P r o l o g u e

"I'm sorry about your parents, Emily Jean. I've only just realized that I never got the chance to tell you that because of... You know."

She could feel him watching her, searching for her eyes. She kept her gaze on the stars when she answered. "It's fine. It was a long time ago. I hardly remember them." She was lying of course, and she knew he knew that she was. "How have you been?"

His expression turned into almost a grimace when he replied. "Honestly? I've been a mess since the day you left."