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Barron bows deeply "It just so happens that I can be a"

"It just so happens," says Anton, "that Philip and I have a little side thing going where I get rid of people forto take over the business someday"

"Alas, alack," says Lila "Woe"

Barron sether "It just so happens that I like h I was the one he was speaking to "Anton’s going to be our ticket out of being snant You understand, right? I’ this for all of us"

I shake ives a s shape until she’s the size of a s down froed splinters of the floorboards and pulling free fro, she catches the Lila-mouse in her teeth and bites off the tiny head Blood spatters across the stage

"Lila," I say "Stop it Stop with all the gaulps down the rehts are turning towardme blink in confusion I stand up The white cat stalks toward reen eyes--are so clearly Lila’s that I stumble back and into the aisle

"You have to cut off my head," she says

"No," I tell her

"Do you love me?" she asks

Her teeth are like ivory knives "I don’t know," I say

"If you love me, you’ll have to cut offit The cat is changing like Lila did, but she’s getting larger, growing into so

My ribs are throbbing, but I force s off the bed I walk into the bathroo atin my bloodshot eyes and the mass of bruises nearover

"Is that you?" Grandad’s voice comes from down the stairs

"Yeah," I call back

"You slept late," he says, and I can hear hi good," I tell him from the stairwell "I don’t think I can clean today"

"I’ht, huh? I drank so much I don’t re ht My skin doesn’t fit I a’shappen you want to tellto blink in the dark last night I wonder what he heard What he suspects

"Nothing," I say, and pour myself a cup of coffee I drink it black, and the war I re in a while

Grandad tilts his head in my direction "You look like crap"

"I told you I didn’t feel good"

The phone rings in the other rooles s," Grandad says, and walks off to answer it

I see the cat on the stairs, her white body ghostly in a beaht She blurs in my vision My brothers were uncoht Not because I was a murderer or an outsider I was such an insider that I never even knew it I was inside of the insiders I was hidden inside my insides For a moment I want to dash all the crockery to the floor I want to screae everything that I can touch

Lead to gold

Flesh to stone

Sticks to snakes

I hold up the coffee cup, and I think about thein my hand, but no matter how I try to su AMHERST TRUCKING: WE LIFT STUFF on a glossy ?" Grandad askscoffee ontoout the phone "Philip For you Says you left so over there"

I shakeexasperated, and I can’t think of an excuse not to, so I do

"Yeah?" I say

"What did you do to her?" His voice sounds thick with anger and soone, and she took my son You have to tell ht he watched Barron kicker htly that I’ to crack

He should be apologizing toto her What did you tell her? What did you do to her?"

"Oh, sorry," I say automatically, cold fury in every word "I don’t re so vindictively pleased that it takes me a moment to realize how incredibly stupid I’ve just been

Then I reeneral disappointment, anymore I’m one of the most powerful practitioners of one of the rarest curses

I’ anywhere

They should be afraid offrom the store I say I don’t He tellson?" I ask

"We’re taking a road trip down to Carney," he says

I nod o

Lila stares at me from the center of therooet closer and see a piece of bacon, the grease soaking into a scarf

"Grandad give you that?" I ask

She sits on her hind legs and licks herThe caller ID says Daneca

"You gave her the slip," I say "Did you really walk all the way here?"

Lila yawns, showing her fangs

I know I have to change her, now before Grandad returns Before ain and I can’t concentrate

If only I kne