Chapter 12
When Aria woke up, her back ached. For a moment she didn't know where she was. But then she heard whispered voices in the kitchen and remembered the poisoned house and the events of the day before. She ached from pulling the wall apart and from so much work afterward. They had scrubbed the house from top to bottom, with the help of the children and grandmother, who directed from her chair. When the mother and father of the house finally came out of their sleeping room that evening, they had found their house sparkling again. The woman stood up straight and blinked tears back.
"Thank you," she said. "I don't deserve your help, but thank you."
Aria had listened as Jabari told the woman that part of the healing was to cook for the seekers and allow them to stay in her house. She
