Chapter 1 - The Vacuum Stopped in His Study
The vacuum was too big for me and it pulled my arms when I tried to turn it. I kept both hands on the handle and leaned all my weight into it so the wheels would stay on the rug and not bump the desk. Noah was warm against my back and his head moved a little with each push. I could hear rain on the tall windows and the vacuum humming loud in my ears and I kept thinking if I went slow it would not sound so loud.
Then the man was in the doorway. I did not hear him come. He just stood there in his dark suit with his white shirt open at the top, watching me. His hands were down at his sides and his face looked tired and worried at the same time. I stopped pushing but I did not let go. The blue shawl was tied tight across my chest and I could feel Noah breathing. The cloth I had found by the sink was tucked in my fist and getting damp.
My name is Mia. I was six. That night I was trying to clean his rug.
The clock on his desk said 11:47. The lamp next to it made a warm circle on the wood and the rest of the room was blue from the moon through the glass. I remember the smell of old books and dust and the wet sound the vacuum made on the rug. He walked across the rug toward me and my bare feet curled into the soft part. He did not grab me. He reached past my shoulder and clicked the switch on the big gray canister. The hum cut off so fast my ears rang.
After that it was only rain and the house being quiet. He stayed standing for a second and then he bent down until his knees touched the rug and his eyes were level with mine. Up close his hair was dark and a little messy and his shoes made dents in the rug. Noah made a small sleepy sound and I shifted so his weight would not wake him. I held the cloth tighter and looked down at the black hose curled beside the wheels.
I did not mean to look at the bookcase. My eyes just went there by themselves. There was a tall wall of dark wood full of books from the floor all the way up, and right in the middle the wood made a thin straight line that did not match. Cold air seemed to come from that line even though the room was warm from the lamp. I breathed in fast and looked away, then looked back again because I was scared he saw me see it.
May you like
He was still kneeling. He did not ask me anything yet. I could hear him listening to me breathe. My dress stuck to my legs and my hair fell forward over Noah's shawl and I wanted to fix it but I did not want to move my hands. I stared at the seam and my stomach felt tight.
He turned his head and followed where I had looked. I saw his eyes move past my shoulder to the dark wood and stop there. He did not stand up. He did not reach for it. He just held his breath and stayed very still, and his shoulder went stiff next to mine. The lamp buzzed a little. The rain tapped the windows. Noah's fingers curled against the faded blue cloth and I felt his cheek press into my back. The man's hand lifted halfway off his knee toward the shelves and then stopped in the air.
