“And I’m sorry about that. I should have taken better care ofmyself. I was just—”
I look over my shoulder at her, eyebrow raised. “Did you seeme crying and eating whole tubs of ice cream?”
Elise rolls her eyes. “That’s how people in movies mourn. Wedon’t do that. Not in our family. We just… keep going.”
Her timid voice breaks my heart. Elise has been through fartoo much in her short life. We both have. From day one, we’vebeen mourning.
Mourning the fathers we lost.
Mourning the mother we had.
Mourning the protection we needed so badly and were never,ever given.
But if it’s up to me, Elise won’t have to mourn anything everagain. Which is why I have to get her out of here. It’s whywhat happened with Nikolai in the library can’t change mymind.
At the e
