auguSTAR

CHAPTER ONE

Augusta was at her job at Hy-vee, stocking shelves with the extra supplies in the store room. Will, another employee, was also there. Augusta Yang and Will Traverse both went to Clinton High, and although they worked together, they hardly spoke, each for a different reason, they felt, but in truth, they were silent for the same. Augusta was afraid that he didn’t consider her a friend- and may never consider her more. Will was afraid she would turn him down. Each had heard the other didn’t date.
         Will was a cashier, and his shift should have been over. But he was waiting for Augusta. They were going to the school’s special fundraiser, and he had offered to drive her. It was an all night party where there were going to be representatives from the Guiness Book of World Records for the largest all night party- admission seven dollars if you came alone, five dollars as a couple.
         He kicked one of the kickballs he had borrowed from the giant pen in the middle of the store against the wall. He was going to beat his personal record, 47 kicks in a row. 41, 42…
         “Can I walk through without you kicking me?” Augusta asked, laughing as the ball zoomed in front of her. The ball flew out the employees only door and Will chased after it. He met her at the door outside. “BERT!! We’re leaving!” Augusta yelled in the direction of the managers office.
         When they made it to the high school everyone was there. “Five dollars for a couple,” the ticketmaster said.
         “Oh, um..” Augusta blushed.
         “Five dollars is cheaper than 14,” Will whispered in her ear. Augusta had to agree.
         “Augusta! Over here!” Isabella screamed from a table. “Sit with us!”
         “See you later?” Augusta said, waving as she walked away from Will.
         “Yeah,” He watched her join her friends. One of the representatives was there, he could tell by the suit. The guy had way to much gel in his hair, and he looked kinda sleezy.
         “Yo! Will!” Joey Macintosh, his best guy friend, yelled. Will turned, and missed seeing the representatives foot cross over his leg…
         … and right into Augusta’s miniskirted lap. Otherwise, Will would have been there in a flash, to help his friend.
         But Augusta was on her own. She pushed his leg off, but it went right back on top of her. None of her friends could see. They were making polite conversation with another representative.
         But then the rep turned in his chair, and his hand was trying to force it’s way between her knees. She fought against him. “Stop,” she growled.
         “I don’t think they’ll ever get me to stop,” He said smugly.
         Augusta grabbed the only weapon… the bowl of pretzels of the table, and threw them at him.
         “AUGUSTA! Are you trying to ruin our chance at the record?” Isabella screamed.
         “NO! And this- JERK isn’t a rep, he’s a perv!” The room went deadly quiet. “I’m leaving, and if any of you were smart you would too.” She turned in her stool, away from him. She was halfway through the room when she heard another shreek, from the girl on the other side of him.
         “SHE WAS RIGHT! Keep your hands of me, you perv!” The girl screamed, and all of a sudden Augusta was part of a surge of girls pushing out the door. She felt a hand on her arm pull her out of the stampede. Augusta hit at it. “You perv! Let go of me! I’ll call the cops!” LET GO!” She tried to pull away.
         “Augusta, it’s me!” Will said, holding on as people surged past. Augusta stopped struggling. She turned and stared. He had come to meet her. To save her.
         “Are you okay?” Will asked, trying to read her face. Her eyes where still a little scared, but her face was almost smiling. He had come to make sure she was okay. Augusta couldn’t believe it.
         “Mentally? No. Physically, yeah.” She shuddered. “I’m so scared, Will.”
         “Are your parents home?” Will asked. Often her parents went somewhere for a week and made plans for the kids to be away from home also, so they weren’t alone. He didn’t know why they didn’t trust Augusta, though he understood why they didn’t trust Clark, her brother. That kid was hormones gone insane.
         “No,” she said, pulling back. The plan had been Clark would be at some friend’s house and she would be at the school party.
         “Do you want a ride? From me? I mean, because I would understand if you completely hate the male population… you know… after…” Will said, careful not to look at Augusta.
         “Will,” she said, smiling. “I trust you completely. The day I hate you is the day you die.”
*
         Augusta woke as they hit a dip in the road. “What?” She asked, dazed.
         “Oops, sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.” Will was driving, and he smiled over at her.
         “Where are we?” She asked, sitting up in her seat. “I mean, besides your truck.” Will drove a silver Ford SUV thing. That’s all Augusta really understood about the car.
         “I’m not letting you stay home alone. Not after tonight.” Will said, not looking at her. He didn’t want to see how she responded to that.
         She didn’t respond. She was in shock he was that great a friend. “Where are we going then?” Augusta finally asked. That he cared that much almost scared her.
         “My house. You can use Anna’s room.” Will said, pulling up to a gate. He wiped his hands on a towl, then wiped off the keys.
         “I didn’t know you were such a germophobe,” Augusta laughed.
         “They make us do this so people can’t fingerprint the code.” Will said, as he typed in whatever was his personal password into the neighborhood. “See, when I type my password -everyone picks their own- it triggers a bell in our house that says someone is coming.”
         Augusta turned and watched all the houses go by. “Where are you going for senior year? Has your mom asked yet?” The Traverse’s sent their kids anywhere they wanted for senior year. Anna, Will’s older sister, was in New York City and her twin, Jack, was in California somewhere.
         “Yeah, she’s asked.” Will said. He didn’t say anything else. He didn’t want to say that he’d told his mom that where he wanted to be senior year was wherever Augusta was.
         “Where would you go if you could?” Will asked Augusta.
         She considered it. Europe, Russia, China, Australia… or just a place in the U.S.?
         “Colorado,” she said.
         Will looked surpised. “Colorado?” He repeated. “We have a cabin there. You ever skied?”
         “No,” Augusta said.
         “Would you like to?” Will asked.
         “Yeah.
         “We’re going there for spring break. Wanna come?”
         Augusta turned in her seat to look at him. “Seriously?”
         “Yeah.”
         “Yeah.”
         Will smiled, and his mom came to meet them when they entered the house.
         “Will?” She asked, seeing Augusta.
“Augusta, why don’t you wait in the living room. Mom, can I talk to you in the kitchen?” Will asked.
         His mom nodded. Augusta looked at the stiff furniture in the living room. Will laughed. “Not that one, the one through the door. That’s the formal living room. Half our house is for show. The other is for comfort.” Will disappeared with his mom into the kitchen, and Augusta went through the door. The first thing she saw was a huge, plush white chair. She kicked off her Keds and curled up. Soooo soft.
         “Will, who is she? And why is she here?” Will’s mom said in the kitchen.
         “Mom, she’s had a rough night. Some perv tried to be a geniocologist… when he wasn’t. And he was like, 35 years old.” Will’s mom paled.
         “Oh, the poor girl… wait, do you even know who she is?”
         “I work with her, mom. That’s Augusta.” Will said. His mom’s face stayed confused. “Augusta Yang? The Augusta.”
         “The ‘I want to live where ever she is’ Augusta?” His mom asked.
         “Yeah.”
         Will’s mom walked out to the living room. “Oh,” she said softly. “Will, she can have Anna’s room. Anything left in there clothes wise she can borrow. I imagine she doesn’t want to live in those clothes forever.” The miniskirt and top where cute, but not comfortable. “She can stay as long as she needs.” His mom added. “Can you get her upstairs? I don’t want to wake her up.”
         “Sure,” Will said, walking over to the chair. He scooped her up. “Wow, she’s light,” he said.
         His brother Marcus came up from his room in the basement. He stood at the stairs. “Why does Will get to have a girl over? How come I never get to have a girl over?”
         “Shhhhh,” Will’s mom said. “She’s had a rough day. Special surcomstances.”
         Marcus turned and marched back downstairs, and Will carried Augusta up to his sister’s room.
         Augusta’s hand, unknowing to her, reached out and curled around his t-shirt, holding on.
         Will set her down on the bed… and she wouldn’t let go. Her grip was rock hard. He slipped out of his shirt and smiled as she pulled it to her.



CHAPTER TWO


         Augusta woke to the sound of running water. She realized she was holding something, and looked down to see Will’s shirt in her hands. That was weird.
         She sat bolt upright. She was still in her miniskirt, and her top. Thank god.
         Augusta looked around her. The room had a TV mounted on the wall, and what appeared to be a walk in closet. She walked over and stuck her head in.
         Oh. My. God. Yes, half the closet was empty -clothes Anna probably took with her- but the other half was full of clothes that were way better than the Macy’s rack at Target.
         She walked over to the other door, from which the running water was coming from. She knocked.
         “One sec,” Augusta heard mumbled from inside, and then Will was standing there, dripping. Yes, he had a towl around his waist, but he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Augusta was taken aback a little.
         “Oh. Hey, morning!” Will said. “Mom says you can steal anything you want of Annas. That’s all what she left behind and doesn’t want. Oh, and if you, like, want to clean up, I’m almost done.” He smiled at her shocked look.
         “Thanks,” she mumbled, and Will nodded and closed the door.
*
         When he got downstairs, he walked into the kitchen, and stopped. She was sitting at the counter talking to his mom… in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. And she probably picked some of the plainest stuff she could find in Anna’s closet… if there was anything plain IN there… but she looked gorgeous.
         “Hey,” She said, taking a spoonful of cereal.
         “Hey,” he replied. His mom eyed him, then said to Augusta, “I told you he’d be shocked you found something relatively normal in Anna’s closet.” They both laughed, and Will said “HA” grabbing the box of cereal, which just made Augusta laugh harder.
         “You recognize this shirt?” Augusta asked, looking at him closely.
         Will looked closer at it. “You sneak!”
         That just made them laugh harder and harder. Augusta was wearing the shirt he’d been wearing last night, the one she’d clung to. He’d never known anyone like her.
         “When are your parents back in town?” Mrs. Traverse asked Augusta. “Saturday, I think. I was supposed to stay at my neighbor’s for the next couple weeks, but she had an emergency trip to Missouri, something about her grandma.”
         “Your welcome here,” Mrs. Traverse said. “Does your brother have a place?”
         “Yeah, he’s bunking at some dork friend’s of his. At least, that’s what he told our parents, because he said he refused to stay with me and my neighbor.” Augusta said, taking a spoonful of Will’s cereal, since her’s was gone.
         “Hey! We have a box!” Will said, protecting his cereal.
         “Exactly, so you can get more. I’m just to hungry to do it myself. So share.” Augusta playfully shoved him, and while he was distracted grabbed another bite.
         “Fine, have it,” He said, shoving the bowl at her.
         She shook her head. “Now I’m full.”
         Will sighed. Unlike anyone he’d ever known.
         After breakfast Will gave Augusta a tour of the house. He showed her all the formal rooms, which he said you knew to avoid by the glass doors. Then he showed her the comfortable, livable rooms, with the regular old wooden doors. Augusta was in awe.
         “Why would your brother and sister ever want to live anywhere else?” She asked, running her hand along the wood paneled walls. “This place is- OH MY GOD!” Will had just walked her out to a terrace- that overlooked an indoor pool. “I think my sister might have left behind a coupld of never worn bikinis,” Will said, smiling, and Augusta ran down the hall.
         “You’ve got five minutes to change, Will, or I win!!” Augusta yelled back, already headed toward Anna’s room. Will smiled and turned toward his.
         “Please oh please…” Augusta prayed as she ran into the closet. And right there, behind the mini dresses… Three bikinis with the tags still on them. She picked the shiny gold one with the ring in the middle of the top.
         She grabbed a towl from the bathroom and skipped down the hall. An indoor pool. Will’s sister and brother where insane to leave.
         Augusta looked around. Will wasn’t there yet. She set down her towel and a blur ran past her. There was a giant splash, and Will was in the pool. “Beat you!” He said, laughing as she jumped in after him. “Wow, you look good.” He added.
         “Thanks. So do you!” Augusta said. Will’s shocked open mouth gave her the perfect opportunity. She pushed him below the surface, and she felt him pull her down, giggling. She opened her eyes, and there he was, silently laughing. His eyes where screaming laughter, and she pushed him, then swam farther towards the deep end before he could get her.
         Will strained not to laugh as he raced to catch up with her. She had picked the bikini with the gold shine, and with the circle in the middle. It made her blue eyes look all twinkly, and when she swam her red hair flew out behind her in a cloud. She was a fast swimmer, and he raced to catch up.
         Augusta stopped swimming and went to the surface. She could feel someone watching her… someone not Will. She turned, scared. Will popped up.
         “Will…” She croaked, and he noticed the scared look in her eyes.
         “What? Augusta, what?” Will was in front of her, his hands on her arms.
         “We were being watched. I could feel it. They weren’t watching nicely either.” Her teeth began to chatter, even though they were in warm water. “Will, I’m scared,” she said, still looking around.
         “Your safe. I swear. If it was anyone who hadn’t been in the house already, a bell would have sounded they were coming.” Will held her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. “Your safe as long as I’m with you. I promise.” Augusta stared into his eyes. She couldn’t see any signs he was lying, but that didn’t make her feel any better. Someone had been there.
         Will pulled her to the edge of the pool and went over to the intercom. “Mom,” he said into it. “Who’s home right now?”
         “Me, you, Augusta, Marcus… your dad should be here soon.”
         “Double check where Marcus is.”
         “Okay.”
         Will waited while his mom searched the house grid that said with little red dots where people where. Well, where anything that moved with heat was.
         “He’s going down the hall away from the pool room. Is the where you and Augusta are?”
         “Yeah mom. Thanks.”
         Will turned back to Augusta, who was wrapped in a towel and staring down the hall. “Will,” she whispered. “He had a video camera.”
         “Marcus?” Will asked. “How do you know?”
         “Because it’s right there, and it wasn’t there when we came in.” She pointed to a waterproof camera sitting on a table.
         Will walked over and turned it on. He watched the last footage. Him pulling her below the water. He deleted it.
         “Will, why would he tape it and then leave it? He must have had another camera, or uploaded the stuff he shot, or something!” She calmed her voice back down. “Why would he videotape us?”
         The sound of a bell chiming once pierced from the intercom. Augusta shrieked.
         “Shhhhhh,” Will said, wrapping her in her towel. He dried himself off too. “It’s just my dad. Lets go meet him.”
         “Your dad?” Augusta followed Will back down the hall. “Is your dad against you two -your brother and you- having girls here?”
         “Don’t worry, he’ll love you.” Will said, walking towards the living room.
         “Not if he sees that tape he might not.”
         Will froze in his tracks at the sound of Marcus’ voice. Augusta grabbed his arm. “Where is he?” She whispered.
         “Right here,” she heard as an icy hand gripped her shoulder. She shrieked, and Will was already in front of her.
         “What is your problem?” Will asked.
         “Her. I can’t have friends over, you can’t have friends over. Especially when dad sees the tape.”
         “We deleted it,” Will said.
         “Off the camera. I’m not that dumb. I already burned it to a DVD. Dad can see it when he goes to watch football.” Marcus smiled.
         “All that’s on there was us swimming.” Augusta piped up.
         “Wrong. WILL is pushed under water by you, and then your pulled under too. What do you think dad’ll think that your both underwater that close together?” Marcus sneered.
         “That they were swimming.” A voice behind Augusta said. She screamed again.
         “CAN PEOPLE STOP FREAKING HER OUT?” Will said, turning. “Oh. Hi Dad.”
         “Augusta?” Mr. Traverse asked, putting out his hand.
         “Yes sir. Sorry for freaking out.”
         “Perfectly fine. Happens once and a while. Go back to swimming, we can talk later. Marcus- you and I can talk now.”
         Will smiled as Marcus followed his dad down the hall.
         “He knows what happened.” Augusta sounded sad.
         “Thank god he’s not kicking you out, though. Come on, do you want to swim or take a try at the hot tub?” Will said, walking back down the hall.
         Augusta hurried to catch up. “Hot tub?” She said excitedly.
         “Hot tub.” Will nodded. “Bubbles, lights, the whole shebang.”
         “This is so awesome.” She skipped on ahead. “She stopped and turned, kissing him on the cheek. “Thanks so much!”
         “For the stuff?” Will asked, praying.
         “No. For being you.” Then she walked back towards the pool. “So where’s this mysterious hot tub?”
         “Your bathroom,” Will said.
         “SERIOUSLY? THIS IS SO COOL!” Augusta smiled. “Join me?”
         “Wouldn’t miss it.”


CHAPTER THREE

          Will knocked on the door, and Augusta looked up from the mirror to go open it. “I need help,” she said, pulling him inside. Will was wearing a nice button down shirt and jeans, but Augusta had on a bathrobe. One of the neighbors was having a dinner, and Augusta was going with, as part of the family. And she had no idea what to wear.
         “I have no idea what to wear.” She told Will. “What would I look good in?”
         “Anything,” he replied.
         “Thanks, but seriously. Your sister’s stuff is so… Hollywood glamour. Is that too dressy?”
         Will walked along all the clothes he’d never seen his sister wear.
         “This,” he said, picking a dress. Augusta looked at it. A-line neck, mini skirt, and in a soft aqua color. He had good eye.
         “You are a miracle worker. Now, go wait on the bed while I try it on.”
         When Augusta opened the door, Will’s jaw dropped. He had picked the dress, but she was stunning. She had paired it with silver bangles, and her hair flowed around her glowing face. “Tada!” Augusta said, smiling.
         “Wow.” That’s all Will could say.
         “Thanks. Are you proud to be taking such a pretty person to the dinner?”
         “Yeah.” Will’s mouth seemed to be having problems speaking.
*
         When Augusta walked into the next door mansion arm in arm with Will, behind his parents, all the polite chatter stopped. Mrs. Traverse smiled and said, “This is Will’s friend, Augusta Yang.” Nice to meet you’s echoed around the room. Three girls sitting together, about 13 years old, glared at Augusta.
         “The triplets,” Will whispered in her ear. “They think I’m a god. Watch.”
         Will led her over to the three girls. “Augusta, this is Mandy, Sandra, and Cara. Girls, this is Augusta.”
         “Hi Will,” they sighed at the same time. They ignored Augusta.
         She stifled a laugh. “I’m walking arm in arm with a god,” she said. “Isn’t that amazing?” Then they turned and Will said, “Sit, I’ll find some drinks. Pepsi?”
         “Yeah,” Augusta said, heading for Mrs. Traverse and the group of ladies she was sitting with.
         “Hello, Augusta, dear, sit!” Mrs. Traverse said. “This is Mrs. Kohl, you’ve met her daughter Mandy. And Cara’s mother, Mrs. Lunten, and Mrs. Marsh, her kids are already off to college, so fast they grow up, and this is Sandra’s mother, Mrs. Kent. Ladies, this is the girl who’s staying with us a couple of weeks.”
         They all shook hands, and then Mrs. Kent, who was having the dinner, said that she had put a extra setting out for her next to Will, since unfortunately they had been unaware she was coming.
         “That’s fine,” Augusta said, and thankfully Will came then and sat down. He gave her the pepsi, and she thanked him.
         “They aren’t boring you with talks of stuffed olives, are they Augusta?” Will asked playfully.
         “No, they’re very nice. Mrs. Kent said she put a place setting for me next to you at the table.”
         “Oh, she’s good. She’s usually surrounded me with the triplets, so she must really like you to give up hope on me liking to talk to her daughter. Augusta giggled and the ladies looked over at her.
         “Pepsi,” she said, coughing. They turned away, and she and Will laughed silently.
         “Dinner!” Mr. Kent said from the door.
Everyone rose.
         “If anyone asks what football team you like, say the Colts. That’s the only team ALL the dads here like. Baseball is Cubs. Colts and Cubs. Then you’ll be safe,” Will whispered in her ear. He led her to their seats, and he pulled out her chair.
         “Thank you,” Augusta said, sitting down. Then she realized what the silverware was made of.
         “Oh. My. God.” She whispered.
         “What?”
         “It’s gold.”
         “Oh, yeah, she takes it out to show she’s high up in a bank’s best friend list. Don’t be afraid, and don’t mention it to anyone else. Otherwise she goes into this long story about traveling west in a wagon.” Will smiled at Augusta. “Just be yourself.”
         Augusta nodded. She had no idea Will came from such a background that this was normal. Her family wasn’t poor, but they never had money for such things, or vacations every year. Only because her dad was in the Guard did he and her mom go anywhere, and this Guard trip was the honeymoon they never took. In Hawaii, of course.
         The dinner was fabulous, chicken salad, and everyone was nice and polite to her. She talked, and as Will watched she became more and more comfortable around the people who had shaped his life. He was glad, because these people were almost his family.
         About halfway through dinner Augusta felt Will watching her. She turned, and he smiled at her. She smiled back, then turned back to Cara, who was telling her about some of her friends at school who had tried to get detention on purpose to see what their parents would do.
         Will was amused that Cara had taken to Augusta. Cara was like his younger sister, or cousin maybe. She was always the nicest. He could tell Mandy was ready to slap Cara for being friendly with the enemy.
*
         Walking back to Will’s house, his parents fell behind, and Marcus had run ahead. Will and Augusta where left to themselves.
         “I love your neighbors. They’re all so happy,” Augusta said, leaning on Will. “I was so happy.” She smiled sleepily.
         “I was happy too. They all love you, like I told you they would.” Will said.
         “I’m so tired.”
         “I noticed.”
         “Goodnight, Will.”
         “Goodnight.”
         He showed her the drawers under the bed where Anna had kept her pajamas. Then he went to his room.
         Augusta was so different. For the first time since yesterday she was finally happy. He was glad they had taken her mind off what had happened.
         He looked in her room one more time. She was sound asleep. He smiled and eased the door shut…
         And turned around and faced his dad.
         “I like her.” He said. Will nodded. “Don’t let her disappear.” Then he walked back towards the master bedroom.
         Will watched his dad go. It may not seem like much, but for his dad to say he approved of Augusta was the best thing he had ever done for Will.
         Will lay in bed, thinking over everything she had said to him that day. He kept seeing her laughing, standing at the edge of the pool; and then her coming out of the closet, yelling “TADA!” It was 1 am before he went to sleep. Twenty minutes later he was jolted out of bed by Augusta’s scream.


CHAPTER FOUR

         “Augusta!” Will said, pushing open the door. She was sitting in bed, sobbing, and shaking. “Shh, shh, it’s fine. It’s Will. Augusta, say something!” He wrapped his arms around her. His mom appeared in the door.
         “What happened?” She asked coming in.
         “I don’t know. Augusta, say something. Come on, it’s Will. Your safe. Your fine. Say something.”
         “I’m sorry,” she said between sobs.
         “Nothing to be sorry for,” Will replied. “What happened?”
         He saw his mom go to the door, taking his dad back with her. Will noticed Marcus standing there, but he too left.
         “Was it Marcus?” Will asked, pulling her closer. She was still shaking.
         “No,” she said, burying her face in her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she said again. She slowly began to stop shaking, and her sobs grew quiet.
         “Augusta, what happened?” Will asked, more softly.
         “I dreamt... it.” She shuddered and Will rubbed his hand down her arm.
         “I can’t go back to sleep,” she said. “I don’t want to… for it to happen again.” She looked up at his face. “Stay with me. Please.”
         “I’m here. I’m not leaving. Ever.” Will lifted her up. She giggled.
         “Where are we going?” She asked.
         “Hot chocolate.” Will replied. “I’ll wake you when it’s made.”
         “No, no, don’t leave…” Augusta said. Once again, she grabbed his t-shirt. This time she was aware she was doing it.
         “Relax. I’m not going to set you down.” Will said.
         Augusta yawned. “Okay,” and the last thing she remembered was Mrs. Traverse’s smile over Will’s shoulder as she shut the door to the master bedroom.
         “Augusta,” Will whispered. “Here, drink this.” She felt a cup pushed into her hands. She forced her eyes open. Will’s face was barely five inches from hers. “Your really tired.”
         “Don’t leave me.” Augusta said. Then she looked down. Will’s shirt was in her hand. Again. “I need to stop doing that.” She said, handing it back to him.
         “That’s ok. It apparently gives you some weird comfort to latch onto my shirts.” Will smiled. “And I’m right here. I’m not leaving. I promise.”
         “Will?” Augusta asked, looking at him as he pulled the shirt over his head.
         “Mm-hmm,” Will murmered, sitting next to her.
         “Thanks.”
         Will watched as she faded back to sleep. He set the cocoa on the table, and as he was leaning over her, she reached up and grabbed his shirt. Again.
         “Okay, seriously, do you want my mom to get a teddy bear made out of them?” Will muttered, slipping out of it for the second time that night.
         “You could have kept it on that time,” she murmured. And then she was sleeping again. He shook his head and sat down on the couch to watch her.
         “Is she asleep?” Marcus asked from the doorway. Will turned.
         “Yeah.”
         “I’m sorry, man. Dad told me what happened. I didn’t know, I swear, that mom was literal when it was special surcomstances. I thought that she was just favoring you.”
         “I believe you,” Will said. “Go back to sleep. She’s fine.”
         “Then why aren’t you asleep?”
         “She told me not to leave. Plus, the second her hand goes limp I’m getting my shirt back. Again.”
         “Her security blanket?”
         “Yeah.”
         Marcus left for his bedroom. Will watched him go, then turned back to watching Augusta. She’d brought the shirt to her face and was clutching it so tight you’d think it was a life preserver.
         “She took your shirt again?” His mom said, handing him another one.
         “I think we should get a pillow made or something.”
         “She doesn’t want it for it’s softness, or it’s material. She wants it because it smells like you. And it is a part of you. Sort of.”
         Will sighed. “I was hoping she’d get so tired she wouldn’t clutch it so tightly and I could get it back.” He pulled the new one over his head. “But the longer she sleeps the tighter her hand gets.”
         “Go give her a hug, sweetheart. See what happens.” Then his mom went back upstairs too.
         Will shrugged. Augusta already had his shirt. He sat on the floor next to her. He reached out and rubbed his hand down her arm, and then once again she pulled him towards her. “Don’t leave…” Augusta whispered.
         “I won’t.” Will whispered back. He scooped her up -she wasn’t letting go of the shirt he was wearing, or the one in her other hand- and carried her back upstairs. Will sat on the bed and carfully set her down.
         “No, Will, don’t go… I need you here…” Augusta said, scared.
         “I’m not leaving.” Will lay down on the pillow facing her. Augusta smiled.
         “Don’t slip out this time.”
         “I’m not leaving, you can let go.”
         “Promise?”
         “Promise. Unless I need to go to the bathroom.”
         “Okay,” Augusta whispered, already transferring back to sleep.
         “Goodnight,” Will whispered. He watched her for a  while, until he realized he had slept only 20 minutes that night. He closed his eyes, and he found her hand reaching out and grabbing his.
         Augusta smiled as she heard Will’s breathing grow steady. She felt bad she had kept him up all night. She realized that it was Sunday, and opened her eyes to look at the clock. 4 a.m. She turned back to see Will’s brown eyes looking over her face. His brown hair, slightly shaggy, was in a mess. “You okay?” He whispered.
         Augusta nodded. “As long as you’re here with me.”
         Will leaned over and kissed her softly on the cheek. “Same here.”
         He watched her drift back to sleep, and he did the same.
         “She’s a nice girl,” Will’s mom whispered in the doorway.
         “Yes,” his dad agreed. “But I don’t know if I like this arrangment. They’ve known each other a day and he’s on her bed.”
         “We knew each other a day and you were on my bed. And at least they’re still clothed.”
         “There’s ten years difference between our ages when we met and theirs.”
         “Jim, you need to learn to trust your son. He’s a good kid. Besides, she wouldn’t sleep if someone wasn’t with her. She’s freaked out.”
         “You couldn’t be with her?”
         “She requested him. Come on, come back to sleep.” She led her husband away.
         “Your dad just lost to your mom,” Augusta whispered to Will.
         “It’s a miracle.” He whispered back.
         “If I wake up and your not here in the morning I’m going to scream bloody murder. Just to let you know.” Augusta smiled, but her eyes showed she was dead serious.
         “Go to sleep, Augusta,” Will said.
         Their breathing matched each other as they slept.
*
         Augusta opened her eyes to bright daylight. For a second, she couldn’t see Will, and she opened her mouth to scream when a hand went over her mouth. “Don’t. You said I could use the bathroom. Figures you pick then to wake up.” Will leaned over so she could see him. “Morning.”
         “Morning.” Augusta sat up.
         “I picked you an outfit today,” Will said. Augusta raised an eyebrow.
         “That doesn’t sound like a good thing.” She followed him to the closet.
         “Okay, first… Jeans with star on back pocket! Then… You don’t know how long it took to find it but I found her section of tops that weren’t shiny, sparkly, sequined, or strapless. So… “ Will held up a black formfitting t-shirt with stars in different colors all over it. “Neon stars!”
         “You’re so great,” Augusta said, hugging him. “Now, out, so I can change. I give you permission to leave the room so you can change, too.” She laughed as she shut the door.
*
         Will was going through the fridge looking for orange juice when she walked into the kitchen, but the sudden silence from his family made him look up. His jaw almost dropped, but he stopped it this time.
         “Don’t look so surprised,” Augusta said, grabbing the orange juice out of his hands. “You picked the outfit.”
         “Yeah, but you actually look good.”
Augusta turned and looked at him, amused.
         “Will picked that outfit?” His dad asked.
         “Yep.” Augusta said. “I woke up and he was all ‘I picked you an outfit for today,’ which kinda made me scared but I think he did a good job. Right?”
         Mrs. Traverse smiled. “He sure did. I guess his sister finally rubbed off on him.”
         “She screamed ‘don’t wear black AND brown’ enough for it to get stuck in my head.” Will nodded, getting two glasses from the cupboard. “Who made the eggs?”
         “Your mother,” Mr. Traverse said.
         Will’s nose wrinkled. “Mom puts all kinds of stuff in her eggs.” He explained to Augusta.
         Augusta looked into the pan. “They look normal to me.”
         “No way,” Will went over to look in. “You made plain scrambled eggs?”
         “Well, they’re salted,” His mom said.
         Augusta grabbed a bowl and fork. “Do you dare try plain eggs?” She asked, turning to Will. He smiled and helped her and himself.
         Will looked at his family around the table. Augusta fit in perfectly, which was a little odd. It didn’t seem weird she was passing the sausage to Marcus like she did it everyday, or telling his mom about a movie ad she’d seen resently that she really wanted to see, but would probably wait till it was cheaper and she could rent it.
         Augusta smiled at Will when she noticed he was watching her. His family was so nice. They didn’t act like it was abnormal for her to be sitting at their breakfast table. She liked his family.
         She liked him.

TO BE CONTINUED...