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"You knoill," Aron assured me, and I knew he meant it He slipped his hand aroundme that he was still my friend That I could still count on hiain comforted by his presence

"How many times do I have to tell you? It was an accident I didn’t realize she’d switched to Ter myself, but it didn’t matter how many times I’d repeated those words, my father still wasn’t satisfied

He was too worried

He paced the rooh he’d had an entire day to calht before, his shoulders were still heavy with the burden of what I’d done Of what I’d let slip

"Charlaina, please, those aren’t the kinds ofis that you must be careful Always careful" His skin was flushed as he pressed his calloused palainst my cheek Stress creased his forehead and wrinkled his brow "I worry about you I worry about all of us"

"I know," I answered, stubbornly refusing to indulge laise All the tis, no room for errors I wished that everyone felt as I did

He sat down on the sofa in the s space of our house It was cozy, and filled with years of memories I knew every nook, every stone, every plank of wood, and every darkened crevice by heart

This was the house I was born in, the house in which I’d been raised, and yet suddenly I felt unworthy of its refuge for betraying my father’s trust I understood--maybe more than anyone--just what he’d sacrificed to keep us safe

I still reht theto speak to o aithout answers

My father had pushedme to wait there until he told me it was safe Or until my mother came home And I’d tried to obey, tried to remain hidden beneath the bed--just as he’d insisted--but I’d been so afraid

That night was still so vivid in my memory: the cold stone floor beneathplace, the doll I’d clutched againstfrom the other side of the heavy door