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"Of course the treatment ork" Now Tansy sounded affronted "Doctor C developed it, and that erous and it wouldn’t work on anybody who’s too far gone Once the oes sans driver for a little bit, there’s no pill in the world that’s going to bring them back"

My stomach turned as my own "meat car" reacted to the implications of her words "Well, let’s hope Joyce is still fir to keeptoto stay with him for… well, for a while" Forever, if the way I felt

"Ooo, a sleepover? Can I coe I couldn’t decide whether she’d keep us up all night watching badfor us to vivisect as a party gahed "Oh, whatever If you want to be like that, you just be like that Doctor C wants to know if you think you can get out here again in the next day or two She says there’s some developments and stuff, and she doesn’t want to talk about theedinforo anywhere without being watched Nathan e it--"

"No, I can’t," said Nathan "If they’re watching you, they’re going to be watchingaway"

"Did you hear that?" I asked Tansy

"I did," she said "We’ll think of soht and try not to get yourselves killed before I can get there to join the party"

"Tansy--" I began, but it was too late; she was already gone I lowered the phone "She hung up onthe co back out into the open as the highway continued into the city "Did she say what Mos she can’t discuss over the phone She said they’ll think of so else if we can’t co"

"It’s Tansy," he said "You’re not supposed to"

I laughed again, and leaned over to rest ainst his shoulder as he drove us onward, toward the house that was no longer going to be my horiet out without any aze and gri, "Do you want me to come in with you, or would it be easier if I waited out here?"

What I wanted was to just drive aithout facing my mother I shook my head "You should coe Beverly at the sao in there twice Once I’ht now, I don’t want to let you out of ot out and walked up the driveway toward the house

Moot there Her face was drawn and pale as she looked out at us I stepped onto the porch She didn’t say a word She just stepped forward, wrapped her arms around me, and squeezed so hard I was briefly sure I felt o, I’d float away and never be seen again

"Um," I said aardly "Hi, Mom Can you… this sort of hurts" I patted her on the back with one hand, straining to move even thatfor per onto say; she sniffled as she letbackward and out of the way "Of course, sweetheart, of course Hello, Nathan It’s good to see you again"

"Hello, Mrs Mitchell," he said, politely not co on the fact that she hadn’t seen him because he hadn’t been allowed in

Beverly squeezed past Mo so hard her entire backside was shaking,apart in the , and stayed crouched as I asked, "Did Dad call?"

"Yes" Mom sniffled It was a s I heard it all the same, and my heart broke, just a little "I… I understand why you feel you need to go, Sal, but I wish you wouldn’t Not while your sister is still in isolation The house is too big for me to be in it by myself" She didn’t need to say that Dad wouldn’t come home until they knew about Joyce, one way or the other I knew hih to know that

"I’m sorry" I rubbed Beverly’s ears before I stood "I can’t I know it hurts, but you let hireed with him I need to know that I’h to tellon in my own life I need to know that I’ al at her eyes with the side of one hand as she said, "That’s fair I wish you didn’t think that way--and I still understand hoe e rebellion"