Jubal: Silver Hammer
Copyright  © 2011 Faeriemage
All Rights Reserved.
Jubal settles in to what he assumes will be the rest of his life, but sadly such is not the case.

---

AUTHOR'S NOTE: At first I was going to avoid a note here, but I wanted to say something about my choices before I begin.

I admit it, I am a Disney kid. I was raised on the stories of Walt and his successors. Some people hate the policies of the company, or feel that they show an unrealistic view of the world.

That is the point.

Much like many of the stories here at BC, they show an idealized version of the world, some place we wish that the world was more like.

Soapbox aside, it is also a fun place for children. More than any other amusement park I am aware of Disneyland is meant for children. Disneyworld and every other park is meant for adults, with something there to keep the kiddies busy.

The size, and colors, and feel of Disneyland speaks to the child in each and every one of us. Some people out there deny this child its rightful place.

But let the child have her, or his, day. They deserve to be kids for a little while.

---

"Mommy, Daddy, have you seen this place? I mean. Look. It's Mickey!!!!" and Jubal was off and running to say hello to the man in the mouse costume.

"I have to admit, dear, that when you suggested us driving out here I was a bit skeptical. He is so smart that I thought he wouldn't 'get it'."

"Harold, he may be a smart five year old, but he's still a five year old. Kids have a special way of looking at the world, that colors all of their interactions. He still hasn't learned that Santa Claus is fake, or that a talking mouse can't really exist."

"Mommy, Daddy, did you see me? I just talked to Mickey Mouse!"

They walked slowly into the park as Jubal flitted from one thing to the next. To Harold's jaded eyes, the buildings seemed so tiny at first, and then he began to look at it the way Jubal was.

The color and the feeling he got reminded him of coming into this same park for the first when he had been only a little older than Jubal. It was years ago now, but he still felt the same pull. He remembered the wonder of it all.

A little chuckle escaped his lips.

"I know it's probably too cheesy, but could we maybe go to the Tiki Room?"

Susan smiled and held out her hand to Harold.

"Sure, we can hit the Tiki Room as long as you promise to take me through the Haunted Mansion afterwards."

"Then we do the Jungle Cruise for Jubal's sake if nothing else."

***
They sat there watching the last of the fireworks fade from the sky. Jubal had fallen asleep midway through Fantasmic, and Harold almost didn't have the heart to wake him.

He smiled down at the child in his arms and realized that it didn't matter where Jubal fit in his organization of the world. He was Jubal Marie, and he was unique.

They got up from their seats, and Jubal sleepily stirred.

"Did I miss it?"

"Yes, but you can always see it tomorrow night if you want."

"Ok, Daddy."

He hopped down and got between his parents, taking each of their hands in one of his diminutive ones. They walked out through the entrance to Adventure Land onto Main Street USA, from which it was a short hop past the period seeming buildings to the front entrance.

They made a left after leaving the gate and completed their short half mile want to their hotel.

Harold smiled at his son as he changed into the nightgown. Jubal still refused pajamas.

Harold pulled back the comforter and sheet, and Jubal hopped up into bed. Jubal was asleep before Harold finished pulling the covers over him.

***
"Now Jubal, I know that this place is probably not as much fun as Sea World or Disney Land, but we like it, so this is time for mommy and daddy."

They were just getting out of the car after having parked in front of The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens. The air was a bit muggy, but that was more because of the gallons of water being pumped over sub tropical plants than anything else.

Parking in front of The Huntington is relative, considering the acres of parking lot that stand outside it. They passed through the gatehouse into a land of wonder all its own. The gardens were organized by land type. From desert to tropical. From Zen to Tea. Jubal fell in love with the formal rose garden.

"Mommy, they're so pretty. I love the, all. They're so red, and smell so nice."

The dome made entirely out of roses was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. He sat there looking up into the ceiling. It was a rose bush that had been bound and teased and pruned until it was a complete dome. He sat there on the stone benches and just looked at it. He found the spots where it had been pruned, but most of it was beyond his understanding.

"How do they do it, Mommy. How did they make the roses grow this way."

"With work and love, Jubal. They started with a few small plants. From there, they tied them to a frame and let them begin to grow. As they grew taller, they pruned off the branches that went in the wrong direction and tied down the ones that were almost the right direction."

"But, doesn't the bush hate being constrained?"

Susan smiled at the big word out of such a little mouth, "The bush doesn't know where it needs to go. That's what the gardener is there for. The gardener knows the direction that the bush needs to grow to maximize its potential."

"Look over there, Jubal. See that really tall rose bush over there?"

"That's a rose bush? where are the roses?"

"All of the plant's strength is going to make it taller. It no longer has the nutrients to make beautiful flowers."

"But the done is taller than that."

"Yes, you see, the gardener was able to help the rose bush. If he'd let it grow in any direction it wanted, then it would not have shown its full potential and be beautiful like the dome."

Jubal sat on the stone bench for a little while, a look of concentration on his little face. "Is that why you and Daddy want me to go to school? I need to be guided like the rose bush and not just left to learn things on my own?"

Susan tried not to let the surprise show on her face.

"Yes, that is an apt description, Jubal. Sometimes you're so smart you even amaze me."

The smile that split Jubal's face was incandescent.

***
Jubal and Susan were asleep in the car, and Harold was left alone to his thoughts. All in all it had been a wonderful trip.

When he was Jubal's age, he'd questioned his own father's insistence on visiting The Huntington. they could have spent another day at Disneyland, in his opinion.

Since then though, he grew to appreciate the art and gardens more.

As the sun slowly sank behind the horizon, Harold simply watch the deepening twilight with a bit of awe.

'Dad, I think you would have loved Jubal. He's so vibrant and full of life that he makes everything a joy. I miss you, Dad. Hug mom for me.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Susan asked from the other seat. It seemed she wasn't as asleep as she'd seemed at the time.

"Just thinking about my parents, a little sad that they didn't live long enough to meet Jubal."

"Harold, you know that I've never been one for religion much in general, but I do think that the spirit of people does linger in the places that they loved."

"Well, sometimes I think you're developing a hope in god."

"You mean how I act with Jubal? I know his grandparents wanted some religion in his life. I just feel the need to try and help along his belief."

Harold smiled at this. It was one of their long standing 'arguments'. She was an avowed Agnostic.

"Well, your secret is safe with me then."

He focused on the road after that as they quietly chatted about nothing at all.

***
"Stay close, Jubal."

"I will Daddy."

Jubal wandered around Harold's office a bit as Harold worked through a couple of files. Harold only had a couple of files for the new medical project to go over, and then they were off to the library again.

The boy read more than even he did.

"Have you got a minute, Harold?"

"Of course, Brad. What can I do for you?"

"I've been meaning to get back with you and ask how Jubal's been doing in school. And then you were off on vacation. . ."

"I know what you mean. It's been a really busy couple of months hasn't it? He has completed his sixth grade coursework for the most part. Just a couple more things and he will be moved over to the junior high building."

"So quickly?"

"You knew he was smart, sir." Harold said with a huge smile.

"I did, and I'm so glad that we got him into that school. Thanks for the information, Harold, and keep up the good work."

***
Bradley James Hastings walked slowly away from his employee even now wondering at the strange twist of fate that had lead the child back into his life.

His wife had begun to despair in ever seeing the child again, and then there he was. She was. Whatever. If he believed in it, he'd think it was fate providing him with a present.

Jim still didn't think the little thing deserved any time, but his wife did.

She got that way every decade or so. He was SO glad she couldn't get pregnant any more.

"I'm not to be disturbed, Melanie. See to it."

Jim shut the door behind him and snorted at himself. Yes, what he'd told Harold all those months ago was correct. If he knew that kids could be as intelligent as Jubal, he might have actually wanted one of his own.

But never Jubal. How could Harold even stand that. . .that. . .non-gendered little. . .

His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening.

"I thought I said I was to be undisturbed."

"You're already that, daddy dearest. Disturbed I mean."

"Why are you here, Kyle?"

"I told you, it's Blaze now daddy dearest."

"Look, I let you have a little bit of leeway since you're my son, but I will not have you mimicking the homosexual behaviors of your peers."

"Relax, Dad. I was only doing it to tweak you. Besides, I'm bisexual. There's just too much variety out there for me to limit myself."

At Jim's expression Kyle began laughing, "Relax, Dad. You're just too damn easy."

Jim looked at his son's newly bleached hair, and the not so new eye piercing and sighed.

"How can you expect to take over the reigns of this company looking like that, Kyle?"

"Blaze, Dad. And who said I want to run Heredity?"

"It's in your blood, Boy."

"And if you actually succeed in your present scheme you're never retiring."

Jim smirked, "Leave it to you to boil things down to their most selfish. So, what is it I can do for my favorite sixteen year old in the world," Jim said with as much sarcasm as he could fit into the short sentence. "You didn't wrap another Bugatti around a pole did you? I'm not replacing another one."

"No, daddy-dearest, nothing so plebian. The girls want a night in San Fran and I want to treat them to it."

"Which girls are these?"

"No one you'd know, but I'm not sleeping with them." The look in his eyes added 'yet' to the end of it.

Jim smiled at this. He'd been a bit of the player in his day as well. He still was occasionally.

"Ok, so you want a car or money."

"Both. I'd like the Phantom and about a thousand."

"I'll only let you have the Phantom if Trent drives you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

***
George was a bit nervous walking into the building after the summer break. He may have been huge compared to the kids in third grade, but here he was a decidedly smaller fish in a big pond. He didn't know anyone else, since he hadn't been going to this school, or been with his other classmates before.

He was a new kid at a school he'd been going to for a little over two years.

"Watch where you're going, Moron." A bigger kid bumped into him causing George to drop his book bag.

"Hey, that wasn't very nice."

Jubal helped George to pick up his bag. "Hey, George."

"Jubal! You're here!"

"Yep. I was able to get the last of my history and science classes done of the summer, so they let me come do the seventh grade thing."

George smiled at his young friend's turn of phrase.

"Hey, George." One of the girls in the hall had walked over to the two of them, but that's all she seemed to be able to say.

"Heya, Katie. Have you met Jubal?"

"Um, Hi, Jubal. Looking for your class? I they have grade school in the other building. I can show you if you like."

George blushed, "Katie, um."

"No thank you, Katie. I have a map to my classes here, but if you could tell me. Are we in the entranceway, or the back foyer. I couldn't tell from the outside of the building. They look so similar on the map."

"Katie, meet Jubal. The smartest kid in the school. Jubal meet Katie, the prettiest. . .um."

Katie blushed bright red, and looked at the ground.

"Sorry, Katie. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"No, it's fine, George. You're kinda cute too."

She said this over her shoulder while she ran away, almost as if she wanted to avoid the repercussions of her actions.

"So, what do you have first?"

"Earth Science. This is a bit different than last year, huh. They have me changing classrooms every hour."

"That's junior high for you. Come on. I'll show you the science wing on my way to English."

***
Jubal was hiding in the bathroom in tears. He'd been so sure of himself at the beginning of the year, but it didn't make sense. Math was supposed to make sense. How could you do math with letters. They were letters. Used in words. They weren't numbers.

Math was 1+1 and 5-8 and 2¹⁵.

Math wasn't y=mx

How could it be?

"Jubal, you in here?" George called from the doorway.

Jubal sniffed out a, "Yeah."

"Your math teacher was worried, everyone's a little worried."

"I'm not smart enough!" Jubal wailed all the harder, and George wrapped him into a hug. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Jubal was only six years old and complaining because he couldn't do Algebra.

Eventually, the humor of the situation got the better of him and he started laughing.

"Stop laughing, George! I mean it."

"Jubal, you're getting As in all of your other classes. You are a six year old in junior high. And you're afraid you aren't smart enough."

Jubal glowered at him for another minute or two, and then started laughing himself. He couldn't help it. It was pretty funny when he got his pride out of the way.

"Thanks, George."

"Don't mention it."

Jubal hugged his friend back, and George gave out a little cry of pain.

"George! You need to see the nurse. Luke beat you up again, didn't he?"

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing. We're going now!"

George could have stopped this, but he let his young friend pull him along until they got to the nurses office. "Hello, Jubal. Hello, George. Were you escorting Jubal to my office again, George?"

"This time I'm escorting him. Luke York beat him up again."

The smile left the nurses pleasant face. "George is this true?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

"How many times has he done this?"

"More than he should. I read the policy on bullies, Mrs. Quincy. George doesn't want the other kids to think he's a snitch. I'm telling you that it was Luke, even if George won't."

"George, honey, Jubal is right. We need to nip this in the bud, so to speak. Can you confirm that it was Luke who beat you up?"

George looked down at Jubal's innocent and hopeful face. He didn't know what kids could do to each other. Jubal didn't know that George had been taking beatings meant for Jubal. He did know one thing, however: Jubal was not going to be subjected to physical violence like this if he could do anything about it. Let the school come at him.

"Yes, ma'am. It was Luke."

***
"Hey, Stoolie!"

Someone said as they tripped George in the hall.

"Stoolie, Stoolie!"

George's life was a living hell. One bully would be suspended in time for another to take his place. No one even looked Jubal's way, though, so that was good.

"Why do you let them do that to you?" Came a sweet voice from behind him.

George turned toward Katie with a smile, "because it gives you a reason to talk to me?"

She smiled and blushed at him.

Jubal slammed the door to his locker shut. "It's not fair!"

"What's not fair, Jubal."

"They moved me into another math class. I know I could get it. I just need more time."

George chuckled a bit, and Jubal's scowl melted.

"I heard they moved you to be the TA for my English class."

"Yeah, Mrs. Inahara had finally had enough of me correcting her, so now I get to correct her students papers. It's fun, though."

"Is that why I got an A on my last paper."

"Only because you deserved it. You obviously spend a good deal of time thinking out your arguments for the paper."

George smiled, and Katie gave him a playful slap on the arm. "That's great, George. Someday you might even be as smart as Jubal here."

***
"Hello again, Mrs Presman."

"Hello, Jubal. How did you like this year?"

"It was good, but I wish I could get Algebra."

"I know, sweetie. Sometimes some things just take longer than normal. So, the school has a proposition for you."

"What's that, Mrs. Presman?"

"We know that you have taken all the classes you really wanted, but there are a couple of others that you don't really need algebra for, and we don't feel comfortable advancing you without algebra."

"I understand. You want to send me back to the grade school."

"Of course not. I'm going about this all wrong. Did you enjoy being Mrs. Inahara's TA?"

"That was fun. Apparently I'm the only TA in the school trusted to grade papers."

"And the other kids appreciated your notes to them. I love the thoughtful and kind way that you pointed out their mistakes."

"Mommy always tells me I should treat all of the other kids the way I'd like to be treated."

"And it shows, Jubal. Would you like to TA for some of the other English teachers as well next year?"

"Yes, yes, yes!! Oh, please, may I?"

"We'll put you with a math tutor, but until you are ready to move on there. . ."

"Ok, Mrs. Presman. See you next year!"

"See you next year, Jubal."

***
"Hiya, Mrs. Carson."

"Hello, George. Jubal's in back."

"Thanks, but my dad wanted me to ask you first. He's taking my brothers and me camping, and I wanted to know if Jubal wanted to come along."

"I have no problem with it. Just make sure you keep him safe, okay?"

"Sure thing, Mrs. Carson."

George went running off to find Jubal. Susan watched him leave and smiled. Jubal was growing up so fast, if not quite as fast as he wanted. Sometimes she wished that she could just keep him at this age forever.

George and Jubal packed up a small bag of his clothes and other things he might need, and Susan waved to him as he climbed into the back of George's car.

"Stay safe, Jubal."

"I will Mommy."

***
Maxwell tossed his cigarette to the curb and crushed it out. Five months of waiting patiently were finally paying off. The kid was out of the house for the night, and the parents were home by themselves.

He lit another one as he waited for darkness to descend, and for the lights to go off in the house.

And a third cigarette while he waited for everyone to be nice and asleep. A smile crept across his face as he crushed the remnants of the last cigarette under his heel.

Showtime.

***
The fire started downstairs. In the living rom. The carpeting and the drapes went first, but the drywall and paint didn't wait long before following. It's didn't really start moving until the two by four studs in the wall caught.

The fumes from the carpeting and the paint spread through the house quickly. The fire-alarms had been for show, and didn't alert the Carsons to their impending fate.

Anoxia got them before they woke, and they were dead before the fire consumed their bodies.

The rest of the house soon followed.

The first engine to respond god stuck in the mud about half a mile from the house. The second was delayed by a drunk driver in a semi cab.

The third's seals broke as soon as they began to release pressure on the water tank.

It was all the firefighters could do to keep the surrounding houses from joining in the pyre.

***
"Jubal honey? I'm so glad you're ok."

"Hi, Joey." Jubal was despondent and couldn't seem to find his normal smile.

"What's wrong, baby."

"I'm sad because Mommy didn't believe in Jesus."

"Oh honey. Jesus believes in us even when we don't believe in him. She was good people, and I'm sure that she's joined your grandparents by now."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. Smile, little one. There are some people here who would like to meet you."

"Hello, Jubal Marie. We've heard so much about you."

"Yes, we'd like you to come home with us."

"You think you'd like that, Jubal Marie." It almost seemed to Jubal like they were saying it hyphenated, like Anne-Marie or something. Like they were feminizing his name.

He shook off the feeling and smiled up at them. Sure, I think I'd like that.

***
The Johansens drove up to their home and let Jubal out to get a look of the place. It was a little smaller than the Carson's home, but he didn't mind, as long as he had someone who loved him.

They led him into the house and showed him a room festooned in pink and lace. "I hope you don't mind, but before we met you we were looking for a girl."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Johansen. I don't mind pink. My nightgown is pink."

She let a shark like smile slip as she looked over at Mr. Johansen. This could work out very well for them.

"So, Marie, why don't you start unpacking, and we'll just be downstairs."

They'd already left before Jubal realized that they'd used his girl name. He looked through the closet and dresser and realized that there was already a lot of clothing here in about his size. Girl's clothing. He smelled a bit of a rat at this, but not much. It's not like clothing changed who he was.

He chuckled at the thought and then he saw The Dress.

It might not be something special to anyone else, and in fact it was simply shoved into his closet like all the other dresses and top, but it was a perfect style, and he ached to try it on. It was a simple yellow sundress, but it was the same style that his grandfather had bought for him.

He pulled it out almost reverently, and tried it on. He'd missed this feeling. Missed his grandpa.

He sat down on the floor, showing the matching yellow bloomers that went underneath, and cried for people he would never see again. After a couple of minutes, he dried his tears and went downstairs.

"That's such a beautiful dress, Marie."

"Jubal. My name is Jubal."

"But it's Marie as well. think about it, Honey, your Grandparents named you with both a girl name and a boy name."

"Yeah, so I didn't need to change it if I chose to be a girl."

"Or if you choose to be a boy. You still have the choice, princess," said Mr. Johansen.

"But I like being a boy."

"You've just spent more time pretending to be a boy. How can you know if you really want to be a boy, unless you spend some time as a girl first. You've spent six and a half years as a boy, right?"

"Yeah. . ."

"Well, don't you think you should try to spend the same amount as a girl?"

"I guess so."

"See, I knew you'd understand, Marie."

Jubal gave a half smile and then she went upstairs. She still wasn't sure of whether or not they were right, but they were his parents now, and they would try to keep him going in the right direction.

***
"There were a couple of minutes there, Frank, when I really thought that she wasn't going to go for it."

"You've seen how she interacts with people, all sweetness and light. She's definitely more girl than boy right now, and we just need to feed into that self image. Then, when she turns twelve, she gets the less expensive surgery, and the rest is ours to do with as we see fit. Can you believe they put almost a quarter million dollars in that fund for her?"

"I know. I can almost see it now. Just five and a half more years, Frank. And that money will be all ours."

***
"Joey!"

"Hey, sweetie. I love the color on you."

Jubal twirled so that his dress flared out. When he stopped he looked up at her and grinned. "It's just like the one my Grandpa bought for me. I love yellow. It's such a happy color."

"I'm glad to hear that. So, why the girl clothing, if I may ask?"

"I want to give being a girl a chance. I've spent so much time focusing on being a boy. If need to give being a girl a chance so I know for sure what I want in life."

"I'm not sure it works like that, but I applaud your courage, Jubal, or do I call you Marie when you look like this?"

"It's easier if you call me Marie."

"Ok, Marie."

There was something a little off about his smile. Something not quite. . .genuine?

Joey decided that she needed to have a deeper look into the backgrounds of Mr. and Mrs. Johansen. The doctor had checked Jubal out completely, so she knew it wasn't physical, whatever they were doing. And Jubal would seem happy enough to a third party.

But Joey knew him.

She wanted to protect that little boy from whatever the future held, even if that meant protecting him from his own 'parents'.

***
Jubal dreaded going to school that fall. His new parents had insisted he wear a new dress, and he felt like a dork. He'd tried being the girl, but for some reason, it simply didn't feel right to him. Maybe it was because of all the time he'd spent as a boy. Maybe it was something else. He just dreaded being seen in public looking like this.

"Hey new gi. . .Jubal?"

"Hey George."

"What's with the dress?"

"My new parents decided I had to come to school as Marie this year."

"Damn, that sucks. They say why?"

"Yeah, because I haven't given being a girl enough of a go. You know, so I can make an informed decision when I'm twelve."

"Man, well, I guess they're your folks now, so not much you can do."

"Yeah, I know. Hey, most of it is in yellow, though. You know how hard it is to find boys clothes in yellow?"

"Jub. . .Marie, sometimes you ARE a girl."

Jubal stuck his tongue out at his friend and then went off to class.

***
"Marie, wait up!"

"Hey, Katie. How goes?"

"Great. So, I wanted to let you know that not all the girls agree with Emily."

"I know. Emily is just jealous because I look better in a dress than she does."

"I know, right? She definitely looks better in pants."

"Yeah, but she doesn't want to admit that maybe she would be more comfortable as a boy."

"Huh?"

"Oh, yeah. The Johansens had me start talking to a therapist, and since I figure that my problems are my own, I talk about some of the kids at school, trying to figure them out. I mentioned Emily, and the shrink said that Emily might possibly be a boy in a girls body, but she couldn't make a final determination without talking to her directly."

"That happens?"

"Yeah. Apparently some boys feel like they should be girls and vice versa."

"Wow, that is so different."

"I know. It shocked me a bit, but I can see what she means. I don't feel like one of the girls when I wear a dress, anymore than you feel like one of the boys when you wear pants. It's in here that we feel who we are, and clothing doesn't change that."

"Sage Jubal speaks again. . .I mean Marie."

"I do prefer Jubal, Katie. Thanks."

***
Jubal took his calendar off the wall to mark another day off. He'd kept at it the last couple of years, and it was almost a habit for him now. He'd tried to make the images he drew on the new day as girly as possible, but he just wasn't feeling it.

He really wasn't a girl, and this who experiment of the Johansen's proved it to him. He marked off the date, April 6^th and went downstairs to talk to them about it.

He heard shouting before he got to the living room.

"Shut UP! I need my cut now."

"Maxwell, calm down. We don't have it. It's still about five years before we will be able to get our hands on it."

"That's not good enough, Frank. Not even close."

"Maxie, baby. You need to calm down."

"CAN IT OLIVIA!"

"Max, you may be my baby brother. . ."

"I'm the one holding the gun. I'm the one who gets to decide who's going to calm down."

"Maxie."

"DON'T CALL ME MAXIE!!!!!"

The gun went off, and Jubal hear something heavy crumple to the floor. He hid around the corner.

"Maxwell, we can still work this all out."

"They're closing in on me, Frank. They know that the fire at the Carson's was arson. They KNOW damn it. I've been suspended awaiting a full investigation into my work."

"You're a fire inspector, Maxwell. You should have been able to make it go away."

"Somehow they figured out that the report was faked. They sent an outside inspector in."

"How did they discover it was arson. You told me. . ."

"That I made the house ignite on its own? Yeah. I did. I started an electrical fire in the living room. Anyone should have looked into the fire and seen what I wanted them to see. Which is a lot of nothing. Accident. . .stay back Frank."

"Maxwell, just hand me the gun. . ."

"I'm warning you!"

There was a scuffling noise, and the lamp went out after a crashing sound. Jubal huddled deeper into his corner in the hall, too afraid to move.

More heaving breathing, the sound of bodies slamming into objects, and then a flash and the gun went off again.

Jubal heard sirens outside, and he huddled in the darkness. Someone opened the front door.

"Throw down your weapon!"

"Eat me, Pig!"

There was more gunfire and the sound of running feet. He felt the arms of someone pick him up, and he struggled a bit. "The child is safe, we have two dead bodies in here. Someone get protective services, on the line."

***
Joey looked tired and sad when she finally arrived to pick Jubal up from the police station.

"Jubal, Honey. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Joey. I'm not sad. They arranged for Maxwell to kill the Carsons."

His voice tore out her heart. There was no life in it at all. His little face was slack, and he just stared into the distance.

She folded him into a hug, but he didn't hug her back. He just sat there limply.

"I'm so sorry about the Carsons."

Jubal began to cry. "Why did this have to happen, Joey? Why did got let those people kill the Carsons? They were so good and decent."

"I don't know, Jubal."

"That's not good enough. If god doesn't believe in good people more than bad, then I can't believe in him right now."

"Jubal. . ."

"No more, you hear me god? I'm not believing in you anymore!"

Jubal cried himself to sleep in Joey's arms.