The paper had a map and a red circle surrounding a spot in a thick forest.

"Oh very nice." I was with Lily. We decided we should talk more this afternoon.

"I know. Not an ominous location at all."

"Completely safe." My smile faltered a little bit. "You gonna go?"

She turned to me. "What?"

"Are you going to the orphanage."

Lily bites her lip and thinks. I try and decide how I feel. 

"Maybe." She answers. 

Pauses. 

"Come with me? If...If you want to. It would be nice."

I trusted Rory. He said I should go. "I'll come. I'll go with you."

Lily's face lit up. Maybe she didn't want me to know, but she really wanted me to come with her. She didn't want to be alone.

"I need to tell my family."

She nodded. "Me too. Talk tomorrow, okay?"

~

I closed the front door.

"Mom?" I called. "You there?"

"I'm here." Her head came out of the kitchen doorway. "What do you want?"

"Can I talk to you? Actually, everybody?"

A few minutes later I was sitting down as Mom paced and Aunt Kataline chewed her lip and Elias stood blank as a deer in headlights. Uncle Bill got a plate of chicken from the fridge. Mom sat down, then stood up and got a beer.

"Mom..." Both me and Elias looked at her. She said she would quit a week ago. It's been two years since Dad left and every once in a while Mom drinks too much. She goes into her bedroom and screams and breaks stuff while Aunt Kataline keeps us safe in the loft and Uncle Bill trys and calm Mom down.

Mom glares at both of us and takes a sip. Elias looks at me. "Cool."

This is why I don't hate him as sibling do. When Mom goes into her room he'll always be there to make a joke for me. Rory used to be there. When they died, Elias was in his place.

"Also-"

"There's more?" Aunt Kataline looks at Mom. 

"Sis, please." She grunts and sips her beer again.

I take a deep breath. "Also there's more of people like me. And they're in this place. And I want to go there."

This time Elias looks at me with hurt. I have never left this house. Mom sighs and says she'll sleep on it. Uncle Bill looks at me when Mom leaves.

"Thanks for clearing up some of my questions about death."

"No problem."