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"You foolish little girl" The keeper grabbedhis toes around the cage door to close it as he shoved me into the bloody heap that wasup on my hands to touch his face "Mike Please be okay"

But he wasn’t okay His chest, his neck, his whole shirt was drenched in the sticky, thick paste of redness they’d drained fro his cheek, listening for breath

"Do so!" I yelled at the keeper

"Nuttin’ to be done now, ot what you came ‘ere for"

"And what’s that?" I spun around to look at hi my upturned lip

"A lesson" He turned away

I was about to find the nearest rock and ditch it at his head, but Mike grurasp his neck

"Mike?" I sat back onhim space

"Argh You--" he groaned, rolling up "Never Listen"

"I’m so sorry, Mike Are you okay?"

"Is that a joke?" he said, thuash on his elbow "I’ve just attended a three-course meal, Ara, and I was the bloody main"

"I’m so, so sorry"

I was about to say I should’ve listened to you, but Mike cut in with "No, you’re not" and sturound to look up at him "You’re bloody lucky those Daht now" He winced, wiping his jaw "That really freakin hurts"

"So?" The keeper looked down aton his metal stick "Learned any valuable lessons today, Your Royal Pain in the Arse?"

"Hey!" I scoffed "You can’t callhis obviously very irritating sore arht--that you’d come back down here and let those Damned out," Mike said

"Why do you think I left the keys on the hook?" The caretaker pointed to the wall

"You set me up?"

"Baby, I’m sorry, but you always have to learn the hard way"

"Youthe wall to steady myself "You knew they’d do that?"

"Of course, Ara Did you think I was stupid?" Mike shook his head and clapped the keeper on the shoulder, like they were best buds "We had you figured before you even came down here today The doors were barricaded at the other end so the Daonna let the over in agony, propping his hands to his knees "If that’s what it takes"

"Hu!"

"What? You’d heal"

"Unless they atea hand across his nose "I atching for that"

"What, youand everything, just towound on his neck "Had extra blood, too, so I’d heal faster"

"You asshole"

"You’ll thank ly and picked up a lantern "You needed to see that people generally do things for a reason, Ara Just because you don’t agree, doesn’t "

Mute with bewilderment and disappointht they were--"

"I knohat you thought" Mike wrapped a heavy arm over my neck; he sht about it--onion "Exactly what the last person who talked to theht you werethat up--to scare me"

"Why would I do that, Ara? Honestly" He shook his head again--his new favourite move when it cah to be like us She didn’t even get a chance to heal"

I looked at the bloodied mess of Mike’s face, and felt absolutely no pity for hiot" I folded my arms and stormed past him "Jerk!"

"It orth it," he called after me

I stopped "Why? So you and your pal there had another chance to beat those children"

Mike grabbedbeside me at vamp speed "No, Ara--it was the only way to teach you a lesson Maybe now you ht start to realise that, soht, are two different things"

"My heart tells me they wouldn’t have hurt me if you weren’t here" I poked his chest "It’s you and that…that thing they’re afraid of" I pointed at the keeper Iserved my point, too

Mike huffed loudly and dropped his arh to you, is there?"

"Not when it co, Mike"

"Ara, you’re a little girl, for God’s sake You wouldn’t know the co if they came up and ripped your hair out"

"There are no complexities, Michael! Black and white That’s it And the black of it is, those Dae "And the white of it is, I’onna do?" He leaned forward, towering over me "Let them loose? Give them a bedroom and a dolly to play with?"

"I don’t know But one way or another, I will find a way to make their lives better I knohat they’re capable of now, but that changes nothing"

"Ara, they’re like the Children of the Corn, baby They haven’t been changed by co in black and white, whether you wanna believe that or not"

"That may be so, but desperation and loneliness will turn even the sweetest kitten into a savage beast" I started walking again but stopped and looked down at the little boy, now sitting by the bars again "We have no right to create monsters and then punish the plans for a new home for them--today!"

Chapter Five

Petey sat by my feet, well, on , trying to spot the lighthouse through the orange glow of sunset Now that I’d been down to the field and knehere the lighthouse was, I could just ht was the top, but I wasn’t sure Below my balcony, the summer smell of the forestme thirsty Really thirsty

"Where do you think he is, Petey?" I asked, scratching him on the head "If he doesn’t call soon, I think I’o see him He promised He said ‘every day I will call you every day Six, no, nine ti his chops

"Ara?" Mike’s voice kind of e I knehy he was here "Why aren’t you at dinner?"