Chapter 4Much to the disapproval of the congregation members who showed up, half the pews were empty the next morning at church, leaving Levi awkwardly on display with Annie and his parents in their usual seat midway back. Pap preferred sitting in the last row, to better get out and get home when services were done, while Mom always put them in the front when Pap couldn’t make it, to better keep Annie in line with Reverend Norwood staring down at her from his pulpit. Smack dab in the middle was their idea of a compromise. Today, it meant everybody could see them, regardless of where they might sit.
His eyelids felt brittle and crunchy from the few hours of unsatisfactory sleep he’d managed. Images of Seb sending him away had bullied their way into his dreams, and nothing he did changed th
