Lynn's POV

The twelve families arrived on a Tuesday with everything they owned in the backs of three trucks.

I watched them come through the gate from the main steps. Some of the adults held themselves the way people hold themselves when they've learned not to expect much — shoulders slightly in, eyes checking exits. The children were different. They looked at the pack house the way Lira had looked at her room the first time, like they were trying to decide whether it was ...