Mag-log inAvaThe 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
Ava climbed out of the boat first, her small body wobbling as she landed on the uneven ground. She staggered but managed to find her footing."Sorry," I said, though I wasn't sure what I was apologizing for. For bringing her into this mess? For not being able to help her mother? For everything that
Ava nodded solemnly. "I'm really good at games. I won't tell anybody.""Promise?"She held out her pinky finger. "Pinky promise. The most serious kind."* * *I slipped into Ava's room close to evening."Wake up, Ava," I whispered, gently shaking her shoulder. "It's time."Ava was instantly alert, h
"Your Aunty Susan is just tired from her illness," Hilda said smoothly, guiding Ava back toward her bedroom. "Sometimes grown-ups get frustrated when they don't feel well."The explanation dismissed my legitimate anger as sickness-induced irritability. But I nodded anyway, managing a weak smile for
Hilda"Fifty-five... fifty-six... fifty-seven... fifty-eight... fifty-nine..."Ava's voice had gone hoarse from crying, but she kept counting, her small shoulders shaking with each number. I stared at her back while wrapping the last strip of cloth around Evelyn's torso, covering the cauterized woun







