Theodore's POV

"Got it!" I shouted as my blue marble knocked Grandpa's green one clear across the circle we'd drawn in the dirt.

Grandpa Mason grunted, but I could see him trying not to smile. "Lucky shot, kid."

"Not luck. Skill." I puffed out my chest like Daddy does when he wins at chess. Grandpa taught me how to play marbles last week, and I was getting really good at it.

We were sitting in the backyard behind the packhouse, where the grass was soft and the dirt ...