Bim grew up with his grandparents. After his parents and uncle disappeared, they were his closest relatives.

Their house wasn’t huge. It was sizeable and comfortable. Four bedrooms, each with an on-suite. A large mahogany staircase. A sizeable kitchen and adjacent dining room. A large sitting room. Plenty of space to host guests. The only guests who ever visited were Wilford, and Celine and Damien’s childhood friend, Jameson.

Bim’s bedroom used to be his mom’s. Apparently, she had insisted he sleep in her room when she had moved back home. Grandpapa said she just wanted to cuddle him. Bim thought was actually afraid something would happen to him in the night. When she disappeared, it became Bim’s room. Sometimes he’d sit on the window seat and look at the garden. That made him feel closer to her. His mother was a mage, so there used to be a lot of magic stuff in the room. Crystals. Plants. Tomes. Bim had been afraid of magic as long as he could remember so most of the magic stuff had been removed. Only the plants stayed, and Grandmama would help Bim care for them. The walls were a warm red colour, like maple leaves in the fall. The carpet was plush and soft with a few stains from childhood shenanigans. The bed, his mother’s bed, was a full mattress, with mahogany head and footboard. He remembered being all safe and tucked in, while an adult read to him. Usually Dominique. The desk and chair were also mahogany. Bim had spent many afternoons doing homework, many nights studying for tests or exams. Sometimes even falling asleep at the desk. Somehow he would always end up back in his bed before morning

Across the hall was Dominique’s room. That room apparently used to be Damien’s and Dominique refused to change anything from when Damien was still around. Sometimes, when Bim was lonely, he’d just go and sit quietly on the floor in the room, often reading or listening to music once personal music players were invented. Sometimes he’d sit there when Dominique was home, just watching the older work. Sometimes Bim would sit in there when Dominique wasn’t home. At those times he’d just sit quietly, trying to feel close to his uncle. The bed and desk were the same mahogany as Bim’s. The walls were a soft blue. Sky blue.

He missed them greatly.