The new colored pencils lay in their tin case on Leo's nightstand. Arranged by color. Cool blues and deep greens first, then the warm shades, then the neutrals. He had opened them twice since Franz brought them home—once to check the arrangement, once to show Lily, who had admired them sincerely before returning to her new dinosaur.
The dinosaur was purple. Stuffed, with small felt teeth and a tail that curled inward. Lily had named it Petal. She was not a child who named things carelessly.
Arianne pulled the covers to Lily's chin. The dinosaur was tucked beside her, its felt teeth pressing into the pillow.
"Petal needs to breathe," Lily said.
Arianne adjusted the dinosaur. "Better?"
"Yes."
Leo was already under his covers, tablet on the nightstand beside the pencils, whale on his other pillow. He was watching Arianne with the quiet attention he gave everything. The way he watched adults test their shoulders.
