He shakes his head. “Have you talked to Timofey about any of this?”
I snort. “You said it yourself: he isn’t exactly an open book.”
“Right.” He clicks off the television and stands up. “Maybe I should follow his lead then.”
I reach for him. “Wait! Don’t go. If you can’t talk about it for whatever reason, then don’t. If it wouldn’t be safe for you, I won’t press.”
“Ask Timofey whatever you want, but I should probably keep my mouth shut from this point on.”
Before I can say anything else, Akim hands me his bowl of specialty popcorn and hurries out of the living room like I’ve started another fire.
Benjamin is awake when I open his door to check on him.
It’s not so strange. He usually wakes up sometime around midnight to eat. The only difference is, he isn’t crying. He’s just lying in
