Chapter One

Three Sisters

Secrets are strange and wily creatures, binding together unstable groups while tearing apart the individuals who bear them. Red Willow carried a secret that weighed heavily on her shoulders, as if she were toting a black bear cub on her back. She desperately wanted to be free of the burden but simultaneously dreaded that freedom, knowing it would cause her entire world to crumble. Memories of “the horrible event”—the only words she could find to describe it—seeped into her mind, the way darkness slips in to overtake daylight, creating a mental fog that made it hard for her to focus. She wished she had only dreamed it. But she had to find a way to press through and ground herself. It was spring, and there was critical work to be done. Her family was relying on her to help keep them fed. So, her secret, and the agonizing choice of whether to share it or bear it, would have to wait.