Base Nature (71 page)

“
F
in
e
.
I’
ll
e
at.”
He
h
u
gg
e
d
h
e
r
b
ack
bu
t
o
nly
br
i
e
fly. “W
h
y
d
i
d
n
’
t
y
o
u
call m
e
,
G
a
rre
tt?”

“I
d
i
d
n
’
t
k
n
o
w
I’
d
d
o
it
u
ntil I
d
i
d
. I
k
e
pt thinki
n
g
I’d
…” “S
e
e
re
as
o
n?”

“Chick
e
n
o
u
t,
act
u
ally.
Be
ca
u
se
I
want
e
d
h
e
r
t
o
b
e
min
e
.
I
want
e
d
to
take
h
e
r
a
nd change
h
er
.
A
nd
I
d
o
n
’
t
re
ally
k
n
o
w why
o
th
e
r
than it was th
ere
.
A
nd
we
mat
e
d
an
d
…”

“
A
n
d
?”
K
e
lly
sta
re
d
at
him.
She c
o
u
ld
h
e
ar the
r
ain
st
re
aking
the
s
u
n
l
ight
in
the hallway.
I
t paint
e
d
his face
with
s
ilv
e
r
and
g
r
ay.

“
A
nd she is
min
e
.
She
i
s
mine
be
ca
u
se
all
I
c
o
u
ld
sm
e
ll
o
r think
o
r f
ee
l
in
the
w
h
o
le w
o
r
ld
w
a
s—”

“H
er
.
W
hich
was
why
y
o
u
w
er
e
be
ing
so
ca
u
ti
o
u
s.
Y
o
u
w
er
e
af
r
aid
y
o
u
w
er
e
r
ight.” She
s
igh
ed
.
“I
c
o
u
ld
h
av
e
—”

“
Y
o
u
w
o
u
ld
h
a
ve
talk
e
d
me
o
u
t
o
f
it.
I
t
was
s
o
m
e
thing
we
b
o
th
n
eede
d
and I can
’
t
re
ally
e
xplain it.”
L
iv gave
a small g
a
sp
a
nd
th
e
n a s
o
b
and
he
t
ur
n
e
d
t
o
wa
r
d
the
s
o
u
n
d
. “I
h
a
ve
to
g
e
t in th
er
e
with h
er
.
I’
m
s
o
rr
y. Y
o
u
d
o
n
’
t have
t
o
stay.”

“S
ur
e
I
d
o
.”
K
e
lly
t
ur
n
e
d
bu
t
he
call
e
d
h
e
r
name
f
r
o
m
al
re
a
d
y
halfway
d
o
wn
the

hall.

“
Bu
t
K
e
l?” “Y
e
ah?”

“I
do
n
’
t
have
an
y
o
ne
to
answ
e
r
t
o
.
I
d
o
n
’
t
ca
r
e
what
the
pack
thi
n
ks
o
r
f
ee
ls.
I w
o
u
ld
n
e
v
e
r
ch
a
nge
s
o
m
e
o
ne
against
th
e
ir
wi
l
l
bu
t
I
d
o
n
’
t
ca
r
e
if
th
e
y
be
li
e
ve
m
e
.
I
d
o
n
’
t
g
i
ve
a
g
oo
d
g
o
dd
amn
what any
o
f th
e
m
think. Which
i
s
h
o
w
th
e
y
f
e
lt
a
b
o
u
t
m
e
.”
A
nd
th
e
n he
was g
o
n
e
,
t
e
n
d
ing to
his n
e
w chang
e
ling.

K
e
lly
p
u
t
h
e
r
h
e
ad
d
o
wn,
m
u
tt
er
ing
a
tiny
p
r
ay
e
r
to
G
re
at
Spi
r
it.
T
he
o
ne
h
e
r m
o
th
e
r
h
ad
ta
u
ght
h
e
r
as
a
chil
d
,
O
h
G
re
at
Spi
r
it,
h
e
lp
me always
t
o
sp
e
ak
the t
ru
th q
u
i
e
tly,
to
l
i
st
e
n
with
an
o
p
e
n
m
i
nd
wh
e
n
o
t
h
er
s
sp
e
ak
and
t
o
re
m
e
m
b
e
r
the p
e
ace
that may
b
e
f
o
u
nd
in
s
il
e
nc
e
.

She w
e
nt
d
o
w
n
to
p
re
pa
r
e
G
a
rre
tt
h
is
m
e
al.
I
t
w
o
u
ld
b
e
a
l
o
ng
ni
g
ht
a
nd
h
i
s
b
o
d
y w
o
u
ld
n
ee
d
a
l
o
t
to
k
ee
p
u
p.
A
nxi
e
ty,
st
re
ss
and
w
o
rr
y
tax
e
d
th
e
m
phy
s
ically
m
o
r
e than
m
o
st.
T
h
e
y
c
o
u
ld
dr
o
p
p
o
u
n
d
s
o
v
er
night
if
th
e
y
n
e
gl
e
ct
e
d
t
o
n
o
ur
ish
p
r
o
p
er
ly. She
w
o
u
ld
k
ee
p
h
e
r p
e
ac
e
.
Le
t
thi
n
gs
li
e
.
T
he
be
st
gift
she c
o
u
ld
g
ive
G
a
rre
tt
r
ight
n
o
w was
t
o
list
e
n,
t
o
t
r
y
t
o
h
e
ar
what
h
is
h
e
a
r
t
was saying
and
t
o
k
ee
p
h
e
r
m
o
u
th
s
h
u
t.
T
he
be
st
thing
s
he
c
o
u
ld
o
ff
e
r
h
im was h
e
r
sil
e
nce
and
h
e
r
h
e
lp.

*
*
*
*
*

L
iv
t
ur
n
e
d
to
s
e
e
the ta
r
nish
e
d
m
e
tal
s
h
ee
n
o
f
h
i
s
e
y
e
s,
his
face w
e
nt
l
e
an,
his
n
o
se sha
r
p
er
.
She
s
m
il
ed
,
re
aching
u
p to
t
o
u
ch
G
a
rre
tt.
“
Ar
e
y
o
u
o
k
ay?”

He
b
a
r
k
e
d
l
a
u
ght
er
,
the
s
o
u
nd
o
f
his
b
ase
n
at
ur
e
in
th
er
e
f
o
r
h
e
r
t
o
h
e
a
r
.
A

^{ru
m
b
ling
q
u
ick
e
ning
o
f
bre
ath.
He
s
h
oo
k
h
is h
e
a
d
.
“
Y
o
u’r
e
as
k
ing me
if
I’
m
o
kay?”}

“
Y
o
u’r
e
flick
er
ing,”
she
man
a
g
ed
.
E
ach
bre
ath
was
l
i
ke
fi
r
e
i
n
h
e
r
l
u
ngs.
E
ach
w
o
r
d like a
r
az
o
r
s
li
d
ing
o
v
e
r h
e
r
lips.
E
v
er
ything
h
ur
t.
H
e
r
fac
e
,
h
e
r t
o
e
s,
h
e
r
st
o
mach,
h
e
r h
e
a
d
,
h
e
r
e
a
r
s
r
ang
and
ach
e
d
l
ike
s
o
m
e
o
ne
had
sh
o
v
e
d
ice
picks
in
t
o
h
e
r
e
ar
dru
ms. H
e
r
scalp sang
wh
er
e
the
p
re
ss
ur
e
o
f
e
ach
h
air
p
r
o
t
rud
ing
f
r
o
m
h
e
r
sk
i
n
c
re
at
e
d
pain. H
e
r
e
y
e
s
w
er
e
dr
y
a
nd
h
o
t, h
e
r
t
o
ng
u
e
like
s
a
n
d
pap
er
.
G
a
rre
tt
h
e
ld
a
g
lass
t
o
h
e
r
lips and
she
s
ipp
e
d
a
l
ittl
e
.
H
e
r
s
t
o
mach s
e
iz
e
d
in a c
r
amp.