Psyched Out!

Another teaser from Maroli Tango. Now that I know who the cast is, I'm moving ideas forward in the manuscript and writing new material. I've thrown away almost 10,000 words, but the count is only down 2,000. I don't know if that's good or bad. Yes, it's still a Science Fiction book. No, I'm still not serializing it. 

Titan Pass, Nevada

The Clover hab Mason Fowlkes shared with his sister was set apart by a bricklayer’s trowel fastened to a mailbox post, and a girl’s bicycle on a kickstand, propped up by a strategically located chunk of shale rock on the ground.

 Erin Fowlkes appeared with her also-ten-year-old friend Kelly, who said her name, shook everyone’s hand, and rode her bike away as fast as she could.

Erin said, “She’s shy.”

Russell Torrance asked, “Where’s your brother?”

“He’s at the camp store, buying charcoal.” Erin led the way under the house. “The brisket took longer than expected.”

“Are you allowed to tell us what’s going on, or do we have to wait?”

“I can tell you.” Erin posed next to a smoke-oozing, high-dome, ceramic-shell outdoor cooker. “Mason wants to go out on his own, but he can’t because of me.”

Russell said, “That’s a natural extension of what’s been going on for five years, isn’t it.”

Erin smiled back. “Yes, sir.”

“You gonna get us a beer?”

“We have more than one brand.” She gestured. “Come see the house.”

Nancy Torrance took Carmen’s arm. “When Erin started first grade, the parents told Mason he had to take over as her primary caregiver. He was eleven, didn’t like the idea, and tried to wiggle out by pretending to be inadequate to the task.”

Carmen followed her upstairs. “What’d the parents do?”

“The mother came to my office, said her son must be ADHD because he can’t follow instructions, and asked me to prescribe drugs. I told Mason he had no power, and the person who’d get hurt the worst would be Erin.”

“So, fast-forward, and the parents are absent.”

“Yes, and Mason’s doing a bang-up job taking care of his sister.”

Erin brought up the rear. “If he leaves, I want to go with him.”

Nancy said, “Sweetie, that’ll be difficult to pull off.”