Gabriel
- For a long time, Gabriel doesn't see Finnigan. Sometimes, he wishes his BFF were close by so he wouldn't have to spend so much time with his eccentric parents or the mean kids at school who steer clear of him (except for an occasional joke at his expense).
- When Gabriel turns eleven, a fire rages throughout the town. It keeps growing and growing until it overtakes many people's homes.
- Right away, Gabriel knows that Finnigan set the fire. He doesn't bother turning his friend in, but he hopes Finnigan won't rat Gabriel out if he's caught.
- A couple months later, he finally sees Finnigan again, and chides his friend for setting the fire.
- Finnigan just laughs this off. He's supposed to do bad stuff, remember? Of course he'll set fires and wreak havoc on society.
- Gabriel doesn't get it, though: Why would Finnigan do that? It's wrong and he shouldn't do it again.
- Thinking about what Gabriel says, Finnigan throws it back in his face: How about your brother and what you did to him? Wasn't that wrong?
- Back in the present, Gabriel tells us that his bones are really close to the skin. He aches all over, and he's always reminded of his brother Vernon when he sees his thin skin.
- Vernon was born three years before Gabriel, but his brain wasn't fully developed, so he couldn't talk, though he could make sounds, and he'd often gurgle, cry, or laugh.
- Of course everyone quickly figured out that Vernon was mentally disabled, but Gabriel's parents kept their feelings about it to themselves. In public, they'd say what a joy and blessing their son was, but in private, they'd admit they'd been cursed and hated Vernon for ruining their lives. Oh—hey there, hatred. Funny seeing you in this book.
- Gabriel used to think about how much easier it would be on everybody—Vernon included—if he met an unfortunate accident and died.
- Since neither of his parents could stand Vernon, Gabriel was usually the one who took care of him.
- One Sunday, he was doing just that then his dad went off to church and his mom stayed home with a migraine.
- He wanted to watch cartoons at the neighbor's house instead, so Gabriel came up with a plan to do both. Step (1): He'd feed Vernon his lunch early and tuck him in for a nap. Step (2): He'd have the rest of the afternoon free.
- The only problem? Vernon gets super temperamental anytime someone messed with his strict schedule. So he throws a tantrum when Gabriel tries to feed him early.
- Getting annoyed, Gabriel stuffs a cloth in his brother's mouth to shut him up—he's worried his brother's crying will bother their mom, and you don't want to see her angry.
- Gabriel hears noises from the other room and fears the worst: His mom has woken up and is coming this way to deliver a spanking for disturbing her.
- Thinking quickly, he stuffs his brother in the refrigerator so his mom won't hear Vernon crying and get mad at them both.
- His mom comes out and questions Gabriel about what's happening. Gabriel tells her everything's okay and she should go back to bed.
- Sure enough, she barks at him that he needs to keep Vernon quiet.
- Gabriel rushes back to the fridge, only to find Vernon, still and lifeless, with blue lips and no longer breathing.
- He's shocked. Gabriel pulls the cloth out from his mouth and stares at his body for a long time, until his dad gets home from church.
- Finnigan's been listening to Gabriel telling this story, and says he shouldn't worry. He didn't mean to hurt his brother, and these things happen. (But do they?)
- Then Finnigan points out that maybe he didn't mean to hurt people in the fire either. Gabriel says that there's a kid at school whose bike needs burning if he's looking for his next target. The boys tell themselves that some people deserve to get hurt.
- Finnigan leaves after they promise to keep each other's secrets.