The smoke stings Cora’s eyes, so she closes them and feels the rumble of flames and the screams and the sirens and for the first time in her life, Cora prays and means it. She prays that this is enough. That this will placate the suffering dead. Even if it only gives them a moment of peace, it’s worth it. Cora can never give them everything they deserve, can never make up for what’s been done. But she can see them, she can hear them, she can give them this much.
