A Shrine to an Unknown God

WORSHIP

OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, our faces are all over the news. Headlines like MISSING TEENS FOUND and IT WAS ALL A HOAX and THEY AREN'T A PART OF THE ILLUMINATI (YET) join them. Ezra, Dahlia and I don't leave the Boivin-Rots house other than to give our statements to the police. (We just went for a little trip, officer. We didn't mean to cause all this panic.)

News agencies reach out to us for interviews, but we decline each one, even the one that Marisol's mom works at.

After a while, all the attention dies down. For the rest of the summer, things are normal, things are good. It's like we're living in the perfect little bubble where nothing bad ever happened to us and nothing is ever going to change.

But nothing stays the same forever.

***

THE FIRST CHANGE is not really a change at all. We're all sitting down for dinner one day at this fancy restaurant on the bay, me and Ezra and the Boivin-Rot family. We're all dressed up and everything; it's that kind of dinner. All three of the Boivin-Rots are nervous and twitchy.

Dr. Rot tears off a piece of bread. "So, Antigone and Ezra, we've been doing some research into adult adoption for those over the age of 18."

My stomach churns. Ezra looks like he isn't sure if he wants to laugh or cry.

"Ever since we've been watching over you two, we've really begun to see you like family," Dr. Boivin says. "Like you're our own children."

"Yeah!" Dahlia adds.

"And we just wanted you both to know, that if you're open to the idea, we'd be more than happy to make it legitimate in the eyes of the law and officially adopt you both," Dr. Rot finishes.

"No pressure or hard feelings either way," Dr. Boivin quickly adds.

Ezra decides what he wants to do. He starts bawling.

Dahlia's moms explode in a flurry of attempting to calm him down.

"It's just—" he tries to say. "It's just—after my mom I never thought—everything's been so hard on my own and—I love you guys so much and—yes, yes, yes, that's all I can—"

The sobs get to be too much for him. He stops trying to speak at all.

Dr. Rot and Dr. Boivin comfort him until he calms down. Then they look at me, sort of smiling.

My chest caves in.

How do I tell them no, I appreciate the offer but I literally have a mom back on Apollonisi? How do I just turn down something like that?

My voice is quiet. I sound like a diluted version of myself. "I'm really, really sorry, thank you so much for offering and everything, but I have a mom back home. I appreciate everything you guys have done for me, but... I already have a mom, even if she isn't here with me, even if I never get to see her again."

They nod.

"You're still always welcome in our house," Dr. Rot says. "You're still a member of our family.

The next day they go to the courthouse to get the documents to officially adopt Ezra.

***

THE NEXT CHANGE comes out of nowhere and completely fucks everything up.

At the end of summer, we throw a "going away party" for Marisol and Dahlia. I don't realize what this means. I just know that it's a lot of fun.

We go down to the beach. There's music playing, and lots of people everywhere. Some I've met a couple of times, Dahlia and Marisol's friends from school or theatre or dance. Some even remember my name (and I remember theirs!) and come up to talk to me for a while. Everyone's in a swimsuit.