Book Five: Chapter 46

“But I’m also lonely.” Velvet’s voice was soft, almost hesitant, yet tinged with a desperate edge. She sat cross-legged on the cliff’s edge, legs dangling just above the valley floor, and her hands rested loosely on her knees. “I still have Lala and Uncle Foot. And always Emery. But that’s it.” She paused, glancing down at the pine-needled slope below, then back at the sprawling forest beyond. “My whole world can be counted on one hand.” Her dark eyes, pools of conflicting emotion, flicked toward the distant cabin. “Mike showed up with four other people, and that’s not even all of them! Do you remember when Dana and Lily came? It was all we could talk about, even after you died. What if every day could be like that...hmmm?” Her voice trailed off as she considered the possibilities, her fingers absentmindedly twirling a strand of her hair.

Velvet’s gaze shifted to a nearby bush, the leaves trembling slightly in the afternoon