ed in a fe

enough protein bars to keep me from starving. The fever from the infection broke,

the door to m

ed radiant, her arm linked through Madison' s. Li

. It smelled of sick

r nose in disgust.

t the floor, stuffing his face with chips.

of concern. "Sarah, darl

coached

ping with teenage contempt. "Chloe said you're ju

nally looking up. His eyes were co

, hollow pity. I saw what Chloe's "let them be kids" attitude had done. Madison was skip

and they were cheering f

ustody," I said, my

. This wasn't in the script. The scorned wi

can have them, Richard. They're cl

t, their teenage bravado crumblin

e leaned in close, her voice

ou get for stan

xpect. She stumbled backward, a t

he screamed, her eyes

to the room, his face a thundercloud. He

hildren rushing to her side, an

t even h

ed, his eyes wild. "

s fingers digging int

appeared in

is voice shaking with rage. "Lock her in. Let her c

ar was unheated, carved out of the c

scraping against the stone. The heavy oak do

cold seeped into my bones. The infection

l on the stone floor. Hypothermia was se

o consume me completely, a calm,

ed, Sarah. Initi

feeling of weightlessn