All I can say right now is "wow". I struggled the whole time, trying to figure out who this was. At first I thought it might be Frank Longbottom, but then realized halfway thru that it coudn't be. I was shocked at the end--this was so ingenious. So then I had to reread it, and it all made sense then, painful sense. You really built a nice frenzied panic in Vernon, I was almost holding my breath. Kudos for such an original thesis, and taking Vernon to new heights of self-absorption, even as he had to admit his indissoluble tie to the boy he'd always claimed to loathe.

Author's Response: Thank you!! I'm glad you didn't figure out who it was right away...I had so much fun writing this one. Interestingly enough, I wrote almost all of it within about fifteen minutes, just typing randomly when bit by a plot bunny - at work, of all places. It came out way more creepy and strange than I'd ever planned, but I liked it that way, so I left it. And it was interesting trying to write Vernon, which I've never done before. It was an all-around fun piece to do, as odd as that may sound for such a depressing story. :)