questions must have been swirling in her head, but the

elieving smile spreading across her face

Seeing that I meant Kandy no harm,

ouch of awkwardness in hi

en I was the center of his universe, went through me. He used to be like a big do

e. This man belong

e best, I rem

Mrs. Allen were disappointed but tried to hide it, plastering on polite

her... and this was your e

e framed photo of Grady

k of confusion and suspicion. He looked from the photo to me, then to his parents'

short version is, we grew up together. I'm the annoying little sister you couldn't get rid of." I glanced at the

, your timing is the worst. My fiancé is waiting

drowning in a sea of unfamiliarity, my simple, plausible lie was a lifeline. It explained my presence, the photo, and his parents' anxiety in a single,

Em. Once I'm settled, I'll

and ruffled my hair, a gesture so familiar, so ingrained, that h

e-our shared trophies on the mantelpiece, the silly drawings we'd made

red memories-the photos, the awards, the mementos-into the backyard.

walked to my window and saw him standing there, his fac

o serious in his tux. The spelling bee trophy we'd won as a team. Th

and cold. The warmth he'd shown Kandy was gon

ike a fist clenching my heart. I pressed a hand to

to the yard. He smiled, a frank, open smile, com

m just cleaning up some old stuff. I d

fell on a half-burnt object at the edge

ands were clumsy then, and he' d spent a week on it, his fingers covered in cuts and blisters. He'

ver remembe

oice surprisingly steady. "Let's get rid of

my bones, a stark contrast to the

duced to a pile of glowing em

help me wit

saw the servants carrying box

ith an excitement that was not for me. "I want to surpri

y throat. And what about me, Grady? Where

xt words s

id, a genuine, puzzled look on his face. "Like I ca

was a phys

ion stiff and p

to my hand as a thank-you gift and ruffled my hair again

ode against the black sky. They burst into shim

s, my everything. I was