Jesse followed them into the kitchen, taking a seat on one of the stools. "No, but I'm not terribly hungry, even though I know I probably should."
He slumped a bit onto the counter. "My mother is alive, and she lives in the city. My father figured out she didn't age, made her tell him the truth, and then he beat her all to hell. Told her she could either fake her own death and leave, or he'd make all of our lives miserable. So she left."