Need you | Miles Fairchild

1. The arrival

"Ugh, do I have to come?" I groan, looking at my sister Kate.

"Yes, Y/N, you do," she says with a smile.

"Ugh, fine. Whatever." I storm upstairs to my room.

"Get packing! We're leaving in five minutes!" Kate shouts.

"Yeah, yeah, I will!" I yell back.

A few minutes later, I head back downstairs with my bag in hand.

"Why can't you take Rose with you?" I complain.

"Because she has to stay here and look after the house while we're gone," Kate explains.

"Aw, don't worry, kiddo. You'll be home soon," Rose says, patting my head.

"I'll miss you," I mumble, looking up at her.

"I'll miss you too," she replies, pulling me into a hug.

"We'll be fine. It's only one little girl—how hard can it be?" Kate says confidently.

We say goodbye to Rose and hop into the car. The drive only takes about fifteen minutes, so I end up falling asleep on the way.

⸻

"Y/N, wake up. We're here," Kate says, shaking my shoulder.

"Alright, alright, I'm awake," I mutter, brushing her off.

We grab our bags and walk around to the side garden, where an older woman is tending to some plants.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Grose?" Kate asks.

"Ah yes, that would be me," she replies with a warm smile.

"Nice to meet you," Kate says.

"And this must be your sister, Y/N—the one you told me about?" Miss Grose asks.

"Yeah, that's me," I reply, forcing a small smile.

"If Miles were here, I think you'd get along quite well with him," she says.

I nod as we follow her into the kitchen.

"So where's Flora?" Kate asks.

"She's down at the stables. Just follow the path straight ahead," Miss Grose explains.

"May I?" I ask, reaching for an apple.

"Of course," she says.

Kate and I follow the path to the stables and step inside.

"Flora?" I call out.

"Flora?" Kate echoes. Ugh.

As we turn the corner, a huge black horse suddenly rears up, nearly stepping on us. We both scream.

"Gotcha!" a small voice laughs from behind us.

I spin around to see a girl with a cheeky grin.

"You must be Flora," Kate says.

"Yup, that's me," she replies proudly.

"Wow, you scared us," Kate laughs. "Well, at least he did," she adds, pointing at the horse.

"That's Samson. He usually only lets Miles ride him," Flora explains, "but he seems to like you."

Samson nudges my arm, asking for a pat. I smile and pet him. When Kate tries, he snaps at her hand.

I laugh, and Kate glares at me.

"I think Samson wants your apple," Flora says.

"Yeah, I thi—wait, how did you know about that?" I ask, handing it over.

"Like I'd tell," she laughs.

I glance at Kate, confused, but shrug it off. Flora leads us to another horse—a white one. I try to pat it, but it attempts to bite me instead.

Kate laughs this time, and I glare at her.

"Are you two sisters?" Flora asks.

"Yes, we are," Kate answers.

"Sadly," I mutter. Kate definitely hears me.

Flora giggles. "You two don't get along very well."

"Well, sometimes we do," Kate says.

"Most of the time we don't," I reply, walking out of the stables.

"Miles and I get along really well. He's the best big brother ever," Flora says.

"I'd love to meet him. He sounds lovely," Kate replies, following after me.

I roll my eyes and kick a few stones as we head back to the house, Flora and Kate trailing behind.

⸻

"This is your room, Y/N. It's right next to Miles' room," Flora says.

"Thank you," I smile.

The room is a good size, with a desk, a double bed, a bathroom, and a phone.

"This'll do," I sigh, dropping onto the bed.

"Dinner!" Flora shouts.

I race her to the kitchen, where Miss Grose has made soup. After eating, I change into my pajamas and decide to explore the house. Once I'm sure everyone is asleep, I head down the east wing.

Suddenly, I hear loud thumping from one of the rooms.

Curiosity gets the better of me, and I open the door—only to find it's just the wind slamming an open window. I shut it, but then I see something that makes my blood run cold.

A ghostly woman stands there, gasping like she's choking.

I turn to run, but the door slams shut.

"Seriously, what the fuck is going on?" I whisper, yanking the handle.

The door finally opens, and I nearly collide with a boy standing in the hallway. He has black, curly hair and the most striking eyes I've ever seen. He's wearing a school uniform.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"I could ask you the same," he says with a small smile.

"Oh—you're Miles. Aren't you supposed to be at boarding school?" I ask.

"You shouldn't be in there," he says, pointing to the room, completely ignoring my question. Rude.

"Yeah, I was just exploring, but I think I've had enough for tonight," I say quickly.

"Hm, fair enough," he shrugs. "What's your name?"

"I'm Y/N."

"Nice to meet you, Y/N. We should talk tomorrow. I'm heading to bed," he says.

"Yeah, me too," I smile. He smiles back.

"See you, Miles."

"Night."

We head our separate ways. As I crawl into bed, I can't help but smile.

I can't wait to see him tomorrow.