Halloween Birthday Bash
Paranormal Preteens AU: Episode Fifteen
A JSE Fanfic
Eeeee we're getting stakes in the story, guys! And that's all I'll say because I don't want to spoil anything :)c It's Halloween, which means it's Marvin and JJ's birthday. They invite all the others—Chase, Schneep, Jackie, and Stacy—over to their house for a party. And it's not quite what the others expect. Even before things take a sharp turn downhill. And yeah. Happy reading ;)
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Chase had been to a lot of other kids’ houses before, but they were usually all in the same sort of neighborhood. The suburbs, as Mom told him they were called. Marvin and JJ lived much closer to the center of town, at the end of a street called Riverview Place. The houses here were all tall and narrow, with flat, sloping roofs instead of pointed ones, their walls all connected in rows. It was hard to tell them apart.
“Okay, number 55, here we are,” Mom said, pulling to the side of the road. “Hey, isn’t that Jackie’s car?”
“Mm-hmm.” Chase nodded. “They invited him, too. And Stacy.”
“Ah, right.” Mom smiled. “I’m so glad you guys have met someone new. It’s good to have a girl’s perspective sometimes.”
“It is? On what?” Chase asked, genuinely confused.
“You’ll see.”
Chase turned around to look at Schneep in the backseat, silently asking if he knew what Mom was talking about. But Schneep wasn’t really paying attention. He had his face pressed up to the car window, staring out at the house. “Will there be enough room for all of us inside?” he asked. “It is a... skinny house.”
“This design of house is called a townhouse,” Mom explained. “And I think you’ll be fine.” She parked the car and looked at the boys. “Alright. I’ll pick you up at five, but if you want to leave early, just call me. We can go trick-or-treating afterwards. I managed to convince some of our neighbors to try it out for Henrik’s first real Halloween.”
Schneep smiled wide, excited; Chase had been hyping up Halloween all month. “That is great! So we go back home and put on the costumes?”
“You got it!” Mom said. “Now, do you want me to walk you two up to the door? I’d like to have a brief chat with Marvin and Jameson’s parents.”
“Sure, Mom.” Chase opened the car door. “C’mon, Sch—Henrik!”
“Yes, yes! Ah, will you help with the gifts?”
“Yeah, of course!”
The two of them got the presents from the back seat and practically ran up to the front door, Mom trailing behind them. Chase had been so curious about Marvin and JJ’s house after Marvin had asked the whole friend group to come over for their birthday. And now, seeing how different it was, he was even more curious. It did throw him off a bit. But that happened whenever you visited someone else’s house. Knowing the place where they lived was weird, though not in a bad way. Just in a different way.
Chase rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, it was answered by an old woman, her gray hair cut into a bob. She looked at the boys, blinked, then smiled. “Ah, more of JJ and Marvin’s friends, are ye?” she asked. “And their mam, by t’look of it. Good to meet you.”
“Hi.” Chase waved. “I’m Chase. This is my cousin, Henrik.”
“Ah, of course ye are. They’ve been talkin’ up a storm about when you’d get here.” The woman chuckled. “I’m the boys’ grandmother, I’m in town for the next couple o’months. My name’s Saoirse, but you can call me Granmam Molloy, if you want. Come in, come in. You too, young lady.”
Mom smiled, clearly flattered by being called ‘young lady.’ “Thank you. Are Emma and Robert here or is it just you?”
“They’re here, in the kitchen actin’ the maggot. Go on in t’ere if you want t’talk to them.”
Chase and Schneep walked into the house, finding themselves in a small entrance hall with white and blue wallpaper. A narrow hallway extended forward, made even narrower by the upwards staircase taking up half the space. Chase leaned back against the bannister to let Mom and Granmam pass by.
“What a strange staircase,” Schneep muttered. “Why does the handle curve at the end like that?”
“Huh?” Chase turned back around to look at the bannister he was leaning on. “Oh yeah. That’s weird, I’ve never seen a staircase, uhhhh, bannister do that. It’s blocking off, like, a third of the stairs. Do you have to scootch around it to go up and down?”
“You’re here!”
The two of them turned back around and saw Marvin running down the hallway towards them, skidding to a halt only a foot away. “I thought you weren’t coming!” he said. “I mean, of course you were coming, it sounds dumb when I say it like that, but you’re the last ones here so I was getting worried. You were looking at the stairs of doom, right? I mean, the staircase? Upstairs is just the bedrooms and the bathroom, yeah the only bathroom is on the second floor, it’s weird. Everyone else is in the living room, though! Well, Mam and Dad are in the kitchen, that’s through this doorway here, but what I’m saying is we’re all hanging out down here.”
Chase laughed. He hadn’t realized how much he missed Marvin talking so fast until these past few weeks of unusual silence from him. “Yeah, bro, of course we were coming! I think Mom got lost driving for a while.”
“Dad always says it’s easy to miss the turn onto the street.” Marvin nodded seriously. Then he gasped. “You brought presents!”
“They are from both of us,” Schneep said, lifting up the wrapped box he was holding. Chase had the other one pressed to his chest. “We would have gotten you both one from each of us, but Aunt Jess said this would be fine.”
“It totally is, don’t fucking worry about it!” Marvin turned around. “Well, c’mon!” He headed back down the hallway. Chase and Schneep quickly followed.
Chase’s first impression of the living room was that it was... weirdly nice. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because the place was so clean and tidy. Apart from the presents stacked on the coffee table, there wasn’t a mess anywhere. The L-shaped sofa and single armchair looked basically new, without a lot of the wear that furniture gets when it’s used for a couple years. A boxy television sat on top of a cabinet with closed doors that probably held all the movies and such. The walls were covered in more wallpaper, this time white-and-green striped. One wall had a bunch of framed photographs hanging on it in neat rows.
JJ, Jackie, and Stacy were all in here. Stacy was sitting in the armchair, looking a bit awkward perched on the edge, while Jackie and JJ were sitting on the sofa, where Jackie seemed to be showing JJ his camera. He looked up as Marvin, Chase, and Schneep walked in. “Hey, it’s the rest of the guys!” He smiled. “Glad you could make it.”
“Yeah, great to be here!” Chase said, smiling back. He walked around the sofa and put the present down with the others already there. “Whoa, you have a lot of presents. Nice.”
They’re mostly clothes, JJ said.
“How do you know that?”
JJ shrugged. Mam and Dad always use the same type of boxes for clothes. Look at all the flat rectangles.
Schneep also put his present down and looked around the room. “You have a nice house.”
“It’s a bit cramped with you all in here, so that sucks, but yeah, it’s alright,” Marvin said.
“Hi Chase, hi Schneep.” Stacy gave a little wave.
“Hi Stacy.” Chase waved back. “So your parents let you come?”
“Yeah. It’s, uh...” She glanced around. “...really different from girl birthday parties. You guys don’t have any decorations? Or cake?”
“We have cake,” Marvin said defensively. “It’s in the kitchen with Mam and Dad. And we’ve never really had people over for birthdays, so like, there’s never really been a need to decorate stuff, you know?”
“My parents still get balloons even when I’m not having friends over,” Stacy said.
Marvin blinked, looking surprised. “Really?”
I’d like balloons, JJ said. It’s a bit too late now, but maybe next year.
A moment passed in silence. “Well, uh, now that everyone’s here we can get the party started!” Jackie said cheerfully. “What do you guys want to do? JJ, Marvin? It’s your party. You want to open presents first?”
“Oh! We can play video games!” Marvin said, walking over to the TV. He slid open a door in the cabinet, revealing, as Chase suspected, a row of DVD and game cases. “We just have a Wii, nothing exciting like at Chase’s house, and we only have four remotes but we can take turns! We have a lot of ‘party games.’”
“Cool, I’ve never used a Wii before.” Chase jumped over the back of the sofa and landed in the corner of the L shape.
JJ flinched. Don’t do that when Dad can see, he’s really particular about the furniture.
“Really? Oh. Sorry.” Chase shifted in his seat. “I was excited. Excited to play games with you guys on your birthday! Happy birthday, by the way! And happy Halloween!” He looked to the side. “Schneep, wish them happy birthday!”
Schneep was still standing, looking at the wall of photographs. His eyes were narrowed as he examined them all. “Was?” He turned back around. “Oh, yes. Happy birthday Marvin! Happy birthday JJ!”
At that moment, Mom peered into the room from the hallway, with Granmam behind her. “Chase? Henrik? I’m heading out now,” she said. “Have fun!”
“Alright, Mom!” Chase said.
“Goodbye, Aunt Jess.” Schneep waved.
“Goodbye.” Mom waved back. “I’ll be back at five.” And with that, she turned and left.
Granmam took her place staring into the room. “Ah, a full house, I see.” She chuckled. “Do you boys want me t’leave you to it?”
“Uhhh, yeah, I think so?” Marvin glanced at JJ, who nodded. “Yeah. Thanks, Granmam!”
“Not a problem, lad. I’ll be in the dinin’ room wit’ your parents if you need me.” And she disappeared.
Marvin beamed. “Alright! Thanks again!” He then turned back to the TV cabinet. “Okay, what do you guys want to do?”
They ended up playing party games for a while, with everyone taking turns. Chase found the Wii remotes strange, but apparently Schneep and Stacy really clicked with the different controllers because they ended up playing more than Jackie and Chase did.
“Ach! Nicht fair!” Schneep shouted. “This game is—is broken! Why do you get all the high dice rolls?!”
“There’s a trick to it, I swear,” Stacy says. “It’s something about the timing.”
“Timing? Time to get your face out of my face.” Schneep grumbled, leaning back against the sofa and stretching his legs across the floor. He held up the remote for Chase to take. “Here. You do this part.”
“Oh I’m so glad you gave me the controller for the worst minigame,” Chase muttered, taking it anyway.
“I like this minigame,” Marvin said.
“It’s all luck!”
“Yeah, that’s why I like it. It evens the playing field.”
“The game has already—already—ah!” Schneep snapped his fingers a couple times, looking for the word. “Already leveled the playing field! With bombs!”
Jackie chuckled. “It’s demolished the playing field.” He settled back into the sofa cushions.
“If I knew you guys had a game system I would’ve got you guys a game for it,” Stacy muttered.
I’m sure whatever you got was great, JJ assured her.
Stacy sighed. “I should’ve actually asked you guys what you wanted.”
JJ shrugged. I’m never sure what I want for presents, only what I don’t want. Like clothes.
“I’ve wanted the same thing for ages,” Marvin said. “I want a pet.”
“A pet?” Chase asked, glancing away from the screen.
“Yeah! I know we don’t have room for a dog because they need a lot of space, but we could have a cat! I’ve asked every birthday and Christmas for a cat, but I’d be fine with anything. Like, we could have a hamster in our room. Or even a fucking fish. I really want a tiny, cute-ass animal in our house. I’ll take care of it and everything, I’ve read so much about cat care—well, and a bit about taking care of other pets. Like I said, I’d take anything.” Marvin paused. “But I really want a cat.”
“Pets are a lot of responsibility,” Jackie said. “I once pet-sitted for my aunt, it was so much to take care of her dog for just two days.”
“Yeah, I know.” Marvin shrugged. “I’ll take care of it. I’ve checked out a bunch of books from the library—Oh for the love of god!”
Chase laughed. “Do you still like this minigame, bro?”
Marvin threw his hands in the air. “I’m in last fucking place now! Dick!”
Chase just laughed harder. “Here, Schneep, take your controller again.” He held it down for Schneep to grab, but he wasn’t paying attention. “Hey. Schneep.” He followed Schneep’s line of sight. “Why are you staring at the pictures on the wall again?”
Schneep jumped a little. “Sorry.” He took the remote again, then looked at JJ and Marvin. “I-I hope you do not mind.”
“Course not,” Marvin said absentmindedly, paying more attention to the game. JJ just shrugged.
“Can I... ask you something?” Schneep asked. “Why... Are... A lot of the pictures just have one of you in them. That is... Do you two... Does one of you not like taking pictures?”
“Mam and Dad have more pictures,” Marvin said, still not looking away from the TV screen.
JJ sighed. They’re mostly of me, he said, looking up at the ceiling.
“...oh.” Schneep blinked. “That is... strange.”
The schools like to hand out awards for being very good at things, I’ve won a fair amount. Mam and Dad like to take photographs to remember the occasion. JJ jerked his head over to the wall of pictures. You’ll notice a lot of them have me or one of them holding up a piece of paper. That’s what that’s about.
Schneep narrowed his eyes. “That is not all of the pictures with just one of—”
JJ reached down and nudged him. It’s your turn again.
“Ah, so soon?” Schneep looked back at the TV.
The short conversation hadn’t gone unnoticed. Pretty much everyone else had heard and seen it, though Stacy was a bit confused on some of the words JJ signed. Jackie looked the most uneasy out of the group. He kept glancing back towards the hallway, towards the mentioned dining room. The only one who hadn’t really reacted was Marvin. He hadn’t turned away from the television the whole time. As if it wasn’t important enough to look away from the video game to listen.
“Weird,” Chase muttered, deciding to move on.
“Yeah, weird, huh, Chase Brody?” Stacy said in a suddenly pointed tone.
“Huh?” Chase looked over at her. She was still sitting in the armchair, basically in a straight line across the room from him.
“A lot of things are weird,” she said, eyes latched onto him from behind her pink-rimmed glasses. “But like, sometimes you shouldn’t use that word. People might not care for it.”
“Oh. Oh! Right.” Chase cringed. He hadn’t forgotten about apologizing to Marvin for the whole ‘magic weirdo’ incident. He just... hadn’t been able to. They were all so busy with school, and the Jacksons were in a different year so it was harder to see them around, and the group hadn’t met up much outside of school until now...
But this was a birthday party. This was supposed to be fun. Though, if Marvin thought Chase didn’t like him, that would get in the way of the fun. But also, what if Marvin had moved past it? He didn’t seem... different. Like how he’d been different recently. But also also, that could have been because Marvin also didn’t want to kill the fun mood. God, why was having friends so hard? It wasn’t supposed to be hard.
Chase was a bit quiet as they finished up the game, trying to think of a way to do this. As they wrapped up (JJ won), he decided it would probably be best to get right to it. “Hey, uh, Marvin? Can I talk to you... in the hallway?”
“Huh?” Marvin looked at him, confused. “Uh... sure.” He stood up. “Don’t pick a game without us, guys.”
“Everything okay, you two?” Jackie asked, concerned.
“Yeah, uh... I just want to talk about some stuff.” Chase glanced at Stacy. She gave him a smug little smile that made him want to change his mind about this. But whatever.
“Alright, c’mon.” Marvin walked into the hallway, and Chase followed him.
The two of them stopped halfway between the living room and the dining room doorway. It wasn’t too far, but Chase didn’t want the adults hearing this, that would be weird. As long as they spoke quietly, it should be fine. “So, uh...” Chase kicked at the carpet. “I, uh... Stacy told me that I’d said something mean.”
“She did?” Marvin’s face was hard to read.
“Yeah. I mean, it’s not like I didn’t—I didn’t mean it when I said it, I just... wasn’t really thinking... uh.” Chase took a deep breath. “Anyway. When we were in the planetarium basement, Stacy and I were talking, and I said that I didn’t want people to know I was hanging out with ‘magic weirdos.’”
Marvin stiffened slightly. Chase wouldn’t have noticed that before, but now he was paying attention. “Yeah?”
“I, uh... didn’t realize you... heard that,” Chase said slowly. “A-and it’s not what I meant! I wasn’t calling you o-or anyone else a weirdo, I just... I-I was trying to say that’s what other kids would say. Not me. But, uh, Stacy and Schneep pointed out that it was still calling you guys names, and I’m sorry. I-I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”
Marvin tilted his head. “Really?”
“Uh... yeah.” Chase wasn’t expecting that flat tone. “I’m sorry. You’re not weird.”
“Really?” Marvin narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Yeah.”
“I’m wearing a fucking cape.” He twirled said cape around. “That’s not weird?”
“I mean... it is.” Chase instantly regretted that. “But that’s not a bad thing!” he hurried to add. “I mean, it’s great! You’re great. I-I still like you. And... and I never want to make you feel bad. So... I’m sorry.”
Marvin was silent for a moment. Chase shifted on his feet uncomfortably. He didn’t realize until now that Marvin rarely looked directly at people. The way he was staring at Chase now. Just as Chase was about to break the quiet, Marvin nodded. “Okay. Yeah.”
“We’re... good?” Chase asked hesitantly.
“Yeah. Apology accepted.” Marvin turned around. “Let’s go back to the party now.”
Chase watched him walk back down the hallway. He couldn’t help but feel that this wasn’t really over... But he followed him back into the living room anyway. Maybe he could ask about it again later.
It might have just been because of that conversation, but Chase felt like there was a weird mood in the air after that. The group played another game, shouting and laughing like they’d been doing before. Stacy talked a lot about how this was different from what she usually did with friends. Jackie took pictures with his camera. Marvin and JJ got really competitive playing. It all seemed fine on the surface. And yet, he could have sworn there was this... this tension below all that.
After only half an hour, the grown-ups walked into the room. Granmam, and a man and woman who were clearly the twins’ parents. The woman had short blonde hair and blue eyes, while the man had darker brown hair and a thick beard. “Alright boys!” Mr. Jackson clapped his hands for attention. “It’s time to open gifts.”
“Aw, hell yeah.” Marvin paused the game and put down the remote. “Jackie, scoot over, I have to sit next to JJ for this.”
“Here, you just take the spot.” Jackie stood up. “I don’t mind standing.”
Everyone scrambled to make room. Luckily, the adults had the idea to bring in chairs from the kitchen and put them down in front of the television (which they turned off without powering off the Wii.) It ended up with Chase, Schneep, and Stacy crowded onto the long part of the sofa’s L while the twins sat on the short part. The grown-ups sat in the kitchen chairs while Jackie took the armchair, where he now sat with his camera out for pictures. “Why don’ you open the gifts from all your friends first, boys?” Granmam suggested.
“Oh! Open ours!” Chase shouted. “That one’s for Marvin, and that one’s for JJ, right there, in the green wrapping paper.”
“Cool, it’s big!” Marvin said, excitedly picking up his present. “JJ, same time?”
Same time, JJ agreed, and the two of them started unwrapping, with Marvin tearing off the paper and JJ carefully undoing the tape.
“Henrik insisted on getting at least one book,” Chase said. “I don’t really get it, but I think you’ll like it. And, uh, they didn’t have the sort of magic that you like, Marvin, so I hope that’s fine—”
Marvin gasped. “It’s perfect!” He’d unwrapped a box that turned out to be a magic trick kit. “Magnificent Magic? Oh, that’s cool. I’m gonna learn how to do all the fucking card tricks.”
As one, the kids glanced towards Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, all of them expecting some reaction to Marvin’s swearing. But the two parents seemed fine. Mrs. Jackson was taking pictures just like Jackie was, smiling gently. “What did you get, Jameson?” Mr. Jackson asked. “Hold it up for the camera.”
JJ held up his present and automatically smiled for the picture. It was a book about filming techniques in old Hollywood. Chase hadn’t understood why Schneep insisted JJ would like it, but clearly Schneep had been right, because after the photo JJ turned to them and excitedly signed, Thank you so so much! It’s amazing! I’ve never had a book like this!
“You are welcome,” Schneep mumbled, grinning and ducking his head in embarrassment.
“You guys should do mine next,” Stacy said, pointing to a pair of identical white-and-gold presents.
Oooo the paper is so nice, JJ said, and picked one up.
��Yeah, we have really nice paper.” Stacy paused as the twins unwrapped the gifts. “I didn’t really know what to get you guys, because everyone I asked about presents for boys suggested sports stuff or car stuff, and I don’t think you guys care about either of those. So I gave up and got you the same thing I would’ve got a girl friend I didn’t know too well.”
“What is it?” Marvin opened up the thin book and looked at the pages inside. The cover was blue with a pattern of clouds. JJ held a book that was exactly the same, but with a pattern of stars.
“Diaries. Or, uh, journals, if ‘diary’ is too girly for you,” Stacy explained. “I think everyone should write stuff down.”
That’s such a great idea, JJ said, smiling. He and Marvin looked at each other and, after a second, swapped journals, apparently deciding they liked the other cover better.
“Hold it up for the picture!” Mrs. Jackson said, taking a photograph. “Oooo, they have little locks on them, how cute.”
“It’s just Jackie’s left now, right?” Marvin asked.
“Yeah.” Jackie chuckled. “I hope you’re not too disappointed. They’re those two gift bags right there.”
The twins picked up the bags and pulled out the tissue paper to look at the contents inside. What is this? JJ asked.
“It’s for your video camera. If you put the case on it, it’s supposed to protect it from being dropped. I hope it fits. I wanted to get a tripod, but I wasn’t sure if you already had one, or if I could find one you could use. Be hard to wrap, anyway.”
Marvin gasped as he looked at what he had. “Witchy socks!” He pulled out a bunch of striped and patterned socks in a variety of colors, all themed around black cats and broomsticks and other witch-like stuff. “That’s so fucking cool! I’ve never had fun socks before! Thank you!”
“Picture, boys!” Mrs. Jackson trilled, snapping another photo even though Marvin wasn’t looking at the camera. “Now it’s time for the gifts from family!”
“Ah, don’ rush ‘em, dear,” Granmam said. “The gifts’ll still be t’ere in five minutes. Here, boys.” She leaned forward, holding out a pair of envelopes. “I’m sure ye know what’s in t’ese.”
The family gifts started with money from Granmam, fifty in cash for each of the twins, which they both looked very excited for. The rest of the presents were from their parents. As JJ had suspected, a lot of the flat, rectangular packages were boxes of clothes. Every time he opened one, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson gushed about how nice he would look in that shirt, or those pants. He clearly got sick of it very quickly, but he kept smiling every time his mom prompted him for a picture. Marvin, meanwhile, abandoned all sense of order and began tearing open presents.
“Dude, slow down,” Chase said. “You’re not even checking the labels.”
Marvin snorted and rolled his eyes. “They don’t have labels. We’re twins. It’s always for both of us.”
That sort of made sense. But also... neither of the twins looked particularly excited about the presents from their parents. All of them were rather boring. Clothes, books, school supplies. The most exciting it got was a pair of white teddy bears, identical except for the bow ties around their necks (red and blue.) Where was all the fun stuff? If you were going to buy stuff that both of the twins would enjoy, wouldn’t you buy things that both of them liked? Instead of things that neither of them did?
Mr. and Mrs. Jackson didn’t seem to notice their kids’ lackluster reactions. They kept saying things like, “Isn’t it great?” and “That’ll be so helpful!” and “You’ll get a lot of use out of t’at!” Chase found himself quickly getting annoyed by these comments, but he had to be nice. They were Marvin and JJ’s parents, after all, and this was their house.
He also noticed Jackie had put away his camera a while ago, and was now leaning back in the armchair not reacting to much. Schneep was staring at the parents and frowning, but saying nothing. Stacy still looked like she was paying attention to the present-opening, but Chase recognized the way eyes began to glaze over when someone was bored. It usually happened to him in math class.
Eventually, it was over. Or—was it?
“Alright, everyone stay right here!” Mrs. Jackson stood up. “We have one last special gift t’is year!”
Mr. Jackson also nodded and stood up. “We’ll be right back.”
The two of them left, leaving Marvin and JJ exchanging curious looks. Granmam beamed at them. “You two will love t’is, boys,” she said. “I’ve helped out a bit wit’ the costs and the... well. Everyt’ing else you’ll need.”
The parents soon returned carrying a large box between them, wrapped but with a circular hole in one side. Unlike all the other presents, this one had a label on the top, though Chase couldn’t see what it was since there was also a large red ribbon. “Alright, here you go,” Mr. Jackson said as the two of them set it down on the sofa between the twins.
Marvin and JJ leaned over, looking at the label. They looked up at each other. JJ grimaced slightly, and Marvin leaned back, playing with the edge of his cape. “Come on, open it!” Mrs. Jackson said, sitting down and picking up the camera. “Marvin, help your brother.”
“No, I’m fine,” Marvin said shortly. “Go ahead, JJ.”
JJ’s grimace deepened, but he quickly schooled his expression into pleasant neutrality. Are you sure? he asked.
“Yeah.”
JJ nodded slowly. He began unwrapping the large box. Was it just in Chase’s imagination, or was the box... wiggling?
The paper fell away to reveal a big cardboard box. JJ opened the flaps on the top, and—
Something inside squeaked out a small mew.
The room fell silent. Chase stared at Marvin, who was looking into the box with wide eyes as a small gray head peeked over the edge. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson smiled. “Whoo!” Mrs. Jackson said. “Do you like it, Jameson?”
“Emma, the kitten is a present for both of them,” Granmam said, frowning in clear disapproval.
“We just thought that Jameson has been doing so well this year that he deserved a little extra reward,” Mr. Jackson explained. “Marvin can help take care of it, too, of course. We don’t play favorites.”
Marvin abruptly stood up. “I have to go to the bathroom,” he said, and hurried out of the room.
“Marvin!” Jackie gasped. He also stood and followed Marvin out of there.
“Um...” Stacy’s head darted around the room. Out of everyone, she was the most uncomfortable. “Is it... cute?” she asked awkwardly.
JJ reached into the box, prompting a couple more squeaky meows. He pulled out a tiny gray kitten, gently holding it in two hands. It wriggled a bit, and he carefully lowered it back into the box. He nodded.
“Alright, I suppose it’s time for cake, t’en,” Mrs. Jackson said.
JJ violently shook his head. I’m not blowing out the candles without Marvin, he said.
“He’ll just be a minute, Jameson—” Mr. Jackson started.
“Listen to the lad, will you?!” Granmam snapped. “He wants his brother t’ere, and you shoul’ too!” She stood up and left the room.
Mrs. Jackson sighed. “It’s alright, Bobby, we can wait,” she said. “Let’s go get everyt’ing ready in the kitchen, sure?”
Mr. Jackson nodded, and the two of them left the room.
The four remaining kids sat in silence for a long time. JJ’s eyes were fixed on the kitten in the box.
“Are you two... okay?” Schneep whispered.
JJ sighed. It’s fine.
“It is not.”
I know, but... JJ trailed off.
“You two can come over to our house whenever you want,” Schneep said quietly. “Ja, Chase?”
“Ja—Yes.” Chase nodded.
JJ gave them a small smile. Thank you. He sat up straight. I don’t think Marvin will be back for a while. I hope you weren’t expecting cake any time soon. While we wait, can you all help me sort these presents out? We’ll just stack them on top of the table again.
The others mumbled agreement and quietly went to work. Chase glanced up towards the second floor, where Marvin had mentioned the bathroom was. Everything would be fine, right?
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Knock knock knock. “Marvin?”
Marvin started, his breath catching in his throat. He looked towards the closed bathroom door but didn’t stand up from where he was sitting in the bathtub. In fact, he curled up tighter, pulling his knees closer to his chest and burying his face in them.
“Marvin?” Jackie called again. “Are you okay?”
He wasn’t. But that didn’t matter, did it? It never. Fucking. Mattered. A sob clawed at his throat but he choked it back. Not while Jackie could hear.
“Everyone’s waiting downstairs,” Jackie said gently. “I... I know you’re upset. It... That was some bullshit back there. But... we... we’re here for you. JJ is, too.”
JJ was always there for him. Marvin had always been so... so happy that he was. It would be easy for him to leave his twin behind, but that wasn’t how it was between them. Did that make it worse? That he clearly didn’t want this, but it kept happening?
Another soft knock on the door. “Marvin?” It was Granmam this time. “I talked t’your parents. They shouldn’ have done t’at, the kitten is a gift for both of ye. I’m sorry.” She paused. “When you come out, we can have cake. It’s butter yellow, wit’ chocolate frosting. You can blow out the candles when you’re ready.”
Marvin swallowed the lump in his throat. “Mm-hmm,” he said. It was the most he could muster up.
He heard quiet voices. And then footsteps. The creak of the staircase. Granmam had probably convinced Jackie to leave. She knew that sometimes he just needed his space.
The moment they were out of earshot, the crying started in earnest. Marvin clutched his hair, rocking back and forth. Why? Why was this his life? Why was it always so hard? Why couldn’t he just have been normal? This was who he was. He couldn’t change it no matter how hard he tried. And he did try. When he was little, he tried to be quiet like Jameson, thinking that maybe his parents just didn’t like loud noises. But that wasn’t how it worked. That wasn’t how he worked. So he tried leaning into it. Maybe he could be impossible to forget about. And yet.
He didn’t understand. He never understood. And not just at home, either. Everyone else was the same. But it was the opposite there, wasn’t it? They never forgot him. They never forgot about how he broke the stupid rules that all the other kids seemed to just know! Why didn’t he know the rules?! What was wrong with wearing a cape to school? It didn’t break the dress code, and he liked how it felt, isn’t that all that should matter? Did they think he didn’t notice how they all looked away quickly? How not a single person ever talked with him if they didn’t need to?
Apparently they didn’t. Chase didn’t even realize that he’d hurt his feelings until Stacy told him. Shouldn’t it be fucking obvious?! Was he not doing it right?! How was he supposed to be upset the right way?! It shouldn’t matter! None of this should matter!
But it did.
“I’m sorry. You’re not weird.”
Chase was trying to be nice, but it didn’t work. Marvin knew he was different. He’d always known.
“But I still like you.”
‘Still.’ Like Marvin’s personality was something Chase had to... put up with. Was that always it? Was he always something to be put up with, and nothing more?
That was it, wasn’t it?
Marvin’s throat was starting to hurt from the sobs clawing at it. His pants had grown wet with tears and snot where he’d pressed his face into his legs. He couldn’t stay here. They were all waiting for him. Couldn’t keep up with the twins’ birthday if one half of the twins was missing.
Slowly, he raised his head. He wiped his face on his arm. “Stop it,” he said to himself. “Stop it, stop it.” He never understood how people stayed calm when it had all been so much. “Stop it, damn it.”
He got to his feet and stepped out of the bathtub, walking over to stand in front of the sink. His eyes were terribly red, and his lips were trembling. “Stop it,” he said to his reflection. Tears gathered in the reflection’s eyes, and he gritted his teeth. “Fucking stop it. You’re fourteen now. You can’t keep acting like a kid.”
His chest heaved with the effort of controlling his shaking breaths. He turned on the sink and splashed some cold water on his face. That seemed to shock his system enough for him to grab control again. He took several deep breaths just to prove he could. Then turned to the bathroom door, grabbed the handle, and slowly pushed it open.
The upstairs hallway was pretty quiet. Marvin couldn’t hear any noise from downstairs. He stepped out of the bathroom and walked over towards the staircase, pausing at the top. Now he could hear voices. Were they having a good time?
“Hey.”
“What the f—?!” Marvin spun around. That voice had come from right behind him.
And it was clear why. Standing mere inches from him... was Anti. Grinning. Marvin blinked, disoriented. He looked so... real. There wasn’t a hint of transparency to his body, though most of it was still black as shadow. The slash across his throat oozed blood, and Marvin could smell the metallic tang from it.
“Happy birthday,” Anti said.
And then he pushed.
Marvin screamed—mostly in surprise—he hadn’t seen the shove with how close they were—and then in pain. The world became colors—brown and white and blue—as he crashed down the stairs. His bones jolted with each impact. His arms and legs flailed.
And then his head cracked against something and it all went dark.
++++++++++++++++++++
Jameson’s head snapped up at the sound of the scream. He was running before the clattering sound even began. The others were frozen for a split second before they all ran after him, going right past the grown-ups also hurrying towards the sound.
Another scream. A lot like the other one. The kids all jolted in surprise; they hadn’t realized Jameson could scream. But he could. And he did. The reason why was clear.
Marvin was splayed at the bottom of the stairs. His body a tangled heap. Jameson collapsed to his knees next to him and started shaking his shoulder. When that didn’t work, he pulled him closer, cradling Marvin’s head in his arms as he started to cry. There was a smear of blood on the hardwood floor.
“Holy fuckin’ god!” Granmam gasped. “Mary and Joseph! Emma, call the fuckin’ hospital!”
Mrs. Jackson nodded, clearly in shock, and ran back into the dining room.
“I-is he okay?” Chase asked in a hushed voice. “What... what happened?”
Jackie put a hand on his shoulder. “He must’ve fallen down the stairs. He’ll... he’ll be fine.” Though Chase appreciated the comfort, he heard the shaking doubt in Jackie’s voice.
Schneep ran forward, kneeling next to Jameson. “You need to check pulses in the neck,” he said hurriedly, reaching out to feel for a heartbeat. “But sometimes i-it is hard to find, so you—you check the mouth with a mirror for breath. But! I-I can feel it. He is... okay, Jameson.”
Jameson shook his head. Things were not okay. Marvin was not okay.
++++++++++++++++++++
Chase had never been to the hospital before. He’d been to the doctor, but not to the hospital. It was different here. Brighter. The fluorescent lights lit up the white walls in a blinding way. Everyone who worked here wore blue or green shirts and pants. Things smelled... different. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
Stacy’s parents had already come to pick her up. She looked at the rest of them sadly, said, “Tell Marvin I said hi when he wakes up, a-and I hope he gets better,” then left with them. Chase and Schneep were still here. Sitting on a hard, square sofa in the middle of the hallway. A few doors down, JJ and his parents were inside a hospital room with Marvin, who still hadn’t woken up.
Mom was here, too. Schneep asked Chase to call her soon after Mrs. Jackson announced an ambulance was on the way, so that she could drive them to the hospital, too. Chase agreed. Neither of them wanted to leave. Mom understood, and was now waiting with them. Her foot kept tapping on the tiled floor while she stood there. She was worried. When she noticed Chase staring at her, she gave him a quick smile, to show that she was not worried.
The door to the room opened. A man wearing a white coat and those same blue clothes stepped out, followed shortly by Mr. Jackson, then Mrs. Jackson, who was holding Jameson tightly by the hand. The man glanced down at where Chase and Schneep were sitting, then went back into the room. The Jacksons saw them too, and walked over.
“How are things?” Mom asked, taking immediate charge of the situation.
“He’ll be fine,” Mr. Jackson said. “The fall just knocked him out and gave him a concussion. He’s awake now, but it hurts, so they gave him something for the pain. They want to keep him here for a night to monitor things.”
“Is it... okay that he was out for so long?” Mom asked cautiously.
“That’s what they’re watching for,” Mr. Jackson explained.
Chase and Schneep looked at JJ. His eyes were distant, staring forward at nothing. But he noticed them looking and managed to focus. Yanking his hand free of his mom’s grip, he signed, He was really confused and couldn’t really talk but the doctor said that was normal and he might actually be lucky considering his head hit the bannister.
“Can we go see him?” Chase asked.
“Sorry, kids, it’s family only right now,” Mrs. Jackson said sympathetically.
“But you are not still in there.” Schneep stared at the Jackson parents, his expression intense, but hard to read.
“Unfortunately, we can’t stay all day,” Mrs. Jackson continued. “We have work tomorrow, and Jameson is too young to stay on his own.”
Schneep nodded, but Chase saw his hands clench into shaking fists. And he realized what that intense expression meant: Schneep was angry.
JJ turned around, looking over his shoulder at the door to the room. His mom grabbed his hand again. “We’ll be right back here tomorrow,” she said to him. “Eight am sharp, promise.” He looked at her and nodded, his eyes going distant again before he looked back at the closed door.
There was some more talk between the adults, and then Mom sighed and said, “Alright, sweets. I know it sucks, but we have to go home now. We’ll come back tomorrow. Public visiting hours start at nine, and we’ll be right here for that. I promise.” Her voice softened into a whisper. “Marvin’s going to be fine.”
Chase and Schneep stared at each other. “I guess... we have to go,” Chase said.
Schneep nodded reluctantly.
The two of them stood up and followed Mom out of the hospital. The heavy air choked out all words, and the car ride back home was silent.
This wasn’t how today was supposed to go.
++++++++++++++++++++
Something was wrong.
Marvin had tried to explain it to Jameson when he woke up, but something was off. The words weren’t coming out, it was only mumbled sounds. The clearest thing he could manage was “Th’ shadow... wasn’... a sh’doh...” And that was no good. Did Jameson understand?
He’d never felt pain like this before. There was lightning in his head, racing down his face and neck with every heartbeat. A woman in blue clothes—scrubs. That’s what they were called. She put a needle in his arm and said it would help.
Mam and Dad left. They took Jameson with them. He saw the tears forming in his eyes, and he started crying as well. “Don’ leef...!” he tried to say.
His head was full of water, too, now. The ceiling tiles were starting to become one as the separating lines blurred together. This wasn’t... normal. This was... wrong.
He knew the doctor’s voice.
“Don’t worry, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, your son will be fine.”
Where did he know the voice from? The last time he’d been to the hospital was years ago, and he didn’t remember much of that visit. Why would he remember this voice?
The doctor was talking to the woman in blue scrubs now. The door to the room was closed but they were still mumbling. He had... he had to listen. But... they were talking underwater.
“...bit of a risk...” “They won’t... remember the first... years ago?” “Alri... move him? Tonight?” “...o’clock, when the shift...”
Why... was he so sleepy? He didn’t... need a nap. He never...
A shadow formed on the ceiling. It looked like... a person. And it... said something. He struggled against the sudden... sudden tiredness, and just before he fell asleep... he heard...
“I think you’ll like your present.”
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