The next morning, after dropping the kids off at school, Tarquin and Elysia headed together to the old town chapel where Elizabeth''s ashes were kept.

They''de to ask the priest about the details and best dates for Elizabeth''s burial.

The priest spoke at length, and Elysia listened intently, afraid she might forget something important. She even brought along a notebook, jotting everything down point by point.

When they left, she stopped by a little shop at the foot of the hill and bought stacks of golden paper, stuffing the trunk full.

Each pack held hundreds of sheets. Altogether, she easily had tens of thousands.

Tarquin raised an eyebrow. "What are we going to do with all this?"

Elysia dusted off her hands. "We''re going to fold paper boats for Mom."fn023d Chapters first released on find{n}ovel/fn023d

"Don''t they sell them ready-made?" he asked, a little baffled.

"It''s not the same," Elysia insisted. "I heard that if you fold them yourself, the message really gets through. Before folding, you can write their names, a blessing, or even a secret message on the back."

She didn''t really know if she believed in this stuff. To her, it was a way for the living to express their longing for those who had passed on-a kind offort for the heart. Maybe the dead never truly receive these blessings, maybe they do. But at least it helps those left behind, helps them let go a little.

She knew that Elizabeth and Kendrick''s deaths were still a deep wound for Tarquin. Every time they spoke of them, Tarquin''s mood would sink. Today, he hadn''t smiled since they arrived at the chapel. After kneeling in front of Elizabeth''s urn, he just stood there, lost in thought, for a long time.

Maybe this small gesture could ease his pain, if only a little. She also really wanted to honor Kendrick and Elizabeth, to thank them for bringing Tarquin into the world and making her his wife.

"When we get home, let''s fold them together," she said softly. "We''ll ask Elliot, Evan, Emmett, Elijah, and the baby to help too. I bet Mom and Dad will be thrilled to get them, wherever they are."

Tarquin got it. He didn''t say anything, just cupped Elysia''s face and kissed her gently on the forehead.

He wished his parents had lived longer. They would have loved Elysia, he was sure of it.

They were driving home, not far from the chapel, when Elysia''s phone buzzed. It was her father, yton.

"Irene, when will you and Tarquin be home?" he asked.

"We''re on our way, Dad. What''s up?"

"Your mother and I are at the preschool. Evan got into a fight."

"What?!" Elysia was stunned. "Is everyone okay? Is anyone hurt?"

"Evan''s fine," yton replied. "But Emmett and Elijah are a little banged up-nothing too serious. The baby''s shaken and won''t stop crying The other kid? He got the worst of it.”  s

Elysia frowned. "What happened?"

yton exined: "Apparently, during recess, this kid started picking on Elijah. Elijah ignored him so the kid got mad and tried to hit him Emmett stepped in to break it up, but the kid pushed him down and jabbed both Emmett and Elijah with a pencil.”  s

"Evan came back from outside, saw what happened, and just... lost it. He punched the other boy so hard he knocked out a tooth and broke his arm."

Elysia was speechless. "Why didn''t the teacher call Tarquin or me?"

"They said they couldn''t reach you, so they called me," yton said. "Your mem was with me and as soon as she heard about the fight,” she insisted wee over  s

"When we got here, all the kids were crying-even Elijah. Your mom''s heart just broke for them."

"The other kid''s parents are making a huge scene, yelling about how our kids have no manners."

"They said Elijah has mental problems, called Evan a ''super-bully,'' and even insulted you and Tarquin for good measure."