“You ready to say goodbye to Daddy?” the woman asked kindly.

“Am I never gonna see ‘im agin?” the boy asked. The woman smiled sadly and shook her head no.

“Sorry, Matt. Daddy’s going to go away for forever,” she said quietly.

“Are we gonna go home with Mommy now?” Matt asked. The woman looked at the infant in her arms.

“Not just yet sweetie,” she said to the six year old by her side.

The boy fell silent and watched the floor tiles disappear under his feet as he followed the woman that had been looking after him, his younger sister, and younger brother for the past few months. When he saw her feet stop, he looked up.

There was his father, lying on the white bed, pale, and weak. Matt walked stonily into the room, a resolute look on his face. He looked at the machines as they suddenly stopping their whirring and clicking. An attendant looked fearfully at the little boy, then at the pale form on the bed. Matt followed her gaze. Daddy wasn’t breathing anymore.

The woman who had brought Matt and his younger siblings strode into the room, dragging the little two-year-old boy with her. “You knew we were coming!” she cried. “You weren’t supposed to pull the plug until after they left!”

“You were late,” a woman said from the shadows.

Matt looked at the woman. A flicker of happiness passed by in his eyes. “Hi Mommy,” he said quietly. He looked at his father and back at his mother. “Daddy’s dead,” he said simply. Matt’s mother nodded her head. He turned back to the social worker. “Are we leaving now?”

“Yes, come on, honey,” the social worker replied.

“Mrs. Muchoy, we’ll be contacting you within the next week concerning the children’s future,” she added stiffly as she lead the young kids away.

Matt opened his eyes. He ran his hands over his face; it was wet. He hated reliving those few moments. But it happened almost every night.

Sighing, he rolled over and looked at the illuminated alarm clock. 3:45. Well, that was a good night’s rest then. Three hours was more than he had been getting lately.

Resolving himself to the fact that he wouldn’t be getting anymore sleep, he sat up. For a few minutes, he didn’t move. He stared at the blank wall in front of him. He listened as the house groaned in the cold night winds. He sat as though he was waiting for something. When that something apparently never came, he put his feet on the cold wooden floor and walked out of his room. He poked his head inside his little sister’s room and then his little brother’s room. Both were sleeping soundly and he continued down the stairs.

He paused in front of the calendar that hung on the refrigerator door. Just one year and two months until he could get out of this hell hole and have a real life.

Unsure of what to do for the next two and a half hours, he logged onto the computer. As he expected, no one was online, and he logged off. Maybe he’d get some homework done…

“Umm… you’re sitting in my seat,” a girl said walking up to him.

“Excuse me?” Matt asked, folding his arms.

The girl pointed at the desk, not really saying anything.

“Do you want something?” Matt asked.

“Would you please get out of my seat?” the girl asked, twisting a stray piece of blonde hair around her finger. Matt shrugged and stood up. He glanced around the room before deciding on a seat in the back.

He leaned back in his chair and stared unseeing at the board as the teacher began talking about fractions. Honestly, he didn’t care. He glanced at the girl with blonde hair. Had she always been in his class? She was avidly taking notes, watching with wide eyes as the teacher did something or other to solve an equation. Why were they going to need this crap?

While he was staring at her, she turned around in her seat. A small frown creased her brow when they made eye contact, but she quickly turned back around and continued with her waste of paper.

When class was over, Matt was slowly standing up from his desk, yawning. That had been a really great nap. It’s a shame it had to be cut short to go to another class.

“Excuse me?”

Matt turned at the familiar voice, though he wasn’t sure if he wanted it to be familiar.

“Yeah?”

“You seem familiar,” the girl with blonde hair said uncertainly. “Do I know you?”

“Apparently you’re in my math class,” Matt said with a shrug.

“Besides that. I’m Julia, Julia Herman,” she said with a smile. A memory tugged at the back of Matt’s mind, but he pushed it away.

“Matt,” he replied shortly. Again, a small frown creased Julia’s brow, and again, it soon disappeared.

“Later?”

“Whatever,” Matt began ambling to his next class. He watched as friends joked around together. He rolled his eyes at a group of gossiping girls. He never had been one for normal social interaction; then again, he had never really been a kid. He laughed sardonically in his head; he hadn’t a chance with his parents. Especially, he added with a shudder, after his dad died.

“Muchoy?” Matt turned around at the voice. Why did everyone seem to come up from behind him?

“Hey Chris,” he replied tonelessly. Chris and Matt began walking down the hall to the next class, which they had together.

“Didn’t sleep well again?” Chris guessed from the dark circles under Matt’s blue eyes.

“Three hours,” Matt replied with a shrug. At least he had an acquaintance, he reassured himself as another group of friends passed him in the crowded hallway.

“You ought to see someone about that…. It can’t be healthy. Do you have nightmares or something?” Chris asked.

Matt’s stomach lurched. How did he know? Did he know? Matt mentally shook his head. There was no way Chris could know about his dreams. “Nah, it’s a drafty house. Mom moved again last month and I still can’t used to the new place,” Matt said.

“I’m just worried about you,” Chris said concernedly.

“Don’t be. I’m all right,” Matt said. “Lacey’s having problems with math. Could you help her out some? You know I’m miserable at math,” Matt asked.

Chris looked helplessly at his friend. Matt was not a normal teenage boy, but ever since Chris had met him four years ago, he had been very old for his age. “I’d love to. What’s she doing tomorrow night?”

“Studying with you hopefully.”

“It’s a date,” Chris said with a smirk. Matt rolled his eyes, but otherwise didn’t react to the jibe.

“Can you do it at your place?” Matt asked. Chris didn’t know anything about his home life, and he had every intention of keeping it that way.

“No problem… my parents will be home, so your mom doesn’t have to worry.”

“Sounds good,” Matt said. The pair walked into the classroom. “Finally, tenth period,” Matt said with a sigh.

Chris simply laughed and pulled out his books from his backpack. Matt slouched in a chair and began closing his eyes for a continuation of his previous nap before the teacher even moved to the front of the room.