Chapter 090

DAMIAN

The moment I closed my eyes, I found myself back in time to the neat living room of my father’s mansion with the perpetual smell of pine air freshener. There are lights everywhere, too many to count, because of mother’s fear of darkness.

In the room, with my favourite action figure tucked into my side pocket, I was joined by my mother, a tall, plump, kind-faced woman who spotted me and exclaimed, "Oh Damian, there you are! Did you go to play in the toolshed again? Remember how many times I have-"

"Mum!" I interrupted with a frown. "You promised that we would play. Can we play now? Please?"

Her plump face relaxed into a smile as she bent to ruffle my hair.

"Okay, kiddo," she said. "We'll play. How does hide and seek sound?"

"Yay!" I excitedly jumped up and down on my sneaked feet until she told me to hide so she could find me.

"Make sure you get a good hiding place," she called after me.

"And count to a hundred, mum!" I called back.

As I ran up the stairs, I