Lukas tenses beside me, his entire body stiffening. I barely notice the weight of his hand slipping under the table to rest on my knee. It’s a subtle touch, so light that if I didn’t know him, I might think it was accidental. But it isn’t. He could be trying to read my mind, but I think he might be trying to reassure himself. Or maybe he’s trying to comfort me. Or maybe both… It’s been three seconds since Wren said his mother died, and I’m already fighting the overwhelming urge to climb over this table and hug him. He looks so small, so utterly lost, like the weight of everything he’s carrying is pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
“Tell us what happened.” I say softly, my voice barely above a whisper. Wren squeezes his eyes shut, his breath trembling in his throat as he forces himself to take another deep breath. When he speaks again, his words are slow, deliberate, like he’s afraid if he tells it wrong, or says the wrong thing that he will totally shatter.
“I… I don’t know exactly how it happened.H he begins, voice thin and fragile.
“But… I was at home. Upstairs. And my mum called me to come downstairs. I went down, and she met me in the hall. She looked… Really sad.” He pauses, fingers tightening into fists on his lap. His knuckles are white, his whole body trembling under the weight of this memory.
“I asked her what was wrong, but she didn’t answer. She just… She just told me to get my phone and call an ambulance.” His voice cracks on the last word, like it physically hurts to say. I don’t breathe. Lukas doesn’t move. I’m scared if I say a word he will stop talking, stop explaining. Wren swallows hard, his blue eyes looking off to the side at somewhere distant, somewhere else.
“I didn’t understand why, I asked her if she was hurt, and she didn’t answer. She just started walking towards the kitchen. I tried to grab her hand and…” He stops short, his breath hitching.
“And I just… I just passed through her.” Wren pauses again and takes a long, rattling breath. Lukas tightens his grip on my knee, I don’t take my eyes off of Wren.
“I… I had never seen a ghost before.” Wren admits. His voice is barely audible now, like he’s speaking more to himself than to us.
“Or maybe I had and just didn’t realise. Unless I get close, they just… They just look normal to me.” He explains. Normal. Like just another person in a crowd. Like his mother standing in the hallway, asking him to call for help. A sick feeling builds in my stomach.
“Anyway, I was confused, but she just kept walking into the kitchen. I still didn’t really get it. I followed her, and…” He stops, his face twisting like he’s trying to hold something back.
“And I found her.” He whispers the words.
“She was on the floor. There was blood. It looked like she had… Hit her head on the counter somehow.” His voice falters. His shoulders curl inward like he’s trying to make himself smaller, like he’s shrinking under the weight of his own words. His eyes are watery, but he blinks hard, apparently determined not to cry. I reach out before I can stop myself, placing my hand over his. Just a light touch, not enough to startle him, but enough to let him know I’m here. He doesn’t react. He’s too caught up in the memory.
“I tried to wake her up. But she wouldn’t move. And… And her ghost… She was just standing next to me, looking so, so sad. I… I panicked.” Wren stammers.
“I didn’t know what to do. There was magic, and…” He shakes his head, fingers clenching into his hoodie sleeves.
“I had never done magic before. I didn’t think I had any. Mum never told me I did. But suddenly her ghost was gone and Mum was sitting up. I was so relieved to see her awake.” A breath catches in my chest. I can’t decide if seeing her sit up would be better or worse at this point.
“She was still bleeding. I grabbed a towel and tried to hold it on her head. I asked her what happened, but she just… Stared at me. Like she didn’t understand what I was asking.” Wren continues, his voice becoming more and more unsteady. My fingers tighten around his hand without thinking.
“I didn’t realise then, but… I think I forced her ghost back into her body.” Wren whispers. He looks up then, blue eyes wide and desperate, pleading for me to tell him he’s wrong. That it didn’t happen the way he thinks it did. But I can’t. Because I know it did. Lukas swallows hard beside me.
“I thought she was just in shock… Or that it was a bad concussion or something. But after a few minutes, I knew something felt wrong. She… Wasn’t herself. I realised I must have brought her back somehow, I thought I must have done it wrong.” His voice lowers, becoming almost hollow. “She was like… A zombie. Or an empty shell.” He confesses. I remember how Lukas’s father was and I think I know exactly what he means. I want to tell him he’s wrong. That maybe he could have fixed it. That maybe if he had gotten help sooner, his mother could have… But that’s not true either, and he knows it.
“I wanted to fix her.” He says, voice breaking.
“I didn’t know how. But Solem… Solem found me.” Lukas tenses beside me.
“He said he could help. He promised to get me books, to let me learn how to do it right. All I had to do was agree to work for him.” He sighs heavily and I have to fight the urge to do the same. Oh, Wren…
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Wren admits, voice full of self loathing.
“I didn’t have anyone else. So I agreed. I made a deal. I promised I wouldn’t run away, that I’d learn how to use my magic, that I’d do whatever he told me. I was desperate to help mum. I would have agreed to anything.” He admits.
“But after a month… I realised there was nothing I could do for my mum. That no one can really be brought back… And I think Solem knew that all along.” He frowns, a hint of anger in his eyes.
“It took another month before I worked out how to… How to let her go, and another until I… Accepted that I had no other choice.” Wren whispers.
“But by then, it was too late. I was stuck.” He drops his gaze, staring at the table.
“When I leave, I have to go back to him. I don’t want to. But I have to.” His voice grows softer, more timid.
“He makes me go places. He makes me practice.” He explains. Lukas and I exchange a glance.
“At first, it was just one.” Wren says hollowly.
“Then two. Then more. He wanted to see how many I could handle at once. He brought me magical objects, things that made it easier. They worked… But they felt wrong.” He explains.
“And then I found out that after my experiments, Solem was burning them. He had someone setting fires to hide what I did.” A deep silence stretches between us.
“I don’t know what to do.” Wren finally admits. His voice is so small, so young.
“I don’t think Solem is good.” He hesitates.
“I’ve seen him hurt people. Really bad.” He says in a quiet voice.
For a long time, none of us speak. Once Wren started talking it was like he couldn’t stop, but now he just looks done with everything. I don’t think he feels better exactly, but I do think that this poor kid has needed to talk to someone for some time now.
“You don’t want to go back to Solem… So come with us.” I ask, hopefully. Wren shakes his head.
“I told you, I can’t. It was one of the things the contract made very clear. I can go out for experiments and other small tasks, but I have to go back to him. Even now I really need to go back. I was just… Putting it off a while.” He explains. I sigh, I guess I should have known, but I’m an optimist at heart. Of course it’s not that easy.
“Why did you hang around here? If you’re trying not to get caught, the scene of the crime seems like a bad place to be.” Lukas points out. Wren sighs.
“I have to go straight back to Solem once I leave this area. Plus I… Dropped something. It belonged to my mother. I wanted to go look for it. Usually I’m not by myself. When I go out someone goes with me. But when the police showed up and we ran and I… I lost sight of them. I don’t think anyone knows where I am right now.” He admits.
“Work with us, let us figure out a way to help you.” I offer. Wren sighs.
“There’s nothing you can do. I don’t know why I even bothered talking to you. I guess… I just needed to tell someone. But… I really need to go now.” Wren announces, suddenly standing up. He’s rocking his weight back and forth as if he’s struggling to stand still.
“Wait… At least let me give you my number. If there’s anything we can do, if you need help. You can call us.” I insist. Wren looks nervous, but eventually gives a slight nod. I write my phone number down on a napkin and place it directly in his hand. Wren tucks it into his pocket, then turns and practically sprints away.