Moments later, the nagging suspicion of being watched made him twist his neck. Two bright blue eyes gazed at him. The child—a boy—knelt beside the bed with his chin on the edge of the mattress. "Hi," the kid said with a grin that showed his front two teeth were surprisingly large. "Hi," Snake responded, somewhat cautiously. He glanced around the room, taking a double check that it was in fact his bedroom. The curtains, the dresser, the bed, all were familiar. It was his room, but who was the kid? "You awake?" the kid asked. Snake took a moment to contemplate, making sure he was indeed a wake. "Yes." His voice crackled like a bullfrog's. "'Cause I'm supposed to holler for Sissy if'n you wake up." A thick blanket of blond hair hung around the kid's round face. It was somewhat disheveled and reminded Snake of his own hair when he was growing up. Ma had forever been greasing it down. He could still remember the stench of the oil she used. The kid spoke again, and Snake turned to him. "What?" "Should I holler for Sissy, or are you gonna go back to sleep?" "Sissy?" Snake asked.
