Chapter 9

• Ava looked around, checking that everything was cleaned up, and left the way she’d found it. The small firepit was the same one she used every year, so she spread the ashes around to make sure the ground would absorb them.
• Satisfied, she walked back into the trees. When she reached where she’d laid the flowers the day before, she dropped to her knees and looked at what was left of a building. “I don’t know why I have to come here.” She turned slowly around, checking that no one was lurking nearby because, after yesterday, she knew she wasn’t the only person who came here. She looked at the weeds growing over what had been a floor. “I don’t know what’s happened here.” She winced when a pain stabbed through her head. “And apparently, I’m not supposed to.”
• Standing up, Ava put her backpack over her shoulder and looked down at the flowers. The tribute that she still didn’t know why she brought them each year. “I’m not coming back.” She blew out a breath. “I’m never going to get answers here.” She backed up three steps before turning and walking away. Her chest felt tight, but she knew if she stopped, it would end up with an episode of her kneeling on the ground clutching her head. Capri had tried to figure out why trying to remember her past caused her so much pain. Over the years, Ava had just learned not to think about it. The only way to do that successfully was to be angry all the time. Even her good moods were spiced with anger, and she was okay with it. At no point had she ever been a happy-fluffy girl. She didn’t need to remember anything to know that was true.