supernatural guesses started to creep in ghosts fountains of youth witchcraft You two need to lay off the scary movies Mom would tell us rolling her eyes At this Dad would wink at me and whisper We’ll show her I think about Mom’s comment as Mike and I continue to stare across the street Maybe they’re aliens I say Mike shoots me a look That’s wild What’s wild about it I press You said so yourself they’re too weird to be human I didn’t mean that literally Maybe they’re on some kind of medication Don’t you watch commercials Prescriptions have some pretty major side effects I shake my head No this isn’t from a pill This is something bigger Mike’s always trying to bring science into things Where I see ghosts and ghouls Mike sees medicine and surgeries gone wrong That’s why I didn’t want to investigate with him at first Actually I didn’t want to investigate at all after Dad passed For months it was impossible to laugh or run or speculate I couldn’t think about the Oldies that was a Dad thing and Dad was gone Spying felt pointless without him and far too painful It wasn’t until two weeks ago that I allowed myself to wonder once again about my neighbors and that was only because Mike brought it up Ms Bea looks different again he told me one day on the walk to school And Ms Attwood’s limping kind of funny His usually smug face looked hopeful his eyes genuine from underneath the brim of his signature Yankees hat
And all at once it was as if a switch flipped in my brain Dad would want this I realized Dad would want us to investigate Just the thought made me feel close to him again as if he wasn’t really gone I study Mike now as his shoulders stiffen What’s up I ask I don’t see Mr Brown he says narrowing his eyes as he scans our street He’s Wait You’re right Where is he Make a note Mike says We should go though They’re starting to look at us A chill seeps into my limbs despite the early-June heat I feel the weight of my neighbors eyes without even looking at them Mike lowers the brim of his hat Pond or no pond I look down toward the end of the cul-de-sac at the dark trees leaning over Goodie Pond No pond Mike smirks Chicken Takes one to know one Whatever Quinn Parker Just run With this Mike jets off down the street and I take off after him resenting him for the head start When we reach the corner he spins around and waves wildly to the Oldies Have a great day he cries at which the neighbors just glare and grind their teeth in a way that makes us both shiver Let’s go I urge and together we fly
CHAPTER 2 For once Mom is actually home when I get back and she insists on driving me to school I gaze out the window at Mike who waits for me on the corner We usually walk to school together and exchange theories splitting up right before we reach Rocky Hill Middle School so that our friends don’t spot us together No one can know what we’re up to Dad could never get other adults to believe him and he was a cop I can’t imagine what people would say if they found out about our investigation That’s OK I don’t mind walking I say pulling my backpack off the kitchen table I want to talk with Mike about the Oldies I want to do what Mrs Carey is always begging us to do in science class hypothesize Mom grabs her keys and tucks her cell phone into one of the pockets of her blue nursing scrubs Don’t be silly Quinn My shift doesn’t start until eight thirty Plenty of time She tosses a dog treat to Billy who perks his head up slightly from his worn bed pushed into the spot where Dad used to keep his running shoes I frown at Mom’s insistence say goodbye to Billy and follow her out the door It’s even more humid on the now-empty street than it was an hour ago and I think about what a beast track practice is going to be this afternoon
As if she read my thoughts Mom says Drink lots of water today We’ve had a handful of cases of dehydration at the hospital because the kids just didn’t drink enough water Especially at practices I know I say before flashing an apologetic look to Mike across the street Mom notices and waves to Mike Hi Michael You want a ride to school I feel my face redden as Mike smiles under his Yankees hat Good morning Mrs Parker he says his voice full of charm Thanks a lot for the offer but I’m going to walk You sure Mom asks He’s sure I urge Let’s go I’m sure Mike agrees OK Mom says Hey I haven’t seen your mom around in a while Say hi to her for me Will do Mrs Parker Mike tugs on the end of his baseball hat as if he’s some kind of cowboy Have a good day His eyes flicker to mine before I fall into the car Such a nice boy Mom says turning the key in the ignition I’ve noticed that you’ve been running together in the morning Do you two hang out at school No I say quickly turning my head toward the window Must be nice to have a running partner again you know since your dad She trails off clearing her throat before continuing And poor Billy His arthritis is flaring He’s not much of a running buddy these days Billy’s fine I say I reach over and push on the radio making it loud enough to give my mom the hint that I don’t feel like talking Mike throws a slight wave as we drive past I touch the glass and mouth the word Later
