Page 16 (1/2)

The eleone fro his hand, but it suddenly seeersinto mist and shadows In a moment even those had disappeared

Just like that Like smoke up a chimney

Jenny sat back on her heels

Then, slowly at first, but athered around her Jenny felt To

She buried her head in his shoulder and held him as he held her

It was Audrey and Michael ere the most helpful in what had to be done next There were a lot of practical things to be handled

Here in Pennsylvania the sun was just rising, and ho Audrey and Michael went next door and woke the neighbors up and asked if they could use a phone

Then Audrey called her parents and woke them up, and asked if they could please wire some money And Michael called his father and woke him up, and asked him to explain to everybody else’s parents that all the kids were safe

That was so on to, once Audrey and Michael had reported back The thought that Michael’s father would be calling Mr and Mrs Parker-Pearson and telling the hohtly odd, but an adult, and therefore somewhat credible Maybe they would even believe him

Jenny really couldn’t wait to see Summer’s little brother’s face

And she wanted to see her parents, too, and her own little brother

There were other things Angela, PC’s alirlfriend, ould have to be told that PC was really and truly dead And there would be the police to deal with again, and impossible questions to answer

But she couldn’t think about all that now She was still thinking about Julian

Nothing died if it wasn’t forgotten-and she would never forget him There would always be some part of him in her mind Because of him, all her life she’d be more sensitive to the beauty of the world To its-sensuality and immediacy Julian had been a very immediate person

The ht Whimsical, quixotic, wild-is Seductive as silver and deadly as a cobra And vulnerable like a hurt child underneath it all

Like a hurt child who could strike out with lethal accuracy, Jenny thought as she watched Audrey s He’d hurt Audrey badly, and if he hadn’t quite killed Summer, it had been close He’d let his Shadow Aniuilty of skipping school and killing rabbits

The truth was that Julian had probably been too dangerous to live The universe would be a much safer place without hi, definitely

It was Su

"You know," she said, after twisting around on the living roo, "Julian said the world was evil and horrible-remember? But then he proved himself that it wasn’t"

Jenny cahts and looked at Summer, amazed That was it, exactly, of course And that hy she could go on living, and even look forward to things In a universe where that could happen, you had to go on living and hoping and doing your best In a universe where that could happen, anything was possible

That was Julian’s real gift, she thought

But there was another one, too, and she saw it as she looked at the others They had all changed-Julian had changed theaz, the catalyst, he’d transformed everyone who met him

Audrey and Michael-look at the hands Audrey hadn’t even bothered to put her hair up Michael was patting her shoulder protectively

And Dee and Audrey had been eneht, Jenny didn’t think they could ever be that way again

Zach, now-Zach was looking at Suray eyes Like a scientist who finds himself unexpectedly fascinated by a new forht But it was good for Zach to notice girls, just the saination and his photographs

Julian had taught Zach that iination wasn’t always better than reality

Suht She’s not half as

Now, Dee

Jenny turned to look at her friend

Dee was sitting instead of pacing, with one long leg stretched in front of her She was looking very thoughtful, her head bent, her thickly lashed eyes narrowed

Well, Dee was Dee, and would never change, Jenny thought lovingly

But she rong As she watched, Dee looked up at her and s And I was thinking-it would e of plans, you see It would "