He is beauty, inside and out. He is the silver lining in a world of darkness. He is my light.

Mom used to say that having three boys was kind of like having a pet tornado that talked back.

I always knew, on some level, that I wouldn't live long. It's simply not written in my stars.

I make sure to keep a good distance between us, just in case she decides to get happy with a knife or something.

For a small moment, I fix my eyes on his, telling him silently everything that I'll never say to him aloud.

He has tears in his eyes now. The sight is more than I can bear. He takes two steps away from me and then turns back like a caged animal. “Do you even love me?” he suddenly asks. He grips both of my shoulders. “I’ve said it to you before, and I still mean it. But I’ve never heard it from you.

Day, the champion of the people, the one who can't bear to see those around him suffer on his behalf, who would gladly give his life for those he loves.