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when she woke up. Her cuts, cracked ribs, arm bite, broken wrist, and dislocated jaw all seemed to be healing well. To make sure, the staff put Merryn through a battery of daily tests—physical, mental, psychological. She surpassed their expectations. Her muscles were weak, so I snuck an In-N-Out Two-by-Four (it’s on their secret menu; two patties, four slices of cheese) and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s into her room. Before I even closed the door, she was scarfing it down while rolling her eyes in ecstasy, smacking the bed with her palm and kicking her feet beneath the covers. An exuberant, “mm! mmm! mmmmh!” punctuating every bite, smack, and kick.
    We talked for hours. It surprised me how normal she seemed, considering what she’d gone through. When she finally brought up Tucker and the incident, I filled her in about Smiler and Knock.
    The demon possession thing immediately made sense to her. Merryn was relieved to know the reason behind Tucker’s strength and psychosis. She, too, felt sorry for him, and spoke of how Tucker wasn’t responsible for his actions. She made me promise I wouldn’t tell anyone who beat her up. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to make Tucker pay for what he had done.
    She slept a lot over the next few days. I stayed with her, but slipped out at night to train. I needed strength for the altercations I was planning to have with Tucker, who had jumped to the front of the line, then Chool.
    Strolling by the nurse’s station on Merryn’s floor, I had a thought from nowhere.
    â€œExcuse me.”
    â€œOh, hi, Og.” By now, all the nurses knew me by name.
    â€œDo you have…birth records here?” I had been born in this hospital.
    â€œSure. Not right here, sweetie, but down on two they do. Why? Do—”
    â€œSorry. Never mind. I—never mind.”
    What was the point of finding out who my father was? Especially now, with all this other stuff going on. “Thanks, though.” I turned to walk away. “It’s just—” I was back at the desk. “My dad… I never…” My palms were sweating. “Knew him.” I bumbled and fidgeted, eventually explaining that I wanted to find out who my father was. He was listed as ‘unknown’ on my birth certificate, but research told me a Certificate of Live Birth had a better chance of having my dad’s name on it.
    â€œIf you go to this website,” she handed me a paper, “print out these forms,” she circled something, “and have your mom sign here, we can—”
    â€œBut it’s, sorry, right downstairs.” My lip trembled. “And I don’t have a mom...anymore.”
    She took my hand. “I’m sorry, Og, I am.” I could tell she was. “But without the forms…” She shook her head. “Sorry.”
    ****
    â€œWelcome back, Ahhg.” Coach Burns caught me in the locker room while suiting up.
    It was the third day after Merryn returned from her coma, and she’d forced me to go back to school. I was kind of looking forward to it. Jonesing to run into Tucker. With fists, knees, elbows, and feet.
    â€œSaahhrry about your cousin. Haahhrrible thing.” He tightened his lips and pushed his knuckles into his hips, Superman style. Stared at me with one of those penetrating stares. “Let’s tahhk.” He gestured to his office.
    I shrugged and followed him. I hadn’t seen Tucker all day, and my eyes searched for him as we crossed the locker room to Burns’s tiny corner office.
    â€œWhere’s Tucker?” I hoped he was in jail. Day after Merryn’s attack, I’d called the cops with an anonymous tip regarding Merryn’s assailant.
    Coach Burns grunted. “Grandmother’s birthday.”
    So Tucker had escaped justice. Must’ve had some demon cohorts on the force. Human bite marks are as individual as fingerprints. Merryn had some on her