hands as she stared at me as though she had seen a ghost.
Behind her stood my father near the walkway, shoulders slumped and head lowered.
They had not come to congratulate me.
They had found me because their world had collapsed.
“Maya…” my mother breathed, her voice cracking as she took a desperate step forward. “Thank God we found you. We need your help. Everything is gone.”
I neither stepped backward nor invited them inside.
I leaned against the doorframe, folded my arms, and let the cool breeze move
