The familiar sight of Mr. Lawson’s mostly sparse backyard met my eyes again. There was the heated outdoor pool to my left, the water pping at the sides of it. The rest of the wn was bare. The entire backyard was fenced in by a cedar privacy fence so that no one could look in.

  It was currently 11:00 p.m., and we had just put down our stuff shortly after arriving.

  Non started walking around on the empty wn.

  Since our hands were linked, I followed him.

  “It was a good idea to come back,” I said. “No one can peek in.”

  “I’ll probably lie down here in the morning,” Non said, gesturing in the general direction of the grass. “Or should I just lie here tonight and wait until the sun rises?”

  I hesitated. “You’d rather do that?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  He began to sit down on the grass, pulling me down beside him. I leaned my side into him.

  “I think it’d be painful enough to come out here without clothes tomorrow,” he said. “Not sure I’d have the presence of mind to walk to a good spot and settle down properly. At least if I lie here, I know I’ll be in a comfortable position, right?”

  “I’m not sure the comfortable position would matter once the sun comes up …”

  Non ughed and looked back at me.

  “You’re right,” he said.

  Letting go of my hand, he y down on his back to stare at the sky. I y down next to him. There were twinkling stars scattered all across the night sky. I closed my eyes and breathed in the cold fresh air, hints of the chlorine from the pool mingled in it.

  “Can you be here with me tomorrow?” he asked. “I don’t … I don’t want to be alone.”

  To tell the truth, I didn’t want to be out here to watch Non burn. I didn’t think I could handle seeing his body break down under the sun or hear him trying to hold back agonized grunts. But Non needed me more than I was scared of seeing the suffering he would undergo. It would be selfish of me not to bite the bullet. This was about him.

  “For sure,” I said. “I’ll be right by your side.”

  I felt his hand cover mine. “Thank you.”

  The tremor in his hand was slight but noticeable. I flipped my hand over to hold his.

  “Do you want your binocurs? I can grab it for you,” I offered. “We could do some stargazing tonight before I go to sleep.”

  His hand cmped onto mine. “No, I’m good. Don’t go anywhere, okay?”

  “I’m right here,” I whispered before leaning over to brush a kiss against his icy cheek. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  He turned his head to press his mouth against mine.

  “Good. Don’t.”

  For the next several hours, we made inconsequential small talk. Eventually, my brain decided it was too te to stay up and started shutting down on its own, so I headed back in to get some sleep. Although Non couldn’t fall asleep at this timing, he went back in with me. It was—most likely— his st night as a vampire, and he needed to prepare himself mentally for tomorrow.

  ———

  In the morning, I ate toast, bacon, and eggs that Mr. Lawson had made while Non buried his head down in his forearms at the same table.

  Mr. Lawson sat with us, sipping bck coffee from his mug and spacing out at the bnk wall the kitchen table was lined against. He’d looked extremely distracted earlier, nodding at us but not really meeting our eyes when we entered the kitchen. Of course, if I were him, I’d be a little out of it too. My son was about to either walk to his death or walk into life again. There was no telling which it would be. All we had to hinge this theory on was Sylvan’s word.

  Non had already talked to Mr. Lawson about this. Mr. Lawson would stay inside the house and wait. He could come outside if he liked, but Non reminded him that his presence wouldn’t affect the outcome. He also preferred that his father not see him like that. Honestly, I could understand that. Before we left the kitchen, Mr. Lawson stood up and pulled Non into an awkward hug.

  “Hey,” I said, fidgeting as Non and I finally stood in front of the mahogany door that led to the backyard. “Would you be okay with it if ... I didn’t look at you? You know, while we’re out there.”

  I hoped he wouldn’t mind. If I would burn to a crisp under the sun, I wouldn’t want anyone seeing the process, let alone my loved ones. The thought of having to watch Non so that he would feel like he had some support made me feel both distraught and uncomfortable.

  He pced a hand on my shoulder.

  “I don’t expect you to. I just would feel better knowing you’re there with me. You don’t have to look at me. Actually, it might be better if you don’t look at me. I don’t want you to be traumatized just because I want your presence. I know it’s hard enough for you. I’m sorry for asking this of you.”

  “You’re the one going through a hard time,” I reminded him with a sad smile. Despite the relief that came upon me, I still felt unbearably gloomy. “I’m here to be your support. You’re supposed to lean on me, not the other way around.”

  “I am.” He leaned against me, causing me to stumble slightly from the abrupt action. “See?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Sure, sure.”

  The weight on my side lifted, and Non began pulling his T-shirt over his head. We’d agreed that the reason Sylvan took off everything was so he could burn to death faster, and that the result would likely have been the same either way. He felt more comfortable keeping a pair of running shorts on, and I completely understood.

  With his bunched-up shirt in one hand, Non reached for the doorknob with his other.

  “Okay.” He took a deep breath. “I guess it’s time.”

  “I’ll be right here with you.”

  We went into the backyard. The instant he stepped into the sunlight, the same horrible sizzle hit the air. To my amazement, Non staggered determinedly onward to the middle of the wn where we had in st night. If it were me, I’d have crumpled from the pain. I wouldn’t have the strength to carry on. I walked behind him and sat down on his left when he y down, averting my eyes from him. A groan came from him, but it got cut off halfway. Hearing that, I clenched my fists in my helplessness.

  I couldn’t stop myself. I stole a look, just to see how bad it was. His skin was already red all over, covered with blisters just like the ones I saw the other day. Even his face wasn’t spared.

  I flinched and turned away, choosing to focus on the pool instead. Tears sprang to my eyes.

  Soon, faint wisps of bck smoke entered my sight.

  What was strange was the absence of a distinctive smell to go along with the smoke. I deliberately sniffed the air, but all I caught was a light burning smell reminiscent of charred toast. I felt a little sick thinking about how it was coming from Non’s body, but I diverted my thoughts to the sky instead.

  The clouds were bright and plenteous, many of them in rge interesting shapes that drifted across the sky. I tried to distract myself by following a cat-shaped cloud that floated slowly to the right, drawing closer and closer to the sun as it did.

  “I’m here, okay?” I said to Non as the cloud partially covered the sun. “You’re not alone. I love you.”

  He gave a short, tiny whine in response.

  I wasn’t sure if it would hurt even more if I tried to hold his hand to provide some comfort—I didn’t think he would want his wounded area to be touched—so I wrapped my arms around myself and y back down as well.

  At this stage, I didn’t have the courage to look back at him again. The smoky wisps dissipated quickly but were still produced continuously.

  Non had been retively quiet all this time. I couldn’t tell if he was attempting to suppress his reaction to the pain or if he had passed out.

  I checked my phone for the time. Thirty minutes had passed. I set my phone back down on the grass and turned my attention back to the clouds again.

  How long did we have to wait? I remembered Sylvan saying he woke up hours ter.

  After another thirty minutes, the bck smoke subsided entirely. The burned smell was gone, too.

  I said tentatively, “Non?”

  No answer.

  “Non?” I tried again, unable to stop the shrill tone from entering my voice.

  There was still no response. I forced myself to sit up and look at him. Fear clung to my bones like cling film. Nausea rose to my throat as I spun myself away, trying to keep my breakfast down. It was no easy feat—all I wanted to do was to throw up right there.

  It looked like the injuries inflicted on his hand that day had been applied to his whole body, which appeared as if it had colpsed in on itself. He would be unrecognizable if not for the fact that we’d gone out into the backyard together, so I knew it was definitely him.

  I cried this time, not bothering to hold back my noisy weeping. After all, he couldn’t hear me now.

  “Non?” I tried whispering in between sobs. “Are you … are you …”

  He really had passed out.

  It was hard to concentrate when it felt like every cell in my body was trembling. Non had already lost consciousness! I had to do something. I couldn’t just leave him here.

  Should I move him indoors or should I leave him out here?

  I tried to think. From what Sylvan had said, it sounded like he’d woken up where he’d passed out. What if, by moving Non back inside, I ended up impeding whatever else the sun needed to do? I didn’t know what would happen if I moved him.

  It contradicted my instinctive desire to do something, and it took every inch of my willpower to stay put where I was. I needed to feel like I was helping him, like I was taking actions to ensure Non would be okay.

  Waiting and doing nothing was the hardest thing to do when my fingers itched to move him.

  Ironically, I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him again, knowing that I’d really vomit this time if I did.

  I shivered as I waited, drawing my knees up to my torso, unsure if it stemmed more from fear or anticipation. Either way, each minute crawled by like an hour.