Casey feels like he's on the edge of something; a cliff, or more like a...mental one. Like he's just about to put some pieces together.
He keeps thinking about the Nezbits, about their lost daughter and their cat named Shadow Princess and his Shadow. There are so many little questions nagging at him that just won't go away; how does Shadow know them? She's the same age as their daughter, so he keeps thinking that maybe she knows Zilla. Were they friends before she went missing? Do Eustace and Harry know Shadow's mom and dad? Do they share the grief?
Or...no, because didn't Shadow say something about foster parents? Eustace and Harry must've adopted too. Maybe that's what brought their families together. There are too many moving parts for Casey to keep in line.
He should ask them first. He asked her to keep her word and stay away from him, so he shouldn't hunt her down again just to pester her about her past life.
He returns to the mechanic shop after a long day at school—Annalise was a little too happy to see him and Ms. Somerset was quite the opposite—and lets himself into the garage when he doesn't see Harry at the front desk. He finds Eustace cleaning oil off his hands, Harry seated in a folding chair nearby with a comic book in his lap, rock music playing over their old boombox.
"Casey!" Eustace calls. Harry looks up from his comic, perking a bit as he reaches to turn down the music. "You seem better today."
"Good food and company helps," Casey says. "How are you guys?"
"Another day, another dollar." Harry shrugs. He gets to his feet with a grunt, one hand on his hip. "We weren't expecting you!"
"I know, sorry to...barge in." He exhales. "I actually wanted to ask you about something."
"Fire away," Eustace says. "But...only if you pass me that socket wrench."
Casey follows his gesture to his rolling worktable where the wrench in question sits out in the open and Casey retrieves it, handing it off to Eustace as he ducks back under the hood. Harry pulls a few cans from inside a retro Coca Cola fridge and offers one to Casey.
"Sure," he says, taking the can and popping the tab. "So, uh...about Zilla."
Eustace nods a little. Harry raises an eyebrow as he settles back into his seat, taking a swig of his drink. Casey fidgets, turning the words over in his head, trying to figure out how to best explain what he wants to ask. He isn't even sure what he wants to know.
"Or, I'll back up a sec, I have a friend of mine who recommended this place to me," he says. "You know, to work here. She's pretty close to Zilla's age. I was just wondering if you have, like...family friends with daughters or anything?"
Harry hums a little in thought, scratching his beard. "Ah, well...Zilla had a friend or two on her soccer team. Don't think we ever got close with any parents, though."
Eustace sighs. "Especially when she was younger. Folks are real nice until they start worrying that their kids will catch the gay," he says.
A dead end then, but something else catches Casey's attention. He's so close to something. He knows it. "Soccer?" he asks. Maybe Zilla was on Shadow's team!
"Our girl was one of the best," Harry says. "I'm biased, but man, she could move! It was mesmerizing to watch."
"Did she like sports?"
Eustace steps back from the car, setting the wrench aside and wiping off his hands. He shares a quick look at his husband, a wistful expression on his face. "She'd hate it if we told him, huh?"
"Maybe," Harry muses.
"What? Told me what?" Casey's heart thrums with excitement, anticipation. "That she likes sports?"
YOU ARE READING
Shadow Mutation (Book Seven)
Fanfiction"Try not to be stupid next time, okay?" When he's told shortly after graduation that he didn't actually pass and, in order to truly earn his diploma, he must redo his senior year math credit, Casey Jones isn't sure how things could get worse. He kno...
