Ember (42 page)

He
r
f
a
th
e
r’s
body
visibly
r
e
coil
e
d
,
his
e
y
e
s
going
w
id
e.
B
u
t
h
e
r
ebo
un
ded
q
u
i
ck
l
y
.
“
Y
ou
h
a
v
e
n
ot
r
ea
c
h
ed
y
o
u
r
ma
jority
,
Da
ught
e
r
.
I
m
ost
c
e
rt
a
inly
c
a
n
stop
you
.
”

“
And
we
mos
t
ce
rt
a
i
n
l
y
can
r
un
o
ff
t
o
G
r
e
t
na
G
r
een
shou
l
d
we
need
t
o,
”
she
snapped
back.
“
L
i
ke
you
and
mo
t
he
r
d
i
d.
O
r
have
you
f
o
r
go
tt
en?
”

He
was
t
u
r
n
i
ng
t
oo
r
ed.
A
v
i
b
r
a
ti
ng
ange
r
made
h
i
s
hands
shake.
Soon
he
wou
l
d
s
t
a
rt
t
h
r
ow
i
ng
t
h
i
ngs.

Ma
rtin
st
e
pp
e
d
a
round
h
e
r
.
“
S
ir
,
w
e
n
ee
d
not
go
to
such
l
e
ngths
.
I
know
you
worry
,
but
I
w
ill
t
a
k
e
c
a
r
e
of
h
e
r
.
I
s
wea
r
.
”

I
t
took
a
m
o
me
nt
for
Fa
th
e
r
to
mee
t
his
g
aze,
as
h
e
wa
s
too
int
e
nt
on
gl
a
ring
a
hol
e
through
M
ir
a
nd
a
’s
skull
.
H
is
g
aze
soft
e
n
e
d
on
Ma
rtin
.
“
A
s
I
said,
boy
,
it
h
a
s
noth
i
ng
to
do
w
ith
you
.
”

“
Then
why
don
’t
you
t
e
ll
us
wha
t
it
does
have
t
o
do
w
it
h?
”
M
ir
anda
said.
A
wa
r
n
i
ng
p
l
ucked
at
he
r
sp
i
ne.
She
wou
l
d
no
t
li
ke
h
i
s
answe
r
.

Ma
rti
n
caugh
t
he
r
by
t
he
shou
l
de
r
.
“
M
ir
anda,
”
he
s
a
i
d
so
ftl
y,
ye
t
w
it
h
a
ha
r
d
l
ook
i
n
h
i
s
eyes.
“
Le
t
me
hand
l
e
t
h
i
s.
”

“
No.
”
She
t
ook
h
i
s
hand
and
gripped
it
ha
r
d.
“
We
hand
l
e
t
h
i
ngs
t
oge
t
he
r
.
”

A
m
uscl
e
in
Ma
rtin’s
j
aw
bunch
e
d
,
but
h
e
squ
eeze
d
h
e
r
h
a
nd
b
a
ck
.

“
Y
o
u
’
r
e
de
t
e
rm
i
n
ed,
t
h
e
n
?”
Fa
t
h
er
s
a
i
d,
b
r
ea
k
i
n
g
t
h
e
i
r
st
a
l
ema
t
e.

M
i
r
a
n
da
e
y
ed
h
i
m
w
ea
r
i
l
y
.
H
i
s
q
u
e
s
t
i
on
w
as
odd
i
n
i
t
s
t
one.
“
Yes.
”

Fa
t
he
r
r
ubbed
h
i
s
ch
i
n
t
hough
tf
u
ll
y.
“
Then
Ma
rti
n
needs
a
p
r
ope
r
j
ob.
A
c
l
e
r
k
’
s
sa
l
a
r
y
i
s
no
t
enough
t
o
suppo
rt
a
w
if
e.
”

Ma
rtin’s
h
ea
d
j
e
rk
e
d
up
.
T
h
e
hop
e
ful
light
in
his
e
y
e
s
,
a
nd
th
e
cunn
i
ng
look
in
h
e
r
f
a
th
e
r’s
,
h
a
d
M
ir
a
nd
a
’s sto
ma
ch
f
a
lli
ng.
“
S
ir
?
” Ma
rti
n
said.

“
Y
o
u
’
r
e
good
w
i
t
h
nu
m
be
r
s
,
”
h
er
f
a
t
h
er
s
a
i
d
t
o
h
i
m
.
“
Wha
t
do
you
say
t
o
my
mak
i
ng
you
sh
i
p
’
s
accoun
t
an
t
?
”

Ma
rti
n
s
t
epped
away
fr
om
he
r
.
She
f
e
lt
t
he
b
r
eak
as
if
a
phys
i
ca
l
t
e
t
he
r
had
been
cu
t
.
“
I
’
d
say
I
’ll
make
you
p
r
oud,
s
ir
.
”