—==(o)==— Valo was standing at the ledge of his home. The first light of dawn was reflecting off the tip of his arrow. Behind, were his wife, and ...all his children but for one. On the branch closest to his home stood his beautiful daughter. His arms were hurting from the strain of keeping his bow taut. He was yelling lies at the girl. One after the other. Anything to make her fly away. But, the wind was tearing the sound from his lips and the girl couldn’t hear him. ‘I never loved you,’ yelled. The lights were on but she saw no one. She turned, looking to the phone, then again chided herself for even considering the unthinkable. She turned off the TV and picked up a book she had been meaning to read, but she found herself having to reread the sentences again and again as images of Michael flashed across her consciousness. In frustration the book was discarded and she began pacing, her eyes darting to the phone, then away as she told herself that what she was contemplating was wrong.. ” He grabbed the edge of a blanket and rolled over, shoving his face into his pillow. Tink stirred, and he jerked his thigh away before she could bite it. Unless the world was currently ending, he was going to sleep in.It was nearly noon when he walked outside. He held a cup of coffee and wore a pair of sunglasses. He went immediately to the sundial and gave it a good turn, then looked up. He had expected to see Sebastien standing there, but was surprised to see a dark skinned man in a fancy. Jacksons undying dedication to the small business had netted him a nearly ridiculous amount of vacation and sick days. And so it would be Jack who would venture out to the wilds of Frisco, Texas, to get the lay of the land and investigate housing and amenities for their impending move. It was early on an ugly gray morning in March when Chung-un brought their aging SUV to a stop at the ticketing level of the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. Jackson leaned over and kissed her.