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"Which would be much too heavy," Hannah put in "It’s not your job, Ellie You’re not old enough If you love Bella, you’ll let us end her suffering"

"Hannah’s right" Jayden bent, reached a tentative hand "We have to go, Ellie It’s getting late Hannah has to check Isaac, and the animals need us Wouldn’t you like to help?"

"Yes, but" Ellie’s briirl" Ellie impatiently backhanded tears from her cheeks "It’s okay" To Jayden: "Of course, I’ll help But I want to help an

"I’ll help you, Ellie," Chris said

Hannah turned hilare "Thanks, Chris" She said it like he was a bug "But this has nothing to do with you"

No, it’s got everything to do withHannah, he squatted until he and Ellie were eye to eye "We can use un"

"Chris," Hannah said

The distress on Ellie’s face eased for a second before clenching again "But it’s too heavy for ain

"Leave hiled up at the other boy, who only returned her look with a resolute expression "What did you say?"

"You heard me," he said "I have a say in this, too, remember?"

"Jayden, this isn’t the time to--"

"Here’s e’ll do," Chris said to Ellie "We’ll hold the rifle together I’ll keep it steady and you pull the trigger You’ll have to use both trigger fingers, but you can do it"

"Really?" Ellie’s chin quivered "You’d do that?"

"Chris," Hannah rasped, clearly having abandoned her argument with Jayden To his ears, she sounded as if she were cla back an impulse either to screa to--"

"It’s her choice, Hannah" Chris thought there was no irony in his tone "Isn’t choice what you’re all about?"

"What?" Hannah blinked as if he’d slapped her, and then all her frustration--and her grief, Chris thought--poured out in a poisonous rush "Don’t twist this around This is your fault, your responsibility You brought this on us You think helping her with so like this makes up for what you’ve done? For what you didn’t do today?"

"Hannah," Jayden said "That’s not fair We killed three You weren’t there"

Her eyes blazed in the firelight "I didn’t need to be Chris had Lena You said so But he didn’t take the shot I don’t know if I care to understand why--"

"For the sahly He kept reliving the e in the scope and soChanged; that terrible sweep of led pity and dismay that stole his breath and robbed him of the chance to end this Well, end her He’d shot, finally, but pulled it at the last second Then, it was all about Ellie "I’d feel the saave a brittle laugh "This is caring? You led the to Lena, but you were blind, Chris; you illfully blind If you’d been honest fro, we could’ve taken precautions We could’ve left"

"We’ll still have to leave," Jayden said His face had paled

"Yes, but on our ter animals, a child After Lena killed her own brother"

"Hannah" Ellie’s face knotted "Don’t Don’t yell at Chris"

"You think you can wash away that kind of blood, Chris? There’s no way you can ht!" She actually balled her fist and shook it in his face "Isaac’s old That fire did hiive you You and Jayden le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>