Base Nature (68 page)

H
e
r
hand
w
a
s
b
o
th h
o
t and
clammy
all
at
o
nc
e
,
the
s
i
n
e
w
u
n
de
r
h
e
r
s
kin
r
o
ck-ha
r
d and shiv
er
ing
with
t
e
nsi
o
n.
“
A
m
I
d
y
i
ng?
I’
m
d
ying.
N
o
thi
n
g
can
f
ee
l
like this—”
She cl
o
s
e
d
h
e
r
e
y
e
s,
t
r
ying
s
o
h
a
r
d
t
o
f
o
c
u
s.
H
e
r
l
e
gs whipp
e
d
st
r
ai
g
ht,
th
e
n
be
nt
and c
r
oo
k
e
d
i
n an a
r
th
r
itic
slant. “
N
o
thing can f
ee
l
l
i
ke
this that
d
o
e
sn
’
t
e
nd
in
de
ath.”

G
a
rre
t
t
sat,
t
r
ying
to
s
m
o
o
th
h
e
r
hair
b
ack,
bu
t
the m
o
m
e
nt
he
d
id
s
he
sh
i
v
er
e
d
, whipp
e
d
h
e
r
h
e
ad
t
o
the
o
t
h
e
r
si
d
e
and
it
sh
r
o
ude
d
h
e
r
pain
e
d
face
again.
“I
d
o
n
’
t think
y
o
u will
d
i
e
,
L
iv.
I f
ee
l
lik
e
…
I
n
e
v
e
r
w
o
u
ld have
d
o
ne it
i
f
I
re
ally
th
o
u
ght
that.
T
h
i
s
pain
is
y
o
u
r
b
o
d
y
chang
i
ng.
T
h
is
is
the
be
ginni
n
g
o
f
what
y
o
u
want
ed
.
T
h
i
s
is what has to
happ
e
n f
o
r
y
o
u
t
o
g
e
t
t
o
the
o
t
h
e
r
si
de
.”

She
m
o
a
n
e
d
l
o
w
i
n
h
e
r
th
r
o
at,
s
u
ch
a
m
o
ur
nf
u
l
s
o
u
nd
that
G
a
rre
t
t
want
e
d
to
ru
n. He
c
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
take
the s
o
u
nd
o
f
h
e
r pain.
N
o
t
that
m
u
ch
pain.
Bu
t
he had t
o
.
He a
b
s
o
l
u
t
e
ly
h
ad
t
o
,
so
he g
r
ipp
e
d
h
e
r
han
d
,
m
ur
m
ur
ing
to
h
e
r that
he was
th
ere
,
he
w
a
s
r
ight th
ere
.

L
iv g
r
ipp
e
d
his hand
ha
rd
.
Way
ha
rde
r
than she
n
o
r
mal
l
y
w
o
u
l
d
.
I
t
w
a
s
al
re
a
d
y taking
e
ff
e
ct.
H
e
r
b
o
d
y
was
bre
aking
d
o
wn
bu
t
sim
u
ltan
e
o
u
sly
rebu
il
d
ing.
I
t
was wh
o
l
l
y
n
e
c
e
ssa
r
y
and c
o
mpl
e
t
e
ly
u
nn
er
ving.
He
be
nt
and
k
iss
e
d
h
er
,
s
he
th
r
ash
e
d
l
ike he
h
ad
bur
n
e
d
h
er
. “F
u
ck,
I’
m
s
o
rr
y.”

She
st
o
pp
e
d
and
sta
re
d
at
him.
G
a
rre
tt
c
o
u
ld
s
e
e
the
e
n
o
r
m
o
u
s
a
m
o
u
nt
o
f
e
ff
o
r
t

and
c
o
nc
e
nt
r
ati
o
n
it was
ta
k
ing
f
o
r
h
e
r
to
stay
st
i
ll
and
j
u
st l
o
o
k
h
im
in the
e
y
e
.
“I
ask
e
d y
o
u
f
o
r
this,”
s
he
wh
i
sp
er
e
d
.
T
he whisp
e
r
t
ur
n
e
d
to
a
gasp
and she winc
ed
.
G
a
rre
tt c
o
u
ld
f
ee
l
the
i
nvisi
b
le
r
ays
o
f
h
e
at
b
lazi
n
g
o
ff
h
er
.
She
was a
tiny
be
a
u
tif
u
l
s
u
n
i
n
the chilly
bedr
oo
m. “Do
n
o
t
b
e
s
o
rr
y,” she
manag
e
d
a
nd
th
e
n she
had
to
t
ur
n
away.

He c
o
u
ld s
e
e
the
s
i
lv
e
r
t
r
acks
o
f
h
e
r
t
e
a
r
s
in
the s
h
o
dd
y
l
ight.
She
s
niffl
ed
,
t
r
ying v
er
y
ha
r
d n
o
t
to
c
r
y.
G
a
rre
tt
w
o
n
dere
d
h
o
w
many
tim
e
s
in
h
e
r life
s
h
e’
d
h
ad
t
o
tamp
d
o
wn
h
e
r
f
ee
lings
and hi
d
e
h
e
r
pa
i
n.
O
ft
e
n
e
m
o
ti
o
n
l
e
d to
m
o
r
e a
bu
se
and
he c
o
u
ld t
e
ll
L
iv had
h
ad
m
o
r
e
than h
e
r
fair
sha
r
e
o
f a
bu
sive
p
e
o
ple
i
n h
e
r
o
rb
it.

“
Le
t
it
o
u
t,
L
iv,”
he
sai
d
. He
rub
b
e
d
h
e
r
b
ack
and
she
j
u
mp
e
d
as
if h
e’
d
sta
bbe
d
h
er
.
A
ny
p
re
ss
u
r
e
o
n
h
e
r skin
was
pa
i
nf
u
l.
S
o
u
nd
and l
i
ght
and
e
v
e
n
sc
e
nts
c
o
u
ld
in
du
ce wild
g
i
dd
in
e
ss,
pain
and na
u
s
e
a
u
ntil
h
e
r
b
o
d
y
acc
e
p
t
e
d
its
chang
e
s.
“
Be
ing
q
u
i
e
t
will
o
n
l
y make
it
w
o
r
s
e
.
N
o
o
ne
can h
e
ar
y
o
u
.
I
t
’
s
fin
e
.
Le
t
it g
o
,
b
a
b
y.”

She sh
udde
r
e
d
h
a
rd
e
r
,
sniffl
e
d
o
nce m
o
r
e
and th
e
n
she l
e
t
o
u
t
the
l
o
ude
st,
m
o
st
b
l
oo
d
-chilli
n
g
wail h
e’
d
e
v
e
r
h
e
a
rd
.
I
t
t
o
o
k
h
is
bre
ath
away,
the
a
g
o
ny in that
c
r
y,
and ma
d
e
his
h
e
a
r
t
j
u
mp.
G
a
rre
tt
d
id
the
o
n
l
y
thing
he c
o
u
ld
t
h
ink
to
d
o
,
he lay
o
n
the
bed
, sp
o
o
ning
L
iv,
h
o
l
d
ing
h
e
r
a
s
h
e
r
b
o
d
y
s
h
oo
k
with
i
lln
e
ss
and she
sc
re
am
e
d
u
ntil
h
e
r v
o
ice
gave
o
u
t.