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The town of Shasta acky and artistic, with a good nu leisurely down the wide avenues Shelby rolled down the s and let in the brisk early-evening air It helped settle Luce's sto to talk to the people she'd seen in the Announcer

"What ahter back fro at a stoplight "What ahter back fro at a stoplight

"Unless you want to totally freak out a sweet old couple, we're going to have to work on that," Shelby said "Why don't you pretend you're a solicitor, just to get in the door and feel them out?"

Luce looked down at her jeans, beat-up tennis shoes, and purple backpack She didn't look like a very impressive salesperson "What would I sell?"

Shelby started to drive again "Hawk car washes or soot vouchers in your bag I did that one suot shot" She shuddered, then looked at Luce's white face "Co to shoot you Oh, hey, look, here we are!"

"Shelby, can we just sit in silence for a little while? I think I need to breathe"

"Sorry" Shelby pulled into a large parking lot facing a coalow-style buildings "Breathing I can do"

Through her nerves, Luce had to adalows stood in a se with a roheelchairs lined up outside the doors A big banner read WELCOME TO SHASTA SHIRE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

Her throat felt so dry it hurt to s She didn't know if she even had it in her to say tords to these people Maybe it was one of those things you just couldn't think about too et up there and force her hand down on that knocker and then gure out how to act

"Apart with a red Spanish-tile roof "That looks like it over there If you want et back? That would be great, thanks so !"

Before Luce could lose her nerve, she was out the car door and jogging up the winding sidewalk toward the building The air arm and

lled with a heady scent of roses Cute old people were everywhere Split into tea an evening stroll through a neatly pruned ower garden next to the pool In the early-evening light, Luce's eyes strained as she tried to locate the couple somewhere in this crowd, but no one looked faht to their house

Froalow, Luce could see a light on through theShe stepped closer until she had a clearer view

It was uncanny: the same room she'd seen earlier in the Announcer Even down to the fat white dog asleep on the rug She could hear dishes being washed in the kitchen She could see the thin, brown-socked ankles of the o

He didn't feel like her father He didn't look like her father, and the woman hadn't looked at all like herwith theers If she knocked on the door and made up soe?

No, she decided But that wasn't all Even though she didn't recognize her parents, if they really were her parents, of course they would recognize her

She felt stupid for not thinking about that before They'd take one look at her and know she was their daughter Her parents were much older than most of the other people she'd seen outside The shock of it ht be too much for them It was too much for Luce, and this couple had about seventy years on her

By then she was pressed against their living rooebrush cactus bush Her ngers were dirty frohter had died when she was seventeen, theyher for close to fty years They'd be at peace with it by now Wouldn't they? Luce popping up uninvited fro they needed

Shelby would be disappointed Luce herself was disappointed It hurt to realize that this was as close as she was ever going to get to the on the sill outside her former parents' house, she felt the tears roll down her cheeks She didn't even know their naht

ELEVEN DAYS

To: [email protected] / /

From: [email protected] / /

Sent: Monday, 11/15 at 9:49 a in there

Dear Mos at school have been busy, but I'ood experiences My favorite class these days is hu on