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Then he sed hard and shut the box on that kite

"I have three for us," he said, turning His voice came out tense and dark, and he saw Olivia’s eyes fly to his face He forced hih it probably was

Justin hopped over "I never liked that red one," he said cheerfully, as if the kites had no history "Too frisky I’ll take one of the others"

"You have to tie the spool on," Quin said, handing it over

Olivia snatched the cherry kite "I love this one!"

"Ithis throat "I’ll tie on the spool for you" And then he bent his head to the task, avoiding her eyes For whatever reason, he could read Olivia’s eyes, and it seeht have the same power over hilimpse of the black monstrous silence that lived within his chest

"Now," he said briskly, after tying both their spools, "we’ll walk to the top of the ridge"

It took tihter--not on Quin’s part, but that was only because he rarely laughed--until all three kites were loose and free, bobbing in a current sweeping overhead

"I love it!" Olivia shouted She was running back and forth, her slippers twinkling under her hem

As if it had been only five minutes, rather than five years, the cherry kite slid below the current, plunged down, jerked its way back up Whereas Quin’s kite reached its zenith and then stayed there, a solid scrap of white, bobbing far above his head

Justin had flung hi his kite fronificent e, following her kite’s erratic flight

Justin looked drowsily comfortable, his eyes fixed on the distant speck of his kite "You’d better go after Olivia," he said, throwing a lazy glance at Quin "I can’t see her anyh, Quin reeled in his kite

Olivia had chased her kite somewheredown or up or into the stand of trees at the end of the ridge He glanced back and saw that Aunt Cecily was fast asleep, her jaw sagging coe England was laid out before hi along in the distance, the serpentine curl of the river over to the right The wind srass, with a faint sested a bonfire

For a moment joy bubbled up in his chest, and then the fa presented itself, as if for review Guilt Yet when he pushed it away this time, he felt different Cleaner More peaceful

Perhaps it was tiht a flash of crie down the lee side, and was now standing under a tree, gazing up

The cherry kite invariably found a tree to plunge into He slowed and savored the walk toward her His entire body was tight, fierce, as if he were barely in control Which was absurd because he was always in control, and always had been

Even five years ago, when he had turned away fro he was too latehe hadn’t lost control No That wasn’t entirely true; he shouldn’t rewrite history He had tried to throw himself in the water, bellowed for a boat, had to be restrained by the harbormaster