POV: Kenny

“I dreamed of a place that was waiting for me.”

Mama stopped brushing my hair, the wooden bristles stayed frozen against the back of my neck, and for a second, the only sound in the small, warm room was the crackle of the fireplace.

Outside, the wind was howling against the stones of the hollows, but inside, the air suddenly felt as still as a held breath.

“What kind of place, Kenny?” she asked. Her voice was very soft, the way it gets when she is trying to hide that she is ...