Three months changed a lot of things.
The garage got a new paint job. Nellie's idea. She picked yellow. I hated it at first. Then I got used to it.
Tío Ray stopped jumping every time someone knocked on the door. He still had nightmares. But he was talking more. Eating better. He even smiled once. I think.
Cade and I were good. Really good. No secrets. No bonds. Just us.
And Damon? He sent a postcard from Arizona. A picture of a cactus. On the back, he wrote: Doing okay. Found a dog. Named her Lena.
I kept it on my nightstand.
School was school. Math still sucked. English was fine. Lunch was the same sad pizza.
Nellie was still Nellie. Louder, if anything. The bite mark on her neck had healed into a thin white scar. She wore it like a trophy.
Everything was normal.
Until she walked
