I didn’t, of course.
Not until he knew what he did wrong.
“You’re being a baby,” he said.
“So leave me alone.”
“I don’t want you angry.”
Then don’t go to your stupid friends.
Whenever I was alone, my house felt so empty, like a horror film I had watched with Silver the other time. Ghosts had come out and had tried to suck the life out of any human in there.
Xan was the only one who kept those ghosts away when Dad wasn’t around. I didn’t want to be alone with Mum. She always looked at me as if she wished she’d never given birth to me.
Being with her was the worst, most real nightmare I’d ever had.
“I handpicked green M&M’s for you.”
My mouth watered, but I didn’t reply.
“I’ll leave the pack in front of the door. I’ll come back later, Green. We’ll watch a film together, okay?”
Don’t go.
The words slipped to the tip of my tongue, but I bit down on a mouthful of crisps to stop them from escaping.
I jumped up and watched him from the window as he headed to Aiden’s house down the street.
He really left.
Xan returned a while after and asked if I forgave him. I said yes, if he’d find Luna for me.
Which brings us to now.
Walking outside in the cold is his punishment for leaving me earlier. Once he spends some minutes out there, I’ll forgive him.
Silver said she came around here with her dad and that it was so freezing, she felt the cold and even sensed ghosts.
I grin.
Ghosts are good. Xan will be scared and –
Oh, no.
Ghosts.
Ever since Xan disappeared with Aiden and Cole three years ago, he doesn’t like to be left alone in unknown places.
I heard Uncle Lewis talking to Dad back then, and he said bad people kidnapped them. It took Xan two days of walking through an unknown forest until he could come home.
He snuck into our house through the servants’ entrance, got into my room, and slept with me for a month after that.
Although he didn’t like to talk much about that time with others, he told me how much it scared him to be alone out there.
That h
e called for his Mum’s help, even though he knew she wouldn’t come for him anymore.