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thought.
    “Have you… um…” John leaned forward and gestured with his hands as he chose his words. “Jimmy, no matter how desperate you are, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do things. We didn’t want to say anything prematurely, but we can’t just write it off to our imaginations anymore. After you eat, do you—um… Jimmy, do you know what bulimia is?”
    “Yeah, it’s where someone, oh… oh! ” I think I scared them when I threw my head back and howled with laughter. After all my dread, it was just a massive false alarm.
    “Guys… I can assure you, that of all the things wrong with me; Bulimia is not on the list.”
    “Oh, thank goodness…” Mom sighed with relief.
    “C’mere.” John almost never hugged me; it felt like hugging a stranger. He squeezed me once, then set a hand on my shoulder and looked at me. Standing so close, I realized I was almost as tall as him now. “It’ll take a little getting used to, but I sort of like having less of you to hug.”
    “Careful, you’re about to overdraw your fatherly love account.” I frowned. Please god, spare me… “Besides, you seem to have more of a keg than a six pack yourself.”
    “Just go clean up and get your brother, we’re going out for supper tonight.” John scowled and walked away.
    I picked up my backpack from where I dropped it near the door, and headed down the dungeon stairs when Mom came up behind me.
    “Jimmy? I’m sorry but I have to ask… how are you losing weight? Is it… drugs ?” She whispered the last word like it was dirty.
    I looked into her eyes and did something unusual. I told the truth. “I have no idea. It might be the elevation, but… I just… I really don’t know.” I shrugged.
    “Well alright… Oh!” She turned back as she remembered something “Is something wrong with your glasses?” I realized I’d gotten lazy and left them off.
    “Yeah, I was gonna tell you about that. I, uh—my eyes seem to be getting better.”
    She quirked her eyebrow, “Well, that’s good. Strange, but good. Do you want to see an optometrist and get your prescription fixed?”
    “Maybe, I’ll let you know.” Wow, that went easier than I’d expected. I turned and walked down the stairs while something stirred in the back of my mind. A whisper I fought to forget and a fractured memory of a dream. I brushed it off, but that night, the truth that had been lying in wait within me uncoiled and pounced.
    The first dream I didn’t realize was a dream until I woke up from it; something about a girl with brown hair. She seemed so familiar for some reason… meh… the harder I tried to remember, the faster it slipped from me. All I could really remember was the girl herself, not her exact face, but the feel of her soft brown hair and deep contentment.
    I surfaced from the dream and clutched at a sharp burning pain from the scar on my leg. Exhaustion pulled me down despite the pain and I slipped out of my skin…

    I opened my eyes on top of a tall spire of rock, overlooking a circular sapphire pool. Maple and aspen trees ringed the shore. I lifted my arms and dove in. I swam toward the bottom amidst dancing spears of sunlight and saw the dark mouth of a cave.
    Brightly colored fish darted away and disappeared as shadows dimmed the light. I looked up toward the surface and bit down on a scream.
    Snakes. Snakes everywhere, their undulating silhouettes darkened the light as they converged in the water above me. Searing pain lanced through my calf, but I fought it as I turned and desperately swam inside the cave to escape them. The darkness swallowed me until I came up into an air pocket.
    I froze. A pair of amber eyes stared back inches from my face.
    The wolf looked starved, emaciated and neglected, but he held himself proud. His coat gleamed iridescent in the darkness of the cave, and his eyes burned with life and intelligence. Slowly, I lifted my hands and touched him, sliding my fingers into the dense fur on either side