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"I set the flow of the gallery out in a certain way, in themes As you told me what each sculpture meant, and what inspired it, I put them in a certain order I started with this piece first because it felt like the beginning to ht us to the statue I made of us Carillo boys as kids Austin and I were laid down, Austin pointing up at the sky, and in my arms, I held a baby--Levi Beneath us was fire and faces screa from inside the trailer because of my papa as I tried to keep my brothers safe froht us to a marble stidda, aa heart, it’s sharp edges drawing blood "Next is how things began to go wrong, an innocent heart being punctured by this star"

I didn’t say anything, couldn’t, as we next moved to three brothers stood in a circle, heads down, the eldest brother gripping the necks of the younger two, dragging theside hi, the eldest leading them astray"

My heart pierced with sha my words back tobullets Ally stood next to hts?"

I nodded my head as I stared at the boy’s face, too terrified to shoot Levi’s words fro he’d killed soruffly Ally looked up at , to miss the mark It’s an event that happens to main characters in a story which ruins their lives or sets the a path that can only ever end badly"

"Axel…" Ally whispered sadly

I looked to Ally and said, "You know the inspiration behind it I don’t need to explain it, right?"

Ally nodded atWe walked round the rest ofthan the last

"So we start with fear, then despair, then sin, guilt, and finally… this…" Ally trailed off I didn’t need to look up to knoere at the angel

"Darlin’," Ally said soothingly, her hand onfor the text boards It’s the last piece to talk about"

Feelings I was no longer able to hold back surged forward, suffocating et my breath

"Querido," Ally whispered quietly and I pushed backmy eyes

"I can’t, Ally, I can’t talk about… her…" I said,on rippingthem from my face "Baby," she said quietly, "It’s time for you to face it You need to talk about youryou alive"

My heart swelled inBut I knew she was right For five long years I’d blocked outable to res: her face, her s tortured slowly in the process

Drawing in a strained breath, I forced uilt rushed throughme to my knees

Suddenly, Ally knelt down on the floor besidefrom my eyes as I pictured the last ti on her bed, her speech almost non-existent and her frail body weak and still She stared at o to the Crimson Tide’s National Chaiven her her meds, and picked up her clothes in her rooe eyes from her broken position on her bed

She worried for ht, there was so different in her stare It was as if she kneas the last tiether… like she kneas about to fuck up so badly that it was gonna change everything for us all…

As I hung Maowns in her closet, I turned round to find her watching ht of her so tiny and sad on that bed She was always sad Always lying down, unable toher breaking, I remembered what my mamma had looked like before She’d been beautiful, so full of life, but the ALS robbed her of her every ed were her huge brown eyes The sa with just one look Those brown eyes that were gutting ht now