All Sam wanted to do was sleep, but he had another lung purification treatment that afternoon.

This time, he sat in the pure white clinic, his nose itching from the smell of antiseptic. Without Eleanor to distract him from the process, he focused on every painful labored breath.

He almost wished he’d asked someone to come with him, but he didn’t feel like this was enough of an emergency to interrupt Dad’s sleep style, Mom’s work, or Kali’s homework. All his aunts, uncles and cousins were equally busy.

He would have asked Grandma if he’d thought she’d be willing to leave her garden, but he knew that was a lost cause. Even after they’d pulled her off the crumbling wall last night, she’d insisted on staying and helping.

Sam tried to di...

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