LiesAll night, Ehrien dreamt of metal breaking, and glass exploding, and pain and loss, waking up with a feeling of such claustrophobia, she thought the air had been sucked from her room. She woke more tired than when she had finally fallen asleep.
That morning, the house was quiet, even while they sat at the table for breakfast. Ehrien glanced at James every now and then, remembering the state he was in the night before. His skin had recuperated its colour and the dark circles were gone, but his presence still felt dim.
At one point, her mother and brothers headed upstairs and Ehrien enjoyed the silence of the kitchen. She cleaned every object and corner that came into view, just to keep her mind occupied. But it wasn’t enough.
On Sundays, Kai would take care of the accounting and purc
