Vitiel

it was a sterile display case, metic

cision, erasing all evidence of my existence.

mother's

my mother gave me f

isted I learn to shoot

Dante bough

is bracelet on t

the closet? A de

still sat. They were brown now, brittle as old bon

as

t the stainless steel. It was a satisfying sound-the clea

uzzed on t

wn Nu

screen. A p

nctive tattoo-a cross on his shoulder blade-clearly visible. He was aslee

Don't worry, I kept him warm for

I saved it. I backed

e novocaine seeping into my veins, freezing the tears before

r beeped. The

the sling from the "accident" at the hospital. He spo

ssing his face before his features reassembled themsel

. "Thank god you're home. I was worri

ll me close, choosing to ignore the luggage as

ood

of antiseptic and... her. Underneath the sterile hospital

fia is... she's unstable. But I can't just abandon a dying woman.

assi

polite word f

me in the eye, his gaze attempting an earnestness t

him. Really

m the fire. I searched for the man who

sn't

Dante's face. A stranger who thought I was stupid eno

y voice eerily calm. "I u

knew you would. You're m

d in to

lips, thinking about where they had bee

ng time ago. This was jus