What happened to turn her from the almost-invisible girl Evie knew to the one who danced at the costume party and kissed me in the park?

Amy’s echoes are in the walls. I couldn’t escape her if I wanted to. But I need to figure out why her brother carved stick figures into the wardrobe and wrote HELP ME.

I’ve seen Amy’s family close up. I’ve felt the weird energy when they’re all in the same place. And I saw her face when she caught me leaving her brother’s room. She knew what I saw, and she was too scared to say it.

Her dad may not have done anything with Evie, but there was a reason for that rumor.

“Hey,” Nia says from behind me. “You coming?”

She’s been nicer to me since we talked about Amy. She doesn’t look at me like a bad smell, and Mum and Jay are starting to notice.

It’s family film night with Aaron, and hiding in my room isn’t an option. He hunts absentees down and whines until we join him.

“Here he is,” Jay says, and I sit on the sofa and ask whose turn it is.

“It’s mine,” Nia replies, “and I choose…”

Aaron starts chanting, “Moana…Moana…Moana,” and his sister grins and says, “No way, dude. I want to watch something romantic.”

“Gross,” Aaron says, and we all laugh because Nia is only messing with him. She always chooses something he’ll enjoy, and today’s no exception.

“How about…Toy Story ?”

“Which one?” Jay asks.

“All of them!” yells Aaron.

Mum watches this with a massive smile on her face. She always wanted a family, and I’m glad she finally has one. She doesn’t join in with Nia’s and Aaron’s silliness, but she loves it. What’s ordinary for one person is magical for another.

It’s hard to feel happy when my head is such a mess, so I get a drink from the kitchen, then try to sneak back upstairs as the movie starts.

Aaron won’t move until it’s over now, but Jay says, “Tom. You’re missing it.” He points at my spot on the sofa, then snuggles into Mum.

We only end up watching the first film, but no one complains. Aaron has a ninety-minute attention span, and Jay says he doesn’t want to waste all their time together sitting in silence.

He’s a good dad. He’s a good stepdad, too, for what it’s worth. And he’s a good husband.

I’m not sure where my real dad is now. I don’t know if Mum and I were a rehearsal for a life he now prefers. Maybe he got it right the second time around, or, perhaps, like us, it was further down the list. Wherever he is and whatever he’s doing, I hope he’s not lonely.