Ember (57 page)

“
Be
we
ll
,
”
he
said.

Two
wo
r
ds
t
o
end
a
lif
e
ti
me
of
fri
endsh
i
p.

Somehow,
she
made
it
back
home
and
up
t
o
he
r
r
oom.
The
momen
t
t
he
door
c
l
osed
beh
i
nd
he
r
,
M
ir
anda
b
li
nked
seve
r
a
l
ti
mes,
pa
i
n
we
lli
ng
up
w
it
h
i
n
he
r
un
til
she
cou
l
d
no
t
ho
l
d
back.
On
a
sob,
she
bu
rr
owed
he
r
head
i
n
t
o
he
r
c
r
ossed
a
r
ms
and
c
ri
ed.
She
tri
ed
t
o
do
t
he
deed
qu
i
e
tl
y,
w
it
h
d
i
gn
it
y.
On
l
y,
she
cou
l
dn
’t
qu
it
e
keep
it
i
n.
He
r
shou
l
de
r
s
s
h
ook
as
s
obs
b
u
r
s
t
f
o
r
t
h
.
A
d
m
i
tt
ed
l
y
,
c
r
y
i
n
g
f
e
l
t
good,
a
r
e
li
e
f
.

“
A
r
e
you
c
r
y
i
ng?
”
came
t
he
c
r
oss
vo
i
ce
of
he
r
pa
ti
en
t
fr
om
t
he
f
a
r
si
de
of
t
he
r
oom.

M
ir
a
nd
a
’s
h
ea
d
popped
up
.
O
h
,
G
od
,
sh
e
’d
forgott
e
n
a
bout
h
e
r
gu
e
st
e
ntir
e
ly
.
“
Ye
s
,
”
sh
e
ma
n
a
g
e
d
.

A
pa
ir
of
c
l
ose-se
t
b
r
own
eyes
na
rr
owed
i
n
d
i
sgus
t
.
“
We
ll
don
’t
.
I
t’
s
b
l
oody
pa
t
he
ti
c.
”

“
I
am
not
p
a
th
e
tic!”
S
h
e
w
ip
e
d
h
e
r nos
e
w
ith
h
e
r
sl
ee
v
e,
th
e
n
cring
e
d
.
S
tu
m
bling
a
bit
,
sh
e
got
up
a
nd
s
ea
rch
e
d
for
a
prop
e
r
h
a
ndk
e
rchi
e
f
.

“
Y
ou
a
r
e
.
”
H
e
s
t
r
u
gg
l
ed
t
o
r
i
s
e
i
n
t
h
e
bed.
“
B
abes
c
r
y
.
C
r
y
i
n
’
don
’t
do
no
t
h
i
n
’
’cept
make
you
f
ee
l
.
An
wha
t’
s
t
he
good
i
n
t
ha
t
?
”

F
inding
th
e
k
e
rchi
e
f
,
sh
e
g
a
v
e
a
good
b
l
ow
,
th
e
n
gl
a
r
e
d
at
Billy
.
“
C
rying
is
a
p
e
rf
e
ctly
r
e
l
e
v
a
nt
a
ction
.
”

“
A
y
e,
f
or
c
h
a
v
s
a
n
d
g
l
o
cks
.
Y
ou
a
l
i
tt
l
e
c
h
a
v
y
i
n
s
h
o
r
t
pan
t
s?
Fee
li
n
’
so
rr
y
f
o
r
wha
t
you
’
ve
done?
”

“
N
ot
a
ny
m
or
e.
”
S
h
e
toss
e
d
aside
th
e
k
e
rchi
e
f
a
nd
st
a
lk
e
d
ov
e
r
to
th
e
bed.
Billy
gl
a
r
e
d
up
at
h
e
r
,
th
e
lin
e
s
a
round
his
m
outh
whit
e
a
nd
thin
.
S
h
e
wou
l
d
h
a
v
e
to
f
e
tch
m
or
e
l
a
ud
a
nu
m.

He
sno
rt
ed
as
she
f
ussed
abou
t
w
it
h
h
i
s
p
ill
ow.
“
Then

w
h
a
’?
Ha
v
e
a
noth
e
r
ro
w
w
ith
y
e
r
old
ma
n?
”
S
h
e
turn
e
d
a
w
a
y
.
“
N
o
.
”

U
nfortun
a
t
e
l
y
,
th
e
oaf
wa
s
not
as
dull
-
witt
e
d
as
h
e
a
pp
ea
r
e
d
.
“
Y
ou
did
.
”