Angus willed himself not to react. That's how it always started. A pat on the head. A quick hug and a throw-away caress that didn't mean a thing. If he had still believed that people actually wanted him to remain – if he could have believed that they cared – he would have thrown himself into his uncle's arms the moment the man entered the room. But in the end Angus was convinced he wasn't wanted. After all, he'd cried and begged not to be sent away from his grandparents but apparently 'there was no other way'. Which meant he wasn't important enough. Fine then, Angus thought, finding escape in anger. Then the rest of the world wasn't important to him.