The Hunter In Me

10 - Innocent

As I drove through the thick trees that separated Owen's yard from the dirt road, I concentrated on keeping the speed low enough to prevent rocks from flying up. When goosebumps rose on my arms, it took me a second to realize Owen's excitement buzzing through me caused them.

I smiled. "You doing okay up there, dude?"

"Yeah, I just..." His voice trailed off, and I wondered if something was wrong. Before I could ask, he said, "I'm out. Away from the house in a cherry ride with an entire town to see."

Chuckling at his old people's slang, I tapped the wheel. "She is pretty cherry. But don't get too excited about tonight. It's only Ellersville."

"Man, anything's better than staring at those same walls."

The earnestness of his tone hit me like a punch in the stomach, and I wished there was someplace more thrilling to show him than some restaurant. "Is there something specific you want to do or anywhere you'd like to go? If not tonight, then after work tomorrow."

"Nope, this is good. Seeing all the changes in town and wherever the mimics lead us will be enough. Besides, after work, we'll have to practice."

"Let me know if you change your mind."

Owen made a noncommittal sound and grew quiet. By the time we pulled into my driveway twenty minutes later, he'd been silent for a while. "Are you still alright?" I asked.

"Everything is so much different than I remember."

"We haven't gone anywhere yet; that was all back roads."

"Yeah, man, but even the roads are new, and the cars and the houses are different. And that family in their yard—that chick had blue hair! Is that something people do now?"

"It's pretty common." I grinned at his enthusiasm. It was so unlike anything I'd seen from him so far.

I reached for the handle, but Owen said, "Wait. Before we go in, we should decide how I'll know when to check out."

"When I'm about to think of things I'd rather keep private." I cracked the door for some air, but stayed in the truck.

"Right, but how will I know? I mean, I'll tune out before any hanky panky, and I won't talk while you're with people unless I have to, but what if you want me to leave besides that?"

I shook my head. "I can't exactly plan my thoughts."

"Well, how about a code word? Something you can say whenever you want privacy."

I liked the idea, and if we worked hard enough on blocking, it could work. "So, I say the code word, and you tune out?"

Owen hummed in agreement.

"What's the word?" I asked.

"It needs to be something you wouldn't normally use." We were quiet for a minute and then he laughed. "How about baseball?"

"Works for me. I say baseball, and you check out."

"You got it."

"Cool, it's a plan. Dad's still out, so we can talk inside too, at least until he gets home."

Owen was quiet as I unlocked the front door and hooked my keys on the coat rack in the foyer. "Um, this is it."

I looked around to show Owen the layout. From this spot, we could see the sunny living room packed with an oversized cozy couch and two brown leather recliners, the stairs leading up to the second floor, and part of the kitchen, including the white wooden dining set with six chairs. We only used a couple of the seats, so stacks of plumbing-related orders and paperwork covered most of the table.