Chapter 2

“Morning, Mom. Something smells great.” James walked into the kitchen to find his mother making breakfast. “Man, I slept like a log last night. I somehow ended up on the floor. Can you believe that?” James paused when he caught the fear and doubt in his mother’s pretty eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Jimmy, honey.” Christina flipped the bacon over in the pan. “What do you remember about last night?” She shivered as she thought about how he had ravaged her, shredding her marriage vows. Her eighteen-year-old son looked normal in the golden morning light. His eyes had gone back to blue again and he had none of the feral energy of last night.

“Well, I went to bed right after it went dark.” He sat at the table, took a sip from the glass of milk that waited for him, and shrugged. “And that’s it. Did I even have dinner last night?”

“No.” Christina shook her head. Not unless you counted his feasting on her womanly treasures. “So that’s it, Jimmy?”

“I don’t know what to tell you.” James shrugged again. “I guess I was tired.”

“I have to ask you something, James.” Christina carefully removed the sizzling bacon from the pan and made James up a plate with scrambled eggs. “I wish your father was home. Um ... Jimmy ... are you on drugs? You know like LSD, or reefer?”

“Are you kidding, Mom?” James let out a laugh, a friendly, easy sound. “I go to bed early one night and you ask me about drugs? By the way, I don’t think they call it reefer anymore.”

“Answer the question, honey.” She brought the plate over to James, and tentatively put it in front of him, like he might bite her any second. She retreated back behind the stove.

“No, Mom.” James looked down at his food. His stomach growled. He was so hungry. So, very hungry. “I’ve had a couple beers at parties, but that’s it.” He dug in with his hands, forgetting to use his fork. “I ... swear,” he said between bites. “I’ve got ... college ... to think about...”

“Use your fork, honey.” Christina’s pink lips turned down in a disgusted frown as she watched him shovel his food into his mouth with his hands.

“And ... there’s a girl ... I want to ask out ... at school. No ... drugs.” James continued on with his hands as if he hadn’t heard her. He looked down at his empty plate. “Wow, I guess I was hungry. More please?” James wiped his hands on his napkin and looked up with a smile.

“Of course.” Christina brought him more food and watched in horror as he ate it like an animal. When he asked for a third helping, she brought him more. Eventually, she ushered him out the door and off to the school bus. Christina had no idea what to do.

“Morning, Sally.” Christina held the phone up to her ear.

“Good morning, Christina.” Sally’s voice sparkled. She was eager to hear about what might be some good gossip. “How’d it go with James last night?”

“He ... um...” Christina twirled some of her hair in a finger. “He got aggressive with me.”

“My, Gosh. He did?” Sally was giddy. This is what she’d been hoping for. “He’s on drugs. I told you. You need Henry to set him straight. Did he lay a hand on you?”

“Well, Henry will be gone for some time.” Christina tried to keep her voice even. “Hypothetically, what would you do if one of your kids seemed to be on drugs?”

“Well.” Sally thought it over. “I’d wait until I thought they were about to use it, bust them in the act, and take the drugs away. You have to tell them no, Christina. Just say no to drugs. It works.”

“Hmmmmmmmm. I see.”

“So, are you going to catch him red-handed?” Sally couldn’t wait to hear how this went. James had always been so mild-mannered, but she’d somehow always known he had darkness underneath all those cardigan sweaters.

“I’ll try.” Christina needed to get out for a walk and clear her head. “I gotta go, Sally.”

“Call me tomorrow and let me know how it goes.” Sally heard the click as her friend disconnected. She envied her friend. A little excitement would be welcome. Things were so boring in Sally’s household.

The clock struck six. James had been up in his room for a couple hours. Was this the time people did drugs? Probably. The sun set outside and it seemed like if she was going to catch her son in the act, it was now or never. Christina wore yoga pants and a sweater, just in case she needed to be nimble. She sure as heck wasn’t going to let him catch her again if he went all crazy. She gathered her courage and marched upstairs.

Without knocking, Christina opened the door, but she wasn’t going to make the mistake of walking into his room again. Just in case. “Stop with those drugs. I’m saying no. You...” Oh, no. She was too late. She froze like a deer that had just wandered into a lion. Her skinny son stood naked again staring out the window at the crescent moon.

“Drugs? No ... to ... drugs.” James turned toward her, his frail chest rising and falling as he panted. A cruel smile parted his once innocent face. “I don’t do ... drugs ... I eat live bugs ... I find ... in the forest.” He took a step toward his mother. “While you hide in homes ... I gnaw old bones ... and you’ll find you’re the poorest.”