Base Nature (5 page)

“H
e
l
l
o
,
L
ivvi
e
,”
he
said
and
she
c
l
o
s
e
d
h
e
r
e
y
e
s.

“I
d
o
n
’
t
want
to
talk
to
y
o
u
,
K
e
vin.”
H
e
r
v
o
ice
was
sha
k
ing
to
match
h
e
r
h
an
d
s.
She s
h
o
u
ld
h
ave
h
u
ng
u
p
bu
t
ha
d
n
’
t
q
u
ite
manag
e
d
the
pa
r
t
o
f
h
e
r
that t
o
ld
h
e
r
she
was all
o
w
e
d
to
d
o
that.
She
c
o
u
ld
ha
n
g
u
p,
s
h
u
t
the
d
oo
r
,
n
o
t
l
i
st
e
n.
She
c
o
u
ld
bre
ak
f
ree
.
Bu
t
s
o
me
d
amag
e
d
pa
r
t
o
f
h
e
r
had
y
e
t
to
p
u
t
th
i
s
in
t
o
e
ff
e
ct.
M
o
st
d
ays,
L
iv
t
r
i
e
d
to l
o
o
k
at
that
as
p
r
o
g
re
ss.
T
he fact
that
she
re
aliz
e
d
s
he
had
it
i
n
h
e
r
to
t
ur
n
h
e
r
b
ack.
I
t was
j
u
st
a
matt
e
r
o
f
g
e
tting
to
the
p
o
int
wh
er
e
she
d
id
it,
all
the
tim
e
.
T
o
o
k
c
o
nt
r
o
l
o
f the
sit
u
ati
o
n.
To
d
ay w
a
s n
o
t that
d
ay it s
ee
m
ed
.

“S
ee
,
th
ere
,
y
o
u
do
n
’
t
have
to
talk
.
Y
o
u
j
u
st
have
to
list
e
n.
I’
ll
b
e
th
er
e
t
o
night
to pick y
o
u
u
p. We
n
ee
d
to
talk.
O
r
I
n
ee
d
to
ta
l
k and
y
o
u
n
ee
d
to
h
e
a
r
,”
he
sai
d
.

“I
can
’
t.”

“
Y
o
u
wi
l
l.”

“
I’
m
bu
sy,”
s
he
li
ed
. “
Y
o
u’r
e
l
y
ing,” he
sai
d
.

H
o
w
many
tim
e
s
had he
v
erb
ally
a
bu
s
e
d
h
e
r
be
f
o
r
e
h
e’
d
hit.
A
nd th
e
n
h
o
w
ma
n
y tim
e
s
h
ad
he
hit
be
f
o
r
e
sh
e’
d
finally,
with
the
h
e
lp
o
f
f
r
i
e
n
d
s
l
i
ke
E
ll
e
n,
br
o
k
e
n
f
ree
?
T
o
o
many.
A
nd
h
o
w
many
tim
e
s
w
o
u
ld
he
k
ee
p
c
ree
ping
b
ack
t
o
s
e
e
if
s
he
w
o
u
ld
bre
ak,
o
r
if
h
e
r
s
u
pp
o
r
t
s
yst
e
m
c
o
u
ld
b
e
f
r
act
ur
e
d
as
it
w
ere
?
L
iv
f
e
lt
that
the
answ
e
r was p
r
o
b
a
b
ly
t
o
o
ma
n
y. He
w
o
u
ld
j
u
st k
ee
p
c
o
mi
n
g
u
ntil
s
o
m
e
thing chang
ed
.
I
t
c
o
u
ld
o
n
l
y
b
e
h
er
.

“I
am. I
am lying. I
d
o
n
’
t
want to
s
e
e
y
o
u
,
K
e
vin.
E
v
er
.
I
d
o
n
’
t
want to
s
e
e
y
o
u
e
v
e
r again.”

“Ca
re
f
u
l,
L
iv.” His v
o
ice
h
e
ld
m
e
nace
and
a smil
e
.
K
e
vin
alwa
y
s
d
id
have
a sick s
e
nse
o
f f
u
n.

“
Le
ave
me
al
o
n
e
,” she
sai
d
. “S
ure
.
Ha
n
g
u
p
o
n me
th
e
n.”

L
iv
c
o
u
ld h
e
ar
that
t
o
ne in
h
i
s
v
o
ic
e
.
T
he same
t
o
ne
that
Rick
alwa
y
s
u
s
e
d
with
h
e
r m
o
m
and
th
e
n
lat
e
r
that
d
ay
o
r
n
i
ght
s
he
w
o
u
ld
h
e
ar
him
st
r
ik
i
ng
h
er
.
O
nly
twice
h
ad he
sta
r
t
e
d
hitting
h
e
r
in
f
ro
nt
o
f
L
iv
bu
t
many
tim
e
s
L
iv had
walk
e
d
in
o
n the
vi
o
l
e
nc
e
.
T
o
o
d
amn ma
n
y.

“
I
…”

“
C
o
me
o
n,
br
av
e
,
br
ave
L
ivvi
e
.
H
a
ng
u
p
the ph
o
n
e
.
T
e
ll
me to
f
u
ck
o
ff.
T
e
ll
me y
o
u hate
m
e
.
T
e
ll me
y
o
u
n
e
v
e
r
e
v
e
r
want to
s
e
e
me
again and
that y
o
u
do
n
’
t
still
l
o
ve
m
e
.”

E
ll
e
n
had sl
u
nk
cl
o
s
e
r
a
nd
n
o
w
she p
re
ss
e
d
h
e
r
h
e
ad to
L
iv
’
s
h
e
a
d
.
H
e
r
b
l
o
n
d
e
hair tickl
e
d
al
o
ng
L
iv
’
s
jaw
a
nd
L
iv
s
hiv
ere
d
f
r
o
m
the c
r
awling
s
e
nsati
o
n.
H
e
r
h
an
d
s
w
er
e c
o
l
d
,
h
e
r
h
e
a
r
t
h
e
avy.
H
e
r
m
o
u
th
so
dr
y
she f
e
lt
like she c
o
u
ld
dr
ink
a
g
a
ll
o
n
o
f
wa
ter
. “
I
…”

E
ll
e
n
p
u
ll
e
d
h
e
r
h
e
ad
b
ack,
f
r
o
wn
i
ng.
T
e
ll him
she
m
o
u
th
ed
.
H
e
r
lips
w
er
e
p
re
ss
e
d into
a ti
g
ht
s
e
am and
the
s
e
nse
o
f
d
isapp
r
o
val
w
a
s n
e
a
r
ly
o
v
er
wh
e
lming
to
L
iv.