It had been a week and Oona was still in a cocoon. No one really wanted to wake her unless we had to. She wasn’t eating, or she wasn’t eating much. She would take a sip from a straw if one of us gave it to her, and then she would settle back into the…
Chapter Thirteen – Robbie’s Seeing Red
Robbie wakes up to tragedy and blames himself for not being there. He confronts Liam, confirming his suspicions, and seeks his own measure of justice before seeking the counsel of others.
Chapter Twelve – Undone
As promised, Liam dropped me off at my car. I noticed it was getting dark and there was less lighting than I expected. Against my better judgment, but also not wanting to be annoyed by the parenting voices of my friends, I turned my phone back on but left it in my car. It was…
Chapter Eleven- The Great Compromise
I watched his name linger on my screen before it notified me of a voicemail. I wasn’t in the mood. I picked up my phone and rolled it over in my hand. Why couldn’t I relax? What was the big deal? Liam was nice, right? He had never proved himself otherwise. He wanted to go…
Chapter Ten – The Turning Point
Reluctantly I headed back home. I wasn’t in the mood for a spa visit any more. I wasn’t in the mood for anyone, really. Home, with its hollow walls and plastic faces, seemed the best place to go. I had a plan. I would go home, hole up in my room, and listen to the…
Chapter Nine- The Invisibles
I had successfully made it through another weekend without a slice and was feeling pretty good about it. I tried to forget the fact that I was moments away from it when Mitzi called me and distracted me, and I chose to overlook the fact that the only reason I hadn’t cut Sunday after the…
Chapter Eight – The Bloody Few
I hadn’t gone to church that Wednesday as I had intended. I had moments of weakness where I actually believed that something good was waiting for me, but it was always awkward and more often than not I felt like I was under a microscope. It’s like they all thought that I was one of…
Chapter Seven – Cleaning House
There are two memories of my mom that stand out vividly in my mind, moments that I will never forget, moments that shaped the path of our relationship. The first was when I was nine years old. I came home from school upset. At that time our maid was Anna; she was younger and uninvolved,…
Chapter Six – All the World is a Stage, and I’m an understudy…
I wished I had just followed through with the call to Charles to pick me up and not allowed Robbie to drive me. I hate awkward silence, and he was quiet and preoccupied the whole way back to the park. There were a couple times that I imagined myself grabbing the steering wheel and jerking…
Chapter Five – Those Boys
The next week was a whirlwind. I finally got the okay from both Celeste and Zella that we would throw Toby a welcome home party! I would have liked a little more time to plan and get things just right, but I had some tricks up my sleeves that I hoped would make the night…
Chapter Four – I’m sure it’s nothing
I had agreed to go to church with Zella and Celeste that Sunday, a week after Robbie got home. I’d managed to keep my distance from them for those few days so I was feeling stronger, well, more stubborn, which was more like myself. My mom had kept me busy with social club crap,…
Chapter Two – Unnecessary Confession
I grabbed my phone and wallet and left as soon as I could. My room was cleaned and inspected, of course, right after Maria, the lady who cleans our house, came in and collected my laundry with a knowing look on her face. I often wondered what she told her family when she got home.…
Chapter One – It is what it is
I will never forget the moment the thought entered my head, “Your parents don’t love you.” I was a second grader, and I had just picked up my lunch from the cafeteria and sat down to eat with the rest of my class when I saw the younger kids at the table across from me,…
Back to the Boat
Commitment often requires a release of comfort. Peter found himself in that boat (literally and figuratively). See, he had just walked 3 years with an amazing man who he believed to be the incarnated Christ, the Messiah his people had heard about and awaited for generations upon generations, saw miracles the likes of which he…
Father and Son
I have always loved the story of Abraham and Isaac. The story of willingness and sacrifice and reprieve and provision, captivate me. After all, isn’t that ultimately the journey of every faithwalker? But this week God challenged me to reread it, in His narration, with His thoughts, through His eyes and, most of all, in…
Leslie A. Lamb 