Avelin POVThe car crested the ridge, and the sharp scent of salt water hit the open windows. Shen pressed his nose against the pane, leaving a smear of grease on the glass. "Home," he muttered. He did not mean the narrow city flat or Madam Lia’s high-ceilinged estate. He meant this patch of gravel and grey water.The tires crunched onto the harbor road. Ahead, the low timber of the pier groaned under the weight of the morning tide, and the smell of hot lard and sugar drifted from the bakery vents. Auntie Liling stood on her porch, aproned and red-faced, before the engine even cut out.She did not wait for us to open the doors. Her hands came up to her cheeks, her chest heaving as she marched toward the gravel turnout. She looked at Leander, whose shoulders had dropped the moment we crossed the village line. She looked down at Shen, who was already scrambling out of his seatbelt, and then her eyes locked onto mine."You came back," she said, her voice cracking."We came back," I said.
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