Chapter 12 Twelve

• CRYSTAL
• My father pulls out his phone, unlocking it with a swipe of his thumb. “Here,” he says, his voice gentler now. “Look at this. This was your grandmother...my mother....when she was your age.”
• He tilts the screen toward me. I lean forward, studying the photo. I'd seen it before, but now, I was looking at it through different lenses. A sepia-toned face stares back, delicate yet strong. The arch of her brows, the sharp line of her jaw, even the curve of her lips...pieces of myself stare back at me. For a moment, my chest tightens, and I forget to breathe.