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Malibu, California

July 2005

"Brilliant tradition Excellent use of explosives"

He and Beatrice were leaning against a pile of rocks he’d formed to create a kind of shelter from the wind that whipped down the California coast They were roastingthe bonfire, and watching the distant fireworks that marked A, isn’t it? We do like our violent celebrations"

"You do Is this better than the fireworks in Houston?"

"Oh yeah Rich people put on a great show"

Carwyn snorted, enjoying the fact his friend didn’t lump herself in with the rich, despite the rather massive fortune she’d stolen the year before from a vicious water vaed son of his friend, Giovanni, and a villain at the core Carwyn, Giovanni, and their friend Tenzin had attacked his co Lorenzo underground--or underwater, as the caseHe also knew that, since helping his friends, he had becoet

It didn’t concern him Another hundred years, another ene as he did, it was inevitable

He saw Beatrice glancing at the ocean as the tide came in Feould notice how the waves still made her tense, but she deliberately turned back to the fire and ignored the toward the ocean "We can always take the bike farther up the coast Plenty of dark left We can just keep riding if you don’t want to listen to the water"

She shook her head "No, this is good I’et over it, you know? Otherwise…"

"What?"

She ss you think you won’t survive You probably know that better than ed "Despite my years, sometimes I feel as if I’ve lived a very charmed life My fas happen There’s no such thing as coht of a dark rooht"

"So when life breaks, you pick up the pieces and keepa survivor, you’re always a victim" Beatrice leaned toward the fire and crossed her arms over her chest "And I don’t want to be known for what happened to irl" He winked at her "You can handle anything, can’t you?"

"A good friend A war, but I can handle the waves for a bit"

He so"

"I will"

"B?"