Base Nature (60 page)

“
I’
m
s
o
rr
y,”
she
sai
d
,
t
ee
th
chatt
er
ing.
L
iv k
e
pt
h
e
r
h
e
ad
d
o
w
n,
h
e
r
f
ee
t
rubb
ing against
e
ach
o
th
er
,
a n
er
v
o
u
s g
e
st
ure
,
he
g
ue
ss
ed
.

“W
h
y
the
f
u
ck
a
r
e
y
o
u
s
o
rr
y?
I’
m
the
o
ne
who
sca
re
d
y
o
u
,” he
sai
d
.
He
bru
sh
e
d
h
e
r w
e
t
hair
o
ff h
e
r
face
with his fi
n
g
er
tips,
e
xamin
e
d
h
e
r
face
as
i
f she
m
ight
b
e
w
o
u
n
ded
.

She
b
it
h
e
r
lip,
h
e
r
face
pale
u
n
de
r
the
w
e
t
st
r
an
d
s
o
f
hai
r
.
“
Be
ca
u
se
a
n
o
r
mal w
o
man
w
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
have
re
ac
t
e
d
like
that.”

“F
u
ck that.
Y
o
u’r
e
y
o
u
.
I
t
was m
e
.”
He
s
t
oo
d
,
pacing the
small
r
oo
m. Wanting to
hit s
o
m
e
thing
bu
t
n
o
t
g
i
ving
in
t
o
the
ur
g
e
.
“
I’
m
n
o
t
mad at
y
o
u
,
b
y
the
way.”
He saw
h
e
r n
er
v
o
u
s
l
o
o
k and
t
r
i
e
d
t
o
still hims
e
lf.

“W
h
y
a
r
e
y
o
u
mad
th
e
n?”
s
he
whisp
ered
,
sq
uee
zing
h
e
r
hair
with
the
t
o
w
e
l
to
dr
y

it.

“
I’
m
mad
be
ca
u
se
a
p
er
s
o
n
like
y
o
u
s
h
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
h
ave
to
f
ee
l
this
way,”
he
r
o
a
red
.

“
E
v
er!
”

“
G
a
rre
t
t,
y
o
u’r
e
sca
r
ing m
e
,” she
sai
d
.

“
I’
m
s
o
rr
y.
I’
m
s
o
rr
y.”
He
g
r
a
bb
e
d
a
small
e
r
y
e
l
l
o
w
t
o
w
e
l
and
dr
ap
e
d
it
o
v
e
r
h
e
r hai
r
. “I
d
o
n
’
t k
n
o
w h
o
w
t
o
d
o
that w
e
i
r
d
t
o
w
e
l
th
i
ng y
o
u
g
i
r
ls
d
o
.”

She
c
r
ack
e
d
a
s
mile
and
h
i
s
h
e
a
r
t
u
ntwist
e
d
j
u
st
a
b
it.
L
iv
f
lipp
e
d
h
e
r
h
e
ad
f
o
r
wa
rd
,

h
e
r
h
air
smacki
n
g
h
e
r
l
o
w
e
r
l
e
gs
l
ike
little
w
e
t
w
hips,
and
th
e
n
she
twist
e
d
the
t
o
w
e
l a
r
o
u
nd
it l
i
ke
a tall ha
l
o
. “
T
h
ere
.”

He
s
t
oo
p
ed
,
pick
e
d
h
e
r
u
p
and n
ud
g
e
d
the
do
o
r
o
p
e
n
with
his
t
o
e
.
“C
o
me
o
n,
I’
m p
u
tting
y
o
u in
my
r
o
b
e
and
f
i
n
d
ing
that
space
h
e
at
er
.
T
he
h
o
u
se
is
r
aw
a
nd
chilly
and y
o
u’r
e
g
o
ing to
g
e
t sick.”

“W
h
y a
r
e
y
o
u
…” She
swal
l
o
w
ed
,
l
e
t
the
s
e
nt
e
nce
dr
o
p, l
o
o
ki
n
g
u
nc
er
tain.

He
s
e
t
h
e
r
o
n
h
is
bed
,
s
t
ill
u
nma
d
e
and
m
e
ssy
f
r
o
m
th
e
ir
n
i
ght
t
o
g
e
th
er
.
“Why
am
I

^{what?
M
a
d
?
Lo
o
k, I
have
a
b
it
o
f a hair
t
r
igg
e
r
wh
e
n
I
f
ee
l—”}

“
N
o
t ma
d
,” she
s
ai
d
.

“
T
h
e
n
what?
Pu
t
this
o
n.”
Bu
t
he
d
i
d
n
’
t
l
e
t
h
e
r
d
o
it,
he
h
e
lp
e
d
h
e
r
i
nto
it
and
be
lt
e
d
the
b
ig
r
o
be
.
S
o
b
ig
o
n
h
e
r
she
alm
o
st
l
o
o
k
e
d
like
a
kid
sitting
in
h
e
r
fath
er’
s
r
o
be
.

“W
h
y a
r
e
y
o
u
t
re
ating
me
this way?”

“Shit,
L
iv,
do
n
’
t
y
o
u
t
h
ink it
’
s a
b
o
u
t
time
s
o
m
e
o
ne
t
re
at
e
d
y
o
u
this way?”

T
h
e
n
she
s
h
o
ck
e
d
the h
e
ll
o
u
t
o
f
h
i
m
f
o
r a
s
e
c
o
nd
time
b
y
dr
o
pping
h
e
r
h
e
ad
and c
r
ying again.

*
*
*
*
*

Be
gging

Sh
e’
d
e
xp
e
ct
e
d
ang
e
r
wh
e
n
she sta
r
t
e
d
c
r
ying
again.
L
iv
was
acc
u
st
o
m
e
d
to
r
age in the
face
o
f
h
e
r
w
o
rr
y
o
r
w
e
akn
e
ss.
E
ll
e
n
had
bee
n
the
o
ne to
p
u
sh
h
e
r
t
o
the
p
o
int
o
f
be
ing
a
b
le
t
o
talk
a
b
o
u
t
h
o
w
she f
e
lt.
A
l
o
ng
with
D
r
.
San
der
s
who
s
he
s
h
o
u
ld p
r
o
b
a
b
ly call
s
oo
n.
Bu
t
she
still
e
xp
e
c
t
e
d
it.
T
he
ni
g
htma
re
s
had
bee
n
t
o
o
m
u
ch
a
nd
th
e
n
K
e
vin
bre
aking
in.
G
a
rre
tt
had
bee
n
a
mi
r
acl
e
,
a
re
sc
u
e
r
bu
t
it
had
st
i
ll
u
nn
er
v
e
d
h
er
.
A
nd n
o
w
o
n t
o
p
o
f it
all, she
had
s
er
i
o
u
s f
ee
lings
sta
r
ting
f
o
r
him and
an alm
o
st
u
nnat
ur
al n
ee
d
to
b
e
with him p
h
ysically.

T
h
r
o
w in an
u
nh
e
althy
o
b
s
e
ss
i
o
n with f
o
r
cing the
iss
u
e
o
f
u
np
r
o
t
e
ct
e
d
s
e
x…

She was
t
ru
ly
h
appy
a
nd
th
er
e
was
a
tiny
space fill
e
d
with
p
e
ace
insi
d
e
h
e
r
s
ince sh
e’
d
m
e
t
h
im
bu
t
she n
ee
d
e
d
to
re
m
e
m
b
e
r
that
h
e
r
b
o
d
y
d
id n
o
t
k
n
o
w
the
d
iff
e
r
e
nce
be
tw
e
e
n
g
oo
d
st
re
ss
and
b
a
d
.
O
nly
h
e
r mind
d
i
d
.
A
nd
w
h
e
n
he had
s
n
u
ck
in
t
o s
ur
p
r
ise
h
er
—wh
e
n that
s
h
o
w
e
r
c
ur
tain had
bee
n
r
ipp
e
d
b
ack—she
had
f
e
lt
e
v
er
y m
o
m
e
nt
o
f
p
o
w
er
l
e
ss
f
e
ar
c
o
me
c
r
ashing
d
o
wn
o
n
h
er
.
A
nd
s
h
e’
d
c
r
ack
ed
.