The Boy with Words for Skin

Chapter 11: The Following Week

We washed three bathtubs full of clothes and hung them up to dry on the clotheslines we'd tied up between tree trunks at the edge of the woods behind the house. Kit talked about the surprise Halloween party the entire time. She had so many ideas. Her excitement and energy were contagious. By the time we were done with the laundry, I was actually looking forward to the party. It was the first time I'd looked forward to anything in months.

I did end up telling Kit that I thought the noise from the basement was just the heater kicking on. She thought about it and agreed I was probably right. At dinner, she shared my theory and everyone thought it made sense, too. Mair said he'd thought it felt warmer in the house than before. It felt good to have everyone agree on something. It felt even better to know that I'd done something that helped everyone relax a little bit.

The next few days, I stayed in my room less and even petted The Headless Dog a few times. I hung out with the others more and didn't feel as miserable as before.

I spent more time with my brother, too. He used to talk about going to family dinner all week, but since we wouldn't be going back I was worried about how he'd take that. He didn't say anything about family dinner, though, and he didn't seem sad or upset at all. Even when he was Compelled to speak with The Voice that week, he was just as happy afterwards. Even The Voice didn't faze him. It was a relief that he wasn't upset, but I didn't trust it. The closer we got to Saturday, the more nervous I got. It felt like waiting for a time bomb to go off.

Legs turned ten and Eyes turned twelve that Thursday. Birthdays inside 407 West Marshall Street were different than those outside of it. Electronics, movies, toys, video games—all the stuff we used to ask for as birthday gifts—didn't work inside the house, and most of us didn't have anyone to give us those kinds of things anymore.

Kit did her best to make birthdays special, though. She cooked whatever the birthday boy or girl wanted for dinner and made whatever cake they wanted, too. We lit birthday candles and sang happy birthday and gave homemade birthday cards as gifts. Birthdays were nice, but they were nothing compared to the memories of our other birthdays with family and freedom.

Eyes' grandpa picked her up that afternoon. Her family had a small party planned, she said. It didn't last long, though. She was dropped back off around eight, which was right when we finished dinner—spaghetti and meatballs, as requested by Legs.

Eyes slipped into her chair, the one closest to the front hallway, as quietly as she could. I think she didn't want anyone to notice, but of course we all did. The twins glared, Keys looked away, and some of the others looked sad or uncomfortable. Most of us wouldn't have families that would welcome us home for our birthdays.

Legs asked Eyes about her birthday dinner with such excitement that everyone relaxed. If she wasn't upset, then how could we be?

"It was nice," Eyes said. "They gave me some new earrings." She tucked her hair behind her ears to show us two small hoops that might have been covered in real diamonds—I didn't know how to tell the difference.

"Eyes!" Legs let out a squeal. "They're beautiful!"

The other girls agreed. The twins rolled their eyes and held their hands up to their ears as if showing off their own beautiful earrings, but they kept their mouths shut.

"Thank you," Eyes said to everyone. "They feel pretty."

Two cakes sat on the table—German chocolate for Legs and funfetti with whipped frosting for Eyes. We had cake and handed over our birthday cards. Everyone started to wander off soon after that.

Evry offered to help clean up, but I told her I could take care of it. I caught Kit sneaking glances at the basement door all night. I wanted to talk to her to make sure she was okay.