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“Sure Of course But that ain’t it”

Anna waited, keeping her face carefully neutral The pretty civilian girl across the roo to herself, then she sat back down, put her arms on the table, and leaned her head on the watches of the night, all alone in a roo into her reverie, “that ain’t all of it anyway”

“What else?” Anna said

“The Ring didn’t put us on alert,” he said “It’s the Martians Even with that thing out there, we’re still thinking about shooting each other That’s pretty fked up Sorry Messed up”

“It seems like we should be able to see past our hu like this, doesn’t it?”

Chris nodded and squeezed her hand tighter, but said nothing

“Chris, would you like to pray withhis eyes When she’d finished, he said, “I know I’m not the only Methodist on the ship Do you, you know, hold services?”

I do now

“Sunday, at 10 a a mental note to ask sos

“I’ll see if I can get the time off,” Chris said with a s to you, Chris” You just gave me a reason to be here

When Chris left, Anna found herself very tired, ready to return to her bed, but the pretty girl across the room hadn’t moved Her head was still buried in her arently touched her on the shoulder The girl’s head jerked up, her eyes wild, almost panicked

“Hi,” Anna said “I’irl stared up, as if the question were a difficult one Anna sat down across fro here,” Anna said “It looked like you could use soirl jerked to her feet like aree Anna felt suddenly afraid It was like she’d gone to pet a dog and found herself with her hand on a lion So in the back of her head told her, This is a bad one This one will hurt you

“I’ up with her hands half raised “I didn’t irl replied “You don’t know anything” Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides, the tendons in her neck quivering like plucked guitar strings

“You’re right,” Anna said, still backing up and patting the air with her hands “I apologize”

Other people in the rooe of relief that she wasn’t alone with the girl The girl stared at her, tre, for a few more seconds, then darted out of the room

“What the fk was that all about?” soirl had woken up froht Or maybe she hadn’t

Chapter Thirteen: Bull

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