"Mom, have you been abducted by aliens?" I lift my eyes from a red-and-black checkered shirt I'm ironing, as her alarm blares across the whole house.

No reply.

I poke my head into the living room. She's still sprawled on the sofa. "Moom? I said, have you been abducted by aliens?" I approach and pat her messy hair with care.

From under the pillow, I hear a sleepy groan.

"Good, you're still with us. No invasion of the body snatchers." I josh. "Dinnertime."

"It's seven p.m. already!?" She leaps off the couch and shimmies into a pair of relatively clean jeans lying on the floor. The alarm blares across the whole house again.

"Ugh, where is that damn thing?" She is now crawling around the house on all fours, seeking for the source of noise.

I chuckle. "Well, last time this happened, you'd forgotten it in the laundry basket."

Mom stands up, lifting a finger in the air.

"Right. Laundry basket."

"Come on! What is wrong with you? You know I can't sleep with all this racket!" Gus barges out of our bedroom, his teeth bared.

"I got it! I got it. It's off." Mom swoops back in from the kitchen and brandishes the rickety phone like a hardly-won trophy.

"What's for dinner, Rosie?" Gus grabs my head under his arm and ruffles my hair.

I so hate it when he calls me that.

"PB and J sandwiches," I whisper.

"Again?" He scoffs. "We had that yesterday."

"It's all I could manage. Didn't go shopping today. We're a bit tight on the budget these days. So I had to make do." I lower my head.

Mom hugs us both, biting her lip. She's barely holding it together not to burst into tears.

"I'm sorry, boys. It's just till Christmas. The boss promised me an advance. And guess what? Today I even sold one of my hand-made clocks, on Etsy!"

"That's nice, mom." I hug her firmly back as we sit at the table.

Gus harrumphs.

"Maureen, you gotta find another job. Night shift telemarketing is just... It's humiliating, and it doesn't pay well. I'd never mortify myself like that, calling people around, waiting for them to hang up on me." Gus calls Mom by her full name when he is a bit miffed.

"It's all there is for now, Gus. And look on the bright side, honey. At least it's better than the thing I did before?"

Mom's right. This thing sure beats door-to door canvassing she used to do like some kind of... traveling merchant.

"And I for one think those clocks are a waste of time, mom. But no worries. You enjoy your silly hobby. When I get a good sports college scholarship, we all gonna live like kings." Gus burps. "I'm gonna take care of us all."

My phone pings, thankfully dampening the burpy noise.

"Z-MAN (7:10 PM)

ugh

LU (7:10 PM)

evening losers!

* LOVELIES

OHMIGOSH SO SORRY 😳

** I MEANT LOVELIES

Z-MAN (7:11 PM)

right 😏

We on for tonight?

Laurent mansion party thing?

We were meeting, what, 7:30 ish in front of Ross' place?

LU (7:12 PM)

Can't wait to see y'all there 🥰

"You are going to that party?" Gus snickers, spraying me with sandwich crumbs.

"Everyone at school is invited." I cover my phone screen.

"I know, but I never thought a nerdy pipsqueak like you would wanna..."

"Gus. We talked about this." Mom shots him a warning glare.

He scrapes the chair off the floor and wipes the corner of his mouth.

"Dammit, a man can't even crack a joke in this house."

"You're leaving? You barely had any food." Mom places her hand atop of his.

"My mood is ruined. Plus, there'll be plenty of grub at Beatrice Laurent's castle." Gus air quotes the final word, and then he's gone, slamming the door.

"I'm sorry, Mom." My lower lip trembles when Gus is out of earshot. "I really wanted us to have a nice family dinner and... all, you know. I screwed up again."

"Look, I spoke to Gus this afternoon when you both came from school. He was on the verge of crying."

My head jerks up. Gus? Crying?

"I mean, I know you find it hard to believe but your brother... He regrets what he did. Locking out your school uniform while you were in the showers?"

My mouth is drawn in a thin line. "You're right. That is hard to believe."

"It's true."

"What exactly does he regret? Humiliating me in front of everyone? Humiliating me since... Let's see, since I was born?"

Mom sucks in a slow breath, pressing her lips together. She pats my cheek with a clumsy hand.

"He said he was just 'fooling around, letting off steam?' I know life with Gus can be a bit... difficult. The two of you have had your differences."

That's an understatement if I ever heard one.

I sigh.

"Mom. He insults the job that you do."

"I think, maybe... he is simply frustrated. He just wants the best for us all. Since... You know... Since Dad passed away." She dabs at the corners of her eyes. "Maybe he feels responsible for you. He is a victim of circumstances, too."

No. No way.

I can't picture Gus as a victim. He is so full of himself. So strong willed and aggressive. He couldn't be called a victim. He is a persecutor.

But I don't say anything because I don't want to shatter Mom's illusion about him. I don't want her to worry.

"So," she continues on in a more cheerful voice. "What's this party I'm hearing about? And before you say anything, of course you can go. I'm just being your typical nosy curious mom."

"It's um..." I feel the heat rising in my cheeks. "There's this new girl at school, she came from New York and will be staying with us at least till the end of semester. So she is throwing a, um, party and she invited us all."

"Ooh I heard all about her on the news! Beatrice Laurent! I mean it's not every day that a celebrity comes to live in your hometown." Mom's eyes gleam with keen interest. "Where does she live?"

"The invitation said Taunton Hill Road?" I pull a crumpled piece of paper I found in my locker out of my pants' pocket.

"Hermitswood Estate? No way!" Mom raises her hands to her face in a screamer-emoji fashion. "That mansion must be worth 3 million dollars, at least. They did a feature of it on a television program," she chatters on as we take the plates and water glasses to the kitchen. "Gus wasn't wrong when he called it a castle."

"So it's big?"

"It's... It's an award winning estate, Ross. You've never seen something like it in your entire life, I promise. It has a garden maze, and a huge pool area, poolside patios, a lily pond... Well you have to see this documentary for yourself. And I can only imagine what the mansion is like on the inside."

"I guess I'll find out for myself soon." I shrug with a smile.

"This girl, Beatrice, what's she like?" Mom elbows me good-naturedly.

I blush fiercely once more, recalling our soy-latte-girl-bathroom episode.

She has the most striking pair of eyes I have ever seen. Huge, wide-open, full of candor, but also, snark. Glimmering with intelligence, I think of saying.

"I don't really know her all that well," I say instead.

"Perhaps this party is a good opportunity to get to kn..." Mom's sentence is cut short with a pebble smacking our window.

I approach it, curious.

"Hey loser!" Z-Man shouts at me from the outside tapping at his wrist-watch. "We said 7:30! Let's go!"

"Really, dude? Isn't that the same one that I see you in at school almost every day, too?" Z-Man high fives me from the driver's seat, as he snorts at my fave, freshly-ironed checkered shirt.

"What?" I shrug. "It's comfy. Besides: 'Your worth is not in what you wear, but in what you do.' Mathshona Dhliwayo says so."

I am not known for having or wanting great variations in my wardrobe.

"Yeah, duh, but this is an exclusive party, you know. One of the kind. Tho I don't blame you, with a brother like yours. Whatever you wear, you can be sure you gonna end up in a pool." He sucks on his E-cig and taps his foot.

He for one certainly has dressed for an occasion. Today, Z-Man is wearing a super cool shirt—fluorescent green with middle fingers printed all over it, which does well for reflecting his grouchy nature.

"Aww, let the man be, Z! He looks great!" Lucy, who has opted for a casual, dorky "Miso Cute" kawaii pun tee, hops excitedly next to me. She gives me a firm hug, slides her glasses up and down her nose twice, and takes a deep breath. "This is gonna be so awesome! Okay, everybody has their seatbelts on?" She brings her motherly tone in the game.

"Of course. I wouldn't dare let Z-Man drive me without a seatbelt on." I wink at my best friend.

"You're out of luck tonight. I'm a designated driver because I'm the only one of you losers who actually is eighteen and has a car." He sticks a tongue at us in a rear view mirror, flips his trademark Not giving a fuck cap around, and starts the car.

"Ouch," Lu says, and fake-clasps at her heart. "You wound me, Z. And you better be on your best behavior."

"Aren't I always?" He gives her the puppy eyes.

"Please, just make sure to remember you're driving human beings, not sacks of potatoes. Ooh speaking of potatoes! I almost forgot! I got us some snacks for the road." She pats at her Life happens, cheese helps tote bag affectionately. "Let's see... Potato chips, rice cakes, string cheese..."

"Um, you are aware that the ride cannot possibly last that long?" I shake my head in disbelief.

"Absolutely." Her fingers fly over her phone keyboard. "If we go via CT-302 W..."

"Which I am like, totally doing." Z-Man huffs. "Have some faith in me, dagnabbit."

"We should arrive at 148 Taunton Hill Road in precisely nine minutes," Lu announces proudly.

I crack a smile at her tech wizard-geekiness.

Us three have been together for as long as I can remember. One day we'd all sat on the same tire swing in kindergarten, the one under the big oak tree in the corner of the yard, and—well—that was it. History was made and the bonds of friendship forged, and we didn't even have to go to the summit of Mount Doom to do it. I can't imagine a single day of my life without either of them.

I tune back into the conversation.

"And I mean, what if we don't like the food there? We should always have back up munchies, trusted and tried." Lucy waves dark chocolate Hersheys at me next and my stomach rumbles.

"You're the best." I say in earnest.

"Ooh, ooh, I love this song!" Z turns the radio all the way up.

"Me too!" Lucy squeals with glee. "It's the one from Guardians of the Galaxy."

My heart aches. Father and son.

"ALL THE TIMES THAT I'VE CRIED, KEEPING ALL THE THINGS I KNEW INSIDE," I howl in unison with the music, struggling with tears as I clutch my dark Hershey choc to my chest, trying to figure out what dad would think of me now, if he were still with us. I hope he wouldn't think me to be the glaring disappointment like I am to Gus.

Being here with Z and Lu, driving through the back streets of New Town, Connecticut, makes it all better. And so, I sing.            "BUT IT'S THEM THEY KNOW, NOT ME, NOW THERE IS A WAY, AND I KNOW, I HAVE TO GO AWAY..."

Lu sings the last verse with me and places a kind, friendly hand on top of mine. "I KNOW... I HAVE TO GO." Her sad smile lets me know she is aware I'm thinking of my own father.

"So." I return the grin. "How about some of those potato chips? I do believe that having them now would count as an aperitif for everything that awaits at the Laurent mansion?"

"Good idea, dude! Can you please feed me some too, Lucy? I'm game." Z-Man turns around, his mouth wide open and then something darts out in front of the car.

"OH SHIT!" He suddenly swerves and slams on the brakes.

"What was that thing?" Lucy brings her hands to her mouth.

"I think it was some kind of an animal." I squint to see better. "Like a large dog?"

"Did I hit it? You all saw it, right? I couldn't have imagined it, could I?"

"No, there was definitely a dog," I confirm.

"Come on!" Lu says, her hand already on the door handle. "We need to make sure it's okay."

"We need to make sure it's okay? What about us? How about checking if we are okay first?" Z-man squeaks in a high-pitched tone. "We don't even know what it is!"

Still, one pleading look from Lu is enough for him to pull over to the side of the road. Z pops his hazards before we get out of the car.

Lucy is wiping her eyes dry, looking about the road. Z-Man is shaking like a leaf, and she runs into his hug.

The evening is both freezing and humid—on par for December—and snowflakes spark to life around us like cold, silent stars.

The fog is dense as cream, rendering everything mysterious but a shape can be discerned thanks to the headlights.

Gravel crunches under my feet and I whirl around.

There, half-standing, half-lying at the edge of the car, by the rear bumper, is a large tawny-beige wild cat. Crimson markings decorate the tip of her ears and around the snout.

"Shit. Is that a... mountain lion?" Z-man points with his forefinger. "Dang dude, did I just hit a mountain lion on the road? Let's just... Let's go back in the car."

"I... I agree with Z," Lucy whispers, backing away a little.

"Hold on." I lift my palm to halt her movement. "Don't run. Nothing triggers predatory instincts in animals like fleeing."

Thanks, Dad.

"Don't run? Hey, man, whaddya mean by don't run?" Z is already panicking and I put my forefinger to my mouth.

He promptly shuts up.

The animal is letting out tiny whimpers.

"I think it's hurt. She's hurt," I add after a brief pause. "Hey girl. What're you doing around here? Are you lost? Will you let me take a look?"

Its clever glimmering golden eyes bear into mine and it's almost as if she understands what I am saying.

"No! Dude? Are you crazy?" Z angry-whispers at me.

"Ross... Just be careful, will you?" Lu lets me make my own choice, as always.

When I try to approach some more to check out her muzzle, the mountain lioness shies backwards. I can't grab hold of her quickly enough before she half-staggers half-darts across the street and down a dirt road, straight into the forest.

"Hey—no, wait!" I cry out.

She could die without medical attention, Dad-Vet in me speaks.

"No. No. Ross. Bad idea," says Z-Man. "This is not how I'm going to die. Being led into the forest after a friggin' mountain lion. Don't even think about it, man."

"We could call animal control?" Lucy joins Z-man's pleads, now. "Ross? I think I will feel safer back in the car."

"That's it. Yes! He's barking mad. Lucy and I are going back to the car." His arm around her, the two return to the inside of the vehicle, staring at me through the window.

The mountain lioness takes two more hobbling leaps, intent on disappearing in the woods, but then I yell once more.

"Hey—slow down! I'm not going to hurt you! I want to help you!"

The car horn beeps, lights flash and I tell myself this cannot be how I am going to die, being led down the forest road after a hurt mountain lion.

That magical, legendary creature returns. It peeks at me from between the trees' shadows.

I know she is wild and never to be caught. Yet I so yearn to touch her. So when she hisses at me, I close my eyes and reach out with my hand, showing her trust and affection, laying my fate into her hands, daring her to rip me apart.

The puma frowns at this unexpected behavior, confused. Then, slowly, as if against her will, she approaches, drawn in by the truth in my gesture.

And finally, we touch, the beam of headlights setting her fur aflame.

A/N: Theme song: Tiesto & Karol G "Don't Be Shy"