Hell of a Book

Soot’s mother stands in the doorway with an old leather belt. She apologizes that she must teach him some lessons with spanking. Soot is not afraid of her, but he is afraid of the belt. Soot stole a comic book from a boy named Shane. The comic is about the Silver Surfer, a superhero that he loves because his skin is silver, a color that reflects light instead of absorbing it. He did not think much of stealing the comic since Shane had so many others. After his mother beats Soot with the belt, she smokes a cigarette. She sits beside him on the bed and thanks him for not hiding from her. She explains that her father used to beat her and her brother too, only much harder. They were always afraid of him and getting beaten, even after they grew up and moved out. She tells Soot he beat them like that because he loved them. She and William taught Soot how to be unseen because they loved him. They wanted him to be safe from the world. Her father didn’t have the option to teach his children how to be unseen.