Part 5 (1/2)

”That orange one down at the bottom is from Taviuss t-s.h.i.+rt. And the yellow one here is from a s.h.i.+rt of Isaacs. A little bit of family for wrapping around someones scrawny neck.” The girl came running over to them. ”A chicken neck just like this one. This is my grandniece, Osprey,” said Ms. Cyn, pulling on one of her pigtails. ”Osprey, this is Zavion.”

”How old are you?” Osprey asked.

”Um-ten,” said Zavion.

”Im four,” she said. ”My dog, Crow, died in the hurricane. This was his leash.” She held a purple nylon leash in her hand.

”Hush,” said Ms. Cyn. She patted Osprey on the cheek. ”Dont let her sweet face sucker you. Shes fierce as a tiger.”

Zavion glanced back at the banner. The boy under the tree looked a little like Osprey. Osprey ran back to the rug to play.

”And those three clowns playing Ringer on the floor with your Papa-that one is Skeet, but you know him. He owns this house, and he was married to my daughter, G.o.d rest her soul, she died two years ago. Those are his two brothers, Enzo and Tavius. Enzo is Ospreys daddy. They escaped New Orleans like you.” Ms. Cyn took a deep breath. ”And me. The only other person you need to know is me, Ms. Cyn. The Queen of Baton Rouge.” Ms. Cyn laughed a deep, minty laugh.

Zavion tried to repeat these new names inside his head, but pictures raced through it instead. His house. The water. The roof s.h.i.+ngles. Luna Market. Chocolate bars. Rain.

”Go on into that blue bathroom, Zavion,” said Ms. Cyn. ”Change your s.h.i.+rt. Change your pants.” She pointed her knitting needle at Zavions sleeve. Blood was splattered across it. He hadnt even noticed.

”I cut my leg-” he mumbled.

”Tavius!” Ms. Cyn yelled to one of the men on the floor.

”Yes, maam?”

”Get this boy, Zavion, some new clothes.”

Tavius reached behind a couch and pulled out a plastic bag. ”Here!” he yelled to Zavion, tossing the bag.

”Thank you,” said Zavion.

”We got first pick at the Salvation Army.”

”How come we got first pick?” teased Enzo.

”Is it cause Pierre has a crush on you?” Skeet knocked his shoulder into Taviuss shoulder.

Tavius grinned.

”Go wash out that cut, Zavion. Theres first aid cream in the bathroom,” said Ms. Cyn.

Zavion managed to stand. Walk across the room. He pushed open the bathroom door and fell against it as it closed. He jumped. Something moved up his back. He turned to look, but nothing was on the door. Whatever it was moved under his t-s.h.i.+rt. Crawled on his skin. He reached his hand through the neck of his s.h.i.+rt to his shoulder. His hand swept from shoulder blade to shoulder blade. Nothing was there. But still, he felt it.

Felt it. Heard it. Smelled it. Tasted it.

He pulled his hand back out of his t-s.h.i.+rt.

Zavion couldnt move. He couldnt even get out of the bathroom and back to the bench.

Instead, he gripped the bathroom door so hard his forearm shook-the rain pouring, the men shooting marbles and laughing, the water rising, the little girl playing, his mural breaking, Grandmother Mountain crumbling, his house collapsing, Ms. Cyn knitting, and the wind-the wind whipping and pulling and pus.h.i.+ng him. His knees buckled and he fell to the floor. He couldnt keep his balance in the middle of it all.

chapter 14.

HENRY.

”The school secretary didnt mention there was a field trip to our house today,” said Jake. ”And on the second day of school too.” He sat next to Nopie, drinking a cup of coffee.

Nopie was at the table!

Henry couldnt believe it. But there he was, hunched over a piece of paper, drawing something. A heat rose up inside Henry. A smoky heat that curled and wisped from his feet all the way to his face. What was Nopie doing here, just sitting all comfortable, in Henrys chair, the chair Henry had sat in a million times before with Wayne right next to him, like he belonged there?

Nopies head shot up all of a sudden like a spark had singed his eyebrow, and he grabbed hold of a Tupperware container full of something white.

”My mom needed some sugar,” Nopie said. ”Shes making an apple pie for Pop and she ran out of sugar and when we went apple picking the other day we got a whole lot of those tart apples, cause its really too early to pick apples, the kind that make your eyes water when you bite into them, so she really needs the sugar to sweeten em up and-”

”Give it a rest, Nopie,” said Henry. ”Your mouth is gonna fall off.”

”Henry...” Annie cut the bottoms off some flower stems. She shot Henry a look.

”So I came here to get sugar,” Nopie finished, and took in a deep breath.

”Great,” said Henry. He put his hand out to pat Brae, but Brae lumbered over to Nopie and wagged his whole body against his s.h.i.+ny, silver-booted leg.

Nopie sat there, shaking the sugar container like it was a maraca. He had lived up the road from Henry for as long as Henry could remember. His motor mouth was the most glaring thing about him, always talking a mile a minute like he had lost the brakes on his tongue. But there was other weird stuff about him too. Like Nopie kept a rabbit at the school all last year in the lighting booth in the school auditorium. He had stolen a key from the janitor. Henry had to admit that was pretty impressive, but still, Nopie was a grade-A weirdo electric mixerturtle dude.

”Sit down, Henry,” said Annie. ”Ill make you boys something to eat.”

Henry didnt want to eat. He thought if he managed to swallow anything it would end up charred in his belly.

”So which neighbor saw Tiger last?” Nopie interrupted Henrys thoughts.

”Four neighbors said they saw him,” said Annie. ”I think the last one was Mack.”

”Im making a map of all the houses on the road and then marking where Tigers been spotted,” Nopie said to Henry.

”Good for you.”

Jake put down his coffee. ”Tigers been gone since the day Wayne died.” His leg began to bounce up and down under the table.

”He used to take walks with me,” said Annie. She brought a plate of apples and peanut b.u.t.ter to the table. ”Like a dog. He would follow me onto the trail and walk the whole thing at my side. Honestly.”