Germain arrived fifteen minutes later, standing in the front yard of Jace’s house, waving up at him from the street below.
In the sharp light of the moon, Jace stared down at Germain and smiled. As Germain started to climb the tall birch to Jace’s bedroom window, the outline of Germain’s sinewy body stirred something inside Jace. He smiled down at Germain, waving a sweaty hand at him, whispering, “Be careful.” He gripped the window frame, watching nervously as Germain navigated in the moonlight, climbing up the side of the ancient tree. At one point, Jace turned around to listen to the humming sounds of the TV downstairs. He thought he heard the floorboards creak in the hallway from his father’s heavy footfalls.
Jace turned back to look out the window. Germain teetered on the edge of a t
