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generous two bedroom townhouse. It was close to the train station, but not too close. It was within walking distance of the essentials but with three men living in a two bedroom place, Dan was relegated to the study nook – a minor setback he didn’t mind being burdened with given the alternative was going back into foster care or, worse, back to live with his mother. The nook was wide enough to accommodate his fold-out sofa bed and there was a ledge with enough room for his belongings.
    Originally, Dan had only expected to stay for his final exams. Foster care hadn’t worked out, and the nook provided him with a place to feel safe, to cram for the tests and to ground himself in a seriously unwieldy time.
    As he lay on the shared sofa looking towards the television he realized that, although he was comfortable enough, the screen was blank. He closed his eyes and rubbed at his forehead trying to decide where the others had misplaced the remote control.
    Normally he’d just command the television to turn on, sending out an invisible pulse from his mind which would force a connection and bring up the images. He could sense it laying dormant in the corner of the room almost like it was asleep, gently snoring. But there were house rules in the apartment, rules which had been hastily discussed and implemented between Brian and Noah a number of weeks before. There had been an incident, or perhaps a series of incidents, involving the fusing of wires and a small house fire. It wasn’t particularly Dan’s fault. It was an old building and the landlord was more interested in harvesting rent money than in maintaining the integrity of the place. And that meant that the landlord hadn’t kept the wiring in good working order. And that, in turn, meant that when Dan absently played with the electrical networks he unintentionally overloaded the antiquated system. And that, of course, led to the small fire in the wall.
    To Dan it was ancient history, but he knew Noah was still upset about it. So, as Dan lay watching the blank television screen, he resisted the temptation to simply activate the set with his mind. Instead, he turned his attention to the remote and he tracked the batteries and signal to the ledge above the gas heater. The remote was an equal distance away from him as the television.
    It was as if Noah had done it deliberately.
    “You’re home early,” Brian said from the doorway leading to the kitchen.
    Dan arched his neck to look around and acknowledge his flatmate. He immediately severed the link he’d established with the remote control and sat up looking at Brian as if he’d just been caught out. Brian looked equally as uncomfortable as Dan.
    “What’s up?” Dan asked.
    “We’ve got to talk,” Brian said, as if from a script. Dan could imagine the two of them arguing over who would talk to the ‘kid’. Brian must have scored the short straw, or else Noah had thrown one of his theatrical fits. Either way it was clear that Brian found himself in a difficult and unwanted conversation with Dan.
    “What’s the matter?”
    “We can’t really have you here anymore,” Brian said. “The place isn’t big enough.”
    Dan hadn’t expected an eviction, or at least, not that night. He’d been working hard since the morning and all he wanted to do was curl up and switch off his brain, to close his eyes and sleep. Brian, on the other hand, wasn’t about to let him rest. He stood in the doorway, not coming closer. Dan wanted to run.
    “So, you don’t really fit in here anymore, Dan. School’s finished,” Brian said. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he affected a disinterested stance, eyes watching the space just above and to the left of Dan’s head. Dan wondered if he spoke like this with his clients.
    “I don’t take up much space,” Dan said, discreetly pulling his legs off the chair and trying to look innocuous.
    “Yeah, but it’s space, you know. It’s not about how much you take up as