Marx and Tamara sat down on the beanbag chairs in Tamara's room and began playing a videogame where you're a creature in a laboratory that has to escape or else you're tested on and die. Basically, you run through the laboratory and kill everything in sight while annoying music and horrible sound effects play in the background.

"This is really truly brain-numbing and violent, you were right." Marx said quietly, his player eating a scientist alive. "Yeah... Hey, how did you do that?!" Tamara asked, pressing random buttons to try and figure out how to eat a scientist. "You have to be this character, I think... Your's is a lot smaller." They were silent for a few seconds. A speech bubble appeared over one of the scientist's heads. It read: "Die, evil creatures!"

Marx's eyes went wide. "Do you believe what my mom said? That I'm evil?" Marx whispered, letting go of his controller and letting himself lose the game. Tamara turned to look at him. "No, absolutely not!" Marx's face crumpled in on itself and he hugged his knees to his chest. "What's wrong with her? What's going on? I need answers, Tamara, not reassurances..."

Tamara sighed and turned the TV off. "I don't have any answers, Marx. I'm lost, just like you are. I don't know what to do." Marx nodded and said, "Thanks for being honest, at least." At that moment, Tamara's dad Tim knocked on the door.

"Hey kiddies, I've made some pizza. Want to come down or should I bring it up?"

"We can come down," Tamara said, getting up. "Thanks dad." Marx got up too. "Thanks, Mr. Tyler." Tim smiled. "No problem at all, not one bit. It'll be down there whenever you're ready to come get some." Tim closed the door and went back downstairs.

"You ready to go down or should we wait?" Tamara asked, sitting down on her bed. Marx shrugged. "It's up to you... I'm not really feeling too good." He sat down next to her and flinched when she put her hand on his shoulder. "Zapped again," He explained. Tamara nodded. "Now what?" She asked.

"I don't know... We wait to find out what's wrong with mom, I guess. Or we wait to find out what's wrong with me." Marx said bitterly. "Don't say that! There is nothing wrong with you!" Tamara exclaimed. "How do you know that? How do you know I'm not the reason she's like this? How do you know?" Marx's voice rose until he was yelling. He saw Tamara's face and regretted it. "I'm sorry, just because I'm having a bad day doesn't mean I can yell at you." He looked down and put his chin in his hands, looking at the floor unhappily.

"No, you're right. I don't know. But, we're going to find out. We're going to find out and we're going to make it better." She said quietly. "Come on, let's go eat some pizza."

***

Finally, at nine PM, Lisa walked through the front door looking hassled and exhausted. "It took forever, but I got her to the hospital and they're trying to figure out what's going on. She's being cared for." She plunked herself down at the table and took a slice of pizza. "You took her to the hospital?" Tim exclaimed, putting down his book. "Yes, she obviously was sick. She had the blinds drawn and was saying all these disturbing things about 'the darkness ascending' and all that. I'm worried for her, Tim. She's our friend." Tim nodded, rubbing her shoulder with his hand. "You did the right thing."

"Do you think they can make her better?" Marx whispered. "I'm sure they'll do all they can." Tamara murmured. "But what if it's not enough? What if she never gets better and I'm all alone? I already don't have a dad, so what will happen if I don't have a mom?" Marx's voice broke and his eyes filled up with tears.

"Oh, Marx, please don't think that. Please," Tamara gave him a hug and he whispered into her shoulder: "What if she's never the same? What will I do?" He felt like everything he'd ever known was collapsing in on itself. "We'll take care of you," Lisa said out of the blue. "We will! Forever. You're like a son to us already, and we'll take care of you." Her eyes filled up with tears as well. "We love Susan, and we love you. If she can no longer care for you, it's our job." Lisa came over and hugged him as well.

Tim nodded. "It's the least we could do. Susan has done so much for us."

The four of them said nothing for a while. Marx calmed down again and asked, "Now what do we do?"

"We wait. We wait and we hope."