Splinters by Matt Carter

Author:Matt Carter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Published: 2014-08-19T04:00:00+00:00

16.

What’s Pie Got to Do with This?

Ben

I yawned as I walked downstairs the next morning. It had been a late night, later than I was used to, but a lot of fun. I wasn’t entirely sure yet whether or not Mina and I could be called friends, but now I had evidence of why I liked her as a person, rather than just vague suspicions. There were moments when you could get her to let her guard down, maybe even trust you, that she seemed almost normal. She would smile. Get close to laughing even.

The rich smell of a fresh pot of coffee filled the kitchen. It wasn’t one of my favorites, but when you needed to open your eyes in the morning, there was nothing better.

My mom sat at the kitchen table, sipping a cup and reading the local paper.

“Good morning, Ben,” she said with a smile.

“Morning. Where’s everybody else?” I asked as I searched for a mug.

“Christine had to work today. She dropped Haley off at a dress rehearsal down at the park. She said she’d really appreciate it if you could come by later, talk to her during their lunch break?” she said, nudging me without nudging me. There was that knowing smile that no amount of my eye-rolling could ever get rid of.

“Yeah, I’ll probably do that,” I said. I poured myself a cup and sat down across from Mom. She looked at me, her smile strained, almost nervous. I was pretty sure I knew what was coming up.

“I hardly ever see you these days. You’re either out with Haley or . . . what’s her name?”

“Mina,” I said.

“Right, with Mina so much, I barely see you for more than a few minutes a day anymore. How are you doing?” she asked.

I’m fighting against a sinister plot by shape-shifting monsters to take over this town.

“I’m all right, I guess,” I lied. “Just hanging out, wandering mostly.”

“Do you like it up here?” she asked.

There it was. There was her pitch. She was ready for a fight, and not long ago I would have offered her at least a token one, but this town, everything I had gone through . . . I was just exhausted.

“So you want to move up here?” I asked.

“Would that be so terrible?” she asked back. “You’ve got friends here, it’s a really nice neighborhood, and your Aunt Christine said she had some friends who could likely hook me up with a nice job. Home prices are really low. We could get a house with a yard, and I hear they’ve got really good schools here, too!”

I didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t that this was unexpected. I’d known it was coming after our first week here. It didn’t mean I had to like it. We would be uprooting ourselves, again. I’d have to start life over, again. I’d be in a town full of monsters who were very likely out to get me and destroy everything we held dear (at least I didn’t have to add an “again” after that problem).

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