"There he goes again, I hope he catches all her diseases," Kio growled watching from the second-story window, he stood hidden behind the curtain as the beat-up old pickup truck drove his brother away once again.

"What's a girl like that doing at our school anyway? Her mother must've fucked the principal to get her in," Kio muttered cynically as he pulled the lace white curtains back over the window.

Kio had been ignoring his brother for the past few days he figured if Koa got a taste of his own medicine, he would learn just how awful it was to be ignored. But nothing changed. It worked for a little while bit but then Koa went right back to pretending Kio didn't exist. It was Koa's idea that they act normal why wasn't he following his own plan?

Kio threw himself onto his bed and sighed squeezing Elliot. He lay there in defeat trying not to cry. Something caught the corner of his eye as it flew past the window. He hopped off his bed and ran to the window. He threw it open and stuck his head out as far as he could peering into the yard.

A tiny shadow appeared in the glow of the streetlamp. Kio couldn't quite make out the shape but it was way too small to be human. The shadow floated around a bit before disappearing into the darkness.

Kio set Elliot down on his bed making sure he was safely nuzzled between two pillows. He quickly left his room leaving the lights on. He shuffled down the stairs in his fuzzy pink slippers and out to the front yard. Leaving the front door wide open.

He investigated around the streetlamp but found nothing. He dug around in the bush but there was nothing to be seen. It must've been a piece of trash, he thought to himself. He didn't know why he bothered to come all the way out here. What did he expect to find?

The night was warm a full moon illuminating the sky its brilliant light snuffing out the stars. A gentle breeze blew across his skin the weather was too warm for late October. He dragged his feet back to the porch pondering what he should do for the night. 

The cut he made yesterday still burned. He wasn't ready to make another one. He liked to wait for the pain to fade before inflicting more. He stepped back in shock when he saw a couple drops of blood on the stepping stones.

He quickly looked around to see if there was any more. He spotted more thick dark blood only a few feet from the stepping stone he stood on. And a few feet from that there was a small puddle. A trail had formed in the fresh wet lawn leading around the house and to the backyard. 

Kio hesitantly followed the trail instantly soaking his slippers. What if it was a dead body? He followed the trail around the house, past the pool and the wooden playground.

The trail ended by the patio. At the end, he found a mutilated squirrel. One of its little brown legs still twitching. Its fur matted with blood. Its flattened tail covered in black tire marks imprinted in it's fur like a tattoo.

"That bitch must've hit it with her truck," Kio reasoned.

 He slowly approached the squirrel one of its black eyes was open and watery, but it wasn't making eye contact. Kio was afraid to touch it in case it had rabies. He picked up a stick and lightly tapped the squirrel. It twitched its leg a few more times.

"Isn't it funny? People commit murder every day without even noticing it," a cool chill voice said from above Kio's head.

Kio looked up surprised to see a raven sitting on the tree branch. All the leaves had fallen leaving just some scraggly branches. The raven was bigger than your average bird with black feathers darker than the night sky and large emerald eyes that seemed to hypnotize Kio.

 He couldn't pull his eyes away. The bird gracefully glided down from the tree. It landed on the fresh green grass making no sound. It hopped towards Kio on its small bird feet. All the while Kio never broke eye contact with him.

"I've seen you before you're one of the children who live in that house, tell me where is your doppelgänger?" The raven asked he didn't open his mouth when he spoke the sound seemed to just pour out of him.

"He's on a date with a tramp," Kio muttered getting down on his knees ignoring the wet grass soaking through his pajama bottoms.

"And he left you all alone, how terribly rude," The raven commented sadly.

"He never used to leave me alone. It's only recently that he's felt the need-" Kio said trailing off.

Kio found his eyes resting on the squirrel it looked awful. Torn apart in several places like it was picked at with a fork.

"Tell me what is your name?" The raven asked its mysterious green eyes looking deep into Kio's soul.

"Kio," he mumbled shaking his head to break his focus on the raven's magical eyes.

"If you say so," the raven uttered.

 "What's yours?"

"Alder. It's getting rather cold out here will you invite me inside?" Alder asked even though the night was warm.

"Sure, come in."

He trekked back through the wet grass his slippers practically ruined. He headed to the glass patio door gently sliding it open, gladly letting Alder hop inside. Kio kicked his sopping wet slippers off at the doorway. Then walked up the stairs. 

Alder followed close behind soundlessly flapping his feathered wings. If Kio didn't know the bird was following him he never would've seen him. He blended into the shadows and made virtually no sound. Kio led Alder to his bedroom where he welcomed him inside.

"This is Elliot," Kio said showing him the stuffed blue elephant a little blue string dangling off his foot, "he's my best friend."

"Charmed to meet you," Alder said holding out his wing.

Kio giggled like a child, "I was only kidding he can't actually talk. He's just a stuffed animal. Come to think of it I've never met a talking animal before, are there others like you?"

"No, I'm afraid I'm one of a kind," Alder bragged a British tone to his accent.

"Must be fun to be unique I'm a twin so I wouldn't know," Kio said petting the elephant's fuzzy trunk.

"On the contrary having an identical twin makes you much more unique than the rest of society. For you have someone to stand in your place."

"I guess so," Kio mumbled putting Elliot back between the two pillows.

"You're a lonely boy aren't you?"

"Everybody gets lonely sometimes," Kio said trying not to cry.

"Well don't worry. You don't have to be lonely anymore," Alder said rubbing his soft wing against Kio's leg in a comforting sort of way.

Kio noticed something was off about Alder. Not only could he speak without moving his mouth but his form was less...solid than normal. His touch felt like water and when you really looked at him the lines of his figure were a bit blurred. As if he were a painting.

"I'll be your friend," Alder said making Kio forget his suspicions.

"You will," Kio said his heart leaping in his chest, he never had a real friend before, only Koa. 

He felt a strange attraction to Alder almost like he was being pulled towards the bird with his shimmering emerald eyes and soft trustworthy voice. Maybe it was his loneliness or maybe it was something else, something deeper. Kio didn't care he was glad to have a friend. 

.  .  .

Alder hung around Kio's room for hours while he showed him all his things. He talked to him about everything. Alder was a fun person to talk to, he listened and actually paid attention to what you had to say. He was very polite.

"I must be going," Alder said with a bow.

Kio looked at the digital clock on his nightstand the bright red block letters spelling out 12:13. He had completely lost track of time. He had no idea how late it had gotten.

"Bye, bye," Kio said using Elliot's little stuffed arm to wave goodbye.

Alder moved out of the shadows and into the light from the lamp. Kio noticed that he didn't have a shadow in fact he was more like a shadow himself. Kio opened his mouth to ask about it but Alder had already vanished. He flew out the open window and into the night sky at almost the same moment Sophie's beat-up old pickup truck pulled into the driveway.

Kio put himself to bed so he wouldn't have to talk to Koa. His dreams involved talking ravens among the other darker things that usually took up his mind.