Ember (3 page)

been
j
ea
lously
cov
e
ting
his
knowl
e
dg
e
e
v
e
r
sinc
e.
“
D
on
e.
N
o
w
quit
st
a
lling
.
”

Look
i
ng
grim
and
squ
i
n
t
y,
she
li
cked
he
r
fi
nge
r
s
and
snu
ff
ed
ou
t
t
he
cand
l
e.
Da
r
kness
cove
r
ed
t
hem.
They
sa
t
hudd
l
ed
t
oge
t
he
r
,
t
he
ir
exc
it
ed
b
r
ea
t
h
i
ng
com
i
ng
ou
t
i
n
sma
ll
pan
t
s—one
wou
l
d
neve
r
adm
it
it
t
o
t
he
o
t
he
r
,
bu
t
t
hey
we
r
e
bo
t
h
a
fr
a
i
d
of
t
he
da
r
k.

“
Go
on.
”
He
nudged
he
r
knee.
“
Do
it
,
t
hen.
”
“
I
w
ill
,
”
came
a
g
irli
sh
snap.
“
Now
hush.
”

In
t
he
da
r
k,
she
w
ri
gg
l
ed,
fi
dd
li
ng
w
it
h
t
he
f
o
l
ds
of
he
r
sk
irt
,
unawa
r
e
t
ha
t
f
a
t
e
t
eemed
abou
t
he
r
,
sw
irli
ng
li
ke
a
we
ll
-s
tirr
ed
soup.
A
spa
r
k
sho
t
ou
t
li
ke
a
s
t
a
r
tr
a
ili
ng
ac
r
oss
t
he
n
i
gh
t
sky.
I
t
caugh
t
t
he
cand
l
ew
i
ck,
li
gh
ti
ng
it
i
ns
t
an
tl
y.

“
See,
”
she
said,
beam
i
ng.
“
I
t
o
l
d
you
I
cou
l
d
do
it
.
”

She
had
a
ri
gh
t
t
o
be
p
r
oud.
No
o
t
he
r
girl
on
ea
rt
h
unde
r
s
t
ood
fir
e
t
he
way
she
d
i
d.
How
it
came
a
li
ve,
li
ke
a
newbo
r
n
sou
l
.
And
how,
li
ke
a
sou
l
,
it
s
tr
ove
t
o
li
ve,
d
i
d
a
ll
it
cou
l
d
t
o
ensu
r
e
it
s
su
r
v
i
va
l
.
For
as
l
ong
as
she
cou
l
d
r
emembe
r
,
fir
e
had
been
he
r
fri
end.
I
t
ca
ll
ed
t
o
he
r
own
sou
l
,
c
r
ea
t
e
me,
se
t
me
fr
ee.
Fire
made
he
r
i
nv
i
nc
i
b
l
e–we
ll
nea
rl
y.

The
ti
ny
fl
ame
fli
cke
r
ed
as
t
he
girl
l
aughed,
bu
t
she
se
t
t
he
cand
l
e
down
i
n
has
t
e.
I
t
t
ee
t
e
r
ed,
paus
i
ng
midair
f
o
r
one
ha
rr
ow
i
ng
momen
t
,
t
hen
f
e
ll
i
n
t
o
a
t
owe
ri
ng
ba
l
e
of
co
tt
on.
The
li
gh
t
of
t
he
fl
ames
ill
um
i
na
t
ed
t
he
r
ounded
f
aces
of
t
he
ch
il
d
r
en,
d
i
s
t
o
rti
ng
t
he
l
ook
of
t
e
rr
o
r
t
ha
t
came
ove
r
t
hem
as
t
he
co
tt
on
ba
l
e
i
gn
it
ed
as
f
as
t
as
a
d
r
ess
b
r
ush
i
ng
a
coa
l
fir
e.

W
ith
a
n
ea
r
hu
ma
n
ro
a
r
,
th
e
fl
ame
s
e
ngulf
e
d
th
e
cotton
,
sw
a
llowing
it
who
l
e
as
though
it
w
e
r
e
a
s
ma
ll
sn
a
ck
for
its
hung
e
r
.
U
ns
a
tisfi
e
d
,
it
r
ea
ch
e
d
out
w
ith
a
r
e
d
tongu
e
to
t
a
st
e
a
noth
e
r
b
a
l
e.

T
h
e
boy
gr
a
bb
e
d
his
ma
t
e
’s
h
a
nd
a
nd
pull
e
d
h
e
r
h
a
rd
.

“
Run,
”
he
sc
r
eamed,
yank
i
ng
he
r
a
l
ong,
f
o
r
she
’
d
gone
wh
it
e
as
pas
t
e,
tr
ans
fi
gu
r
ed
by
t
he
fir
e
she
had
s
t
a
rt
ed.
I
t
r
ose
above
t
hem,
a
l
ev
i
a
t
han
fr
om
he
ll
ea
ti
ng
a
ll
i
n
it
s
pa
t
h
be
f
o
r
e
t
u
r
n
i
ng
on
t
hem,
sna
rli
ng
and
r
o
lli
ng,
b
l
ack
and
ho
t
.