Peter pushed the gate open and held it for me. I quickly entered with a mind full of memories. Yet again, it was empty. I looked at the swing Peter had rested on two years ago, before changing my whole life forever. I looked at the bench I occupied two years ago, only worrying about Martina and her health, a helpless kid. So much had changed, but for the better or worse, I would never distinguish.
I found that my legs were taking me to the bench. I heard Peter beside me, but I didn't want to look. I didn't want to so much as give my eyes the chance to have a possible glimpse of the hospital across the road in which my sister had spent her final moments. Although I knew she was happy now, the memory still haunted me forevermore. Ambulance lights flashed then and again, filling the park up with sharp blue glows.
I was at the bench and sat down precariously, keeping my knees tight together and staring ahead resting my chin on my hands. Peter flopped down beside me and I waited for him to say something to start off, but no such action was taken. I cleared my throat, but nothing else seemed to happen. I sighed.

"So you want me to come back?"

"Yes," he said.

"Why?"

"It's difficult."

"I'm sure I can handle it. You know that."

He sighed. "I know it sounds selfish – "

"Yeah," I cut him off. "It does."

He sighed again. "I know it sounds selfish….but I need you."

"Don't tell me why. Hook has a twin brother?"

"Don't joke about it!"

I turned to face him. He looked angry, and sad. I regretted that instantly.

"I'm sorry," I muttered.

He shook his head. "No, I am. This is really selfish."

"But you haven't told me why you need me to come back."

"Yeah…I'm unprepared for that."

"Just tell me."

"I….I guess I don't have the full story. I know only a little…..but that's all I'll need for the moment. It's Raybha who knows all of it, and she says the piece of information I've been given will do. She doesn't trust me with the full story, I think."

"Well now you definitely have to tell me, because my imaginings are starting to stir," I said worriedly. "Is everyone okay? Is somebody sick?"

"No, no. Everyone is fine…but not knowledgeable to what we know."

"Well, we don't know yet because it seems to me you're avoiding telling me."

I folded my arms and stared at him sternly, like my principal does to the kids in the hallway in school when they get a bit too noisy. He began to fidget, and looked uncomfortable. I narrowed my eyes.

"Okay, okay, fine! I swear, if looks could kill….."

"You'd be a dead man," I finished sweetly. "Come on then. Out with it."

He was wringing his hands and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"You…are the reason that…"

I waited patiently.

"That…I'm…growing."

I sneaked a peek at him. He looked very serious.

I spluttered. "Me? Come on, Peter. I thought you were a little bit brighter than that, to be honest."

"It's true!," he protested.

"I swear, I'll be blamed for third world problems next," I complained. "And how did you work that one out anyway? Was it the best you could come up with or…?"

"It. Is. True."

"Raybha?," I asked.

He nodded.

"But what are you so worried about? It's not the most absolutely horrible thing in the world, you know. So you're ahead a few years of the others, big deal –"

"No! That's exactly it. It's not just me. It's everybody. Everyone is growing and Raybha said it's because you were with us and you've to come back and break the binding and –"

"Whoa whoa whoa…," I said in a heavy Irish accent. "Shloww it down a little. Everybody is growing? Curly, Aaya, Tootles…" He nodded at each name.

"And…a binding? What's that?"

"It's the attachment between us all…like an invisible chain, linked between us and everybody else. They took such a liking to you." He sighed.

I secretly wondered if this "chain" had attached when I was dead. Watching them mourn was unbelievably painful, for them and me. Of course, seeing as I hadn't told anybody about my watching, I was hardly going to bring that up.

"How are we supposed to break it?"

"Raybha wouldn't tell me that part. She just said 'The girl must come'. So here I am."

He opened his mouth to speak again, but I held up my hand to stop him.

"I'm not sure if I can leave again."

His face dropped.

"And before you start clamouring, you didn't see my ma when I came back."

I shuddered at the memory once again, and remembered the night before as I went over it.

"Skin and bones," I said quietly. "That's all she was. She thought I killed myself."

The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

"Why did she think that?," Peter asked, totally caught off guard.

"Oh, um, family problems we were, er, having back then."

It was hard enough telling Curly about the real reason, let alone Peter too. I wasn't going to elaborate, and decided to change the subject.

"A shame, really. I thought you were better as a more mature and scruffy teenager."

"Scruffy?"

"Yeah. In a good way. Don't tell me you weren't scruffy in London?"

"Well…"

I nodded triumphantly. "There you go."

He rolled his eyes and looked at the ground for a moment.

"Hey! You distracted me!," he exclaimed, catching on eventually.

"You don't say."

"Please, Remy," he begged. "You have to."

"I don't have to do anything!," I retorted.

"Please! You don't even need to go without notice – you could just tell her a lie to get you away for a while!"

"So now you're asking me to lie?"

"It's not like you haven't done it in the past."

I scowled. Why did he have to make this so difficult?

Without even realising, a plan started to piece together in my brain. I could tell ma and Joseph I was going to a friend's house to stay for a few days…it should buy me enough time. But the only time I could do that was during the Christmas Holidays, which were two months away. I could tell Peter was frightened of old age and death.

"You owe me," I growled. "Big time."

His eyes widened. "Seriously? You're coming?"

"Yes," I managed. "But not now. In two months, when we're out for school. I have two weeks holidays."

He gave a big girly squeal and hugged me tightly.

"I can't believe you're actually coming back," he said, his voice muffled.

"It's short – term," I reminded him. "Not forever."

"Oh, yeah, I know."

I wasn't convinced but didn't want to pursue the matter any further. "Let me go. I need to breathe."

"Sorry," he said, pulling me back from him almost instantly.

"Thanks."

There were a few silent moments, and Peter fidgeted a lot. I watched him out of the corner of my eye.

"Anything else?"

He looked a bit sheepish. "I – er – no…."

"Spit it out."

"I…um…was curious…does Sean give nice hugs or…?"

"Oh good Lord," I moaned, covering my face with my hands. "Here we go."