#bergen_county

At noon, his father knocks again

A long pause. "Mmmph."

"Coming in"

And his dad does "It's noon. I know you're feeling down, and you have good reason to, but trust me, there comes a point this isn't healthy. Get up, get dressed, we're going to practice some Basketball"

The blankets heave a sigh.

"Now you're not enchanted so your memory is a bit hazy, right now that might be a mercy, but staying active can be good medicine"

"Huh?" Adam's tousled head emerges.

His gray blue father looms over him carrying a basketball in a huge hand

"I figure you're the better player but at least I have the advantage of height"

Adam's eyes get WIDE. "Uh." He blinks.

"Oh shoot. You've forgotten some of it... son, think back, if nothing else you remember some of the 'odd things' you saw at school and so on?"

He does recall some of hte kids at school..wait, Zane has horns? And he's been cool with that..but the details on WHY Zane has horns are a bit iffy

He does look confused but the alarm is fading gradually.

His phone buzzes again, insistent.

"oH, MMM could be Piper..." His father says and hands his son his phone

He takes it carefully from the massive fingers and looks at the number.

SYMON: u still in for this thing?

A frown, and he types. What thing?

His frown deepens. I don't remember this.

"Sorry, dad, Symon......." in way of explaination.

"Oh, fine. Talk to him. Or meet up with him if it gets you out of the house and moving around"

"Yeah, but I don't know what he's talking about....." worried.

"Dad, uh..... you look, uh, different."

"Mm don't want to overdo this, but for now..." A sigh.. "Hand me your phone for a second. I won't hurt it" he assures "And I'll hand it right back"

"Uh." He closes down the texting and carefully hands it back.

Without looking at the text, his father lets a little glamour into it, rocking it back and forth like a baby, then offers it back for his son to take

"Uhhh....." he takes it... and sucks in a breath, eyes going Wide again.

And memories flood back.

He swallows, hard.

"......oh......."

"Sorry, son. I kind of wanted to give you a break but..." A sigh and shrug and a point to the phone.

Bzzt. If a phone could sound annoyed...

Adam nods and looks again at the phone.

"Talk to him, now taht yhou remember. Might give you something to distract yourself with"

a blip as a location sharing icon pops up. Not too far away, maybe a 20 minute drive. An apartment complex - not THE apartment complex, the one that Adam was grounded from. But who knows if he's even still grounded? Hard to say, but that's... another story.

can u pick me up?

"Dad, Symon's got a thing I'm going to help him with." He stands and starts looking for clothes; he still looks a little off balance.

"You sure you're okay? You seem a bit wobbly" his dad says

"Uh, yeah. Just.... it's a lot." He is trying, but definitely not his devil-may-care self.

A nod "yeah. Heavy load to wake up to. I'm sorry son. I'd carry it for you if I could" And.. his dad means it

Adam shakes his head. "Naw. I mean. I can't change the way I feel, so... guess I have to learn to live with it." And -he- means it.

Kyle wants to tell his son that it will ease, but he wonders if the boy would believe him , or would be thinking his pain was being down played. Better just to nod for now

"Kay. I'm going to get cleaned up and get going." He pauses at the door. "Thanks, dad."

"You're welcome, son" he nod

Adam slips out for a shower, returns to get dressed, and then heads out.

INTO THE LAND OF THE DEAD AND THE DYING...

oh wait, just to go see Symon