Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

full well he wasn’t in his right mind.” Wallace was panting by the time he
finished, palms stinging.
“Wow,” the boy said. He squinted at Wallace. “You’re protective of him.”
Wallace blanched. “I…”
The boy nodded as if this were answer enough. “I didn’t expect that. I
don’t know why. But with all I’ve seen, the most wonderful thing is that I can
still be surprised by one such as you. You care about him very much.”
“All of them,” Wallace said. “I care about all of them.”
“Because they’re your friends.”
“Yes.”
“Then why don’t you trust Hugo enough to make decisions for himself?”
“I do,” Wallace said weakly.
“Do you? Because it sounds like you’re second-guessing his choices. I
would hope you could tell the difference between being protective and
doubting someone you call a friend.”
Wallace said nothing. As much as he hated to admit it, the Manager had a
point. Shouldn’t he trust Hugo to know what was right for himself?
The boy nodded as if Wallace’s silence was tacit agreement. He slid from
the chair before turning around and lifting it up. He flipped it over and put it
back on the table, wiping his hands on his jeans once he’d finished. He
glanced at the health inspector and sighed. “People are so strange. Just when
I think I have you all figured out, you go and make a mess of things.”
Absurdly, he sounded almost fond.
He turned back toward Wallace, clapping his hands. “Okay. Let’s get a
move on. Time is short. Well, not for me, but for the rest of you. Follow me,
if you please.”
“Where are we going?”
“To show you the truth,” the boy said. He went to Alan, looking up at him
and smiling sadly. He reached out and touched Alan’s hip, shaking his head.
“Oh. Yes. This one. I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. I’ll do my best
to make it better.”
And then, before Wallace could do anything to stop him, he puckered his
lips and blew a thin stream of air toward Alan, cheeks bulging. Wallace
blinked as a hook materialized in Alan’s chest, a cable growing and
extending between him and Hugo. The Manager curled his fingers around the
hook and yanked. It pulled free. The cable connecting Alan to Hugo dulled.