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“‘Let’s stay here all day and do our nails and talk about girly things, blah, blah, blah.’”
“Oh yeah?” Ashen shoves my arm. “Well, you wanna kiss her!”
“Ew. No way!” We both laugh, pushing each other back and forth while we step into his house.
“Hey, son,” Ashen’s dad says, lifting him up in a big papa hug. I stand back, watching how happy they both look. His mom comes out, smiling like she always does, and kisses the top of his forehead. Ashen scrunches his face, using his arm to wipe away the cooties.
It makes me think of my mom and dad. I don’t know if my mom ever kissed my forehead like that. I never even knew who she was. My dad used to pick me up like that though. He would throw me over his shoulder and tickle my sides.
I miss my dad so much it hurts. It feels like my insides are all torn up every time I think about him.
I don’t need a mama. I just want my dad back.
“Rhenn, sweetheart, come eat.” Ashen’s mom holds out her arm, setting it on my shoulder when I step past her.
I pretend I’m only coming over for dinner. That after this, I’ll get to go home. It’s a game I play with myself every night. There are times where it even feels real. Until it’s time to wash up and go to bed, and it’s Ashen’s dad tucking me in, not my own.
There’s a knock at the door. I don’t see who comes in, but his voice makes my bones shake.
“Evered, Yara, so nice to see you again,” my uncle says to Ashen’s parents.
“What are you doing here?” his mom asks, then to us, “Boys, go to your room.”
“I thought dinner was ready?” Ashen starts.
“Now,” his dad says in that firm way that makes us both scramble as quickly as we can. It’s the voice he uses when he’s serious, and we know to listen.
“Man, I just started getting hungry.” Ashen kicks off his shoes, leaving them where they land in the middle of the room. “Wanna make a fort?” He starts pulling the blankets off his bed, then mine. Normally, I would want to. We like to build them as big as we can, then turn off the lights and tell scary stories until one of us gets too scared, or we both fall asleep. That doesn’t sound fun for me right now.
I hear the grown-ups’ whispers from the other room, but not what they’re saying.
I haven’t seen my uncle since the day I lost my daddy. I’m curious why he’s here now, so I crack the door and peek through the small opening, listening the best I can.
“Oron was like a brother to me. This is what he would have wanted.” I catch the end of Ashen’s daddy’s sentence. My heart races because he’s talking about my daddy.
“Yes, well, he was my brother. The boy belongs with family.”
“We are his family now,” Ashen’s mom says, placing her hand on her husband’s shoulder. “We’ll take care of him like he was our own.”
“He will come back to me. You know that. And when he does, there will be nothing left of him you want.” His dark eyes flash to me, still hiding behind the crack of the door. “Know this, boy,” my uncle says, speaking directly to me. “They may love you now. Their kindness is only temporary. Soon, your time here will run out and I will be all you have. We were meant for so much more, Rhenn. It isn’t my fault your father couldn’t see that.”
“I think it’s time for you to leave.” Ashen’s dad steps forward, standing between me and him.
“Fine.” My uncle sighs. “Until we meet again, dear nephew. Don’t let them soften you.”
My chest tightens because I know it’s true. One day they won’t love me anymore. They can’t protect me from him. Only my daddy could. It’s because of her that he can’t, the girl that got him killed. This is all her fault.
She took my daddy.
I hate her more than anything.
I wish she never existed.
CHAPTER FORTY
RHENN
Cool brass greets my palm as I jiggle the handle. Unlocked. It’s surprising, since I know for certain she has a habit of locking up before she goes to sleep.
