LOGINAvaThe first thing I heard was a low, tired voice, reading words I couldn't quite catch yet. My body felt heavy under the sheets, pinning me to the bed. I could hear the steady rasp of my own breathing. My open eyes blinked dryly in the dim light.I opened my eyes wider. A small, pale room with a c
AvaDad let go of the shackle and sat back, his face relaxing from the concentration. He was quiet for a long moment. Then his eyes met mine."Baby," he said gently, "do you want to know what happened?"Something in his tone made my chest tighten. I had a feeling that this was a truth I wasn't ready
AvaHe stepped out of the blackness, edging closer, until I could finally see him. Unbelievable. He was so young, the age he was when...when he died. His warm brown eyes, both of them, looked at me with a fond smile.I stared, my mouth hanging open, unable to make a sound. My dad. Standing in front
LeviI settled into the chair by her bed and took her hand in mine, rubbing my thumb over the back of it. "Hey, Ava. It's Levi," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I just talked to Sofia. We had some things to say to each other."I sat there, rubbing her hand, trying to find the words Maya and
LeviI sat with my father in his room, a week after Hilda's funeral. Some families had already packed up and left the pack after becoming human. Others had stayed, unsure of where else to go.My father wheezed beside me, the hiss of his oxygen tank an ever-present sound now. He was thinner, frail, h
MayaI zipped Sofia's dress as best I could with my good hand. The collar was tricky. I fiddled clumsily with the small metal fastening. "There, perfect," I said, releasing the dress and stepping back.Sofia blinked hard at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was pulled back in a neat bun. The dr
EvelynSomeone coughed, I couldn’t see. The room was so full of static it was louder than any voice. All eyes were on Thomas, rigid and unmoving on the table, chest barely rising under the washcloths and bandages. I glanced at the monitor, then back at his face, willing the line to stay flat.No one
AvaI slipped into the back row just as people were settling, and immediately Sofia and Maya grabbed my hands. Sofia on my left, Maya on my right, both squeezing like I might dissolve if they didn't."Your hands are like ice," Sofia said, rubbing my fingers between hers.I didn't answer.Maya shifte
AvaThe ceremony ended but nobody left. People clustered in small groups, voices low like the volume knob got turned down across the whole room. Staff circulated with tea and coffee that sat untouched on every surface.I tried to disappear into the corner by the windows, but Sofia and Maya followed.
AvaThe formal living room looked wrong. That was the first thing I noticed when I walked in to check the setup—everything was technically correct, but it still felt like a stage set, like we were all about to perform grief for an audience that didn't actually care.Thomas's photograph sat on the ea







