Ember (33 page)

He
g
a
v
e
h
e
r
a
light
shov
e,
s
e
nding
h
e
r
awa
y
fro
m
hi
m.
“
N
o
m
or
e
qu
e
stions
.
And
no
m
or
e
g
a
dding
a
bout
w
ith
Ma
rtin
E
v
a
ns
.
G
o
on
w
ith
you
now
.
D
o
as
I
t
a
ught
you
.
”
H
is
f
a
c
e
f
l
ush
e
d
a
ngry
a
nd
r
e
d
.
“
D
on’t
co
me
ho
me
em
pty
-
h
a
nd
e
d
e
ith
e
r
.
”

M
ir
anda
b
li
nked
at
h
i
m,
hum
ili
a
ti
on
wash
i
ng
ove
r
he
r
i
n
ho
t
waves.
W
it
h
a
ll
t
ha
t
she
was,
she
wan
t
ed
t
o
de
f
y
h
i
m
and
w
a
l
k
a
w
a
y
.
Y
et
s
h
e
c
o
u
l
d
n
e
v
er
f
o
r
get
f
i
n
d
i
n
g
h
i
m
hu
dd
l
ed on
t
he
fl
oo
r
i
n
t
he
f
am
il
y
pa
rl
o
r
when
she
’
d
f
o
ll
owed
t
he
sound
of
c
r
y
i
ng
one
co
l
d
n
i
gh
t
.
The
l
as
t
of
t
he
ir
va
l
uab
l
e
possess
i
ons
had
been
so
l
d,
and
t
he
house
was
an
emp
t
y
she
ll
.
M
ir
anda
had
kne
lt
beside
h
i
m
t
hen,
and
he
’
d
cu
rl
ed
up
aga
i
ns
t
he
r
as
if
he
was
t
he
babe
and
she
t
he
pa
r
en
t
.

“
I
c
a
nnot
los
e
this
hous
e,
M
ir
a
nd
a.
I
t
wa
s
th
e
dr
eam
th
a
t
pull
e
d
me
out
of
th
e
gutt
e
r
.
I
c
a
nnot
go
b
a
ck
th
e
r
e.
”

Ha
d
sh
e
th
e
a
bility
to
e
xpir
e
on
th
e
spot
,
sh
e
wou
l
d
h
a
v
e
don
e
so
th
e
n
.
“
I
t
w
ill
be
a
ll
right
,
”
sh
e
’d
said.
Lies.
N
o
on
e
wou
l
d
b
a
ck
hi
m
now
.
He
wa
s don
e for
as
a
me
rch
a
nt
.

H
i
s
f
r
a
i
l
h
a
n
d
h
ad
c
l
u
t
c
h
ed
h
er
s
l
ee
v
e.
“
Y
ou
h
a
v
e
t
o
h
e
l
p
m
e,
D
a
u
g
h
t
e
r
.
Y
ou
a
r
e
t
h
e
o
n
l
y
o
n
e
l
e
ft
.
T
h
e
l
o
y
a
l
t
y
of
o
t
h
e
r
s
has
sunk
t
o
t
he
l
eve
l
of
p
l
a
tit
udes
on
t
he
li
ps
of
cowa
r
ds.
”
He
had
l
ooked
at
he
r
t
hen,
spea
r
ed
he
r
hea
rt
w
it
h
h
i
s
r
ed—
r
i
mm
ed
e
y
e
s
.
“
B
u
t
n
ot
y
o
u
,
M
i
r
a
n
da
R
o
s
e.
Y
ou
w
i
l
l
s
t
ay
a
n
d
he
l
p
me,
won
’t
you?
”

E
v
e
ryon
e
e
ls
e
h
a
d
l
e
ft
.
S
h
e
h
a
d
st
a
y
e
d
b
e
c
a
us
e
it
wa
s
h
e
r
f
a
u
l
t
.
He
r
voic
e
cr
a
ck
e
d
wh
e
n
sh
e
spok
e.
“
Anyth
i
ng
.
I
’ll
do
any
t
h
i
ng.
”

And
she
s
till
wou
l
d.

The
ir
fi
gh
t
con
ti
nued
t
o
p
l
uck
at
M
ir
anda
’
s
ne
r
ves
an

hour
l
a
t
e
r
as
sh
e
stroll
e
d
a
long
at
a
d
e
corous
p
a
c
e,
h
e
r
skirts
sw
a
ying
e
v
e
r
so
s
li
ght
l
y
,
h
e
r
p
a
r
a
sol
—
nick
e
d
fro
m
a
distr
a
ct
e
d
l
a
dy
on
this
m
orning’s
o
m
nibus
rid
e—
up
a
nd
open
to
th
e
p
a
l
e
sunlight
.