Names

"Child Protective Services found the boy in a basement room he had made for himself - sectioned off with scavenged bricks and boards," the detective said. "The rest of the house was Hoarder Central, but his spot was incredibly neat and tidy." "Had he been forced to live in the basement? Any indication that the family kept him down when he wanted to live upstairs with them?" the psychologist asked, intrigued. "No and none," the detective confirmed. "He ... is ... very difficult to interact with at first. When he becomes conversational, he's smart and even funny. He was surrounded by books he'd borrowed from neighborhood free boxes and he'd dumpster-dived at the school for discarded workbooks to keep going in math and science. The kid's ... amazing, but creepy at first," the detective explained. "Creepy how?" the psychologist asked next. "You'll see," came the answer. "You just wouldn't believe me." When she entered the room, Devan Hopp turned to smile at her. He'd had a good dinner and discovered comic books; he was already blossoming. "Hi, Devan," she began. "I'm Doctor Brell ... " "Brell ... Brell ...," Devan repeated, his smile relaxing and his eyes glazing over. "Constance Brell Traver; Dixon Mark Traver; Harmony Ann Brell; Logan Ward Brell; Elizabeth Mary Brell; Thompson Sawyer Brell; Allen Payne Socce; Harden James Socce; Parker David Signet; Catherine Emma Signet ..." The psychologist's mouth went dry and she managed to find a chair before her legs gave way. The boy spoke names aloud for several minutes, before coming back to himself and wanting to talk about Batman. A couple of hours later, she returned to the observation room. "I can't ... I mean ... I don't know what that is," the psychologist whispered. "When he meets someone, he names their dead - all of them ... as far back as anyone can know or care," the detective responded gently. "He does it just the once, but there's nothing anyone can do to prepare you."