“I'd ask if you needed help, but it seems that you know what you're looking for. Though I wonder-you don't seem like someone who smokes.” “Not r...gularly. Well, not cigarettes at least. I used to smoke. I quit five years ago, but only really managed because I started smoking a pipe.” “Then I guess you haven't exactly quit, have you?” “Not entirely. I allow myself to smoke a pipe on Sunday, but only for twenty minutes or so. I could never actually quit, until I decided to give this a shot, and. ’ ‘What’s he like otherwise? You say he’s not like you?’ ‘We’re quite different. He’s the smart one, first in our high school graduating class.’ ‘Frank fails to mention he was second,’ Sally broke in. ‘I worked very hard, especially the last semester, and pulled my averages up a lot. So, I guess I got lucky. Nevertheless, he’s a lot smarter than I am. He’s majoring in chemical engineering and plans to go all the way and get his PhD. I know I’ll never have the will or the brains to do that.’ ‘I. I looked at the picture again.“Look at your picture, Mum. Look at the pattern of cuts. That’s Dad’s back. That exact pattern. Those are Dad’s scars from when he was small. Tara isn’t hurt at all. You never hit her. You never cut her. Your mind is confusing the two things. You’ve drawn Dad’s cuts onto Tara’s back. This never happened.”I kept repeating myself and watched as understanding slowly seeped through the confusion in Mum’s face.“Bec?”“Yes, Mum. It’s Bec. And this picture is all in your. He had the same pale skin, and the same raven hair. Even the same soft eyes, though this boy did not look happy or kind, he looked lost."I wouldn't pay any mind to them," the boy spoke softly, in the same soft voice Alexander had, "They're drunks, and often babble. There's no such thing as the black dragon."Theron became more and more convinced that this boy beside him, was infact, Alexander, and he became more and more hurt that Alexander had yet to show any signs of recognizing him.Theron.