Ember (36 page)

“
W
hy
a
r
e
you
following
me,
a
nyw
a
y?
”
S
h
e
’d
h
a
v
e
th
a
t
m
uch
out
of
hi
m
b
e
for
e
sh
e
ma
d
e
hi
m
r
e
gr
e
t
this
d
a
y
.
E
v
e
n
now
,
h
e
r
v
e
ins
throbb
e
d
w
ith
r
e
pr
e
ss
e
d
n
ee
d
as
h
e
r
po
we
r
w
ok
e
up
w
ithin
h
e
r
.

He
r
an
a
t
ongue
ove
r
h
i
s
t
ee
t
h.
“
Been
wa
t
ch
i
n
’
you
p
i
nch
pocke
t
s.
”
Hook
i
ng
one
fi
nge
r
i
n
h
i
s
s
tr
aps
as
t
hough
he
had
no
t
h
i
ng
t
o
f
ea
r
fr
om
he
r
,
he
s
t
ood
s
tr
a
i
gh
t
e
r
.
“
Good
wo
r
k
f
o
r
a
bour
.
”

“
Y
ou
do
be
tt
e
r
,
do
y
o
u
?”
s
h
e
h
edged.
P
e
r
h
aps
s
h
e
could
sc
a
r
e
hi
m
off
w
ith
h
e
r
knif
e
b
e
for
e
things
got
out
of
h
a
nd
.
T
h
e
n
sh
e
pro
m
ptly
curs
e
d
h
e
rs
e
lf
as
sh
e
r
emem
b
e
r
e
d
it
l
a
y
deep
w
ithin
th
e
c
a
v
e
rns
of
h
e
r
purs
e.
S
tupid
.
S
o
b
l
oody
s
t
up
i
d.

“
I
’
ve
got
no
need
t
o
go
d
i
pp
i
ng.
The
spo
rt’
s
f
o
r
chavys
and
t
w
i
s
t
s
anyhow.
No
t
t
ha
t
you
a
i
n
’t
a
fi
ne
w
ir
e
r
.
Tha
t
l
as
t
b
it
of
pocke
t
f
ann
i
ng
was
a
wo
r
k
o’
a
rt
.
”

“
I
suppose
he
r
e
i
s
whe
r
e
I
say
t
hank
you?
”
He
r
t
one
was
sn
i
de
bu
t
she
was
shamed
t
o
adm
it
t
ha
t
a
ce
rt
a
i
n
pride
swe
ll
ed
at
h
i
s
p
r
a
i
se
of
he
r
p
i
ckpocke
ti
ng
abilities.
I
f
one
mus
t
endeavo
r
t
o
do
a
t
h
i
ng,
one
ough
t
t
o
do
it
we
ll
.

He
gave
a
s
li
gh
t
shake
t
o
h
i
s
head
as
if
t
o
pu
ll
h
i
mse
lf
back
on
tr
ack.
“
I
know
we
’
ve
c
r
ossed
tr
acks
be
f
o
r
e.
”
He
snapped
h
i
s
fi
nge
r
s.
“
An
a
ll
ey
!
R
i
gh
t
?
L
ik
e
t
h
i
s,
on
l
y
i
n
t
he
da
r
k.
”
He
s
t
epped
f
o
r
wa
r
d,
t
he
li
gh
t
of
t
he
r
eca
ll
ed
memo
r
y
i
n
h
i
s
eyes.
“
Some
pun
i
she
r
s
t
epped
ou
t
an
’
r
an
us
o
ff
.
”
H
i
s

eyes
na
rr
owed.
“
No
t
a
r
ound
now
t
hough,
i
s
he?
”

The
a
ir
abou
t
t
hem
t
h
i
ckened
w
it
h
i
n
t
en
t
.
M
ir
anda
shou
l
d
f
ea
r
,
and
ye
t
t
he
r
e
was
no
t
h
i
ng
l
e
ft
i
ns
i
de
he
r
now
bu
t
r
age
and
fr
us
tr
a
ti
on.

“
N
o
,
”
sh
e
said.
“
I
n
e
v
e
r
s
aw
hi
m
a
g
a
in
.
”
O
n
l
y
th
e
n
did
sh
e
f
ee
l
th
e
pinch
of
r
e
gr
e
t
,
a
nd
longing
.
For
on
e
w
ild
m
o
me
nt
,
sh
e
consid
e
r
e
d
pl
a
ying
th
e
victi
m
in
th
e
hop
e
s
th
a
t
h
e
r
d
a
rk
str
a
ng
e
r
wou
l
d
appear
a
g
a
in
,
lik
e
so
me
m
ythic
a
l
gu
a
rdi
a
n
a
ng
e
l
.