Lily leaned forward, clutching her notebook to her chest. “She’ll help her, right?” Ethan gave a faint smile. “If anyone can, it’s Margaret.” Outside, through the viewing glass, the enclosure lay silent again. The lights had been dimmed to near-darkness, but even from the path, the faint sound of breathing could be heard from the shadowed corner where Shira laid.
Margaret Hayes arrived before dawn. The sanctuary still slept under a gray sky, its paths slick with dew. Caleb and Lily waited near the service gate with Ethan, who looked like he’d been up all night. When the headlights of the approaching truck cut through the mist, Ethan straightened. “She hasn’t moved?” Margaret asked as she stepped out, her voice even but clipped.