"I'm pregnant."Elena's voice was barely a whisper. She was standing at the edge of the clearing, her hands shaking. Lily was asleep in her arms, oblivious to the weight of the words.Everyone froze. The fire crackled. No one spoke."What?" Sam finally said."I'm pregnant." Elena's voice cracked. "I found out yesterday. I didn't know how to tell anyone."Marcus stood up. "Elena, that's... that's amazing.""Is it? I can barely take care of Lily. How am I supposed to take care of another baby?""One baby at a time," I said. "That's how."Elena shook her head. "I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I'm strong enough.""You're stronger than you think," Rina said. "Look at what you've already been through. Look at how far you've come.""That was different. That was survival. This is... this is something else.""What is it?" Sam asked.Elena was quiet for a moment. "Hope. This feels like hope. And I don't know what to do with that."I moved closer. "You don't have to do anything wi

"I want to adopt Lily."Elena's voice was quiet, but the words hit the air like thunder. Everyone around the fire froze. I stared at her, my heart pounding."What?" I whispered."I want to adopt Lily. She's been with me for so long, and I've been calling her mine. But I want to make it official. I want to be her mother in every way that matters."Elena started to cry. "She's all I have. She's my whole world. And I want her to know that.""Elena, that's... that's beautiful," Rina said. "That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.""Don't you have to go through the courts for that?" Sam asked. "Don't you need to get approved?"Elena nodded. "I know. It's going to be hard. But I'm ready. I've been ready for a long time. I just didn't know how to say it."Marcus moved closer. "We'll help you. Whatever you need. We'll be there."Elena looked at him. "You mean that?""I mean it. That's what family does."She started to cry again. "Thank you. Thank you all."The day passed slowly. We sa

"Michael's cancer is back."Rina's voice was flat, hollow. She was standing at the edge of the clearing, her hands shaking. The morning sun was bright, but her face was ashen."What?" I whispered."The doctors called. They found a tumor. It's aggressive. They don't know how much time he has.""Oh, Rina. I'm so sorry."She shook her head. "I can't do this. I can't lose him again.""You're not going to lose him. He's going to fight this.""He's already fought it once. He's tired. He's so tired."I pulled her into a hug. "We're going to get through this. Together."She sobbed into my shoulder. "I thought we were done. I thought we were finally safe.""I know. I know."The others gathered around. Sam hugged her. Marcus hugged her."We're here," Sam said. "We're not going anywhere."Rina pulled back. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to help him.""Just be there," I said. "That's all you can do."She nodded slowly. "Okay. Okay, I'll try."The day passed slowly. Rina sat by the fir

"It's time."The words came from Seri, low and heavy. She stood at the edge of the clearing, her face pale against the morning light. Her hands were trembling, and there was something in her eyes that I'd never seen before."Time for what?" I asked, moving toward her.She looked at me, and for a moment, I saw the fear she'd been hiding for so long."Time to stop running," she said. "My sister found me."The air left my lungs. Seri never talked about her family. I knew there was something she'd left behind, something she'd never been ready to face. We all had our secrets, our wounds that didn't heal. But Seri's was the deepest, the most guarded."Your sister?" I repeated. "I didn't know you had a sister."Seri laughed, but it was hollow. "Of course you didn't. I never told anyone.""How did she find you?"Seri shook her head. "She tracked me down. She's been looking for years. I don't know how she found this place, but she did.""Where is she now?""At the gate."I looked past her, tow

"I can't do this anymore."Kaelan's voice was barely a whisper. He was standing at the edge of the clearing, Hope in his arms. The morning sun was bright, but his face was shadowed with exhaustion and something that looked like despair."Can't do what?" I asked, moving toward him."Any of it. I can't be a parent. I can't be a partner. I can't be anything." His voice cracked. "I'm failing at everything."I stopped in my tracks. "What are you talking about? You're not failing.""Yes, I am. I can't feed her enough. I can't get her to sleep. I can't stop crying." He laughed bitterly. "I can't even get out of bed most days.""That's not failure. That's exhaustion. That's being a new parent.""It's more than that." He looked at me, and I saw the fear in his eyes. "I think I'm depressed. I think I've been depressed for a long time.""Oh, Kaelan. Why didn't you say something?""Because I didn't want to be a burden. I didn't want you to think I couldn't handle it.""You're not a burden. You're