“Why are you going to school Will?  Can I go with you?”  The small girl looked up at her brother, his clothes strange and new to her.  Dried tears were sticky on her pale skin as she watched him hoist his school issued messenger bag over his shoulder and straightening his blazer and slacks.  He shook his head at her.

“Max, I come home everyday.  I will pick you up from Mrs. Kinney’s house.  You don’t need to come with me.”  The boy smiled sadly at his younger sister, shaking his head and bending down to pick her up.  “I will always be here, Max.  This school is free for me and it has some places where I can work.  I need to be able to feed you, make sure your tummy doesn’t get grumbly.  I need to make sure that you can be safe.”

“But, Will,” Max began, sniffing into his shirt.  Will hushed her and hugged her close, listening closely to the snoring from upstairs to ensure they were both safe from the beast.  Max hugged her brother tightly as he kissed her hair, inhaling the scent of strawberry shampoo from her shower and the hint of blood that he knew was his own.  “I don’t want you to leave me!”

“Have I ever left you, Max?  No.  And I won’t ever.  It just means that you will be going to Isaac’s house after school every day.  It just means that I’ll get to take you out for dinner every night,” Will whispered to her.  The girl sniffled into his blazer some more, unaware of her brother’s unease as he listened to the snoring.  “Maxi, we have to leave before the big, mean monster comes out.  I am going to drop you off with Isaac.  Mrs. Kinney is going to drive you to school and back, then I’ll pick you up and we can go to Sarah’s Diner.  C’mon.”

Will put Max back on the ground, watching her totter along to get her backpack and jacket.  He sighed, rubbing his hand across his face and glancing at the stairs again, realising that the snoring had stopped and he could hear violent cursing and smashing.  He tried to relax his shoulders and put on the same carefree smile he always had as his sister bounced back in all smiles and giggles.

“Come on Will!  Isaac is waiting and we have to rescue the magic dragon from the evil sorcerer,” Max exclaimed, oblivious to the racket coming from upstairs and latching onto her brother’s arm, dragging him out of the front door of their ranch house and to his old camaro jumping over the seats into the back and buckling up.

“Okay.  I will not fail you, mylady!  I will get you to your destination,” Will stated, a fairly good posh british accent, that sounded more Australian than anything, seeping into his voice as he turned the key in the ignition and backed out of the driveway.  Bach played through the speakers of his car, something that was a normal occurrence in the sporty, black camaro.  Max bounced in the back seat, staring out the window and ignoring the real world in favor of her own fairy tale land.

“Will?”

“Yeah Maxi?”

“Why do we live with the monster?  Why do you have to work to keep me in school?”

Will almost slammed on the breaks as they got into the Kinney’s driveway.  He knew Max would want to know who the monster of a man was that they lived with eventually, and he knew she would want to know where their parents were and why he had to take care of them.  He just hadn’t expected it then.  He couldn’t just say “You killed our mother when you were born and our father went ballistic.  The monster is our father and he is out to kill you, and me for protecting his wife’s murderer.”  He could never and would never say that.

“Why don’t we talk about it after school, Maxi?  I have to get my schedule and you have to save the magic dragon, don’t you?”  Max squealed with delight and nodded, kissing her big brother’s cheek as she hopped over the center console and rushed over to the front door of the Kinney household.

Will sighed, watching as Asher Kinney, the family’s eldest son, opened the door and let in his sister, waving to him as he closed the door again.  It was hard enough dealing with everything by himself without his sister knowing exactly what was going on.  Things would be worse if he told her.  For now, he just hoped she forgot about it all and just enjoyed the childhood he could provide for her.

He peeled out of the driveway and rode down the suburban streets of his small town.  Graham Prep was a good school, known for schooling prestigious doctors’ and lawyers’ kids.  They had awesome academic programs and their music program was nothing to overlook.  They had a good soccer team, which made everything that much better, seeing as that was how he got into the school.

William had very little money, but he had a lot of athletic ability.  In the public school, he was the team captain and goalie.  He often ran practices, team meetings, and get togethers.  His coaches had raved about how he was a prodigy on the field, how he could make it big as a player or a coach, how he could be rich and famous one day, owning a team.  Will had gotten the scholarship to Graham because of his skills on the field and off.

He had never wanted to be a soccer player though.  He had hated the sport when his sister was born because it took away from his time protecting her.  His parents had loved the game, had signed him up for recreation and then onto travel, but he had hated it after his mother had died and his father had gone mad.  He had gotten into classical literature and musical composition.  He had loved it because it left him time to care for Max, but the game called to him even then, leading him to his current situation.

Graham Prep had been willing to not only pay for him to go to the school, but offered to pay for meals and services as a coach for their team.  Will couldn’t refuse.  He needed to pay for anything Max needed.  If she wanted the new barbie, he wanted to get it for her, even though he knew he couldn’t.  His money fed the family, and unfortunately, helped feed his father’s alcohol addiction, but he could deal with that.  So when Graham had asked him to come to the school and utilize their facilities, he couldn’t turn it down.

So, here he is, driving into the parking lot near the front of the school, parking and getting out.  The lot was still barren.  He was two hours early, as requested by the principal and coaches.  He was supposed to meet with the principal to discuss classes then head out to the field to speak about coaching and playing.

As he reached the front door, he could already see some of the students roaming the halls.  He recognised the black blazers and white shirts, paired with either a pair of black slacks or a black skirt.  This was what he was going to be doing for the rest of his senior year.  Will sighed before swinging the door open, shivering at the cold metal of the handle.

“Hello there,” a high pitched voice screeched, grabbing his attention almost immediately.  To his right was a girl, a few inches shorter than the girls from his old school but she obviously spent a lot more time on her grooming.  Her hair was naturally a wavy strawberry blonde, or at least meant to look that way.  Her eyes matched his own piercing blue, but they held a light he was sure he lost long ago.  Overall, she was beautiful, but she was the kind of girl who would drive Will crazy.  “My name is Olivia, but I’m sure you already knew that.  Were you like, away with your family for a while?  I don’t remember you, although with a face like that, I don’t know why I would.”

Will groaned internally at the amount of pep.  Olivia was not only trying to be nice, she was trying to flirt… quite shamelessly.  Will had dealt with people like her, and he really didn’t like them.  She seemed nice enough, but he was in no mood to deal with her.

“My name is William Knight.  I’m new here and I was looking for Mr. Penn’s office.  Could you point me in the right direction?”  Olivia’s face fell, obviously realizing that he had no interest in what she was selling.  She nodded her head, looking down at her feet and motioning for him to follow.  He did as directed and followed the girl as she moped down two corridors before stopping in front of a large oak door that had “Office” painted in bold lettering on it.

“Well, I hope to see you around William.  Maybe we can… hang out some time.  Just ask Mrs. Hash to call for Mr. Penn and I am sure you will be seeing him in no time.  If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask for me.  I’ll see you around,” Olivia said, cheeks tinting a slight, almost imperceptible pink and rushing down the hall to wherever she was headed.

Will sighed again, adjusting his messenger bag.  No one had called him William since his mother had died.  It wasn’t a good feeling to hear his full name.

Clearing his mind, Will swung open the door, seeing a woman in her mid-thirties staring at a computer screen.  She didn’t glance up at him as he swaggered up to her desk and leaned against it, putting on the air of confidence he used around others.  She still didn’t glance up, engrossed in whatever she was typing.

“Name and reason for being her?”  Her voice startled him, making his composure slip long enough for his hip to slip off the desk and for him to lose his balance.  One he had regained it, he stared at her, watching her type.  “Can I help you young sir?”

“Oh… um, yeah.  My name is William Knight and I’m here to talk to Mr. Penn.  Olivia… I don’t know her last name told me that a Mrs. Hash could help me?”  The woman finally looked up, a smile lighting up her previously dull face and making her look younger… prettier.

“You’re the new soccer prodigy?  Oh, hello there Will!  My name is Mrs. Hash and Olivia Turner was absolutely correct.  I can call Mr. Penn right over and you can talk to him,” Mrs. Hash chirped, grey eyes staring right through him as she yelled out for Mr. Penn.  “So, I hear you are going to be a great player.  So much buzz about the new kid, said to be a sports star.  The Graham Prep Daggers are glad to have you here and I can’t wait to see if you are as good as they say!”

Will stared at her blankly.  He knew the school was soccer crazy.  He had played them… they were okay and had a ton of potential, but he didn’t know the teachers were into it too.  He smiled slightly at the woman, listening for Mr. Penn because he didn’t honestly enjoy talking that much.

“I actually like music and writing better, ma’am.”

“Oh please!  Call me Darcy,” Mrs. Hash, or Darcy, stated just as Mr. Penn walked up to the desk.  He was wearing nerdy glasses and a black blazer and slacks much like Will’s own uniform.  He was handsome, his features much like Will’s.  He looked young and his smile made everything that much better.  Will already liked Mr. Penn.  He reminded Will of Max.

“Welcome To Graham, Mr. Knight!”

The day was long, to say the least.  Will didn’t like half of the kids on the soccer team, the coaches were way to excited for him to be there and to “take over” for them, and the cheerleaders were hanging all over him… specifically Olivia Turner.  Will hated it all.

Classes were okay, especially music and creative writing.  

Mrs. Penn, the music teacher and headmaster’s wife, had apparently spoken to his former music teacher about his love for songwriting and the old six string that the school had stowed away in a closet.  She had arranged for him to speak to the students in his class about his passion and had paid to have the old Fender shipped over to Graham for his own personal use.  When he found out… let’s just say there were a ton of hugs and tears, none of them were initiated or shed by Mrs. Penn who was six months pregnant with her first child.

Mr. Cantwell, the creative writing teacher, was a young man, straight out of UCLA and ready to teach.  He had specific ways of saying things that inspired Will more than he would like to admit.  The man had raved about his portfolio and how well Will had described and developed each character.  That alone was enough to encourage Will.  Mr. Cantwell also offered up his office and personal phone number for any talking Will would like to do after Will had informed him that his characters were all based on conversations with his old teacher.  And if all that wasn’t enough to make Will like him, Mr. Cantwell provided all journals and writing utensils, which Will otherwise could not afford.

Now, it was time for soccer practice.  He had tried out earlier, when he had first been chosen for the school.  He already knew he was going to play first string goalie and possibly, team captain.  All he had to do now was test the waters and see how his new team would play individually and as a team.  There were several boys on the field already, wearing the silver practice jerseys that matched his own.  He could already see some of the names.

09… Ross

10… Morano

32… Stanley

34… West

49… Kayer

They were passing near the east goal, calling to each other and appearing to be good team members.  Will had to see for himself.  He rushed out, his jog taking him right up to the group.  They noticed and immediately stopped, Stanley stepping in front of the others, as if to protect them.  Will noticed the captains’ band on his right bicep, nodding to himself as he eyes the other boy.

“My name is William Knight,” he said, watching as the other captain faltered a bit and glanced over his learning form.  “I am here for practice.  Coach Monohan said that I could watch, get a feel for my new team.  I am assuming you are the captain?”

“Yeah, Cane Stanley.  I didn’t hear anything about a rookie, did you?”  He glanced at his teammates, seeing the confusion on their faces before glancing back to Will.  His eyes glared at Will, as if he had offended him.  “Monohan told us nothing.  Where did you get the jersey?  When did you even try out?”

“Mr. Knight!  I see you’ve met Speedy over here,” a voice called out as the boys turned to Coach Monohan as he rushed out to meet the two of them, short, black hair just long enough to fall into his eyes and make him appear boyish.  He stopped short next to Cane and looked the team’s captain straight in the eye.  “Speedy, this is Will.  He is the new goalie and trainer for the Graham Prep Daggers and runner up for your spot pretty soon.  Show some respect and hospitality!”

Cane did neither of those, his expression going from tense to shocked, then to a glare that could have put Will six feet under with the worms.  He puffed out his chest a bit more and stepped closer to William who stood about three feet away, completely unfazed.  A hand appeared on his chest, stopping him from moving as the thin, dark haired boy stepped forward, a smile on his face, and happiness radiating off of him.

“My name is Ashton Ross!  I will be your center defensive and I will make you proud, Will,” the boy said, eyes glowing.  Something about the boy made Will relax, much like when Max was with him.  Ashton seemed peppy, much like Olivia had… minus the flirting.  The thing that made him more approachable though, had to be the fact that he was obviously hiding something, much like Will was.

“I’m sure you will,” Will rasped, a wicked grin crossing his face as he glanced at a furious Cane.  The rest of “practice” was spent observing skills, Cane’s leadership, and Cane’s obvious hatred for him.  Overall, the team was amazing if not for the fact that Cane was too wrapped up in proving himself and that he was better than Will to realize he was lacking good leadership skills and allowing team members to get overly aggressive with each other.  By the end, Monohan had confirmed that Will would be captain and that Ashton would remain as his right hand man.

Will was more than happy to arrive at Mrs. Kinney’s house where he could still hear Max and Isaac playing in the back yard.  It was around five, the time when Max started to get hungry and clingy.  Will was so ready for the familiarity of his sister that he barely noticed Asher staring at him from the stoop as he walked up.

“Will, how’s your father been?”

Will froze in place, the question startling him stock still.  Asher knew about everything.  He had been there when Will had taken Max and rushed over to the Kinney’s, asking them to take care of her while he went to the hospital to get stitched up.  The thing that froze him was that they were out in the open, where anyone could hear, including his father.

“Asher,” Will hissed at the younger boy, glaring at him.  Asher shrunk back against his gaze, trying to look smaller and less of a threat in case that was the reason for Will lashing out.  Asher may be the only person who would be smart enough to do that.  “We are out in the open!  I don’t need any attention and neither does Max.  Watch what you say outside!”

“‘m sorry Will.  I didn’t mean to, but maybe if other people knew…”

“No.”  Will had had this conversation with Asher far too many times.  Asher wasn’t far off.  If others knew they could protect his sister, but Will could do that too.  Will loved his father, in some way he did, and that held him back from taking his sister and running.  Asher was only being logical, but it didn’t matter.  “I came here for my sister.  Can you get her?”

Asher didn’t waste any time in jumping up, less than enthusiastic about continuing the conversation with the older, more experienced boy.  He rushed over the the gate that divided the backyard from the front, quickly jumping it and calling for Max, who whined but screeched when she heard that it was her brother.  Within the next minute, Asher hopped the fence with a squealing Max in his arms.  

“Will!  Will,” Max chanted as she rushed over to her brother and jumped into his arms, nuzzling her face into the collar of Will’s blazer, inhaling the scent of Will’s after practice soaps.  “I missed you Will.  Today was so…”

“You can tell me all about it at Sarah’s over a nice big stack of chocolate pancakes,” Will whispered into her hair, glancing up at Asher as he waved and jumped the fence again, going to get Isaac for dinner with his own family.  “Let’s get you into the car and head for dinner.  We have to get home before eight.  Did you do your homework?”

“Yeah, Will,” Max whispered into his collar, resting her head as he walked her over to his old camaro, placing her in the back seat and buckling her up.  “Do we have to go home, Will?  I… I don’t want to listen tonight,” Max whispered again, eyes downcast as Will pulls out of the driveway and makes a left.  Will sighs.

Max had always heard the sounds, seen the result of what Will had been doing.  She didn’t know what it was other than that the monster came out at night and Will protected them both.  He knew she had listened behind her door as he received blow after blow, drunken insult after drunken insult.  He knew she had heard his yelps when his father had drawn bloody lines across his chest and stomach with a kitchen knife in his attempts to get to Max.  It would never be Max getting hurt, though.  As far as Will was concerned, Robert Knight was his father alone, therefore his problem.

“Maxi,” Will sighed, pulling into Sarah’s Diner.  “We have to go home.  I promise you that what you hear is just the monster running away.  I will never let him get close to you, that is why we always go home.  Nothing will happen to you, Max.”

“What about you, Will?  Why do you always say nothing will happen to me when you always get hurt?  What really happens,” Max asked, eyes going up to stare back into Wills as he turned to look at her.  Max was so smart, so caring, so innocent, so naive.

“You can stay at Isaac’s tonight, then.  I will call Asher and tell him that you are staying the night, tell him he has to take care of you for the night,” Will said, eyes going to stare out the window.  He knew it was best for her not to be around his father, so maybe this was the right thing to do.

“Will…”

“Let’s go get some pancakes and then I’ll drop you at Isaac’s.  That’s final Maxine.”