Winona couldn’t speak. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. The words she wanted to say were right there, heavy on her tongue, but somehow they refused to leave.

Jackson had been sick for so long. Taekwondo was his way of fighting back—against the weakness, against the world, against everything that told him he couldn’t. He was careful, always carrying his medicine, always watched by his coach. But no matter how careful you were, life had its own cruel timing.

Ares paced the hallway, ...