Like any young woman or man in the capital city who'd managed to buy a small house for themselves in the suburban area, the front lawn or porch was well kept; but there was no sign of extra money to spend on a well-painted fence, statues, flower pots, or ornaments.
It was empty, with an overgrown bush around the very edges of the sidewalk.
Jade's front lawn was no different. It was just well kept and clean, no broken bicycles or forgotten lawnmower eaten by wild vines.
But as Avond jogged around the corner to find it, Lionel right behind him, he immediately knew something was wrong.
This ability to feel the presence of a tragedy had come from growing up in this world of constant brush against humanity's worst. It was like a mark left behind, a ghost screaming at him from places he couldn't pinpoint.
