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Youbear our name.
Nevermoreto be alone
Youbear our name
Weare your home.”
Thenmy father liftedDelilah’schin and looked at her seriously.
“You’reoursnow,Delilah.Youhave the protection of theBlackburnname and of our family and of ourPack.You’reour little girl and we’ll keep you safe.”
Delilahhad looked up at him with those big, mismatched eyes and nodded silently as my mom bandaged her finger and handed me a bandage as well.
Mynew little sister didn’t say a word andIwasn’t sure if she really understood what had just happened.Shehadn’t just been adopted into our family—the ritual wasstrongerthan that.Shewas now my little sister by blood, even though we didn’t have the same parents.Iwas sworn to protect her for the rest of her life—even though at that point,Ididn’t even really know her.
Allof that flashed through my mind asIstood in her doorway, watching her weep.Icame further into the room and dared to lean over her bed and lay a hand on her shoulder.
“Delilah?”Isaid again, making her name a question.
Sheturned over at last andIcould see by the moonlight shining in through the window that her mismatched eyes were filled with tears.Thesight touched something deep inside me andIfound myself sitting on the side of her narrow twin bed.
“Hey, you all right?”Iasked her, even though it was clear she wasn’t.
“I…I’mtryingto be,” she said in a soft voice, barely more than a whisper.Shesat up in bed and rubbed her eyes with the back of her arm. “I…I’msorry ifIwoke you up.”
“Nah, don’t worry about that.”Ishrugged, still feeling a bit awkward.Iwas trying to figure out what to do—how to comfort her.I’dseen the way my dad acted when my mom was upset—he was always calm and quiet.He’dtold me once that women don’t always want you to try and fix their problems.
“Sometimesthey just need to talk,” he’d said. “Andyou’ve got to be willing to listen.That’swhat a good mate does—a goodPackmastertoo.”
Lifewas a series of teachable moments for my dad—he was always trying to get me ready to bePackmasterin his place.Ioften resented it, but this timeIwas glad.
“Wantto talk about it?”Iasked my new little sister.
Sheshook her head, looking down at her hands, which were twisting in her lap.Butthen she said,
“They’rereally gone.”
“Who?”Iasked stupidly, but thenIgot it. “Oh—your parents?”
“Yes.”Shenodded, still looking down. “I…I’vebeen trying to pretend they’re just on a trip—they used to go away sometimes andIwould stay at my grandma’s house before she died.Sothat’s whatI’vebeen pretending—that they’re just gone away for a little while and soon they’ll be back.But…”Sheglanced up at me and back down again. “Butwe had that…the thing with the candle today where we all had to prick our fingers with a needle.”
“Theadoption ceremony,”Iagreed. “That’svery serious, you know,”Iadded, hoping to make her feel better. “Itmeans my mom and dad areyourmom and dad and thatI’myour big brother for life.”
“Iknow,” she whispered. “Andthat’s so nice—all of you are soniceto me.Butit…it also means that…that they’re reallygoneand they’re not coming back!Ibelong to a whole new family now because my family is…is…dead!”
Herface scrunched up on the last word, the way it does when you’re trying not to cry and she wrapped her arms around her skinny little body as though she might fly apart into a million pieces if she didn’t hold herself together.
Ifelt my heart clench whenIsaw my new little sister’s misery.
“Hey,”Isaid, patting her shoulder awkwardly. “Ican’t even imagine how tough that must be.I’mso sorry,Delilah.”
“Lilah,” she said in a low, choked voice. “That’swhatDaddycalled me—Iwas always just his ‘Lilah.’”
“Okay,Liliah,”Iagreed.
“It’smy fault they’re dead,” she said abruptly, which really surprised me.
“Howcan that be?”Iasked, frowning.
