Abe volunteered to help with some construction, since they were still working on getting other apartments and houses ready to ease the overcrowding. He had on his safety goggles as he cut the wood on the table saw, following the lines someone had drawn. It was a pretty easy job, he just had to watch his fingers.

He dropped off a load of the cut boards inside the house. The other members of the volunteer group were busy working on the stairs of the house. Abe admired the progress they’d made so far. It was still insane to him that there were so many houses here. He was used to Musical Land with its tight, compact apartments as they built up as much as they could. As for here in the clearing, they had miles to work with. Abe wondered if anyone had dared explore further in the forests.

Abe walked outside the house when he saw Josef with a small group. They looked deep in conversation, and Abe fought down the debilitating panic as he raised his arm and waved. “Josef! Hello!”

Josef saw Abe and gave a short wave before turning back to his group and talking with them. The adrenaline was still coursing through his body as he turned the saw on again. He needed to be the first to initiate the talking with Josef. So far Josef had always been first to talk, but if Abe talked first, maybe he could trick his brain into not being as afraid.

Abe cut another piece of wood when he saw Josef’s boots approach him. He finished the cut before turning off the saw.

“How are you today?” Abe asked.

“Doing really well. Wow, this is going to make a family really happy to finally get their own space,” Josef said as he looked at the house. “They will have better lives here with a large yard. Musical Land robs them of so much. Can you imagine being crammed in that awful city.”

“Yeah,” Abe said as he took off his safety goggles and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hands. He wasn’t sure what else to say. He picked up his water bottle and took a drink.

“These saws are powerful. When I was your age I’d always get a pet mouse or something and see how close I could get it to the blade. It was always so fascinating to watch. I’d never actually get close enough to the blade to cut the mouse myself, of course. No, often the mouse would be so terrified it struggled out of my grip and land right on the blade. Isn’t that funny?” Josef said.

Abe swallowed the water, but he might as well have swallowed a boulder for how difficult it was to get down. His mind started panicking again, but he forced himself to calm down. He couldn’t let Josef get the better of him.

“Um, no. It’s not funny,” Abe couldn’t help but say after the water managed to successfully get down his throat. “And I hope one would grow out of such… childish behaviors.” Childish didn’t even begin to describe it, but Abe did not want to say what was really on his mind.

Josef’s eyes darkened as his smile grew wider. “I grew out of it, sure. Though I might revert back if I ever found a rat.” Abe used every ounce of strength left in his body to keep his face only mildly disgusted. Was Josef trying to give him a message?

Josef leaned against the table, studying the house again. He gave a soft chuckle that made the hair on Abe’s neck stand up. “You know, when you get to my position, you start hearing a ton of things. So many, that often you can’t tell between fact and fiction.”

Abe began stacking the blocks of wood. He used that as a distraction to not look at Josef. “Oh?”

“Take you for example. Quiet. Shy. Tells stories. Keeps to yourself. Some have speculated you’re a Musical Land spy,” Josef said.

Abe laughed as he picked up a board. “I’m fifteen years old, Josef. Why would I be a spy for Musical Land.”

“You wouldn’t be the first,” Josef said.

Abe pulled on some noise blockers over his ears and turned on the saw, knowing it was incredibly dangerous to use a table saw when his hands were trembling, but he needed something to keep himself busy. He cut the stack of wood as Josef kept staring at him. His mind raced, but he forced himself to think of something.

When he turned it off and pulled the noise blockers from his ears, Josef was still staring at him.

“I don’t know what you expect me to say,” Abe said. “I’m not a spy for Musical Land. I hated that place, and needed to escape.”

Something glinted in the sun. Studying further, Abe saw Josef had a gun clipped to his waist. Everything inside him froze up. He’d never seen a gun up close before. No one in Musical Land had one, except for a select few in the S.E.A.

“You know what I hate most about actors? They are simply training to tell lies as convincingly as possible. You can’t trust people like that, no matter what they say,” Josef said.

Abe stacked the newly cut wood. “Then let me help you,” he said, the words flowing with surprising ease from his mouth.

Josef gave him a distrusting look. “What was that?”

Abe let out a breath, trying desperately to keep a hold of his calm demeanor. “You don’t trust me. It was clear from the beginning. There’s little I can do to change your mind, but maybe if you see how much I want to help you, I can find those who want to oppose you. Through my actions you’ll find out I’m only concerned about the good people here in the clearing.”

The way to tell a believable lie was to mostly tell the truth, and Abe was absolutely concerned for the members of this clearing. He was terrified to offer this, because it was only another way to let Josef have power over him.

Even though Abe stood over half a foot taller than Josef, Abe still felt small in his presence. Josef gave a smile like Abe just told a humorous joke. “Fair enough. I’ll take you up on that offer. I’ll let you know when I need your help with something.”

Abe nodded and took his bundle of cut wood into the house. He felt Josef’s stares, and he couldn’t help but close the door when he walked in.

“Here’s the rest of that wood,” Abe said.

The rest of the group thanked him as Abe went deeper into the house. As soon as he felt alone, he placed his hands on his knees and took a deep, shuddering breath. Every moment spent with Josef felt so draining. He still felt that man’s black soul lingering in his thoughts. He could not let Josef get the better of him.