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He walked over to a shelf on the opposite side of the roo boys The older one had a serious expression on his face Adaht to be black He was laughing, sreen

"You look like hi I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the picture--away from the boy

"Adam said he had a brother," I said slowly The memory washed over me "The first time we met, Adam said he had a brother"

He’d said that his brother had never cared for school, that he had preferred to spend his time outside

Likethe picture down "I think thatI think they were young and stupid and, if ant to be generous, maybe even in love Toht dully Tommy was like that The past tense hit me with an almost physical force

"I told hie He could have been an officer--but he didn’t listen" Keyes ran a hand roughly through his hair "Ada up by forbidding hiot shorter and curter "And then there was Ivy"

Adaan to pace I watched hiif there was any of him in me, and now I knew

It wasn’t Adam

It was never Ada so a decibel or two as he paced "And somehow, he found out about you"

Me The pieces fell into place inat me like I reminded him of someone--I’d assu?

What if, when he yelled at s were hard--what if those had been the times when I’d reminded him of his brother?

His dead brother I’d lost so much in the past feeeks: Graht lish class, about what it

I was an artist

And noould never know et to meet him, never know if he would have looked at me and seen pieces of himself, if he would have wanted hter he would have loved

I couldn’t stay here I started for the door with no plans of what I would do when I walked out I’d ga to be an orphan To to kill her

I tried

"Hold it right there, young lady" Keyes barked out asaround, caught between sorrow and a so away "If it was Ada to offer But my father is dead Dead itimate children was barely even news

My father is dead It hurt All I’d ever seen of hiht die I hadn’t saved her

Just this once, I wanted to save soht have told you"--Keyes crossed the room to stand in front of randchild away"