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He laughed "It’s nature They can’t help the no idea what tothe grass froht You can bring the bugs with you"

Shaking her head, she unscrewed the lid "They should be free," she said quietly, watching as the fireflies fleay

Carertips tingled from his touch The sensation alar through her veins and jolting her heart Her pulse raced as she averted her gaze, not daring to look hirass and the trees

Haven felt like she, too, was suddenly glowing

6

Evasion beca the next feeeks, but deep down she knew it couldn’t last As she headed downstairs one Friday to do her work, she heard the television playing in the faone for the day Her pulse quickened Every weekday she had been left alone until three o’clock She didn’t like her routine being disrupted

Quietly, she walked to the fa on the couch He addressed her without even looking up "Good , Master"

Dr DeMarco shook his head "Calling me that is unnecessary It makes me feel like you place me on the same level as Antonelli, and I like to think of myself as a better ize Call me Vincent, if you’d like"

She was shocked he would ask her to use his first na for you I’ve been putting it off, but your checkup needs to be done today"

Her eyes widened

"It shouldn’t take long," he said, finally looking at her "And on the bright side, you get to leave the house for a bit You haven’t been outside since you’ve gotten here"

Not true, but she didn’t dare correct hi about tenthe front above the main entrance Unlike the busy hospital, which could be seen fro lot, the clinic was dark and vacant, not a soul anywhere

"They’re closed today, so we shouldn’t have any interruptions," Dr DeMarco said as he unlocked the front door

"What e be doing?" she asked

"Just the basics"

Haven didn’t knohat the basics were, and Dr DeMarco didn’t take the ti, her nerves groith each step They went straight to an exam room with a brown cushioned table, and Dr DeMarco flicked on a single light She stood in place as he explored the roorabbed her ar a needle into her vein She continued to stand still while he filled vial after vial with her blood, every second that passed ht-headed she nearly fainted

Dr DeMarco weighed andher to the exa to have to take off your clothes" She stared at hihed with frustration at her terrified expression "It’s going to happen whether you cooperate or not, and I’d prefer it be on good ter you"

Dr DeMarco strolled over to theas Haven carefully stripped and cli off the side, nowhere close to reaching the floor as she shielded herself with a fli to it as if it could protect her

Dr DeMarco spoke without turning around "Lie back and scoot to the end of the table Place your feet in the metal stirrups and try to relax"

She did as she was told, closing her eyes as the sound of his footsteps slowly neared

"You’re going to feel so a stool closer and sitting down as he slipped on a pair of latex gloves "It’ll be uncomfortable, but it’ll be over quick"

She squeezed her eyes shut tighter when he touched her, a tear slipping through and falling down her nose She counted in her head, trying to distract herself, and as soon as she reached ten he let go

"You appear fine, as far as I can tell," he said, disposing of his gloves Her vision blurred from the tears when she opened her eyes, but she could see Dr DeMarco beside her He injected her with a few syringes, so worse than others, before he headed for the door "Put your clothes on so we can leave I’ll wait for you in the hall"

Standing, she held on to the table as her legs shook, and redressed

Haven lay in bed that night, listening to the softin from the library It was the same melody as every other tiht she couldn’t relax Her skin felt taut, her h her Despite scrubbing and scrubbing in the shower, she still felt dirty

She’d never been so confused before

She’d kept her distance fros for hiet why her chest felt like it would burst when he spoke, why her skin got prickly whenever he cahter She barely knew him--she’d made a point not to--but it didn’t s ca some paper, Haven sketched a picture of Carmine, every detail of his face etched in her memory: the shape of his jaw, the curve of his lips, the arch of his eyebrows, and the angle of his nose She reht He had some freckles on his nose and cheeks, and a sht side of his botto how she’d noticed all of those things

After she finished, she held the drawing up to look at it in the light So was off, the sketch flat and colorless It didn’t hold a fraction of the emotion the music carried

Frustrated, she balled up the paper and tossed it aside

Haven was avoiding hiure out why

He tried to wait it out, giving her tiued him, and as Carmine strolled downstairs the next afternoon, still exhausted and sore fro to happen anyy, he hesitated in the foyer when Haven stepped into the doorway fro not bothered to brush it "What’s up?"