What will it be like to leave Cassie behind? My footsteps falter. I’ll miss her. After all, she’s my kid sister. She’ll miss me too, I know she will, because I’ve been part of the furniture ever since she was born. She won’t have to worry about her big brother getting it in the neck from Floyd, though; with me gone, his mood will vary between Relatively Neutral to Johnny Cash. That’s a big plus. She’ll be in school by the time I leave, and at Happy Whale Daycare after school—another plus.

Summers are the problem. I’ll need a fulltime job in Halifax for July and August, so she won’t be able to stay with me except on weekends. Maybe I could ask Rolf and Marigold to invite her to their place a couple of times a week in July and August.

She can be a real pain sometimes. But still.

6.1 [“Father and Son”]

AFTER A slow-jog down the hill and across the bridge, I take the driveway at a walk, enjoying the shade of the trees, blood thwacking my eardrums.

In the kitchen, I swig cold water straight from the tap.

Cassie’s not downstairs. She wasn’t outside, either. I stretch my quads and calves. “Cassie? Where are you?”

Probably in her room, sulking. I’ll check on her, then do the weights. Wonder how long before I can actually feel a bicep?

She’s not in her room. Opal and Floyd’s bedroom door is shut, ladylike snores coming from the other side. The office is empty. Ditto the bathroom and my room. I take the stairs fast, search the main floor again, then the backyard, calling her name.

Caramel. She’s gone to see Caramel.

I race down the driveway. We have an unbreakable rule— never leave the property without me.

A logging truck is coming down the hill, jake brakes like muffled gunshots.

I burst out of the end of the driveway, looking both ways. In the middle of the road, Caramel is lolloping toward me from Rolf’s place, his pink tongue flopping. Cassie’s running after him, her cheeks bright red. Behind me, the truck tires hit the slats on the bridge, that hollow echo of wood over water.

I yell, “Cassie, get off the road!”

Toes digging into the dirt, I run as I’ve never run before. Caramel sees me coming, heads right for me. Before he can dodge, I scoop him up under one arm. Cassie stops dead, squishing her eyes shut.

A horn blasts.

With my free hand I lift Cassie and vault toward the ditch. Her arms fasten around my neck, her chin banging my collarbone. The truck swerves and it’s past us, throwing up stones, wind blowing my hair, grit in my eyes.

Rusty blue undercarriage. No logs.

If the truck had been loaded, could it have swerved?