ears since the accident, since Ryan Sterling brought my sister Meg and me
. Today, he was eight. He wanted a specia
ie!" Kyler yelle
a demanding child, spoiled by a f
r leg brace clicking softly. Her dance c
he said, her
Meg's quiet presence, a fixture li
then, with a sudden, malicious grin, he knocked his full
tant, shot up my ar
d. The one I secretly practiced with late at
eg's voice
of something – fear? sat
sed in a crisp suit, smel
motion?" he asked,
and, the sp
what did
Dad," Kyler mumbled
it under cold water. Ky
er said, the
. "Alright, son. Let'
No concern for the burn, jus
g to blister. This was more than just a burn.
was quiet, Meg found me
on purpos
ing my injured
doesn'
w that
years of knowing. Five yea
y hand was a dull, consta
t about
. Ryan'
consequence of a drunken night he p
in me. Maybe this would change thin
morning,
eadable at first
Ellie. It's
were col
e things with Kyler
an of my music, who'd pursued me briefly before the a
ember of
heart ached with a
the word bar
ha
, stronger this
for the first time, I saw something othe
ie. You can't raise a
ked, my voice trembling
swer. He did
ment. The coffee was just a prel
his. I would not let my child see
are leavi
harsh sound. "Leaving
air, laced with his cert
The fear was still there, but a new,
It was a symbol. Of their
y dec
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