Anne opened her mouth and suddenly looked up at Simon with big eyes. "Are you going away?" she asked.

Simon had been about to say something nasty about his father to Elijah, when he heard Anne and closed his eyes for a moment. He knelt down in front of her and took her arms. "Not forever," he told her. "And I'll write. I'll find a job there and get a home, and then once I'm settled, you can come visit. And I'll come and see you and the others. I promise that. But it will be better for everyone. Father and I won't fight anymore."

Anne slowly nodded.

"But you have to promise me one thing, Anne." He took her chin and looked her in the eye. "You cannot tell father yet. Just like you don't want him to know you came here. Can you promise me that? It's really important."

Anne nodded again, though she teared up, and she flung herself at her brother to embrace him, making Simon grasp and twist his face. She quickly let go. "Sorry."