The Boy on the Lawn

Sixteen is too young to begin criminal profiling. Someone out there's given him no choice...I’m not even sixteen yet and already had the worst day of my life: the day my younger brother, Stevie disappeared off our lawn. I was only gone a few seconds, getting change for the ice cream truck. I didn’t want to leave him but when he begs, I’ll do anything for him. In the time it took me to grab the change off the kitchen counter and run back out, he vanished. Thank God, he came back after less than a day. For whatever reason, whoever took him must have had a change of heart and returned him. Though, not before drugging him. He’s been acting weird ever since, even more so than when he displays that bizarre superpower of his.Not only that, but my parents are acting weird too. I thought they’d be so happy and grateful, especially when, a few days later, other Asian boys began to disappear, and not come back. Not only aren’t Mom and Dad thrilled Stevie is back, they shuffled us off to live with our grandfather. I don’t have time to worry about that though. Now I know how it feels to have someone I love snatched away, all I can think about is finding those boys and getting them back home, which also means working with my grandfather’s former student, ultra-handsome Detective Ito (who leaves me tongue-tied and I’m sure my family has figured out now I’m gay because of it). Then Stevie and I can go back to our weird but more peaceful life of haunting the library stacks for homeschooling and Stevie’s beloved Spiderman comics… Fast forward… Why did I ever think Stevie and I could have our life back? We won’t, not ever. Not only that, Stevie’s superpower is actually contagious and I’m going to have bad need of it…Publisher’s content warning: racism, off-page sexual abuse, family death and grief.