He had scratches and bruises, only some of them from his time with Victoria and the team. He was ginger with them all, checked for the redness of infection, and dabbed them dry instead of toweling more roughly as he finished showering and started getting dry. He stomped hard on the floor, three times, as he stepped out of the shower. The pipes knocked as the water downstairs was turned on again.

The recluse was planning something for three nights from now. He needed to plan, conserve strength. It was possible he would be incapacitated, if the others found a way to hijack the rotation or interfere with his days.

His thoughts were occupied with the logistics and conversations he’d need to have as he wrapped a towel around his waist, checked for chin scruff, and then crossed the hall to enter his room. Clean clothes, bag, shoes.

He did his best to stay out of sight of the kitchen as he headed downstairs, ducking into the front hall and out the door.

The dirt road cut a zig-zagging line between homes and fields. Things had been situated in a way that had been convenient at the time, but the layout didn’t make for good town planning otherwise. Other students were walking to school, older siblings watching the younger ones, friends meeting to talk. Some parents walked with their children to supervise. Other adults were around to supervise. The notorious and inevitable Mrs. Sims was bitching at a group of the fifth graders, splitting up groups of friends to make the boys and girls walk on different sides of the road.

A truck came down the road, and the students moved to the muddy sides where the ground was far softer. It was Jay, stopping periodically to let friends hop into the back.

A short distance behind Rain, Jay stopped in plain view of Mrs. Sims to ask Brianna and Kaylyn Barr if they wanted to ride in the truck, which was already mostly packed with senior boys.

The sisters climbed into the back of the pickup truck. Mrs. Sims scowled, but she kept her mouth shut.

The truck moved a little bit further down the road and stopped beside Rain. Jay leaned past his girlfriend. He had thin facial hair, a baseball cap, and a sweatshirt with a logo on it. The sweatshirt and cap looked brand new, and they also looked like they were from Bet, with the quality and logos. Expensive.

“You want a ride, rain man?” Jay asked.

“No thanks. Walking with a friend.”

“I know who you’re talking about. You know you don’t have the slightest chance with her, right?”

“Of being her friend?”

“Yeah, right,” Jay said. He rolled his eyes. “Enjoy that walk.”