Hide and Seek

Chapter 10

Two years prior in Middleston

"Hey, Deputy." Harry greets the older gentleman with a proper grin.

"Hey, Haz. How ya doin'?" The Deputy smiles back - with less voltage.

"Mom said to bring you this." He sets down the sealed lunch box with Spiderman on the face. It

was Gemma's and Harry had thieving taken it without asking.

"Thanks, kiddo." He pats his shoulder when he stands. Harry was just eighteen but managed to

outgrow most men in Middleston by last year.

"Hey, Harry." The Sheriff walks in with a polite smile.

"Sheriff Tomlinson." Harry nods cordially before smiling.

"How's your mom doing?" She drops a file on the Deputy's desk before speaking to Harry.

"Fine. Dad's coming home today so she's baking and cooking."

"Are you helping her?" She raises an eyebrow at him.

He chuckles. "I don't bake, Sheriff. Gemma is helping my mom."

"Clever rascal. Do me a favor and give this to my son on your way out." She hands him a purple

folder.

"Sure thing. Bye, Sheriff. Deputy." He bade them adieu before walking out of the office and into

the hubbub of the police station.

Harry searched the room for his target, spotting him seated at the entrance of the building. He

makes his way over to him trying to decide what to say first.

"Hey." He opens his mouth and a single word comes out.

He makes one of those yeah-please-go-away faces before looking back at his phone. Harry didn't

know his name, but he wouldn't be rude because his mother brought him up better than that.

The boy had brown hair, dark and on the verge of a black shade of hue. From a quick glance

Harry saw that his eyes were blue, but not the regular blue that was ordinarily classified. This blue

was fascinating. His left knee bounced up and down in impatience on the cold plastic seat. Harry

noticed the small things about people, and people found him strange because of that.

"Your mom uh- the Sheriff told me to give this to you." Harry extends his hand and holds out the

folder.

"Thanks." He takes it from him and stands. Without a smile or second glance the boy exits the

building.

"You're welcome." Harry huffs to himself before taking the same route to the outside world.

"Mom! I'm home!" Harry announces tossing his keys into the ceramic bowl assigned to the

collection and enclosing of keys.

"In here, honey." She says back to him.

Harry follows her voice into the kitchen, to find the two women he'd known since birth flitting

around animatedly in their kitchen. Gemma and Mom both had on aprons, pink frilly ones that

their dad had gotten them ages ago and hibernated in the closet upstairs. Gemma's hair was tan,