Chapter 4

• JEMIMAH
• I woke up on the couch with a stiff neck and the kind of exhaustion that sits behind the eyes. The massive bed across the room was empty, the sheets pulled neat like no one had ever been there. Jeriah and Amy were gone. The silence felt heavier than last night’s noises.
• I sat up slowly, rubbing my face. Today was supposed to be mine. I was going to the hospital to pay the rest of Mama’s bills, sit with her. Hear the doctors say the operation was finally scheduled. No one was going to ruin that for me.