But soon I was dangling, and with nothing touching my feet, and I froze. No ground.

  I hung on, because my brain was trying to gauge how much lower the ground was and if I should just drop or if I should let go and turn and try to tumble roll.

  In the dark.

  I wasn’t taught this in elementary school...

  Suddenly a strong set of arms gently wrapped around my waist.

  It happened so silently, that for a split moment, I panicked and held on to the edge of the window.

  Until I smelled musk and realized it was just North.

  I let go.

  I was maybe a foot off the ground as he lowered me.

  He didn’t say anything, but in the dark, after I was on the ground, he took my hand and guided me away from the house.

  We took the long way out to the field and kept low, before he got me to the far side of the barn.

  I couldn’t see a thing the whole time. I marched along the grass in an effort to maneuver the uneven ground. The sky was only a slightly different color than the surrounding fields.

  I didn’t notice when North stopped and bumped into his back when he did.

  North turned and loomed over me in the dark.

  He found my neck with his warm hands and positioned my face where he could kiss me.

  Not a word. Nothing said. He just kissed.

  I’d missed him, too. It had been nice to spend so much time with Gabriel, and some time with the others, but... I did feel like something was missing.

  I’d missed Kota, Victor and Mr. Blackbourne, too. There were times even in Charleston where I wouldn’t see one of them for a while, and I felt it, but it wasn’t like this, where I couldn’t just pop over to see Kota because he was simply too far away. Or just knowing that Victor or Mr. Blackbourne were nearby, and if I only asked, they would come to me.

  The distance was too far for my heart.

  So when I kissed North back, I really fell into it. I reached up, touching the back of his neck where his hair started. My other palm landed on his chest and I gingerly rubbed a little. I knew how sensitive he was there.

  He broke off the kiss with me shortly, and with a slight tilt to my head, he found my neck and bit. Gently at first, but with pressure.

  I sucked in a breath quickly. The tingling sensation excited me, doubled by the cold around us and that his body was warm, his mouth was warmer still. His arms wrapped around me, holding me to him, like he expected I would buckle.

  But suddenly he released my neck, and made a noise as he twisted his head, like he was spitting.

  That surprised me, and I backed up a step.

  “Sorry,” he said quickly, and released one hand on me to wipe at his mouth. “The makeup...”

  I’d forgotten about it. I wiped the spot he bit down on. Makeup had been blended in at my neck to keep the color consistent. I imagined his teeth might have scraped into his mouth more than he’d probably cared to taste.

  Maybe that’s why Silas had slid his mouth down below my shoulder before.

  “Sorry,” I said, covering the spot with my fingertips.

  “Don’t be,” he said, and he curled his fingers under my chin, directing me to look at him, even though I could barely see anything. “Maybe I’ll try somewhere else... But I didn’t get you out here for that.”

  He made shuffling noises in the dark.

  When he kissed me again, his hands went around me, and this time, it was obvious he was holding something.

  He slid his hands down, reaching back toward my butt, and kept rubbing with his fists.

  It was an odd sensation, and I didn’t understand what he was going for. To pick me up like Silas? What was in his hands?

  He backed off from the kiss. “Where the hell are your pockets?”

  Pockets? “I don’t have any in these.”

  He chuffed once quickly, and stopped rubbing my butt with his fists to put his hands around.

  He whispered, “I’m just here to deliver this.”

  I still couldn’t see well, but this time he felt for my front coat pockets and slipped in two small items.

  Two things? The ridiculousness of it made me giggle. He could have given me these at the window, or even before I started to climb out.

  “And I’m sorry,” he said.

  I tilted my head. “For what?”

  “For saying that I thought you couldn’t do the Academy jobs. The ones you were talking about before. As a ghost bird.” He paused and slid a calloused finger across my cheek. “Sang baby, it scares the shit out of me when you talk like that, but maybe it’s because I haven’t really started teaching you how to handle those situations, not because you’re incapable.”

  I pressed my cheek toward his finger, and he opened his hand to cup it. I warmed my chilled cheek in his hand. “I wouldn’t do it without you,” I said.

  He pulled close and he pressed me to him, wrapping his strong arms around me in an embrace.

  I placed my cheek against his chest.

  He kissed the top of my hair.

  We held each other like that for the longest time. I breathed him in. It refilled me. In ways I hadn’t realized I’d been empty.

  I needed him. I’d needed to know he’d really come all the way out here for me, and he’d stay for me. The only reason we’d part right now was from the cold seeping in on us, or the risk of getting caught.

  Soon, it wouldn’t be like this.

  “I can’t wait to get home,” I whispered to him.

  He held me tighter. “I know.” He kissed the top of my hair and breathed against my scalp. “Wherever that ends up being.”

  I didn’t answer him. It was like he understood. We didn’t know where we would end up, but that’s not what we were saying.

  We couldn’t wait to finally be in a place where parting was no longer required. Where we could finally be us. However that looked.

  And it would be a long road. But worth it.

  ♥♥♥

  It was cold and he didn’t want to keep me out for too much longer, so he escorted me back to the window, which was still open.

  It took a bit more effort to climb back inside, even with North lifting me most of the way, mostly to not make much sound.

  When I was safely inside, I turned to the window, looking out into the dark. I could barely see the outline of his face.

  “We’ll stay if you want us to,” he whispered quietly. “If you want to be here.”

  My heart had been racing the whole time, but at this, I was surprised it could pick up any more speed as it did.

  His eyes were glued to my face, waiting for me to answer.

  Like he needed to know.

  “We need more time,” I said. “But not for forever.”

  I’d thought the same thing for a short time. That I might need to stay. In my panic after the robbers had been here, I thought even if we dealt with them, would we ever be able to leave? Leave him alone here in his house all by himself?

  But were we doing more damage digging around looking for his daughter?

  Wouldn’t it be more damaging if he found out who I was? Would he get more paranoid? Would his wife get sad?

  I didn’t want to risk it. Was leaving the past to die and moving forward the way out?

  I wasn’t totally sure, but it seemed a way for everyone to be happy.

  Even if my grandfather was alone. Even if my grandmother never knew I’d been here. Even if I had so many questions when I left.

  Maybe good enough was good enough, and the past could stay buried.

  I said goodbye to North before he disappeared and then closed the window.

  I took out the two small boxes from my pockets. They were black and simple, with delicate pink bows on each, although a little squished since they had been in my pocket.

  Inside one, was a delicate gold chain, and attached to the chain were ten colored gemstones. There was one for each of them in their favorite colors, green, gray, white, a deep blue and a baby blue, red, black, orange and purple, and one for me in pink.

  It was simple, elegant, and only we knew their significance.

  In the second box was a simple MP3 player and corded headphones.

  No note. Nothing to explain it.

  I turned the device over in my hands, checking it out. The headphones and the device were pink. Plugging in the headphones, I adjusted the sound button and played the first track that had no name.

  Kota’s voice came to me, clearer than a phone call.

  “Sang,” he said. “Hopefully this gets to you in time. We kind of realized after Christmas how ridiculous gift giving was going to be if we kept doing it individually. So we decided to try this.”

  I paused the recording, putting my hands over my face, unable to stop myself from grinning and my eyes welling up with tears simply because of how happy I was. I could have been floating off the bed with how energized and excited I was in that moment.

  I moved in a hurry to get comfortable. I put on the necklace, shut off the still going television, and I launched myself into the bed, pulled the covers up over me and turned the recording back on.

  There were nine tracks in total, and all of them were only a couple of minutes long. Each one spoke like leaving a phone message.

  I listened, but also it was hard to listen because my heart was beating in my ears so loud. I was so excited that for half of the messages, I was barely paying attention to what was said, only listening to their voices.

  I could recognize all of them without them saying their names, but they opened reciting which was who. It made me wonder if they weren’t all in the same room together when they were recording.

  Until I remembered Silas felt bad about his. And no one had told him to do much more so they must have done their parts individually.

  I realized now that when Nathan and Silas spoke of gifts, that this was it. They were telling me ahead of time.

  “Sang,” Kota started. “Happy Valentine’s Day. I care about you so much and I can’t wait to see you.”

  They were all similar in content. Saying my name. Talking about the holiday, about how they missed me.

  When I anticipated Silas’s being a bit different, his was still similar. Did he think the others were more poetic or elaborate?

  “Aggele mou,” he said, and he continued, in both English and in some parts in Greek, in words I didn’t understand, but I got the meaning. “I miss you. I’m always thinking about you.”

  The only part he really missed compared to the others was saying Happy Valentine’s Day.

  I don’t know what I could have ever expected of any gift, but this was more than enough for me. I rolled over onto my side and put the MP3 player on repeat. I traced the necklace at my neck that I wore to bed.

  And I fell asleep, listening to their voices.

  I was only mildly upset I didn’t have as nice a gift as they had gotten me. In a way, it sparked a challenge. Nine of them against one of me to figure out what to get them.

  Next year, I’d have to do something even better.

  When Lost Boy and Silent Girl

  Gabriel

  Sang was super cute when Gabriel crawled into bed that night. He tried to stay out of the room, anticipating she got the gifts but he wanted her to enjoy them for as long as possible without him interrupting.

  It wasn’t that long of a recording, and at times he wondered if it was a little stupid.

  But it was sweet. Kota did good coming up with that one.

  Maybe they could do even better next year. Or maybe even at Christmas.

  But getting into the bed, with the headphones still in Sang’s ears and it was still playing while she was clearly asleep...

  He had to... It wouldn’t be enough just to tell them. They had to see.

  He took a picture with one of the phones.

  He sent it to Victor to send to the rest of their phones. He’d have to get rid of this one, too.

  They were wasting so many phones, but the guys would want to see it.

  If only she wasn’t so damn cute...

  She woke up a little when he crawled into bed next to her. She mumbled something and one of the ear phones fell out.

  Gabriel cuddled her, and kissed her forehead. “You can go to sleep.”

  She mumbled something else. She wasn’t fully awake, somewhere halfway between awake and sleep.

  He snuggled with her for a moment, and then whispered in her available ear, “Be my girlfriend, Sang? Will you go out with me?” He wasn’t sure what spurred him, but it was about damn time he asked.

  The rest of them could figure themselves out. This was something they needed to do individually.

  Her eyes fluttered open, just a little.

  Her hand reached up, and she touched his cheek once delicately. “I love that you ask me. Do it again.”

  Gabriel smiled and found his voice had lowered a note when he leaned in and whispered, “I need you, Sang. Go out with me.”

  She sent a weak, tired smile to him. “I almost don’t want to say yes. I like hearing you say it.”

  Gabriel chuckled. “You want me to beg you? Trouble, you’re the worst. But also, be my girlfriend.”

  She chuckled a little and sighed happily.

  She didn’t need to answer. She liked to hear him say that?

  Then he’d ask her forever.

  Find Comfort

  The next morning, Gabriel woke up to Chica barking in the house.

  It wasn’t a bad bark. Not like before. It was simply an alert that someone was here.

  Gabriel was up in an instant, anticipating North and Silas, here early to start on the chimneys or the barn.

  Instead, when Gabriel walked into the hallway, he heard a man’s voice that he didn’t recognize at first. He paused, unsure, because the dog wasn’t barking that loud, and yet he was anticipating the robbers. Did they feed the dog steaks or something to get past her defenses?

  “That Miss Millie?” Old Mr. Sorenson asked, calling from the front parlor. He was sitting in his chair, leaned back, an old black and white movie playing in front of him on the screen. He seemed cornered in the room with all of his big furniture around him.

  Gabriel didn’t have an answer for him yet. “I’ll check.”

  He turned the corner to get into the living room and was greeted by Chica who sprung at him to say good morning.

  Holding the door open was Sang’s Uncle London. He wore jeans and an oversized white shirt with “Sorenson Painting and Trim” printed on the chest. “Oh hello,” he said to Gabriel when he came in and then instantly called to Chica. “Girl, you better get your butt outside please. Don’t wake the old man. You haven’t been out today?”

  Gabriel quickly greeted the dog who was nudging her nose into his knees, asking for attention. After, he snapped his fingers and flung his hand out, directing her to go. It was a move he’d seen Kota do to ward off his dog and get her to focus.

  Chica picked up on this and went to the door that London was holding open. Her paws thudded onto the porch, and she galloped outside.

  “That dog is going to catch one of those deer she chases one day,” London said, looking out at the dog running off towards the woods. “And then what will she do with it?”

  Gabriel chuckled. “Get a black eye or bring it home for supper.” He was in a much better mood this morning. Things were looking up. Maybe they’d get to the bottom of Sang’s history today. Good thing London was here. He’d been meaning to talk to him.

  At Gabriel’s comment, London laughed and crossed the room toward the kitchen, looking in. “Man, the place stays nicer with other people around. I was about to send the housekeeper more often...”

  They hadn’t done much besides keep the old man occupied with visitors. “Could I talk to you for a minute?” Gabriel asked. “Maybe outside?”

  “Sure,” London said. “I was going to say the same thing. Let’s take a walk.”

  Gabriel was a bit taller than London, which was a little weird. He’d been feeling odd about being taller than people who were older than him lately. He wasn’t sure why, but adults were always ‘taller,’ so he felt he shouldn’t be standing so tall.

  He walked beside London once they were out in the grass. It was starting to snow. Very light flakes, but it was kind of nice. It didn’t even feel that cold.

  “What do you all have going here?” London asked, motioning to the scaffolding. He brushed aside some of the dark locks of his hair and gazed up at the upper story of the house. “It doesn’t need more painting, does it? I usually keep up on it.”

  “No, it isn’t that,” Gabriel said. “He was letting my friends come over and take care of the chimney work. Get the bees out. Although we’re still trying to figure out how to get the bees actually out.”

  London stopped and an eyebrow lifted. “He’s letting you? He barely lets me in the house anymore.”

  Gabriel shrugged, his jacket bunching up around his shoulders. “I just asked. He needed a bit of negotiating, but he eventually came around.”

  London combed his fingers through his dark hair, which seemed to spring back into his eyes almost instantly. “Every time I suggest something, he just flat out rejects it. It doesn’t matter if it’s good for him or not.”

  “It can be hard to change a mindset that’s been set for so many years,” Gabriel said, saying something he’d heard Mr. Blackbourne say once. “Sometimes when family treat each other a certain way, it’s a learned behavior and you get used to it and it can be hard to get out of it.”

  London placed his hands on his hips “Probably true. Don’t know if I’m too old to change. He probably is.” He chuckled. “You’re pretty smart for a kid. Anyway, what did you want to ask me?”

  “I met your mother, and your father has also said that you used to have a sister?” Gabriel didn’t know any other way to start the conversation but he wanted to get to the heart of it and who knew how much time they had before Brian decided to come look in on them. “I don’t want to pry at all, but I don’t want to say the wrong thing and risk your father getting angry. So can you help me understand something?”