“Come on, aren’t you a little too old to have an imaginary friend?”

Marcus snickered, in an attempt to make me feel ashamed.

“I guess…” I nodded.

“You’re 11 now. How about you get outa that room of yours and make some real friends, ones who don’t have scaly skin and frocked tongues.”

I stopped in my tracks. He turned around and gave me a confused smile. I looked him in the eyes.

“Uhm… I never told you what he looks like.”

This made his smile falter and his eyes widened a little.

“Haha, I’m your older brother. I remember stuff like that!”

“Marcus the last time we actually talked was before you went off to college. That was like 4 years ago. I’ll ask you one more time, how do you know what he looks like?”

Marcus’s face got red. His stance was stiff.

“Because he was my friend once too.”

Marcus was my stepdad’s son and favorite for as long as I could remember. He was also a stranger since I was 7 when he left for college.

He never called home, let alone talk to me. In his eyes, I was a nobody. He came back from college like nothing had changed. It took me a few days to actually talk to him but I was glad to have my brother back. That’s when we went on a walk, he mentioned my imaginary friend. At that moment, I thought back to something my mother had told me earlier that week while my dad was picking up Marcus.

“Be careful what you talk about around Marcus. He’s dangerous.”

I tilted my head in confusion.

“What?”

“Trust me.”

I was certain I never mentioned my imaginary friend in the entire conversation. As our walk to the park continued, I tried to forget about it but I just… couldn’t.

I needed to get more information from mom.

When she got back from work, I cornered her.

“Ma, about what you said last week, why-”

she covered my mouth with a soapy dish rag.

“My room. When your father leaves for his night shift.”

I nodded as her grip on me loosened.

5 pm hit. Dad was in the doorway rushing to put on his boots when mom gave me a look. Before I knew it, I was inside their room.

When she walked in, she was super quiet and kept looking behind her into the doorway.

“Sooooo what’s so wrong with Marcus?”

“Listen Liso, he’s trouble.”

I scrunched my eyebrows.

“Then why is he your favorite?”

“He isn’t. He didn't just go to college. He went to a mental facility further upstate.”

I looked at her, furious.

“And nobody thought to tell me?!”

Mom yelled back.

“HE TRIED TO KILL YOU! HE BLAMED IT ON AN IMAGINARY BEING!”

Thick silence followed.

“Did he tell you what it looked like?”

“No. He stopped talking to me after that day, even turning your dad against me… I-I’ve said too much. Don’t tell Marcus and your dad we discussed this.”

She swiftly ran out of the room.

The next day, curiosity was eating at me, I couldn’t help it.

I need to talk to Marcus. He was out playing football with dad at the park, about 5 mins from home. I promised Clyde I would take him though I might have left out why we were going to the park…

“Hey Clyde, do you know who Marcus is?”

awkward silence followed.

“He got away.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you ever ask yourself where I was before you?”

“Not really..”

“There were more kids before you.”

“What happened to them?”

“They didn’t put enough energy into keeping me.”

my heart raced. I didn’t dare ask more questions to Clyde since curiosity kills and I didn't want to end up on a crime documentary. I realized the danger of having both Clyde and Marcus in the same area. I needed to make a plan quickly.

“We should head home.”

“..why?”

“I heard it was gonna rain”

“So what? It’s clear skies right now..?”

“I-I just don’t feel like getting wet today. We shouldn’t risk it.”

“Whatever floats your boat I guess.”

Boy did I get lucky. The minute we got home, it started drizzling. I was so relieved that the bluff worked out but the bigger problem was keeping them apart at home… How could I make this work?