Year two, thanks.

     "Stupid."

Josh crumpled and threw a ball of paper behind him. His thoughts felt like scrabble pieces; something inside him didn't feel right and he didn't know how to act upon that. What was he looking for? He's beginning to feel a sense of normality around him and he hates that everything feels normal.

He hates that seeing fake fillers of his family doesn't make him uncomfortable anymore.

He hates that he knows how to get to his classes with his eyes closed and not looking at a map.

He hates that he's spending more and more time thinking about Debby than thinking about Ohio.

He hates this new sense normal that this place had forced upon him.

Now as he stared at the blank piece of paper, he wondered "what the hell am I doing" because really what he was thinking could be either stupid, or brilliant.

He looked at the three marks on his arm. His fingers brushed the newer one. The other day, Josh had tried to help Debby from feeling like giving up and he left his apartment building for something as stupid as flowers. It made Debby feel better though. Well until she found out that he was now two mess ups till getting sent away.

She didn't like the thought of Josh being sent somewhere where she wasn't aware if he was safe or not. He appreciated her concern for him but he felt the same way about her. If anything happened to her while he was around he wouldn't know what to do.

So he began writing. He reread the words and crumpled the paper again. He started again. Maybe a cry for help would be too obvious. Being stuck in Dema for a year and a half was enough for anyone to be sure that they want to get their asses out of there.

Josh frowned at the now filled paper. Too straightforward? He stared out at his window, watching the birds fly in circles. Maybe he was going insane. This was stupid.

Okay, it's stupid but that doesn't mean he's not going to try. He grabbed the backpack that sat off to the side of his desk. He pulled out a small yellow spongebob bandaid. He folded the paper and kept it folded with the adhesive of the bandage.

Josh opened his window, he sneaked out of his room and went to the kitchen area. There was nothing very appetizing in the fridge but he found an unthawed steak in the freezer. He took it and went back to his room. He set the meat out on his window. He hoped this worked or else his room will start to smell bad.

***

Tyler held hands around the table with his family. He smiled when some of his family members vocally shared what they were thankful for.

He had many things to be thankful for; the food on his plate, Jenna, his family, and his safety were all amazing things. But it was very quiet this thanksgiving. Maybe it was because the Dun family decided to just stay home this year rather than stay for the dessert like they have done for over five years. It was like one of those things that doesn't feel like a tradition until it's gone. Tyler understood the reasoning for their absence but that didn't mean it didn't hurt a little.

After dinner, Jenna mentioned that she had to head home before it got dark out. Halloween had made the Black family cut Jenna's curfew a bit early. Which was perfectly fine but Tyler kinda wished he didn't have to help his girlfriend with homework through the phone.

"You okay?" Jenna asked. The two were walking in the cold where it was just cold enough to see their breath.

"I'm fine," Tyler responded, "just thinking."

"About what?"

Tyler looked around thoughtfully, "Am I a bad person?" He asked. His gaze catching a few birds circling around in the setting sky.

"No, of course not. Why would you ask that?"

"I feel bad. I'm gonna bring up Josh right now, why, because I can. It's only been a year and a half and look at me. I'm still living. I'm still breathing. My life is going and going and at the moment I don't even care if Josh comes back or not."

"Tyler!"

"I'm sorry," he sighed, "but I'm also not. Josh and I have been close since basically fifth grade and here we are six years later and I'm grateful to have such a great friendship with him but I know it won't be the same if he comes back."

"What happened to your, 'I'm never giving up on Josh!' attitude? People have been walking on eggshells around you about Josh since Last year and here you are saying that you don't care?"

"No, it's not— well okay, I'm just saying that things are definitely going to be different. Imagine if he ever does come back? He's probably seen stuff that would scare him. And maybe somehow our friendship will just fall out." Tyler struggled to explain. "Remember when you told me that your friend from Debby from Arkansas or something—"

"Alabama." Jenna corrected.

"Yeah, you said that you two were basically online best friends but then one day she just stopped responding to you and after a while you just didn't care."

"Please don't compare one of my friendships to this. That was totally different, she could've just had a bunch of problems like losing my number, getting her phone stolen. Anything. But that was a couple years ago, and I moved on. You however are just saying goodbye to a lifelong friend. You won't find another Josh!"

"You don't think I know that? What did you expect me to do while my best friend has been missing for a year and a half? Just wait for a sign that he's still okay to fall out of the sky—" Tyler shut up when a folded piece of paper fluttered to the ground in front of him.

Shocked, the two teens looked up and saw a vulture fly away from them. Jenna looked at him curiously, "I swear this scene is leading up to the beginning of a horror movie."

Tyler looked down at the paper and picked it up. It was folded and kept together by a spongebob bandaid that caused a sense of shock through Tyler that he nearly dropped it. He opened the letter and started to read the words scribbled on in an almost too familiar handwriting.

It has been a while. For staying this long it does not quite feel like a home as one could understand. They try to change my perspective on history and all my morals but I find their attempts useless.

They watch eagerly like birds of prey for me to slip. They can't wait to see my bone break under the weight. If only they knew that Dema doesn't feel like home, but I don't feel as trapped as I used to.

Maybe it's the company I keep that keeps me sane. The one candle that flickers in the dark tunnel. After my flashlight went out, I found myself attracted to her light that I can't Yes bring myself to stray from it.

But I know that a candle is sure to burn out soon enough. Maybe that's why I'm hoping my voice will be understood. And I can find my flashlight again.

"Tyler, what is that?" Jenna asked softly.

Tyler gulped back, reading the letter again. "I don't know."

Continue?