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Sofia’s eyes widen a little, but she’s too good at concealing her feelings to showelse "What did you do?"

"I saved a soldier’s life After she--" I clenchto keep control ofon the oversize waders by the door before co up in response to ht," I whisper "And so"

"Coet clean You can borrow some of my father’s clothes" She speaks without a hitch in her voice, but despite the long years we’ve been separated by this fight we’ve inherited, I still know her well I can see the pain drawn clear on her face "You’ll stay here withas you need to"

My heart thuds hard, fear and relief warring with each other "I can’t accept that, Sof They find me here and they’ll arrest you too How can you--"

"Because you tried to save her fro with the same fire I remember from ere children "Because if someone had tried to save my father, I would’ve kept the id water before the dirty washcloth wrings out clear, but Sofia keeps bringing new buckets froh the shirt and trousers she finds for e, the feel of clean, dry fabric without a trace of blood or gri on the floor in front of the tiny stove, hts return; my eyes are on the cuffs of ain The stitches are neat and orderly; the thread is a faded butter-yellow

When Sofia sits down, handing hy slice of e locals call arán, I notice the threadher father’s cuffs matches the color of her tunic, which is a few inches shorter than it ought to be

I closelike ash in ht--and yet it is It’s all of ours I just wish it weren’t co to this violent end

"Don’t you need to eat too?" I ask once I’vered coils of the stove "See me food But I can’t eat it all--there’s only me now, after all"

It’s always been just Sofia and her father, since ere children Herup, and as far as I know, Sofia hasn’t heard fros froh we’re alone "The girl in the security footage, right before…right before"

Her face tightens, eyes closing as she ss hard, cheeks flushed I want to take her hand, show her I feel this agony too, but the tension singing through her body keeps me still "You know," she whispers, "you’d think the worst part about this would be the looks I get It wasn’t all soldiers who died in the explosion People here lost family too They all look at me like I should have known it was about to happen, or stopped it But I don’t care" Her voice thins and catches roughly "I justhollow inthat makes my heart hurt shouldn’t be how much I miss the trodaire I’ve only known for a feeeks Because the Fury took her fro for you to know," I murmur "This never should have happened"

She inhales sharply, drawing her knees up and wrapping her arot footage, I know they’re saying he had the detonator But he wasn’t planning anything He didn’t want any part in the fight He’d been vague, tired, but I thought it was just the stress of his new job on the base He’d never have done anything to risk my life, and even if soaze is distant, replaying those last minutes "I would have known"

"I believe you, Sof" My eyes fall on the bandages again

"Well, if you believe me, you’re the only one who does" She h "The trodairí say the families always deny their loved ones are capable of violence"

"This Fury--this thing we thought was a trodairí excuse--it’s real I’ve seen it" I force myself to take another bite of the arán I’m ravenous, and yet each mouthful is a hard lump in etting worse"

"I was the one who got hi with her body language "Taking sa his arthritis so bad he could barely walk in thehiue could get us out of any scrape

"If it weren’t for me," she whispers, her hollow eyes fixed on the waders still standing by the door, "he wouldn’t have even been there"