Good Nerd Hunting (Nerds, Inc. Book 1)

by Kaila Glass

  “Don’t you have servants?” Blake asked. “Why not get them to do it for you?”

  “I would if I could, but my parents say I had to do it myself. It’s supposed to build character or whatever.”

  Blake looked around at Jamie Tru’s collection. “This is gonna take forever.”

  Jamie Tru brought his fist down into his palm. “Not if we work together.”

  With that, they set to work. Jamie Tru would take down a pair and, depending on whether they fit, either replace them or give them to his friends to clean. He played music from a stereo as they worked; they sang along to their favorite songs, sorting Jamie Tru’s sneakers into shoe boxes. After a few hours of work, he called it quits.

  “Great job, guys!” he said, looking at the mountain of shoe boxes that they’d formed.

  “When are we giving them away?” Blake asked.

  “Just before Christmas, at my church,” Quen answered. “They’re gonna love this.”

  “Okay, who wants to go to the game room?” said Jamie Tru.

  “Game room?” Blake echoed. “You mean, you have an arcade?”

  “Duh,” said Julio with a roll of his eyes. “Don’t you understand English? Let’s go, already. I’m beat!”

  Jamie Tru led them back down stairs to the basement, where there were a few doors with different names. They passed the wine cellar and movie theater before entering the game room. It was like any arcade, with the lights low and the room illuminated with the games’ flashing lights. Nerds, Inc. stormed the place, latching onto every game in sight. Quen and Rodney teamed up in a life-sized game of Galaga while Jamie Tru and Izzy competed in Dance Dance Revolution. Julio used a shotgun to shoot zombies in a Walking Dead simulator, screaming obscenities at the screen.

  Finn tugged at Blake’s sleeve. “Wanna play Mario Kart?”

  “Sure.”

  They ran across the game room and sat in two large chairs at the game station. When their karts took off, they left plumes of smoke in their wake. Something whispered in the back of Blake’s head, something about garages and his mother, but as the smoke cleared, so did his mind.

  27

  Promise

  Over the next few days, Blake would go to Children’s Healthcare of Mirallegra with his friends and read to Tracy, followed by a few hours of fun in the Blair Manor game room. However, his anxiety peaked when Thanksgiving arrived: he was scheduled to meet his mother, who he hadn’t seen in almost two weeks. He’d seen his father talking with her over the phone, but hadn’t spoken to her himself, always refusing the phone when his father offered it.

  Really? his Inner Critic would say. You’re afraid of your mom? This is a new low, even for you.

  But it wasn’t his mother that he was afraid of, far from it; it was what she might say. What if she told him that she’d have to stay for a few months or that she’d never come home at all? The possibility kept him up at night, invaded his dreams. It was easier not to talk to her at all.

  Early on Thanksgiving morning, the McCrackens dressed in their best clothes and drove to Uncle Ronan and Aunt Charisse’s home. They greeted their relatives at the door and made themselves at home inside.

  “I haven’t had friends over in forever!” Finn exclaimed.

  “But we’re your cousins,” Blake pointed out.

  “Same thing.”

  “She’s got you trapped here like a prisoner,” Phoenix told Finn. “How do you survive?”

  “Dad’s lab,” Finn whispered. “I’d be dead without it.”

  “Did you say something about a lab?” said Aunt Charisse as she passed, hands on her hips. “What have I told you about going down there? It’s dangerous.”

  Finn shook his head. “Not that lab. We’re talking about dogs. I think I might add a Labrador to my Christmas list.”

  “No dogs. You might develop an allergy to the dander.”

  Finn embraced his mother. “Thanks, Mom. You’re always looking out for me. I love you.”

  Aunt Charisse smoothed his hair. “I love you, too.”

  Finn winked at his cousins. Blake nodded, smiling.

  They ate Thanksgiving dinner in the dining room a few hours later. Laughter filled the room and rang throughout the house, causing the chandelier above their heads to quiver. Silverware clang, gravy flowed, glasses emptied, and all the while Blake fought the tears that threatened to blur his vision.

  The turkey’s dry, he thought as he chewed. Mom’s turkey’s never dry.

  And you’ll never taste it again, his Inner Critic informed.

  Blake swallowed.

  After dinner that afternoon, Blake and his family packed some leftovers, said their goodbyes, and made for Waterford, the hospital at which his mother stayed. They entered through the sliding doors and stepped into the waiting room. There was a TV and couches, along with an array of magazines near the table lamp. The woman behind the desk welcomed them and asked who they were here to see.

  “Julia McCracken,” his father said.

  The woman nodded and led them through the double doors and down a long, white hallway. It was silent apart from their footsteps.

  This is a mental hospital? he thought. Where’s all the wailing and the torture and the suffering?

  Maybe all the loonies are in the basement, his Inner Critic offered. That’s probably where your mom is.

  They were shown into a room filled with tables. Patients, dressed in their day clothes, sat with their families. His mother, who occupied an empty table near the door, stood when she saw them. She was barefaced and wore a long dress and flats. Blake rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her. His eyes widened: he could rest his chin on her head. When they broke apart, she approached his father and took Cleo from his arms. They sat at the table, his mother and sister on one side and the other three on the other.

  “How have you been, love?” his mother cooed, beaming down at the infant.

  “She’s been fine,” his father answered. “But what about you, Julia? How is everything?”

  “Great. My doctor thinks so, too. I’m good to go home today.”

  “Did they hurt you?” Phoenix asked.

  His mother smiled. “No, love, not in the slightest.”

  “Why are you here? You look fine to me.”

  His mother’s face fell. “Yes, I do owe you an explanation, don’t I? The short story is, I wasn’t taking care of myself.”

  “What are you talking about? I mean, sure, you stopped wearing makeup every day, but you still cooked and cleaned and took care of Cleo like normal. What more was there?”

  His mother paused, giving him a sad smile. “When I was a child, I was very close to my father. It was the opposite with my mom. She didn’t like me, but it was ok so long as I had my father. Then, he up and left. I never saw him again. It was traumatizing for me, but my mother and sisters were glad to see him gone.

  “That episode I had a few weeks ago… it’s happened before. The first was maybe six months after my father left. I knew there was something wrong up here”—she pointed to her temple—“but I didn’t know how to deal with it in a healthy way. When my mom found me unconscious in my room, she rushed me to the hospital, but when I came home a few days later, we never talked about it again.

  “I moved out when I was eighteen. It was hard, but I made due. I didn’t have any more episodes after that, so I thought I was fine, cured even. Then, I met your father while he was in college, and we were married by the time he graduated. He helped me start my bakery business. I was so happy. Then, I was pregnant with you, love.” She eyed Phoenix. “Don’t get me wrong: I wouldn’t give up motherhood for anything, but it was hard. I wanted to be there to watch you grow and my business was getting in the way of that, so I put it on hold.

  “A few years later, I started it up again. I was confident that I could juggle both. But when Blake was born, I quit again. My father always told me that I should open a bakery, but when he left me he may as well have taken that dream with him. My mother
told me I had no talent, that my only hope was to marry a man with money. I thought motherhood was rock bottom until I had children of my own. I had two dreams but could only keep one.

  “I was on the verge of another episode, but I tried to push it out of my mind and just be grateful to have two healthy boys. It got easier as you two got older. I put my foot down and started my business again, and this time, I wasn’t going to let anything hold me back.”

  She took a short pause. “And then, I was pregnant again. My business was doing better than it ever had. I couldn’t stop. So, I just… ignored it. It wasn’t smart, but it’s what I’ve always done. Instead of taking care of myself, I ignore all the warning signs and will it away. But one night, I did some last-minute shopping. I must’ve picked up the pre-natal pills, unconsciously remembering that I was pregnant. Then you found them and…”

  She faltered. “I don’t blame you for hating me. And Blake… I’m so sorry you had to find me. You deserve better, you all do. That’s why I didn’t want to see you when I gained consciousness. I didn’t want to see your disappointment in me.”

  Blake’s father stood. He lifted his sweater over his head and pulled up his short sleeve to reveal something Blake had never seen before: a tattoo! There were two wedding rings, intertwined and inscribed with his parents’ names. Beneath the rings were a set of roman numerals. “I didn’t hate you then and I don’t hate you now. I just need you to be honest with me.”

  “Mom… I’m sorry,” said Phoenix. “I’ve been so mean to you. Not hugging you, ignoring you. I didn’t know you were…”

  His mother shook her head and reached over the table to caress his cheek. “How could you have known if I didn’t tell you? You’re not a mind reader.”

  “No, I mean… I was so angry at… at Keira, I took it out on you. I know you didn’t cheat on Dad, there’s no way. It was just… convenient, I guess.”

  “It’s okay, love.”

  Phoenix placed his hand on his mother’s.

  “Mom,” Blake piped up. Everyone looked at him. “Will you promise me something?”

  “What’s that?”

  He wrung his fingers together. “Promise me you won’t… I mean, I don’t want to… to…” He blinked, forcing the tears out of his eyes and down his pale face. His mother gave Cleo to his father and she walked over to the other side of the table, wrapping her arms around Blake.

  “It’s a promise,” she whispered, then turned to the other three and said, “Why don’t we go be a family again?”

  Blake’s father nodded. “Let’s go home.”

  28

  Reality

  The day after Thanksgiving, the McCrackens bought a tree. Blake’s father and brother carried it from the car to a corner in the living room, and the family spent the remainder of the day adorning it with ornaments and candy canes. Then, they set to decorating the house, spending the remainder of Thanksgiving break hanging lights and wreaths throughout the house and red stockings on the mantle. Things weren’t perfect. His parents argued, and Cleo cried, but there were smiles on their faces.

  Nonetheless, to Blake it seemed… unreal, as though he were floating through some pleasant dream, detached from anything tangible. He drifted through the last few weeks of school, during which he and Nerds, Inc. began Jamie Tru’s shoe drive at First Presbyterian Church. The first snow of the year fell as they carried the boxes from the truck and brought them inside, placing them on a long table and sorting them by size. Every afternoon, they went to the church and handed out shoes to any boy who would have them. He’d seen so many smiling faces and cheery eyes. Again, he was reminded of how unreal life had become.

  On Christmas Eve, the last day of the shoe drive, the Phoenix Kings volunteered to play for the church. Blake watched them set up on stage and tune their instruments. He hadn’t heard his brother sing in years, and when he did, he almost forgot where he was.

  Well, the weather outside is frightful

  And the fire is so delightful

  And since we’ve no place to go

  Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

  The churchgoers sang and clapped along to Phoenix’s angelic voice, filling the church to the brim with cheer. It was a miracle: his brother was content and his family had made it to the holidays.

  Please don’t let me wake from this dream, Blake pleaded.

  Later that evening, when the shoe drive was over and the Phoenix Kings’ concert was done, Nerds, Inc. started a snowball fight in the parking lot. Blake sat on a stone wall across the street, watching the snow fly. Because he floated in a never-ending dream, people-watching had become his new favorite hobby. Why read when you could stare at the real thing?

  “What’s up?”

  Blake turned. Julio was sitting beside him, but for how long, he didn’t know. “Just enjoying the show,” he answered as Izzy launched a snowball that knocked Jamie Tru off his feet.

  “You good?”

  “I don’t know. Nothing feels real anymore.”

  Julio nodded. “I felt the same way when my aunt brought me here. It’s nothing like how things used to be.”

  There was a long silence between them, then Blake said, “I think it’s time.”

  “You sure?”

  “Not really, but I’m gonna do it anyway. I think it’ll help.” He chuckled.

  “What?”

  “We’re millennials, right? Reality’s supposed to be our kryptonite, so why do I want it so bad?”

  Julio shrugged. “Beats me.”

  “Wanna bike with me?”

  “Sure.”

  They hopped off the wall and onto their bikes, leaving tracks in the snow. The streets were empty and the houses they passed looked like gingerbread houses; the snow covering their roofs and lawns resembled icing and the lights that lined the edges were like gumdrops.

  Julio wished Blake luck when they stopped in front of the house on Appleby and Foster, then left.

  “For the last time, no,” he heard his brother declare when he entered.

  Blake entered the living room, where his family had gathered.

  “But it’s helped me so much,” said his mother, who stood, looking up at Phoenix. “I think if you saw one, just once—”

  “Why? So some guy with a fancy degree can call me crazy?”

  “That’s not the purpose of therapy. I see one once a week and it’s been very helpful.”

  His father clasped Phoenix’s shoulder. “It’s not so bad, son. Your mother’s right. It’s something we all need.”

  “Maybe it’s right for you two, but not me,” said Phoenix.

  Good job, Brainiac, said his Inner Critic. You picked the perfect time to break the news. Again.

  It’s ok, Blake thought.

  He cleared his throat and his family looked at him. “I have something to tell you. I think we should all sit down.” His parents and brother shared worried looks, then sat on the couch and stared at Blake.

  When he told them of his last adventure in Rosewood, he watched from the outside, an observer, a spectator, like how he’d been at the hospital. Maybe it was necessary. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to tell his story otherwise. Either way, when he finished, he returned to his body, able to see the world through his own eyes once again.

  “I was scared,” he admitted. “That’s why I waited so long. I thought I’d make things worse. Seems like that’s all I’ve been doing lately. I didn’t wanna be the reason our family fell apart.” He looked at his brother. “Phoenix, I’m sorry.”

  His words were met with silence. Without warning, Phoenix got up and left the room. Blake heard his bedroom door slam upstairs. He ran a hand through his hair.

  I should’ve just kept my mouth shut! he thought. What’s wrong with me?

  He jumped when his mother laid a hand on his shoulder.

  “He probably just needs time to breathe, love,” she said in her gentle voice.

  Blake nodded. It was all he could do. At the sound of footsteps, he
turned back. Phoenix had his school bag slung over his shoulder.

  “Mom,” he said, “can I borrow your car?”

  “Why?” she asked. “Where are you going?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? To get my daughter.”

  29

  Doomed

  “So, can I borrow it or not?” he said when she didn’t answer.

  “Wait, Phoenix,” she said when she found her voice. “Don’t be rash.”

  “Don’t be rash? She’s mine and I’m going to get her.”

  “You can’t just go out on your own.”

  “So, come with me.”

  His mother put her hands out in front of her. “Just relax.”

  “I am relaxed.”

  “Why don’t we go in the morning?”

  “Why don’t we go right now?”

  She gestured to the window and the darkness behind it. “It’s late.”

  Phoenix closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Fine.”

  “We can go in the morning, but only if you agree to counseling.”

  Phoenix stared. “You can’t be serious. That’s my daughter, your grandchild. Why are you trying to keep me from her?”

  “Phoenix, you’ve lied to us. You’ve been selling your body for who knows how long. How can you expect to be a stable parent when you’re not mentally stable? I think we all know what happens when you ignore the obvious.” There was a long pause before she spoke again. “I’m not saying that we shouldn’t get her. I’m saying that if you’re going to be in her life, you need to be healthy up here.” She poked her temple. “Otherwise, she’s doomed.”

  Phoenix nodded and murmured. “Okay.”

  Blake opened his mouth to say something, to apologize for keeping such a huge secret, but Phoenix had already ascended the stairs and gone back to his room. The rest of the family followed his lead. Blake wondered, as he lay wide awake in his dark bedroom, if his family was having a hard time sleeping, too. He turned over onto his side and looked at Rascal, who was curled up at his side. “I did it, Rascal. I told them.”