Sleep never came.
I lay on the narrow bed in my attic, staring at the wooden ceiling while the strange voice echoed through my thoughts.
You are not forgotten…
I had heard it.
I knew I had.
But Willow hadn’t.
Maybe I was simply exhausted. Maybe I had worked too hard and imagined it.
That had to be the answer.
Didn’t it?
A faint ray of sunlight slipped through the dusty window.
Another day.
Another list of chores.
Another chance to disappoint everyone.
I climbed out of bed, dressed in my faded blue dress, and hurried downstairs before my mother could call for me.
She was already waiting.
“You overslept.”
I looked toward the old clock hanging above the fireplace.
The sun had barely risen.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t finish the work.”
Father walked into the kitchen, fasten
