Page 89 of Icarus

Icarus fought a wave of grief about it. But said nothing.

“It’s like they’re too bright for me,” Sorrel continued. “They suit someone like you though. Luca literally wouldn’t shut up about you. I think he has a crush on you.”

Icarus smirked. “Nah, he’s just a sweet guy. He’s like that with Akeem too.”

“You know Akeem?” Sorrel gasped.

“We don’t hang out or anything. We’re in different . . . friend groups.”

Sorrel made a displeased noise and fell silent.

“You don’t have to hang out with them again for my sake,” Icarus said quietly. “Do what you need. I’m just rooting for you to get what you want.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

Sorrel made a face, but didn’t ask Icarus anything more about it.

In the second half of class, they were graded on their paintings. Sorrel got a B plus, and Icarus got an A minus for oversimplicity of technique.

As he walked out of class, Icarus dumped his painting in the garbage.

Lower

He headed straight from school to the big-box hardware store one town over.

Sometimes Angus would send him here to pick up small things: wood, light bulbs, batteries. Icarus liked the way it smelled. He stood in the front door to inhale. Sawdust, chemicals, steel, dust, dirt, paint.

He strode through the aisles until he was in the section he needed, then waited until an employee was walking by.

“Can you help me? I’m looking for a type of saw.”

The man was older, with hands that were swollen from use. He paused and looked at Icarus.

“You need it for an art project or summat?” he asked. Icarus clearly wasn’t dressed like he worked in construction.

“I’m looking for a handsaw that can cut through steel,” Icarus said.

The man gazed at him; a bit contemplative. “A circ saw would be better, more stability.”

“The steel is close to skin. A table saw won’t work for what I need it for.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “You’re not tryna cut off handcuffs, are you? You’d be better off with a bolt cutter. A handsaw’s overkill.”

Icarus closed his eyes for a second and asked God for patience.

“The steel is about one inch thick, with about a centimeter and a half of space between the skin and the steel. Can a handsaw cut through that or not?” he asked.

The old man held up his hands and chuckled. “Aw, don’t get your gym shorts in a bunch. We can find you one that will work. But you gotta put something in between that skin and the blade. Won’t stop an accident, but could stop something bad from being something worse. Follow me.”

He took a few steps, then looked back over his shoulder. “Nothing illegal, now?”

Icarus shook his head. “My friend got stuck in a trap. Just trying to get him out, sir.”

He left with four sheets of sound-dampening foam, a Worx 4.5-inch electric compact circular saw, self-adhering bandages, steel mesh gloves, and a 1.25-inch-thick roll of rubber for the precious arch of Helios’s ankle.

Grief