He stared at her. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re the only family I have.”
Scarlett searched his face. If only she could take away his pain. She wrapped her arms around her baby brother, who was nearly as tall as her, and made a mental note to look into counseling for him when they were back home. Hell, she needed some counseling herself. Maybe they could go together.
“I’ll always be here for you, Beni. Manon loves you too. Don’t forget that.”
“Thanks.” He took a couple of deep breaths before pulling away.
Scarlett sat back down on the bed. “I wanted to ask, did Alastair come by while I was asleep?”
Beni looked at her as he brushed his hair. “Yeah, he did.”
“Was he helpful?” asked Scarlett.
Beni went to his suitcase, selected a shirt, and pulled it on over his head. “He asked me if I needed help. I didn’t know what to ask him for though. He brought his mum over once, but my mum sent them away.” Now fully clothed, he sat down in a chairby the door, facing Scarlett. “Then I met Brayden, and he helped me figure things out.”
Scarlett sighed with small relief that Alastair had been decent enough to try.
“You shouldn’t get back with him because of that though,” said Beni, his brow furrowed. “Brayden helped way more than he did.”
Heat spread across Scarlett’s face. “Don’t worry, I won’t. I just… wanted to know he hadn’t abandoned me. And you.”
Beni stared at the ground. “I get that.”
Scarlett stretched. “Enough about Alastair. Has anyone mentioned soul lights to you? Or valors?”
“At archery yesterday, Tommy and Patrick asked why I don’t have a light. They thought it was weird. Why?”
Scarlett went over the concept of the soul light with him, the same way Manon had for her. Then she told him of her experience in the forest. She left out the part about her running into danger like a fool, focusing mainly on Brayden’s fire magic. Then she asked, “I want to meet my light today and get my valor. Do you want to come check out the Forest Temple with me?”
His eyes lit up for the first time that morning. “Of course. I want magic powers too! Charging my phone with my hand? Hell yeah.”
Scarlett chuckled. “We’re going to my mum’s house first, but we’ll come back in a couple of hours and head to the temple then. You gonna be okay here for a while?”
“Oh yeah. I’ll go to the gym.” He flexed his skinny arms. “I need to work on these guns.”
A rush of fondness for her kid brother swept through Scarlett. Part of her wanted him to stay young and innocent like this forever. “I’ll see you later.”
Manon opened the door to her tree house with a set of keys Scarlett had never seen. The tree house looked similar to Minnie’s on the outside. On the inside though…
“It’s good to be home.” Manon let out a contented sigh.
Vivid fabrics and oil paintings of flowers dominated the living room. Scarlett was immediately reminded of Manon’s room in Soleil, although this place was homier. She peered at a cross-stitch hung next to a doorway.Ad Astra et Ultra.Under it was a constellation surrounded by shooting stars.
“That’s interesting,” said Scarlett. “What constellation is that?”
Manon came to stand next to her. “It’s the Fortuna constellation with the Bedivere family motto. It means ‘to the stars and beyond.’” She leaned into Scarlett. “Your mother made that when she was grounded for a week as a teenager. That constellation is part of our family crest, so that’s what inspired her.”
Scarlett wanted that cross-stitch. Would Manon let her take it home?
“Is there more of my mum’s stuff here?”
“Oh, sure,” said Manon. “I had all her things moved here after she passed. It made your dad too sad, so he gave them to me. I saved it all for you. It’s all in her old room.”
She led Scarlett through the kitchen and down another hallway, stopping in front of a closed door. “Do you want to have a look?”
Scarlett vibrated with excitement. She had so few of her mother’s belongings. She’d wondered where they’d all gone. Now she knew her father had erased her mother from their home. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“I don’t mind at all. Go in there and take anything you want. She wasyourmother.” Manon squeezed Scarlett’s hand. “I’ll go make some tea. No milk, obviously, but there’s still some black tea in the cupboard, if I remember right.” She left Scarlettstanding at the doorway to her mother’s childhood bedroom.
