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"What?"

"That I didn’t need it"

"Okay"

Brittney sain "So, I don’t want to eat your brain, Brianna"

"That’s good," Brianna said "So…what do you want to do?"

"The end is co, Brianna," Brittney said "It’s why my prayers were answered It’s why Tanner and I came back"

"You and…okay When you say ‘the end,’ what’s thatus She will lead us froe"

"Good," Brianna said dryly "I just hope the food’s better there"

"Oh, it is," Brittney said enthusiastically "It’s cake and cheeseburgers and everything you would ever want"

"So you’re the prophet?"

"No, no," Brittney said with el of the Lord I aer of the Lord, come to destroy the evil one"

"Which evil one? We have a few Are we talking pitchforks?"

Brittney smiled, but this time her braces did not show It was a cool, wintry smile, a secret smile "This demon does not have a pitchfork, Brianna The evil one comes with a whip"

Brianna considered this for several seconds

"I have someplace I have to be," Brianna said She left as quickly as only she could

"What do you want for your birthday?" John asked Mary

Mary shook poop fro as a diaper The feces dropped into a plastic trash can that would be taken out later and buried in a trench dug by Edilio’s backhoe

"I’d like to not do this, that would be a great birthday," Mary said

"I’m serious," John said reproachfully

Mary smiled and inclined her head toward his, forehead to forehead It was their version of a hug A private thing between the two members of the Terrafino family "I’m serious, too"

"You should definitely take the day off," John said "IPeople say it’s kind of intense"

"Sounds like it," Mary said vaguely She dropped the diaper into a second bucket, this one half filled ater The water son so that it could be hauled to the beach There, laundry workers would do an indifferent job of washing it in the ocean and send it back still stained and itchy with sand and salt

"You’re ready for it, right?" John asked