Ember (58 page)

“
T
od
a
y
wa
s
m
y
we
dding
d
a
y
.
”

Billy
gl
a
nc
e
d
at
h
e
r
fin
e
dr
e
ss
,
a
nd
his
e
y
e
s
w
id
e
n
e
d
.
“Bloody
h
e
ll
,
m
ot!
W
h
a
tch
a
doin’
h
e
r
e
?
Ge
t
on
w
ith
you
.
”

A
shaky
si
gh
pushed
t
h
r
ough
he
r
,
and
she
t
u
r
ned
t
o
f
ace
h
i
m
.
“
I
s
a
i
d
’
w
a
s
’
d
i
d
n
’
t
I
?”
B
l
ood
y
,
i
n
c
o
n
v
e
n
i
e
n
t
t
ea
r
s
.
T
h
ey
t
h
r
ea
t
ened
once
mo
r
e,
and
she
t
ook
ano
t
he
r
b
r
ea
t
h.
“
‘
Was
’
be
i
ng
pas
t
t
ense
of
’is,’
as
i
n
an
even
t
no
l
onge
r
occu
rri
ng.
”

B
ill
y
’
s
f
ace
sc
r
ewed
up
i
n
con
f
us
i
on,
bu
t
some
t
h
i
ng
mus
t
have
seeped
t
h
r
ough,
f
o
r
h
i
s
li
ps
t
h
i
nned
aga
i
n.
“
Wha
t
happened,
da
rli
n
’
?
”

O
dd
l
y
,
sh
e
found
h
e
rs
e
lf
sinking
to
sit
at
th
e
foot
of
th
e
bed.
“
He…
th
e
incid
e
nt
w
ith
you
…
”
M
ir
a
nd
a
focus
e
d
on
th
e
stitching
a
long
th
e
quilt
.
“
We
ll
,
it’s
don
e.
He
is
gon
e,
a
nd
w
e
w
on’t
be
ma
rri
e
d
.
”
De
sol
a
tion
wa
s
a
block
of
ic
e
in
h
e
r
ch
e
st
.

The
r
oom
wen
t
s
il
en
t
.
S
il
ence
was
no
t
wha
t
she
wan
t
ed.
S
il
ence
l
e
t
i
n
conve
r
sa
ti
ons
be
tt
e
r
l
e
ft
i
n
t
he
pas
t
.
Ma
rti
n
’
s
vo
i
ce
r
ang
i
n
he
r
ea
r
s
w
it
h
c
r
ys
t
a
l
c
l
a
rit
y.

“
He
c
a
ll
e
d
me
a
m
onst
e
r
,
”
sh
e
w
hisp
e
r
e
d
.
S
h
e
wou
l
d
not
cry
.

“
Tha
t
wo
rt
h
l
ess,
b
l
oody
bugge
ri
ng
sh
it
e.
”
B
ill
y
l
u
r
ched
as
he
tri
ed
once
mo
r
e
t
o
s
it
.
He
was
t
oo
weak
and
f
e
ll
back
w
it
h
a
cu
r
se.
“
He
’
s
on
l
y
sou
r
cuz
you
can
fr
y
h
i
m
li
ke
fi
sh
and
ch
i
ps.
”

S
h
e
s
m
il
e
d
without
hu
m
or
.
“
He
’s
a
fr
a
i
d
of
me
b
e
c
a
us
e
I
c
a
n
fry
hi
m
into
so
me
thing
r
e
s
em
bling
a
crisp
sl
a
b
of
whiting
.
”
T
h
e
s
m
il
e
f
a
d
e
d
.
“B
e
c
a
us
e
I
am
not
nor
ma
l
.
”
S
o
this
wa
s
wh
a
t
b
e
ing
a
ll
a
lon
e
f
e
lt
lik
e.
I
t
hurt
,
hurt
e
nough
to
ma
k
e
br
ea
thing
a
t
a
sk
.

“
Y
ou
w
a
n
t
m
e
t
o
do
h
i
m
do
w
n
?”
B
i
ll
y
’
s
e
y
es
b
l
a
z
ed.
“
I
know
a
coup
l
e
of
supe
ri
o
r
pun
i
she
r
s
who
’ll
nobb
l
e
h
i
m
un
til
he
’
s
a
s
t
a
i
n
on
t
he
cobb
l
es,
eh?
”

She
s
t
ood
and
w
r
enched
away
fr
om
t
he
bed.
“
I
f
t
he
r
e
’
s
anyone
t
hey
shou
l
d
be…
nobb
li
ng?
I
t
i
s
you.
”
She
t
u
r
ned
t
o
g
l
a
r
e
at
h
i
m
and
f
ound
h
i
s
mou
t
h
hang
i
ng
open
i
n
ou
tr
age.
“
T
h
i
s
i
s
y
o
u
r
f
a
u
l
t
,
y
ou
k
n
o
w
.
Y
ou
t
r
i
ed
t
o
r
ape
m
e!
G
od,
I
shou
l
d
have
l
e
t
you
bu
r
n.
I
shou
l
d
have
done
it
and
r
un
away
w
it
h
no
one
t
he
w
i
se
r
.
”