CHAPTER 1 Hamid Abdi leans his head on the passenger’s side window He stares out at big houses and winding streets and the amber-glowing streetlights of his aunt and uncle’s rich west-side neighborhood The radio is turned to the local news station The announcer that’s supposed to hit New Brighton tonight talking about is the storm Hamid and his mom are on the way to his Uncle Mohammed and Aunt Julie’s house It’ll be Hamid’s first time babysitting for his twin seven year-old niece and nephew Afifa and Ahmed It’s Saturday night Hamid would much rather be hanging out with friends playing video games But he wants a game system of his own and that means he needs money And that means he has to babysit tonight
They are paying me right he says toward the driver’s seat turning away from the window It’s not the first time he’s asked Mom this question This isn’t going to be considered a favor I’m doing is it Hamid Mom says He can hear the smile in her voice This isn’t going to be good old Hamid helping out he continues like when I spent three hours weeding with Uncle Mo and then he made me pay for my own milk shake Mom laughs That’s my brother she says But don’t worry about that I talked to Julie and you’re definitely getting paid Good says Hamid Julie says it’s going to be a late night They’re going to a benefit for the charity she works for Dinner drinks music Mom says as the car climbs up Sycamore Hill Road The news announcer clears her throat I’ve just received an important alert she says Especially for our in Washington and Lincoln counties north of the city of New Brighton listeners Mom wrinkles her forehead and turns up the radio What’s this she says concerned
Washington County authorities said moments ago that Josiah Pryce has escaped from the state prison in Fish Falls the newscaster says Josiah Pryce is unstable and violent Oh my Mom says What Hamid asks looking at his mom Should we be worried He knows Washington County is way up north Oh of course not Mom says She smiles and flicks off the radio My guess is that the police will have him back in his cell within the hour Hamid watches the dull yellowish shine of the headlights slide across his aunt and uncle’s house It’s huge and white with giant windows that reflect the headlights and streetlights so they look like huge wet eyes Anyway Julie said that she and Mo probably won’t be back till midnight or later Mom says as she guides the car up the sloping smooth driveway Hamid’s always been jealous of that driveway He can imagine starting at the top on his bike and gliding down the perfectly smooth blacktop toward the street Then again as Mom always reminds him he’d have to pedal back up eventually Still compared to the bumpy cracked alley that cuts between the apartment buildings and duplexes
