Piece by Piece

1. 3 A.M.

Chicago, February 1992

Red and blue lights outside the window at three in the morning were never a good sign.

Davyn raised his head, listening intently. It was hard when his own pulse was drumming and Maddie kept panting.

"Shhh." He tightened his hold on her knees.

"Come on," she breathed, "I'm not loud. Why did you stop?"

The lights flickering on the walls of his bedroom should've clued her in, but she had her eyes closed and her head knocked back, a prisoner in her own world.

He saw them and he couldn't ignore them. He stood, doing the buttons of his jeans back up and walked to the window.

"Daaav," Maddie moaned.

He shushed her again and looked out to the front of his house. Yes, there was a police cruiser there, parked on the other side of the street. There appeared to be two people inside, but neither of them seemed in a hurry to get out. Finally, both doors of the vehicle opened, and two harrased officers, a tall black man and a short woman, climbed out.

For the briefest second, Davyn hoped they would head for the house they were parked in front of. But as he knew they would, they crossed the street towards his. There was no reason for that. His mind started whirling, trying to figure out if he'd done anything wrong, if there was any reason at all for them to be there. Sure, he got in trouble from time to time, because he liked to exercise his ability to go unseen in places he was not supposed to be, but not tonight.

He'd come straight home after school, did a bit of sparring with his father, homework, then a family dinner. It was Maddie who'd sneaked into his house, and he doubted the police were there to pick her up and take her home.

"Davyn?"

"Stay here. I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?"

He didn't answer as he picked up his scarlet Saint Agnes Academy t-shirt off the floor and pulled it on. As silently as possible, he crept out of his room, on the landing, and stopped on top of the stairs. The rest of his house was silent, his parents and brothers obviously still sleeping.

The doorbell sounded through the empty house, so loud, it was a wonder everyone wasn't coming out in a flurry. As it was, he stood alone.

A heavy knot settled in his throat as he made his way down the stairs, his bare feet making no noise on the carpeting. Once he reached the hall, he could see the two silhouettes through the glass pane on his front door. The flashing lights made them look thin and creepy.

He opened the door just as a second ring from the doorbell filled the silence. Even if he'd expected it, seeing the two police officers wasn't any easier and a tiny bit of fear took over. The black man was tall and broad, with a handlebar moustache. The woman behind him was frail and mousey looking.

"Yes?" His voice came out strong, even a little impatient as he tried to burry the panic deep inside.

"Is this the home of Sirius Grant?" the policeman asked in a deep voice not lacking kindness.

Davyn froze, the feelings inside him twisting from worry about himself to curiosity, followed immediately by dread. He just nodded, frowning slightly.

"And you are?"

"Davyn. His son." His voice shook this time, as he became aware, more than ever, that something was very wrong.

"We are Officer Jeffords and Officer Potter," the man said, pointing from himself to the woman. "Are you eighteen, son?"