Chapter 2

Mom shrugged it off. "Zach's already a lost cause from living out in the country. Bringing him here sooner wouldn't have changed anything, and it probably just would've meant more trouble for Will. At this point, all we can do is hope that whatever center he's at manages to fix him."

Dad cleared his throat impatiently. "Why even bring him up? Do you want Will picking up his bad habits? Let's just eat."

I'd heard all I needed to. Feeling numb, I drifted into the storage room. Since William didn't want me around, this room—the one farthest from his—had basically become mine.

I looked around, but none of my stuff was left. That was when I remembered that Mom had already turned it into William's walk-in closet.

"Your dad and I have always done our best for you," Mom had hissed, her voice dripping with disgust. "And Will is your younger brother. He's fragile, and instead of protecting him like you're supposed to, you got him beaten up?

"I know you're unhappy living here, but Will is still getting used to having you around. Was it really too much to ask you to go easy on him? I can't believe you let this happen to him. If anything worse happens to Will, you're going to pay for it!"

Then, without another word, she ordered the maids to clear out the storage room and turn it into a walk-in closet.

No one would listen to my side of the story, let alone believe me. I didn't even know any thugs to begin with.

My eyes wandered over the walls, lined with William's designer clothes and shoes, and it hit me—there hadn't been a place for me in this family for a long time.

The world was wide open, but I didn't have anywhere in mind to go. Before I knew it, I was in the kitchen. The space was large, and there was Felix Seymour, huddled in the corner, eating off a plate.

He was a kid I'd taken in after his family abandoned him. They'd left him in the mountains because of his intellectual disability. I'd found him by chance while gathering herbs and brought him home.

I named him Felix, hoping that someone like me might find happiness in life.

Those long days waiting for Mom and Dad to pick me up, Felix was the only one who stuck by me. We huddled together for warmth, and having him around made the endless loneliness a little easier to bear.

He knew about Christmas. Even in the bitter cold, he'd stubbornly crouch by the riverbank, trying to catch fish, just because I'd once told him that eating fish at Christmas meant we'd swim through the new year with plenty to spare.

I brought Felix along when Mom and Dad finally moved me to the city. But William thought he was dim-witted and never let him sit at the table.

Felix would eat leftovers from a dish in the kitchen and sleep there, or sometimes out in the gazebo. He wasn't the sharpest, but he had a good heart. Even when he was hungry, he never took food that wasn't his.

Still, William never showed him a single kindness. And because of William, nobody else did either.

Whenever Felix finished eating, I made sure to stop by and spend some time with him. He might not have understood everything I said, but he always got how I was feeling.

His big eyes would brighten, and he'd reach out to give me an awkward little pat on the back with his small hand.

Now, I crouched beside him as he stared intently at the doorway, waiting for me to come through like I always did. Only this time, I wouldn't be coming.

It had been so long since Felix last saw me. He must have been wondering where I'd disappeared to. Huddled in the kitchen corner, he started making these quiet whimpering sounds.

At first, he tried to keep it in. But soon enough, he couldn't hold back anymore. His wailing grew louder and louder until even the Seymours could hear it from outside.

Felix heard the commotion outside the kitchen and wobbled over to the door. The second he spotted Anne, his speech slurred, the name barely making it past his lips. "Z-Zach..."

Dad scowled and snapped at Felix to shut up.

"I'll lock him in the room outside later," Anne said.

As soon as Dad left, she marched over, seized Felix by his clothes, and was ready to drag him off.

William flashed her a bright smile. "Anne, we just got home. You must be tired. Let me handle this. Go wash up and get some rest."

Eventually, Anne left.

The second she was gone, William pulled on a pair of gloves, his face twisting in disgust as he yanked Felix into the small room outside. With a heavy thud, he threw Felix onto the floor.