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"Me?" Madison said, shuddering "You" Tears pooled in Madison’s eyes, escaped, and ran down her cheeks "I’ve been … so stupid I should have seen it co I know him I knohat he is What would have happened if you hadn’t been here?"
"You could’ve taken the it "No proble your den I mean, juice ain’t all it’s cracked up to be, cohed, but there was so in his expression, like he’d had an epiphany
"I better go find the kids," she said, wiping her tears away "They must be scared to death" She stood and turned toward the house, but just then she heard Grace’s voice fro? Can we coed from the woods, Grace with a vice-like hold on her brother’s hand Madison sent up a silent prayer of thanks Grace had done just the right thing She’d taken JR and hidden in the woods
Her little sister was growing up
"Where’d thosearound the barnyard "Those were the same ones who set fire to the shed"
"How lances with Jason
"We didn’t get to see anything!" JR coo in the woods"
"Don’t worry Jason and I ran them off," Madison said "I don’t think they’ll coone to bed, Madison invited Jason into the house for his belated dinner They sat at the kitchen table, and the dogs laid practically on their feet
Things had changed, though Jason couldn’t quite say why For one thing, he’d stake his life--and Seph’s, too--on the fact that Madison Moss was not in league with Warren Barber Or the Roses Jason didn’t kno to explain the painting, and he kneould freak her out if he asked about it But, so to do?" Madison asked Jason So she, too, sensed they’d reached a turning point
"Maybe I better stick around in case Brice and his friends coested
"You don’t have to," she said "I’le with ht, I’ain But this time he felt it was o back to England Hastings is planning an attack on the ghyll, and I wanted to get in on it" He shrugged "It’s probably already happened, by now"
"So you’ve changed your uess But, I never felt that useful when I was there I felt like, next to Seph, I was…" His voice trailed off He couldn’t quite believe he was confessing all this to anybody "I couldn’t stand that, doing nothing When I left to come here, Seph told me he needed ured he was just saying that, because we’re friends"
Madison put her hand on his arht to believe him" She hesitated, then rushed ahead "Me--I’m a mess I miss Seph so onheart--it’s like an itch I can’t scratch I can’t seeet it out of my mind"
Jason stared at her That was it exactly They both lusted after the stone, but it couldn’t be for the same reason Jason looked on it as some kind of tonic He could feel the flow of power to his Weirstone, every minute of the day But Madison didn’t have a Weirstone
Just then Ophelia raised her head and looked toward the door A car rattled into the yard and stopped
What now? Jason thought I er, signaling for Madison to stay put, and crossed to the door, peering through the screen
Two people were clinized Breathing a long sigh of relief, he walked out onto the porch
"Jason!" Har across his face He turned to Will Childers and slapped hands "The dude’s alive! That’s the first good nee’ve had in a while"
They sat around the kitchen table Jason see to think up answers to the questions he kneere co as she could, erator for drinks, pounding ice cube trays on the counter, and du chips into a basket
Finally, twitchy Fitch could stand it no longer "In case you’re wondering e’re here," he said, "everybody’s been worried because we haven’t heard fro?" Will asked "Why didn’t you call?"
Well, Madison thought, because Jason beggedan elicitor, if I did She looked at Jason pointedly, waiting for him to speak, while he looked like he kind of hoped she’d handle it
"I did e-mail Seph," she said finally "And wrote a lot of letters"
"But you said Jason never showed," Will said
"Well Uuess so," Madison stammered "But…"
"It was my fault," Jason broke in "I was an idiot I wouldn’t let her call I didn’t want anyone to knoas here"