Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 11 - Chapitre 20

Diana covered her nose and crouched beside the trash bin. She sifted through the discarded herbal dregs, examining them one handful at a time.With each closer look, her frown deepened. These were common sedative and calming herbs, mild and standard. If something this ordinary could cure Amara's headaches, she would not need to rummage through garbage. She could have brewed it herself.She removed her gloves and shot Polly a sharp look. "Are you sure? This is what he used?"Polly nodded quickly. "I'm sure. Last night Mr. Oscar used these same herbs to brew it."Diana crouched again and studied the residue more carefully. This time, she noticed the difference.The quality was unusually high. The herbs were premium grade. Beneath the usual scent of dried leaves lingered something else, a faint, distinctive fragrance that did not match any of the visible ingredients.'That scent…'If anything had eased Amara's condition, it had to be that.Diana gathered the residue with deliberat

"Yeah!" Rebecca leaned back through the doorway, toothpaste foam clinging to the corners of her mouth. Her words were slightly slurred, but her eyes shone. "You got kicked out anyway. Why not live with us? I've always wanted a big brother.""Kid, it's nothing," George said, patting Oscar's shoulder. "Look at us. We've been poor our whole lives, and we're still standing. There's no hurdle you can't overcome. Keep moving forward. One day you'll see that the problems that crushed you weren't that big after all."Oscar lowered his head and bit into a sweet potato. It tasted faintly salty."Alright," he said quietly.People were different. Some families had everything and still tore each other apart. Others had nothing and still found warmth.He had spent years worrying about his nine older sisters. Maybe having a younger sister would not be so bad for a change."That's more like it!"Rebecca hurried back after washing up and dropped into her seat. She bit into a fried cupcake and cl

Oscar looked up and saw a teenager straddling a sport bike that seemed too large for him. A red-and-black helmet framed a boyish face. The engine roared with more bravado than its rider could justify.The kid flipped up his visor and ran a hand through his hair as if he were in a commercial."Hey, Miller," he called smoothly. "Need a ride?"Rebecca looked up from her vocabulary book and frowned. Dislike flickered across her face before she composed herself."No thanks, Charles," she said with polite restraint. "The bus will be here soon. I'll take that."Her courtesy only seemed to spur him on.Charles Sawyer was her classmate. From the first day he saw her, his heart had stumbled out of rhythm. She dressed simply and rarely spoke to him. Still, he had convinced himself she was the love of his life. He had confessed more than once, and she had refused him every time.At first, he endured the rejection. Then rumors spread at school, and his pride suffered. Now he wanted to reclai

Though surrounded, Rebecca did not panic. But the moment the wallet left her hand, something inside her tightened. "Give it back!"Oscar had given it to her."Oh? Nervous now?" Yvonne Selford, the ringleader, let out a cold laugh. I think you stole our money. Bet it's inside this wallet.""I didn't!" Rebecca lunged for it, but Yvonne had five girls flanking her.Rebecca was small, underfed, light as a reed. Before her fingers could brush the leather, someone slapped her hand away.Yvonne, tall and broad-shouldered, lifted the wallet high overhead and tugged the zipper open."Well, look at that," she sneered. "You're a dirt-poor nobody. Where did you get this much cash?"Inside were more than a dozen crisp bills."My brother gave it to me! I didn't steal it! Give it back!"Rebecca wrenched free and jumped to grab it, but she was too short. Desperate, she clamped her teeth down hard on Yvonne's arm.Yvonne yelped.The wallet slipped, and Rebecca seized it."You little bitch!"

Oscar returned to George's house.The place was a mess, not from laziness but from exhaustion. Life allowed them no margin. Surviving each day demanded everything they had.He began to clean. He folded clothes, swept the floor, and straightened the small table. He kept moving because he could not afford stillness.The moment he stopped, memories of the Chamberlain household closed in and clawed at him. What made it worse was the unmistakable shape of ordinary life that filled the space. Cooking, tidying, and the quiet rhythms of daily routine each struck a familiar chord."Find Becca a new place. Get her into college. Secure her future. By then, my time will probably be almost up," he murmured and forced the words into the rising tide of memory that threatened to pull him under.The old landline rang. The shrill sound sliced through the shack.The Miller family did not own cell phones. The grandparents were too old to manage them, and Rebecca, in her final year of high school, ne