He was panting a little by the time he reached the top step, continuing his trek up the gentle incline of the slope. He reached one of the conservatories in the back, and large and comfortable building. This was one of his favourite places to be. He would sit here for hours, mostly on rainy days, listening to the patter on the glass. But these would only be background noises for him, and he would for the most part hardly be aware, as he was absorbed in the stories that he read.

Ashton loved to read, it was his passion, second only to dancing. And while most parents would likely encourage such behaviour, his parents, mainly his mother, would often berate him for having his nose in a book. Though he would take no notice of them, his mother would jokingly remark about how he would ignore the world around him to read in fairy tales and fantasies.

And like the rain on those cloudy days that he hardly noticed, he hardly noticed her voice either.

Ashton opened the conservatory door, slipping in quietly and closing the door gently after him.

He made his way across the large conservatory, glancing briefly at the large cushioned seat in the corner that he would sit in.

It was a fine day today, and the conservatory was cool and comfortable. On darker days, it would be warm and comfortable. Ashton’s entire life had been that of comfort, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have his worries.

He had not long closed the door behind him, stepping out into a larger cavernous room, when he was set upon by a familiar figure, pouncing out at him from behind a bookshelf and grabbing his shoulders from behind.

‘My baby has returned!’

‘Mum’ Ashton huffed indignantly, turning around and trying to dislodge her from him, but she held onto his arm tightly now, hugging and not letting go.

‘I was beginning to miss you my sweet little angelic buttercup. I love my baby boy so very much.’

Ashton frowned in mild annoyance at this. He was used to being man-handled by his mother. It would still grate on his at times.

‘Maya please’ his father said then, stepping in from the other room. ‘Stop now or you will suffocate the boy.’

His mother finally let go of him, but not before giving him several harsh pecks on the cheek.

‘Have you been leaving the property again?’ his mother said in mock irritation. ‘You know I don’t like it when you leave dear.’

‘I’m not going to stay trapped indoors forever mum’ Ashton huffed, wiping his cheek where his mother had kissed him.

‘Son’ his father, whose name was Isaac spoke seriously then. ‘It’s a dangerous world out there…. you have no idea what sinister things are lurking around every corner. Never turn your back on them my boy, never let your guard down, for they are waiting for the perfect opportunity….to pounce!’ he made a dramatic motion then, and his mother gasped at this as if in fright.

Ashton had heard this speech before, his father would often talk about the supposed dangers of the city outside their home, and how dangerous the corners of every building could potentially be. But he had never said what or who the danger might actually be. Ashton had asked before several times when he was young, but in the end gave up asking.

He was used to his parents’ eccentric tendencies, and ignored them for the most part.

It’s just how they were. It was how they had always been.

‘We have some exciting news for you!’ his father announced, waving his arms theatrically then.

Ashton only watched him calmly, waiting for his father to continue as his mother squealed in delight like a child, bouncing up and down and clapping her hands in excitement.

‘You have a visitor waiting for you!’ his father said. ‘In your bedroom!’

‘What? Why in my bedroom?’ Ashton asked a little uncertainly now.

‘You will surely find out if you go…...to the bedroom!’ Isaac bellowed comically, as his mother began to giggle and twirl on the spot.

Ashton let out a patient sigh.

‘Come now my love!’ Isaac said to Maya then in a booming voice, and she was look at him as she always did, with pure love and a sort of childish glee she had never quite grown out of. ‘Those cookies would be just about done! We can watch them brown together, then we can water the plants! Come my love! To the kitchen!’

They ran off together then, his mother holding his father by the crook of his arm. After a few seconds they began to skip.

Ashton watched until they were out of sight, and the silence grew then into something peaceful.

He let out a sigh, dipping his head slightly.

He knew that his mother must have been watching out for him. She would often keep her eyes on the windows when he was not around, and if she saw him heading home by one of the many paths, she would hurry to meet him, but not before giving him a scare first.

Ashton loved his parents, but they exhausted him sometimes. He didn’t understand how they could both have so much energy. He was nothing like either of them, not only in his personality and demeanour, but his appearance also. He looked totally different from either of his parents. He had asked one time if he was adopted.

He wasn’t. His mother had produced his birth certificate and numerous books filled with baby pictures, most of them embarrassing. His mother had picked out one of him naked in the bath at one year old. Ashton had snatched it from her, slamming it back into the book and closing it, face red. She would only laugh harder at his awkwardness.

Ashton swallowed a little nervously then, craning his head back up to the stairs beside him.

His room was on one of the higher levels. And apparently there was someone waiting for him, in his bedroom.

Ashton clenched his teeth nervously, breathing slowly to try to calm himself.

He wondered who on earth it might be.

Without allowing himself to dwell on it too much, he moved over to one of the staircases, grasping the banister lightly, and ascending the steps to find out.