In the first chapter of "Fire Song" by Adam Garnet Jones, the story starts with Shane. He feels very sad because his sister Destiny has died. Since her death, Shane has not been the same. His room is dirty, and he does not clean it. He also does not wash the dishes, showing how much he hurts inside.
Shane's mother, Jackie, is also very sad. She misses her daughter a lot and feels guilty. She thinks maybe she could have done something to help Destiny. This makes her feelings even worse.
Pete, who is Shane's uncle, is a mean person. He makes fun of Jackie, which makes everything harder for her. Pete does not understand how much pain they are going through. Jackie is struggling, and Shane does not know how to make things better for them both. The house feels heavy with sadness, and their lives are changed forever.