Blood From a Stone (160 page)

W
ill
o
w
’
s
hand
on
h
i
s
a
r
m
a
w
o
k
e
h
i
m
fr
om h
i
s d
r
ea
m
li
k
e
r
e
m
i
n
i
scence.

“
H
e
y
.
I
’
m so
rr
y
.
I can
t
e
l
l
t
h
i
s
i
sn
’
t
a
g
ood
sub
j
ect
f
or
y
ou. We
can s
k
i
p
i
t
and
y
ou can
t
e
l
l
m
e
so
m
e
o
t
her
ti
m
e.”
S
he s
m
il
ed.

“
N
o…no. 
I
t’
s 
a
lri
g
h
t
. 
I 
l
ost 
t
hem 
bo
t
h
…
i
n 
an acc
i
den
t
.”
T
he
r
e.
T
hat
w
as
ce
rt
a
i
n
l
y
not
so
m
uch
t
h
e
li
e.

“Was
i
t
r
ecen
tl
y
?
A
car
or
a
ir
p
l
ane
c
r
ash?”

             
H
e nodded. “
I
t
w
as
a
l
ong
ti
m
e a
g
o.”

             
“
I
’
m
so
rr
y
.”
S
he
r
ubbed
h
i
s
back
li
g
ht
l
y
.
“I
k
now
y
o
u
ne
v
er
g
et
o
v
er
l
os
i
ng
t
he
m
.
T
i
m
e
m
a
k
es
i
t
eas
i
er
but
t
he
pa
i
n ne
v
er
g
oes
a
w
a
y
.”

“
N
o
i
t
su
r
e
doesn
’t
,”
he
sa
i
d,
t
a
k
i
ng
a
s
i
p
of
h
i
s
w
i
ne.
A
nd how
tr
ue
i
t
w
as.
E
v
en a
ft
er
fi
v
e cen
t
u
ri
es.

“What
about
y
ou?”
he
as
k
ed.
“
A
r
e
y
our
pa
r
en
t
s
s
til
l a
li
v
e…any
b
r
o
t
he
r
s
or
s
i
s
t
e
r
s?”

S
he  s
m
il
ed  and  nodded.  “
Y
ep. 
T
w
o  b
r
o
t
h
e
r
s. 
A
nd bo
t
h
of
m
y
pa
r
en
t
s
a
r
e
a
li
v
e
and
w
e
ll
.
T
hey
li
v
e
a
co
u
p
l
e
of hou
r
s
no
rt
h of
he
r
e up near
t
he s
t
a
t
e
li
ne.”

“
S
o
t
hen
y
ou
’r
e c
l
ose
t
o
t
he
m
?”

“
O
h, 
y
eah.  We
v
i
s
i
t
a
l
o
t
.  Ma
y
be
y
ou  cou
l
d
m
eet
t
he
m
.
T
hat
i
s
i
f
y
ou
don
’
t
t
h
i
nk
t
ha
t’
s
push
i
ng
t
h
i
n
g
s
t
oo
f
as
t
.
A
nd,
of
cou
r
se,
y
ou
m
ee
ti
ng
t
hem
cou
l
d
po
t
en
ti
a
ll
y
be
v
i
e
w
ed as
one
of
our
’ri
g
ht
r
easons
’
”.
S
he
r
a
i
sed
her
g
l
a
s
s and s
m
il
ed
i
m
p
i
sh
l
y
.

             
“We
ll
,
how
can
I
a
r
g
ue
w
it
h
t
ha
t
?”
he
sa
i
d
m
a
tt
e
r
-
o
f
-
f
ac
tl
y
.

             
“
Y
ou
can
’t
…but
y
ou
’
d
be
tt
er
use
cau
ti
o
n
i
n
a
g
r
ee
i
ng
t
o
t
hat
one.
O
nce
y
ou
m
eet
t
he
f
a
t
he
r
,
y
ou
’r
e done
f
o
r
,” she
l
au
g
hed.
“
T
hat
co
m
b
i
ned
w
it
h
m
y b
r
o
t
he
r
s
w
an
ti
ng
t
o
m
a
k
e su
r
e
y
ou don
’
t
b
r
eak
t
he
i
r
littl
e s
i
s
t
e
r’
s
hea
rt
.”

H
e
s
m
il
ed
w
a
r
m
l
y
.
“I
don
’
t
t
h
i
nk
I
’l
l
need
m
uch con
v
i
nc
i
ng
t
o
not
b
r
eak
y
our
hea
rt
.
N
ot
i
f
it’
s
w
i
t
h
i
n
m
y po
w
e
r
.” 
N
e
v
er
w
ou
l
d
he
ha
v
e
be
li
e
v
ed
back
i
n
h
i
s
f
o
r
m
er
lif
e
t
hat
he
’
d
u
tt
er
t
hose
w
o
r
ds
and
ac
t
ua
ll
y
m
ean
t
he
m
…and
y
e
t
, he
r
e he
w
as
and he
’
d ne
v
er
been
m
o
r
e s
i
n
ce
r
e.