Ember (49 page)

Ma
rti
n
d
r
opped
B
ill
y
as
if
t
he
man
had
t
u
r
ned
t
o
li
ve
coa
l
s
and
i
ns
t
ead
t
u
r
ned
h
i
s
g
l
a
r
e
on
he
r
.
“
Who
i
s
t
h
i
s?
”

“
B
ill
y
F
i
nge
r
,
”
she
s
a
i
d
ba
l
d
l
y.

W
h
e
n
Ma
rtin’s
bro
w
s
ros
e,
sh
e
gri
ma
c
e
d
.
“
He
’s
conv
a
l
e
scing
.
”

“
M
or
e
lik
e
b
e
ing
h
e
ld
c
a
ptiv
e
in
a
ma
dhous
e,
”
Billy
m
utt
e
r
e
d
.
But
th
e
r
e
wa
s
r
ea
l
a
nd
deep
p
a
in
e
tch
e
d
into
th
e
lin
e
s
of
his
f
a
c
e.
G
i
ng
e
r
l
y
,
h
e
ea
s
e
d
hi
m
s
e
lf
into
a
b
e
tt
e
r
position
on
th
e
bed.
M
ir
a
nd
a
w
e
nt
to
hi
m
a
nd
off
e
r
e
d
up
a
p
a
ck
e
t
of
p
a
in
po
w
d
e
rs
.

“
Why
i
s
he
conva
l
esc
i
ng
he
r
e?
”
Ma
rti
n
asked
as
she
moved
t
o
pou
r
B
ill
y
a
cup
of
wa
t
e
r
.
“
And
why
d
i
d
you
no
t
t
e
ll
me
abou
t
h
i
m?
”

M
ir
a
nd
a
p
a
us
e
d
b
e
for
e
th
e
wa
t
e
r
e
w
e
r
.
He
r
h
a
nd

ti
gh
t
ened
on
t
he
ti
n
cup.
“
I
mean
t
t
o
t
e
ll
you.
The
o
t
he
r
day.
When
Fa
t
he
r
f
ound
us.
”
S
l
ow
l
y
she
t
u
r
ned.
“
We
we
r
e
d
i
s
tr
ac
t
ed.
”

Ma
rtin
nodd
e
d
,
but
his
g
aze
slid
ov
e
r
B
ill
y
.
T
h
e
lin
e
of
his
j
aw
bunch
e
d
.
He
turn
e
d
b
a
ck
to
h
e
r
w
ith
a
point
e
d
look
.

M
ir
a
nd
a
took
an
unst
ea
dy
br
ea
th
.

“G
o
o
n
,
”
B
i
ll
y
s
a
i
d
w
i
t
h
an
u
g
l
y
s
m
i
l
e.
“
T
e
l
l
h
i
m
,
or
doesn
’t
he
know
abou
t
you?
”

“
S
hut
your
m
outh
,
”
Ma
rtin
s
a
id
to
hi
m
b
e
for
e
h
e
look
e
d
at
M
ir
a
nd
a
onc
e
m
or
e.

“
I
bu
r
ned
h
i
m.
”
The
con
f
ess
i
on
was
a
wh
i
spe
r
,
caugh
t
i
n
he
r
t
h
r
oa
t
.

“
W
h
a
t?
”
Ma
rtin
s
a
id
it
so
fl
a
t
a
nd
thin
th
a
t
sh
e
m
ight
h
a
v
e
m
iss
e
d
it
.
But
sh
e
didn’t
.
He
r
h
ea
rt
pound
e
d
a
f
ea
rful
rhyth
m.

“
I.
Burn
e
d
.
H
i
m.
”
S
h
e
e
nunci
a
t
e
d
ea
ch
w
ord
,
as
if
doing
so
didn’t
pi
e
rc
e
h
e
r
soul
w
ith
guilt
.
As
if
it
didn’t
hurt
to
s
ee
Ma
rtin
w
inc
e.

Ma
rti
n
t
ook
a
s
t
ep
back.
“
Good
god,
M
ir
anda.
Why?
”
He
g
l
anced
at
B
ill
y,
who
lift
ed
h
i
s
ch
i
n
as
if
t
o
say,
you
see
who
you
wan
t
t
o
wed?
B
ill
y
’
s
bu
r
ns
we
r
e
s
till
ang
r
y
and
r
aw.
Ug
l
y
sca
r
s
wou
l
d
cove
r
h
i
s
a
r
ms
and
uppe
r
t
o
r
so
till
t
he
day
he
d
i
ed.
Ma
rti
n
’
s
mou
t
h
t
w
i
s
t
ed.
When
he
f
aced
he
r
aga
i
n,
h
i
s
go
l
den
eyes
we
r
e
co
l
d.
“
Why
wou
l
d
you
do
such
a
t
h
i
ng?
”