Ember (61 page)

“
I
’
m
no
t
one
t
o
gad
abou
t
i
n
bed.
Un
l
ess,
”
he
’
d
wagged
h
i
s
b
r
ows
at
he
r
,
“it’
s
f
o
r
a
b
it
of
pump
and
s
tr
ump.
”

T
h
a
t
n
a
us
ea
ting
e
xch
a
ng
e
aside,
h
e
a
ctu
a
lly
ma
d
e
good
co
m
p
a
ny
,
as
h
e
didn’t
try
to
fill
th
e
sil
e
nc
e
or
look
at
h
e
r
w
ith
pity
.

A
w
a
r
m
br
eeze
brush
e
d
ov
e
r
th
em
wh
e
n
h
e
fin
a
lly
spok
e.
“
We
shou
l
d
be
p
a
rtn
e
rs
.
”

M
ir
anda
s
tirr
ed.
“
Pa
rt
ne
r
s?
”
Hav
i
ng
c
ri
ed
on
and
o
ff
f
o
r
t
wo
days,
he
r
t
h
r
oa
t
was
now
ti
gh
t
,
and
t
he
wo
r
ds
came
ou
t
i
n
a
c
r
oak.

He
caugh
t
he
r
eye
and
l
aughed.
“
Smoo
t
h
you
r
r
u
ffl
es,
it
a
i
n
’t
li
ke
t
ha
t
w
it
h
you.
”
H
i
s
f
ace
t
w
i
s
t
ed
w
it
h
wha
t
M
ir
anda
cou
l
d
on
l
y
ga
t
he
r
was
ex
tr
eme
concen
tr
a
ti
on.
“
Fo
r
a
ll
my
gammon,
I
don
’t
ac
t
ua
ll
y
wan
t
…
I
t’
s
f
unny
,
wha
t
w
it
h
you
l
ook
i
ng
li
ke
b
r
ass
t
acks
an
a
ll
,
bu
t
I
don
’t
get
a
s
tiff
y
when

I
’
m
nex
t
t
o
you.
”

S
h
e
snort
e
d
th
e
n
,
but
sob
e
r
e
d
at
his
m
ildly
insult
e
d
e
xpr
e
ssion
.
“
T
h
a
t’s
a
ll
right
.
I
don’t
find
you
a
ttr
a
ctiv
e
in
th
a
t
way
e
it
he
r
.
”

He
nodded
t
hough
tf
u
ll
y.
“
I
t’
s
li
ke
you
’r
e
my
s
i
s
t
e
r
Ne
ll
or
some
t
h
i
ng.
”

“
Y
ou
h
a
v
e
a
s
i
s
t
e
r
?”
W
o
u
l
d
s
h
e
w
o
rr
y
o
v
er
h
i
m
?
W
o
n
der
wh
e
r
e
h
e
’d
gon
e
?

“
Ha
d
.
”
He
toss
e
d
a
fl
a
k
e
of
pl
a
st
e
r
off
th
e
side,
a
nd
th
e
y
w
a
tch
e
d
it
bounc
e
ov
e
r
a
rubbish
bin
.
“Died
six
y
ea
rs
b
a
ck
.
”

Gen
tl
y,
she
t
ouched
h
i
s
e
l
bow.
“
I
’
m
so
rr
y.
”

“
S
’
a
ll
ri
gh
t
.
”
They
we
r
e
s
il
en
t
f
o
r
a
momen
t
.
“
Way
I
see
it
,
you
need
a
d
i
s
tr
ac
ti
on
and
b
l
un
t
.
”
He
sh
r
ugged,
t
hen
w
i
nced,
be
f
o
r
e
eas
i
ng
h
i
mse
lf
i
n
t
o
a
mo
r
e
com
f
o
rt
ab
l
e
pos
iti
on.
“
I
need
b
l
un
t
and
a
pa
rt
ne
r
who
’
s
f
ea
rl
ess
li
ke
me.
”
He
s
li
d
he
r
a
s
i
de
l
ong
g
l
ance.
“Besides,
you
r
lil’
sec
r
e
t
packs
mo
r
e
punch
t
han
bo
t
h
of
Geo
r
ge
t
he
Hamme
r’
s
a
r
ms
pu
t
t
oge
t
he
r
.
And
eve
r
y
sens
i
b
l
e
body
f
ea
r
s
h
i
s
h
it
.
”

She
s
tiff
ened.
“
I
won
’t
do
t
ha
t
aga
i
n.
Eve
r
.
”

“
Y
ou
w
i
ll
,
”
h
e
s
a
i
d
w
i
t
h
u
tt
er
c
o
n
v
i
c
t
i
o
n
.
“
A
c
at
c
o
r
n
e
r
ed
w
i
l
l
u
s
e
h
er
c
l
a
w
s
.
A
n
d
w
h
y
s
h
o
u
l
d
n
’
t
s
h
e,
e
h
?
Y
o
u
’
l
l
f
i
n
d
you
r
se
lf
t
hank
f
u
l
f
o
r
t
ha
t
fir
e
aga
i
n
one
day,
ma
r
k
me.
”