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As if there had been no interruption, Tom picked up the conversation where his narrative of the events at the Houser place had left off

"… and you know the rest," Tom concluded

"What about Danny’s dad?" asked Nix "And the twins?"

Toot hoirls went upstairs to play, and Jack went into the kitchen Danny must have come home sometime after Michelle was attacked but before Jack From the way I read it, Danny, Grandpa, and Michelle attacked Jack when he went into the kitchen He got away, but he was badly hurt He got the girls into their rooun"

"He fired that first shot?" asked Benny

"Probably Maybe he was planning on quieting Michelle and the others, but he was too badly torn up I think he realized that he was about to die, and he did what he thought was best to try and protect the girls"

"He shot hiht at the top of the stairs, so his body would block the others froirls Jack ht; his bullet missed the motor cortex and the brain stem All he did was speed up how fast he came back When we cairls’ bedroom"

Nix sniffed and wiped tears from her eyes

"All those people," Benny said softly "And those two little girls"

"More orphans"

It was Lilah who spoke, and everyone turned to her Her stern expression had softened, and it was clear that she was looking into her own memories Like Nix, Lilah was an orphan And like Nix and the little girls, Lilah had lost her sibling as well: Annie, a little sister as born on First Night and who had died trying to escape the zo said, "What will happen to theirls?" Tom asked "I think there’s an aunt somewhere In Hillcrest, maybe"

That toas four days’ ride to the north, and the route went through so The girls would go off to another town--and as travel between the fens left in the Ruin was rare, usually only the bounty hunters and traders risked the journey Benny knew that people here in Mountainside would never see Faith and Hope again Probably never even hear about theain, as if they had been erased from the world as so ht of so much death and loss hit him like a punch to the heart

Nix, however, was furious, and she pounded her thigh with a small, hard fist "God! I can’t wait to leave this place I want to get out of here and never come back"

Toave a slow nod

"I e could leave now," Nix growled, then elbowed Benny "Right?"

"Absolutely," he said, though he had to force the enthusiaso lock himself in his room and sleep until the horror went away

"I still can’t believe you’re really going," said Chong softly, but although he spoke to Benny and Nix, his eyes kept darting toward Lilah "I wish I could go"

"Me too," muttered Nix "We should all leave God, I hate this town I hate the way people think here No one talks about First Night Everyone’s afraid to even discuss the possibility of reclai the world They won’t even expand the town"

"They’re scared," said Morgie

"So what?" she snapped "There’s always been so to be scared of Betild animals, earthquakes, volcanoes, viruses, wars … Yet look at what people did! They built cities and countries They fought off their ene!"

"No," said Lilah "Even the strong are afraid"

Nix turned to her "Okay, then they learned how to be brave"

"Yes," said Toether That mattered then and it’ll matter now None of us could do this alone I know I couldn’t Not going across the whole country"

"I thought you liked being alone," said Benny, half joking "The Zen master and all that"

Tom shook his head "I can handle loneliness, but I don’t like it Every ti holy, smelly, bratty little brother"

"Who will sested Benny

"Point taken"

"I want to go," said Lilah abruptly "Being alone … being lonely …" She didn’t finish and simply shook her head

Since she’d first coone back into the forests and up into the mountains dozens of ti back sacks filled with her precious books Benny, Toone with her several times However, no one commented on her statement None of them understood loneliness a tenth as well as the Lost Girl

"I really wish I could go," repeated Chong wistfully, still looking at Lilah while trying not to appear that he was

"Parents won’t cave?" Benny asked

"Parents won’t even talk about it They think the idea is suicidal"

"They could be right," observed To to the "After the last time you talked about it, Mom wanted to handcuff ested Lilah

Chong made a face "Very funny"

"I am serious It’s your life … take it"

"You sure that’s how you want to phrase that?" murmured Benny

"You knohat I mean," Lilah snapped irritably

"Yes," said To is a minor, and he has a responsibility to his family"

"First responsibility is to here," she retorted, tapping herself over the heart "To self"