Chapter 5
The amount of emotion Ever had stuffed down inside of her threatened to explode outward. Old Lady Shaw saw it and sent Ever out into the woods to pick some berries for Dawn. She claimed that fresh fruit was a good way to fight the beginning signs of the affectation. Ever rolled her eyes. Crazy woman must think me a fool. Apparently she’ll say anything to get me out of the house. A stroll through the woods isn’t going to fix this problem, Shaw. Neither will a barrel full of berries. She packed a lunch and was ready to go outside when her father thrust something at her.
“Take this with you,” he said. “I think you know which fable you ought to read.”
She fingered the small, black spine that had all but rotted with age. Ever nodded, slipped the book into her bag, and rushed out to
