If You Touch the Sun

Three years ago, Tavian's mother walked out. For a month she sent apologetic texts saying she'd fallen in love. Tavian and his little sister Gertie begged her to come home. She stopped answering.

On the anniversary of her leaving, someone who hates the family leaves eight-year-old Gertie an inheritance. It paints a target on her back. Tavian steps in front of it. He becomes her shield.

They still live in the hand-built house their eco-architect mother designed: white stone carved with hieroglyphs, wild gardens pushing back against a neighborhood that wants it, and them, gone.

The threats arrive. As Tavian crosses oceans and borders trying to keep Gertie safe, he wonders if he'll ever see Clio again, the girl he loves.

When the truth finally surfaces, it doesn't return what was lost. It names the cost.

©2025 Josi B. (P)2026 Josi B.