Ember (17 page)

“
W
hy
not?
”
Fa
th
e
r
a
sk
e
d
in
g
e
nuin
e
confusion
.
M
ir
a
nd
a
squir
me
d
in
h
e
r
hiding
pl
a
c
e
b
e
hind
th
e

C
h
i
n
e
s
e
s
il
k
sc
r
ee
n
i
n
t
h
e
d
r
a
w
i
n
g
r
oo
m
.

“
Ha
v
e
you
p
a
id
no
notic
e
to
th
e
child?
”
sh
e
r
e
tort
e
d
irrit
a
bly
.

“
O
f
cours
e
I
h
a
v
e,
Lilli
a
n
.
O
nly
e
ight
a
nd
sh
e
is
a
b
ea
uty
.
I
’
v
e
n
e
v
e
r
s
ee
n
h
e
r
e
qu
a
l
.
”
He
l
a
ugh
e
d
lightly
,
n
e
r
v
ou
s
l
y
.
G
r
a
nd
m
o
t
h
e
r
a
l
w
a
y
s
m
a
d
e
F
a
t
h
e
r
n
e
r
v
ou
s
.

“
I
f
ea
r
b
ea
uty
is
a
ll
sh
e
h
a
s
.
S
h
e
do
e
s
not
poss
e
ss
P
oppy
’
s
co
mm
on
s
e
ns
e
or
Da
i
sy
’
s
gift
for
conv
e
rs
a
tion
.
S
h
e
’
s
od
d
e
noug
h
a
s
i
t
i
s
,
w
h
a
t
w
i
t
h
…
”
G
r
a
nd
m
o
t
h
e
r
suck
e
d
in
a
br
ea
th
.

F
a
t
h
e
r
m
a
d
e
s
o
m
e
no
i
s
e
o
f
p
r
o
t
e
s
t
,
w
h
il
e
a
b
l
a
c
k
i
n
k
p
a
god
a
w
a
v
e
r
e
d
b
e
f
o
r
e
M
i
r
a
nd
a
’
s
e
y
e
s
.

“
E
nough
discussion
,
He
ctor
.
I
’
v
e
s
e
t
m
y
m
ind
to
this
.
We
sh
a
ll
c
a
ll
h
e
r
M
ir
a
nd
a.
I
t
is
h
e
r
tru
e
n
ame
a
ft
e
r
a
ll
.
Remem
b
e
r
,
He
ctor
,
v
a
nity
is
a
sin
.
M
i
r
a
nd
a
’
s
sins
a
r
e
gr
ea
t
e
nough
a
s
it
is
.
”

M
ir
a
nd
a
pr
e
ss
e
d
h
e
r
lips
tog
e
th
e
r
a
nd
fir
m
ly
shut
out
th
e
mem
ory
.
“
Just
do
not
c
a
ll
me
th
a
t
.
”
S
h
e
ought
to
t
e
ll
hi
m
why
,
but
could
not
ma
k
e
h
e
r
lips
for
m
th
e
w
ords
.

Ma
rti
n
scow
l
ed
bu
t
got
t
o
h
i
s
f
ee
t
eas
il
y
enough.

“
S
o
me
ti
me
s
,
I
don’t
und
e
rst
a
nd
you
.
”
He
h
e
ld
out
a
h
a
nd
.
“
Ha
v
e
you
a
ny
oth
e
r
ord
e
rs
for
th
e
day
or
ma
y
w
e
go?”

S
h
e
’d
hurt
his
f
ee
lings
.
I
t
s
eeme
d
sh
e
wa
s
quit
e
adept
at
hurt
i
ng
f
ee
lings
.
M
ir
a
nd
a
l
e
t
hi
m
h
e
lp
h
e
r
up
.
“
N
o
m
or
e
ord
e
rs
,
”
sh
e
s
a
id
softly
,
th
e
n
kissed
his
ch
ee
k
.
“
Just
th
a
t
.
”

H
i
s
exp
r
ess
i
on
t
u
r
ned
wa
r
m.
“
We
ll
’t
ha
t’
i
s
ve
r
y
n
i
ce
i
ndeed.
”

He
wa
s
a
sh
a
do
w
of
hi
m
s
e
lf
now
.
Sea
rching
,
s
ea
rching
,
a
lw
a
ys
s
ea
rching
.
For
a
cur
e.
Arch
e
r
squ
eeze
d
his
e
y
e
s
shut
,
blocking
out
th
e
vi
ew
of
y
e
t
a
noth
e
r
d
e
s
e
rt
.
T
h
e
urg
e
ncy
w
ithin
hi
m
h
a
d
not
di
m
inish
e
d
,
but
h
a
d
str
e
ngth
e
n
e
d
until
it
h
e
ld
his
m
uscl
e
s
in
a
tight
bond
.
He
cr
a
v
e
d
to
run
,
punch
,
sl
a
sh
,
a
nyth
i
ng
if
only
it
wou
l
d
ea
s
e
this
n
ee
d
.
But
th
e
r
e
wa
s
nothing
.
N
othing
e
xc
e
pt
to
k
ee
p
going
.