Page 26 (1/2)

I speak softly, "I would do it all differently noould have let Marshall take me in, so he could have set the , Jake, Sarah, Will, Star, and Sully would be safe"

She sighs and lays back in the hay, "E, Me, Sarah, and Jake You helped Bernie stop the bad people having power over us all You are the fiery crow, even when you don’t try to be"

I scoff, "Solance back at her, "I think Bernie was the crow He let the man he used to be die, so he could be a new man for you A man you could be proud of and tell your baby about"

She smiles and wipes her eyes, "Thanks, Eht hiers through his downy fur "Why do you think they were rounding up the infected?"

I watch the field and listen to the rest of the world, "I don’t know"

"I think it’s your dad, I think he’s got an evil plan"

I nod, watching the darkness, "He always seems to have one"

"Why didn’t you kill him?"

I shake my head, "I wanted hi in that city with all those Gen babies of his scaring everyone into being under his thuuards He had all those Gen kids Everyone was so scared and ti the way he wanted No one challenged him I bet" I look back at her, "Bernie stopped that and made it so he has to see hoe have lived Think of how last winter was for you Alone with Jake in the woods, freezing and starving My dad was in the city, nice and warether, "We hid out in a house and burned the furniture to stay waruy here He caave him a piece of rabbit He ate it and then we becaured there was so There was no way he was just so easy around you froh For everything that’s gone wrong, the things that went right have changed o see my brother I think he’s sort of bu up here, instead of with hionna coet murdered while you two mess up the watch"

I think for a second and then pass her the rifle It’s hers anyway

She gets into position with Leo, shoving nant"

She shrugs, "I can sleep tomorrow" She looks up at the stars and sht and I can’t sleep, so I’d rather sit here under the stars and see if I can guess which one is hiet up and walk down to the house I creep inside to the roo I open the door softly and step inside My stomach is in knots, but I want to touch hi into the bed in etting hurt feelings"

I laugh as quietly as I can, "I just don’t think it’s hitelse is wrecked--why do I get to be the one who gets lucky and finds the rins a shitty s my hand in his I close my eyes and remember how it felt in the lab room In the dark I would swear it was him, but now in the dark of this roouitar The hand in the roo into et If it’s one day’s worth, or it’s two years’ worth, or it’s a whole lifetih, we deserve every second" He kisses against the edge of my lips, "I love you with ain"

I nod into his face, pushing into the kiss and let hi, he’s gone but Leo is crashed on the bed withhis wolf smile and yawns

I rub his fur and decide we need to stay in this roos rarely happen when I’et up and start the day

I give Leo a deep rub down He rolls onto his back so I get the parts he loves the most His belly and armpits are his favorite I scratch and he starts tonoise Sarah comes in with a plate of food and crawls into the bed with us I steal some of the pancake on her plate It’s slathered in apple butter She gives Leo a piece and smiles, "Can we just stay in one place, all of us?"

I nod, "I think so Unless you have somewhere you need to be?" My Granny used to say that to my dad all the time He always had somewhere else to be It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be with me; it was that he wanted to be ready

Sarah takes another bite of pancake It was the one thing she had to take frolad now she did

"Will lad he’s back?"

She nods, "Yeah I just hope Bernie can find his way too"

I frown, "Honey, Bernie is gone I watched hi about Will; you’re probably wrong about Bernie too"

The pancake tastes funny to et it down and nod, "Yeah, I hope so"

Jake co?"

I give Sarah a s Leo with her I give Jake a look, "I’ terrible to happen It feels like we should be on theI just don’t trust any of this"

He gives "

I shrug and lay back down, letting his, "Guess ait and see, huh?"