Chapter 2
      
Before this sudden and completely unexpected journey to some gods forsaken little Louisiana Bayou Parrish, the loss of his siblings was by far the most devastating occurrence he had ever experienced.

He remembered the night before he last saw Hunter. They had watched an old western on their big, wooden cabinet style television. Rune could still recall the weird blue fuzzy spots in the upper corners, a very clear indication to his father and Hunter that the picture tube was on it's way to blowing out. Cuddled up against his big brother, a gigantic bowl of their mother's awesome chex mix between them, all seemed perfect in the world.

His mom and dad were already in their room. His sister Wren, sixteen and obsessed with being Stevie Nicks' twin, made occasional trips back and forth through the front room to the kitchen and back into her bedroom. Life was good for kindergartener Rune McNeil.

His eyes grew heavy, his little body relaxed next to his big brother. Safe and sleepy, he vaguely felt Hunter cover him with the Afghan Granny Lose had knitted years earlier. It was an heirloom, his mother would say, although Rune hadn't a clue what that word even meant. He thought maybe it meant something like heavy, warm and possibly kinda itchy. He adored how neat it looked with the swirly patterns that interlocked, making an interesting plethora of many different animals and symbols. Hand woven in kelly green, crimson red, sapphire blue and golden yellow, he could look for long periods at the neat creatures and designs therein as it seemingly hypnotized him to dreamland.

About 3:00 to 4:00 a.m., Rune was awoken to the sound of arguing, swearing and crying. These were not common sounds in the McNeil home. Frightened out of his wits, at first Rune believed that his family was being robbed or possibly even assaulted! But as his ears began picking up individual voices, he realized it was only his own family making such a ruckus!

He strained to catch what they were saying. Wren was weeping, her words nonsensical. His mother was also crying, just more subdued. She was saying something about there being no alternative. That if there were any other choice, but there simply wasn't.

"Bullshit!, horseshit and...and snakeshit!," Hunter roared. Rune's eyes widened at his brother's loud and colourful choice of words. He felt like laughing and crying at the same time.

"Son, you know what I told you is true," their dad's voice attempted to reason through the chaos. "Do you honesty believe that if there were any other choice, that I wouldn't leap on it in a hot second? I would give my life to change this Hunter, don't you know that?"

"You could have warned me! Or even maybe at least given me a little heads up! Anything!"

" Oh, come on Hunter," his dad had sounded so very weary. "You would never have believed me! You and I both know it! It's much too unbelievable!"

Silence held court for the next few moments, except for the occasional sniffles from Wren and their mother.

"Please son, it really is the best thing for you. I have friends at work who have taken their kids there and I haven't heard anything negative about it. You will be around other people like yourself. It will be okay. I promise."

" Yeah, right." Rune heard Hunter mumble.

With tears spilling down his little cheeks, Rune fell back asleep under the thick afghan, hoping it was only a bad dream. That morning would begin anew, bright, shiny and perfect.

It was not to be however. When Rune awoke, Hunter and their father were gone. His mother was swollen eyed from crying and her bottom lip trembled as she told Rune that Hunter had been dabbling in drugs and had to go to a rehab facility in Florida for a bit, but would be back before he knew it.

Wren stumbled angrily from the table, her green eyes flashing. She stomped to her room, where it sounded like she was about lose it. Then Fleetwood Mac came on, Stevie Nicks sultry voice blocking the sounds.