Goodbye, Evan

19

"This can't be the right house," Theo says, checking the address on his phone. "Can it?"

I look up. We followed Theo's mobile phone here and the house that is apparently Kyle's is situated at the end of a terrace. It's small and hunched, like an old man that's given up on living, but appealing due to the homely yellow light spilling out from the gaps in the blinds. It kind of like the place I called home when I was alive, except far more inviting.

"Must be," I say dully, not looking at Theo, "unless that bus driver is messed in the head. Come on."

I walk up to the front door, pulling my jacket tighter around my shoulders as the wind bites at my neck. Theo follows me apprehensively. A few seconds after I knock on the door, it's thrown open by a pretty woman with Kyle's skin and eyes.

"I told you I'd get the door, Mum!" I hear Kyle's voice say from inside the house. The woman who opened the door clicks her tongue and disappears inside the house. A moment later, Kyle appears at the open door with Amber at his shoulder, the latter holding a baby in her arms and making soft crooning noises.

"Sorry about that," Kyle says, sounding extremely Scottish. "Come in."

We step into the corridor, Theo and Amber and I, and while Kyle shuts the door I see Amber lean into Theo's ear and hear her whisper: "He gets so Scottish around his family, it's unreal. His mum sounds one step away from breaking out the bagpipes."

Theo laughs.

Kyle catches up with us and tries to take the baby from Amber. She holds her fast, sticking her tongue out at Kyle and rocking the sleeping child gently.

"You guys talking about me?" he whispers, finally giving up on holding who I can only assume is his sibling.

I can see where Amber is coming from - in school, you can barely notice his accent, but within the comforts of his home he sounds like he came straight from the highlands.

"Just admiring your house," Theo says, looking around the room.

I follow suit, discovering after just one glance around the place that I like Kyle's tiny house way more than Theo's wide and empty mansion. The corridor we're standing in, while narrow, is brightly lit and lined with photographs of what I assume to be Kyle's family, judging by the similar golden skin of two out of the three people in the photo (the baby sometimes makes an appearance, sometimes not) and the easiness of their smiles.

"Sorry if it's not up to your standards, rich boy," Kyle teases, sticking out his tongue at Theo. "I'm joking. Thanks for coming, you two." His eyes don't focus even though he is talking partly to me. "Come on, I'll get you guys something to drink."

We follow him into the kitchen, Amber still rocking the baby, and find Kyle's mother setting out four glasses and a bottle of Coke on the counter while a white man in his late thirties stands over the sink, pulling on bright yellow rubber gloves.

"Hello, friends of Kyle," the man says jovially and Scottish-ly, looking up from the pile of dishes in the sink. Kyle grins at him, rolling his eyes with an attitude that makes the man grin, and takes the glasses and bottle of soda from his mother.

"We're going to head upstairs, Mum. Thanks for the drinks."

"We'll be going out in half an hour - you sure you can take care of Zara? I don't mind calling a babysitter."

"It's okay, Mrs Thapa - I've got it," Amber says, wiping a bit of drool from the corner of the little girl's mouth with her thumb.

"Yeah, she'll take her home if you let her."