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Milo burst into the roootten home from his first day at of his new school, and he overfloith excitee and he had nobody else to talk to, so he woke us up Or at least he tried to

I was happy for Milo, but I’d only been asleep for a few hours when he rushed in Jack e in conversation, but I curled up closer to Jack and learned things through osirls kept hitting on hiay, or fly under the radar Jack gave hi himself, and people could make of him what they wanted

Jack ake after that, but he knew I slept better when he was around, so he grabbed the laptop and sat in bed next toin bed next to him Then, abruptly, he sla on?" I asked, watching as he rushed into the walk-in closet I sat up when he didn’t answer, and he caoing sorabbed his wallet off the dresser and shoved it in his back pocket, and when he turned to look atawesome to do"

"What does that mean?"

"You’ll see" He came over and kissed me quickly on the cheek "I’ll be back in a bit"

"Okay?" I asked, but he just laughed as he walked out of the rooot ready for the day When I got done, I checked on Milo and Bobby across the hall, in Peter’s old room Peter had actually packed up his stuff because he left this ti in my heart every time I saw his empty room

Well, it wasn’t empty completely His four-post bed had been dismantled and sat propped up in the corner, with theshoved in the walk-in closet His empty bookcases lined the walls, and all his furniture and other belongings were gone

Peter had also left a copy of his book A Brief History of Vampyres behind on his bed, and I know he’d done it for me But I couldn’t keep it I’d taken it before Jack could see, and shoved it in the box with the rest of Peter’s odds and ends stuff, burying it below a shirt and soone, the boys had turned the empty room into a playroom Before Christmas, Jack and Bobby had discovered a os at the Toys R’ Us, and they "had" to buy the theether

So far, they hadAT-AT, set carefully on the bookcases, and they had ed on the floor, carefully sorting through the Lego pieces, and Milo laid on his belly, a textbook splayed open in front of him

The new Silversun Pickups CD played softly on the stereo, and the door to the balcony had been propped open, letting the cool winter breeze blow in Bobby had flipped up the hood on his sweatshirt, but he didn’t mind the cold thatinto Peter’s rooh it wasn’t his room anymore, and it didn’t even really look like it I breathed in deeply, still able to smell him faintly I wrapped hts of hi?" I asked

"Stuff," Bobby said stiffly, adjusting his thick black glasses He never wore theos

"Bobby had a rough day at school," Milo inforot some teacher that hates him But he doesn’t wanna talk about it"

"I see" I walked over to Milo and looked down at his textbook, and all the words were in a different language "What are you studying?"

"French," Milo said "How do you feel about going to France this sued I stepped away froe without all of Peter’s antiques cluttering it up

I knew that Peter and I couldn’t live together anys ith Jack, but I didn’t like the feel of empty space But it wasn’t just his absence that ood chunk of the warmth with her, and the house had the distinct feel of a bachelor pad

Since Milo didn’t seem to be in the mood to chat anymore, I went downstairs to check out the laundry situation Under ordinary circuuy, I’m sure, but he’d been all mopey without Mae Milo was the only one who really picked up after hia in a way that would’ve made Mae faint Jack had once made a joke about how unreasonable it would be to wear a new outfit every day, but he had enough clothes where he could goit and still have clean stuff to wear So, that’s what happened

I shoved asthe hair off my forehead, I surveyed the roo, I turned to leave, since I couldn’t do

I paused in the doorway and looked down the hall, towards Ezra’s den The door stood partially open, and I could see the dilow from the coone