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Mayhem!

Injuries!

Casualties!

Steven

One breath

I kept driving and the tears that tried to escape failed I forced o nu If I felt everything, I’d fall apart, and I couldn’t fall apart The rearview th as I stared at my baby We made it across the freeway, and I took another breath Each day was one breath at a time I couldn’t think much further than that, otherwise I’d choke on the air

On a polished white piece of as a sign that read ‘Welco out the"Hey, Mama?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Do you think Daddy will know that we moved? Do you think he’ll knohere to leave the feathers?"

When Steven passed away and we moved to stay with Mama, there hite bird feathers scattered around the front yard When Ens fro us know they were always close by, watching over us

Emma had loved the idea, and whenever she would find a feather, she would look up to the sky, smile, and whisper, "I love you too, Daddy" Then she would take a picture with the feather to add to her collection of ‘Daddy and Me’ photos

"I’reed "Yeah, he’ll knohere to find us"

The trees were greener than I remembered, and the little shops in don Meadows Creek were decked out with reds, whites, and blues for the festivities It was so fa flapped in the wind as she fixed the patriotically dyed roses in her flowerpot Pride bloomed from her entire existence as she stepped back to adht in town for ten ivethat reht switched over, I placed et honore the shadows of the past As the car took off down the street, fro toward me My foot moved quickly to the brake, but my old, beat-up car hiccupped and hesitated to stop By the time it finally did, I heard the loud yelp

My heart leaped intothe ability for me to inhale my next breath I sla, but I didn’t have tiht as a man raced up torayish-blue eyes Most blue eyes ca attached to them, but not his His were intense, just as his stance was Icy and private Around the rims of his irises were profound blues, but silver and black strands of coloring oven in and out, which added to the shrouded look in his stare His eyes ht before a thunderstorh

Those eyes were so familiar to me Did I know him? I could’ve sworn I’d seen his stare somewhere before He looked both terrified and livid as he , which was lying still Around the stranger’s neck were huge headphones that were attached to so in his back pocket

He was decked out in workout clothes His long-sleeved white shirt hugged his s, and sas brewing along his forehead I assu for a run when he lost hold of his leash, but theany shoes