Marty Bergstrom had mastered the art of fading into the background—almost. Tall and lean, with a build that made gym class a trial rather than a triumph, his PE teacher had labeled him a "wuss"--a label the other boys were quick to adopt. No matter how much Marty tried to escape notice, one thing betrayed him: his eyes. Icy blue. Sharp. The boys mocked him as weak, but the girls seemed drawn to those eyes. His mother always said they were just like his father’s—but for Marty, they drew attention that he didn’t want, from admiring glances to jealous glares. He hated them for that.

  Marty slipped into his usual spot beside Seffie in Mrs. Trent’s homeroom at Oakdale High, the flickering image of October Sky paused on the classroom’s ancient DVD player. Without a word, Seffie passed him her yearbook.

  Two ravens were perched on a branch outside the window

  Looking into the room.

  No, staring at Marty.

  A chill ran down his back.

  He looked around. No one else seemed to notice.

  He shook it off and turned his attention back to Seffie’s yearbook.

  He flipped through pages and landed on the page with Seffie’s photo.

  “Josephine Walden,” he said with a grin. “Kinda classy. Maybe I’ll swap it out for Seffie.”

  She shot him a look. To everyone else she was Seffie—hair always a little wild, smile that caught him off guard more than he’d admit.

  “Shut up.” Seffie rolled her eyes, but her smile lingered. “You want me to start calling you Ooh-lay Mar-teen?”

  He winced at the mangled Norwegian, raising his hands in surrender. “Fine. You stick with Marty, I’ll stick with Seffie.”

  He laughed it off, scribbling a clumsy note in the margin. When he glanced up, her faint smile carried something new—recognition, maybe. But before he could pin it down, Lukas Wilde strolled in like he owned the place, all eyes on him as he commanded the room.

  You could smell the cologne before you saw him. Marty wasn’t sure why Lukas was in their homeroom—he wasn’t in their class, but there he was, pulling up a seat behind Seffie.

  “October Sky? Thought we ditched that for good after sixth grade,” Lukas said, voice loud enough to draw eyes.

  He leaned forward, flashing a grin at Seffie. “You signing your soul away in that yearbook, or just letting Marty doodle poems in the margins?”

  Seffie rolled her eyes, but didn’t rise to the bait. “Only the worthy get a full page.”

  Lukas snatched the book and signed with a careless flourish before tossing it back. Marty’s jaw clenched and his cheeks flushed. Lukas's unearned confidence was the kind of thing that made Marty want to disappear.

  The bell finally rang, and Marty stepped into the hallway’s chaos—lockers slamming, voices bouncing off the walls. The promise of summer hung thick in the air, like the scent of freshly cut grass. Ninth grade was almost over. Relief was a dull ache in his chest.

  Seffie slipped past him, her dark hair catching the light. She was wearing the same worn hoodie she always did, but today there was something in the way she moved—lighter, more sure. Marty had known her since Kindergarten, but right now, he was seeing her for the very first time.

  “Hey, Josephine,” Marty called, grinning. “Wait up.”

  Seffie’s elbow found his ribs—sharp, but her smile gave her away. “Seriously—that’s the last one.”

  He laughed, the last of his tension shaking loose. “Alright, Seffie.”

  They walked in step, easy now. “Big plans for the summer?” she asked.

  “Old man Giles’ farm. Moving pipe, tossing hay bales. Hopefully come back with muscles this time.”

  She smirked. “Sounds rough. I’m planning to split my time between sunshine and AC. But hey, we’ve gotta find time to hang with the squad. You’re not too busy moving sprinklers, right?”

  Marty nodded, but before he could answer, her eyes darted toward Brad and Erik. “Hold up,” she said, weaving away. “I’ll be right back.”

  Someone smacked Marty on the back.

  “Hey Bro!,” Scott said, as Marty whirled about. Leaning casually against a locker with his varsity jacket slung over his shoulder, Scott had been the same since they were kids - always the star.

  Scott laughed, “Can’t wait til next year Bro.”

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  “Yeah man, no more being picked on.”

  Scott looked up at Marty a little confused. "I’m just looking forward to another year of football... I started a few games this year, but I think I will get more reps next year, y’know?"

  "That's cool, man. Congrats," Marty said, forcing a smile.

  Scott tilted his head, studying Marty. "You good, dude? You seem a little off."

  Marty shrugged. "Yeah, just tired. It's been a long year."

  Scott’s smile softened. "Alright, man. Catch you later." He playfully shoved Marty’s shoulder, surprising him and knocking him into a row of lockers, before striding off to join up with some upper classmen - teammates.

  As Scott disappeared into the throng of students, Marty turned his gaze back down the hall, where Seffie was talking with Brad and Erik, her laugh light and carefree.

  He overheard Brad and Erik’s usual inane banter

  “Movie days are the best,” Brad announced, shoving a granola bar into his mouth like they were supposed to be eaten in one bite. “I’m officially learning nothing this week.”

  “You didn’t learn anything last week either,” Erik said, not even looking up from his phone.

  “Consistency is key,” Brad replied proudly, winking at Seffie as she shook her head, grinning.

  Before Marty could take another step, Lukas sidled up beside Seffie with an air of unabashed arrogance.

  He wrapped an arm around Seffie's waist, too familiar. Seffie stiffened, and Marty’s eyes widened as he took in the scene.

  “Hey, Seffie,” Lukas said, "Here’s a deal for you. Trade in these guys for an upgrade this summer?"

  Marty’s fists clenched, but he remained silent, watching. Seffie shifted uncomfortably under Lukas's touch, her expression betraying a momentary discomfort.

  “Lukas, could you just not?” Seffie said firmly, pulling his arm away and giving him a shove. "Seriously?!?”

  Lukas raised his eyebrows nonchalantly. "What? I thought I was getting a vibe. Don't be so uptight, Seffie." His smirk lingered as he pulled away from her.

  Marty stepped closer, his voice low. "Dude, what’s your problem?”

  Lukas only snorted, but then, with a dismissive wave, he said, "Whatever, man. Have a good summer." He turned away, leaving Seffie to shake off the awkwardness.

  Seffie sighed. "Sorry about that. He's just one of those guys, you know?"

  Marty nodded, feeling a mix of irritation and protectiveness. “Yeah, I know. You handled it well.”

  Seffie smiled warmly. "Thanks, Marty. I know you guys have got my back."

  Marty, studying his shoelaces, shrugged and said, "No problem, Seffie."

  Before long, the yearbook day buzz faded, and they made their way to the parking lot. Marty's eyes fell on his faded red Toyota 4runner—a car that had seen better days, but it was his pride and joy.

  There they were again.

  Two large ravens were perched in a tree branch overhanging the car.

  Marty hesitated.

  They were clearly watching him.

  He shrugged it off, birds don’t stare.

  He fished his keys out of his pocket as he approached.

  “Guys, need a ride?” Marty asked,

  Brad grinned. “That depends, do you think it will start?”

  Marty shrugged, trying to sound self-assured. “Hey, at least I’ve got a car and I’m not hanging around trying to bum a ride on the handlebars of your bike.”

  Seffie grinned, her eyes twinkling. “It’s got character.”

  “Character,” Brad echoed with a laugh. “That’s one way to put it.”

  Marty chuckled, though a little self-conscious. Then he opened the passenger door and paused. “Uh… Seffie, you want to sit in the front next to me?” Brad stifled a laugh and elbowed Erik.

  Seffie raised an eyebrow, teasing. “Whoa, big man here, opening the door, what is this, a date?”

  Marty blushed and quickly recovered, "Yeah, yeah, cool, whatever. Just get in, Seffie."

  With that, Seffie climbed into the front seat. Marty quickly took his place at the wheel, turned the key and the engine groaned, but didn’t start. Erik couldn’t hide his laughter sitting in the back next to Brad.

  “Shut up.” Marty was clearly annoyed. He cranked the engine again and it sputtered to life. All three of his friends applauded mockingly at this mundane achievement.

  As they headed out of the parking lot, Marty stole a glance at Seffie. Her smile, gentle yet confident, lit up the interior of the car. He looked in the rearview mirror and the ravens had disappeared.

  It took a while, after chauffeuring his friends around town for a bit and finally to their own homes, but eventually Marty pulled into the driveway at his house.

  He pulled his backpack out his car and waved to Ms. Halla, across the street. She was sitting on her porch with her shawl drawn over her shoulders like usual. She waved back, but then jumped to her feet almost sending her rocker over backwards.

  Marty thought it was odd that she moved like that as she normally just passively sat on her front porch.

  She reached behind a bench

  Came up with a BB gun.

  She started pumping it.

  Marty thought maybe she saw a raccoon or something and was going to shoot it to scare it off - this was Idaho after all.

  But then he noticed something else.

  The two ravens - could it be the same two from school? - landed on the gutter over his front door. And they seemed to be watching him, again, as he approached the house. As he walked toward the house staring back at the birds, he heard the distinctive sound of a BB gun firing.

  A puff of black feathers rose from one of the ravens.

  It let out an annoyed caw.

  He turned back to look at Ms. Halla and she was furiously pumping her BB gun, preparing for a second shot. She took aim and fired again, this time hitting the second bird and they both took off in flight.

  “You alright Ms. Halla?” Marty called.

  “I am now that those damn ravens are gone.” She sat back down with the BB gun laying across her lap and continued rocking like nothing had happened. “Don’t worry about me. Marty. They won’t come back, Thought and memory travel together.”

  Marty twisted the doorknob and entered the house, “thought and memory, huh? She’s lost both.” he muttered to himself as he shut the door.

  ered the house, “thought and memory, huh? She’s lost both.” he muttered to himself as he shut the door.