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as here. It should be the last place she’d want to be. She

should be miserable, or at the very least, worried about her

future. She had a lot of questions to answer and things to

figure out, but for the time being, sitting at Dani’s table, she

felt content. She felt happy. She wanted to paint, but she had

none of her supplies. She promised herself that she’d

remember every single detail for later.

Yes, today was a good day. A strange day, but a good one.

One that she definitely would remember for the rest of her life.

Chapter 10

Dani

Leaving Emily alone in the apartment above the shop was

one of the craziest things Dani had done. If you didn’t count

the fact that she’d also let Emily spend the night. The

apartment was a one bedroom, but Emily had bunked down on

the couch in the living room, which was more than long

enough and wide enough to serve as a bed.

It was just because she had a virtual stranger in her house

that she hadn’t slept well. That’s what Dani told herself when

she rolled out of bed, her eyes foggy and her brain thick and

slow from not sleeping well. She hadn’t had dreams. Not

really. She’d been more on the verge of constant wakefulness,

where it felt like you were sleeping, but you knew you

weren’t, never able to fall into the deeper cycles that offered

actual rest.

It reminded her all of those nights spent in foster homes

when she could never fully sleep either because she was afraid

to, because of the things that happened at night in those places,

because the rooms were so packed with other kids that it was

impossible to get comfortable, or because of the noise, the