Tragedy follows close on the heels of celebration. A day after the twins’ birthday, Lark receives a phone call from her mother. Her father, Quentin Parker, has died. Peacefully, in his sleep, but still gone forever and without a goodbye. Lark is the first of her siblings to arrive at her mother’s house. She finds her mother in the hallway, wearily staring at the front door. “Mom?” Lark rushes to her mother, grabbing her by the shoulders. “They just took him,” Luna says. “They’ll let me know when the body’s ready.” The words are matter of fact, and they punch Lark in the gut. “You can’t stay here.” Luna shakes her head. “They have this phone number. They’ll call me here.” “I’ll set the landline to forward to my cellphone,” Lark says.
“I said no,” Luna snaps. “Maker, you always had a hard time following directions, didn’t you?”
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