“It will be okay, honey,” Mom says. Dad stands stoic nearby. Watching them near the doorway, I feel a bit like an outside looking in at my own family. I wrap my arms around myself and stay where I am, afraid to come too close and intrude on this moment. I stay there a few moments, before Thea fa
On my way back to the hospital, I think over and over what I might tell my parents and Thea. Engaged to a candy empire heiress, Garnar has no reason to accept my father’s pitiful sum. There’s really no way to spin this. Garnar is not going to return to Thea’s life no matter what Dad offers. I gu
No. I’m not abandoning my sister. She and the baby are fine; she just needs to relax. She told me I could get back on the trail with Miles. She already has Mom and Dad hovering around her. Would another person truly help? “If something else happens, I will come back,” I tell them. “I’m not disappe
As the primary election day draws nearer, Miles and I return to DC to help prepare for the big day. At the office, the vibe in the office is tense. Even I feel filled with uneasy nerves. This is the first real hurdle in Miles’s campaign. We have a lot of support but there’s no guarantee. If Miles
“Right. Of course.” As I hurry back down the hall, humiliated, I try to convince myself that I won’t be cringing about this encounter for the rest of my life. Somehow, I don’t quite convince myself. I drive to my parents’ house. Before I even finish parking in their wraparound driveway, I see th
I’m worried about Thea, but knowing our parents are unlikely to mistreat her, I pull myself back into my car and force myself to drive away. There’s nothing I can do if Mom won’t let me see her. I hope she at least knows that I tried to come and visit. Maybe it wouldn’t make a difference. Maybe ou
I’d voted before coming here, and it’s late enough now that the voting stations are closing, at least for the eastern half of the country. Everyone seems to be in good spirits. There are televisions around the room showing the 24-hour news stations, including Harbinger’s. All of the sources say th
Together, Miles and I stand and start to head toward the television in the room. We let our hands drift apart as some of the other campaign staff enter the room to watch with us, but I stay close to his side, silently offering whatever comfort and support I can, just from my nearness. One of the v