Misplaced (120 page)

Driving
without
lights
reminded
her
of
the
times
when
she
an
d
Menef
r
a
ha
d
t
a
k
e
n
t
o
th
e
g
a
r
den’
s
p
oo
l
i
n
t
h
e
midd
l
e
o
f
t
h
e
night.
Unconsciously,
she
pulled
open
the
neck
of
her
s
w
eater
an
d
tucke
d
th
e
memor
y
o
f
Oli
v
e
r
’
s
s
w
ee
t
breat
h
an
d
gliding
hips inside Nando
r
’s pouch, next to her heart.

V
ictoria
pulled
se
v
eral
sheets
of
paper
from
her
pocket
and
handed them to her.

“What’s this?”

“Celeste’s will. She left it in the cabin.”

“What does it say?”

“Mostly
it
confers
her
wishes
regarding
her
estate.
She
left
mor
e
t
o
Chri
s
an
d
Lil
a
tha
n
i
n
th
e
previou
s
v
ersion
,
an
d
she
e
v
en had it witnessed and notarized.”

“When?”

“Three
days
ago.
She
made
me
executor
of
her
estate,
and
ga
v
e
instruction
s
tha
t
th
e
Square-4
canno
t
b
e
parcele
d
of
f
or
significantly
changed in any
w
ay.”

“If
she
knew
she
w
as
going
to
die,
couldn’t
she
ha
v
e
taken
action to pre
v
ent it?”

“Only
Celeste
could
ans
w
er
that;
the
point
is
that
she
knew.
Can you think of anything worse?”

“O
r
anyon
e
bra
v
er,
”
Khar
a
adde
d
a
s
sh
e
looke
d
a
w
ay
,
determine
d
no
t
t
o
dra
w
a
t
tentio
n
t
o
th
e
tear
s
tha
t
ra
n
dow
n
he
r
cheek.

“Elias
is
going
to
burn
in
hell,
and
I’m
going
to
make
sure
of it.”

“An
d
wha
t
o
f
th
e
forgi
v
enes
s
you
’
r
e
al
w
ay
s
lecturin
g
m
e
about?”

“Screw that.”

Be
n
w
a
s
right
;
th
e
spirit
s
pla
y
th
e
mos
t
wicke
d
game
s
at
our expense.”

Chapte
r
Forty-four
Vic
t
oria

Th
e
firs
t
tow
n
the
y
passe
d
w
a
s
Thre
e
Ri
v
ers
,
an
insignifican
t
plac
e
wit
h
on
e
exception
;
petroglyphs—more
tha
n
t
w
ent
y
thousan
d
o
f
them—datin
g
bac
k
t
o
90
0
AD.
,
she
ha
d
see
n
man
y
o
f
th
e
humans
,
plants
,
birds
,
insects
,
an
d
s
trang
e
geo
m
etri
c
design
s
firsthan
d
o
n
on
e
o
f
he
r
uncle
’
s pottery safaris.
The
memory
elicited
a
tired
smile
and
V
ictoria surrendered
to a
vision
of
herself
and
Elias
almost t
w
enty
y
ears earlier.

“Thi
s
i
s
totall
y
unfair!
”
Sh
e
ha
d
onl
y
recentl
y
perfected
he
r
teenag
e
w
ail
,
a
soun
d
half
w
a
y
bet
w
ee
n a
s
hrie
k
an
d a
command
.
V
ictori
a
ha
d
planne
d
t
o
spen
d
th
e
summe
r
before
high school at the neighborhood rec center.

“N
o
daughte
r
o
f
min
e
i
s
goin
g
t
o
b
e
depri
v
e
d
o
f
seeing th
e
mos
t
importan
t
petroglyp
h
sit
e
i
n
th
e
South
w
est!
”
Elias
thundered back.

“Depri
v
ed
?
Exile
d
t
o
th
e
middl
e
o
f
nowher
e
i
s
mor
e
lik
e
it!”

“Wher
e
i
s
you
r
respec
t
fo
r
you
r
elders
,
niñ
a
?
”
h
e
ha
d
countered softly. “Like it or not, it’s been decided.” He ruffled her hair; a gesture that at the time had infuriated her. “
Y
ou can spend the rest of the summer
w
atching boys at the pool.”

Secretly
,
sh
e
hadn’
t
minde
d
s
o
much
.
Th
e
though
t
of
w
earing a bathing suit in public—or worse, in front of boys—had
mortified
her.
And
the
group
of
so-called
girlfriends
at the rec center? She ne
v
er got chosen for volleyball (e
v
en with her
formidabl
e
ser
v
e
)
o
r
invite
d
fo
r
sleepo
v
ers
.
Sh
e
didn’
t
y
e
t
ha
v
e a friend like Bea.

Tha
t
ma
n
flailin
g
an
d
kickin
g
insid
e
th
e
polic
e
ca
r
w
as
no
t
he
r
uncle
.
I
f
sh
e
sa
w
hi
m
now
,
woul
d
hi
s
e
y
e
s
b
e
tha
t
of
a
stranger
?
Whe
n
ha
d
he
r
belo
v
e
d
tío’
s
sou
l
perished
?
What
slice
d
a
t
he
r
hear
t
w
a
s
tha
t
sh
e
ha
d
bee
n
s
o
bus
y
wit
h
th
e aspirations of complete strangers that she hadn’t e
v
en noticed.

Whe
n
sh
e
mad
e
u
p
he
r
min
d
t
o
thin
k
o
f
somethin
g
else
,
she
caught Khara e
y
eing the Jeep’s instrumentation. “How does it work?”

“This,”
V
ictoria said, tapping a dial, “measures our speed.”

“How?”

“By
gauging
miles
per
hour.
How
many
miles
an
hour
can a horse tra
v
el?”

“That would depend on the horse.”

“Understood.
For
this
exercise,
though,
w
e
’
re
looking
for an a
v
erage.”

“A
chario
t
wit
h
tw
o
rider
s
migh
t
co
v
e
r
a
s
muc
h
a
s
six
ri
v
er measures in a single day—more if the horses are in good condition or the animal’s survi
v
al is of no consequence.”

V
i
c
t
o
ri
a
s
a
w
tha
t
s
h
e
ha
d
opene
d
a
c
a
n
o
f
w
o
r
ms
.
“
I
ha
v
e
no
idea how to con
v
ert that.”

“If my con
v
ersion is correct, approximately forty miles per day.”

“Okay.
W
e
’
re tra
v
eling that speed e
v
ery hour.”

“N
o
wonde
r
I
ofte
n
f
in
d
mysel
f
s
o
confused
.
M
y
worl
d
tra
v
els one tenth as fast as yours.”

“See, the numbers indicate the rate of speed.”

“Ah…”
She
grew
quiet.
“Then
may
I
assume
that
speed
is
determined by dividing distance by time?”

V
ictori
a
foun
d
hersel
f
disco
v
erin
g
anothe
r
o
f
Khara’
s
aptitudes
.
“
I
ha
d
n
o
ide
a
yo
u
w
er
e
suc
h
a
studen
t
o
f
science,
but
y
es, you
’
re correct.”

“Egyptian
s
ar
e
rathe
r
lik
e
th
e
German
s
i
n
thei
r
lo
ve
of
accurac
y
an
d
mathematica
l
formulas
.
D
o
yo
u
kno
w
wha
t
the
rate of tra
v
el is for the sky-ships?”