my father’s voice said from the Shiloh unit. Not Calvin. Not the Shiloh itself. But a recorded message left only a day or so ago. “For now, baby girl, just know I’m sorry. So very sorry to have left you.” I did cry then. Curled on the floor listening to a voice I’d thought I’d never hear again, and then so recently allowed back in my life in a mock parody of my past. A sob escaped, my chest aching. My throat closing in on itself. Just as I could feel my mind doing the same. This wasn’t real. This wasn’t happening. How could this be real? “Things were chaotic at Ohrikee,” the voice of my father said. “The Chief Overseer was hurt. Cardinals were battling rebels. Mason Waters had us cornered in a room. And one thing led to another, and I was shot. I woke up some time later somewhere else. “I’ve been trying to get back ever since.” I lay stunned on the cold tiles of the kitchen, my cheeks damp from tears.
