enough. Baron's hand instinctively grabbed at the railing, trying to keep his own balance—throwing Bear into the murky cold waters below. Chapter 1: Mara Baron Baron walked through the empty halls of his school, the eerie silence following him down the hall. He walked past the finely curated lawns, fenced in yards and cut grass turning down to an older street. His mother and him had found home in a suburb in a rural area of Pennsylvania, an area where the most common job was in a field or factory. There were hardworking people everywhere, but yet, it didn't seem to stick to Baron. He turned into a desolate street; ferns and wild grass grew in abundance, houses had boarded windows and crumbling foundations. Many depressions had laid waste to countless families, to others such as Baron's, it provided an opportunity to start anew, to have a new beginning. He reached his home, a small one bedroom apartment in a decrepit building. The paint, once maroon, had dried up and fallen to the ground years before they arrived. A pile of peeled paint had formed at the steps of the complex, next to it, a hole where bunnies had made a home in cracked concrete. There were no balconies and the windowsills, formerly white, now were an unsightly black. As soon as he opened the door, his mother, Mara, was questioning him. "Where have you been? School ended nearly two hours ago and it usually only takes you half an hour to walk back.” Baron looked down and set his backpack on the floor. "You know, some teachers wanted me to stay in a bit late.” He mumbled quickly. Mara, sensing the tension, straightened her gaze and put her hands together. "Did you have to go to detention again?” She said quietly while raising her voice. Baron avoided eye contact and stared at the ground. "I didn't have a choice, they said they're going to make me go every week until I get my grades up.” "I thought your grades were fine.” Mara questioned again. "You did that extra study program just last month.”
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