“My most terrible memory,” Brougham said. “Jesus. That’s not something I try to think about on purpose.” He smiled weakly, but I just waited. “Okay, um. Once when I was about ten, Mum got really angry at Dad, and they’d had this massive fight the night before, so she went to drive me to school but then she changed directions and took me to the airport. She said we were going to fly to another country and I’d never see my dad or my friends or the rest of our family ever again. And she bought us tickets—I can’t even remember where to—and we were lining up to go through security, and I was fucking terrified, and I wanted to ask someone for help, but I couldn’t, because I was more scared of her and what she’d do to me if I did. But the thought of having no one to buffer her for the rest of my life, and never seeing anyone else again … I’ve never been that scared. Then when we got to the front of the security line she took my hand and led me out, and we left the airport, and she dropped me at school and told me to never tell anyone what happened. And I never did.”

I could see it on his face. The terror that a little kid had felt, once, being kidnapped by his own mother and too afraid to do anything to stop it. And holy shit, this was intense, way too intense, and I guessed that was the whole point of the questions, but Jesus. I hoped Brooke and Ray were okay. “I’m so sorry,” I said.

“It’s fine. Let’s just … not talk about that one again, please.”

“Got it. Well, my worst memory is easy. We were little, and I’d spent all morning mad at Ainsley for some fight we were having, and our parents both took her side, which made me even angrier. And then we were outside and she kicked a ball onto the roof and decided to climb up to get it, and I didn’t tell her not to because I thought it’d be funny if she fell. I don’t know why—I was mad at her, and I didn’t really get it. I didn’t think seriously bad things could happen to us. Then she did fall and like … she didn’t bounce, like she did in my head. She got knocked out and I thought she was dead. She woke up after a few seconds but it felt like an hour, and I had to face the thought that she wasn’t guaranteed, you know? People can die. That’s the most scared I’ve ever been.”