Ember (50 page)

“
He
wa
s
a
bout
to
r
a
p
e
me!”
He
r
h
a
nds
fist
e
d
.
“
I
h
a
d
no
choic
e.
”
O
h
,
but
it
wa
sn’t
tru
e.
S
h
e
’d
chos
e
n
to
f
a
c
e
B
ill
y
.
He
r
pride
h
a
d
l
e
d
h
e
r
to
hurt
a
noth
e
r
.

“
O
i!”
B
ill
y
s
tr
ugg
l
ed
t
o
ri
se.
“
I
was
j
us
t
a
ft
e
r
a
b
it
o’
f
un.

Fo
ll
owed
he
r
when
she
was
f
ann
i
ng--
”
“
Shu
t
up
!”
shou
t
ed
Ma
rti
n.

B
ill
y
g
l
a
r
ed.

“
I
t
was
a
m
i
s
t
ake,
”
M
ir
anda
said.
“
One
I
’ll
neve
r
--
”
“
You
’
ve
s
a
i
d
t
ha
t
be
f
o
r
e,
M
ir
anda.
”

He
r
e
y
e
s
wa
t
e
r
e
d
.
But
sh
e
wou
l
d
not
cry
.

Ma
rtin
w
a
tch
e
d
h
e
r
for
a
long
m
o
me
nt
,
th
e
n
h
ea
v
e
d
a
sigh
a
nd
r
a
n
a
h
a
nd
through
his
h
a
ir
,
l
ea
ving
th
e
curling
e
nds
to
shoot
a
bout
wildly
.
“
W
h
a
t
does
h
e
mea
n
,
f
a
nning?
”

M
ir
anda
r
es
i
s
t
ed
t
he
u
r
ge
t
o
p
l
uck
he
r
sk
irt
s.
“
Fann
i
ng
means
t
o
p
ick
a
man
’
s
pocke
t
.
”

“
I
know
wha
t
it
means,
M
ir
anda.
Why
does
he
sugges
t
t
ha
t
you
we
r
e
do
i
ng
it
?
”

S
h
e
lift
e
d
h
e
r
chin
.
“B
e
c
a
us
e
I
wa
s
.
”

Ma
rti
n
b
li
nked
at
he
r
.
“
P
i
ck
i
ng
pocke
t
s.
You.
”
“
A
r
egu
l
a
r
pa
rr
o
t
,
t
h
i
s
one.
”

T
h
e
y
both
gl
a
r
e
d
at
Billy
,
who
gl
a
r
e
d
right
b
a
ck
.

Ma
rtin’s
j
aw
wa
s
tight
wh
e
n
h
e
r
e
turn
e
d
his
g
aze
to
M
ir
a
nd
a.
“
Y
ou
pick
pock
e
ts
.
Lik
e
a
co
mm
on
str
ee
t
r
a
t
.
”

He
r
f
a
c
e
flush
e
d
.
“
D
o
not
look
at
me
in
th
a
t
w
a
y
,
Ma
rtin
.
”
W
h
e
n
his
bro
w
s
me
r
e
ly
ros
e,
h
e
r
fists
cl
e
nch
e
d
.
“
Fa
th
e
r
ma
d
e
me
do
so
.
T
o
suppl
eme
nt
his
mea
g
e
r
inco
me.
”
Ma
rtin
still
st
a
r
e
d
,
a
nd
sh
e
ground
h
e
r
t
ee
th
.
“
We
w
e
r
e
in
d
a
ng
e
r
of
b
e
ing
turn
e
d
out
on
th
e
str
ee
ts
,
in
d
a
ng
e
r
of
st
a
rving
.
W
h
a
t
wou
l
d
you
h
a
v
e
me
do?”

“
Come
t
o
me?
”

S
h
e
s
i
g
h
ed.
“
Y
ou
c
an
ba
r
e
l
y
s
u
ppo
r
t
y
o
u
r
s
e
l
f
.
A
n
d
i
t
w
as
my
c
r
oss
t
o
bea
r
.
”

“
I
’
d
say
you
’
ve
bo
r
ne
i
n
we
ll
.
”

She
b
ri
s
tl
ed.
“
I
f
I
was
a
ma
rt
y
r
,
I
’
d
have
come
c
r
y
i
ng
t
o
you.
”

Ma
rtin’s
nos
e
wrinkl
e
d
but
h
e
nodd
e
d
short
l
y
.
“
All
right
,
M
i
r
a
n
da.
I
un
de
r
s
t
a
n
d.
Y
ou
h
ad
n
o
c
h
o
i
c
e
.
”
H
i
s
t
o
n
e
sugg
e
st
e
d
oth
e
r
w
is
e.