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Chapters (77)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Also by Silas House
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. Contents
  7. Part One
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. Part Two
  27. 1
  28. 2
  29. 3
  30. 4
  31. 5
  32. 6
  33. 7
  34. 8
  35. 9
  36. 10
  37. Part Three
  38. 1
  39. 2
  40. 3
  41. 4
  42. 5
  43. 6
  44. 7
  45. 8
  46. 9
  47. 10
  48. 11
  49. 12
  50. 13
  51. 14
  52. 15
  53. 16
  54. 17
  55. 18
  56. 19
  57. 20
  58. 21
  59. 22
  60. 23
  61. 24
  62. 25
  63. 26
  64. 27
  65. 28
  66. 29
  67. 30
  68. 31
  69. Part Four
  70. 1
  71. 2
  72. 3
  73. Epilogue: The Everything
  74. Acknowledgments
  75. About the Author
  76. About Algonquin
  77. Copyright

There are few things that fill him up more than seeing his boy running free, but as soon as this thought blossoms in his mind, he also realizes how neither of them will ever really be free again.

He has taken that from Justin, because what freedom is there in being on the run from the police? He hasn’t thought this through enough. What will they do when school starts back? There’s no way to enroll him without it becoming known. What will they do if Justin gets sick and has to go to the hospital? What if Asher himself gets sick?

“Justin, come back!” Asher hollers, as Justin heads down toward the breaking water and the volleyball game. He minds, and starts back. Asher sees all of this through a thick haze, as if a fine mist lies over everything. “Come here, right now!”

As Justin runs up the beach there is nothing but goodness on his face.

Asher can’t stand it anymore. He lies back on the throw and locks his fingers together over his belly. If he can only rest for a few minutes . . .

Justin is standing over him, his face shadowed as the sun blazes white behind his head.

“Won’t you lay down with me for a little bit, hmm? Let’s rest awhile, buddy.”

“No, I want to get in the water.”

“Not yet,” Asher mutters. He can’t keep his eyes open. “You don’t have your swimming trunks—”

“I can go get them. They have a shower house, I saw it, it’s made out of rocks—”

“No, now. Let’s just rest awhile.”

“I want to get in,” Justin says, fed up. “I’ve been in that car for two days! I’m tired of it!”

Asher isn’t even able to make his mouth work correctly now. He is beyond tired; he is weary down into every muscle and bone. He hasn’t rested for months. “I’m sorry,” Asher hears himself say, as if from very far away, and even as he says the words he knows this is a mistake, that he can’t go to sleep, that he can’t allow Justin to be alone here on this beach. He tries to say: “Stay real close.”

Asher is asleep before Justin has even turned to run back to the surf.

2

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The Everything