Page 24 of Icarus

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Icarus huffed; his face was starting to get hot.

“I’m not the kind of person who violates boundaries, dude, don’t worry. I’m not going to touch you if you don’t want.” Helios threw both hands up defensively, accidentally dropping the flashlight in the process.

The beam wheeled crazily around the canopy, then before either of them could grab it, it fell onto the floor with a loud thunk.

“Shit,” Helios hissed, snatching it off the ground.

He held up a hand in a quick gesture for silence and they both paused to listen. With a thrum of dread, Icarus heard footsteps advancing quickly toward the room.

Helios’s clear eyes snapped to Icarus’s in terror.

Icarus tugged back the bed’s drapery and snatched his shoes from the ground. He hid in the corner of the bed, lying flat across the mattress, shoes tucked under his chest.

As Helios threw the thick comforter over Icarus’s head, the door swung open.

Cry

“What are you doing in here?”

Mr. Black’s voice . . . Icarus had never heard it so loud or so close.

Helios scooted up the bed, pulling Mr. Black’s attention farther away from where Icarus was hiding.

“I’m sorry, I was reading. I dropped my flashlight, I’m sorry.”

The footsteps came deeper into the room until Icarus could hear Mr. Black’s breathing. He clutched the edge of the comforter tighter.

“When I say go to bed, I mean go to bed.”

“Please, I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Helios stuttered apologies like punctuation.

There was a sound like nails scraping cardboard and a gasp as the bed jolted. Silence, then the unmistakable sound of a book slamming into a wall.

Then it was very quiet.

“Why is your window open?” Mr. Black demanded.

Icarus held his breath as Helios’s father looked around the room.

“I . . . I . . .” Helios sounded truly shaken.

Mr. Black wrenched the window open farther to look outside it, then slammed it closed.

“I’m going to sleep, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again! I’m sorry!” Helios begged shrilly as Mr. Black did something Icarus couldn’t hear, but could feel as the bed trembled.

Icarus reached out a hand under the comforter and clasped Helios’s ankle, firm. It wasn’t much, it wasn’t. But he hoped it helped.

Whatever Mr. Black was doing, he stopped, and Helios gave a soft gasp of relief.

“Go to sleep. Now,” Mr. Black snapped.

The door slammed and his footsteps echoed down the hallway.

They took a solid two minutes to make sure he wouldn’t return before Helios reached down and covered Icarus’s hand with his.

Move

Helios wouldn’t meet his eyes.