Ajay’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “But wasn’t your mom right? I mean, aren’t the books pretty violent? The one episode of the TV show I watched, someone got tortured and another person’s head was chopped off.” She noticed he didn’t mention the scene set in the brothel.

Ajay was right, but also wrong. In the world of Swords and Shadows, people died all the time. But they died for a reason. They didn’t die because of something stupid and random like cancer. Although there was no family history, just to be sure, the doctors had tested Bridget’s mom for the breast cancer gene, but she didn’t have it. While that was good for Bridget, it also meant there was no explanation for her mom’s cancer. It had just happened.

In the books, though, not only did death serve a purpose, but it was also portrayed as noble, or at the very least, dramatic. Characters didn’t slip away after dwindling for months.

The familiar tightness in her chest made it hard to swallow her bite of taco. “I’m sure a lot went over my head. But the books weren’t any scarier than my real life. I ended up reading all of them to my mom.”

Bridget had spent hours curled up in bed next to her. She kept her eyes on the page and not on her mother’s gaunt face, the bald head she was sometimes too weak to hold up.

“Those books gave us something in common that was better than our real, awful lives. She died right before the last one came out.” Giving up on her tacos, Bridget pushed the tray away.

Ajay’s mouth twisted. “How old were you?”

“Twelve. The only signing Bob did was at Powell’s. I waited in line for seven hours to make sure I could get in.”

“Seven hours?”

Bridget shrugged. She would have spent the night if she’d had to. Her plan had been to have Haldon sign his latest book and then go to her mom’s grave and read it aloud. “It was worth it. But something happened when he was taking questions.”

Ajay leaned forward. “What?”

And then Bridget told Ajay the story she’d never shared with anyone except her dad.

BOB

Buffalo

Bob’s stomach rumbled. He took stock of the food, all far too healthy. When was the last time he’d eaten a piece of fruit? He couldn’t remember. Maybe back when Lilly had been around to urge him on with a smile.

When he first hired Joanne to manage the household, she’d tried in vain to change his habits. He liked crunchy things, fried things, spicy things, and most especially anything salty.

Making the best of his limited choices, Bob now used his teeth to tear open the plastic wrapping on the cheddar cheese. He bit off a corner.