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A seeping black hole of nothing It hat Em must have been like after Jack Landers took her memories and left her to recover in a h the wall that separated us So empty and so, so dark

Jack had robbedin place of what he’d taken

I fought to keep my voice steady "Dad?"

He blinked a few times "Kaleb?"

He knew me A tiny spark of hope flashed under the surface "Yeah, Dad, it’s ot to be … you’re a hty-year-old man’s than my father’s Hoould I take care of him? How could I fix this?

"It’s okay, Dad," I lied "It’ll all be okay"

"Nothing looks like it’s supposed to I know this house, but not why I’m in it It’s like my world stopped, but the rest of you went on … your mother She’s upstairs in a room … there are machines She won’t wake up"

I sed the tears that burned inyou remember, Dad? About o well I talked to Cat about starting an Hourglass school--even if there were just a few students and private tutors at first For you For kids who’d struggled the e did"

The first day of middle school had ripped me wide open It had started the second I stepped on the school bus in the ain in the afternoon It had been so irades had been easy-- ave ot too emotional They were always so is were hurt, but less so when I latched on to soer or fear

The middle school had twice as many students as the elementary school, and way more hormones I’d done all I could on that first day, determined to make it work, but the second I’d seenanxiously at the end of the driveway, I’d lost it

I’duntil the bus had pulled away She held me there until I stopped

She applied for ho

A lass had been born

"Five years, Michael He’s lost five years" I stared out theinto the cold, gray

Usually by this point in the fall,her flower beds, pruned her rosebushes just so, and ht to help them survive the winter All I saw this year were frostbitten petals and wilted leaves

I’d called Michael for help, and he’d dispersed the crowd and coht trying to help Dad re, but we’d only upset hio away Locked himself in the bedroo to him cry himself to sleep, my knees pulled up to my chest like I was a little kid I’d wanted to call Lily, just to hear her voice But I couldn’t What would I tell her? What would I tell everyone else?

"We’ll hts "We’ll fix--"

"Don’t tell me we’ll fix this I don’t knoe can I can’t ive them their memories back" If Jack had wanted to break ht against the desolation that threatened to overwhele to find Jack before Chronos does, we’ll have to turn hio with hilass before Jack does, use theued "We’ll hold hilass over, and we’ll find a way to force hiht as well accept the truth" I spun around to face him "Jack’s beaten us He’s won"