Dancing Tides (33 page)

She
shook h
e
r
h
ea
d
a
t the
blossoms, the
d
r
oo
p
y
l
e
a
v
e
s.
F
i
r
st
c
h
a
n
c
e
she
g
o
t she
n
ee
d
e
d to h
ea
d ov
e
r
to
T
h
e
Pl
a
nt
H
a
bit
a
t
a
nd
g
e
t a
s
e
r
ious h
ea
ds up on how
to
g
r
ow
d
a
isi
e
s, oth
erw
ise
th
e
y
wer
e
a
ll
g
oi
n
g
to
w
ith
e
r
aw
a
y
a
nd d
i
e
—just like
h
e
r
g
ra
nd
p
are
nts.

She
si
g
h
e
d.
O
k
a
y
, so m
a
y
b
e
s
h
e
kn
e
w
a
little
som
e
thing
a
bout
d
e
p
re
ssion.
L
osi
n
g
h
e
r
g
r
a
ndp
a
r
e
nts h
a
d b
e
e
n h
e
ar
tb
r
e
a
king
a
nd di
ff
i
c
ult.
B
ut d
e
sp
a
i
r
, no m
a
tt
e
r
h
o
w
d
ee
p, didn
’
t m
ea
n sui
c
ide
wa
s
e
v
e
r
the
a
n
s
wer
.

She
h
a
d to g
e
t the
im
a
g
e
of
the
m
a
n
’
s
e
y
e
s out of
h
e
r
h
ea
d. She
didn
’
t
wa
n
t to
c
onsid
e
r how
a
n
y
one
c
ould
b
e
th
a
t d
ea
d inside
e
no
u
g
h to
wa
nt to
e
nd it
a
ll.

B
e
c
a
use
b
e
ing
d
o
w
n didn
’
t m
ea
n
y
ou h
a
d to
g
ive
up.
A
h
we
ll,
w
h
a
t she
n
e
e
d
e
d now
w
a
s a
hot sho
wer
, a
m
ea
l,
a
nd
out of
th
e
se
d
a
mn
e
d
w
e
t
c
loth
e
s.

Af
t
e
r
a
ll, Co
r
d
B
e
nn
e
tt
w
a
sn
’
t h
e
r
p
r
ob
l
e
m.

A
f
t
e
r
f
o
u
r
long
months
o
f
h
a
ving
t
h
e
house
to h
e
r
s
e
lf
Ke
e
g
a
n still
c
ouldn
’
t quite
g
e
t us
e
d to
c
oming
home
to the
sil
e
n
c
e
of
it sitting
e
mp
t
y
.

A
s soon
a
s she
op
e
n
e
d t
h
e
fr
ont door
a
nd st
e
pp
e
d
into the
lon
g
,
r
e
c
t
a
n
g
ul
a
r
living
r
oom,
G
uinn
e
ss b
ar
r
e
l
e
d p
a
st
h
er
, slidin
g
,
a
s
h
e
a
l
w
a
y
s
did, on the
w
ide
-
pl
a
nk
e
d
c
h
er
r
y
w
ood
f
loo
r
s.

W
e
t
a
nd
c
old, she
e
y
e
d
t
he
t
a
il
-w
a
g
g
i
n
g
d
o
g
.
“Y
o
u h
a
ve
to be
a
s hu
n
g
r
y
a
s
I
a
m.
O
k
a
y
f
in
e
,
y
ou
g
e
t
f
ood
f
i
r
st t
h
e
n
I
g
e
t a
hot sho
w
er
.”

She
h
ea
d
e
d to the
kit
c
h
e
n
a
nd the
p
a
nt
r
y
w
h
er
e
s
he
sto
re
d the
d
o
g
f
ood.
S
c
ooping
out a
g
e
n
er
ous po
r
tion, she
h
e
a
p
e
d it into his dish,
a
nd
t
h
e
n m
a
de
a
d
a
sh
f
or
the
s
t
a
i
r
s.
A
ll the
w
a
y
up she
h
ear
d t
h
e
sound of
G
uinn
e
ss
cr
un
c
hi
n
g
his
w
a
y
th
r
o
u
g
h his
c
ho
w
.

O
n
c
e
she
g
ot to the
b
a
t
h
r
oom, she
tu
r
n
e
d on the
w
a
t
e
r
a
nd
b
e
g
a
n unl
a
c
ing h
e
r
sho
e
s. She toss
e
d th
e
m into the
h
a
ll
w
a
y
a
nd st
ar
t
e
d p
ee
li
n
g
o
f
f
h
e
r
top th
e
n
h
e
r
j
e
a
ns.

She
st
e
pp
e
d und
e
r
the
h
o
t sp
r
a
y
,
a
nd t
r
i
e
d to
c
a
lm do
w
n
fr
om the
o
r
d
ea
l
a
t
t
he
pi
er
.
I
t
wa
sn
’
t
e
v
e
r
y
d
a
y
she
p
l
a
y
e
d li
f
e
g
u
ar
d
a
nd s
a
v
e
d s
o
m
e
on
e’
s li
fe
,
e
s
p
ec
i
a
l
l
y
s
i
nc
e
t
ha
t som
e
one didn
’
t
wa
nt to be
s
a
v
e
d.

W
h
a
t
w
ould m
a
ke
a
p
er
s
on do th
a
t, she
w
ond
e
r
e
d
a
s she
us
e
d h
e
r
fa
mili
a
r
a
p
r
i
c
ot s
cr
ub to
g
e
t the
s
e
a
wa
t
e
r
a
nd
s
a
lt o
f
f
h
e
r
skin.

She
did h
e
r
b
e
st to hu
r
r
y
b
eca
use
d
a
mn it, she
wa
s
st
ar
vin
g
—
a
nd she
n
e
e
d
e
d to
f
ind the s
e
a
lion.
B
ut a
little
thou
g
ht n
a
gg
e
d in the
b
ac
k
o
f
h
e
r
mind
a
nd
w
ouldn
’
t
l
e
t
g
o.
I
f
she
h
a
dn
’
t b
ee
n out on the
wa
t
e
r
lo
o
king
f
or
t
h
e
inju
re
d pup,
she
n
e
v
e
r
w
ould h
a
ve
b
e
e
n
ar
ound
w
h
e
n Co
r
d
B
e
nn
e
tt
w
e
nt into the
w
a
t
er
.

H
e
c
ould be
d
ea
d
r
i
g
ht
n
o
w
, d
r
o
w
n
e
d
f
r
om his o
w
n stupidi
t
y
.
T
h
er
e
w
a
s som
e
thing
p
a
t
he
tic
a
bout th
a
t.

B
y
the
time
K
ee
g
a
n
e
m
e
r
g
e
d
fro
m the
b
a
th
r
oom,
war
m
e
r
a
nd
c
l
e
a
n
er
, it
w
a
s
a
lmost
e
i
g
ht
-
thi
r
t
y
.