Fallout (Crank 3)

me all the way through. When I get

to Nikki’s, the house is dark.

Her car is gone. All the stuff I left

is in two paper bags on the porch.

I reach beneath the fake rock. But I

already know the key isn’t there.

Autumn

A COLD RAIN

Is falling this morning.

Not unusual for October.

It rains a lot in San Antonio.

Warm

rain. Cool rain. Steamy

hot rain in the summer.

That part of my life, at least,

has stayed constant. Not

like

the rest of it has. Aunt

Cora, who has fallen out

of her senses in love,

is absent much too often.

I’ve

met Liam and understand

why she wants to spend

time with him. But I need

to talk, and I could

never

ask Grandfather the kind

of stuff I need to know.

I recently entered unfamiliar