6
PALM SPRINGS, 2010
The next morning, Clara slept late. When she woke, the sun was already high over the desert, and the sprinklers were covering the lawn with a thin layer of moisture that would be absorbed by the grass and the dry air almost as soon as it fell. Clara lay in bed for a long moment, listening to the futility of the sprinklers running, and knew that without their constant motion, her mother’s treasured lawns would burn to dust under the high sun.
Clara dressed in shorts, knowing the desert would be hot now that the sun had risen. She was careful to stay quiet as she moved down the front staircase, her mother and Darren still asleep. She went unnoticed as she slipped into the kitchen and filled her knapsack with bread, water and cheese. The kitchen was completely silent w
