Chapter 0009

There it was again - his casual dismissive attitude. The delightful thought of my bed vanished into a pop. I felt frustration rising to the surface.

“NO! I want to go home, Albert! I’m tired, I’m so drained. I want to be in my own bed. You can’t keep making every decision for me like this! Take me home!”

Albert scoffed. “That unsafe apartment complex? Come now, Mia. You can’t think that’s the proper place to raise a baby. And besides, I remember Chris, and I remember you. I know how many weird items he has collected over the years.”

It was true. Chris, whose work kept him moving, tended to use my location as a dumping ground for his findings. My apartment was crammed full of oddities he had collected on his travels.

Antiques, artifacts. Sharp breakable things, with rough cutting edges. I thought again about the dumpster outside my apartment and the rickety stairs.

“Tell me that’s the proper place to raise a baby.”

I sat angrily quietly, unable to argue.

“Mia, you’ll see. My home is