asked:ninej or renison ↳ at their feet renee buried muffled reassurances against allison’s hair. allison’s response was too hoarse to understand but she let renee help her to her feet.
“With my mother dead and my biological father in the wind, the courts had no choice but to release me into foster care after my year at a juvenile facility,” Renee said. “I made life as difficult as I could for my foster families and jumped eight homes in two years. Stephanie Walker found out about me from one of my foster mothers at her high school reunion. She put in a request
for me, pushed until it was approved, and moved me to North Dakota as soon as it was finalized. She gave me a new name, a new faith, and a new chance at life.”
Neil thought about Renee’s bruised knuckles, Dan’s fierce spirit, and Allison holding her ground on the court a week after Seth’s death. He thought about his mother standing unflinching in the face of his father’s violent anger and her ruthlessly leaving bodies in their wake. He felt compelled to say, “Some of the strongest people I’ve known are women.”
