Page 69 of Grave Beginnings

“I don’t know.”

Ivan’s world shrank even while expanding, and I understood that more than most. Human nature meant fear of change, and his world had erupted, even if the life he knew had been filled with trauma and fear. Safety was a mental space of familiarity.

“I will take you to Xavier’s tomorrow.” Though I had no idea how to get there and knew it was across the Veil. “I go in pretty early. Is that all right?”

“Yes,” Ivan said, scraping his plate clean. At least he was eating.

I picked up my plate, rinsed it, and put it in the dishwasher, leaving the rest on the table in hopes he’d eat his fill. “I picked up some things for you from the bakery I was at when you called,” I said. “Honestly, I picked up a lot. Feel free to eat any of it.”

He glanced my way, then back to the food on the table, and took another spoonful of the chicken filling. Maybe he needed me to not pay attention to what he ate? I turned back to the kitchen, texted Nikki about the cake I’d bought her, and pulled out a bowl,deciding to make cookies. What kid didn’t like chocolate chip cookies?

Nikki appeared as I separated the dough onto baking sheets, letting herself in and picking up Peanut Butter who greeted her at the door. Ivan froze where he sat at the table, as if fearing someone else saw him. But she slipped a letter-sized manila envelope onto the table beside him and made her way to the kitchen, giving him space.

“Cookies?” she asked.

“Yep. Want some? Cake is in the fridge.”

She opened the fridge. “I’ve heard of that bakery. Never been brave enough to go across the Veil to try it. Was it scary?”

“The bakery? Or the other side of the Veil?” I asked as I popped the trays into the oven and worked on filling two more.

“Both? And you owe me a story about real life anime characters.” She eyed all the goodies I’d bought from the bakery. “Okay, I’m officially jealous. You’ll have to take me the next time you’re off.” She closed the fridge, began to braid her long hair, and headed toward the open part of the living room.

“You dance, Ivan?” Nikki asked, startling him. He looked up from the manila envelope she’d given him, which I knew had to contain artwork. Nikki protected her stuff in a clear plastic sleeve and always delivered it via envelope. Sometimes, if I wasn’t home until late, she’d leave it on the table or slip it under the door.

“No?”

Nikki turned on my rarely used television and clicked the game console to the newest dance game. “Your brother’s got moves.”

I waved a hand at her as I flipped the trays of cookies.

“K-pop edition,” Nikki said with a wink.

I groaned. “Let me change first.”

“Sure, sure.”

“Watch the cookies,” I said as I made my way to the bedroom to change into pajamas. When I returned to the living room, thefirst two trays of cookies were on the cooling racks and the second two were in the oven. Nikki did a few practice moves in sock-clad feet, Ivan watching as if he’d never seen anyone dance in real life before. Maybe he hadn’t.

My phone pinged, and I found another text from Angel:

You resting?

I sent back a picture of cookies and then the screen with the dance game.

Going to dance away some stress.

I’d like to see that.

I swallowed back a smile and made my way over. “What do you want to dance to first?” I asked Nikki.

“Maniac or Giant?”

“God’s Menu.”

“Dangerous choice without a warmup,” she said, but put the video on. I stepped into my spot, giving the camera a few seconds to recognize where I was. Nikki took hers a few feet in front and to the left of me. The song started, and we danced. I let the music slip into my bones and ease all the tension from the day. While I was a little out of practice, I kept up. We used to do this a couple of times a month. As we both got older, the time for fun had waned beneath the pressure of long work hours. But maybe that was my fault. Burying myself in work had eased the loneliness, and I’d forgotten how much I loved to dance.

The first song ended, and I had to take the cookies out of the oven. The first batch was cool enough to eat, so I passed some to Nikki and Ivan. Ivan stared at his before tentatively taking a bite. I ate three, then navigated to “Supernova”.