The Heartwood Ashen Remains

That’s definitely the hope. And really, either way, the important part is knowing what I need to do. But I’m not sure I’ve got anyone specifically in my corner anymore. She paused and laughed at that, shaking her head.

Not in a ‘woe is me’ kind of way. They’ve just got lives and families of their own to care about. I care about them too, I just want something that’s more… mine.

She would be there in a heartbeat if they needed her, but lately they hadn’t. It didn’t feel as selfish as it might have a year ago, when everything was upside down.

Your dad sounds like he knew what was up. Mine were similar, but I did cause a lot of headaches. Their lives probably got a lot easier once I was off and making myself someone else’s problem. She winked, hoping to settle some humor on it before things got too morose. No use dwelling on the future now - if all she could do was worry, the only solution was to ask the ones she was worried about.