Annabelle

It's been a year since that night in the kitchen, the night when everything changed and nothing changed all at once. Ashlynn twirls around the living room in her princess dress, her laughter like wind chimes on a summer breeze, while I fold laundry on the couch. The routine is familiar, comforting even, but something is different today. There's a subtle shift in the air, an anticipation I can't quite place.

"Anna." Ashlynn calls out, using the nickname ...