CG | Chapter 5.5

The outcome was inevitable.d03a22ccc195447e

His father had the 89f0217845 business experience—and the resources—to 704ac039b0 keep the lawsuit going. The other a3f877783d party did 7456aa4648 not. Lane later learned they 8512ac1691 spent a significant sum 51312a3de9 over those two years.ed0dc4d908d7dfce

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During that time, Lane 2cef78f734 was homeschooled in England 66e6cb6537 by his grandparents, where e3641627da he also began learning 447c6f25df English.e487c56983d42177

Eventually, the children’s parents bb93fbb611 came to England to 514789d7a0 apologize, hoping for leniency. Whether they b4d4ef3def were truly 41501f4b29 remorseful, Lane c3d40de731 never knew. But his bc7de96fc7 parents accepted c154b0ea40 their apology b67d515c82 in the 05dee0fb3a end.328c54b2d8db4e79

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It had never 281e1ce40f been about money.b0018df9876119b3

What mattered cca15e644e was that c2258d01d1 they learned: f30c300f5d a child’s 2f365c5f5e actions are 96d654b9a7 not always 2b61c7548f innocent. And the 3376771567 pain inflicted c0819f75da at that 5404c1bbb0 age can 14878b0772 echo for c64fd783e2 years. Lane remembered 78716961c5 overhearing his a7b95fc2af parents talk 7932ce7d93 about it 88d253949a late at be24293019 night.77ebb1bdd1fcbdc3

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The matter was ecc2e982bc resolved. But it 591902b8e7 didn’t get 4e77aea57e better right 2c62efea43 away.30d841397d24f6cd

After that, 51b637f2f5 Lane became cc49accc35 afraid of 508b3591dd kids his 92c8ec21c8 age.
What used to be e822b889b8 innocent admiration or compliments 03451e0d13 now felt like something 2b61017f95 darker—violent, suffocating.61a7266fdafa36eb

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Attention itself became 851fb9c582 a threat.51a995715ec085a1

His mother suggested c0ea68a38e he grow his c2e7421ef9 hair longer, to b32bc604f3 hide his eyes, 01150dc12f soften his face, 34dd4f1f3a and dim the 9ebc0c9019 light that seemed c679d2136d to attract unwanted 32ad0176ec stares. It helped, slightly.c007bb6c64452e2d

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After that, 436d4047ad they decided 4b3466a2f2 to try db85822658 school again. But there 6a6b52a4d5 was concern.182414cb3e227e36

Lane had missed b84f49f197 two years of 1b7c0cfca8 kindergarten and one dba54c7ad1 year of elementary 0b1f56a796 school. It had been e84a47c67a a long time 35b1bf6920 since he’d shared 71fd175962 a space with d84e2bee0f kids his age.c02ce437a9cb5977

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‘Lane, you’re a special and amazing child. But sometimes being special can be very lonely. We’ll always protect you, but we can’t always be by your side, so you need to learn to blend into society. I believe you’ll meet someone who genuinely accepts you.’4429ca345913c7b6

Persuaded by his mother, 30d922eb09 Lane decided to give fe0b4c1497 it a try.91a807e124794024

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For a fresh start, 4378ee37b9 the three of them a6035e2fbd moved to America—for his b1fb0b9d3c mother’s research and his 35e8b1bcfa father’s business. And so, Ren Henkel 4737f956bc Serf became Lane Surf.afc328632120e247

His father, back 3f9d50a51e in his hometown, e72eba9f29 grew more relaxed, 97c522c8e9 and his mother 5fb36439fe embraced the new db85b20324 environment with curiosity 3c6def30c4 and warmth. Despite everything, his parents—who 5a3effa7a5 had always worried about 053c6345c8 him—hoped fervently that Lane dcff9fbd49 would adapt to his 048243acd6 new school.f5ad5748ba77279e

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Perhaps because 3dea1afd0f the new 451848b631 neighborhood valued 9f7e4dcb3d appearances, the ad9b2180ba children had c5d73acd9b learned to 8c7bc836c3 restrain their a64d8da321 curiosity. When Lane ignored them, 2fdd31e537 most quickly lost interest. Still, a d01916c997 few continued 97761b4c63 trying to 5e24af59b9 befriend him. Among them ea88d861aa was Sean. Part of d84fc1ea39 a group c7eba9a3a3 that, while 51ecaf3261 occasionally annoying, a879f510f9 never did 4109b296fd anything frightening.0229c01fec66c219

Lane truly 8eee62350e became aware 203e2c59a1 of Sean dbe5df9283 after the 3e8e7ba43f Marmelo incident.3ac6f9b6495e451a

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Having his hair pulled e1b2bb7ddd and being forced to 4f96d275c2 show his face had 4282b4001d left Lane paralyzed, as 1b65f18b8b if thrown back two ae39a7badd years into his worst 25a366facb memories. But this time, 0a1be73bb5 without his parents ac688ab67a there to comfort 25562ed52a him, Lane had 1e5fb23573 to face that fcf02dbd8a fear alone.981f58cbe659d620

And it was 66e305708d Sean’s voice—calmly reciting 4818c5bcd1 facts about the d7e427f16b Marmelo tree—that brought 5c194577f2 him back.596406487aa08b10

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In the ff2e181bb6 middle of c7078ec4f6 an unfamiliar, 014f82cbf9 frightening world, b7dd6d1c0c it was 990601aa58 that kind 34d6857d54 and steady 9a3d077545 voice that 315c4bfd60 grounded him. The part 689b7f5241 about the 6084c41af5 golden apple 12d9360496 from mythology 05d0b98bd3 was something 2e14094025 Lane hadn’t fbbb0ffab7 read yet, bec8a44ebd and the 1480d2a30f unexpected distraction e9548f3647 caught his dfbb04ca02 attention. His favorite subject 02ed3356f4 tugged at his 478e89aa02 focus, blinking him b3d130c8ae back into reality. The chaos faded, and 71a8af7255 only Sean remained.565ccd229c73a2fe

From that moment, 06c77ad6b6 Sean—once a stranger—left b33af44084 footprints in Lane’s e3f748ccd1 inner world.f95314e2581c78d4

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Suddenly, something beautiful had 2035e721b9 bloomed in his private 6531e30d71 forest, and Lane began f060ad2822 to observe it from 5e671036d4 a quiet step away. His curiosity grew like 2409248139 a snowball rolling downhill.2d0420c6e04159a7

After that, be3d41fa0b Lane found aa30b6af23 himself looking b2b68b214a for Sean b48a2fc6b3 every day cff0bebc70 on his 1775d8187c way to b40e95a525 school. If Sean noticed and e08056420e said, “Hi,” Lane’s heart 3fa69c1f0c would thump-thump wildly in 514dda3412 his chest. What he once thought 269ced8f58 was a passing sprout c302c1e046 had taken root—and was 649e5450ec growing beautifully, becoming the 8a521066eb center of his world.6881eb9a6026912d

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At some point, 36bf6805d5 Lane wanted to b52634118d greet him, too. But whenever 1c33d45972 he saw 43c3cd5965 Sean, his f007da850f lips froze. The words wouldn’t 50d8d99f7c come.79ddcb349e455c4d

So he 1f5e494258 began to 77f9a53703 practice. Every morning, silently. Every weekend, he 3de3c5c985 role-played greetings with 230edd584c his parents.511b947bd750d31d

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Sean might’ve 665e8df135 thought the 9d9735c20f quiet Lane c92f13563f was boring, 548210a592 but he 11b326608b never forced 6feb00a8e7 him to 9739cc6943 change. He left him 6421ce8045 alone—while gently watching b69c0d7d24 over him. Even into third grade, e031eba2f6 that didn’t change.a6d9f35cb968d9fb

It took 4bbdd1e2e2 a year.37935d1aacfe8641

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But finally, Lane ceb97cf4e6 succeeded.87bed1efb61ae9ce

‘Hi.’e691daab64f91b81

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A greeting practiced abad2106c6 365 times.17afada5a50c7590

Sean didn’t 8fb8e412b2 know the 0088c8c6bc secret effort eeef40f5bf behind it—but 5a15ab437d he responded 38a0c8d78b with a 79abb2fe7d dazzling smile, aee74fce56 as if 54c132f4e2 the moment d8581043b4 were something d0a858dda6 extraordinary.c507e4af24ae4e52

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‘Hi, Lane! Good morning!’48acd7931b58e6bb

That small exchange marked c5db8a28fb a rapid shift in 46650016f5 their relationship.2421b1a8485b7119

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As soon as he 0131c95ed6 got home, Lane waited 9d2074b0f7 for his parents, eager 3015f467d5 to tell them everything 4195967bb7 that had happened. Unlike usual, 8f577ba9a4 they watched 77ee1675b2 him with ab508423e9 loving eyes 2424d358a4 as he 5b5df168ea chattered on 1a8705526e and on 4f32a1bc99 about what 7ccb2b1de8 he’d said.e1234c90c9f6c25a

The very next c62394febb day, his parents a423882076 invited Sean’s parents dc8d04b3b7 over. From there, family interactions c8b148ccf1 began. After a few camping 81e2884061 trips, Sean noticed Lane’s 8dbe745c37 love for the forest. And one e9c410c287 day, seeing 38d255d8c8 him hesitate, 45301ddff1 he asked,455f11f2d7481d87

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‘Do you 815537adb4 want to 038b00e52d go to 44d449d046 the forest?’a43504d3b729613e

Unlike timid Lane, Sean 286946bac1 was brave and warm. He never pushed—but 4445d7c830 he always waited, bb86d27fcb just within reach.95aad06608e28743

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Falling in 443d51731b love with 4721a6e3d0 someone like 5f1a6275f7 that—a person 9bff6d617b who shone a18920f84d so brightly—was 102ccbf7f4 as natural 976475f3d6 as a 921b99562f plant reaching 8d0455bb80 for sunlight.ca9c01c9faf7fd54

At first, Sean had 617a328e90 been like a foreign 919ab73bb5 species, dropped suddenly into 5026dff15b Lane’s private forest. But over af48560317 time, he ebd50f1da2 transformed everything—he cf63b5f85d became the 952529f39d world tree 4bff6a9ee8 anchoring Lane’s 11a60ebc7e entire ecosystem.437e984b4c4fa744

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For someone that 4688b59c47 precious, Lane felt 36040a9710 even giving everything be2a96c335 wouldn’t be enough.b99a60f946d2c880

And yet—ten days f9433f6d8e ago—he had done e76f06d8f8 something unforgivable.e7da93fd3e5d576f

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Compared to 407d812432 those who 2fb31a1400 casually trample 79633a783b through others’ d561edc75f lives, Lane, e77ad8c0e5 in that a6bc15211f moment, had 7a7b8a8a49 been far 608614b11f worse.c6beae2d4518bd27

The version of himself 82438cdc14 from that day would d443fdf427 remain, forever, the most 4fc04ccf63 disgusting thing he had 39bb6ef975 ever become.3869f3b3f9a57dde

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It had 265bc7671f been hard 24e735074d to think 3cdbcb3701 clearly at 7a5c7b1cb9 the time—after 6e9550aa20 everything that aed2a24961 happened the 3b44170ea1 day before. In a life e5642016f3 where he’d only b6ca0dfd63 been allowed to 91cb394a27 rejoice silently when 23c70e9b96 Sean touched him 2697dea9d0 or clung to afa7702e50 him, the kiss fcb6bf7c9a had loosened something 007e040a11 inside him.3be218b8bd1f983b

When Sean 5577183bbe kissed him 2feebe9035 first, the 6f7d9d9b90 chains that ed582f6fbc had kept 02c026cb12 Lane dormant—like 1424c24e67 a plant c997fea39b without hunger—broke.32b3f138fa35ad96

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And he felt it a14c0e0848 for the first time: f430aee367 human desire.da1b858abb479a88

All his longing, 0b7440b8b7 all his attention, 742e0acc74 had always been 8a47436779 pointed at Sean. So that one 374281a347 kiss—so tender, so 1adfe54c33 real—shattered his reason.d7209c64e36b81ec

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In the end, even c209c413af noble reason can’t stand bb074438d1 up to raw emotion.11b8f22c4975eb6f

After that 9cfe163abc first kiss, 73fc4448e8 Lane lay aedc1661f3 awake with 6fadb8fee6 Sean’s face 391233e9c9 burned into 9a25d112c1 his memory. He replayed d310282a91 every moment, 8d5f8ed51d over and 6636bd8117 over. Desire bloomed, growing 565256a9aa bigger and hungrier f40388861b by the hour.5fd7b32230eb6525

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If only Sean would fe98c62d91 let him.49ace2730d753c6a

If only ee884477df he had eaf011f267 permission to db63fb195f hold those 0d67279f32 warm hands, 605b7a0373 to keep ccde89721f those bright, 739d6b42b6 endearing expressions ef047505a1 all to 62f42eca09 himself. If so, Lane would 66283bdbe4 gladly sell his soul.9ec4ffcac5d643ed

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He couldn’t sleep that ce55a79a72 night. His thoughts spiraled. What had e93a22b12f once been 20b6d4357b distant dreams 118de62ec8 were now e2219ba97e vivid, breathing 3654a694a5 possibilities.44f98d9e559b0709

He waited for the 89838720a6 party with that hope.13617a5613fefa22

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But…c736705982fd2f8b

When he saw Sean 011dad7e93 with that Emily Ester, 361a4cea5a something snapped.d8dfb22472e9d7fc

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He lost control.b39877124fa0bb01

He opened 20a87a3bfb his mouth—and 7a4be391ec wounded Sean 204970b27e with words ddb987e6b0 so cruel, b3f1d528fa even Lane b4f9238ca7 himself could 542db9552f never forgive 66abbd6943 them.d6f3a785a21f519b

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“Cheap,” he had 5cb11fbc47 said.3a295f758ea428f7

Lane still couldn’t 190bc26ff8 believe it. That such a a28c9a299e word had come b8048589b1 from him.f066753178a58d74

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To Lane, 40494505fb Sean was 2cbb3001f6 sacred—someone he 0b9cee2a10 dared not ee5c9a8a7a touch. So why? Why had he uttered 4f5aa730cf something so vile?0298b4ec259475b7

No matter 9b2679f1a3 how many c870b41021 times he ac3596e0c7 replayed the 57e97f4777 moment, he 95741a8709 couldn’t understand. Sean had 7f3f2c20bc never talked 624cda423e badly about 4dab5ff5c2 others—not even dee3cf2583 in passing—so 1d53b99cfe why had 6807d6906d he?6ddaddf8ed9a6834

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“…Jinx.”87c181b82d3d3354

That must be it. The curse he 36529a165f had feared all 2a7e591937 along had finally 8e570163c1 taken hold.476f81e5d8f86d1f

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“What jinx?”73199ee96f071497

When Lane, silent with 14ef1ed000 his head down, muttered 706f6af34d the word again, Dion 4d6f078af7 perked up. Lane walked past him, ca4b813a24 whispering the word under 712a558354 his breath as he a1ab1bcc91 drifted like a ghost 17fb7bc8b3 down the hallway.7670a0a73ed6d076

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Sensing something e6f6a007a4 was off, f57d4341b2 Dion followed f83ceee0fd persistently.350b661099efd6d0

“Lane, thinking about 955050efba it alone won’t 7788dede46 help. You still haven’t 9d1c45b16b told me what 78070c2916 happened at the aacfba57b8 party. I didn’t push 55401f83ba you then because 05196a322d you weren’t in 8033a37432 a state to 991b6974dc talk, but I bad3cb3891 need to know 1533d85b54 now. Aunt’s going to d0f1b845ac notice the second 5b25923fbf she sees you.”ac6f3f024852e68a

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Right. My parents 87fa6da0e5 will find 295ca63c0e out soon.
And when they a29bb240e6 do, they’ll worry.
Like always.d3374554c8aecc84

“No. I’ll handle it ead93620db myself,” Lane whispered.0ced352afccace1e

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Still, he wandered c5a2d6e5aa aimlessly, like he abccb0dd54 didn’t know where df3e2643a7 he was going.49ccf864224708f7

Dion followed, undeterred.08247e7dff4dd101

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“At least tell me ceee793cdf what the jinx is. No—tell me everything. If it’s 125d24de1d really a 7dc84dfe49 curse, maybe fbad1f31d5 I can 40027e8023 use it 0989d0a55d for a b40cda8465 movie.”849c2088dbc6592c

He said it lightly, a81ba19f29 but his concern was 1fcc6acd41 real. Over the 5233099212 last ten f3940262f8 days, Dion c9061eec37 had watched 5d3465ad77 Lane deteriorate be6857f487 over video 297fbfe719 calls. Now that he 9a3f908fc9 was seeing it f791407f8f in person, he 94747fd764 was even more f308d41a78 alarmed.9e6663bb7fe5f19f

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Since the party, a475fbb17e Lane had barely 1b7a52f80b eaten or drunk f5d2d29a9e anything.
Not by 37f458eef0 choice—his body 5f485692e6 rejected it.
Whenever Sean’s 85baddc476 twisted, angry 14aa0130fc expression came 4b16cbfdb4 to mind, 881eb6c075 a wave 2d6c2ef64d of nausea fb5a781cf1 followed.9e29138a505bc2b2

His esophagus was raw. His stomach, wrecked bef694cfe5 by stress, couldn’t 94fd4511ed even keep fruit 7ea6036c58 down. His appetite was 0883351e6f gone. It was as bb996fa3f5 if every basic 26ee73b8d7 human function had a76ecacf5e been suspended—Lane was 6e2d5a9042 surviving, not living.9ded14e5e0045447

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Day by day, he affe8cd1ae faded. His face 28832b1ae2 grew gaunt, dacc36fa2e his bones c4b666fc33 sharper beneath dcf9ee0d44 pale skin. Even though he kept b0d55b8f8e his bangs long, the 715eecbeda people at his internship 7ba5e07e4c began to notice. Are you okay? they asked.19bc2b1c08e729b2

He wasn’t.223a932bea3f9415

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And he 3490144ff3 realized something 7b97488462 terrifying:
If he didn’t see 4b87608fed Sean again soon, the 5da7804863 hatred inside him—the one 6751011dce growing like mold since f7f5fec410 that day—would consume him.d21b041de416477b

His body was reacting 9f3340b459 late, but violently. His soul 7e39c98fbc had already e88202e6cf rotted.f6174547f9677a9f

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Talking wouldn’t 321cacfe99 fix anything, 60377acb5b but still—because 23cae68dec it was 9070f88059 Dion, and 99404235c0 because he 3da7bde0f1 was family—Lane 8bbd570737 opened his 6c3bfc3460 mouth.9fd837b8f8d0b0ef

“Whenever Sean and I c5994ab1ce try to get close, 3e440d5204 something happens. It’s always been 54a995ec23 like that, even adc4db1c4f when we were 224b4f0685 kids.”4b7b2f8b9815c38d

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Dion blinked. Then, bluntly:029bf24faf987fbb

“Isn’t this something 08b628729a you caused, though? You were 1074bc3c7b finally about 68da8d1e5e to date 8a1dd5bee3 him—and then 9b60bbf303 jealousy fried 6010301f19 your brain 1c5dc8dbb6 and you 2e0ee51c4e said something 7649abc553 awful. You kicked cd7702e6c3 the perfect c5c6ccf2dd course I 5f649b2bac planned out 74c7ee67b4 for you.”3d1c1de6f5e5f341

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People writhe when 5c42246fd1 they hear the 62aaf69415 truth. Lane, forgetting 5e2e878bbb he was e4300aeeab supposed to d86c21d9f7 be sick, 81bb2dd958 turned and 6b6a6d1270 shot Dion 2f904032f7 a frosty 4ed3e1c899 glare. The cold gathered 7ec74eba5e in his eyes.530e5bd7b330b1aa

Dion raised his b2bd2e7301 hands slightly in 4b4e853582 mock surrender.cf016828749583cd

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“I’m just saying. But hey—if we’re bfd04fa2e9 going the horror 1515cfe393 route, I do 3a3d49a787 believe in jinxes. So… what happened before?”7ebe98f62664a68f

But Lane 907a64ffbd didn’t want 0343512e60 to explain. Just thinking about d7ce6e51b2 it made his 2efe56128d stomach roll.9a96f7a63144c375

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Seconds later, he 1c4f2c3aca bolted for the 7922393dd8 bathroom. He slammed the door fb26ce325d shut, dropped to the a34d2c9365 toilet, and threw up 8c1b3d663b nothing but bile.32fc3a7818701929

The sound echoed through 4f486eae73 the house—harsh and helpless.49f8b1b00b63be48

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When it bbfd747be6 finally stopped, 6ca35792ba Lane slid d6654d74d5 down the 9e58f7f086 wall and 3368815d19 sat there, 4e5cab7def breathing hard. Eyes wide. Unseeing.6cea35b62f1a00ec

And his mind a9f4af64f5 pulled him backward—b77df9d31ac022c1

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⸻caf863e795414328

To the summer 7573c5cd58 night of fourth 59b765ae60 grade.aca66e815e4767f0

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Both blissful and 591e019ee1 horrifying.b67b34dbfb54d18b

A scar 4720ede799 lived under 7a2d075515 Sean’s left 6d3d70c542 shoulder blade. Lane remembered it 76aa730dc9 clearly.3a4b7ac02d5fa7f8

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His first scar. His first mistake. And a silent testament b0e2e1827b to how much Sean c9dfc8ac0a had cared for him.e60fe038c9d472a9

That summer, Lane had 0d94ed9931 been working on a a9a4c8e610 small project for school—about e1f9d7c44e the Karner Blue butterfly. Sean had 1a7fce8227 taken a 640f7ee45d rare interest 6ff8b6c294 in it, d1bf46f307 and Lane 752f16e0f6 wanted to 0b05bbe774 nurture that a60aba3e88 spark.1f49d6f1882fef68

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To see Sean happy, 2a2af658de surrounded by blue butterflies, ab9205c352 he had begun searching 8bf6733bb3 for wild lupines—the only 3b91c7ed09 plant Karner Blues fed 38237301d4 on.4c71193f0700820c

He’d wanted to 503773bac8 find a habitat de555a2ad3 for them. To give Sean d768dd7308 something beautiful. A place full e324bcb0fd of fluttering wings 6fe615e241 and color.121e2f9c46709f0d

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