>be Evan.

>be about ten or eleven, soon after he's moved to South Lyon.

>be outside in the driveway playing with Marty Trent, his neighbor from down the street.

>Marty's little sister Lily comes over and tells Marty that their mom wants to see him.

>Be right back, says Marty.

>Evan expects Lily to go with Marty but she doesn't.

>She's about eight, standing in the driveway, a knobby-kneed, stringy haired girl.

>I wanna show you something, Evan Barker, she says to him.

>What?

>I wanna show you something. In the woods. Evan.

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>What do you want to show me?

>Just come with.

>They walk a block over to the bike trails that stretch for several acres between the western edge of Evan's neighborhood and the highway.

>There are large sand pits scattered randomly throughout the trees that line the dune-like bike paths. The pits are about ten to fifteen feet in diameter and several feet deep.

>Lily leads him through the undergrowth to the edge of one such sand pit and walks around to the other side.

>Evan stays on his side, unsure of what's happening.

>I've seen the sand pits before, he tells her. I come out here all the time with Marty.

>It's humid out, buggy, the air is heavy and thick.

>Lily was smiling at him, playing with her hair, putting it up in a ponytail and then letting it fall over her shoulders again.

>What sort of baaad things do you do, Evan? she asks him, grinning.

>Uhhh...what?

>Evan is at a loss for words.

>What sort of baaaad things do you do?

>...I don't know how to answer that.

>Evan legitimately doesn't have an answer.

>He's a very obedient child.

>He mumbles something about not making his bed every day, not brushing his teeth.

>Lily rolls her eyes and scampers off without another word.

>It's the most Evan has talked to Lily one-on-one since his family moved to the neighborhood.

>Evan feels stupid but doesn't quite know why as he trudges back to his house.