The House Above the Sea

15.

It does not dawn on Neo until he's already home that he's angry. He's angry at the ghost, Whitaker, for ruining Kit's life, and he's angry at Kit for not doing anything to change it, and he's angry at Elsie for ignoring the situation entirely. There's a thread in his chest, pulled taut, just on the verge of snapping, and he's not sure what will happen if it does.

Neo's barely through the front door when his aunt calls from the living room: "Neo, is that you? How was the pier?"

Neo pauses at the living room's mouth. Aunt Vivian has turned it into a makeshift yoga studio, a plastic diffuser dispensing lavender-scented steam into the air, calming garden music emanating from the TV speakers. Aunt Vivian eases down from a pose Neo recognizes as downward facing dog, folding her legs underneath her.

"The pier?" Neo says, before he realizes.

A sharp black eyebrow goes up. "Joey said Bernie was taking you to the pier this afternoon?"

"Right!" Neo says. "It was sweet. All the fishermen are very cool guys, and the breeze was nice."

"Hm," Aunt Vivian says, and Neo tenses, worried his albeit haphazard house of cards is about to come tumbling down. "Neo?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Aunt Vivian asks, peering at him. "You seem...troubled. I know that sounds weird. But I mean, it's true."

Troubled. In the back of his head, Neo is still replaying those last few moments, the shock of his body being pulled backward, the floor rushing to meet him, Kit's wide brown eyes.

Neo slides his hands into his pockets, hoping to disguise their shaking. "Yeah," he assures her. "I'm all good. Sorry to worry you."

"You wanna do yoga with me?" Aunt Vivian asks, rising into a lunge and motioning him over. "It'll help you chill out."

Neo can't stifle a chuckle. "No, I think I'm okay."

"Come on," she pleads. "You're grounded. You have nothing else to do."

"Actually," Neo says, pivoting on his heel, "I do! Summer homework. Sorry! Bye-bye, now."

As he climbs the stairs, he hears Aunt Vivian scoff at him, and he's surprised to find the thread within him loosened, if only slightly.

Thoughtless, his body moves towards his and Joey's bedroom, but the jovial melody of Olivia's nursery rhyme CD, accompanied by her and Joey's laughter, makes Neo turn. He peeks around the jamb; Joey and Olivia are seated on the multicolor matted floor, a bright toy radio between them. The air smells like talcum powder and disinfectant.

Neo knocks twice on the door, and both Joey and Olivia look up, startled. Olivia lets out a playful squeal, tipping the radio over and starting to crawl in Neo's direction instead.

"You survived," Joey says, sitting back on his hands. He's not wearing a hat, which shouldn't be as weird as it is, his golden brown coils messy and falling into his eyes. "Guess that means I succeeded."

"You did," Neo says, murmuring a soft, enthusiastic hello to Olivia and scooping her up in his arms. To Joey again, he says: "Thanks."

Neither of them speak for a second, "The Wheels on the Bus" humming tinnily in the background as Neo bounces Olivia on his hip and Joey stares at the floor.

Quick as a snap, Joey whips out a hand and shuts the radio off. "Neo—"

"I know," he says. He runs his fingers through Olivia's hair, as fine and soft as downy fluff, and sets her down again, coming to a seat before Joey. "I was planning to tell you earlier; I was. It just kept getting away from me."