Louk didn’t ask Graden to leave, but he clearly wasn’t happy. He insisted they sleep and discuss things in the morning, but when they woke it was to Patren pounding on the door.
“s**t,” muttered Graden, and rolled over with the help of a shove from Louk. They’d clearly overslept. He turned back, wanting a quick kiss from Louk, but the doctor was tying a robe in place and moving toward the door. When Louk turned to make sure he was alone, Graden opened his mouth. He could say nothing, though, so he slipped back through the false door to his room and pulled it shut.
In the gray daylight, without the presence of the ghost, the space looked harmless. Graden washed up and got dressed, uneasy and wanting to ask Louk about his mother, about whether he believed ghosts were real. Graden himself w
