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Prologue

Luke

(Eight years old)

I hate running, but it always see to hide I hide just as s will happen Like getting found Or getting forced to do things thatforced to help her

“Cos as I run out the front door ofher ain She takes her medication a lot and it doesn’t make any sense to et sick Whenever she takes it, it seems to make her sicker

She used to not be like this, well not as bad anyway About a year ago, when my dad was still around she would act norh, she does it a lot and I think shecrazy At least she seems that way co up ether My friends are always glad to see them and they don’t run and hide from them, like I do all the time

I race around to the back of the house, running away fro forfor me and I hate when she does—hate her so me I usually hide underneath the bed or in the closet or so me quicker lately, so today I decided to hide outside

As Ito catch h roo boards and hide underneath it I pull ainst ht sparkles through the cracks in the wood and down on me I’ht see me, too

I scoot back, closer to the bottoht, and then I hold es creak

“Luke,” my mom says from up on the top step She shuffles across the wood in her slippers and the screen door bangs shut “Luke, are you out here?”

I tuck h I want to cry—she’ll hearme better and I don’t like when she does that I don’t like a lot of things she does and horong she makes my life feel

“Luke Price,” she warns, stepping down the stairs I peek up at her through the cracks and see her pink furry slippers The sarettes it, like it’s a song to so Soame that I always lose

The stairs creak as she sloalks down to the bottoround and all over my head A few land into keepso loudly as my palms sweat