Then, just off to the left, I see a beautiful oak tree.
It stands apart from the house, set back near the edge of the property, its massive limbs stretching wide, almost skeletal. The bark is rough, deep grooves and cracks running through it like the wrinkles of something ancient, something that’s been here longer than any of them.
Even now, in the dead of winter, bare branches rattling in the cold, it feels alive.
And it’s occupied.
Liam is perched on one of the lower branches, legs swinging lazily as he looks down at Kai, who’s sat against its base, leaning back against the trunk, hands stuffed into his coat pockets. His head tilts slightly to the side as Liam says something to him that I can’t catch. Whatever it is, it makes Kai’s lips curve into a small, knowing smile.
To his left, Christian nods on, but doesn’t say anything—his gaze flicking between the two.
Then there’s the mess happening closer to the house. Will stands just beyond the tree arm stretched high above his head, his camera dangling from his fingers. It’s just out of reach from Lilia, who ispissed.
She lunges again, nearly knocking into him, but he sidesteps with stupidly quick reflexes for someone who probably doesn’t even take this seriously. It’s hard to tell what’s going on in his head, and it’s even harder to tell whether or not he’s just putting on a façade.
Watching from over Christian’s shoulder, Bea stands with her arms crossed, her expression caught somewhere between boredom and concern. Her narrowed eyes move between Will and Lilia, like she’s waiting for one of them to do something even more stupid.
Beside me, Kym lets out a sigh, shaking her head. “Even in winter,” she mutters, staring up at the oak tree, “it’s still their favourite place to be.”
I glance up at it again.
I mean, it’s a pretty cool tree.
If I had more upper body strength, even a sliver, I’d probably try climbing it too, sit at the top and just exist there for a while, watching the world move below me.
Instead, I turn back to Kym. “Has Willalwaysbeen this obsessed with his camera?”
She doesn’t even pause. “For as long as I can remember.”
I let out a short laugh, shaking my head.
Yeah. That sounds about right.
Bea finally locks eyes with us, and her entire face lights up. She straightens, takes a deep breath, and then—
“Addie! Kym!”
The sudden yell even freaks me out a little bit, be it because I had completely zoned out watching them just seconds before.
And poor Liam just—drops.
Like, literally. One second he’s balanced perfectly on the branch, and the next, the branch wobbles, his arms flail, and he plummets. It’s not even a graceful fall—there’s no attempt to catch himself, no last-minute grab. He just goes straight down.
There’s a very distinct, very solid thud as he lands on his back, arms splayed out, limbs sprawled, breath punched out of him.
For half a second, everything goes still.
Kai—who has been watching the whole thing from a front-row seat—presses his lips together, shoulders shaking, clearly biting back a laugh.
Lilia doesn’t eventryto hold it in.
Shecackles. Full-blown, unfiltered laughter, doubling over as she points at Liam’s motionless form on the ground.
Still sprawled on his back, Liam groans dramatically. “A little warning next time, please, Beatrice,” he grumbles, still rolling slightly from the impact.
Bea doesn’t even blink. “IthoughtI told you to stop calling me
that.”
