Page 128 (1/1)

"I alht I'm still here Take a lot ht," she said She punctuated it with a sniffle She forced herself to smile "You're still here"

He took a step and then winced "Think I can get a sip of that ic water?"

"Sure" She saw a pitcher on the floor, one salvaged froht it so he could use the water on Uncle Hector There was still a bottomful of water left She handed the pitcher to hier, but the bruise on his face disappeared Once he wiped the blood froed as well "Good as new," he said He handed the pitcher back to her "Maybe you should get some more Just in case"

"Sure"

She bent down over the Fountain of Youth As she always did, she saw herself as a little girl, a toddler, and a baby At the ht Then she dipped the pitcher into the fountain

"What are we going to do with your friend there?" Uncle Hector asked

"We'll lock him in the woodshed until we're ready to leave Then I suppose we'll take him with us"

"Then we can put his ass in juvie"

"Juvie?"

"Juvenile hall It's like prison for kids"

"Oh Right I suppose we could do that"

"We'll decide later For noe'd better getthe boy over his shoulder Then they started back towards the barns

"I don't suppose you saw my friends: Prudence, Rebecca, and Molly, Uncle Hector?"

"Can't say I have They go ?"

"I don't know They weren't very happy earlier Maybe they went off to sulk soht I' at David as they walked She didn't relish the idea of putting hiht not be any other choice, not if he stood in the way of saving the other children She hoped later she could talk some sense into him For now they still had a lot of work to do

The forest looked a lot different at three feet tall The trees seemed i, as if she could disappear in them The situation was made worse by the fact she had to walk barefoot in a dress that fit like a tent now