Somehow, Theora had never managed to bring herself to open that letter. She felt sorry for her mother, but knowing that those were the last words Ann had tried to write to her made it the hardest envelope in the world to open. She had held it in her hands countless times, and never broken the spell of opening that letter. She couldn't explain to herself why she couldn't read her mom's last words. Maybe because then it would truly be the end, or because she was scared of what secrets her mom had left in there. Only her dad and Danell knew of the letters' existence, and they both had said it was fine for Theora to wait until she was ready to open it; she had no idea when that would be. Her mom had been dead for nearly ten years now, and Theora couldn't open that letter, nor stand to go near
