The Darkness Outside Us

Chapter 4

My mother won’t answer my knocks.

Her feet cast shadows in the sliver of light beneath her door.

My sister’s voice, from down the hall. “Ambrose, come in here with me.”

Minerva’s bed is warm, and in it I’m held. I hadn’t known I needed that so much.

Once my sniffles have stopped, she whispers, “As long as I’m alive, someone loves you.”