Page 56 of Black Hollow: Awakening

“Ask him why he didn’t come!” his grandpa’s voice boomed.

“Grandpa’s asking…”

“I heard,” Will said softly. “I don’t know. I have a lot to study.”

“He’s coming for the summer, right?” his grandpa called out again.

“Will you come for the summer?” his grandma asked.

“Yes, I’ll be there.”

“Good, good. Though Christmas isn’t the same without you.”

Will smiled sadly. He’d heard that last year, too. He had planned to visit them then, but Danny would have been left alone—Danny had a bad relationship with his family. Will had decided to stay for his sake. They didn’t know each other that well yet, so it was a little awkward, but fun.

“I miss you.”

“We miss you too, Willy. Do you really like that school so much? You should have stayed here. Why go back to a city with so many bad memories?”

“I don’t have any memories from here, Grandma.”

Except for the ones he had made over the last year and a half, but he knew that wasn’t what she meant.

“Still, who would want to live in the place where his parents died? When we moved, I was sure we were doing you a favor. Black Hollow is a nasty town.”

“Yeah,” Will confirmed listlessly. “How are you two holding up?”

“Fine, Willy, fine. Is your break long? Maybe you can still make it?”

“No, I’m sorry. I have a lot to take care of. I mostly called to wish you both a Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Willy.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Will took a shallow breath, looking at his phone. He opened his text thread with Oscar and reread the last few messages. He knew Oscar wouldn’t text him today; he had mentioned he was busy.

Suddenly, a text from Norma came in.

Hey. I wanted to send this tomorrow, but knowing me, I’ll forget, so here it is. Merry Christmas, Will!

The message included a video. Will played it, and his screen filled with the image of Liam holding a shovel.

“Hey, Will!” Norma’s voice came through as she filmed him. “All the best! Have a great holiday! Drag Oscar under the mistletoe and all that. Liam! Say something.”

“Merry Christmas, Will,” Liam tossed out with a smile.

“Liam’s clearing my driveway, so it’s almost perfect. It would be totally perfect if he were doing this in the summer. Shirtless.”

“I’d have no reason to be shoveling your driveway in the summer.”

“Details! Anyway, all the best, Will.” Norma turned the camera to her face and blew him a kiss. “See you at school!”

The recording ended. A faint smile played on Will’s lips.

Black Hollow wasn’t so bad after all.

January 5 | Sunday

It was the last day of the holiday break. Will was looking forward to returning to school more than ever, having spent most of his time off at home alone. He had no reason to complain today, though, because Oscar was visiting. His guest had given him a heads-up, of course, which granted Will just enough time to put on some cologne, pick out a decent outfit, and tackle the mess in the living room—and the bedroom, too. Just in case.