So far, Heddy has discovered a German man hiding on the island. Her brother, Willis has just come home from the war. And thanks to a talk from her brother, Willis, she now has her first boyfriend, Lester.

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Lester goes home after dinner and a game of checkers. He picks Willis as his opponent over me, so all I can do is sit at the table and watch. It's kind of boring because they do a lot of looking at the board and scratching their chins as they decide where to move their checkers. When Momma and I play, we move the circles around really quickly. We would have done three games in the time it takes Lester and Willis to get through this one. But Willis ends up winning. Lester takes it pretty well, even reaches over and shakes Willis's hand.

Both Daddy and Willis walk him home, leaving me home to keep Momma company. I stand at the window more than a little mad that I wasn't invited.

"It isn't even dark. Why couldn't I have gone with them?"

Momma puts her book down and smiles. "Sometimes it's best if boys have time with each other."

I turn back to the window and stare out of it. The shadows have laid claim to most of the yard. It looks cool but it isn't. The little thermometer in the kitchen window was reading 92 degrees just after dinner. I wonder what boys talk about. My pulse quickens when I think about something. What if Lester tells my daddy and Willis that I kissed him? Would Daddy give me a whipping? Momma would probably cry. Matter of fact, I'm sure she'd cry. I shouldn't have done it, I just shouldn't have.

"So, what did you and Lester do at the beach this afternoon?" Momma asks, slowly turning the page in the book. "Did y'all have fun?"

The panic races up my throat, and before I know it, I blurt out the worst possible thing, "Well, we didn't kiss, if that's what you're thinking."

Momma looks over the edge of her book, her eyebrows raised. "Um, I wasn't thinking that, well, least ways not until now."

My hands are shaking and before I can stop myself I run over and throw myself at her. Tears stream down my face in shame. "I'm sorry, Momma. I just did it. Don't think bad of me. Please, don't tell Daddy or Willis."

To my surprise, Momma squeezes me and I hear her laugh softly. "I don't think less of you, Heddy. I know you like Lester and he likes you. But, maybe kissing each other should wait for a little while. Kissing comes with responsibility."

"What kind of responsibility?" I sit back but still close to her.

"Kissing means you're an adult. You aren't one and neither is Lester. I promise not to tell your daddy or your brother. Maybe the next time he goes to kiss you, tell him it was nice the first time but today isn't a good day for it. Or, you can tell him the truth. You just aren't ready for it."

I nod, but I don't feel like that. I liked kissing him.

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I'm in bed by the time Daddy and Willis get back. I creep over to the door and press my ear against it, listening to what they are talking about. I don't hear my name or Lester's name mentioned so I climb back into bed. I kick off the covers and toss around until I can't stand it. The air is thick and humid, the sheet beneath me is damp with sweat. I tug the top sheet free and lay it out on the floor below the window. The floor boards are cooler and I can feel the air moving slightly from the window. I roll onto my side and stare up at the indigo sky. Tiny white stars are splattered across it, making me think about the tiny little freckles on Lester's nose.

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I hear him. His voice full of anger and fear. Daddy is trying to comfort him while Momma cries and begs him to settle down. I'm afraid to go out into the hall. I don't want to see Willis like this. It won't be the Willis I know. It'll be a different Willis. I push myself off of the floor and take timid steps to my bed. He sounds so scary. His voice raised and shattering the silky quiet of the night.

Someone sits beside me, their feathery touch letting me know it's Nonni. "Don't be frightened, Heddy. He's trying to get the demons of war out. He isn't gonna hurt you. He doesn't understand what makes people do the things he's seen."

Nonni should know. She is smart. I shouldn't be afraid but I am. I'm afraid of the Willis in the other room. I'm scared for my Momma and Daddy. I hear something fall on the floor in his room. He's scared and I'm scared, but not of the same thing.

"He needs you, Heddy. Go tell him how much you need him." Nonnie moves to the window and smiles at me as she points to the bedroom door.

I put my hand on the glass knob and turn it. I can see into his room, he's hunched over, his arms almost covering the back of his head. "Willis," I say.

Daddy looks at me, his eyes clouded with concern. "Everything is okay, Heddy. Go on back to bed."

"He's scared, Daddy. When I'm scared, I like to go down to the beach. Willis, you want to go to the beach with me?"

He doesn't answer, just sniffs and continues to hold his arms over his head. Then he pulls the cover back and looks at me. Without a word, he swings his legs over the edge and struggles to stand.

Daddy reaches behind him and hands him his cane. Willis's breaths come out in irregular bursts, like mine used to when I'd have a crying fit. He follows me down the stairs and through the kitchen.

"Nonni says sometimes you just need to breathe in good ocean air."

Willis wipes his forearm across his eyes. "You miss her don't you?"

I nod. I wish I could tell him how close she is.

We sit on the sand, neither saying anything for rest of the night. I see the burnished streaks of the rising sun and nudge him. "You're safe now."

I watch him as he struggles to stand. I wonder if those war demons are still there tormenting him, or if the sound of the waves have lulled them to sleep.