VAL When I was nine, I went to my first funeral. Along with accepting my father's death, I had to accept new and awful truths I wasn't prepared for. When I was nineteen, I went to my mother's funeral. We weren't close, but with her gone, I became more alone than ever before. Sure, I have a half brother who runs The Alliance. And yeah, he's given me his protection - in the form of a bodyguard and chauffeur. But I...