[June's viewpoint]
Ty walked into the kitchen, and June was surprised that Mark did as well. She had needed his support only moments ago. Could she do this on her own now?
Dustin suddenly started screaming incoherently, though he still couldn't move his body.
"Dustin, honey, calm down please," she asked him.
"Mom! Did Ty hurt you? I'll kill that little twerp," Dustin shouted.
"No, Dustin, Ty didn't hurt me. Please calm down, and we'll talk it over, " she replied.
"It looked like he hurt you somehow," Dustin said, not quite in a shout. "I'm never going to let him do that! Why didn't Dad protect you from that creep? What's wrong with Dad?"
"Nothing's wrong with your father, or with me," she reassured him. "Ty did give us a lot to think about, but he didn't hurt us. I saw that you tried to defend me, and I'm proud of you for that."
"Tnanks, Mom!" Dustin said, "But I still don't like the things Ty has done to you and Dad! And to me! I want to tear that little asswipe's head off! And I still can't move! What has he done?"
"That's what I want to talk with you about, honey," she replied. "But you need to be very calm. I don't think Ty will let you go until you calm down. And he's your brother. Don't call him bad names."
"Only a step brother!" Dustin spat, "and how can I be calm when he has done these things to us?"
"Dustin, it's more our fault than yours, but we have to stop always thinking of him as 'step'. He's our son, and your brother, " she said, "We need to stop harping on the fact that he's adopted, and start treating him better."
She could see that Dustin was having a hard time with this idea. "Why are you suddenly on his side?" She noticed that he was speaking in a more normal tone of voice, though. Maybe she'd get Ty to release him soon.
"Dustin, honey," she explained, "it's not that I'm taking 'his side' now. I think you know that parents aren't supposed to take sides. You're both our sons, but now your father and I see that we've both treated him badly, and we've been wrong to do that. We're all going to have to work at being nicer to each other. That includes you not taunting him so much."
"But I still need to get back at him for what he's done to me! And for hurting you and Dad" June saw that Dustin was almost on the brink of tears, but she knew he wouldn't want him to see any sign of weakness, so she tried to ignore that.
"Dustin," she said, "Ty hasn't hurt any of us. It's OK for you to be angry at him, and Mark and I are too. But we're all going to have to let that go."
"Well, maybe he didn't hurt you and Dad," Dustin said, "but he hurt me, changing my body back to 13 years old." June still wasn't sure she believed that, even though Ty had confirmed it. It still seemed so impossible. But then, freezing them in place was impossible too, wasn't it? Anyhow, while she was frozen, she had decided to try to keep an open mind about it.
"What were you doing to him when he made this change to you," June asked.
"Teasing him about being so underdeveloped," Dustin admitted.
"If that's so, don't you think maybe you deserved something back from him", June asked.
"But Mom, this..." Dustin protested, "this is too much!"
June though a moment. "Yes, maybe it is. But you've been taunting him a long time, haven't you?"
Eyes downcast, Dustin quietly admitted, "Yes."
"And it's not just taunting, is it?" June asked, "You shove him and trip him too, don't you?"
Dustin seems to shrink, and spoke even quieter, "Yes."
June asked him, "Well, maybe Ty's revenge is excessive, but don't you think maybe you've earned some of it?"
A few seconds passed, then so quietly that she could barely hear him, he admitted, "Yes."
"So maybe you should go easy on him now," June suggested, "treat him with a little more respect?"
A bit of Dustin's defiance came back. He raised his head, looked her in the eye, and said, "But Mom! What's he's done to me! No guy could accept that. I have to do _something_!"
"Hmmm... " June thought to herself. "I think I should point out something Dustin may not have considered." She spoke aloud, "Dustin, you said that Ty changed your body."
"Yes," Dustin agreed.
"And he has frozen you in place," June continued.
"Yes!" Dustin agreed, his voice rising.
She asked, "Do you know anyone else that can do such things?"
Dustin's face fell. "No," he said.
June continued, "If Ty can make changes to your body, and freeze you, have you thought about what else he might be able to do?" Obviously Dustin had _not_ thought about that. He didn't reply, but his head shivered a bit. June knew that if Dustin had been in control of his body, his whole body would have shivered. He was probably terrified. She wanted to comfort him. "But Dustin," she said, raching out to hold his head in her hands, "Ty hasn't done whatever worse things we might imagine. To any of us. He apologized for changing you, and said he'd change you back. He froze us, but didn't harm us. I think he could have. Very easily. But he said he doesn't want to hurt us. I think he's telling the truth."
Dustin nodded, miserably.
"So if I tell Ty that you've calmed down," June asked Dustin, "and ask him to release you, will you promise me that you'll stay calm, be polite to Ty, and not try to get revenge?"
"Yes, ma'am," Dustin said.
"And will you apologize to Ty for all of the taunting you've given him over the years?" June asked.
Dustin gulped, but again replied, "Yes, ma'am." June smiled, leaned over Dustin's still frozen form, awkwardly hugged him, and kissed him on the cheek.
"Ty," June called, "Would you come back out here, please?"