BEELZEPUP

Life happens to Jake. This is the story of him learning to be an active participant.

Long Island, summer 2000. Jake is 14. His parents are away and they took the dog. He's playing Command & Conquer: Red Alert on easy mode, on a computer that isn't connected to the internet. He plays games to feel in control.

His sister Jen is 16 and does her connecting on forums. She set this up. She gave out the password. The man shows up early with pizza and soda, and he parked two doors down.

The man talks like a poster on the internet. Casual manipulation, all of it in soft tones. Soft drinks. Therapy speak — I'm a good person, you can trust me, give me your secrets. The Hare Krishna move: hand you something so now you owe him.

There are computers. There is no supervision. Nobody stops any of it, so Jake does. He tests him. He wrestles him. He robs him and keeps the license. Then he's alone with an ID that has the wrong name on it, calling his mother.

The build is in the kid's body. Five stages — shoulders forward and eyes down at the top, planted at center stage by the end. A dial-up modem marks every turn.

I want people leaving feeling like they need to conquer something, no matter how passive they feel.