“You’ve got a genius on your hands.”
“Possibly. Jesper’s been known to take TVs, coffee machines, and lots of other household appliances apart to see how they work,” I replied.
“Okay, I’ll talk to him,” Magic said and heaved himself upright with a groan. “I’m getting old.”
I eyed him and laughed. “You still look fine to me.”
Magic grinned and walked over to Jesper, who perked up. A few minutes later, Jesper bounced over, smiling widely. My heart warmed, and for a moment we felt like a family until I remembered those we’d lost. The smile faded, and I gazed at the horizon. Vulcan couldn’t be replaced, and we’d never be a family like we once were. But was it possible to make a new one?
Time would tell.
Lars
“Morlikes Magic.”
Laila turned her head. “What?”
We were heading into school, and I was agitated. “I said,Morlikes Magic.”
“So what?” Laila asked, stopping.
“Magic wants to take Dad’s place,” I snapped. Why was Laila being so dense?
“Magic doesn’t and knows he can’t. But he can be a friend or closeOnkel,” Laila replied.
“He’ll never be a part of our family!” I yelled and ran back down the steps to the school. I passed Oskar, who looked concerned, and started to follow me.
“Stay with that naïve idiot!” I ordered and headed for the street. Angrily, I slipped through the crowd and raced off.
I didn’t know where I was going, but I needed to get away from Laila and her ‘everything would be alright’ attitude. The hell it would. Dad had been dead two years, and it still hurt like crazy. Aunt Aster had only been gone a few months, and we’d upended our lives and moved to this weird-ass country. I hated everything about this place, and I missed home.
Pissed, I kept walking, letting the hate and misery wash over me. America wasn’t the great adventure everyone had believed. The kids at school made fun of our accents and our intelligence. They were totally ignorant that Denmark was a first-world country. Denmark consistently ranks among the top countries for quality of life, economic stability, and innovation. And as for corruption, Denmark was one of the least corrupt countries in the world.
Anger growing, I ducked down an alley and kept walking. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, but making plans on how the hell to leave this hellhole. America was horrible, and I hated it. The kids here were indulged, spoiled, petty, small-minded, and ridiculous. I wanted my friends from the clubhouse and my old school.
Something else I missed was the ability to get on the ice. I’d loved playing for my ice hockey club back home, but the school’s team had no room for foreigners, Oskar and I had been told. Fuck them. I’d seen the team. Oskar and I could skate circles around them—blindfolded. When I turned eighteen, I’d head back to Denmark; Laila would come and Oskar too. Mom would have to follow and bring the younger kids, too.
“Hey, what you doing here?” a guy shouted, and I glanced across the street. I realised I wasn’t somewhere I recognised, and the area looked rough. Where the hell was I?
“Got any money?” the guy called, and I began walking off. “Don’t fuckin’ ignore me, you little prick.”
I heard running footsteps, and fear swept through me. The guy appeared, cutting me off. I stepped back from him. He smelt funny, like drugs, and I was instantly wary.
“Dude, I’m not looking for trouble,” I stated.
“Well, you found it. What do you have on you?”
“About ten dollars.”
“Yeah, not with that foreign accent. I bet you got shit worth some dough. Hand it over and I’ll let you go,” he insisted.
“Look, I said no. Go away.”
The guy laughed and yanked out a wicked-looking flick-knife.
“Be a shame to cut up that pretty face of yours, kid.”
Trying to be intimidating, I drew myself up to my full six feet. I was taller and broader than him, but he didn’t seem bothered. A snicker escaped him, and the knife moved closer.
