Misplaced (140 page)

“I wish you
’
d stop trying to rescue me.”

“Wha
t
i
s
her
e
fo
r
y
o
u
i
f
y
o
u
s
t
a
y
?
Y
o
u
allo
w
y
oursel
f nothing.
Y
ou
chase
happiness
a
w
ay.
Come,
w
e
will
be
a
family,
an
d
no
t
th
e
jealous
,
incestuou
s
kin
d
w
e
Egyptian
s
ar
e
prone
to. When the time comes for me to marry, my children will be yours, and you will teach them Newton’s third law of motion, and about absolute zero.”

“The only thing I know about absolute zero is that it mixes
w
ell with cranberry juice.”

“Ther
e
yo
u
g
o
again—al
w
ay
s
makin
g
jokes
.
W
ell?
”
sh
e asked after a long silence.

“I don’t know, I
’
d ha
v
e to think about it.”

“Y
ou
ha
v
e
until
tomorrow morning
to
decide.” Khara
ga
v
e
on
e
last
,
fierc
e
tu
g
o
n
a
thi
n
brai
d
a
t
th
e
cente
r
o
f
V
ictoria’s
back
.
“Finished,
”
sh
e
proclaime
d
an
d
hande
d
he
r
th
e
flashlight.
V
ictoria
shone
the
light
onto
the
surface
of
the
w
ater,
her
e
y
es
growing large at the image staring back at her.

Her
ski
n
glo
w
e
d
lik
e
moonston
e
agains
t
th
e
winged
e
y
eline
r
tha
t
cur
v
e
d
up
w
ar
d
a
t
th
e
oute
r
corne
r
o
f
he
r
e
y
es.
Starting
at
the
crown
of
her
head,
at
least
t
w
enty
small
braids
la
y
i
n
nea
t
row
s
acros
s
he
r
scalp
.
W
it
h
nothin
g
mor
e
tha
n
a
sli
v
e
r
o
f
pottery
,
Khar
a
ha
d
use
d
th
e
colo
r
she
’
d
obtaine
d
by
crushing
it
to
soften
the
harshness
of
her
cheeks
and
forehead
and
accentuate
the
fullness
of
her
lips.
Unconsciously,
V
ictoria
touched
her
face
here
and
there
to
be
sure
that
it
didn’t
belong
to someone else.

“
Ah. There is one last thing.”

Khar
a
sli
d
th
e
coronatio
n
bracele
t
fro
m
he
r
wris
t
and
brought
it
to
her
lips.
Whether
the
kiss
she
ga
v
e
it
w
as
for
good
luck or goodb
y
e,
V
ictoria would ne
v
er know.
As she pondered
this, the clasp closed around her wrist.

“Now you look like a queen.”

“Oh no, you don’t. It’s the only thing you ha
v
e left—”

“An
d
min
e
t
o
gi
v
e
.
I
n
cas
e
yo
u
decid
e
t
o
stay
,
I
w
an
t
you
t
o
ha
v
e
somethin
g
t
o
remembe
r
m
e
by
.
Than
k
you
,
V
ictoria
Barrón,
for
e
v
erything
that
you
ha
v
e
done
for
me.
I
will
miss
you
r
cat’
s
smil
e
an
d
shar
p
tongue
,
bu
t
mos
t
o
f
al
l
I
wil
l
miss
your generous heart.”

Sh
e
bo
w
e
d
ceremoniously
. V
ictori
a
ha
d
ne
v
e
r
fel
t
s
o
smal
l
an
d
graceless
.
Afte
r
a
n
eternity
,
Khar
a
straightened
.
Accustome
d
t
o
w
earin
g
pai
n
silentl
y
an
d
withou
t
complaint,
sh
e
seeme
d
genuinel
y
surprise
d
whe
n
sh
e
coul
d
no
t
hol
d
V
ictoria’s gaze.

“
Y
ou
ha
v
en’t
left
me
y
et,
ha
v
e
you?”
V
ictoria
asked
as
she
climbed
onto
the
sandstone
ledge
of
the
spring
in
search
of
dry
clothes.

A
sli
v
e
r
o
f
a
moo
n
ros
e
i
n
th
e
sky
;
cloud
s
churne
d
and
coiled
like
smoke
from
a
locomoti
v
e.
Now
and
then,
a
whiff
of
burning grass o
v
erpo
w
ered the smell of rain.

“It’
s
coming,
”
V
ictori
a
said
,
he
r
ski
n
tinglin
g
wit
h
electricity
as
small
bursts
of
light
began
to
dance
across
the
rumbling
sky.
They
took
shelter
in
a
narrow
cavity
at
the
farthest
point
from
the
ca
v
e
opening,
in
a
space
just
big
enough
to
lay
the
bedrolls
dow
n
sid
e
b
y
side
.
Sometime
s
th
e
crackin
g
w
a
s
jus
t
abo
v
e
them
and
,
man
y
time
s
tha
t
night
,
i
t
seeme
d
th
e
mountai
n
would
fracture.