Author's Note: This is part 20 of the Young Daniel series, finally up and complete. No, parts 7-19 haven't been written yet (although several are well flushed out far past outline form) but they are high on my list of to-dos. Thanks for bearing with me, and I do hope you enjoy this installment.

Title: The Smithsonian
Author: samantilles
Rating: PG
Spoilers: 3x21 The Crystal Skull
Category: Angst, Family/Friendship
Series: Young Daniel
Number in Series: 20
Word Count: 5742
Beta: Thanks to Denny for a superb job (even if I didn't realize it had been done for over a month!)

Daniel was ecstatic for three full days of museums as the school bus passed into Maryland from Delaware in the early hours of Monday morning. This year's Senior Trip for St. Antholian's was the first time Daniel left the New York Metropolitan area since arriving with his parents. He was so giddy with excitement he couldn't concentrate on the reading material he had in his hand. Instead he gazed out at the rising sun.

The brakes on the bus screeched as it came to a slow stop at the National Mall and the doors burst open to allow the teenagers a chance to escape from within its bowels. The senior class tumbled out and spread out on the gravel sidewalk to stretch their cramping limbs after the five hour bus trip. It was only half past eight in the morning, so the teachers corralled the class to the lawn and handed out fruits and breakfast pastries. The May morning was warm on Daniel's skin as he joined three of his track teammates with his breakfast and carton of milk. His teammates towered over him physically but welcomed him jovially into their conversation. The class relaxed until the museums opened at ten.

Their agenda was tight; with the recent expansion of the Smithsonian Museums, they now had eight museums and exhibitions to cover. The national monuments, including Congress and the White House, and Arlington Cemetery comprised the agenda for Thursday, and the class was to finish out their weeklong trip with a visit to the National Zoo. The school arranged in advance for personalized tours with each of the museums and appropriately coordinated research assignments, and at ten sharp, the senior class filed into the recently built Air and Space Museum.

Daniel was mesmerized with the planetarium; astronomy was never his thing, but he was caught breathless while watching the footage from the 1976 Voyager I Jupiter Fly-by. While the docent guaranteed life was not viable on Jupiter, Daniel daydreamed while walking through the museum of life "out there". Posters all over the museum advertised the upcoming live Saturn-Fly by in October, and Daniel was a bit upset he would miss the chance to experience it as it seemed to be a very exciting event.

The massive roundness of the new Hirshhorn Gallery and its spiral walkways drew quite a bit of chatter, and more than once Professor Baird had to discretely snap his fingers and bring order to the roudy class as they made their way through the unique modernist gallery of Richter paintings and the sculptures of Matisse. Daniel witnessed the football team quarterback toss a football from the top of the circular building right down its middle hollow to a teammate four floors below and turned to hide a grin from a teacher who raced past him to stop the boys.

A fellow student caught wind that the assignments the teachers organized would actually be affect their grades when he noticed Daniel taking notes on an exhibition in the Arts and Industries Museum in the late afternoon. "So which class is this museum for?" David queried.

Daniel looked up from his rapid note taking. "Um... the stuff in here now is from the Bicentennial, but according to the plaque up front, this museum seemed to host just about everything at one time."

"So, history class then?" Daniel immediately realized that David was not interested in the actual assignment and was just looking for the quickest way to get through them by using Daniel to achieve that goal.

"I don't know, to be honest," Daniel replied mostly honestly. "I'm just trying to keep track of what I've seen and I'll put it all together later. This exhibit for instance-" Daniel stopped when he noticed David was no longer standing next to him but walking away with a huff of annoyance. Daniel turned back to his notebook and grinned as he completed his notes. Lecture mode a-la-14-year-old always worked to get rid of annoying classmates.

Not a single person wanted to get up as early as they did Tuesday. They completed Monday's tour on schedule, having visited the Smithsonian Castle and scrounged up dinner at a local street vendor before crashing afterwards at the hotel. Daniel chuckled as he overheard one of his roommates getting poked awake. He learned early on in the foster care system how to quickly awaken and get ready and he had a good fifteen minutes by himself in the hotel lobby to read. His classmates and chaperones filed in by pairs or triplets over the course of the following half hour before the entire group was ready to depart.

They journeyed to the Museum of American History first, taking in all the national treasures of the United States from the ruby slippers from the "Wizard of Oz" to the Star Spangled Banner. Daniel noticed a few more students taking notes for their history assignments as he added onto his growing amount. Once or twice he caught other students looking over his shoulder at his notebook, a feat that admittedly wasn't difficult to do for most of the boys and even some of the girls, being three years his senior.

After a quick picnic lunch out on the national mall lawn, the group was ushered into the Museum of Natural History. Daniel immediately fell in love with the museum as it reminded him so much of his parents' professions. He frequently found himself idling at an exhibit while the group continued, having to be pulled along by a chaperone.

Then he saw it. Sitting along a far wall in a circular room was Nick's skull encased in a square glass box on a pedestal. He stood there, stone solid staring at the skull while the group continued out into the stairwell. His breathing quickened and he clenched his fist. Anger grew from deep down in his belly and before he knew it he had a rope divider in his arm and he swung it at the skull. The moment the copper base smashed the glass box the alarm sounded, but Daniel didn't hear it. He raised the divider post again and screamed, "I hate you! I hate you!" The pole connected with the skull and reverberated back. Two security guards came at the boy and one caught him before he could swing again, the guard's bulky arms tightly pinning down Daniel's arms against his body. Daniel's subsequent scream was blood-curdling; he was kicking and bucking against the guard uncontrollably. He repeated "I hate you!" continually while struggling against the guard.

Upon hearing the scream, Headmaster Thomas turned back towards the stairwell, convinced he knew that scream. He scanned the class and realized that Daniel was missing. The rest of the group also began to notice their youngest classmate was not accounted for and gossipy chatter arose. Headmaster Thomas quietly addressed the chaperone next to him to keep the class where they were and he bolted for the stairs, taking two or three at a time. He followed the litany of howling back to the the circular room and witnessed as Daniel won his freedom from the guard. "Daniel!" he cried out as the boy tried knocking over the pedestal before being grabbed again from the guard. He rushed to the commotion. The guards doubled up this time, one desperately trying to hold onto Daniel's flailing legs while the other putting Daniel in a full nelson position to try to subdue him. Daniel was shouting out in Arabic then, his energy beginning to wane as the guards managed to keep him still. Allister Thomas approached the commotion at full speed. "I'm responsible for this boy! Put him down!"

The guard holding Daniel's legs responded. "He needs to calm down before we can release him, sir. He's trying to damage one of the exhibitions, and I can't allow that." His voice was stern and authoritative. He tugged at Daniel's legs, straightening them out, and tensed his grip around them, which restricted Daniel's ability to move his legs anymore. Allister turned to see the exhibit in question and gasped when he saw the shiny crystal skull standing, laughing at the scene before it. He immediately knew what it was.

"Daniel?" Thomas queried after a moment when he noticed Daniel wasn't bucking the guards, instead his breathing was rapid and shallow and a fine sheen of sweat shimmered in the brightly lit room.

"Headmaster?" Daniel looked dazed and confused. "What's going on?" The guard holding Daniel's upper chest relaxed his hold and allowed his partner to put Daniel's feet back on the ground.

"You attacked your grandfather's skull, Daniel." Allister's voice was gentle and parental.

"What?" Daniel exclaimed as he was finally released fully from the guards' holds, only to look at Allister and crumble to the ground in a faint.

"Daniel!" Allister dropped to his knees and started lightly tapping Daniel's cheek. Daniel's blue eyes met his for a moment before he saw a look of panic through the round glasses.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Daniel groaned out and Allister quickly moved him into a recovery position on his side as bile rushed out onto the floor. Daniel coughed out the last and nudged against Allister Thomas's hand to lay once again on his back before trying to sit up. Thomas assisted the boy into a sitting position, his legs spread out on the parquet floor. He heard one of the guards leave, his shoes clicking in a fast tempo while the other still loomed above the two.

"Its okay officer. I'm responsible for him." Allister motioned for the officer to move back. He curled his arm under Daniel's and pulled to get Daniel on his feet. Daniel's knees refused to work and the two stumbled for a moment while the boy got his bearings.

"I want him out of here, now, sir. I'll see to it you two make it to the front door." The guard's voice was grizzly and angry.

"Before you do, could you radio to have a Mr. Baird meet me at the front entrance? We're with a tour group, and someone needs to be informed we're leaving. Which we'll gladly do just as soon as I talk with him." Headmaster Thomas was pleased to see the officer turn on his radio and relay the request to the front desk. Moments later an intercom crackled to life and Mr. Baird was summoned to the front entrance. The guard walked behind Daniel and the Headmaster through the maze of exhibit halls to the main entrance, where the english teacher was already waiting.

Daniel couldn't look anyone in the eye, least of all Mr. Baird nor the headmaster. He quietly exited out the rotary door and isolated himself on a corner of the grand staircase, just under a massive white column. As he took his seat, he noticed he was trembling, his hands shaking even as one brushed through his hair. He took off his glasses and held them tightly as he tried to brace against the coming rush of tears, his arms wrapping themselves around his torso, desperately trying to keep everything inside. The effort he exerted holding back the tears soon left him gulping for air and he jumped when he felt a hand on his back.

Allister's heart broke when Daniel looked up at him, his eyes glassy with tears not yet shed. "Come on, we're going back to the hotel and resting, okay?" Daniel closed his eyes and nodded, but Allister had to tug on Daniel's arm to get him to stand up. The headmaster guided Daniel down the stairs to the gravel walkway below and to the corner before hailing a cab. Both were silent on the way home; Daniel held his head in his hands, hiding his face in embarrassment and Allister, while trying to avoid staring at Daniel, snuck side glances to make sure he was okay.

While never fond of elevators, Allister was pleased the hotel had one, as it made getting Daniel to his room much easier. He quickly settled the boy onto a bed and coaxed him to lie down. Daniel groaned as his head hit the pillow and threw his arm over his eyes after he tossed his glasses on the bedside table. "What did I do?"

Allister exited from the en-suite bathroom with a wet face cloth and a glass of water and handed both to Daniel. Daniel sipped the water, swishing it around his mouth to rid it of the taste of bile before he took the damp rag and folded it over his eyes, clamping down with his clammy hand to hold the heat from escaping so quickly

"Feeling better?" Allister pulled the desk chair up between the two beds and angled it towards Daniel. Daniel shook his head. "Going to be sick again?" Again Daniel shook his head in response. Allister took a seat and crossed his legs, leaning back in the wooden chair, propping his head in his hand. "Want to talk about it?" He asked casually.

Daniel sighed. He didn't think he could talk about it; he wasn't even sure what really happened. His whole body was trembling and he felt a need to sleep, but his mind wouldn't let him. Thoughts raced through his mind, bombarding his battered emotions from every angle. Daniel also knew that if he could talk about it to someone it would be Headmaster Thomas. He'd learned to trust the headmaster almost from the very start, and over the past four years, Allister Thomas has several times gone above and beyond the call of duty for Daniel. The headmaster also knew Nick, which was conflicting to Daniel. On one hand, the headmaster knew everything Nick had and hadn't done for Daniel, knew about the inadequacies Nick had as a grandfather and general human being. But he was also Nick's friend and rarely allowed Daniel to speak ill of his grandfather. "I don't know," Daniel replied with a huff of exhaustion in his voice, the volume barely above a whisper.

"Its okay, Daniel. We can talk later."

Daniel interrupted Allister's response. "I don't even know what happened really." Daniel's voice sounded a little scared.

"I think you finally released a lot of your latent hostility towards Nick. You've been angry with him for far too long, son."

Daniel sat up and removed the cold facecloth from his eyes. "Too long? Last I checked, he just left me behind!" He could feel his heart racing and his trembling increased. "I don't think I've been angry enough! How does a grandparent just forsake a kid? Explain that one to me!" Daniel stood up as his adrenalin levels were rising for the second time that day and pushed against the headmaster to pace the edge of the room. "And what he did to me! He let me be taken away from the Urquharts! He was too damned busy to keep in touch! All the moving, and the cleaning, and the never knowing where you're going to be next week, and having to explain that your parents couldn't keep themselves alive to raise you and you were stuck with strangers who don't give a damn about you! All for the sake of that damned skull!" Daniel was flailing his arms manically in the air and shouting at the one man that didn't deserve it, but Daniel couldn't see past the red hot anger boiling up inside. "What did I ever do to deserve this? Huh, Nick? Am I that unlovable that you couldn't even take me with you? Not trained enough? I could have learned, I really could have! I could have gone with you!" Daniel postured towards the rooftops as he pleaded, as if Nick could hear him from 1,800 miles away. The trembling returned as his adrenalin dropped and he paced more frantically. His mind was bombarded when he suddenly saw Headmaster Thomas sitting there calmly. "Aren't you going to say anything? Aren't you going to defend him? You're his friend!" Daniel wrapped his arms around himself, ready to take on whatever defenses Nick's friend was going to throw at him.

Allister remained as calm as possible, hoping that Daniel would get his emotions out of his system as he hollered, yelled and pleaded into the air. When Daniel attacked him verbally though, he had to suppress any emotions on his side. "I'm not going to defend him, Daniel." His voice was as soft as ever, and Daniel stopped in his tracks. "Nick should never have left you alone. I will never forgive him for what he did to you. It's a dark spot on our friendship, Daniel. Your grandfather is shortsighted and self-centered and always has been. But he's a brilliant mind, and sometimes that mind gets away from him. But on the rare occasion he overcomes his self-centeredness, he will do whatever is necessary to help someone. He was devastated five years ago when he received a report of how you were doing in public schools and he called me. He was so determined you were to succeed academically, he handed me a lot of power over you and a good chunk of his fortunes. He never did see past the academic side of your growing up, but he placed enough trust in me to look after the rest of your needs. As I said, he's shortsighted, but will do whatever is necessary to help someone out. And he's self-centered enough, he wouldn't do it for just anyone, Daniel. He may not be able to say it, but he does care deeply for you, as he did your mother."

Daniel was in tears, his arms tightly wrapped around his torso, but his head bobbing up and down as he gulped in air between the sobs. Allister stood and took Daniel in his arms. Daniel's emotions broke down, he was openly sobbing, soaking Allister's suit jacket. The first time Daniel cried in front of Allister, Daniel stood at just about his elbows, but four years of growth brought Daniel up to his shoulder. Allister hugged tightly; when he made the decision to help Nick, he had no idea what he was getting into, but now he would never have declined Nick this favor.

After what seemed like forever, Daniel pulled back from the embrace, his eyes dry and red with irritation from crying and from Allister's wool suit coat. "I think I need to sit down, sir." Daniel's energy levels were bottomed out, and his descent onto the bed was uncontrolled, the mattress squeaking under the quick pressure.

"Lay down, Daniel." Daniel nodded and pushed himself further into the bed, settling down on his back. Allister took a blanket from the closet and gently tossed it open over Daniel.

"What happened to the skull? Did I break it?" His voice was soft again, his body begging for sleep to recover from the two adrenalin rushes.

Allister took his seat again and leaned forward. "No, Daniel. The skull was not damaged. One of the curators gave it a quick look before letting me leave. You shattered the case it was in, but not the skull itself." He gave a small smile to the boy.

"But I hit it with the pole, I know I did." Daniel wanted to believe the headmaster, but the memory was sharp in his mind. "It was laughing at me," Daniel murmured.

"Well, you know, alien technology is just so much harder to break." Allister was pleased to hear Daniel snort the tiniest of laughs before closing his eyes. "Get some sleep, and I'll have someone wake you in a couple hours for dinner." Daniel nodded into his pillow and Allister shut off the light to the hotel room, lightly shading the room even as the sun shined in the windows. Daniel was asleep in moments.

Allister was reflecting on the day's events in his room at the hotel when he heard a knocking at the door. He sat his glass down on the table next to him and straightened himself out before letting Mitchell Baird into the room. "How's the boy, Allister?"

Allister motioned to the chair he had occupied and took a seat on the bed. "He'll be okay, I think. His emotions are all over the place right now. Can I get you anything?" He waved to the water pitcher. Wishing he could indulge in something a little stronger, he knew not to drink while in the vicinity of his pupils. Baird waved him off as he settled into the chair. "So what exactly happened, Allister? All I got was that Daniel vandalized an exhibit and you were taking him back here. The kids have their own ideas of what occurred, but you know how I don't like conjecture."

"What are the kids saying?" Being headmaster of a school full of rambunctious, hormonally charged kids, he knew exactly what the kids could make up and their penchant for explosive drama.

"Oh, the usual, the stress is getting to him, he's upset he doesn't have a date to the prom yet, he's still upset he doesn't have any chest hair. But behind the gentle teasing, I could tell a few of them were upset. They'd never think Daniel the kind of kid to vandalize something."

"He took a rope divider poll, broke an exhibit casing and tried to damage its contents, a crystal skull found in Belize in 1970." Allister's tone was without emotion, he was merely stating a fact.

Mitchell Baird stared at him in shock. "He did what? Why would he have done something like that?"

"You know most of Daniel's history. His grandfather, Nick, was my college roommate, and he was the one who initiated getting Daniel into St. A's. But what isn't well known is that Nick absolutely refused to take Daniel after his parents died, citing he was still searching for something in dangerous parts of the world. He promised everyone he'd be back soon to take Daniel and take care of him, but he's never come back for him. Daniel's grandfather was the one who found the crystal skull Daniel attacked. Nick's been searching for something related to that skull for ten years in the jungles of Meso-America." Mitchell gasped in horror, unable to imagine how anyone could refuse to take in this boy.

"So he--" Baird paused, his sharp mind putting the pieces together.

"He lost it, all that anger he's had for years buried deep inside came out. Didn't even know what he was doing. When he snapped out of the rage, he fainted and vomited in the museum before I got him out of there. He lost it again in the hotel room, shouting and pleading, letting all that emotion out. Daniel managed to wear himself out and he's sleeping off the events from this afternoon." Allister sighed in weary. The events of the day took a toll on him as well.

Baird sat back in the chair, imagining what Daniel must have been going through. "How are we going to handle the other kids?"

"I've been thinking of that. I've got a fair idea of what I'll say to them, but I think we need to address this issue with the entire class. Could you gather them down in the lobby in say, twenty minutes? I'd like to address them before I wake Daniel up to go to dinner."

Baird took a look at his watch and stood up. "Twenty minutes shouldn't be a problem. I instructed his roommates to leave Daniel alone before we entered the hotel, so he should remain undisturbed until dinner."

"Thank you, Mitchell. Good thinking!" Allister gave a sigh of relief. He had the best faculty in the world. He bade Mitchell Baird farewell and took a step into the bathroom to freshen up before offering himself to slaughter to the senior class.

The senior class was roudy and giddy with the possibility of drama, the hotel lobby now full of giggles and hushed talk. The teachers shushed the teenagers when Headmaster Thomas appeared. They quickly settled down among the couches, some sitting on the arms and a couple leaning forward behind them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to discuss with you what occurred this afternoon at the Museum of Natural History." Allister was interrupted by a football player's shout.

"Tell Jackson that just because I'm going to prom with Anna doesn't mean he has to get all upset!" The class roared in laughter and the teachers rushed to get them hushed again.

"Thank you, Mr. Jenkins, for that thoughtful insight. I'm sure you'll enlighten me more with an essay on etiquette you'll deliver to my office on Monday." The class oohed at the public response. "As I was saying, rumors are already flying of what occurred. As some of you may know, Daniel comes from a family of archaeologists, and the exhibit in question was one of his grandfather's. The reminder of his family upset him and he temporarily lost control of his emotions. Now, each of you should already know to treat this matter with the upmost dignity and respect, and I expect you to honor the name of St. Antholian's by acting as adults and not give him any grief on what happened. If I get word of any type of mistreatment, teasing, tormenting, or otherwise poor choice in behavior from any of you concerning this, punishment will be swift and severe. Am I understood?"

The class immediately sobered up and agreed. Satisfied that his message was loud and clear, he stepped back to the other teachers and whispered a few words to them. Three boys were then called over by the Headmaster; they happened to be Daniel's roommates.

"Gentlemen, everything I said goes double for you three. Daniel does not need extra stress from the situation, and I expect the three of you to help out whenever possible." The boys in question were among the more quiet of the senior class, which worked out well. Allister was not concerned about having to do an impromptu room change for Daniel.

All three nodded and the middle one, Matthew, asked, "Is he okay?"

Allister smiled. "He'll be okay, he's just a bit shaken up. He's sleeping it off right now, and its just about time to wake him for dinner," the headmaster commented as he glanced at his watch. "Matthew, could you come up with me and help me drag him out of bed? Can't have him thinking this is a vacation now, can we?"

With a giggle, Matthew waved off his roommates and followed the headmaster up to the room. He waited outside on Thomas's order as he went inside. Allister Thomas quietly approached the slumbering teenager and called out from a distance. When Daniel did not immediately awake, he stepped closer and repeated, getting a grunt for a response. "Come on Daniel, time for dinner. Get up."

Daniel's eyes slowly opened before closing again. Another shout of his name from the headmaster and he was aware he was being called. He clumsily shuffled up into a sitting position against the backboard and scrubbed his face before absently grabbing for his glasses.

"Good, you're awake! Matthew's going to help you get up and ready. We're leaving for dinner in ten minutes. Are you doing okay?" Allister turned from his task of moving the chair he sat in previously back to its home next to the desk. Daniel gave a curt nod as he yawned. Daniel stood up carefully, unsure of his strength, but found that a couple hours sleep cured him of the trembling weakness he felt that afternoon. Allister called Matthew into the room. "If either of you need anything, I'm in room 217. We're all in the lobby just waiting for you two." Daniel gave a low groan as he stretched out which was enough of a response for Allister to take his leave.

Matt walked into the room and gave a demure greeting. As one of the shorter members of the senior class, he wasn't too much taller than Daniel and didn't physically intimidate him, which was a big factor in Daniel's friendship with him. While he was universally liked by the senior class, both his difference in age and his lack of post-pubescent build still made him the target of friendly banter and gentle teasing. Especially compared to the most athletic of classmates, his youth stood out. He had grown a lot in the four years he's been at St. Antholians, and while he hoped he had not yet his full height, he was as tall as several of the shorter guys in the class. He hoped his college years would bring added gerth to his skinny frame. Though not for lack of trying, he used up considerably more energy than he could shove food down his mouth. Tonight though, he wasn't sure he could eat. The faint taste of vomit lingered in his mouth. He returned Matt's greeting with a wave and made his way into the bathroom to freshen up.

The class needed a day of whispered rumors and shying away from Daniel before they realized that he wasn't going to go bonkers on them and that everything was okay. While the teachers hadn't been specific about the incident, the guesses to the physical destruction of the exhibit were accurate. He isolated himself at dinner, taking a corner seat at one of the three tables reserved for the group. Allister sat at the end of the table next to him, and he found Matthew at his side, shielding him from any questions another student might bring up. Fortunately, his appetite returned as the meals were being served and he the one excuse in the world he needed not to talk: no talking with your mouth full.

Daniel took Wednesday in stride; they only had the National Gallery of Art and the National Portrait Gallery to visit and unless the painting was of Nick Ballard gazing lovingly at his Crystal Skull, Daniel was confident his fit of rage would not return. It took effort not to drift back into thought about Nick and to concentrate on the assignments at hand. He didn't fail to notice though that Headmaster Thomas tended to stay nearby, just in case.

Daniel was feeling himself by Thursday morning, and joined in the general banter of the class when he accepted a dare to walk down all 900 steps of the Washington Monument with several members of the track team. He squeaked in glee at one point when he had overtaken every member and had a good ten step lead halfway down the massive Egyptian Obelisk. But Daniel's mind wasn't on the fact he was inside an Obelisk just like the ones he grew up around, he was caught in the moment with his teammates. The class received a lecture on the Declaration of Independence while eating lunch on a small island in Constitution Gardens which served as a memorial to those who signed their name to the Declaration and risked their lives for the future of the colonies. It was naturally interrupted when a wayward duck made its way into the crowd, attacking students with bread in their hands and nipping at their fingers. Half the class jumped up, yelping and running away, while the other half fell into hysterical laughter.

Not once that day did Daniel let the events of Tuesday hamper his jovial mood. He fell asleep early that night, having exhausted himself thoroughly throughout the day.

Daniel was rounding the outdoor Elephant exhibit when he realized he had fallen behind the crowd. He stopped on the path and looked around, surprised to find only Headmaster Thomas, pacing behind him. He gave a quizzical look before giving an inquisitive "hello" to the headmaster.

"Daniel." The headmaster stepped up to Daniel's side. "The group is that way." He pointed down the path that wrapped around a small mound.

"Yeah." He turned to follow the path and the headmaster stepped in stride next to him. "Got something on your mind?"

"Not sure." Daniel gave it some thought. His mind had been floating off elsewhere, but to where he wasn't sure. Then he remembered the camels back about four exhibits ago. He first fell behind the crowd then, staring at the camels chewing their cud, brief memories of his childhood in Egypt coming to life. "If Nick didn't want me, I could have gone back to Egypt."

"Daniel. I earnestly believe that Nick wanted you. I can't believe otherwise."

"No, the only thing he wants is to find the giant aliens again. If he ever found it, something else would have come up and whisked him away. He may have loved my mom, and he may love me, but he doesn't want me." Daniel was a bit morose, and his confession dampened Allister's mood. "I would have been happy in Egypt. They take care of their own there."

The two walked in considerable silence for a short way before Daniel continued the conversation. "What's going to happen to me after St. A's?" Graduation was in less than a month. The closest thing to home he's had in six years was about to go away.

"You're going to college, Daniel. The best years of your life are ahead of you. You'll meet friends who will become your new family. You'll meet a girl and fall madly in love with her. You'll land the job of your dreams. St. A's has given you everything you need to succeed, Daniel. You just need to go out and live your life. In a year you'll be completely independent to go out on your own and make your mark on history. And don't ever forget we're here for you if you need anything. Mrs. McPherson will be horribly upset if she doesn't hear from you." Allister slung his arm over Daniel's shoulder. Daniel smiled and walked in silence back to the group with the headmaster.