Base Nature (123 page)

“
I’
m
fin
e
,”
s
he
said
bu
t
h
e
r
t
o
ng
u
e
s
ee
m
e
d
t
o
o
b
ig
a
nd
t
o
o
s
l
o
w
to
f
o
r
m
the w
o
rd
s. “W
o
rr
y
a
b
o
u
t…him.”
She
re
ally
had
to
f
o
r
ce
that
last
w
o
r
d
o
u
t
and
th
e
n
s
ur
p
r
isingly the
f
l
oo
r was
ru
shing
u
p
at
h
er
.
A
g
re
at
s
wift
b
l
u
r
o
f
y
e
ll
o
w
and white tile
and the f
ee
ling
o
f falling th
r
o
u
gh spac
e
.

*
*
*
*
*

K
e
lly p
u
sh
e
d
b
ack the
m
o
ttl
e
d
g
r
ay sw
e
ats.
“J
e
s
u
s. He
g
o
t h
e
r
t
oo
, Ch
e
st
er
.
Did
y
o
u n
o
t s
ee!
”

“
N
o
,
w
o
m
a
n,
I
d
id
n
o
t
s
ee
,
o
r
I
w
o
u
ld
have
said
s
o
m
e
thing.”
Ch
e
st
e
r
f
r
o
wn
e
d
at h
er
,
his
b
o
d
y
s
e
t
with
t
e
nsi
o
n.
He
be
nt
and
e
xamin
e
d
the
w
o
u
n
d
.
“
Be
n,
y
o
u m
i
ght
have an
o
th
e
r
pati
e
nt.”

Be
n
ru
sh
e
d
o
v
e
r
as
Me
lissa,
sc
rub
b
e
d
and
f
o
c
u
s
ed
,
p
re
pp
e
d
G
a
rre
tt
f
o
r the
w
o
r
k th
e
y
h
ad
t
o
d
o
. “What kind
o
f
k
nife
w
a
s it?
Si
l
v
er
?”

“Y
e
ah, y
o
u
k
n
o
w
A
.J., he
n
e
v
e
r
d
o
e
s
a
n
ything half-
a
ss
ed
.”

“He
s
h
o
u
ld
b
e
st
ru
ng
u
p
b
y
h
i
s
t
o
e
s
f
o
r
this,”
Be
n
s
a
i
d
,
g
e
tting
a
cl
o
s
e
r
l
o
o
k.
“I think
it
’
s
fine
bu
t
sh
e’
ll
n
ee
d
stitch
e
s.
E
v
e
n
with f
o
o
d
and
h
e
ali
n
g
tim
e
,
it
w
i
ll
take
a g
o
o
d l
o
n
g
time
f
o
r
that
to
c
l
o
se
o
n
its
o
wn.
T
he silv
e
r
h
as
n
e
c
r
o
tiz
e
d
s
o
me
o
f
the tiss
ue
. So
we
n
ee
d
to
h
e
lp
h
e
r
o
u
t
and
c
l
o
se
it
u
p
s
o
inf
e
cti
o
n
d
o
e
sn
’
t
s
e
t
in. K
e
lly,
ru
n
and
g
e
t Sa
br
ina.
Sh
e’
s
bee
n
h
e
lping
i
n
the
clinic.
Sh
e’
ll
k
n
o
w
h
o
w
to
h
o
o
k
u
p
the
gl
u
c
o
se
and g
e
t
h
e
r
s
e
t
u
p so
I
can stitch h
e
r
u
p
n
e
xt.”

“J
e
s
u
s,
p
oo
r
gi
r
l. So
m
u
ch
t
r
a
u
ma
f
o
r
s
u
ch
a s
h
o
r
t
lif
e
,”
Ch
e
st
e
r
sai
d
,
picki
n
g
L
iv
u
p and
ca
rr
ying
h
e
r
t
o
a c
o
t.

“
A
.J.
s
h
o
u
ld
b
e
ru
n
o
u
t
o
n
a
r
ail.”
Be
n
re
t
ur
n
e
d
to
G
a
rre
tt
and
s
napp
e
d
o
n a f
re
sh pair
o
f g
l
o
v
e
s.

“She
was a kill
er
. A
m
urde
r
e
r
acc
o
rd
ing to
l
aw.
A
nd
pack law says—”

“
Y
o
u
k
n
o
w as w
e
ll as I
d
o
, Ch
e
s, that
pack law can
b
e
p
re
tty
d
amn a
r
chaic.”

Ch
e
st
e
r
s
e
ttl
e
d
L
iv
a
nd
bru
sh
e
d
h
e
r
hair
o
u
t
o
f
h
e
r
fac
e
.
He
s
a
id
n
o
thing.
T
h
e
y
’
d have
to
w
o
r
k it all
o
u
t wh
e
n
G
a
rre
tt
and
his mate
w
er
e
be
tt
e
r
.