That evening, Bea found her father in his study, surrounded by the military histories and tactical manuals that had shaped his understanding of leadership and warfare. Colonel Marcus Sharpe looked up from his reading with the kind of tired smile that suggested long hours spent trying to balance his wife's intensity with his daughter's emotional needs.

"Heard about the Moonrise Academy acceptance," he said, gesturing for her to take the chair across from his desk. "How are you feeling about ...