Page 51 of Lost
“That’s a bad idea,” Kieran went on, oblivious to Zack’s thoughts. “He always had Dakota with him at school.Thatis what’s familiar to him. Sending him there now will only cement it more in his mind that she’s gone, and he doesn’t need that right now. He doesn’t need everybody at school staring at him all the time, either. You forget, we’re a small town. Everybody will know what’s happened.
“But in California, he’s already used to going to school without her. The kids there don’t know who he is or what’s happened to him, so there won’t be anybody to stare or to bug him. He’ll be left alone, just like he wants. And he has friends there — Jack sounds like a really great guy, so just give him a head’s up on what’s happened and I know he’ll be able to watch out for Lysander. And then there’s his girlfriend. She’ll be good for him, too. And he can’t just up and leave her so soon after they got together.”
Zack hadn’t even known that Lysanderhada girlfriend, let alone whether or not she would be good for his son. But everything else Kieran said rang true. Lysander would not want to be bothered. He never had. And if there was one thing that teenagers were good at, it was being oblivious to a person’s feelings and sticking their noses in where they were not wanted.
“And then there’s Alfonzo,” Kieran said at long last. “I don’t see him showing up back in town anytime soon, but I’m worried Ly might want to go after him. Or if he’s right, and Alfonzowasbehind this, he might come back for Ly. And if Lysander stays here, he’s way too easy to find.” He gave Zack a firm look as he added, “He wants to kill Alfonzo himself. And if he gets the chance, I know he’ll try. So you can’t let him do that.”
He knew Lysander still suspected Dakota’s death had been caused by Jacob Alfonzo. The police and coroner firmly disagreed, having determined the girl’s death to be an accidental drug overdose (“We’re still determining exactly what was in her system.”) but not even this would deter his son from his suspicion. But to hear that he wanted to kill the man he deemed responsible…
Zack would not let that happen. Could not allow his son to throw his life away like that.
He sat on the steps beside Kieran, a sigh escaping him. His only concern now was Lysander. What if the boy didn’t want to go back to California? What if he wanted to stay in Columbus? He wanted what was best for Lysander, but he wasn’t in any position to make the boy do anything that he didn’t want to.
He voiced these concerns to Kieran.
“It’s not always about doing what Lysander wants,” the boy replied. “Sometimes it’s about doing what’s right for him. That’s what being a parent’s all about, isn’t it? But if it makes you feel any better, I’ll talk him into it. Make sure he knows it’s for the best.”
“That would be helpful. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
They sat in comfortable silence for quite some time after that, as they had the previous night and the night before that. Zack used the time to dwell on what would need to be done before he went back to California. He would need to contact Maria, of course. He’d need to speak with the Columbus Police Department. Dakota may have been found, but they still needed answers.
“You got a phone, kid?”
Kieran gave him a look that clearly saidWho doesn’t?before he pulled the thing from his pocket and handed it over. Zack set to work adding himself as a contact. It was something that he had been meaning to do for days now, ever since he had decided the boy could be trusted.
“My personal cell,” he informed the boy as he handed the phone back, “for if you ever need anything. And when summer rolls around, we’ll organise it so that you can come and stay with us for the holidays. I’ll take care of the airfares and everything.”
“That’s very kind of you, Mr. Bennett.”
“It’s the least I can do,” Zack replied, “after everything that you’ve done for me and my son. Andplease, call m — ”
“Call you Zack,” Kieran cut in, a small smile crossing his lips. “I know. And thank you.”
Kieran’s parents had raised him right. He called his mother every night to let her know that he was fine and he wouldn’t be home for another day, and he helped to reassure Georgia that she had done nothing wrong when Lysander refused to speak to her. He’d been a huge help to them, even going as far as to cook them all dinner the night after the funeral, and Zack knew he would forever be in the boy’s debt. He was better at the parenting thing than Zack could ever hope to be, and he wasn’t yet sixteen!
He wondered if Kieran had even taken a moment to mourn for himself. After all, he’d been Dakota’s friend, too.
“How areyouholding up?”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” he said politely. “I’m fine.”
“Lysander says that a lot, too.”
Kieran considered him for a moment. Over the past three nights they had built up the sort of relationship that made Zack comfortable enough to call the boy his friend, and he found himself hoping that Kieran shared his view enough that he might take a chance and confide in him.
“Well, sure,” he said at long last. “I miss her like crazy. Everybody does. And I’m sad that she’s gone. But I’m not one for crying, and there are more important things to worry about now. Like Ly.”
Zack didn’t push the matter any further.
They returned inside shortly after that, Kieran bidding Zack goodnight and going back into Lysander’s room. Zack himself went back to the living room, where Georgia was sleeping soundly on one of the couches. The television was on, though muted, and he settled himself in to watch the late night infomercials.
He would need to talk to Lysander. Not just about their going back to California, but about what would happen to the house after they did. He had carried on paying the rent while the search for Dakota was going on, ensuring that the house’s contents stayed right where they were, but now these contents were no longer needed. Lysander’s things were all in California. He would have to ask what the boy wanted to do with everything that belonged to his sister and his mother.
On a whim, he stood and made his way towards the closest bedroom. It had been Lysander’s mother’s, and nothing in there had been touched since the day she had died. He slipped inside, cautious not to disturb anything, and took a look around.
Samantha Maverick, he thought. He knew her name and he knew her face, but still he didn’t knowher. He knew by now that if he still hadn’t remembered her, he was probably never going to. She would never be anything more than a phantom to him, just the woman that Lysander had called his mother. But there was no harm in trying one last time to get a feel for who she might have been.
