It was late at night and Axis Keavany, unable to sleep, lay on his bed staring aimlessly at the ceiling.
A sudden draft of cold night breeze inched possessively over his skin and made goosebumps flare all over his body.
From his desk he could see the stack of homework papers that he had been working on earlier flutter ominously.
Axis quickly jumped out of bed to slam the window shut and couldn't resist staring at the dark desolate sky through the transparent glass.
Before he could return to his bed, a loud noise that sounded like glass shattering was coming out of his little brother's room.
"Wahhhhh…!!"
A high pitched scream that trembled with fear.
The scream came from close by and Axis could tell; it was his little brother Gio's voice.
He heard crushing sounds as if heavy boots landed on broken glass.
His overactive imagination immediately envisioned some intruder coming to kidnap his brother amidst scraping sounds.
A soft crunch at first.
Then terribly louder like a scorpion with large claws dragging a small struggling body across the floor.
His heartbeat raced and Axis could not afford to waste even a second as he dashed to Gio's bedroom and flung the door wide open.
His worst fears were realized and it was uncanny that someone was really kidnapping Gio and trying to drag his small body through the broken window.
Axis had to save his little brother, he couldn't let him go for how else would he be the hero his younger brother needed him to be.
He also didn't want to face his father as a failure.
The loss of a beloved sibling he would never live it down for his conscience would bother Axis for the rest of his life.
It didn't matter to Axis that he was stepping on broken glass with his bare feet and blood was trailing everywhere; this was his only chance for redemption.
He made a grab for Gio's legs but was out of reach; a woman's piercing screams drowned out his own puny whimpers.
Adrenaline pumping Viola Keavany felt her body lunge forward just in time to jerk Axis out of his trance and narrowly missed stepping on broken glass herself.
If she had been a second too late Axis would have fallen outside the window to his death.
"Stop! Why do you keep hurting yourself like this?" screamed Viola.
Her mouth grimaced bitterly and she squeezed his arm even tighter.
The room was so quiet she could hear him breathing hard and fast.
To think only earlier she had wanted Axis to depend on her, to not be so aloof but not like this.
So frightened out of his mind, scared of some ghostly illusion that only he could see.
Axis tried to shrug Viola off violently, "let go!" he raged. "You're hurting me!"
"Axis please—" whispered a frightened Viola.
"Gio was just here. He was screaming for help but I came too late. I would have saved him if you hadn't stopped me!"
Viola's eyebrows raised with alarm before she could stop herself Viola blurted out, "your brother has been declared legally dead for almost two years now despite his body not being found. We moved out here to give ourselves a fresh start as a family but…"
She seriously worried that her adopted son might be losing his mind and blaming himself for the death of his younger brother.
Axis didn't like how Viola was looking at him; it made him uncomfortable.
Like he was a broken toy she wanted to return to the manufacturer.
"I need to talk to dad, surely he will understand," Axis stubbornly insisted.
His mom's violet eyes tightened as she made a firm decision.
Even as Axis still tried to shrug his arm free.
As if he realized what a narrow escape he just had.
Viola could still see the fear in his eyes but Axis was just too afraid to admit that he was scared too.
"Your father's job is classified and you know that he can't be disturbed right now," Viola reminded him with a long sigh.
Dryly she continued, "as much as we would both want to have him here, neither of us can get what we want. Since I'm the only adult in this house I'll be making the decisions for the both of us."
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked an irritated Axis.
He just had what could possibly be the biggest scare of his life and already Viola seemed hellbent on making it about herself.
Viola's violet eyes narrowed and she wagged her finger at him, "it means I have already paid for you to go to a summer camp."
"Summer Camp? Isn't that for babies? It doesn't matter Viola, I'm not going to any summer camp or any other ridiculous either you come up with. If you want me out of the house I can just stay at a friend's house until Dad comes home."
"You are talking as if this is negotiable, the fees have already been paid and are non-refundable. I'm tired of your bad attitude and this camp is perfect for teens with problems."
Viola handed him a flyer that showcased "Camp Infinity" ; everything about it screamed controlled perfection.
"I'd rather see a psychiatrist than go off to this camp for juvenile delinquents," scoffed Axis.
Viola sneered, "we tried that and you wasted our money sitting there in silence and refusing to speak to Dr. Green."
"Dr. Green looked like he's a day away from retirement, worse he smelled funny and kept drifting off to sleep during our sessions."
"Look, this isn't up for discussion, the bus will be here to pick you up tomorrow morning. I've already packed your basics but feel free to add to your suitcase."
You can't make me!
A few hours later, Axis stood on the porch suitcase in hand waiting on his ride to arrive.
His father had called to say he thought Viola's idea was wonderful and wished him a great time before he was hurried off the phone by his colleagues.
Finally, the bus pulled up at the gate Viola reached out to hug him but Axis was too upset and shrugged her off before stepping on to the bus that read "Camp Infinity."
Nothing could prepare Axis for what happened next when the bus doors closed behind him.