair was cut short and parted to the left. His dark eyes were happy and kind just like always. He was slightly more muscular this time, but he filled out his clothes a lot better this time. He smiled at us and handed us study materials for the tests that we'd have to take soon. I was cordial to him, and tried my best to be as upbeat about the situation as I could be. Kevin and April were a bit nervous about it.
"You did a very brave thing, Killian," Jason said to me. I had to accept the way he talked to me like a child.
"I got struck by lightning," I said evenly. "After that, telling on Hank and Mom wasn't so scary. I just knew that I wasn't going back to being Hank's punching bag after surviving the lightning."
"Huh," he said. Yes, he was scratching his head about that one. I wasn't going to pull any punches with Jason. I'd let him see just how mature and smart I really was. Let him figure that one out on his own.
We studied the reference materials. I used a notebook to take notes. Kevin copied me after a minute. Then April got in on it. Jason just watched us. Ordinarily this would have made me uncomfortable. This time I just ignored it. I didn't really need to study, but I could put on a good show. We sat there from just after breakfast until Grandma wanted to put lunch on the table. We cleared our books and notebooks away. She invited Jason to stay for lunch and he accepted. Richard came to the table and looked at us. He didn't say anything for a bit. When he finally did, I relaxed.
"Killian, I can't believe that it was you that told on them," he said, smiling at me. "What made you do it?"
"I was struck by lightning," I said. "I was terrified of Hank, yes. However, after being struck by lightning and surviving it, Hank wasn't nearly as scary as he was before. So, I told the doctor. He had medical records to back me up. Then Hank punched you and the rest is history."
"You make it sound like nothing important," he said with a chuckle. "Killian, you did what I was trying to do for a year in one single evening."
"Rich, I did it because I couldn't go back to being under Hank's thumb after the lightning," I said. "Please understand, I was terrified when I told the doctor. I mean, what if he hadn't believed me? What if Mom was able to spin another lie and keep things the way they were? I was staring down the barrel of a big punishment for talking if it didn't go my way. There was a lot of fear involved, but I had to do it."
"I'm sorry that you had to do it," he said. "It should have been me."
"Nah, don't do that to yourself," I said. "It's done, and we should be happy. We don't have to look over our shoulders anymore. Hank and Mom are gone. They're going to prison for a very long time."
"You're sure of that?" he asked.
"Child abuse is a class X felony," I said calmly. "It carries a mandatory prison sentence anywhere from six to thirty years without the possibility of parole. Yes, I'm sure about that."
"Where did you get that information?" Jason asked.
"From Social Services," I said calmly. I'd slipped, but I thought I covered it perfectly.
"Okay," he said. "Yes, it does carry a mandatory sentence, but are you all sure you can testify against him?"
"I can," I said. "I can look him in the eye and tell the courtroom exactly what he did to me. I want him to pay for what he did."
"You feel a bit more angry than I'd thought," Richard said.
"Of course, I'm angry," I said. "He was supposed to protect us. Richard, he was supposed to be a parent. He wasn't. He was an abusive madman. He got off on hurting children. He had to pay for that. So does she. She stood back and let it happen. She lied for him all of the time. In my opinion, she's just as guilty as he is." I looked at Grandma and Grandpa. "I know she's your daughter, and I'm sorry if what I say upsets you, but they were supposed to protect us. They did the opposite. They terrorized and tortured us."
"I was always afraid," Kevin said. "He scared me all of the time. He'd lunge at me to make me flinch. I sometimes wished I was just dead and nobody could touch me like that again."
"Kevin," Richard said.
"No," he said. "I'm glad that it's over, Richard. I thank Killian for what he did. It's just that I've lived with fear for so long. It's going to take me a little bit to get used to not being afraid all of the time."
"It was worse at night when Mom was at work," April said. "He'd stand in our doorways and wait for us to say something so he could hurt us for talking at night. He used the strap on Kevin and Killian. They still have the welts. It was the night before their birthday."
"I showed the welts to the doctor," I said. "He can't hurt us anymore, guys. It's over."
I looked at Grandma. She was crying. That wasn't what I had wanted to do. I said, "I think we need to talk about something else."
"Yeah," Richard said, looking at Grandma. "Let's talk about Maxwell Academy and Worthington Prep."
"Richard, we have to go to these schools, or they'll put us in foster homes and split us up," I said. "At least this way we'll see each other at holidays and summer. If they split us up we'd never be able to spend any time together."
"I know that," he said. "I just worry about my little brothers and sister being in Chicago while I'm in Janus."
"I get that," I said. "But we're going to be okay. We survived an abusive madman, and I survived lightning. After that there isn't much that we can't face."
"Sure," he said. "But I'm going to miss you guys like crazy. I've had to watch out for you for so long. How am I supposed to just let you go to Chicago without me? How can't I watch over you if you're not here?"
"Richard, it's time for you to focus on yourself," I said. "Be the teenager that you are. You're supposed to be discovering what life is really like. What we lived in wasn't what life is supposed to be. You didn't have a chance. I'm sorry for you. But please, make friends, play baseball, do something to be the teenager that you are. The three of us are going to be fine. You don't have to watch out for us anymore. He's gone."
This conversation just wouldn't stop. It wasn't what I'd intended, but we were voicing raw pain and the fact that we needed time to adjust to life without fear and pain. I couldn't stop it. It just was. Never before had my siblings let it all out like this. I was shocked and hurt by what they said, but they needed to say it. Grandma was crying. Grandpa looked like he wanted to hit someone. Jason looked shocked, but they were telling them what life was like and that they had to figure out how to live now that things had changed.
"Who are we without the fear?" Kevin asked. "I mean, our lives have been just us trying to stay out of his way, to be with each other when we failed. What are we now?"
"We're human," I said. "We'll adapt."
"Maxwell Academy?" he asked. "Will we be safe there?"
"Yes," I said. "There will be professors to help us there, Kevin. There will be so much help it will be a bit overwhelming at first, but we'll thrive."
"You sound sure of that," he said.
"Determined is more like it," I said. "I refuse to be afraid. I've been afraid all of my life, Kevin. It's time to stand on my own two feet and make the world treat me better than it has for twelve years."
"You refuse to be afraid, huh?" Kevin said with a smile. "Who are you and what did you do with my twin?"
"I'm the same as I always was," I said. "I just got struck by lightning and woke up."
"Yeah," he said. "You woke up all right. You were always so quiet. You never said much. Then when you did, you pulled the whole house down around us."
"I couldn't do it anymore," I said simply. "I don't have room in my life for brute creatures bent on torture. I'm done with all of that. I won't go back, and I won't accept that life anymore."
"There's a lot of anger in what you're saying, Killian," Jason said softly.
"Of course, there's anger in what I'm saying," I said, looking at him evenly. "I'm angry. I'm scared, and I'm angry. Life just changed. Sure, it's better now, but how am I supposed to react now that the monster is gone from my life?"
"Are you upset that your father didn't step up and take you all in?" he asked.
"No," I said, shaking my head. "Ryan is another monster, Jason. He won't hit, but he'll scream, he'll belittle."
"How do you know that?" Richard asked.
"Because I've seen him do it to other people," I said. "I've seen our father a lot more than he thinks."
"Okay," he said. "So, you know Ryan pretty well. I'm shocked that you do. I thought I was the only one who remembered who he was."
"No, you're not," I said. "I'm happy that Ryan didn't step up and take us in, Jason. I'm happy that he didn't want us."
"But now we have to go to boarding school," Kevin said.
"It's that or foster homes," I said. "I'm going to boarding school. I've already decided this. You just have to catch up with me."
"I can't wait to go," April said. "I can't wait to see what it's like."
"I'll admit that I'm looking forward to it, too," I said with a smile. "Life is changing, guys. We'll either roll with the changes or it'll suck us down into an abyss so black that we won't know how to climb out of it."
That ended the conversation. They were looking at me like they'd never seen me before. That was fine. Let them look. Let them wonder. I would play the "woke up" bit for as long as I could. Eventually things would even out. We were going to be fine. I knew this for certain, but I couldn't tell them how I knew it. Sure, there'd be problems at Maxwell Academy. One of them was Professor Thiphet. I had to go through all of that again. Maybe I could stop Kevin from being a horn dog. I didn't know. I'd find out.
After lunch, April went to play with her friends. Kevin went to the bedroom to think. Richard and I went to the basement while Jason talked with Grandma. Richard didn't say much as we sat on the couch in the family room portion of the basement. He just looked around the room at anything but me. He was trying to accept the new me, and he was having trouble. I'd let him assimilate on his own. I just turned on the television and watched whatever was on. It was a fishing show of all things.
"I guess I just didn't know you were like this," he finally said.
"Like what?" I asked.
"In your face about things," he said. "You were so quiet all of the time. I feared that you were broken. Instead, you're angry and sure of yourself. It's confusing for me. You're like a different person, but I think this person was buried under the fear."
"I'm no different than I was before," I said. "I'm just talking now."
"I have to figure out what life is now that I don't have that darkness in my life anymore," he said. "You told me to be a teenager. I don't even know how."
"I know," I said. "You'll figure it out. You're smart, Richard."
"Thanks," he said. "I don't feel so smart listening to you. Where did this intelligence come from?"
"It's been there all the time," I said. "I've gotten good grades all of my life. They wanted to move me and Kevin up a few grades, but Mom didn't bother with that. There was a reason that they wanted to move us, Richard."
"I'm guessing," he said with a sigh. "I've got to get used to the new you."
Later the three of us studied some more. We'd take the test on Monday, and we needed to pass them. I knew that I would. I was sure that April would. Kevin was the wildcard. He wasn't the same kid he'd been in the other timeline. He was different. I didn't know him all that well this time. We weren't as close as we'd been in the last timeline. I didn't know what to think about that. We sat side by side and studied. We didn't talk. He didn't even look at me.
When Grandma put lunch on the table, no one said anything. We ate in silence. Each of us locked within ourselves, thinking our thoughts. Later, Grandma asked me if everything was all right. I was honest and told her I wasn't sure. She nodded. That afternoon in the basement, Kevin sat beside me. Richard sat in the recliner, and April was on the floor. We watched a movie about a boy and his dog. It was a good movie but no one said anything.
When Monday came around, I got the next shock. We went to the high school to take the entrance test to Maxwell and Worthington. What shocked me was that Jake Addon was there, taking the entrance test to Maxwell. He told us that Social Services was sending him to Maxwell. We looked at each other. They were sending us, too. We'd be scholarship students. We took the entrance test and then left the building when it was complete. I went to the basement. Kevin came with me.
"What do you think about Jake Addon going to Maxwell Academy with us?" Kevin asked.
"At least we'll know one person from home," I said. "Kevin, are you all right?"
"I'll be fine," he said. "I'm just trying to figure out how to live with the fear."
"Okay," I said. "I thought you were angry with me or something."
"I'm not angry with you," he said. "I'm in awe of you."
"In awe?" I asked, turning to look at him.
"You got struck by lightning and lived," he said. "Then you told on Hank and got him and Mom arrested for Child Abuse. Yeah, I'm in awe."
"Okay," I said. "I thought you didn't want much to do with me."
"Killian, you're my twin," he said. "You're the other side of me. You were the one thing that was constant in my life while I was in total fear. I could turn to you, and you'd always be there. I know that you stepped into the line of fire for me time and time again. I love you."
"We'll be fine, Kevin," I said. "We've always got each other."
"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "I'm getting better about Maxwell."
"I'm not exactly comfortable with it," I lied. "I'm scared, too, Kevin."
"So, it isn't just me?" he asked, smiling.
"No," I said and sighed. "It just has to be better than what we had."
"Yeah," he said. "Almost anything would be better than what we had."
It didn't take long for Jake Addon to come to the door. He wanted to talk to us about Maxwell Academy. Did we know anything about the place? Why were we going? He had a lot of questions that I couldn't answer without telling him that I had traveled through time. I just told him we'd find out in August. He reminded me that August was just a few weeks away. I said I knew that. He asked about the lightning. Everyone asked about the lightning. I was patient and told him the same thing I told everyone else. It was terrifying, and I was shocked to be alive and unharmed.
Then it was time to give my grandmother the winning lottery numbers. I filled out one of her slips for her. She laughed but took it. She went and got tickets based on all of the numbers that she'd chosen and the ones that I'd filled out. When Friday came and she won with the ticket that I had filled out, she told me that the money was mine. She didn't want a cent of it. I just nodded. She went on Monday to get the money. She took me to the bank and opened an account for me. Then she deposited the check for thirty million dollars into my account. Social Services had a lot to say about it, but the money was mine. They couldn't take it or anything.
"So, we're all going to Maxwell Academy," Jake said.
"Not Richard," Kevin said. "He's staying here."
"Why?" Jake asked.
"Because he wants to finish high school," I said. "He'll stay here and figure out what it means to be a teenager, and we'll go to Maxwell Academy and figure out what it is to be kids who don't live in fear."
"Yeah, I heard about your mom and step-dad getting arrested," he said. "I didn't know that was happening to you. You need to know the reason why Social Services is sending me to Maxwell Academy. My parents were arrested for the same thing. Jessy is moving in with my uncle. I can't live there, because it's only a two bedroom house. So, I'm going to Maxwell Academy. In the summer, I'll sleep on the couch."
"I'm sorry that this happened to you, too," I said. "You're kind of another brother now. We're the survivors."
"Something like that," he said, smiling. "I really just came here to ask if either of you know anything about Maxwell Academy."
"We don't," Kevin said. "We haven't even heard if we passed the tests yet."
"Yeah," he said. "I just thought you might know something that I don't. I'm a little nervous about going there, if I'm honest."
"Me, too," Kevin said. "Killian just seems gung ho."
"Is that right?" Jake asked with a smile. "Killian, you're not scared?"
"Plenty," I said with a smile. "But it's happening. There's no getting out of it. I just decided to just do it and be quiet about it."
"Okay," he said. He looked at Richard. "What do you think about all of this?"
"I don't know," he said. "I don't want them to go, but I know they have to. Social Service won't keep us together if they don't go."
"Yeah, it's the same for me and Jessy," he said. "We either do this or they put us in separate foster homes."
"The system sucks," Richard said.
"It does," he said. "But my uncle is good guy."
"Yeah, I always thought so," Richard said. "I understand that you have to go to Maxwell Academy to stay with him. I'm glad you're going, so my brothers will know at least one person there from home."
"Yeah," he said.
Many things happened after that. We found out that we passed the entrance tests. Jake did, too. I paid the tuition for me and Kevin, bought the uniforms and went to Chicago with Jason to open school bank accounts and put five thousand in both. These were accounts that Kevin and I would access when we went to the city with our head of house or with Jason. He promised to come at least three times a semester to take us out to eat and to shop. That done, it was just waiting for the date that we had to report to Maxwell Academy. I was looking forward to it, but I couldn't say anything to my siblings or Jake about that. I couldn't even say anything to Jason about it. I had to keep my secret. It was difficult, because I loved them all so much. I just had to keep it to myself for this to work.
"Killian," she said.
"No," I said. "I got struck by lightning! I survived it. There's no way in hell I'm going back to that house to let Hank hurt me after that."
"What are you talking about?" she asked, looking worried.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," I said. "You pretend you don't know, but you lie for him every time a bruise shows up and Grandma wants an explanation. You lie all of the time. He hurts us and you lie for him. You tell him when we do things, even when it isn't true just so he'll hurt us again."
"You're lying," she said.
"Am I?" I asked coldly. "Am I lying when I say that he broke my arm when I was seven? Am I lying when I say that he broke April's arm last year? Am I lying when I say that he punches us, kicks us, and uses a leather strap on us." I turned over and pulled the gown open so the doctor could see the welts from the backs of my legs to my neck. "He did this to me and Kevin for talking at night. You stood in the doorway and watched him whip us with that strap. You know exactly what he's doing to us, but you love his money. That's why you lie for him."
"Killian, are you saying that your stepfather is abusive?" Dr. Carlson asked.
"Yes," I said. "He's an abusive drunk who makes our lives hell, Dr. Carlson. You have medical records that can back up my claims. I know you do. We always come to this emergency room when he breaks our arms or something."
"I can check the records," he said. "For a long time I've suspected that something was going on, but your mother assured me that you kids just play hard."
"My mother is liar," I said flatly.
He walked over to the phone and picked it up. He said, "I need Gina Price in here to sit with Killian Flynn while I get some records in order. We'll need to place a call to Social Services as well."
"That's not necessary," my mother said.
"Mrs. Walsh, you have no say in this matter now," Dr. Carlson said. "Killian has made accusations, and as a mandated reporter I have to follow up."
A young nurse in peach scrubs came into the room. She had long dark hair that was currently in a pony tail behind her head. She had big blue eyes, and a kind smile. She came to stand beside my bed and held my hand. Doctor Carlson told her he'd be just a minute. Then he left the room. My mother watched him go. Then she turned her cold eyes on me. She stood there for a long moment just glaring at me. I surprised the hell out of her by glaring right back.
"Do you know what you've done?" she snapped.
"I just told on Hank for all of the times he hurt us," I said. "I told on you for lying for him to keep his money. I know exactly what I've done."
"You've ruined everything," she said. "I should slap that smug look off your face."
"Remember, Mrs. Walsh," Gina said, stepping between us. "You can't touch him here."
"Oh, I can touch him," she said as a police officer walked into the room.
"Touch who?" he asked. "I'm Officer Daniel Tansik. I'm here to protect Killian Flynn from his mother."
"That would be her," I said, pointing at my glaring mother. "She just threatened to slap me."
"Ma'am, I wouldn't advise it," he said. "Your husband has already been arrested for assaulting your oldest son in front of an officer of the law."
"And where is my husband?" she asked coldly.
"He's on his way to the Janus County Jail," he said. "He'll be formally booked and charged with the assault of a minor. From the sounds of things the District Attorney may choose to charge him with Felony Assault of a Child."
"And what is that, exactly?" she asked.
"Well, Ma'am it breaks down into various incidents," he said. "Criminal Child Abuse is defined as inflicting bodily harm on a child under the age of thirteen. As Killian, Kevin, and April are all under the age of thirteen, he meets the criteria for that charge. So do you, Ma'am."
"Me?" she asked. "I haven't touched my children."
"No," he agreed. "But you allowed them to be harmed by your husband. That makes you just as guilty in the eyes of the law. Child abuse is a serious matter, Ma'am. Failure to stop it is the same as being an accessory."
I did not know that this would happen. I wanted to get Hank arrested, sure, but I didn't expect him to punch Richard in front of a police officer. I didn't expect my mother to be charged with Child Abuse. I wasn't even sure what the penalty for all of this was. I mean Hank got thirty years in prison without the possibility of parole in the last timeline. Nothing happened to my mother other than her rights were terminated. This was much more than what happened in the last timeline.
"So, I'm to be arrested as well?" she asked.
"I'm waiting on the call," he said.
Doctor Carlson came back with a thick file. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. He showed the file to the police officer, but the police officer just scowled at my mother. He didn't move to arrest her. Then a man came in. He was dressed in a tan suit, dark shirt and white tie. On his feet were brown loafers. He had mousy brown hair and big blue eyes, made bigger by his spectacles. He carried a clipboard. He came into the center of the room.
"Is this the room of Killian Flynn?" he asked.
"I'm Killian," I said.
"Killian, could you tell me exactly what's going on?" he asked. "My name is David Durante. I'm from Social Services."
I told him everything that Hank had ever done to me. I told him about the slaps, the kicks, the strappings, the being sent to bed without dinner, and the broken arm. I told him what he did to my twin and my sister. I told him I'd never seen him do anything to Richard, but Richard had told me he liked to kick him. David wrote everything down. He asked about my mother. I told him that she liked to lie for Hank, and she would tell him when we stepped out of line while he was at work. Then she'd conveniently go to work and he would start in on us. I told him that my twin brother and I were strapped from the backs of our legs to the backs of our necks while she stood in the doorway and watched.
"Officer Tansik, please arrest Mrs. Walsh on the charge of Criminal Child Abuse," David said.
"You can't do this," my mother shrieked.
"Mrs. Walsh, you're being arrested for Criminal Child Abuse," David said. "I assure you, the officer has every right to put you in handcuffs and read you your rights. You will be lodged in the Janus County Jail to await arraignment." He turned to Doctor Carlson. "Who is the Emergency Contact for Killian?"
"Bonnie Patterson," he said quickly.
"Well, his father is Ryan Flynn," David said. "We'll call him and give him his chance to step up and take his children."
I knew that Ryan wouldn't take us. He'd never wanted us. There was no one else but Grandma. We'd lived with her the last time, so I didn't see a problem with this time. I had to remember that each timeline was different. A different set of circumstances were presented in each timeline. When it came time to call my father, he said and did exactly what I expected him to do. He yelled, and he said he never wanted us. Then they called my grandmother. She came to the hospital, took one look at my mother and shook her head.
"Donna," she said. "You have some real explaining to do."
"Mom," she said. "Killian is lying."
"Is he?" she asked, looking at her with a hard look. "I suspected. You lied it all away. Now he tells the truth and you call him a liar."
"Mom," she said, but she stopped.
"Officer," David said. "We're charging Donna Walsh with Criminal Child Abuse. Please place her under arrest."
I sat there and watched as my mother was put in handcuffs and read her rights. Grandma watched it happen with a hard look in her blue eyes. My siblings came into the room then. They were followed by another police officer. They walked my mother out of the room. Then David turned to look at my grandmother. I didn't know what he was going to say to her, but I relaxed a bit. This was all expected after all. I just didn't yet understand that this timeline would be drastically different.
"Mrs. Patterson, your age presents a problem," David said. "We can't leave the children in your custody full time."
"I'm completely capable of raising my grandchildren," she said.
"Be that as it may, the state won't leave them in your custody full time," he said. "Have you heard of Maxwell Academy and Worthington Preparatory Academy?"
"No," she said. "What are they?"
"They're elite prep schools," he said. "The children would live at these schools during the school year. They'd be home on holidays and summers. The state would allow you to keep your grandchildren if they went to these schools."
"What do we have to do to get them into these schools?" Grandma asked.
"A test," he said. "April would have to take the entrance exam for Worthington Prep. Killian and Kevin would have to take the entrance exam for Maxwell Academy. The only thing that makes me pause is that Maxwell Academy starts at the freshman year."
"We can pass the test," I said. "We're smart, much smarter than anyone gives us credit for."
"They wanted to move them up a year or two in school, but my daughter wouldn't allow it," Grandma said.
"Well, I'll get the tests for them," David said. "A guardian will be chosen for while they're in school. Do you have someone in mind?"
"Jason Osgood," she said, shocking me. "He did some things for Richard that were above and beyond. I think he'd be a great guardian."
"He's applied for foster parent status," David said. "I believe the director was going to approve him. We'll fast track that and give him legal guardianship of Killian, Kevin, and April."
"Okay," she said. "They'll still be able to stay with me until they go to school?"
"Yes," he said. "That won't be a problem. They'll take the tests soon. Maxwell and Worthington's school year begins in early August."
So, going to Maxwell at twelve would keep us from the accident that would kill Kevin and seriously maim April. That was a great thing. It seemed my work was done already. I didn't think there was much more for me to change after that. Of course, I'd give Grandma the winning lottery numbers. That was a given. After all, someone had to win that money. It might as well be her. Hank and my mother would be in prison by the time the lottery numbers would win.
I got out of the hospital and Grandma took us home. An officer went with Richard to get our clothes and personal effects. Grandma put me and Kevin in the second bedroom, Richard in the front bedroom, and April in the smaller third room. Grandma and Grandpa's master bedroom was at the back of the hall right next to the bathroom that everyone used. They had their own bathroom as well. The house was a one-story deal with a living room that was longer than it was wide. A television sat on a stand at one end of the room. Grandpa's recliner and Grandma's chair was at the other end of the room. A floral sofa was against the outer wall under the picture window. A matching love seat was across the room against the inner wall. A huge clock hung on the wall, and it was surrounded by framed photographs of me, Kevin, April, Richard, and our cousins, Blake and Brady. We hadn't seen Blake and Brady in years. Nick never came back to Janus for anything.
"Hello, kids," Grandpa said. I was a bit shocked to see him sitting in his recliner, sharp as a tack.
"Hello, Grandpa," I said with a smile. "How are you?"
"Right as rain, Killian, right as rain," he said. "How are you, son?"
"I'm fine, Grandpa," I said. "The lightning did no damage. I've got a bump on the back of my head from hitting the fountain when I fell, though."
"No concussion?" he asked.
"Nope," I said. "I'm all right."
"That's amazing," he said. "You were struck by lightning."
"Yeah," I laughed. "It's crazy, isn't it?"
"It's something," he said. "This business with your mother and that man is upsetting. They're in jail?"
"Yes, Grandpa," I said. "They're both charged with Child Abuse."
"Good," he said. "Nasty business that."
"It's over now," I said.
"I love you, Killian," he said. "I want you to know that. I'd have stepped in had I known for sure."
"Grandpa, don't do that to yourself," I said. "I love you, too. Just know that it's over and we're going to be fine."
"Where's Richard?" he asked.
"He went with a policeman to get our stuff from the house," I said.
"Okay," he said. "Bonnie, bring me one of those snack cakes."
"Yes, Dear," she said. "Do you want a drink?"
"Chocolate milk," he said. "None of that powder crap, either. I want the real deal."
"Yes, Dear," she said with a sigh.
"You're different since the lightning," Kevin said to me when we were sitting in the kitchen to have a snack.
"Am I?" I asked.
"You walk different," he said. "Your voice sounds different, too. You sound more sure of yourself or something."
"I don't know what you mean," I said. "I'm still Killian Flynn."
"You told," April said. "I can't believe you told."
"I did it to save us," I said. "I got struck by lightning. That was the scariest thing I've ever experienced. After that, telling on Mom and Hank was easy."
"I can't believe that she's in jail," April said. "I hoped. I prayed, but I can't believe it finally happened."
"You're not angry with me?" I asked.
"No," she said. "I'm saying thank you, Killian. You did it. You saved us from Hank."
"She's right," Kevin said. "I don't know how you found the courage, but thank you."
"We're going to be all right," I told them. "No one is going to hurt us and get away with it again."
"Dad didn't want us," April said.
"No," I said. "He didn't. That isn't a shock. He never wanted to visit with us either."
"No," she said. "I wasn't shocked. I was just happy that we don't live with him now."
"Me, too," said Kevin. "Ryan Flynn isn't a good person."
"No, he's not," I agreed.
"So, Worthington Prep and Maxwell Academy?" April asked.
"It sounds like it," I said. "We'll be all right."
"If you say so," she said.
"We can't stay here full-time," I said. "This way we're not in foster homes split up."
"Yeah," Kevin said. "But a boarding school?"
"Kevin, we'll be fine," I said. "Maybe we'll be better than fine. We might thrive there."
"You sound so optimistic," he said. "How do you know?"
"Because it's got to be better than what we've lived with for so long, Kevin," I said.
"When you say it that way," he said, shaking his head. "I just can't believe you did this."
"Are you angry about it?" I asked.
"No, God no," he said. "I'm happy about it. I just thought it would be Richard who got us out of there."
"Surprise," I said.
"If we go to these schools we'll be away from Richard," April said, moving us back to the previous conversation. It was clear that she was worried about this.
"Richard is almost an adult," I said. "He's going to be doing things that we can't participate in, April. It's time for him to grow up. We're still kids."
"I know that," she said. "I just thought we'd want to be with him as long as possible."
"We would, normally," I said. "But if we don't do this, they're going to split us up anyway. They'll put us in foster homes, and they won't keep any of us together."
"When you say it that way," she said, clearly defeated. I hated to break her heart like this, but what I said was true.
That first night at Grandma and Grandpa's was surreal for me. It was something I'd already done, but this time it was different. The last time our placement here was assured. This time it wasn't. There were differences to this timeline already. My arrival in it was stirring ripples, of course, and changes would happen because of it. After September, Kevin would cause ripples, and April not being maimed would cause ripples. Richard not breaking his neck would cause ripples. There were a lot of changes coming just because I'd come back again.
As I lay there in bed beside my twin brother, I thought about the changes. I really thought about what I was doing and how it would effect the world around me. The last time I'd thrown caution to the wind and nearly caused a world war. This time I had to be careful. I had to keep my time travel a secret from everyone. That included Kevin. It hurt to realize that I had to keep such a profound secret from him, but I couldn't tell people. It had caused all sorts of problems in the last timeline. Keeping the secret would keep Richard from hating me for something I couldn't control. It would keep Kevin from giving me those looks he'd always given me in the last timeline. It would stop Jason from wondering just what I was. I fell asleep with a lot on my mind.
The next day brought Jason Osgood to the house. He looked the same. He was younger, but that was expected. His dark hair was cut short and parted to the left. His dark eyes were happy and kind just like always. He was slightly more muscular this time, but he filled out his clothes a lot better this time. He smiled at us and handed us study materials for the tests that we'd have to take soon. I was cordial to him, and tried my best to be as upbeat about the situation as I could be. Kevin and April were a bit nervous about it.
"You did a very brave thing, Killian," Jason said to me. I had to accept the way he talked to me like a child.
"I got struck by lightning," I said evenly. "After that, telling on Hank and Mom wasn't so scary. I just knew that I wasn't going back to being Hank's punching bag after surviving the lightning."
"Huh," he said. Yes, he was scratching his head about that one. I wasn't going to pull any punches with Jason. I'd let him see just how mature and smart I really was. Let him figure that one out on his own.
We studied the reference materials. I used a notebook to take notes. Kevin copied me after a minute. Then April got in on it. Jason just watched us. Ordinarily this would have made me uncomfortable. This time I just ignored it. I didn't really need to study, but I could put on a good show. We sat there from just after breakfast until Grandma wanted to put lunch on the table. We cleared our books and notebooks away. She invited Jason to stay for lunch and he accepted. Richard came to the table and looked at us. He didn't say anything for a bit. When he finally did, I relaxed.
"Killian, I can't believe that it was you that told on them," he said, smiling at me. "What made you do it?"
"I was struck by lightning," I said. "I was terrified of Hank, yes. However, after being struck by lightning and surviving it, Hank wasn't nearly as scary as he was before. So, I told the doctor. He had medical records to back me up. Then Hank punched you and the rest is history."
"You make it sound like nothing important," he said with a chuckle. "Killian, you did what I was trying to do for a year in one single evening."
"Rich, I did it because I couldn't go back to being under Hank's thumb after the lightning," I said. "Please understand, I was terrified when I told the doctor. I mean, what if he hadn't believed me? What if Mom was able to spin another lie and keep things the way they were? I was staring down the barrel of a big punishment for talking if it didn't go my way. There was a lot of fear involved, but I had to do it."
"I'm sorry that you had to do it," he said. "It should have been me."
"Nah, don't do that to yourself," I said. "It's done, and we should be happy. We don't have to look over our shoulders anymore. Hank and Mom are gone. They're going to prison for a very long time."
"You're sure of that?" he asked.
"Child abuse is a class X felony," I said calmly. "It carries a mandatory prison sentence anywhere from six to thirty years without the possibility of parole. Yes, I'm sure about that."
"Where did you get that information?" Jason asked.
"From Social Services," I said calmly. I'd slipped, but I thought I covered it perfectly.
"Okay," he said. "Yes, it does carry a mandatory sentence, but are you all sure you can testify against him?"
"I can," I said. "I can look him in the eye and tell the courtroom exactly what he did to me. I want him to pay for what he did."
"You feel a bit more angry than I'd thought," Richard said.
"Of course, I'm angry," I said. "He was supposed to protect us. Richard, he was supposed to be a parent. He wasn't. He was an abusive madman. He got off on hurting children. He had to pay for that. So does she. She stood back and let it happen. She lied for him all of the time. In my opinion, she's just as guilty as he is." I looked at Grandma and Grandpa. "I know she's your daughter, and I'm sorry if what I say upsets you, but they were supposed to protect us. They did the opposite. They terrorized and tortured us."
"I was always afraid," Kevin said. "He scared me all of the time. He'd lunge at me to make me flinch. I sometimes wished I was just dead and nobody could touch me like that again."
"Kevin," Richard said.
"No," he said. "I'm glad that it's over, Richard. I thank Killian for what he did. It's just that I've lived with fear for so long. It's going to take me a little bit to get used to not being afraid all of the time."
"It was worse at night when Mom was at work," April said. "He'd stand in our doorways and wait for us to say something so he could hurt us for talking at night. He used the strap on Kevin and Killian. They still have the welts. It was the night before their birthday."
"I showed the welts to the doctor," I said. "He can't hurt us anymore, guys. It's over."
I looked at Grandma. She was crying. That wasn't what I had wanted to do. I said, "I think we need to talk about something else."
"Yeah," Richard said, looking at Grandma. "Let's talk about Maxwell Academy and Worthington Prep."
"Richard, we have to go to these schools, or they'll put us in foster homes and split us up," I said. "At least this way we'll see each other at holidays and summer. If they split us up we'd never be able to spend any time together."
"I know that," he said. "I just worry about my little brothers and sister being in Chicago while I'm in Janus."
"I get that," I said. "But we're going to be okay. We survived an abusive madman, and I survived lightning. After that there isn't much that we can't face."
"Sure," he said. "But I'm going to miss you guys like crazy. I've had to watch out for you for so long. How am I supposed to just let you go to Chicago without me? How can't I watch over you if you're not here?"
"Richard, it's time for you to focus on yourself," I said. "Be the teenager that you are. You're supposed to be discovering what life is really like. What we lived in wasn't what life is supposed to be. You didn't have a chance. I'm sorry for you. But please, make friends, play baseball, do something to be the teenager that you are. The three of us are going to be fine. You don't have to watch out for us anymore. He's gone."
This conversation just wouldn't stop. It wasn't what I'd intended, but we were voicing raw pain and the fact that we needed time to adjust to life without fear and pain. I couldn't stop it. It just was. Never before had my siblings let it all out like this. I was shocked and hurt by what they said, but they needed to say it. Grandma was crying. Grandpa looked like he wanted to hit someone. Jason looked shocked, but they were telling them what life was like and that they had to figure out how to live now that things had changed.
"Who are we without the fear?" Kevin asked. "I mean, our lives have been just us trying to stay out of his way, to be with each other when we failed. What are we now?"
"We're human," I said. "We'll adapt."
"Maxwell Academy?" he asked. "Will we be safe there?"
"Yes," I said. "There will be professors to help us there, Kevin. There will be so much help it will be a bit overwhelming at first, but we'll thrive."
"You sound sure of that," he said.
"Determined is more like it," I said. "I refuse to be afraid. I've been afraid all of my life, Kevin. It's time to stand on my own two feet and make the world treat me better than it has for twelve years."
"You refuse to be afraid, huh?" Kevin said with a smile. "Who are you and what did you do with my twin?"
"I'm the same as I always was," I said. "I just got struck by lightning and woke up."
"Yeah," he said. "You woke up all right. You were always so quiet. You never said much. Then when you did, you pulled the whole house down around us."
"I couldn't do it anymore," I said simply. "I don't have room in my life for brute creatures bent on torture. I'm done with all of that. I won't go back, and I won't accept that life anymore."
"There's a lot of anger in what you're saying, Killian," Jason said softly.
"Of course, there's anger in what I'm saying," I said, looking at him evenly. "I'm angry. I'm scared, and I'm angry. Life just changed. Sure, it's better now, but how am I supposed to react now that the monster is gone from my life?"
"Are you upset that your father didn't step up and take you all in?" he asked.
"No," I said, shaking my head. "Ryan is another monster, Jason. He won't hit, but he'll scream, he'll belittle."
"How do you know that?" Richard asked.
"Because I've seen him do it to other people," I said. "I've seen our father a lot more than he thinks."
"Okay," he said. "So, you know Ryan pretty well. I'm shocked that you do. I thought I was the only one who remembered who he was."
"No, you're not," I said. "I'm happy that Ryan didn't step up and take us in, Jason. I'm happy that he didn't want us."
"But now we have to go to boarding school," Kevin said.
"It's that or foster homes," I said. "I'm going to boarding school. I've already decided this. You just have to catch up with me."
"I can't wait to go," April said. "I can't wait to see what it's like."
"I'll admit that I'm looking forward to it, too," I said with a smile. "Life is changing, guys. We'll either roll with the changes or it'll suck us down into an abyss so black that we won't know how to climb out of it."
That ended the conversation. They were looking at me like they'd never seen me before. That was fine. Let them look. Let them wonder. I would play the "woke up" bit for as long as I could. Eventually things would even out. We were going to be fine. I knew this for certain, but I couldn't tell them how I knew it. Sure, there'd be problems at Maxwell Academy. One of them was Professor Thiphet. I had to go through all of that again. Maybe I could stop Kevin from being a horn dog. I didn't know. I'd find out.
After lunch, April went to play with her friends. Kevin went to the bedroom to think. Richard and I went to the basement while Jason talked with Grandma. Richard didn't say much as we sat on the couch in the family room portion of the basement. He just looked around the room at anything but me. He was trying to accept the new me, and he was having trouble. I'd let him assimilate on his own. I just turned on the television and watched whatever was on. It was a fishing show of all things.
"I guess I just didn't know you were like this," he finally said.
"Like what?" I asked.
"In your face about things," he said. "You were so quiet all of the time. I feared that you were broken. Instead, you're angry and sure of yourself. It's confusing for me. You're like a different person, but I think this person was buried under the fear."
"I'm no different than I was before," I said. "I'm just talking now."
"I have to figure out what life is now that I don't have that darkness in my life anymore," he said. "You told me to be a teenager. I don't even know how."
"I know," I said. "You'll figure it out. You're smart, Richard."
"Thanks," he said. "I don't feel so smart listening to you. Where did this intelligence come from?"
"It's been there all the time," I said. "I've gotten good grades all of my life. They wanted to move me and Kevin up a few grades, but Mom didn't bother with that. There was a reason that they wanted to move us, Richard."
"I'm guessing," he said with a sigh. "I've got to get used to the new you."
Later the three of us studied some more. We'd take the test on Monday, and we needed to pass them. I knew that I would. I was sure that April would. Kevin was the wildcard. He wasn't the same kid he'd been in the other timeline. He was different. I didn't know him all that well this time. We weren't as close as we'd been in the last timeline. I didn't know what to think about that. We sat side by side and studied. We didn't talk. He didn't even look at me.
When Grandma put lunch on the table, no one said anything. We ate in silence. Each of us locked within ourselves, thinking our thoughts. Later, Grandma asked me if everything was all right. I was honest and told her I wasn't sure. She nodded. That afternoon in the basement, Kevin sat beside me. Richard sat in the recliner, and April was on the floor. We watched a movie about a boy and his dog. It was a good movie but no one said anything.
When Monday came around, I got the next shock. We went to the high school to take the entrance test to Maxwell and Worthington. What shocked me was that Jake Addon was there, taking the entrance test to Maxwell. He told us that Social Services was sending him to Maxwell. We looked at each other. They were sending us, too. We'd be scholarship students. We took the entrance test and then left the building when it was complete. I went to the basement. Kevin came with me.
"What do you think about Jake Addon going to Maxwell Academy with us?" Kevin asked.
"At least we'll know one person from home," I said. "Kevin, are you all right?"
"I'll be fine," he said. "I'm just trying to figure out how to live with the fear."
"Okay," I said. "I thought you were angry with me or something."
"I'm not angry with you," he said. "I'm in awe of you."
"In awe?" I asked, turning to look at him.
"You got struck by lightning and lived," he said. "Then you told on Hank and got him and Mom arrested for Child Abuse. Yeah, I'm in awe."
"Okay," I said. "I thought you didn't want much to do with me."
"Killian, you're my twin," he said. "You're the other side of me. You were the one thing that was constant in my life while I was in total fear. I could turn to you, and you'd always be there. I know that you stepped into the line of fire for me time and time again. I love you."
"We'll be fine, Kevin," I said. "We've always got each other."
"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "I'm getting better about Maxwell."
"I'm not exactly comfortable with it," I lied. "I'm scared, too, Kevin."
"So, it isn't just me?" he asked, smiling.
"No," I said and sighed. "It just has to be better than what we had."
"Yeah," he said. "Almost anything would be better than what we had."
It didn't take long for Jake Addon to come to the door. He wanted to talk to us about Maxwell Academy. Did we know anything about the place? Why were we going? He had a lot of questions that I couldn't answer without telling him that I had traveled through time. I just told him we'd find out in August. He reminded me that August was just a few weeks away. I said I knew that. He asked about the lightning. Everyone asked about the lightning. I was patient and told him the same thing I told everyone else. It was terrifying, and I was shocked to be alive and unharmed.
Then it was time to give my grandmother the winning lottery numbers. I filled out one of her slips for her. She laughed but took it. She went and got tickets based on all of the numbers that she'd chosen and the ones that I'd filled out. When Friday came and she won with the ticket that I had filled out, she told me that the money was mine. She didn't want a cent of it. I just nodded. She went on Monday to get the money. She took me to the bank and opened an account for me. Then she deposited the check for thirty million dollars into my account. Social Services had a lot to say about it, but the money was mine. They couldn't take it or anything.
"So, we're all going to Maxwell Academy," Jake said.
"Not Richard," Kevin said. "He's staying here."
"Why?" Jake asked.
"Because he wants to finish high school," I said. "He'll stay here and figure out what it means to be a teenager, and we'll go to Maxwell Academy and figure out what it is to be kids who don't live in fear."
"Yeah, I heard about your mom and step-dad getting arrested," he said. "I didn't know that was happening to you. You need to know the reason why Social Services is sending me to Maxwell Academy. My parents were arrested for the same thing. Jessy is moving in with my uncle. I can't live there, because it's only a two bedroom house. So, I'm going to Maxwell Academy. In the summer, I'll sleep on the couch."
"I'm sorry that this happened to you, too," I said. "You're kind of another brother now. We're the survivors."
"Something like that," he said, smiling. "I really just came here to ask if either of you know anything about Maxwell Academy."
"We don't," Kevin said. "We haven't even heard if we passed the tests yet."
"Yeah," he said. "I just thought you might know something that I don't. I'm a little nervous about going there, if I'm honest."
"Me, too," Kevin said. "Killian just seems gung ho."
"Is that right?" Jake asked with a smile. "Killian, you're not scared?"
"Plenty," I said with a smile. "But it's happening. There's no getting out of it. I just decided to just do it and be quiet about it."
"Okay," he said. He looked at Richard. "What do you think about all of this?"
"I don't know," he said. "I don't want them to go, but I know they have to. Social Service won't keep us together if they don't go."
"Yeah, it's the same for me and Jessy," he said. "We either do this or they put us in separate foster homes."
"The system sucks," Richard said.
"It does," he said. "But my uncle is good guy."
"Yeah, I always thought so," Richard said. "I understand that you have to go to Maxwell Academy to stay with him. I'm glad you're going, so my brothers will know at least one person there from home."
"Yeah," he said.
Many things happened after that. We found out that we passed the entrance tests. Jake did, too. I paid the tuition for me and Kevin, bought the uniforms and went to Chicago with Jason to open school bank accounts and put five thousand in both. These were accounts that Kevin and I would access when we went to the city with our head of house or with Jason. He promised to come at least three times a semester to take us out to eat and to shop. That done, it was just waiting for the date that we had to report to Maxwell Academy. I was looking forward to it, but I couldn't say anything to my siblings or Jake about that. I couldn't even say anything to Jason about it. I had to keep my secret. It was difficult, because I loved them all so much. I just had to keep it to myself for this to work.
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