(Jackson)
I stepped out of the car and onto the long driveway. The gates were open and I could see the workers moving around. I locked the door behind me and walked inside.
My parents weren’t home. That was fine. I didn’t want them here right now, not when I needed a moment alone. I headed toward the hall at the far end of the house. The room there hadn’t changed since my brother Tian left.
It had been four years. Four years since Tian went away for the army. I was fourteen then. He never came back. My parents hardly talked about him, never directly. But I could see the way they missed him. I knew they thought ignoring it would make it hurt less, but it never did. I could feel it in the air whenever I walked past his empty room.
I reached the door and paused, taking a deep breath. Push
