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Once the sunlight goes to bed, that's when darkness wakes the dead.
When a series of grisly deaths devastate 19th-century New England, sixteen-year-old farm girl Faith must outsmart the Undead to ke...
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Honor wakes in the night drenched in sweat, his erratic breaths rousing me from sleep. I light the table lamp between us, the flame casting shadows around the room as I go to his bed. Hair clings to his forehead in soggy wisps. When I brush it aside, he flinches at my touch, relaxing only once I whisper his name.
Then all at once, he's gasping for air, his eyes wild. He bolts up in bed. "Mama was here. But she was —" His voice catches and a tear rolls down his cheek, the memory still fresh in his mind.
I sit down next to him. "She was what?"
"She was...a monster."
A flood of emotions surge in my throat. My arms close around his small frame and I rock him back and forth like a baby. His entire body trembles. "Shhh, it's okay. It was only a dream."
"I wasn't dreaming! She crawled out of the ground and came home. She was wearing the dress we buried her in, and it was covered in blood and mud and holes!"
I shake my head, silently cursing the conversation from church. I knew it would give him nightmares. "No, Honor. Mama's at peace. She's cradling our sister in her arms. Remember how we buried them so they'd always be together? She would never leave Grace by herself."
He sniffles, rubbing his face against the shoulder of my nightdress. "Do you promise?"
"I promise. Mama wouldn't scare you."
A faint knock interrupts us. The bedroom door creaks open and Papa's stubbled face peeks inside the room. Creases from his pillow line his reddened cheek. "Why are you two awake? Is everything alright?"
I adjust my nightcap, my fingers caressing the indentation around my forehead. "He just had a nightmare."
Honor raises his head. "I dreamt about—"
"Dragons." I flash Honor a look as I cut him off. "But I've got everything under control. You can go back to bed."
Papa eyes us suspiciously, but says nothing. He disappears into the darkness and the door closes behind him.
Honor pulls away and stares at me, his teeth tugging at his bottom lip. "Why did you lie?"
"Because I didn't want him to know the truth." I cup my hand to his chin. "Now please—stop biting your lip."
His mouth spreads into a tight line. "You shouldn't lie, Sissy. It's a sin."
"Not always. Some lies are okay, like when you say them to keep someone you love safe." I lean back and look him over. His cheeks are still flushed red.
"How will lying keep Papa safe?"
My chest rises with a tired sigh. "Because I don't want that image of Mama stuck in his head. Remember how sad he was when she passed away?"
Honor nods.
"Well, I never want him to feel that way again. When he thinks of her, I want it to be happy thoughts. Does that make sense?"
