“He doesn’t belong in there,” I say, my voice thick. He was more my brother than Henry’s, but it was Henry who claimed him, who left his mark on him. Another scar Link would carry for the rest of his life.
There’s nothing Dad can say. Regret runs deep in me; he sees how it’s etched into my face and in the pages of my sketchbook.
As we walk home, Dad leans on me. His broken body and twisted leg imperfect, but strong enough to carry me through times like these. To lead me to a better place.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Sheldon Nelson and Cindy Kochanski for their thoughtful and insightful comments, and to my agent, Harry Endrulat, for his support and advice. Thank you Val and Ritchie Miller for answering my questions related to public safety. Some of the questions probably made them wonder about what I was doing in my spare time. (“So, let’s say I’m caught tagging a building …”) Thank you to Jamie Gatta, who breathed life into Morf and Skar’s artwork.
Thank you to the team at Dundurn Press: Carrie Gleason for her belief in the book; Margaret Bryant and Jaclyn Hodsdon for ensuring that it finds its way into the world; Cheryl Hawley and Catherine Dorton for making the process smooth and the writing better; Jennifer Gallinger for the design; and Laura Boyle for creating the cover.
Much appreciation to the Winnipeg Arts Council for providing generous support during the editing and revision of the manuscript.
A special thank you to McNally Robinson Booksellers and their amazing staff. Winnipeggers are lucky to have an independent bookstore that champions local authors.
Finally, thank you, as always, to my friends and family for their ongoing support.
Copyright © Colleen Nelson, 2017
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purpose of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from Access Copyright.
All characters in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Red spray paint: © istockphoto.com/skodonnell
Parking lot wall: © 123RF.com/donatas1205
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Nelson, Colleen, author
Blood brothers / Colleen Nelson.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-4597-3746-4 (paperback).--ISBN 978-1-4597-3747-1 (pdf).--
ISBN 978-1-4597-3748-8 (epub)
I. Title.
PS8627.E555B56 2017 jC813’.6 C2016-903875-0
C2016-903876-9
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Ontario Book Publishing Tax Credit and the Ontario Media Development Corporation, and the Government of Canada.
Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify any references or credits in subsequent editions.
J. Kirk Howard, President
The publisher is not responsible for websites or their content unless they are owned by the publisher.
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