The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother)

When not writing during spare hours on weekends, David Levithan is editorial director at Scholastic and the founding editor of the PUSH imprint, which is devoted to finding new voices and new authors in teen literature. His acclaimed novels Boy Meets Boy and The Realm of Possibility started as stories he wrote for his friends for Valentine's Day (something he's done for the past 22 years and counting) that turned themselves into teen novels. He's often asked if the book is a work of fantasy or a work of reality, and the answer is right down the middle it's about where we're going, and where we should be.

1

They looked everywhere.

The woods behind our backyard. The school. The woods behind the school. The basement. The attic. The pond, even though the pond was a long walk away. They called the parents of every kid in Aidan s class, even the ones who d moved away.

We opened every door to every room in our house, every door to every closet. We searched every crawl space, checked under every bed. We pulled back each of the shower curtains and looked for footprints in all of the rugs. It was a game of hide and seek that got old after five minutes, alarming after an hour, and the scariest thing that had ever happened to any of us after that.

Aidan couldn t be found.

They asked me the same questions over and over again.

When did you last see him?

I was falling asleep. It was his turn to shut off the lights. I saw him get out of his bed and go to the light switch. Then I heard him get back into bed, and I think we said goodnight.

What time was this?

Around ten?

You re not sure.

That s usually when we turn out the lights. I wasn t paying attention. I just wanted to go to bed.

Were you asleep when he left the room?

I think so. I didn t hear the door.

How long does it take you to go to sleep?

I don t know.

Does your brother usually get up in the middle of the night?

I don t think so.

Have you ever caught him sleepwalking?

No.

Did he say anything to you about running away?

No.

Do you think he ran away?

Only because he s not here. But there s no reason for him to run away. He s twelve.

And you re eleven, Lucas?

Yes.

He didn t say anything unusual to you.

No.

He wasn t mad about anything?

No. And if he was really running away . . .

What?

He would have taken his phone. He wouldn t have left it behind. He loves his games too much.

Is there any place your brother would have gone? Any friends he would have wanted to see?

Late at night? No.

No one.

Glenn s his best friend. But he sees Glenn all the time. I mean, during the day. I don t think they would meet up at night in secret, if that s what you re asking. But I guess you d have to ask Glenn.

Is there any place your brother goes to hide? Like when you re playing--where does he hide?

The attic. Aidan always hides in the attic.

They checked every inch of the attic. They moved every box, opened every old cupboard, chest, and dresser. There were traces of Aidan up there--footsteps and fingerprints left in the dust. But there were traces of Aidan everywhere. This was our house. We lived all over it.

They looked for a note. They looked at the histories of every device Aidan used. They looked in a circle around our house, trying to find a trail. And they also looked for any sign that someone had broken in and stolen him away from us.

So much looking. And they couldn t find a thing.

Did you get into a fight with Aidan?

No.

Did your parents get into a fight with Aidan?

No.

Did you yell at him?

No.

Did they yell at him?

No.

Was there any reason for him to leave?

No.

Are you sure?

Yes.

Neighbors and strangers banded together to search, walking at arm s length through fields and forests, staring at the ground for clues. The pond--they kept coming back to the pond, even though I told them we never went near the pond, because it was on Mr. Magruder s property, and Mr. Magruder had told us to stay away. Even Aidan, who was much braver than I was, or maybe much more reckless than