Blood From a Stone (14 page)

W
ill
ow
nodded,
suc
k
ed
on
t
he
s
tr
aw
and
s
t
a
rt
ed

m
o
v
i
ng
t
o
t
he
bea
t
.
I
t
w
as
j
ust
so
n
i
ce
t
o
l
et
g
o
and
g
et
a
w
ay
fr
om
a
l
l
t
he
p
r
essu
r
es
of
w
o
r
k
and
ha
v
e
so
m
e
ti
m
e
t
o
he
r
se
l
f
w
it
h a
fri
end and so
m
e
g
ood
m
us
i
c.

A
s
t
he
l
ast
song of
t
he
i
r
fir
st
set
be
g
an,
w
h
i
ch ha
p
pened
t
o
be
her
f
a
v
o
rit
e,
she
t
u
r
ned
180
de
g
r
ees
on
her heel
expec
ti
ng
S
asha
t
o be
t
he
r
e beh
i
nd her
and
y
e
l
l
ed, “
T
i
m
e
t
o dance
!
”

H
er
w
il
d
abandon
w
as
qu
i
c
k
l
y 
t
a
m
ed
w
hen
she
l
oo
k
ed
up
t
o
fi
nd
S
asha
w
as
headed
t
o
w
a
r
d
t
he
l
ad
ie
s
r
oo
m
, and
i
ns
t
ead
S
a
m
son
w
as
s
t
and
i
ng
t
he
r
e
.

“I
s
t
hat
an
i
n
v
it
e?” he sa
i
d, s
m
ili
n
g
.

“W
hat
a
r
e
you
do
i
ng he
r
e?”
S
he
see
m
ed
shoc
k
ed
t
o see
h
i
m and
sounded
a
l
m
ost
irrit
a
t
ed.
I
t
w
asn
‘
t
t
he
g
r
ee
ti
ng he
‘
d hoped
f
o
r
.

S
he
l
oo
k
ed
up
at
h
i
m
,
a
g
a
i
n
i
n
a
w
e
of
how
b
l
ue
h
i
s
e
y
es
r
ea
ll
y
w
e
r
e,
and
f
e
l
t
a
b
l
ush
c
r
eep
i
ng
up
her
nec
k
.
S
he
f
e
l
t
li
k
e a s
ill
y
school
g
irl
.

“W
hat
a
r
e
y
ou
m
y
m
o
t
he
r
?”
he
r
ep
li
ed
. “
I
ca
ll
ed

A
n
i
m
al
C
on
tr
o
l
.
E
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng
i
s
t
a
k
en ca
r
e o
f
.”

B
ut
t
he
r
eal
tr
u
t
h
w
as,
t
hat
a
ft
er
she
‘
d
g
one
i
n
t
o
t
he c
l
ub
w
it
h
her
fri
end,
he
‘
d
t
o
r
n
o
f
f
t
he
bo
tt
om ed
g
e
of
h
i
s b
l
oody s
l
ee
v
e
and
cu
ff
ed
t
he
r
e
m
a
i
nder
up o
v
er
h
i
s
f
o
r
ea
r
m
so no
tr
ace of
t
he s
t
a
i
n sho
w
ed.

A
nd
as he
’
d
tri
ed
t
o
l
ea
v
e
t
he scene and
g
o
i
ns
i
de
t
he
c
l
ub,
he
f
ound
t
hat
h
i
s
new
f
u
rr
y
fri
end
w
ou
l
dn
‘
t
s
t
op
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
f
o
ll
ow
h
i
m
.
I
t
r
e
f
used
t
o
l
ea
v
e
h
i
s
s
i
de,
so
he‘d
t
a
k
en
i
t
t
o
t
he
back
of
t
he
a
ll
ey 
w
he
r
e
i
t
w
as
w
a
r
m
e
r
,
f
ound
s
o
m
e
l
e
ft
o
v
er
r
es
t
au
r
ant
f
ood
f
or
i
t
t
o ea
t
,
g
r
abbed an
o
l
d box and so
m
e
r
a
gg
ed
t
o
w
e
l
s
and
ne
w
spape
r
s
fr
om
t
he
du
m
ps
t
er
and a
ft
er
g
en
tl
y c
l
ean
i
ng
t
he
b
l
ood
and
fr
o
t
h o
f
f
it
s
m
u
zz
l
e, he
’
d
m
ade
i
t
a bed, and
t
o
l
d
i
t
t
o
w
a
i
t
t
he
r
e
‘
ti
l
he ca
m
e ou
t
.