“ Summer turns and marches away, fed up with being handled like a child. Like she’s a glass doll that might break at any minute. She hasn’t been a child since the day she was whipped into muteness. Anxi… Laura Kreitzer
“ Why won’t you look at me?” she murmurs.He doesn’t speak, seemingly at a loss for words.“It’s my scars.” It comes out as barely a whisper.Horror spasms across his face. “What? No,” he says, a bit breat… Laura Kreitzer
“ The night surrounds, breathes across her skin. They’re lost in the shadows of the moon. Laura Kreitzer
“ A layer of fine powder coats his skin.“My lungs are turning to concrete,” Rob wheezes, hacking and spitting.“So are my eyes. How do I always get roped into these things?” Avery coughs and pats Rob’s b… Laura Kreitzer
“ Avery slides on his glasses and opens his eyes again. “Dammit!” he says again with more feeling. “Why does stuff like this keep happening?”“You say that as if it’s a bad thing,” Rob says, smirking. Laura Kreitzer
“ Her mum is leaning against the wall, arms crossed, when Summer exits. “Gage left from here a few minutes ago,” she says, tone neutral. “His hair was ruffled.” She gestures with her hand above her head… Laura Kreitzer
“ If this is my final moment,” she says, “then I can die happy.”“Is that why you’re saying all this? Because you think we’re going to die?”“I don’t know,” she admits.“Dammit, Summer.” He clings to her w… Laura Kreitzer
“ Dammit, Gage. What the hell were you thinking?”“I wasn’t,” he shouts. “I was upset she wanted to stay, and I lost it.”Ethan scoffs. “Yeah, you did.”“I’m an idiot.”“Yeah, you are.”“Shut up. Laura Kreitzer
“ When I see your scars, do I want to erase them? Absolutely. But not your physical scars. The real ones, beneath the surface. The ones that compel you to stay silent or force you to cringe. Those are t… Laura Kreitzer
