"Yeah," Todd answers. "He came to our school today."
"Good kid," Henry says in approval. "Shame what happened to his twin."
I listen as they chat about the visitor, more interested in the idea Todd is opening up to a stranger than anything else. My brother is more reticent about talking to others than I am. At least as a waitress, I have the opportunity for small talk, unlike Todd, who tends to be withdrawn and studious.
I take care of my duties and then return to the counter.
"No way!" Todd exclaims. "Seriously?"
"Yep," Henry says.
"What'd I miss?" I ask curiously.
"Remember when we passed by the castle outside of town when we moved here?" Todd asks. "It's their house. The Khavalovs."
"Crazy." Born and raised lower middle class, I can't imagine the stone compound, with its foreboding façade, is somewhere people actually live. I mistook it for a hotel when we drove into Glory Glade.
"I didn't think you all were from around here," Henry says. "I never forget a face." He taps his temple. "Where you from?"
Todd clamps up immediately, and I quickly sort through the list of places we've claimed to live to ensure my story is consistent with what I've told others here. "From out west," I reply. "The Inland Empire, as they call it. It's the farmland in the middle of California." It's not a complete lie; we lived near LA for five years when Todd and I were children. I know the area we're claiming to be from well enough to answer general questions, and it's far from where we spent most of our lives in the South.
"Can you believe I've never been farther west than Colorado?" Henry says. "California seems like a foreign country. Welcome to Glory Glade."
"Thanks." I smile.
Todd has sunk into another melancholic quiet, his focus on his French fries and excitement about the bionic billionaire vanished.
It makes me sad to see the sudden change. It's more than teen angst that causes it, and the reminder that I'm the reason my brother hasn't known stability or a real home in four and a half years hurts me.
I want so much more for him. I don't know how to make that happen, though, not with the way things are now.
My phone vibrates and I freeze automatically.
Todd, close enough to hear it, looks up quickly. We stare at each other for a moment before I reach in to check the message.
"Did he find us?" he whispers.
I sigh, unaware of how tight my chest is until I try to take a deep breath. I show him the phone. "Reminder about your dentist appointment in two weeks."