Page 92 (1/2)

She could iht, too

Now there was a thought She had what? Twelve rounds?

Yeah Interesting

There were sounds, too She could hear them all up the path Probably at the mine shaft entrance by now

Brianna could feel the dark presence of the gaiaphage She wasn’t iht on her soul But she wasn’t paralyzed by it She felt the gaiaphage, but it didn’t frighten her It was like a warning, like a terrible deep voice saying, "Stay away, stay away!" But Brianna didn’t scare worth a da; she felt the malice behind it; she kneasn’t a fake or a joke; she knew it represented a force of great power and deep evil

But Brianna wasn’t wired the way most people were She’d known that about herself--and about other people--for some time Since even before the FAYZ, but much more now since she had beco How old was she then? Maybe three? Her and some older kids, that boy and his stupid sister who used to live three houses down And they said, "We’re going to sneak into the old restaurant that burned up"

It was a big old Italian restaurant It looked half-normal from the outside except there was yellow police tape across the charred front door

The two kids, she had no idea what their naet little Brianna to be spooked "Oh, look, that’s where so this place Boo!"

She hadn’t been scared Actually she’d been disappointed when she realized there was no ghost

Then came the rats There must have been two dozen of the chased, rushing fro room where the three kids were and the Olafsons--that was their name, Jane and Todd Olafson; no wonder she didn’t reirl, Jane, had tripped and cut her knee pretty badly

But Brianna had not run She’d stood her ground with her talking Woody doll in one hand She remembered one of the rats had stopped and cocked its rat face to look at her Like it couldn’t believe she wasn’t running Like it wanted to say, "Hey, kid, I’?"

And she had wanted to say, "Because you’re just a stupid rat"

She felt her way step by step now Way too slow for a normal person, let alone the Breeze

"Oh, I feel you, old dark and scary," she muttered "But you’re just a stupid rat"

Sahts behind him The line they ht Of course, he could no longer see the lake or its firefly lights