Adam shut the side door behind him as he walked back inside the house. Long shadows were cast down the hallway by the gray light of dawn that filtered through the windows.
He discovered Sophia, a statue carved out of fear, still standing there. When he got close, she turned.
"What did you do?" she asked. Her voice was barely a whisper a fragile thread of sound. "With the bodies… what did you do?"
"You don't need to know" Adam replied his voice low and steady. He did not want to give her any visual information. She did not need to think about a shallow grave.
Unable to look him in the eyes, Sophia placed her gaze to the ground. In a tiny defensive gesture, she put her arms around herself. He could see the self-blame and guilt she was carrying written all over her face. He was aware that she continued to blame her bullies for the morning's assault.
He took a step toward her. He touched her shoulders tenderly. Unspoken fear made her body tense and sluggish
