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He could just iine what Astrid would do Make it all about free speech or whatever Or maybe not, maybe she’d see the threat, too, but Astrid was better with theories than she ith just walking up to people and telling theraves The makeshift markers--wooden crosses, one inept atteht into the dirt Someone had knocked most of the headstones over and no one had yet had ti there Every kid buried in that ground--and there were many--was a personal failure Someone he had not kept alive

His feet stepped onto soft earth He frowned Why would there be dirt clods?

Saht forht that darkened shadows But he could see that the ground was disturbed Dirt everywhere, not piled up, more like clods and shovels full had been thrown

In the center, a hole Saht and held his hand over the hole He peered down inside, ready to strike if so in his chest

Moveht down into the hole The light made no sound, but the dirt hissed and popped as it lass

"No!" he cried

He tripped, fell on his rear in the dirt, and already he knew he’dht he’d seen what it was

He crawled back to the edge of the hole He looked over the edge, illuirl looked up at him, terrified Her hair was dirty Her clothes were muddy But she was alive Not burned Alive

There was tape over herto breathe She had a doll clutched tight Her blue eyes pleaded

Sam lay flat, reached down, and took her outstretched hand

He wasn’t strong enough to lift her cleanly up He had to drag and haul, reposition, haul some more And by the time she made it up out of the hole she was covered in dirt fro from the effort

He pulled the tape from her face It wasn’t easily done Soirl cried when he pulled the tape fro strange He raised the level of light Soirl’s forehead

The as "Freak"

Sam’s palm went dark Slowly, careful not to scare her, he put his ar shoulders

"It will be okay," he lied

"They…they said…why…" She couldn’t finish She collapsed against hi onto his shirt

"You’re Jill Sorry, I didn’t recognize you at first"

"Jill," she said, and nodded and cried so"

Job one, Sah Whether Astrid and the council liked it or not, it was time to take care of Zil

Or not

Sam stared at the hole fro it for the first ti about it…soasped, sucked air sharply A chill ran up his spine

The horror here was not that a little girl had fallen into a hole The horror was the hole itself