(You can't actually find Ashton anywhere, except as a mention, though you can meet his brother, Loren, in the Amaranthine saga. This takes place in Maine in 1995.)

***

"Hey, dickhead, get up!"

Ashton jerked awake. "Huh?" He blinked away the last shreds of sleep to see Loren, his younger brother, standing in the bedroom doorway. Like Ashton, his hair was dark, but he'd inherited their mom's curly mane, while Ashton's hair was almost straight. They ...