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“Anything, Hannah, you name it and it’s yours.” Dad was speaking softly to her but was firm. I think he would give Hannah anything she asked for.

I think everyone’s hopes went up, as if a material present would somehow get Hannah back.

“In that case…” She looked at them. “…I want to be left alone. That’s all I want.” She clenched the textbook tighter. “If you all could manage that, that would be great.” And then she turned and headed up the stairs.

All she wanted for seventeenth birthday was to be left alone? I watched her disappear up the stairs. She might still be here but the damage was done. Just because she hadn’t run didn’t mean she was going to still be a part of this family.

We all heard her door close.

I couldn’t stop the long sigh from coming out. It was going to be a long battle. I looked at Dad. I hoped he was willing to have her ignoring him for a year, like Mum had. Hannah was a lot like Mum. Not just when it came to studying, but when it came to feelings. They usually acted the same.

So I wouldn’t be surprised if Hannah blocked us all out of her of her life.

“Babe, maybe we should go?” Andrea said to Brad, who was still glaring at Dad.

Brad shrugged her hand off his shoulder and got up, leaving and disappearing through the dining room.

“Well, she didn’t leave,” Eve sighed. “That means something, right?” Eve looked at us for answers.

Dad was staring down at the carpet. He knew her being here didn’t mean he would ever get her back. The relationship he had had with Hannah was gone and there wasn’t a high chance he would be able to rebuild another one with her.

We all knew that. Even Eve—though right now she was hoping that one of us would say that Hannah would be fine come morning. That Hannah would be back to doing Eve’s school work and helping Dad with his bookwork on one of his laptops that she would normally stop him from throwing in frustration. Hannah was the only one in the family that understood what Mum did, and also what she taught.

Brad reappeared and had ice in a tea towel. I frowned; he didn’t think he could go see her, did he?

He walked through the lounge room, ignoring Andrea’s confused look.

“I think when she said she wanted to be left alone, Brad, she meant from all of us,” I said to Brad. But he just walked past me and up the stairs, ignoring me and what Hannah wanted.

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