Tracy made herself at home.
Hallie had gone to take a shower and Tracy was wondering aimlessly around the kitchen, thinking. At first, the plan had seemed so . . . harmless. A thought, really. A passing suggestion. She had never actually thought of it seriously. It was like a thing often spoken of but never really meant. Tracy had always figured that when she came to meet Hallie, they would never act upon what they had concocted over long nights of little sleep. But now, she wasn’t so sure . . .
Tracy heard the shower turn off. She sighed.
A minute later, Hallie walked into the kitchen, cloaked in a white terry cloth robe. “All my jeans and T’s are still in the wash, so we’ll have to wait until they’re done before we can do anything,” she announced. She then eyed Tracy as if it were her first time looking at her. “Good thing you dressed like you did. It’ll be easy for you to move around in that.”
Tracy looked down. She was still wearing Taylor’s black shirt with the vertical stripes on the sleeves. Still wearing his jeans. She began fingering the hem of the shirt. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Good thing.”
Hallie smiled and slung her arm around Tracy’s shoulders. “You and me, kid. We’re gonna do it. Tonight.”
Elbows on windowsill, chin on hands, Zac sat on his knees and gazed out the window. The sky that had been white a few hours earlier was now dark gray and dreary.
Like Tay’s mood.
Zac sighed. Hadn’t they all been happy this morning? Maybe not; maybe just less sad. Twelve-year-old logic, he thought with a smile. Wasn’t happiness the absence of sadness? He shook his head slightly. He was beginning to confuse himself.
“Ike?” Zac asked, turning around to look at his brother.
“Yeah?” he replied, casting a short glance at Zac.
“Were we happy this morning?” he asked.
Ike drew his eyebrows together. “What?”
“Were we happy this morning?” Zac repeated slowly. “Easy question.”
After a minute, Isaac shrugged. “We were busy this morning,” he said. “I don’t know about happy, but we were busy.”
Zac nodded. “I see,” he said.
There was a heavy silence in the room that seemed to last forever. Finally, Zac stood up and headed for the door that led to the garage. Isaac gave him an odd look as he stepped through it. “I have to draw,” he said simply, letting the door close behind him.
