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In the evenings up in our room Rowan entertains me with a few tidbits about her video chats with Charlie, whose full name is Charles Broderick Banks, and who isn’t really homeschooled--he has a tutor and a house in the Ha to keep her secret froer Hopefully they’ll cal Roon’t be going to New York anytiood guy

And thank dog for Trey, who is acting as a secret liaison between Sawyer and ht now On the last Friday of my confinement, Trey comes home with a note for me in a sealed envelope When I a, I read:

I don’t want to risk you getting caught, but I really have to see you as soon as possible I’ll be by your back door tonight at 2 am If you can’t come down, I understand

Miss you so much Want to hold you

SA

I die a little

No, a lot

• • •

I take a nap in the late afternoon to prepare, and wait io to bed I fake sleeping, and finally everyone else is sleeping too I hope

At 1:45 aet the hang of dressing with my cast on my arm, but it still takes me a while I peek out my bedroom , and there’s a car out there with no fresh snow on it I think it’s his car I ease my way out of the bedroorab erly All I know is that if I get caught, I sure as hell can’t run very fast right now

When I open the door, a figure gets out of the car and closes the door softly, and then he lopes over a snowdrift and corin I expect isn’t there, only an anxious, hungry look He reaches for ently into my hair, and looks at me like I’m water and he’s the desert Gently he pushes ainst the wall, and then, without a word, he traces his finger over my lips and I’m mesmerized He leans in and his lips brushto etfor hi at all I just need to be in it and try to breathe without hurting anything