"HOW MUCH!"

Elara:

I gulped down a mouthful of the rich black pudding, washing it down with a hot swig of black coffee. Wiping my mouth with a paper napkin, I braced myself to lay out the messy story of my life. It was a normal childhood with a sharp, ugly twist right at the end.

“So,” I began, tracing the rim of my mug, “I was abandoned as a baby at a local firehouse just outside of Vance, Texas. Miss Clari