It was dark and impossible to see anything inside the room. Sacha got the sense of size, although maybe not as big as other rooms he’d been into. He could smell flowers. Lacey swore. She seemed to be looking for something. Then the light snapped on. It was a lamp so it was diffuse, making the room look smaller and cosier. Cosy, that was definitely the word he would use to describe the room. It wasn’t as small as he thought – about the same size as the dining room, but it was full of things. Most of it was furniture – mis matched chairs and sofas, some seemingly made of wicker, and all over stuffed and comfortable looking. There were also lots of cushions in different colours and designs. All in all, it reminded Sacha of an antique shop he’d gone into once with Ryland, except the shop was musty and smelled odd. This room was light and airy and smelled of flowers and lavender furniture polish.

“I’m sorry about the mess. Matt must have brought the furniture in from outside when the rain started. Some of this stuff is usually outside on the terrace.”

Moving skilfully through the clutter, Lacey made it to the far side of the room and turned on another light. This one was outside, and it lit up a rainy, windswept patio.

“Oh bugger, it’s raining,” Lacey said, pressing her face to the glass. “I was hoping to take you out there.”

Curious, Sacha picked his way across the room and peeped out into the rainy night. Lacey put on more lights and a scene of magic and wonder appeared before Sacha’s eyes. The terrace was floored in warm terracotta tiles, about fifty feet wide and stretching back toward the dining room and kitchen.

“It goes from the kitchen garden, all the way to the end of the house. You can get onto it from other rooms but, when the weather’s okay we put the furniture outside and the windows slide open. It feels like the room just carried on outside. You can smell the herbs from the kitchen garden and the rose bushes. It’s so beautiful. You’ll see when the weather improves.”

“Can I go outside?” With his nose pressed against the glass, watching the rain drive across the bare tiles, Sacha could see glimpses of things, white ghosts looming in the rain. He badly wanted to see what they were.

“You’ll get soaking wet.”

“I don’t melt in rain.”

“At least wait until I get you a coat.”

“But I can go out?”

“Of course you can.”

Not waiting for a coat – or for Lacey to change her mind, Sacha located the clip and slid the window open. Wind-lashed rain reached into the room and pulled Sacha out into its midst. Allowing himself to be buffeted, he twirled as he wandered across the tiles to find that some of the ghosts he had seen were enormous white tubs, containing neatly trimmed bushes. Just beyond, ornate balustrades marked the end of the terrace.

Ignoring Lacey’s calls, Sacha followed the balustrade, dodging the trees, until he came to a white-painted, cast iron, folding screen. Dancing back the other way, he found another one. The screen had an arch in it and he went through, in the mood to explore. There was something about the rain that seemed to close him in, make the world smaller and Sacha feel safer.

This must be the kitchen garden. He could see Emma moving about behind the window. From the light that spilled out from it, he could see neat beds which presumably contained herbs. There were paths between them but Sacha couldn’t see them in the rain. He contented himself with standing still and breathing in the smells, which were heavenly.

“Sacha, you’re going to catch your death. Come inside.” Lacey threw a thick coat over his shoulders and he realized he was cold. Clutching the warm cloth around him he turned and smiled into her concerned face.

“It’s beautiful.”

“It is, but you won’t see much of it if you’re in bed. Carry on this way and you’ll be ill. Come inside for goodness sake.”

With a sigh, Sacha allowed Lacey to tow him back into the terrace room. She closed the windows and the night was shut out. Sacha stared through the window, feeling strangely melancholy. The ghost of a boy gazed back. The ghost boy looked sad.

“You should go up and have a bath,” Lacey said, firmly. “A shower at least – to warm up.”

“Okay.”

“Will you come down afterwards, or would you like some time to yourself in your room?”

“Can I stay in my room? I’m very tired.”

“Of course you can.” Lacey pulled him close and kissed his cheek. “Sleep well.”

“Lacey, can…um…? Could you come up and… Well… It’s lonely up there.”

“Go take a bath. I’ll be up in an hour.”

Sacha was curled up on the sofa, when Lacey knocked the door. He was wearing a pair of cotton pyjamas he’d found in a drawer. Like everything else, they were too big for him, but they had a tie-string waist so he was fairly sure they wouldn’t fall down when he stood up.

“Come in.”

Lacey had changed into sweat pants and t-shirt and she folded comfortably onto the sofa at his side.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing. Watching the rain.”

“I like watching rain, too. It always makes me feel sleepy. Would you like to watch a film? We have lots. Or would you like to talk? Or play a game?”

Sacha considered. He was tired and numb. The events of the day had exhausted him and he’d been almost asleep. The last thing he wanted was to talk, and he didn’t have the focus to play games.

“A film, I think.”

“Do you have a favourite?”

Sacha shook his head. He’d watched lots of movies, but they’d mostly been kids’ films. That was all Ryland allowed them. Once or twice he’d watched a horror film with the older boys, but he didn’t like them at all. They scared him. There was no room for creeping horrors in places that couldn’t be escaped from.

Of course, he’d seen plenty of ‘instructional’ films, but he didn’t think Lacey would be interested in anything like that.

“How about something to make us laugh?”

Sacha smiled. “Yes, that would be good.”

Sacha could not, afterwards, have told anyone what film they’d watched. What he could say was that, as soon as the film started, Lacey tucked up her feet and pulled him in to her side. He watched the television with his head on her chest until he fell asleep.

Sacha woke suddenly in darkness. Outside, a storm was raging, the wind flinging itself, and handfuls of rain, against the windows. Pulling the covers higher, Sacha lay still, listening. Apart from the rain, it was quiet; too quiet. It had never been quiet. Back home, there had always been someone moving around, or snoring, or crying. In the hospital there were all kinds of sounds, but here there was nothing but the rain. He was sure if he closed the window there wouldn’t even be that. Sacha didn’t want to close the window. He liked the smell of rain and the fact that outdoors was so close. There hadn’t been a window in the cellar room and the windows in the hospital had bars. Here, there were no bars and some of the windows even opened like doors, like the one on the porch balcony.

For Sacha, that night, the silence was loud and it got louder and louder as his mind ran backwards, over all the things that had happened to him. When he got to the part where the house burned the silence was so loud he had to fill it, so he screamed. When the screaming stopped, he cried and when the crying stopped he was asleep.

The next morning, Sacha lay in bed for a long time listening to the rain. It was early. He always woke early. Lacey said breakfast was at nine. It was seven thirty so he had plenty of time. Maybe he should have another bath. Or maybe he should explore. Or maybe try to work out the television. Or.... With a groan, he pulled the covers over his head and curled on his side. Maybe he’d just stay exactly where he was. It was small under the covers, a small dark cave. The world outside was so big, and right now he needed it to be small, so he stayed where he was and drifted back to sleep.

Sacha was woken by a sound. For a moment, he couldn’t work out what it was, then he realized it was someone knocking on his door.

“Sacha? Are you awake? Are you okay?”---

He sat up and rubbed sleepy eyes. “Lacey?”

“Can I come in?”

“Yes.”

The bedroom door cracked open and Lacey peeped around, she then opened the door and walked in. A delicious smell came in with her.

“I hope you don’t mind me coming up here. If you tell me not to, I won’t. It’s okay, I won’t be upset. I just thought that, as you didn’t come down for breakfast, I’d bring breakfast up to you.”

Confused from sleep, Sacha blinked at the clock to find it was almost ten. “I’m sorry.” he said, horrified. “I didn’t mean to. I—”

“Sacha, it’s okay.” Lacey sat on the bed and put a hand on his arm. “I told you breakfast was at nine. I didn’t say you had to be there.”

“I’m not ungrateful.”

“You don’t have to be grateful, Sacha. We don’t expect you to be grateful for anything.”

“But, I… I have to be grateful. You’ve given me more than anyone has ever given me. Of course I have to be grateful.”

Lacey sat back and looked at him. “Okay. If you want to be grateful you can, but you don’t have to be. Don’t ever think you have to. Families give things to each other because they’re family, because they want to, not because they want to be thanked. These things…. Sacha…. These things are yours. They should always have been yours. If you hadn’t left us they would have been yours all along. This is your home, now. It always has been. I know it’s a lot to swallow, a lot to get used to. Give yourself time. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You haven’t got to walk on eggshells, to please us all the time. It’s okay to please yourself, too. Ask for what you want.”

“I… I want…” Sacha closed his eyes and breathed deeply. “I want to eat whatever’s making that smell.”

Lacey laughed. “Okay, come get it then.”

The food Lacey had brought up, on a covered tray, was delicious and Sacha couldn’t get enough of it. Lacey wouldn’t eat anything, she said she’d already eaten enough. She laughed at him for eating so much. After a moment of worry, he laughed with her. He knew she was teasing.

“What do you want to do today? I was going to take you out to see the horses but the weather’s too bad. There’s quite a storm blowing out there. How about we go exploring?”

“That sounds good. I… I was a bit scared.”

“About finding your way around?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry, it’s pretty easy. Everything’s laid out according to a plan. Once you know the plan you won’t get lost.” Lacey got to her feet. “Get dressed and meet me in my room. We can start with the first floor and move down. Do you remember where my room is?”

“I…think so.”

“Okay then, get dressed and I’ll see you down there in a bit.”

Sacha scrambled to get dressed as quickly as he could. He was excited about something for the first time in years. With Lacey at his side, the prospect of exploring was thrilling rather than terrifying. He paused at the top of the stairs, as it hit him. He had a friend. He actually had a real, proper friend, and he was almost skipping by the time he reached the bottom.