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What’s taking theone off to see if they could find Zach, who they figured must be around here so-for Jenny

Jenny was in bad shape She was slu mirrored wall opposite Summer’s door -what had been Summer’s door There wasn’t a trace of the exit frohtmare left, but Jenny wouldn’t leave this place

Jenny ached All she could think of, in betaves of grayness, was Surade, after she, Tom, Dee, Zach, and Michael were already friends Tiny, muddled, and very sweet, Su care hat Jenny did best

But not this tione

Jenny still didn’t believe it had really happened Su out of that mirror any second now, all thistledown hair and dark blue eyes Any second now

Suainst the wall

"I’ to look for theht be in trouble You stay here, okay? Proht here" Her voice was slow and clear, the voice you’d use to talk to a child

Eyes shut, Jenny ht motion with her head

"Okay I’ll be back in a minute"

Jenny’sa tree at ca off a surfboard, Su, Summer puzzled, Summer’s blue eyes filled with tears

She didn’t have a ood person Soood person

Can it?

She saw the flash even through closed lids

Su her eyes But the mirror in front of her showed only her own pale, anxious face and disarrayed hair

Maybe it had come froht and left, dazzled by the multiple reflections She didn’t even knohich way Dee had gone

She went right, veering back and forth around the zigzaga corner, she saw dozens of reflections of a round blue light bulb

She caught her breath sharply The blue light was on, the red button beneath it was depressed Beside it was a dark rectangle-an open door

Numb to caution, Jenny poked her head in She could see only darkness inside None of the light from the hallway seeone in here? Had Dee? Could Summer -

With a click the button popped out, the door began to close Jenny had an instant to choose: jump back or jump forward She jumped forward

The door slid noiselessly shut behind her, and she stared around, trying to see in the gloo on a tripod, a tall lamp Then she knehere she was It was dihts were off

As her eyes adjusted she recognized a giant mural print on one wall It showed cafeteria tables stacked in a glorious pyraineering Jenny knew that picture well She, To those tables and listening to Zach’s imperious demands for "one more shot" It had been one of theadventures of their sophoe, converted into a studio It felt alht

The darkrooht, and followed the special L-shaped hallway Zach had built-a light trap, he called it-to the little rooe She pushed aside the curtain at the entrance

The aure’s back, on a flannel shirt and a casual ponytail

"Zach!" Jenny ran to him, but he didn’t turn around "Zach, it’s ?"

He was gently rocking a tray full of chemicals with a print in it His body was stiff and resistant, but Jenny turned hiht she could see he looked-tranced The look she’d seen first in the living rooame cards, and then in the parlor when all the rest of the with you?" she said and threw her arht; she’d been planning to coth She desperately needed help herself

He scarcely seemed to notice she was there He pushed her away and turned back to agitating the tray

"Zachary, did Dee come in here? Have you seen Audrey or Michael?"

His voice was slow, dragging, but matter-of-fact

"I haven’t seen anybody I was sitting out there Where the o off When I looked for it, I found a door I pushed the button and went in"

A flashgun-of course, that was how Zach would interpret the bursts of light in the hallway "But what are you doing?" Jenny said

"It was all set up for me The print was already in the developer" Somewhere a ti hand "I have to rinse it now"

Jenny blinked painfully as he turned the white light on She watched his careful, clever fingers as he rinsed the print and plastered it wetly against the wall, standing back to evaluate it, frowning

"Zach, please You have to listen" The nu off Zach was her blood relative, and right here, and in trouble In this light she could see how pale his narrow face was She could also see the fixed look in his clear gray eyes "Don’t you realize this is your nightet out Zach!"

He pushed her away again "I have to finish this job I have to "

She was barely in time to catch him as he collapsed But when she did he didn’t push her away again He clung to her like a frightened child

"Jennysorry"

"It’s okay" She held hi him "It’s okay, I’m here That’s what cousins are for"

After a hten up, but she still held hi him to hold her back She needed comfort as much as he did, and Zach had always been there for her Before their families had moved out to California, she and Zach had lived next door to each other They’d played Indians in the cherry orchard behind their houses That was in the days before Zach decided he liked photographs better than people, when Zach’s gray eyes had been warm instead of winter-cool

Her cousin’sthe same track "Just like ere kids," he said as probably supposed to be a laugh

"And you’d get all scraped up cli trees, and we’d wash you with the hose so Aunt Lil wouldn’t get ainst Zach’s shoulder It was allad I found you"

"Me, too" He sighed "I’ve been feeling pretty weird"

"Everything’s been awful," Jenny said, and once again her voice was shaking badly "I’ve been so scared-and now "

She couldn’t bring herself to mention Summer The words stuck in her throat

"It’s okay," he said "We’re together now We’ll s okay"

A hose and a Band-Aid aren’t going to help this tiht, but it was easier just to hold on to Zach Tighter and tighter Exchanging coood-soothing She see fro else A warmth that surprised her Zach was usually so cool Noas holding her and caressing her al

Or-as if he weren’t her cousin, but her boyfriend

She pushed the thought away Zach was just being kind He wanted to help-and he was helping She felt better, si his sympathy, his affection His-tenderness

She leaned against hi secure Cared for Safe

When he kissed the back of her neck, it was so tenderly it didn’t disturb the safe feeling Zach was nice She loved him; she was happy to know he loved her

When he kissed her again, an unexpected treh her

Now-she wasn’t supposed to feel like that Not with Zach He shouldn’t-he really shouldn’t

But she didn’t want to pull away from him or spoil the moment

His lips arh Jenny, this tinored That felt-she knew she mustn’t feel that way Her hands went up to his arms, to push at him

"Zach," she whispered "I think we’re both-a little upset We’re not ourselves"

"I know," Zach said, as if it hurt hirip a little, but then he kissed her hair She felt his lips , felt his warm breath there

"Zachary," she said "It’s wrong We’re cousins" The proble, her voice wasn’t She could barely breathe And she didn’t move away

"Half cousins," he said It was true, although Jenny seldoht of it-her mother and his were only half sisters "And besides, I can’t help it 1 can’t help it" His kisses were coht Jenny in a rush of ele else-without re was Then she whispered, "But, Tom"-and shock swept over her

She hadn’t thought about Tom since-since -

She couldn’t re that he couldn’t help Tom, either