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Only a few minutes remained before she faced the person who had hurt her ht now
When she alighted at her stop, her boots sank down into days-old snow, already gray and crusty Nadia had o--Ann Sather, the "L," real pizza But she’d forgotten about some of the sucky parts, like snow that never h your coat and your flesh to ed to blot those out
It was aet
She double-checked the address as she walked along the street Stupid, she told herself It wasn’t like she hadn’t memorized this from the mo, and despite the cold, sweat made her skin sticky beneath her thick coat and socks
What else can Moet any worse than it already is?
The apart was a nice one, but there was no door out As the aged elevator shuddered its way upstairs, Nadia clenched her fists, spread her fingers, clenched theain She was ready for this She had to be
Finally she stood at her ht not even be home; despite the aht have taken a job Or just gone out, to shop or visit the Art Institute, so like that Her mother had a life now, a life that didn’t include her at all Nadia hadn’t thought of it because she couldn’t ied hole torn in the center, the place where she had been Maybe Mom had moved on
But she still knocked on the door
Mo h she could speak All she could think was that Moard Her soft brown hair, which she used to alear braided back in co lank around her face She’d lost weight, though she’d been thin to start with Instead of one of her rich cowl-neck sweaters in pluold, she wore a plain T-shirt that didn’t look very clean Even though this was the first tihter in more than half a year, her reat tiredness
Finally Mom said, "You shouldn’t have this address"
"Don’t blas"
That should have earned her a scolding at ed "I suppose it was inevitable What do you want?"
What do I want? What do I want? For you to explain yourself, you worthless, ry words "I want to knohy a Sorceress says you traded h her hair "A Sorceress?"
"Her name’s Elizabeth Pike She happens to be in the same toe moved to--in Rhode Island--" Did Mom even know that much, or care?