Chapter 27

Andy POV

Miss Sabrina wanted to take me to the park to play, and I wanted to go so bad, but I had to find Claire’s necklace first. She gave it to me when she left, and I knew it was super important. She used to wear it every single day.

But I couldn’t find it anywhere.

The more I looked, the more my belly started to hurt.

What if Claire came back and wanted her necklace back?

She might be mad that I’d lost it. But I thought it would be worse than that: she’d be really sad.

“Come on, Andy,” Miss Sabrina said, standing in the doorway. “Let’s get going! Don’t you want to go play with your friends?”

I knew Miss Sabrina was bored and tired of waiting for me, so I was trying to hurry.

But I just couldn’t find it!

“I have to find the necklace first. It was my job to keep it safe,” I said, knowing like I sounded like I was about to cry.

I hated when my voice sounded like that. I hated anyone knowing how scared and upset I was.

But where could that necklace be?

Sabrina POV

I rolled my eyes but went into the room and crouched in front of Andy.

“Listen, it’s okay. It’s just a necklace.”

And a pretty tacky one at that, I added silently. I should know. I had the thing in my pocket as we spoke.

Maybe it was petty, stealing a necklace from a child, but I was tired of seeing him wearing it, holding it, staring at it. Talking about it.

I knew it was really Claire that he was missing, even though I couldn’t understand why.

So taking the necklace was just another way to thoroughly break any tie Andy felt toward Claire.

The sooner he stopped talking about her, and asking his father when she was coming home, the soon I could take over the household in my rightful position as Luna.

A necklace was such a small thing. But it was also a perfect place to start severing the connection between Andy and his stupid Omega mother.

“I’l buy you a new one,” I promised. “I’ll buy you three pretty necklaces, each one twice as pretty as your silly little necklace.”

“It’s not silly,” Andy said, his lip quivering.

I could tell he worked hard to be like his father, always so confident and self contained. The fact that he was crying over a stupid necklace showed just how much it meant to him.

And just how right I was to take it.

“It’s special,” he said. “My nanny gave it to me.”

I felt my expression darken, saw the unease on Andy’s face, but I couldn’t help it.

Taking Andy’s shoulders, I gave him a small shake. “You’re nanny is a selfish and irresponsible woman, do you understand? She ran away, abandoning you and your father and this household.

“You need to forget that stupid necklace, and you need to forget about Claire.”

Andy POV

Miss Sabrina’s face scared me, and my shoulders hurt where her fingernails dug into my skin.

Forget about Claire? How could I even do that?

Claire had been around my entire life. Every memory I had seemed to have her in it.

I’d been trying to be strong, like Dad, but the truth was I missed Claire every single day.

Missed her, and was so confused by her.

When we went for my checkup at the clinic she was so cool and distant, almost like we were strangers. But then, when I got upset, she hugged me and held me when I cried.

I was so confused about everything going on.

Why had Claire left? Why wouldn’t she come home?

Didn’t she love me anymore?

Miss Sabrina let go of my shoulders and gave me a half hearted hug. I could tell she didn’t like hugs. It didn’t feel anything like it did when Claire hugged me, all warm and safe.

“Listen, Andy, I know the necklace means a lot to you. But it’s okay that you lost it. Why don’t we just go to the park, so you can play with your friends? And after, let’s go get an ice cream!”

I really did want to see my friends, and ice cream was one of my very favorite treats.

So I said okay, and pretended like I wasn’t still thinking about the necklace, and Claire, and how much it hurt that everything in my life was suddenly so different.

But there was still a knot in my heart, and I didn’t know how to make it go away.

And at the park, after running over to join my friends on the swings, I heard somebody yell, “Bye, Beth!”

I remembered that Beth was the name of the girl Claire was nannying for now.

Did that mean Claire was here?!

I ran toward the voice, and saw a kid waving. When I looked in that direction, I saw Beth waving back as she walked away. And Claire was holding her hand, smiling down at her.

Suddenly Miss Sabrina was by my side, her voice a hiss in my ear:

“See, Andy? Claire has a new kid to look after now. She doesn’t care about you. She never really did.”

Her words and voice were mean, but watching Claire walk away so happily, talking and laughing with Beth, a part of me couldn’t help but believe her.

Maybe Claire had never really loved me at all.

That night, when Dad came in to read me a bedtime story, I was still feeling hurt and confused. And like I needed answers.

“Dad, can we talk about Claire?”

My father paused as he was sitting in the chair beside my bed, a book in his hand. Then he sighed, and finished sitting down.

“Son - ”

“I know you don’t like to talk about her,” I said quickly. Other times I’d tried to ask about her, Dad had brushed me off or told me we’d talk about it later.

I didn’t want that to happen tonight. I needed to know what was going on.

“But it’s important,” I continued. “I saw Claire at the park today, with Beth. Is she her nanny now? Is Claire really never coming back?”

My father’s gaze sharpened when I mentioned seeing Claire, and he immediately asked me to tell him more.

“They were just leaving when I got there, but Claire was holding Beth’s hand, and smiling at her.”

“Beth - is her father’s name Oliver?”

“I-I think so? I met him once at the playground, when I was there with Claire. Before she - ”

Abandoned you, I heard Miss Sabrina’s voice say in my head.

I felt tears burning at the back of my eyes again, and that strange pain in my throat that told me I was super close to crying again.

Crying in front of my dad was always embarrassing. I had to be strong! But…

“Tell me, Dad. Is Claire coming home, or is she someone else’s nanny now?”

Dad was quiet for a moment, staring at the wall. Then he looked down at me, and his face was shuttered. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, or feeling.

“Son, I don’t know what Claire will or won’t decide to do. We just have to wait and see, and then accept whatever happens.”

Clearly dismissing the topic, he opened the book he held, and read me a story about wolves with magic powers who fought dragons and other giant monsters.

I bet if I had magical powers, I could make Claire come home. I could make everything go back to the way it was before.

Dad finished the story and told me goodnight, leaving me alone.

And in the dark, unable to sleep, I wished and wished for those magic powers. And for Claire to just come back home.