Chapter 137

• I walked alongside my mom to the dining room. She was explaining a whole bunch of house rules about etiquette and proper behavior. This “prison” they called home ran on a tight system. Knowing myself, I wouldn’t last more than a month here. I’d always loved living free and making my own rules.
• One by one, I greeted all the relatives already seated at the table. There was no warmth, no emotion from the older ones—neither in their faces nor in their voices. I guess the harsh Singer training had drained the soul out of them.
• When I got to my dad, he gently stroked my cheek. That was about as affectionate as he ever got with me. If he was happy I was here, I couldn’t tell. I’d never seen him smile in my entire life.