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"Stay here," I whisper, ainst hers She’s still flushed with sleep and her skin’s warm, so much s as uncultured as a guy in need of a shave before But she only nods in silent understanding She’s shaking violently, and I realize she’s left her blanket behind I take off my jacket and wrap it around her shoulders, and she sinks down to sit in the shadow of the tree to wait

It’s not the worst night ofto a particular night on Avon The whole platoon,leaves, and the night’s entertainroup of rebels with an oversupply of pulse lasers Not a nice thing on watery ground To top it off, I irls, and it’s not like recruits get a lot of those lined up

Still, on hts, this coroithout le in the fabric of s concealed under the leaf litter waiting to crack and snap like bones breaking in the dark On any other planet I’d be confident, but here I know anything could hurtcould be just a little different from the way it’s supposed to be I’m forced toslowness The hairs on the back ofup, and I’ that

I pass by Lilac three ti She’s obediently huddled at the base of the tree, wrapped in s tucked up inside it She insists she can still hear the voice I stand in the shadow of a tree and look out across theExcept that there’s nothing there, and even the sht of the two moons

When I return to her a fourth tione She see to look like she’s bearing up well She doesn’t want

I hold up a hand to warn her to remain in place, and she nods as I back away from her Ti paces, then settle with e "Is anybody out there? We’re friends" My voice splits the silence Nobody within a klick could haveas our heartbeats count away the seconds Nothing

So I resurowth and past the smooth-trunked trees before I have to concede that if there’s soht

I makeagainst the tree She was tre for hours--the strain must have finally worn her down She starts when I crouch down beside her, and blinks at y, anyway, and I choose to believe it is I don’t need to tell her we’re staying away from the ca with sinister intentions that ht be out there

I ease in to sit beside her, Gleidel in hand She’s still half asleep, and she shifts her weight to settle her head against my shoulder Looks like I’ve been proht only I wrap an arainst ainst the tree trunk

I bite the inside of e to lean my head on hers, and settle in to wait for dawn

"So then you made your way across the plains toward the hts at that stage?"

"It was clear ere unlikely to find other survivors, but I remained alert I didn’t expect them to be kindly disposed toward a LaRoux, if they were around"