Hilara

Previously

…Hilara’s eyes widened, her mind racing with possibilities. Perhaps they were going to the beach, a place she had only glimpsed once on television, through a neighbor’s window, as their own home lacked a television and she was rarely allowed to visit the neighbor to watch it. Her father continued, his words a gentle balm on their confusion, "It won't be for long, but it's necessary. Your mother and I need to go so we can offer you a better life." In that moment, Hilara’s world fractured, the nascent understanding of a reality far harsher than she had ever imagined dawning within her.