The Last Memory of You
"That was a recording."
Our parents hadn't gone out of town after all. When the quake struck, they rushed back to the villa to save me.
The shards of the silver chandelier had pierced them beyond healing. But with the last of their strength, they had held the roof up through the night, keeping it from crushing me.
Due to severe blood loss, they knew they wouldn't survive. So, they recorded their voices, replaying them again and again at my side to keep me awake.
Raymond, meanwhile, had been away studying in another pack, untouched by the quake.