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THE NIGHT AIR IS BALMY AND STILL, THE SKY CLEAR and smattered with stars as Milo cycles along the rough tarmac towards his home.
As he finds himself enveloped in the quiet whimsy of his street, feeling weightless and strangely carefree, he thinks this is what summer should be. Anais had been right. Despite the unexpected turn of events, the party had done something for Milo. It had been a welcome distraction—a break from the white noise that is his fate and future constantly looming over him.
Part of him wishes he was still there, lying on the grass of the Sinclair estate, a champagne-infused haze dulling the sharp blade of his less pleasant thoughts as he tells anyone who cares to listen about the story of each constellation. In this case, his captive audience had been Cas, who had turned out to be a surprisingly good listener.
Why had he been surprised? Perhaps part of Milo is still painting this boy with the same brush as the rest of the Iverson pack. He realises now, though, that Cas is more like a lone wolf, born and bred amongst the rest, but ultimately carving his own path through the woods.
Maybe this is why Milo finds himself inexplicably drawn to him. In dark, they had found each other, both uncertain where to turn, their paths rendered unclear by a thickening copse of trees around them, trapping them. Cas understands, Milo thinks to himself. He knows what it's like to be in constant war with reality.
Once Milo reaches his house, he dismounts his bike and props it up against the house—the kickstand had been broken when he bought it, second hand—and makes his way to the front door. He decides to let himself in, which proves to be a good decision as he finds his mother and sister amidst a heated discussion.
"–more time to process. There's a lot going on here we don't understand," Lenore is saying.
Valerie shakes her head as she paces the room, visibly agitated.
"Who's to say he won't find out himself anyway? And he'll be mad at us for not telling him ourselves! Don't you think he deserves to know wh– Oh, Milo! Jeez, how long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough to work out that you two are talking about me," he says.
"You could have knocked."
"You told me to come here. It's not like you weren't expecting me.
"Enough bickering," Lenore interjects. She is well put-together this evening, Milo notes. She's wearing a neatly pressed collared dress and her hair has been tied back with a colourful scarf. She turns to Valerie.
"Did you tell him to come here?"
"Yes, because he needs to know what's going on!"
"What's going on?" Milo asks. The phone call had been brief and mostly Valerie saying 'I'll explain later' in an uncharacteristically hushed voice.
