Waiting for…something.What came was a knock on my bedroom door.“Come in,” I called, smiling tiredly when I saw my mom at the door.She didn’t say anything. Just walked in and sat at my desk chair.I sighed and turned around. “Do you remember when Beaker got trapped in that basement?”Mom made a face and raised a hand to her chest. “Oh, God, don’t remind me. I still have nightmares about that. That stupid dog. And those stupid boys, going after him.”When I was eight, Gavin, Levi, and our dog had been exploring and came across an abandoned house. While they were nosing around, the stairs to the basement collapsed, sending the dog falling down with no way of getting out.I’d been following them around, as I often did, and I’d caught up just as the boys were starting down into the basement to rescue the dog. I still remember my panic as I saw them trying to find a way down. Even as a child, I knew how dangerous it was.“I begged Gavin not to go down,” I said, leaning my head against the cool window.
